A thresher burst from the ground and clamped its jaws around Nakate's leg. He cried out in pain. "Agh—what the hell is wrong with this place?!"
He swung his dagger and tried to stab its eye—only to realize it didn't have any. So he drove the blade straight into its forehead. The creature let out a distorted shriek and released its grip, retreating back.
Then, without warning, a bolt of thunder slammed down from above.The thresher twitched once—then went completely still, killed instantly by the strike.
"W-What…? H-How...?"
Just before he passed out, Nakate heard a voice—low, calm, and unfamiliar. "Y'all look like you could use a hand."
***
Nakate woke up on top of a small, drill-like machine speeding through the Depths, scattering smaller monsters as it passed. Standing before him was a man with light blue eyes and white hair slicked sharply upward. He had a white neckbeard that looked more like monkey fur than facial hair—and to top it off, he wore a silver crown, just like Wukong from the games Nakate used to play in his old life.
"My name's Gamma. I work for the Ignition Union. So, what's your name?"
"Oh, it's Nakate. And uh… thank you for saving us back there. Wait—did you get my friends with you?"
"Sure did, Nakate. You've got nothin' to be worried about."
"Well, that's a relief. So, um… what exactly is the Ignition Union?"
"Oh, you don't know us? We're the Technological Weapons Depths Advancement Department for the Authority. Basically, we kill stuff and try to make cool weapons out of it."
"So kind of like the opposite of the Divers, who just do research?"
"Exactly, my friend!"
"Wait, so you were the guys who made those weird Mudskippers too, right?"
"Oh—the ones that act all human-like? Yeah, we made 'em, ditched 'em, and now the Divers deal with 'em."
"Right… So, where are we headed?"
"The Chariot's Spire," Gamma said, grinning as he leaned against the control panel.
"It's close to Lost Celtor or Celtor City, what I call it. That's where us folks from the Union and Miner's Landing hang out. I'm kind of a celebrity there, you know, with all the knowledge I've gathered from exploring the Depths. Like, take timekeeping for example—see those worms crawling through the sand? Yeah, they move in different patterns and come out depending on what time it is in the Lumen, the world above the Depths. That whole method of telling time? Popularized by yours truly. The legend. Gamma."
"Haha, I'm just kidding—I'm no legend. Compared to the higher-ups, I'm barely strong enough to even show off my rank as a Deepdelver."
Nakate blinked. "Wait, what's a Deepdelver?"
"Unfamiliar with the title, hm?" Gamma chuckled. "A Deepdelver is a Union member who's proven their resourceful and critical thinking skills down here in the Depths. They're permitted access to the Second Layer and beyond. We aren't fond of hierarchy here, so the the sic merit of a Deepdelver is based on your ability to help others, not your strength. If you can prove that you'll put your own life at risk for those around you, you're a Deepdelver."
He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Still, some folks think I'm strong just because of that title. Truth is, if a bunch of Alpha Sharkos, what you call Alpha Megalodaunts, came charging at me, I'd be lucky to stay standing. Sure, I could handle a Thresher like you did, but a full pack of those bastards? Nah, I'm not built for that kind of chaos."
"Well, we barely managed to defeat a Megalodaunt with dark blue skin, just before that Thresher attacked and you saved us. So compared to us, you're a lot stronger." Nakate said proud.
Gamma answered with a hint of doubt on his face, "Blue skin? That wasn't a regular Sharko, that was an Alpha Sharko. I can't believe a bunch of Pathfinders at your level managed to beat one, though."
"So what do you do? like your job why are you wondering around here in the Celtor Wastes"
"Well at the Chariot's Spire, I work enough to keep my hands full all of the time. At the Union, camaraderie is our number one principle, so we all try to help each other. Whether I'm working with supplies, or fetching a wandering member from the Second Layer, I'm always busy."
"This is still the First Layer though, right?" Nakate asked.
"Yeah," Gamma nodded. "Just came here for some urchis—we're making soup."
"Well that's nice, can you tell me more about the Second Layer?"
"Right, the Second Layer. So far as we know, there's only two 'safe' ways down to it. Our Deepdriller here, which is restricted to employees only, and one of Castle Light's... creations. Thought, we try to avoid Diver interaction, so i can't tell you much of their method. Maybe they'll let you take a crack at it? They're awfully fond of sending people to their deaths."
"At first our objective was to get to the Divers Light Castle, though now I guess we can rest at the Chariot's Spire"
"That boy you have with you… he has a strange aura. His song feels negative. So tell me, is he a Shadowcaster by any chance? Even back there, I thought I saw some shadow particles around him, and he looked scared when I noticed."
"Oh, no. He's just a Pathfinder like us, trying to get back."
'Pathfinder was what he called us right?' Nakate asked himself, scared of what Gamma would do, if he were to find out Cole was a shadowcaster.
"Right."
***
It didn't take long till, they reached their destination.
They climbed up a hill surrounded by tall, pillar-like mountains that, to Nakate's eyes, looked like these massive pillars were holding up the Depths itself. Though that didn't make any sense but then again, this was the Depths, and nothing really made sense here.
As they ascended, Nakate noticed purple ores being transported through tunnels bored right through the mountains. Turning a corner, he finally caught sight of The Chariot's Spire. A bridge made of natural stone and metal stretched before them, with huge abandoned machinery scattered in the sand beside it.
At the bridge, Nakate glanced left to see a tunnel winding up from the foggy depths below toward The Chariot's Spire. A smaller bridge connected that tunnel to the main base, which was built into the mountain itself.
Crossing the bridge, they climbed a narrow ladder that seemed to stretch endlessly upward. Gamma told Nakate it would be about 700 meters to the top.
"Be careful not to fall into Layer Two of the Depths. As for your friends, we can ask some guards to bring them up here."
"Right."
Nakate walked up to a guard and greeted him, but the guard just ignored him. Gamma went upstairs and returned with a few guards to escort Nakate's friends to rest by their furnace—similar to the one in the Muddskipper castle. Before leaving, Gamma told Nakate, "You can explore the building and everything. I'll be right back once we get your friends up here."