>>6186853I’m a teacher,” she shrugs, some of her ancient smugness coming back to her tone.
“Salicera thought Uxoria could be the Adversary.”
“Oh.” The Magus rubs on her chin with her free hand. “Sounds… ohhh… it’s getting worse the more we go down. Sounds— sounds like an interesting idea.”
“It’s a wrong idea,” you counter, just as the staircase finally widens, opening towards a larger room. With your final step, you press your boot on the head of the Worm. “She gave herself to it out of jealousy, and was devoured — and when she rose to devour the entirety of the Holy Land, Bragia rose in her turn, and killed it.” You take in another deep breath. The air feels a little more bearable around here. “I suppose that part of the tale has survived in the Thronelands.”
“We don’t like colossal worms trying to eat kingdoms either,” she chuckles.
“Glad that lack of faith has addled your minds only so much, Asterite,” you reply with a dry grin of your own.
You wait for Willow to reach you, carrying a trembling, choking Soralisa.
“She is very weak,” you hear her say.
“Salicera gave her all of her water!” Rubida groans in her scandalised tone. “And now—”
“I can deal with it,” Willow assures you all, gently rubbing her hand against your resident scholar’s forehead. “I owe her as much.”
You look at them, and doubt pulls you into its clutches.
What should you do?
<span class="mu-r">There is no time to lose. Let Rubida and Salicera walk back upstairs. It’s clear this is too much for your brunette friend, and Rubida is dependable enough for the job. You three will deal with the Asterite.</span>
<span class="mu-b">You’ll take a quick break inside this area, allow Soralisa to recover. You try not to show it, but you are also about to collapse from the overwhelming heat. May the Sun-Birther help you…</span>
<span class="mu-g">Grit your teeth and continue. You have faced worse, and if this is the end of the saga of the Worm, it means you are only a few more chambers away from the Inner Core.</span>
<span class="mu-s">And add a suggestion… </span>
Once again, thanks for playing! As a reminder, the thread is still going. I will probably wrap things up when only three or four threads separate us from fossilisation, but that's not the case yet. At any rate, you are about to reach the final chamber, but who ever told you it would be a pleasant stroll? See you soon with next update. 