CHAPTER 24: ENTER THE NECROPOLIS

Norrin awoke in the early morning and found himself twisted amongst the sheets of his bedding. Although, he fell asleep again with no effort, it was a restless sleep filled with strange visions. He dreamt of being once again caught in the Labyrinth, but without Nassima nor her powers. He was surrounded and harassed by shadowy figures with melodic female voices.

“Norrin… Norrin… you’ll never escape. Give in to us,” the voices taunted him. They sneered and cackled as they pursued him throughout the maze. He hit a dead-end and as he turned to retrace his steps, he again came face-to-face with the angry eyes of even more massive scorpinock than he faced in the cave. The dream startled him enough to wake him with a start, and he found Nassima hovering above him with a worried face.

“Are you okay?" She asked "I felt as if you were in a panic...”

“I’m good,” Norrin replied touched by her concern. “Just a strange dream. I suppose my mind was just trying to make sense of everything I have been through.”

“I haven’t dreamed in ages,” Nassima stated nonchalantly, but Norrin felt a wave of sadness emanate from her. It hurt him to think of all that she endured while trapped in her spirit form.

“What was it like? Being imprisoned in there for so long…” He asked not sure if he should.

“Quiet,” Nassima whispered. “Maddening… I was so furious at first. Then I was scared…”

“You?” Norrin blurted out.

“Yes,” Nassima whispered as she turned and held herself. “The hall was so empty. So lifeless and lonely…and so very quiet.”

Norrin wanted nothing more to comfort her at that moment but did not know the words. Nassima sensed his intentions and empathy, she perked up and gave him a small smile. “Do not worry yourself Norrin. I adapted to survive.”

“How did you do that?”

“I needed to match the silence of my surroundings. I quieted my mind, so I would not lose it. My time passed in a meditative hibernation to preserve my sanity. Until you appeared.”

“I hope I did not disturb you,” Norrin half-joked.

“Not at all,” Nassima answered with a smile that warmed Norrin’s heart.

A disciple interrupted their conversation with a knock at his door. He was there to guide Norrin to the Temple’s storage of supplies. Norrin let the disciple take lead and trailed behind him to the supply room. Once there, Norrin was pleasantly surprised by how well stocked it was. He replenished his packs with dried fruits, small snacks, and healing herbs. He also gathered a few pulse crystals, torchwands, and bandages, and wondered who amongst the disciples might be a former hunter or sell-sword. Maybe there was even an ex-Chaser taking refuge in the Temple, but it wasn’t his concern. He grabbed a few more things that caught his eye and then checked in with Tsikki.

“I will have someone lead you to the coast of the Crescent Sea. From there you have to find a way to cross the bridge into the Necropolis,” Tsikki explained, as she gave him a parting embrace. “Be wary of the streets, they are filled with rancor and fury. Let the lady grant you peace in her circle of light.”

“Thank you again,” said Norrin as a final farewell. The blessing Tsikki gave him was not something he heard before. But he supposed it was some unique benediction she said to all who journeyed out of the Temple. He hoped once everything settled, he may return for a visit, except with Nassima by his side for real, so she could taste the food, talk with the disciples and enjoy the celebration.

****

A young disciple, not more than twelve or so solars, led them out of Temple and the town, up to the North shore of the Crescent Sea. With youth comes curiosity, and the young disciple with big dark eyes was no exception. The very inquisitive boy rattled off questions for Norrin one after another as they walked.

“Are you afraid of the monsters in the wilds?” the boy asked.

“Sometimes, but most aren’t very scary after you learn about them.”

“What is the biggest, scariest monster you have seen?”

“Well, do you want to know the biggest, or the scariest?”

"They're not the same?"

"No."

“Okay... then tell me the scariest.”

“For sure, the scariest was a scorpinock.”

“But it wasn’t the biggest?”

“No, that would be a Triclops”

“If a Triclops is so big, why aren’t they the scariest”

“Because they’re very dumb.”

“Hahaha! Okay… is the Azuri Nassima as powerful as they say she is”

“Yes, she is.”

“Is she pretty?”

“I believe so.”

“Oracle Tsikki says in order to connect with an Azuri, you must love them. Do you love her?”

Nassima appeared between Norrin and the child with a curious smile. While a few beads of nervous sweat formed on Norrin’s forehead.

“Well, are you not going to answer the boy?” She laughed.

“Umm, how much longer kid?” Norrin changed the subject. He was mortified by the question and Nassima knew it. But still, it was nice to see her have a little fun from time to time, even at his expense.

“It’s there, sir,” The young disciple said, pointing towards a fractured archway placed at the beginning of a bridge that spanned the dark waters of the sea. The bridge was broken and dilapidated with whole sections of road missing, and Norrin wondered if the destruction of the bridge came from poor upkeep, or if it had it been something more intentional.

Norrin thanked the boy for his service and sent him on his way with a gold coin, which the boy gleefully accepted. The boy ran back to the Temple, leaving Norrin and Nassima facing the foreboding broken bridge to the Necropolis.

“So, this is the quickest path to the other Citadel,” Nassima asked for verification.

“Yes, if the project was not abandoned, it seems like Nova Aeris would have had a huge impact on the continent, opening up a quick trade and commerce route between the Eastern and Western Citadels of the Triton Realm. Taking the shortcut through this city, the usual four-day journey to Citadel Firstview via the southern route, will now only take us half a day. We will use this advantage to catch Graykeeper and the caravan on the road, before they enter Firstview.” Norrin assured her.

Norrin traversed the deteriorating bridge with caution, dash jumping over the areas that fallen into the sea below. Meanwhile, he noted how black and still the waters around the Necropolis appeared, like a thick pool of ink. It concerned him because the southern part of the Crescent Sea is clean and filled with a variety of sea life, and it is used by fisherman as a source of sustenance and income, in stark contrast to these northern waters, where it seemed that even the bottom feeders avoided this cursed place.

When Norrin finally arrived to the final gateway into the city, Nassima appeared by his side.

“It is cold here, even I can feel it,” She remarked with an ominous tone.

Norrin agreed the climate was uncommonly cold and dreary compared to the dryness of Summersedge. There was a dampness in the air, which slicked the main road and left a heavy lingering mildew odor hanging over him. The main road of the Necropolis was still intact but was pocked with broken tiles and overgrown dark grass and weeds filled in the cracks in the pavement and blurred the delineation of the curbs and corners. The moisture of the air rotted the wooden doorways and window frames in the buildings, until they collapsed under their own weight. Iron bannisters and support pillars were covered in rust and decaying to dust. Paint and plaster crumbled off the walls of the buildings, revealing gaping cracks in their foundations. The buildings themselves sagged under the weight of their black mold-filled walls. The only thing supporting them up was each other, and it seemed that any day now one building would collapse and bring down with it an entire block.

The city was also quiet as death, with not one sound to be heard. Even in the most abandoned places Norrin would expect the buzz of an insect or the chatter of a small critter. But here the only thing he perceived was the beat of his heart and the echo of his footsteps. Even the wind was still and quiet, increasing the sense of dread encompassing the city.

“I do not like it here. We must move quicker,” Norrin said in a soft whisper as not to disturb the sleeping city.

“Agreed,” Nassima replied in a hushed tone equal to his. “Something is not right. I can sense an energy here. It seems to be watching...and waiting. It has been bothering me since we first stepped into the city limits."

Norrin responded with a nod. Nassima’s ominous warning made him more determined than ever to move through the city and reach the other shore without delay.