Abyss

CHAPTER 36

Going back to Malum Trench was challenging, especially with the treasure in mind. There was no way Darius told his crew what they were looking for.

All that he disclosed was that they are to look for a metal chest and death awaits those who open it.

He didn't want his crew to be overwhelmed with greed and curiosity. It was a selfish decision but it had to be done.

As Darius prepared to leave, Arsen quickly approaches him

The Medusa sailed through the rough waters, retracing the path back to Malum Trench. Darius stood at the helm, his gaze fixed on the distant view of the island. It had only been four days since they had departed from the island yet here they were returning.

The crew, sensing his unease, exchanged wary glances but held their silence and kept their lips sealed shut. They trusted him, he was a leader who had steered them through storms before. As the ship anchored near the island, the captain called a meeting on the deck.

Darius announced with his voice steady. "Stay vigilant. Errantes are still rampant in daylight."

Although puzzled, nodded in agreement. The air was heavy with the scent of salt and the distant roaring of waves. The captain led them toward the cave entrance, the very path where the marble statue of Seraphius was before.

In his hand laid the papers where the hint was written. Words in another language still lingering in his mind. The treasure had to be somewhere. He just have to find it.

Arsen along with Elysaria stood beside him, their eyes on Darius when he walked towards the rocks near the statue. Their footsteps echoed in the dark. The flashlight illuminating in the soft moss.

"Do you think it's not just a hoax?" she asked Elysaria as she eyed the man who was practically pushing the boulders with his hand. There was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes but she knew not to bother Darius at the moment.

The other woman only shrugged, her eyes still focused as the man quickly dug his way, shoving the dirt and moss to uncover a locked passageway small enough for a person to fit in. Well, Darius was out of the list, unfortunately.

He turned his eyes back to the two women and Elysaria had no hesitation to glance at Arsen. The two seem to bicker with only a stare before the smaller woman sighed in defeat.

"I'll go. Give me some light in there, will you?" Arsen quickly took off her coat and was left with a black vest and white blouse underneath. She quickly kneeled and decided to break the wooden lock with her sword before opening it. Arsen pushed herself down, taking the lantern that Darius had lit before bringing herself down, squeezing herself inside the narrow passageways with only the rocky surface to hold onto.

It took the young woman a minute to finally reach the bottom. She turns her focus to the makeshift bunker, using the lantern to find her way around. It seems someone had been living around the place, made it to hide from the Errantes. Arsen knew it couldn't be one of Elysaria's men so her assumption was that it belonged to the other nations.

Her eyes casted down the huge chest on the ground. It didn't seem locked. Whoever had it probably was in a rush of leaving it. Pushing her thoughts aside, she opened the chest and saw precious stones, pearls, diamond, and amulets.

Arsen knew the whole chest wouldn't really fit the passageway she went through so the only possibility would be another entrance hidden somewhere. Her right hand tried to touch the rocky surfaces, maneuvering while shining the lantern on the other.

"Arsen," Darius called out, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the light going father than what he had expected her to be. "How are things down below?"

"Holding steady. I'm looking for a another way through." Her voice echoed back while Elysaria followed her tracks up above, almost as if following her voice until she stops next to Seraphius sculpture.

Elysaria's gaze stopped at the marble statue, her mind contemplating. For a moment, she stood still, studying the stone before noticing how it appeared to be moveable. It took a while before she decided to push it slightly — her fingertips grazing the cool surface and feeling the statue shift.

"Darius, here. We can move this." Elysaria called him as Darius hurriedly came to lend her a hand. They both forced their weight to move the statue until a faint outline of a wooden door came into view below them.

Breaking it open, it shone some light down the passage with Arsen walking up towards them. She had her hands on her hips, her face drenched in sweat due to the heat inside the enclosed and almost claustrophobic passage.

"Found it." Elysaria tried to pull Arsen back up the stairs but the woman only pulled her inside. The captain hesitated and pulled away at first before she seemed to realize when Arsen quickly pointed at the wooden chest inside the passage. They both nodded and helped each other to carry the chest up the stone stairs with Darius waiting halfway to take it up top.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, they crouched to inspect the chest more closely. A few symbols can be seen carved on the exterior. Arsen tried reading it but only shakes her head afterwards.

"I can't read this."

Darius raised an eyebrow at this. "You can't read it because it contains something we don't want to hear or you can't read it because-"

"Because I can't read the language," Arsen cuts him off before brushing her fingertips on the engravings. "It's not like anything I've studied before."

"It's got to be something important," Elysaria said, her voice barely a whisper. "Look at the craftsmanship on this thing. It's not just any old chest."

The Arkenheilm leader nodded, her expression seemingly studying the chest. "We need to get this back to the ship. Now. The others might have been waiting outside for too long."

Darius nodded in agreement, already moving to close the chest. "I'll carry it. Let's move quickly." 

With a final glance at the jewelries inside, Elysaria closed the lid and helped Darius lift the chest once more. They moved as swiftly and silently as they could, glancing around and alert as they knew there were still Errantes roaming the island.

The way back to the ship felt like an eternity. They could've sworn there were a few errantes seemingly lurking but it was awfully silent. But finally, they got out and saw the familiar outline of their ships waiting with the crew in one piece.

They moved quickly, the crew giving them curious looks but knowing better than to ask questions. The three eventually gave the chest to the crew, to which most of them didn't hesitate to bring the chest up the deck.

"Hurry," Elysaria told them urgently. "Secure it before those creatures see us. God knows who else is targeting this damn place."