I think I'm the only one more excited tonight than I was last night. This thin paper and waxy seal are our ticket into the abyss, and then we can truly get started. I'll happily reminisce about these past few days, each one better than the last and that includes today, but whatever is down there must be so much more.
In the morning just before we left, Eric and I had been looking over the heads in Oscar's home. He removed one of them from its mounting and looked into the man's eyes. He started talking about how these trophies were all heretical, he couldn't let this stand. Before I could stop him he rushed out the door and threw it into the swamp. It landed in a boat lazily paddled by another lizard folk. She took a look at it, gnawed on it for a moment, and continued on. He stopped at just the one head. I hope we can get going tomorrow before we run into Oscar again. I know just how much attachment a person can have to those trophies. If you destroy one of them it feels like a part of the achievement is gone too.
The path to the temple was well trodden over. It lead straight from the bog to an opening in a rocky wall underneath a collapsing structure. When I saw it I wasn't convinced that it was where we were headed. Who would let there child go to play somewhere so dangerous and far away from them? The opening lead to a man made tunnel but they'd neglected to place any sconces along the sides of it leaving us to walk through the dark. The closer to the other end the more we'd think we were hearing things. It sounded like a huge crowd was celebrating something. There was a sweet smell cutting through the damp musty air. I spotted something scuttle away up above through cracks in the ceiling. Before I could unsheathe my swords it dropped down from a hole further ahead flanked by three others all dressed in strange costumes. A seal, a crab, a seahorse, and a clam. They started dancing and singing, welcoming us to the carnival.
They called themselves the Boardwalk Gang, a group of mascots made for the carnival. Each one carried their own funny instrument. They lined us up single file and took us the rest of the way with an impromptu parade. Stalls with games and food were set up around an amphitheater . Between the audience and stage a circle of waist high barriers had been been set up with a couple zig zagging barriers inside and a puddle at the center.
We started playing a few simple games, the kind of things you'd expect from a carnival. Throw a ball and knock the bottles down, a shooting gallery, a lot of silly things that are harder than they seem. Eric was learning that trying to knock over a pyramid. When he missed a throw he'd yell in a booming voice I never knew he'd had. He only stomped off when there were no more balls to throw. For me however, the shooting gallery was another story. I had to use the bow they provided but it was basic and easy to pick up. I hadn't missed even a single shot. The attendant nearly smiled when he congratulated me and handed me my prize. It was an enchanted quiver that held as many arrows as you put into it. The biggest problem with it is that it ruins the symmetry of my look. I suppose the only thing I can do is sling it across my back.
Few was eyeing up a fried food stand the whole time we were goofing off. It served fresh potato chips and funnel cakes, but the thing she wanted were the corn dogs. I ordered a cake for myself and moved on to a middle aged woman with lots of animals in cages. She was selling animals from bats to cats to rats to toads as pets. A pup had caught Zanvar's eye, but he wasn't having much luck getting it to like him. She was charging a hefty price for him, apparently he was part wolf.
Few peaked out from behind a mountain of corn dogs in her arms, followed by another smaller mountain of corn dogs. Iblis had been whiling the day away with the other children and bumped into Few. She told us that the strange setup in front of the amphitheater was an arena where folks tried their hand at defeating the reigning champion. She wouldn't tell us who it was but she said most had given up on the challenge. I was ready to give it my best shot, but so was Few. She wouldn't be talked out of it, so we decided who would try with a coin flip. Unfortunately she called correctly.
Eric said a small blessing to help her find her mark. I cast a small enchantment on her feet to help her move more swiftly. The only thing Zanvar could offer were words of encouragement, but Few appreciated them none the less. Iblis lead us to a small more subdued side area. She introduced Few to a man and registered her to fight. The rest of us were sent out to give Few time to prepare. A few people were opening stalls taking bets on the fight. I hadn't heard anyone bet on Few by the time I was at the head of the line. If there's one thing I hate it's when an underdog isn't even considered for a long shot. The man at the booth was happy to exchange our gold bars into coin at 300 a piece, and I placed a bet of 25 coins on Few. Eric had far more faith in her than me, placing the entire value of both bars on her victory. With that much risk I can't be sure if he really understands how bets work.
We found seats as close to the action as we could. Iblis joined us with her own betting ticket in her hand. If it was any other child I'd think ill of the carnival allowing them to gamble. Few was introduced with little fanfare. She apparently was supposed to figure out an entrance while she was alone but whatever she had planned left much to be desired. No flashy fiery display, just a few polite bows to the crowd. You could hear cheers coming from the opposite end of the carnival grow louder as the champion neared the arena. Ilean hopped over a barrier and strut around, striking a few poses and riling up the spectators. I didn't know who to expect of an unbeatable champion but it wasn't the woman caring for orphaned children. After an awfully one sided introduction of the combatants they were free to begin.
Ilean was like a force of nature. She roared and the dirt surrounded her in a vortex of pebbles. She stood in the puddle and dared Few to come after her. Few moved to keep a zigzag between her an Ilean then struck her with fire. The ground beneath Ilean caught fire in a small explosion. The puddle was oil and Ilean was caught in the middle of its blaze. Howling now she charged Few, hopping over the obstacle between them pulling swirling fire along with her. She scooped Few up and crushed her in a bear hug. Few was smart though, using a magical hand to jab Ilean's eyes. Taking advantage of my enchantment she ran far enough that Ilean wouldn't be able to catch her. For a short while the fight went through this cycle again, leaving them both worse for ware.
Quick maneuvering and peppering attacks were giving Few a slight edge. Watching her fight I couldn't help but think back to my glorious fight with the owlbear. It was playing out just the same. Few had a limitation that I hadn't needed to contend with though, and that was her magic. She had been using so much of it that it was draining her strength significantly. With every bit of fire burning Ilean or invisible force throwing her around Few breathed heavier. She must have been at her breaking point because she stopped and let Ilean catch up to her. When Ilean reared up to bring her hands down, Few produced the most flame I've seen yet directly into her stomach. Ilean took a knee and Few was declared the winner. We were on our feet cheering and dancing among a sea of dumbstruck onlookers.
Iblis dragged her feet following us to collect our winnings. They paid out ten to one, giving me another heavy sack to add to my growing wealth. In all my life I've never had so much money. The ideas of what to do with it are almost intoxicating. I can only imagine what's going through Eric's mind with more than six times my gold. He already had some idea though, because he rushed off back to the animal woman and bought the half wolf pup. He said his name would be Goku, named after a warrior he admired.
Few met with us at the bookies. Overhead, hanging on the collapsing walls, banners rolled down with pictures of Few's face on them. The Boardwalk Gang came to us once again blaring cheery music with horns. They came to Few offering a unique prize, a small blue statue of the Boardwalk Gang member of her choice made from Fey glass. If the statue should break the pieces would turn to dust and reform into the same for they were before. She was less than enthused. She offered the prize to Eric and Zanvar but neither of them were interested either. She sighed and allowed me to take my choice of the statues. The seahorse seemed to me the most regal of the four. I treasure this memento of our group effort. Something's been bothering me though. Why was I her last choice when I had done so much to help her? I'd rather let the matter rest though. I wouldn't want to seem ungrateful for the gift.
We left the carnival soon after that with Iblis. She had bet against Few but wasn't upset about the loss. We all introduced ourselves to Goku. He seemed to be happy to come with us. The walk back to Endcliff was an easy and fast one. We had spent too long at the carnival. When we arrived both the Gimme brothers and Mr.Skelebones had closed their shops for the evening. The only thing to do was see Ilean at her home to pick up our permit.
She invited us into her office and began explaining just what was in the abyss. I had thought it was a place where no one returned, but apparently the first three levels of it were well documented. The first was a mess of rocky cliffs connected by caves and poorly made bridges. The second a dense forest with trees so tall it took hours to climb down them. The third was a strange forest made of luminescent mushrooms. In the forest near the entrance to levels even further down were two small towns.
She was reluctant to hand over the slip still on account of Few being so young. Apparently on the second level there is a blue flower that is used to cure a disease that affects children who wander too far down to the second level. Few might be old enough to be immune but we can't be certain. She was resolute though. If she would be afflicted or not didn't matter, she was going. We paid for one more night at the Flappy Stingray. We'll make preparations for the decent in the morning. With luck we'll manage to meet the people living in the abyss.
Lots of pictures means lots of credits to give. The ruined temple was made by Daniel Stringer https://www.3dartistonline.com/user/Daniel2010
The quiver is a product picture from an online retailer called DHgate https://www.dhgate.com/product/huntingdoor-brown-traditional-cow-leather/405539808.html
The picture of battle damaged Few was drawn by the same friend who drew the party
The seahorse is from another online retailer called Gardinroad https://www.grandinroad.com/ceramic-seahorse-statue/437378