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Chapter 210: Cathedral of Tides
🕑 Added 2024-03-15 15:11:01 +0000 UTCHidden deep beneath the surface of the ocean, a solid glass-like palace contained a vast circular arena. Coop had been swept onto the lower edge by unnatural currents, and he was now standing on what was clearly a landing meant for receiving guests.
Nothing about the setting could be explained without taking into account the extensive application of mana. There were no external supports to be seen holding the construction in place and he couldn’t see anything that would provide buoyancy or stability. The whole mansion remained stationary in the middle of the ocean by finding an impossible equilibrium in the depths, trapping anyone and anything unlucky enough to be overcome by the currents.
There were eight steps leading up to the open area, leaving him in a sunken vestibule that was sealed off from the ocean by solid, transparent walls. An elevated throne stood on the opposite side of the dark and austere hall, above another set of stairs, putting it well upwards from any victims that arrived the way Coop had. A crowd of thousands could fit comfortably into the arena below the throne, but it was completely vacant. The only sounds were those of the ocean. Random clicks and pops added to the rumbling of an incomprehensible volume of water as it shifted with the tides. Without the natural sounds of the ocean, the empty chamber would have fallen into total silence.
In defiance of the sea, the palace held the water at bay, forming an open pocket domain amidst the vast expanse. Coop had a moment where he felt like he had entered Oz.
“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” He muttered to the dissatisfaction of his panicked company.
They definitely weren’t in Corozal. His sense of direction was upturned by the depth of the ocean and the mysterious construction, but there was simply no way he was still in Corozal Bay. Instead, he believed they had been drawn far beyond the continental shelf where the fathomless depths truly became scary. He couldn’t explain the depth otherwise.
When Coop’s toes first touched the floor of the entrance, a blue glow pulsed within the darkness. The light slid across the smooth surfaces of the watery cathedral, like a giant electronic board powering on, revealing the full extent of the structure. It was a colossal area meticulously constructed entirely from water mana. The sight caught his breath. It was the most magnificent magical achievement he had witnessed since mana arrived on Earth.
The blue light reflected from radiating designs along the perimeter of the floor. They caught the light and sent glittering blue, green, and silver reflections in all directions. Giant columns, like the ancient ruins of an underwater civilization, were embedded in the transparent walls at regular intervals, framing the walls into floor to ceiling windows that would have dwarfed any modern aquarium. The pillars were identical to the High Priest’s manifestations back on sea level. Seeing them again reminded him of his purpose and he adjusted the position of his fingers on his spear.
The illumination further emphasized the outlines of the grooved circular arena before climbing the translucent shimmering walls and bouncing across a mirror-like ceiling that was angled hundreds of feet beyond his head. In the distance, a panoramic view of the immense ocean spread before them. Coop could only see water in all directions beyond the walls, including both above and below. He couldn’t tell if the sun was still in the sky, but a subtle gradient established a contrast between the pitch black darkness below and the dark navy blue above. On the far side, the glistening and vacant throne sat in front of the vast abyss. However, the central feature of the palatial arrangement was conspicuously absent.
The entire arena was circular and clearly designed around a focal point in the exact middle, where all of the grooves on the floor joined in an enormous swirling pattern. Given that this was another High Priest’s lair, Coop suspected whatever had been in the center was the source of her now claimed levels. He could only imagine a giant statue of a god of tides taking the center stage. He doubted he was the first to be swept into the chamber by the mysterious currents, but he intended to be the last.
“We need to escape!” The Cloud Dancer that had joined Coop in the depths of the ocean exclaimed while he assessed the wondrous domain. Unlike Coop, she didn’t have the time to admire their setting, and she had no intention of staying. “I have to warn Juliana that the Cult has laid a trap for them! We will die if we face the High Priest, and the Jaguar Sun will walk into it completely unaware.”
She was desperately testing the shimmering wall that marked their entrance, but when her fingers poked at the surface, her whole arm was repelled. The portal rippled with waves, distorting their view of the deep sea on the other side before returning to its completely solid state.
Once Coop processed her words, and recognized that she name-dropped Juliana, he shifted his attention away from the water formations and back to her. “What trap?”
She huffed with frustration before she answered. “The Cult put out a call for all the Priests and Acolytes to gather in the Yucatan settlement for a grand ritual.” She responded while using the side of her fist to try and pound the portal open. The entire wall looked like someone was dropping stones into a pond with all of the ripples bouncing across its surface, but she was having no luck other than creating a thump that echoed throughout the open chamber, and probably, into the ocean.
“They have never amassed themselves before.” She explained as she desperately tried to escape. “They must be planning on wiping out the Jaguar Sun all at once.” She grunted as she tried kicking the wall. “Help me get us out of here!” She demanded as she grew more frustrated by Coop’s inaction.
“You cannot escape the Cathedral of Tides. It is futile to try.” Another voice echoed across the empty cathedral of water, seemingly coming from all directions.
Coop twisted his head back to the arena, narrowing his eyes while searching for the source. The voice quieted after the dramatic declaration, hinting at a condescending smile as it continued. “You are wrong about some grand scheme to trap the Jaguar Sun. If it wasn’t for you, my dear Sierra, I wouldn’t even know that the Jaguar rises once again.” The blue ambient light fluctuated, reflecting from the high ceiling, and the High Priest made her dramatic entrance into the center of the room.
“The only trap is the one that you have created for yourselves.” She declared dismissively, letting the blue-tinged spotlight frame her as if she was on stage in a theater. Waves seemed to bounce within the floor, cascading away from the center, but the ground remained firm beneath Coop’s feet.
Sierra spun back toward the center of the room, leaning her back against the wall with a look of abject terror on her face as she abandoned her effort to escape. The High Priest merely smirked back from above them, across the hall, like she was about to claim a grand prize.
“You were so close to escaping too.” She chided condescendingly, like she was teasing a mischievous child.
The Priestess’s dark hair was pulled into a long french braid that nearly reached the floor. Deep purple highlights were accentuated by the fluctuating light while a single loose bang remained free, resting along her exposed collar bone. The flowing fabrics that draped over her shoulders were mostly an unblemished silvery color that reminded Coop of the moon, but one sleeve was torn and stained with blood from the wound he had already given her.
Judging by her expression, she didn’t seem to be holding the fact that he had already attacked her against him, revealing less animosity than any of the previous Priests had managed. In fact, she seemed content with how things were developing. Despite the wound, she stood with the poise and confidence of a ruler at court. Perhaps she was optimistic about having the home-field advantage, or maybe she didn’t understand who she was dealing with. Instead of helping Sierra break the wall down, Coop cracked his neck and calmly took the stairs up to the edge of the arena, spear still held in the fingertips of his right hand.
The High Priestess never deigned to glance at the girl that feared her so greatly. “It was you, the remarkable Coop, that caused our Master to take notice. You who have already demonstrated yourself worthy of joining us.” She swung her uninjured arm with a flourish that had the silken loose sleeves glittering in the light as if they had been infused with moonlight. “Welcome to my humble domain. I hope you will accept my offerings as they are presented.” She said with a small smile.
Sierra twisted her gaze toward Coop’s back with a disgusted look on her face, suddenly assuming he was an enemy as well. “You’re with them?”
“Not at all.” Coop responded without turning around. He pointed at the Priestess. “Can’t you see she’s already bleeding?” He added in support for his position, shaking his head. He was quick to deny any association with the Cult.
Coop fully abandoned his planned retreat by resummoning his shield to his offhand as he tightened his grip on the ethereal spear. His eyes were locked on the Priest. “I’ve been hunting them.”
The High Priestess provided a mirthless chuckle that echoed across the empty hall. “Indeed. It was the deaths of Sister Chel-Hau and Brother Kaj-Hau that revealed your presence in our territory. Master informed us that their losses were likely to have been at your hand as you had already slapped away his generosity once before.” She frowned darkly as she recalled Coop’s insult in declining the Envoy before forcing a neutral expression back to her face.
“Chel-Hau was the newest of the High Priests, but the Avatar of Huracan, like myself, was one of the inner core. His premature death was… unexpected.” She admitted with some hesitancy as she wandered across the chamber, recovering her poise. “Our forces have since grouped in the settlement out of respect for your challenge. It would be shrewd of you to return to where you came before discovering the full might of the Cult of Chakyum.”
“However…” She stopped her stroll and gave Coop a perfectly friendly smile. “I know my Master would enjoy your willing cooperation. Allow me to take your hand and escort you into that place of honor.” She offered generously with just a bit too much hunger in her eyes.
The smile faded as she finally turned her attention to the third wheel in what she was treating as some kind of negotiation, giving Coop a chance to consider her offer. “If not for being called to the settlement, I would never have stumbled into one of the Jaguar’s Generals leaving her own territory.” She flicked her finger toward Sierra as her expression grew cold. “Sierra the Cloud Dancer, bane of our southern missionaries, unfortunately for you, you will die here.”
Sierra tried to keep her reaction suppressed, but was only partially successful. Coop could hear her shallow breaths as she reconsidered her life’s choices.
“Hey.” Coop interrupted. “What about Kul-Hau?” He wondered, referring to the Voice of Kukulkan, who was also dead, but had gone unacknowledged by the Priestess. Coop lifted his spear over his shoulder, winding it up in a casual ready position as he broached the subject, preparing his response.
He had little interest in standing around and trying to talk to these Priests, but because this one seemed so forthcoming, he couldn’t help himself but ask, though that didn’t preclude him from fighting as well. Coop could walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. Time would tell if the Priestess could do the same.
He slammed his leading foot onto the glassy floor and it rang like a massive gong, reverberating throughout the arena. With his foot firmly planted, his body exploded into motion, launching his spear at the High Priestess with enough aggression to cause her to yelp in surprise for the second time since they first met.
In a split second, his spear crossed the enormous chamber. Coop had put enough power into his throw that he expected it to break through the support columns if he missed. He didn’t miss.
His back leg was still in the air as he leaned forward after his throw when the spear splashed into an orb of crystal clear water that manifested exactly where the Priestess had stood. The spear completely lost its momentum when caught by the orb, harmlessly entrapped despite its initial velocity. A moment later, the floating spear folded on itself as if it was being compressed by unbelievable pressure, snapping as it imploded in a sad burst of ethereal mana. A small cloud of mana drifted in the water orb marking the easy destruction of his weapon.
The High Priestess’s voice came from the left side of the chamber. “That was rude. Do you wish to fight or talk?”
“Both.” Coop admitted with a slight shrug.
A column of fog rose around his body, starting from his feet, but rising rapidly. The fog piled on, thick enough to be obvious, but not so much that it would be a completely obscuring obstacle after it spread throughout the massive empty room. Coop saved most of his mana, choosing to maximize Presence of Mind with Fog of War rather than try and use the obstructing effect on the Priestess within her own domain. He didn’t want to put any restrictions on himself by expending too much mana right away. The Avatar of Huracan had reminded him of that lesson.
She scoffed at his brash aggression, summoning what seemed like hundreds more of the water orbs across the room. “Very well.” She stated as the orbs bubbled into existence.
Coop turned to Sierra as fog filled the lower vestibule. “Are you going to be okay?” He asked, trying to decide how much of his attention he needed to leave for her.
“If you think we can kill her, then I will help.” Sierra stated grimly, taking the stairs two at a time to join him at the edge of the arena.
She tried to put on a brave face, but her erratic breathing and wide eyes gave away her barely suppressed panic. She didn’t seem to have any confidence in their chances, but like so many of the other locals he had met, she wouldn’t go down without a fight, especially now that escape was no longer an option.
The Cloud Dancer flicked her wrist next to her waist and a swirl of air dispersed the fog from around her, then she skipped ahead and shot into the air after the ball of her foot found a tiny puff of mana a few inches above the ground, somersaulting forward, then twirling like a figure skater before launching further upward.
“Well, alright.” Coop muttered to himself as Sierra bounded toward the mirror-like ceiling, literally running on air with long dramatic strides interspersed with twists and spins. At least she seemed evasive.
The water orbs spread higher to provide obstacles for the Cloud Dancer. Each was large enough to drown a horse, but with Coop’s Fog of War spreading across the arena, he had complete awareness of each summon. They weren’t stationary barriers, but were actually rotating in set patterns. He imagined that the High Priestess couldn’t split her attention between controlling every orb at once and compensated for her own limitation by giving them predetermined routes, easing the burden on her mind.
“What do you mean Kul-Hau?” She finally broached as the pair completed their preparations. “He should be wrapping things up and arriving in the settlement any day now, just as I was.” The High Priestess responded once she was ready.
“I see.” Coop could conclude that the Cult wasn’t in constant communication with each other. “How many High Priests are there?” He asked as a swirl of mists solidified in his hand. His spear manifested again, this time, much heavier.
“You would be the tenth, minus the two you killed.” She responded capriciously.
“Three.” Coop corrected, adding the Voice of Kukulkan to her own count of the Priests he had already defeated.
Her response revealed that there were originally only nine High Priests. Seven after he defeated the Mushroom Priestess and the Avatar of Huracan. Six without the Voice of Kukulkan as well. He was happy to finally have a better idea of the extent of the Cult of Chakyum. They might have thousands, or even millions of members in their Cult, but if only six were left that had risen to the level of High Priest, he thought they would be manageable. If they were all heading to the Yucatan settlement, it was even better. He thought he could finish his expedition in one fell swoop.
But first, to the matter at hand. Turning the six into five.
Comments
Amadhe
Just my personal take, but I think it would be much more satisfying to have the "Three" said by Coop at the end of the chapter... Amazing Chapter regardless, and now I will make a random theory (my reader instincts) are telling me the next chapter might feature a POV switch)
