TEMPLE ENTRANCE - EARLY MORNING

Getting back to the main floor was a breeze with Bramble on the team. Their new companion needed a name and Nira got tired of using variations of demon puppy. It went from demon puppy, to hound, to murder-crazed doggo & somehow she ended up with Bramble. She liked being simple and straight to the point. Nira might not have named Blueberry, but she liked how easy it was to remember. And then there was the whole situation with whether or not Bramble would make it out alive by the end of this. Best not to overthink it. Besides, Bramble didn’t object, then again, he didn’t have a say in the matter.

“We made it back, but we still need to make a choice here… And we have the same amount of information we had before. Nothing.” Lio twirled her dagger in the air.

“True… We might have to hedge our bets. Right or left?”

“You’re not shoving that responsibility onto me. If we’re dying in this temple, it’s on you.”

Nira shrugged. Politeness got her nowhere as per usual. “You heard our grumpy heroine, left it is!” Bramble did not budge. He sniffed the ground near the left path and whimpered. Something far beyond the darkness terrified their new canine companion. Last time Nira checked, a big scary monster afraid of something was a clear indication of what path to avoid.

“Are you saying we should go right, boy?”

Bramble barked in agreement.

“Your ability to tame giant beasts is a bigger mystery than this whole temple.” Lio scoffed. There was no way Bramble knew the right path to take… Wait, that wouldn’t be that far-fetched. Perhaps Bramble could sense something that the two of them weren’t privy to. Imminent death came to mind.

“Any objections, my queen?” Nira bowed her head before Lio.

“None. Onward, Bramble!”

Bramble’s sudden pounce almost sent Lio flying to her demise, or worse, back down to the Dungeon Kennel. Nira swung her back up, but not without laughing at her predicament. Their path to Jarr’s chamber was not an easy one. The astonishing number of traps made them doubt their decision to listen to Bramble’s intuition. Thankfully most traps were a breeze. The usual temple schtick. Albeit, giant-sized. One poison arrow could chop them in half if they stepped in the wrong direction.

“This is like the third poison arrow trap we’ve seen. The Ina weren’t the creative type, were they?” Nira said.

Lio shook her head. “They were warriors, for the most part. There were other roles, of course, like the women, for one, were known to take on blacksmith roles to support their partners in battle.”
            “Women didn’t fight?”

“They did, but it was a rarity amongst most developed countries back then for a woman to have a role in weapon forging. The Ina didn’t forbid anyone from fighting in their raids of conquest, but they encouraged the men more due to their tendency to be taller.” Lio could go on for days about the history of the Ina. They were one of the most interesting early civilizations in Mara’s recorded history, and Lio lamented their extinction. The clash of ideals causing the end, or near-end, of cultures was a common theme in history. One that she hadn’t experienced back home, for better or worse.

Bramble jumped off the edge of a broken bridge to clear a chasm that cut off their path. Nira and Lio were mostly unfazed given the constant barrage of contraptions thrown their way. A good thing, considering the dangers they would soon face.

“By the way, why did they build a temple for a warrior? It just seems a bit odd.”

Lio’s eyes lit up. “Curious? That’s unusual for you.”

“I like to keep you on your toes.”

“To start, Jarr was no regular warrior.” Lio’s voice burned with passion that was a sharp contrast from her usual deadpan demeanor.

If there was anything Nira had missed after being apart for so long, it was the shine in Lio’s eyes whenever she told a story. She recalled memories of cheering up Lio by asking about an obscure creature, a faraway kingdom or anything that one could learn about within the pages of a book. The Sol-Mahi cared little for the outside world, so Nira never learned much about anything besides her training or her people’s complicated relationship with Hain.

Lio went on about Jarr and all the great feats he accomplished during his time as Chief Warrior of the Ina, the highest possible military rank saved only for the most talented and revered of soldiers. His charisma and compassion were uncommon amongst the Ina, who were used to being relentless in their pursuit of expansion. In his third year as Chief Warrior, the Elder King at the time, Norak, appointed him as his successor since he never managed to conceive an heir. It’s rumored that Jarr denied this position and instead established a council that would rule on his behalf… An unforeseen development for the Ina.

“Unfortunately, this led to the start of an inner conflict within the Ina as many of them were not happy to switch government styles overnight. Some were attached to the idea of a monarchy, while others agreed with Jarr’s initiative to move past their ancient ways.”

“That’s how the civil war started? That’s… Dumb.”

“A lot of things happened before it all came to a head, but yeah. It’s not strange for wars to start for dumb reasons.”

“Lots of things start for dumb reasons…” Nira’s mind wandered for a moment. Old memories of her training rushed in like river rapids, but Bramble came to a sudden halt, cutting Nira’s nostalgia trip short. They had arrived at Jarr’s chamber. The gates were left ajar, a clear indication of dark tidings… Or exciting ones. It was all a matter of perspective.

They could only take a few steps before running out of floor to walk on. In front of them was a large body of water that had a floating platform in the middle with a giant sarcophagus resting on top. The Ina were not fans of subtlety, Nira thought. Unlike the claustrophobic design of the rest of the maze-like temple, a skylight illuminated the platform. The early rays of sunrise graced the otherwise ominous coffin in a warm light.

“The temple was built around a cenote?” Lio said.

Nira stepped down from Bramble and pulled over her hood. “Is that important?”

“I don’t know. It’s just interesting since the Ina believed that sinkholes like these were a pathway to the afterlife.”

Nira glanced at the platform. No sign of the sword. “First, we fight death hounds and now we’re standing in a portal to the underworld… Exciting.” Her gaze wandered to the water. Long shadows from underneath the cenote reached the chamber walls. Chains, most likely. The go-to “tie something super important” method for ancient temples.

“The Ina were clever… But not clever enough to stop us. Make an air bubble around me. I’m diving in.” Without getting verbal confirmation, Nira dived into the cenote’s water headfirst.

“Hey!” Lio snapped right into action and focused her mind on Nira. She needed to visualize the water around her and cast a tiny barrier around Nira’s face to let her breathe as usual. She had only done it once before when they had to hide underwater to avoid getting discovered by a couple of pirates. Any other person would never risk their life for something Lio had come up with in a pinch… But then again, Nira wasn’t the typical person. She was insane. And that maniac trusted her to make things work no matter what.

She smiled. “Don’t blame me if you drown later! Right, Bramble?”

Bramble did not understand.

He nodded anyway.

***

Whatever was down here, the Ina made sure it would be hard to get. Nira swam for a good while before she saw anything take shape in the darkness. If she had gone in without Lio’s help… She would’ve been on the fast track to the afterlife.

            Here we go… I think.

No sword, but there was a locked stone chest that begged her to crack it open. With any luck the blade they were looking for would be inside. Now, this wasn’t Nira’s first encounter with a treasure chest. She knew that the second she tampered with the lock, some strange trap some strange trap would be triggered and try to kill her. A poisonous gas would be right in line with this kind of handiwork. Under different circumstances, Nira would bust the thing wide open and use her charm to escape any potential danger. Bramble’s digestive system said otherwise.

It would be safer to take the whole chest if it wasn’t underwater. There must be a mechanism for the chains somewhere in the chamber.

Nira swam back to the surface. But something was wrong. Bramble cowered away in a corner, whimpering like a newborn pup. Lio looked pale, her expression frozen at the sight of whatever lay in front of her. She had never seen Lio look as frightened as she was then.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO.

Author's Note:

Well, looks like our lovable duo is in for something fierce. What do you think it could be?

- Juan