@Wick
Wayne
Wayne's eyes pierced the pair of viridian orbs staring back at his own, noting the panic in their appearance as the girl's eyelids pulled away from each other to further expose the whites of her eyes. Quickly removing his own hand from her grasp, Wayne leaned in close, his words no more than a whisper.
"You're safe, your smell is of humans. Many here carry that scent."The streets were scarce of people, due to the odd dynamic of time under the earth. With no sun to dictate day and night, the city operated on districts. Certain districts kept their lights on every single moment there was; other districts forbade the light of a torch. Each district operated on light levels differently, and those light levels typically dictated time. They were in the Fonroe district, where twelve hours of the twenty four were lit. The sconces had only roared to life minutes before they had arrived, and people were slowly rousing themselves, resulting in only the early risers to be out and about.
Not wanting to draw attention to themselves by hovering in a darker part of the street where few people tread, Wayne merged back into the crowd, ensuring that Alexis was following. He led the her quickly to a gate connecting two districts and into a side tunnel within the district walls, pulling her deeper underground.
A wide variety of catacombs spiderwebbed out from the center of the city, placing Alexis and Wayne in the outskirts of the upper levels of the catacombs. Wayne led the pair through various turned for almost half an hour before they reached the entrance to Johann's cellar.
Before they entered, Wayne stopped Alexis and turned to her, speaking in a hushed voice so as not to allow the sound waves to carry through the tunnels.
"This is Johann's abode. He is an odd man, but I would not trifle with him. Speak to him only once he addresses you. Once he and I have conversed, he will desire to speak with you, but hold your tongue. It is not wise to enrage the Tintenfisch."Wayne inhaled deeply and nodded to Alexis, pulling off his hood and allowing himself to Woge. His eyes immediately transformed from a dull yellow hue to a dazzling gold, distracting from the rest of his transformation. His hair wove itself together and turned to rich brown feathers, accumulating together around his face, marked heavily by an ebony black beak protruding forward from his face, standing six inches long.
Turned the corner, Wayne followed a tunnel for almost twenty feet before it opened up without warning, expanding into a dark, perfectly circular room with a radius of fifty feet. The other end of the room was impossible to see in the gloom without enhanced vision. The center of the room was a dark layer of water, perfectly still. The water's surface reflected the expansive half-globe ceiling, forming the illusion of a gigantic orb. The dark liquid covered the entire floor except for the stone brick rim that circled the edge of the room, protruding six feet from the wall. The dimensions of the room were exact and perfectly cut, suggesting intentional design.
A small three-foot wide bridge extended over the water, arcing upwards until it was almost ten feet above the water in the direct center of the room. Two circles of stone broke the uniform line pattern of the bridge, one at the very end and another one placed a third of the way into the bridge. The entire room was lit only by the faint torchlight of the sconces in the adjourning tunnels.
Wayne stopped at the mouth of the bridge without railing, holding out a hand to stop Alexis as well. Opening his beak, he unleashed a piercing cry, starting at a low-pitch that quickly shot up in octaves, fading away slowly as it echoed through the room.
From the direct center of the water, a single pulse pushed out, rolling the surface of the water to the edge of the cellar. After giving a quick glance to Alexis, Wayne opened his beak again.
"Deep Seer, I seek an audience."A long moment passed.
And another.
And a third.
A fourth...
Instantly, the room became illuminated with a deep aquamarine hue, the light emanating from the depths of the water. A small, relieved sigh escaped Wayne's beak before he nodded to his partner, stepping forward onto the bridge. Once the two reached the first platform, Wayne stopped and shook his head, giving an ominous warning not to approach the center platform farther along down the bridge. Another moment of silence passed before a deep, sinister voice echoed through the cellar.
"You have brought a mate."
Wayne chuckled, addressing the disembodied voice.
"Certainly you know she is not mine, however, I would not be opposed to one as fair as she."A deep
thrum vibrated the cavern, portraying an odd form of communication that Wayne had learned to identify as Johann's laugh.
"It would be wise not to pursue her, as her heart is sought after by another. A far more violent mate."
The water was once again still, flickered, indicating that the source of the light was shifting. The room became much brighter, however, due to the angle of the shaft of water beneath them and the depth of the pool, Wayne could still not see into the depths of the water. He was aware that the only way to gaze upon Johann would be to stand on the center platform and look down, however, each individual that laid eyes upon the seer... Demise. Demise was the result.
"Come closer, Alexis. I desire to cast my eye upon you."
A pang of dread filled Wayne stomach as he gave an almost-indiscernible shake of his head, allowing his beak to morph into a human face to mouth the word
No.If she approached Johann, she would perish, but Wayne couldn't verbally defy the Tintenfisch.
"Do not dissuade her, Wayne."
After swallowing, Wayne stared at Alexis with dread in his eyes. He could not speak again. It was up to her.
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