Surviving The Myriad Worlds (A Multiplanar LitRPG)

Despite being in near utter darkness, Dante could just make out the walls and the floor, which was rather fortunate given that both were rough and the floor prone to snagging a foot. Dante toggled [Overloaded Senses] and the hallway noticeably lightened. Echoey voices sounded ahead and he detected the smell of smoke, along with a strange concentrated metallic smell. Not blood, he was far too familiar with that. In the distance, he could see the end of the passage.

It glowed brightly relative to the gloom and he struggled to make out any more. Curiously, it grew blinding as his overloaded charge ran out and he was forced to block the light with an arm. He activated the ability again and the discomfort faded.

That's curious. Empowering [Overloaded Senses] Seems to make me less sensitive rather than more, which is the inverse of what I expected. Does that mean the ability also gives me resistance to being blinded or deafened by default? That seems unusually generous for the system. I'll have to test it out later.

They reached the end of the passage and Dante stopped for a moment to take it all in. Before him, lay a sight that beggared belief. A chasm yawned as far as he could see. Granted, this wasn't as far as usual as a thick smog lay over everything but it was still quite a distance. It wasn't empty, several thick pillars stretched from the ceiling to below. Dante took a few steps forward and leaned against a railing, seeing if he could spot the bottom. He could not, though ramshackle bridges had been built between pillars and spiraling roads had been carved. On every pillar, small villages had been built by the road. A fair number of the buildings hung into the abyss, attached to the stone by metal struts. Altogether, it seemed like a safety inspector's worst nightmare.

That wasn't even the most stunning part of it. Everything glimmered. The stone was so heavily streaked with metal that it would be safe to say that the iron had stone veins. Other metals and even some raw gems were streaked throughout to create a true kaleidoscope of colors. An analogy that was only helped by the massive crystals which shone like miniature suns, casting odd reflections and speckled lights everywhere.

Throughout it all, was a diverse array of races. All working together, thousands of workers, toiling in the dark with picks and shovels. Several minecart tracks trailed into the distance, all terminating in a shaft to the city above.

"This is impossible." Dante breathed, head turning to take in all of the details. "The weight of the city should have collapsed this. Hell, the size of this cavern alone should have done that."

Dante jumped as he felt a hand on his cheek, then relaxed as he saw Pauwna's face on the opposite side of him. He did not resist as she orientated his head towards one of the pillars. On it, lay the largest physical rune he had ever seen — easily dwarfing Ahzi's landship. They were carved from stone and glowed faintly. To his surprise, Dante recognized it. While he didn't exactly know its meaning, he had seen it on landship components that were far too thin to be practical. He thought it meant something like 'durability' or 'fortify'.

Normally, he would be scrambling for his newly, bought paper. But it was hard to concentrate, given how close Pauwna's face was to his own. Close enough that one of her long ears tickled the side of his face. Each of her eyes looked out upon the city below and he took the opportunity to observe their pretty orange color — something he never would have dared to do had she not been distracted. Her breath was warm upon his cheek and his eyes were drawn to her lips, which were ruby red.

Is she wearing makeup?

He snapped to attention when she spoke, looking away guiltily. "See that? It's the answer to your question. Believe me, the city ensures those are protected and running. It's just about the only reason that they come down here."

"You seem very familiar with this place?"

Pauwna extricated herself from beside him, much to his disappointment. She leaned back heavily against the railing, looking at the sight upside down and causing the railing to groan ominously. Dante nearly stepped forward to grab her before realizing that falling wouldn't hurt her anyway. Even still, it made him uncomfortable.

"All of this," Pauwna gestured widely at the sight below them. "Used to be my stomping grounds for a few good years. After the Naula experiment … failed, the Empire decided to release us into the city. So that the funds and materials could go elsewhere. 'Additional training' they called it. A test of our training and a taste of the real world. Imagine that, thousands of children who had only been versed in violence and war, unleashed upon this place. It was chaos, and the undercity remembers."

Pauwna nodded towards a pair of passing strangers, a mother and her child. As they watched, the child pointed towards them and asked a question. The mother slapped down her arm and shushed her daughter, casting a fearful gaze at them and hurrying along. Pauwna watched them go.

Is that a touch of guilt I see in her eyes?

"Bad memories?"

She nodded, then sprung to her feet. "I'll tell you about it later." She offered him an arm and he took it, looping his in hers. "For now, let's get the errands out of the way."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Pauwna led him down the road, towards the largest of the towns he had seen from the entrance. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was also the closest. Like above, stalls lined the road. Dante found their offerings were relatively meager to market above. No art was sold here, only things like food, practical clothing, or simple weapons. However, their quality was only slightly inferior to that sold above, and went for a fraction of the price.

"Why don't people from above come down here?" Dante asked, examining a crossbow that was a fair bit nicer than his previous one before setting it back down. He would likely receive a better one from the palace anyway. "The topside merchants are gouging them."

"Most don't know it exists. Those who do don't dare visit the black market."

That brought him up short. He glanced around and reconfirmed that, while the place was dingy, it certainly didn't seem dangerous. He had felt more in danger on some of Seattle's streets.

"Really? This is a black market?"

"What did you expect? Dark rooms and scarred criminals? The city doesn't care as long as it gets its cut. Now, come along."

Together, they cruised through the narrow streets, occasionally stopping to look at stalls and picking up the occasional item. Things like bread, flint, or blankets. Anything that would be useful if they were caught out again. Or, more optimistically, if Dante went on the run. If Pauwna noticed the rationale behind his choice of items, she didn't mention it.

"See that stall there?" Pauwna pointed to a fairly well-appointed stand where a portly woman was cutting a leg of meat. Other cuts, both dried and fresh dangled around her. "I used to steal some of the less choice cuts. Made for good trading with the rest of my kind. Up until she caught me. I was scared that she might take a hand or finger with that cleaver of hers, but she only made me work for the meat instead. Good woman."

The woman looked up and caught sight of the pair of them. Her face lit up and she did a little wave, which Pauwna returned. She made no move to walk over, however.

"That alley? Received my first beating there. I was always good at fighting and my training left me with good levels, but there was a lot of them." She chuckled darkly. "I gave as good as I got at least."

Dante inspected said alley, though it hardly deserved the name. It was short enough that whatever happened in there would have been visible to everyone on the street. If what Pauwna was saying was accurate, no one on the street had interceded to help her.

Perhaps our childhoods are more similar than I initially thought.

"The city didn't feed you? Weren't they still expecting you to be of use to them?"

"They weren't expecting much of us. I am unusual for a Naula. Most of us aren't quite as … stable. Take Nelim for one. He can't breathe well, especially if he is active. Only a few of us were suited for the military. We were expected to thrive out here. Rise to the top."

"That is …" Dante hesitated, unsure of what to say that wouldn't offend their listeners. Pauwna gave him a small smile, seeing through his struggle. She steered him towards a small building, a restaurant of some kind judging by the smell and raucous laughter.

"You're out of money, right? It's getting fairly late, so let's stop by here. My treat."

Dante was getting pretty hungry, but he took issue with the last part. He gave a nod and was about to say when Pauwna swept him through the door. The interior was run down but nice and packed. Men and women with arms of corded steel and covered in grime from mining sat arm in arm, swinging tankards of alcohol around. Several were even singing.

"Pauwna! I was wondering when you would next visit us! It's been ages!" Dante turned and then looked down to see a barmaid who was about waist-high to him. Her skin was grey and her hair white with prominent black veins, but otherwise appeared human to him — albeit a pudgy one. When she turned to glance at him, he saw her eyes were black.

"Slanni? Is that you?" The pair exchanged a hug while Dante stood to the side, feeling awkward. They separated and Pauwna looked Slanni up and down, then commented: "You are taller than I remember."

"Ha! Well, I was still a girl last we met." Slanni turned her gaze back to Dante. "And who is this?"

Pauwna cozied up to Dante, giving him a cheeky grin. "Oh, Dante? He's a good friend."

Slanni watched them with a raised eyebrow. "I can see that. A good friend indeed. I am guessing the pair of you will want a table?"

"If there are any open. I wouldn't want to cause problems for you."

"For you Pauwna? There is always a table here. One moment." Slanni walked into the thick, leaving them alone.

Dante coughed, cognizant of Pauwna pressed up against him. He was sure his face was bright red. "It seems like you are close to a lot of people around here."

"I mellowed out in my later years, as did most of my brethren. The ones who aren't dead or in a prison cell anyway. You can't spend so long in the community without becoming part of it. The experiences I had here, well let's just say they shaped who I am today more than anything else."

"It wasn't easy," Slanni said, returning. "Pauwna was quite the firebrand. The entire neighborhood knew her name before she turned that leaf. Now, stop crowding our threshold and come this way."

Slanni led them deeper into the restaurant to a small table in the back. It was a bit of a mental workout orientating his aura so it didn't bother anyone, but he was glad for the practice. Fortunately for him, no one seemed to notice that a space near the ceiling was suspiciously clear of smoke. It was placed next to a paneless window that looked out into the caverns beyond. He tried not to think about the abyss located beneath his feet. Dante felt a small sense of loss as Pauwna separated from him and took a seat. He took the other.

"Two flagons of Ale, Slanni. If that's alright with you, Dante." Pauwna said. Dante nodded. She was right, this was a night to let loose.