Chapter 629 - Shiretaa (Patreon)

When the transfer was over, Hera looked around this new place. The room was called Temple of Sands, and it was true to its name. Just behind them was what looked like a 50-meter-tall tsunami made out of sand that was locked in place just before the wake started to break. Particles were reaching out toward them, but they were completely still. Some grains of sand even floated around. Because of the way the wave formed, the doorway was under the shade, but that wasn't true for everything. That massive wave was not something coming only from behind them but something that went around the entire room with the temple proper in the middle.

The structure was a mix of different architectures. Parts of it looked as if they were made in ancient Egypt, or maybe from Mesopotamia, with tall doors that looked almost made for giants and stairs that would bring them to the different levels of the temple from the outside. Hera could see fourteen obelisks from the doorway that reached halfway up the sand wave. They spread in a consistent pattern, almost like they were a mirror of each other. There were four on the road leading to the temple's entrance while the rest stood around, making almost a pyramid shape with the doorway marking the apex. Aside from the large doors and archways, the top of the temple was very different. Some round shapes with a single spike on top reminded Hera of some of the ancient structures in India.

However, the most impressive part of it all was that each pillar, each wall, and each piece of structure was not made out of stone or metal but of flowing sand. The obelisks flew upwards, going to a point where the sand would gather and continue on a constant stream going to infinity. The walls and pillars were like waterfalls, pouring out sand endlessly. Even more strange was the fact that there were drawings and decorations outside the temple, but they would be perfectly still, not as a painting that was hanging on a wall, but as if the sands knew when to change color not to disturb the pictures one bit.

To top it all off, from the highest round dome of the temple, there was a constant stream of sand falling in 8 directions. They would splash on the dome and bounce off, forming actual waterfalls on the sides of the temple that would fall on a moat where a river of sand flowed. That was the sand that would be rising through the obelisks and the walls of the temple, all moving to the highest point of the structure where they would be sent to the sky only to come back as a larger stream aimed at the spike on the apex of the temple that would create the 8 waterfalls.

"This place is…." Bonnie started speaking but stopped, being too overwhelmed to continue.

"Amazing," Shane added.

"Yeah…" Helena nodded, still looking in awe at the place.

"Is it safe?" Blue asked, "To go inside there, I mean."

"I think so. But if you guys want, I can do my thing first," Hera suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good call. We don't even know if we need to go inside there or not. And knowing if we are safe while going there would be much better," Alex nodded, "Even if we do have another option to check that."

"No. Let me. I mean, part of the ground here is still made out of rock. I think I can just use the safety cube and the bunker. Give me a minute," Hera walked to the side, following the rocky part of the ground, and used her stone shape spell to make a small house, covering all exits and leaving only a small hole for air. With that out of the way, she made a soundproof bubble and activated the safety cube. Then she made some lights to see the guide properly and spoke, "I call upon the Guide of the Temple of Sands. As an explorer, I have proven that my motives are pure."

Just as she finished that line, something appeared from above and fell in front of her with a loud clanging sound. Hera looked at it and realized it was an oil lamp. The type with a long tip and a handle on the opposite side that one would see in a show about a genie. Thinking that she would never have that chance again, Hera picked up the lamp and looked around it to be sure it wasn't a guide that looked like an object. When looking at the bottom of it, there was a phrase, 'Polish-me.'

"At least you didn't say Rub me. That would be very weird," Hera chuckled and cleaned the lamp.

After a few rubs, orange smoke started to come out of it, and the Empress placed the lamp on the ground. The smoke slowly started to take shape. An orange human-like figure with a mostly bald head but a ponytail coming from the back of his head. Two very muscular arms and a torso adorned with rings, bracelets, and piercings and a thin goatee framing his mouth appeared. He wore a belt that seemed to be made of some cloth, and below it was just the same orange smoke connecting him to the lamp.

Without warning, music started playing in an upbeat rhythm, and the guide started singing.

"Ms. Kingsley.

It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you know.
And now it's time to start the show.
My friends all call me Shiretaa,
and I came to release you from the maw
of this curse that fell upon thee.
Now that is a genie's guarantee.

When you return here, you will be free,
I say this with pride. It's my decree.
Before anything, I must say,
my room will try to lead you astray.
But fear not, for I will explain
About the labyrinth that it contain.

You see, it's all quite simple dear,
After all, exploring is your career.
I will guide you through this new frontier,
While you will be its pioneer."

Shiretaa was dancing and creating some props as he sang like a character from a cartoon, and Hera was enthralled by it. The presentation was very well put together, and his voice was deep and beautiful. However, after saying the last line and winking at Hera, he stopped and let out a long sigh.

"Sorry, that's the entire song. I tried to make the explanation work while rhyming, but it ended up getting too confusing. Even some of the other more musically inclined guides couldn't understand the directions," Shiretaa made all the props, lights, and changes he created while singing disappear.

"No, don't apologize. It was a great song. It kind of made me want to watch some old movies that had songs with a genie. You are a genie, right?" Hera asked.

Shiretaa put a hand on his chest and showed an expression of utter disbelief, "How could you even say that? Me a genie? That is absolutely prepost…. No, yeah. I'm a genie, or at least look like one. I can't give you three wishes, though."

"Can you give me one?" Hera smiled.

"If it's the one I'm thinking of. I can," Shiretaa smiled back, "Should I tell you how to reach the place where you can remove the curse?"

"Yes, please. And are you sure you can say that as a certainty?"

"In theory, no. But after hearing everyone talk about you and seeing how well you all have been working together, not to mention creating Tara, I'm putting my faith in you," Shiretaa winked at Hera.

"I appreciate it. Oh, and can I just ask a thing about Tara? Can I talk with other people about her, or is it like the guide skill?"

"Well… You are already not getting any questions. Sure, I can check that, just a moment," Shiretaa looked into the distance for a few moments, "Ok. It's like the guide skill. But unlike the guide skill, there are no strikes. You just can't mention her, and you'll be frozen if you try to."

"Oh, ok, that's good."

"Yeah. Now can we get to the directions? You should make some notes on your tablet," Shiretaa explained.

Hera frowned, "Ok, is it that complicated?"

"For your destination, yes," Shiretaa waited for the Empress to pull up her tablet and be ready to write, "Ok. So first, you can enter the temple without any problem. It's completely safe there. The only monsters in this room are inside the sand river, and they never come out. Second, the temple is a labyrinth of sorts. Each threshold will take you to a different place that is almost identical to the previous room. The only difference is the picture on the ceiling of each area."

"When you say threshold, what do you mean exactly? Just door frames? Or do hallways and any archways also count?" Hera asked.

"Second option. Anything that could fit a regular door in the middle will take you to a different version of the same place. You also can only see what is going on in the version you currently are in. Even if you are technically right beside someone else."

Hera nodded, "Got it, weird parallel dimension thing."

"Exactly, and each threshold is part of a code, so to speak. Let's say you cross the central door frame, then the door in the southeast corner. Is someone else entering the southeast corner directly, or if they go through a different threshold first and then to the southeast corner, the two of you will still be in different places. Each place can have either a doorway, a dungeon, or nothing but the temple itself."

"Ok… that's a bit confusing, but I think I understand. It's like branching paths that don't loop around. If we want to be together, we need to move through the same spaces."

"Precisely. There actually is a point when you loop around back to the beginning, but you need to cross over 50 thresholds before that. Your destination is just 5 symbols deep."

Hera stopped writing, "You lost me there. What are the symbols?"

"Ah, my apologies. Each room has a symbol. It will be a drawing on the ceiling. Right in the middle of the room, inside a star of moving sand. In the outer layer of the star, starting in the north, you will see all the symbols that you passed through before reaching that particular area. So your destination will only have four symbols around that star, with one in the middle."

"Oh, ok. Can we see those symbols before we cross a threshold?"

"Unfortunately, no. There is a dungeon that can give you a map. But it's a random drop for getting the best possible reward, and it takes a week to complete. Not to mention it is a bit far from the entrance."

"And there is only one entrance?"

"Four, actually. One north, one south, one east, and one west. They appear multiple times on each branch, as you said. But not on all of them. If you are not by an exit, that part will just be a wall. Oh, and you should go through the entrance that is right in front of us. If you take a different one, you have to find this before looping around to your destination."

"Got it. So what is the code? What are the symbols we have to go through?"

"I can't tell you that. Even with everything that we are doing, that information is too much for me to say. All I can say is each symbol is unique. It doesn't matter the path. Each symbol will represent a single area. Your destination is 5 symbols deep. It will have four symbols around the star and a picture of a hot spring in the middle.

"A hot spring? Like Japanese style or naturally made?"

"Indian, actually. Think pink lotus flowers, steam, and green water. It's the only hot springs symbol in the entire temple, so you don't have to worry about it. When you get there, you will see the doorway. Be careful not to cross any thresholds while moving there, but it should lead you to a room called 'Thirmal Waters.' It's supposed to be a pun on thermal and time, but I don't know if it works that well."

"Yeah… don't tell the guide, but I kind of agree. That name is not great."

"Ah, don't worry about it. They agree that it's bad. Also, the last piece of advice I can give you is this. You, Hera Kingsley, have a way of figuring out the symbols. You just need the correct type of inquiry," Shiretaa winked at her, but the smoke that was still his lower body started to be sucked into the lamp, "Shit. I messed up. I hope I can text you later. Sorry about this."

"Yeah, sure you can," Hera replied quickly.

"Thank youuuuuu!" Shiretaa said as he vanished inside the lamp, which disappeared right away along with the guide.

Hera stayed there for a few moments. It was the first time that a guide was kicked out of their conversation, but then again, she got a lot of information. After asking Armory to confirm if she missed anything, Hera dropped the spell and got out of her bunker to talk to her party. If she managed to get the right questions, in the worst case scenario, it would take them just five hours to reach the next room. Five hours so they could finally start dealing with the curse.