Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 16 The Ferryman

“Alright, any bright ideas?” Aria asked while sitting up and stretching. Isaac handed her some jerky and her water skin before shaking his head. They both looked towards Claus who just shrugged. “Well, I have one that might work. Maybe. I hope.”

“Aria you’re not being very convincing.” Isaac told her and Claus nodded.

“Okay so it’s like this:” She started enthusiastically. “the Ori-Masa, the fish people, are very superstitious. They have this minor deity, well more like a spirit of some kind, that is more or less their own version of the Ferryman.” She looked between the two of them and neither said anything, they simply stared at her.

She continued on with her plan. “Isaac over here can cover his body in shadows right? He can also talk to them in their own language as long as they speak first. All he has to do is walk in, covered in shadows of course, and tell them that they will all die unless they move or something and they should just do it out of fear of this spirit.”

“This sounds like something you quite literally dreamt up during your nap.” Isaac said and shook his head. “Firstly, I don’t even know who this Ferryman is that I’m supposed to be pretending to be. Secondly, I don’t know how this guy talks so what if I say something that tips them off? Thirdly, what if the direction they decide to go is towards you guys?” Isaac continued.

“Agreed. Need new plan.” Claus said and crossed his arms.

“Um… Well, all you have to be is scary. It’s not like any of them have met their specter who guides them to the afterlife or anything.” She reasoned. “And and and you can just point them down a different tunnel. Tell them to go that way or something.” She nodded and smiled, apparently quite proud of her plan.

“If. IF! I decide to go along with this crazy plan of yours. I'll need to know a few things.” Isaac started counting on his fingers. “I need to know exactly how you know all this.” Then he raised a second finger. “I need to know what exactly this spirit guy thing is supposed to look like.” He raised a third finger. “And last but not least I need you both to understand that I may have to use some magic that you CANNOT ask questions about. Not until you show me magic that can do those things. I don’t want to go messing with the world’s fundamental understanding of magic and I feel like I already have.” He stated the last part while pointing at Aria and giving her a stern look.

“Hey I already swore on my goddess to tell no soul living or dead about you and your crazy powers. I think you should trust an oath like that a little more Isaac. My goddess won’t let me break that oath. That’s the whole point of swearing on her.” Aria said somewhat offended.

“Okay fine. Then answer the rest of my questions and let’s get on with your crazy plan.” Isaac resigned.

“Alright. Answer to how I know is easy. I’m a cleric of knowledge. I researched basically everything I could about the Innerworld before I came down here. Second question is a bit harder. Basically it’s a shadowy spirit that holds a lantern and at a touch can pull the soul out of a dead Ori-Masa.” She lectured with a finger in the air and eyes closed.

“Does this spirit walk or float?” Isaac asked. “And do either of you have a lantern?”

“It sort of glides across any surface. It looks more like it just moves across the ground because it wants to not from walking or anything.” Aria answered his first question. “No we do not. We only had one and it broke in a fight before we met you.”

“Well, I guess it’s time for more secret powers.” Isaac said dejectedly and pulled the lantern from Zei out of his Inventory. It wasn’t very bright but all three of them put their hands over their face as the light stung their eyes.

“How does that even work? It’s obviously a magical light source but it isn’t pulling in any mana. In fact I can’t even feel any mana moving or coming from it.” Aria stared transfixed on the lantern in Isaac’s hand.

“I don’t know nor would I tell you if I did.” Isaac declared and stood up. He walked out of their little hole and turned back to them. “Cloak or no cloak?”

“Cloak. Make it look like the shadows are being pulled up from the ground to make you if you can. Also turn your eyes back to normal and make sure the light is reflecting off of them; it'll look way scarier. You can choose what parts of yourself to cover right?” Aria walked him through getting his disguise correct.

After a few minutes of Aria playing dress up with Isaac and his shadows she nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He looked like some god had pinched someone's shadow and pulled it upwards to make another person. The shadows seemed to pull down from the top of his head like the hood of a cloak and drape over his shoulders. They continued down the whole way to the ground, gradually getting wider and making sure that when he walked his leg movements couldn’t be seen. Only his eyes were visible. Isaac had to work with the shadows for a while until he could get them to let his voice through without showing his mouth.

“How, do, I, look.” Isaac drew out in as deep and gravelly a voice as he could maintain.

“Raise the lantern.” Aria said and he did so. When he raised it up to about chest height the light caught his eyes and she raised a hand to stop him. The light reflected nothing but two silver rings back out of the pure black void. “Perfect.” She grinned wickedly.

“You, are, having, too much fun, with thisss.” Isaac spoke slowly making sure to not drop character even though there was a stupid grin plastered across his face. He was also having too much fun with this and that was why he was extra glad that she couldn’t see through his shadows.

She giggled with her hand to her mouth. “Yeah probably but let’s hope this works. Can you maintain that?”

“Yesss. But, nothing else.” He said and turned to head out.

“Good luck Isaac.” Aria called quietly after him.

“The Ferryman, needs, no, luck.” He responded and then chuckled darkly. His chuckle was so deep and dark that coming from his shadowy form it actually gave Aria chills.

‘Oh gods I hope I didn’t just accidentally create a monster.’ Aria prayed silently.

—

Isaac walked out into the massive cavern the fishmen had set up in. As he walked he made sure to take small steps and move as little of the stone as possible. He moved silently due to his shadows but that didn’t stop his victims from spotting him on his approach. A few of them started yelling and running around. Isaac didn’t slow.

A group of them came out to meet him. “Capture. Enslave. Help kill tall ones.” The one he assumed to be the leader said. The only defining trait the leader had was that he actually had a proper shortsword. It didn’t look rusted or chipped at all.

Isaac stopped a few feet in front of the leader as the rest of them encircled him. “You, are, in the way. Leave.” Isaac commanded them.

They froze. No one moved a muscle for what felt like an eternity. Then the leader broke the silence. “It mocks us! Kill it!” He commanded. None of the others moved however. It swung its sword angrily at Isaac.

Acting entirely on instinct he reached out and caught the blade with his free bare hand. As he realized what he was doing he quickly covered it in death to heal the wound and hide his skin. His other hand was covered in shadows like a glove.

The blade stopped. It bit a little into Isaac’s hand and he winced from the pain. The Ori-Masa however only saw his silver eyes squint in what they assumed to be fury. He pulled on the sword and the leader released it in fear. The small, four foot tall, creature stumbled back half a step.

Isaac dropped the sword. It fell for barely an inch before his Inventory swallowed it up. His victims jumped. One ran back towards their camp. Isaac moved closer to their leader half a step then leaned in to loom over him while tucking his free hand back inside his shadows. “Boo.” He said and then gave his dark, gravelly, chuckle when they all jumped and the one in front of him soiled itself.

He straightened and pointed towards one of the side tunnels, that Aria had told him to send them through, with the lantern. “Go, that way. Get, out, of, my, way.” He commanded them again.

This time they all scrambled and started getting their brethren together. They packed up as if attempting to escape an incoming flood. Isaac waited on the outskirts of their camp, only moving when they shrunk their camp’s borders as to reinforce that they needed to leave with all their stuff.

—

The exodus of the Ori-Masa took way longer than Isaac would have liked. By the time they were done his arm was killing him from holding up the lantern for so long without rest. Once every last one of them looked to be gone Isaac walked around the cavern’s edges to make sure nothing was lurking in wait for his companions.

Once satisfied he placed the lantern back in his Inventory. Then he reactivated his dark vision and disappeared.

It took almost all of his mana but he managed to make it back to his companions without dropping his invisibility. Once he arrived he let his concentration go and the shadows dispersed. He stretched and Aria gasped.

“You just took a hundred years off my life.” She said while clutching her chest. Claus let out a quick, quiet, and deep chuckle. Isaac saw his shoulders bounce a little and couldn’t help but chuckle himself.

“Sorry.” Isaac said with a smile on his face.

“You are not.” Aria declared and crossed her arms. “I take it everything went well?”

“Mostly. One tried to slash me so I had to improvise a little but other than that yeah. They all cleared out. We should get going before they decide to see what I’m up to in there.” Isaac explained.

“Yeah let’s go.” Aria got up and Claus followed. They had packed everything up in Isaac’s absence so he just grabbed his pack and the trio once again headed out.