Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

24. Saving The Embryo

"Is everyone here?" Hiro posed this question after he returned roughly six hours after we began the search.

As soon as the team commanders determined that no one was missing, we decided to share what we had discovered throughout the search. I was at a loss for what to do since they were all gazing at Shiro. All I hope is that they will not try to harm him. I glanced at Shiro, concerned, but he didn't say anything. Despite the threatening stares the others gave us, he remained unbothered by everything. I was worried, but him being a part of Yuki should mean that he can handle himself, right...?

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that you discovered the cat in the vicinity of the egg? The monster, whose name is Charybdis, has been restrained, according to the message you received," Hiro asked, grinning like an i***t, after hearing everything that I said.

I flashed an annoyed smile and nodded. "It pretty much sums up what I've learned so far."

"That's...interesting."

Don't f*****g tell me they believe this is ridiculous?! Duh! I did not have a cat since we came here, so why are they behaving in such a jerkish manner? Oh, screw it. That is really getting more annoying every passing minute! This makes me want to do it alone with my squad instead of joining them in this. It's not as if they've discovered as many hints as we've found. They just have a few scraps of furniture!

As I took my rightful seat, irritated, I flashed them a sinister smile. My teammates were aware of my current mood, so they looked afraid now. They're undoubtedly concerned that if these folks continue to annoy the s**t out of me, I'll lose my cool and explode right here. I've just recently learned this, but it seems like I've been seen as the weakest person in the group. Heh, I'll make them regret their decision.

"Ivory, calm down..." Freya said in hushed tones.

"I am calm," I replied, still not having any of it.

Freya sighed as she tapped my back. "Of course."

I kept a close eye on them as they demonstrated what they had discovered. What in the hell are those journals going to do with our investigation? It's more than likely that they were penned by pirates who were mistakenly devoured by the maelstrom. They wouldn't be able to discover anything of use in them! I'm baffled as to why they refuse to accept anything I've stated so far.

"We discovered this book about King Orca aboard a sunken ship," says the girl from Sphinx

"I came into a notebook written by a guy called Kasai, but the sign above it is written as Blake."

What...?

"Can I have a look?" I asked as I cast a sidelong look towards Blake.

"Why?" Hiro asked with a crease in his forehead.

I glared at him, finally getting rid of my politeness. "Give it to me."

He gave it to me with a grin on his face. "Please accept my apologies for my impudence, Your Highness."

I scanned through the pages without reading anything when the journal was finally in my possession. I was under the impression that the contents of the diary were not that important...but Yuki's name appeared on this page a couple of times. It seemed as if the journal's whole purpose was to talk Yuki! Not only that, but the handwriting seemed to be precisely the same as Blake's as well.

"Does this belong to you?" I whispered to Blake with furrowed brows.

He shook his head as he peeked at the notebook. "That notebook has clearly been around for more than five decades. How old do you think am I?"

"Then...how?"

"What exactly are you two discussing? Did you find anything important?" Hiro asked as he watched the two of us talk as if we were the only ones here. "You must share any and all of the facts you can get. Isn't that the rule here? We already talked about this."

Ha, definitely not. Gosh, the f*****g audacity to talk to me that way! After they flatly refused to accept anything I said?! I gave him a languid glance to let him know that I was quite irritated at the moment. Even if I tell them, it's unlikely that they will take my word for it. The fact that they didn't believe everything Shiro told me and now want me to speak up is beyond me. Pfft.

"This is something personal to our team and serves no value in this mission," I replied as I smirked at him.

They seemed to be wary of me, but we agreed that we would not prod when it came to personal matters. Aside from that, it's not like the guy who wrote this could possibly have written something significant about Charybdis. I glanced at Shiro as if to ask whether I was correct. He must be familiar with the subject matter of this diary, given that he has been around for quite some time.

"You are absolutely right. However, you must find a way to restain Charybdis during the next two days. You have to hurry before it's too late..."

Before it's what? Don't tell me something horrible will happen if we don't resolve it right away? I took a few steps back and searched around for anything that seemed odd. But I don't believe there is anything that would put us in immediate danger. Although I don't think Shiro would lie about such things, I couldn't bring myself to believe him right away. I looked at him again to try and communicate with him, but he was already asleep. I pursed my lips as I stroked his head instead. Maybe he was tired after everything that happened today.

I groaned a little and tried to pay attention to the conversations, even though I knew they were incorrect. Because of what Shiro said, I was a little concerned, but I had to keep my cool. I will have to tell the three about this later. Charybdis must be restrained in two days or less. But if they do not choose to participate in our efforts, we will be forced to do it on our own.

"Let's get going," Dylan said as he rose to his feet following our conversations.

"Please leave the barrier between us," I told them as I walked away.

I had to fight the urge to scoff at them because I knew better. I had to suppress it so bad to the point that it's making my hands itch. I have been telling myself over and over that I should avoid getting involved in some fights since it would be difficult for the team. Even though I am a difficult and stubborn person, I have learned to put up with the things that annoy the living daylights out of me. But, just in case I start acting irrationally and start fighting, I have Freya here to stop me. I know that Blake and Dylan wouldn't stop me. Those two would even join me!

While Blake was putting up a barrier between us, we went our own ways. I also made a barrier around us so that people would not be able to hear our chats. They're probably going to be more suspicious of us, but that doesn't bother me. They have no option but to remain, notwithstanding their dissatisfaction with us. I don't want them to find out about our intentions and end up messing our investigation up. Besides, those greedy f***s are just here for the rewards. I heard that a huge sum of money and resources would be given to everyone who participated.

"Hey," I called Blake's attention. "You said that you wanted to talk to us about something?"

He smiled and nodded. "There was something down there that resembled a drain, which was strange. And I saw something that looked like a pea."

"Why didn't you go check it out?"

"I would have been devoured alive by this thing if I did, Ivory. That drain creature is capable of killing anybody with a single bite."

I let out a sigh. "I guess another danger is in the way of our investigation. But let's not worry about that. I know we would be able to figure out how we're going to get through this."

"It should be alright if we can close up that hole."

"There is no spell that can close that hole for more than an hour," Shiro replied, his voice disturbed.

Shit. If covering it isn't going to cut it, what are we going to do with that pea thing? We have no option but to take it since it is most likely Charybdis's consciousness. And amidst all that, the drain Blake talked about is a major issue. If we want to attempt to get our hands on what we need, we must carefully seal that thing. But...how?

"According to Shiro, we only have two days left to live. Each of us will have to dive together the next day."

"But how are we going to live with that beast there?" Freya asked, bothered by the sudden arousal of another problem.

"I'll figure something out before the daybreak."

To be quite honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this! But, with Shiro's help, I'm certain that I'll be able to figure it out tonight. I'm pretty sure he has a plan up his sleeve! I mean, why would he even answer our calls if he didn't have a plan? So far, he's been quite helpful, so I'm certain that he can help us. But since he's still asleep, I don't think I would be able to think of anything lest he wakes up.

"By the way..." I trailed off when I remembered something after getting a little sidetracked. "Uh, what did you see earlier, Freya?"

She winced as she held her head. "Shit..."

"Sorry! You don't have to push yourself. I think you are still in need of rest," I told her while I gently clasped her hand in mine.

"No, it's not a problem. It was just a little inconvenience."

"But-"

"Even though the scenarios just ran through my mind quickly, I remember some of them."

She related how she saw two gorgeous ladies being hit by a spear in slow motion. According to her, the two transformed into colossal creatures that terrorized the oceans. A woman with horns and red eyes fought Scylla as she went on a rampage, while Yuki used a ritual with the help of two men to seal her. It was fascinating, but I could feel a lingering sense of guilt and pain within me. I don't know where it came from, so I ignored it.

"A barrier was made where the four people entered. Yuki placed a piece of her mind here as they waited for Charybdis to emerge and throw them out of here. I think that was what happened. I'm not sure because everything seemed to have been mixed up in my mind."

When I glanced at Shiro, who finally woke up, he nodded in agreement with what Freya had said. Then I'm guessing that Yuki left him here to wait for help him restrain Charybdis? I'm not really sure, but that seemed to be the case. Shiro continued nodding his head, which gave me the impression that I was on the right track.

"Can you tell me what I should do? Or it's still something you can't talk about?" I whispered to him.

"Nothing. I can keep it sealed for an hour. Please remove the embryo so that I may return all of you to the surface."

"What are you talking about...?" I asked, perplexed.

"Please don't make me say anything more than I already have. Once you have taken the embryo, you will be returned to the surface. Open it and seal Charybdis's consciousness with whatever kind of binding you can think of. As for me, I shall crack open the egg and remove her corporeal body from within."

I was concerned about Shiro, but he is a vital part of Yuki's life, so I no longer believe that my concerns are justified. He's most likely been looking forward to this moment for decades. I'm certain that he understands what he's doing.

"Have faith in me."

I nodded and put my hand on Blake's shoulder. He needs our elemental power in order to construct a formidable barrier, so I reasoned that sending it straight to him would be more convenient for him. He flinched but promptly accepted the mana I channeled into him.

When the tremors started, we had already finished perfecting the barrier. But even though we were now at ease, the rest of the group was still on edge. Shiro is already here, and he's willing to go to any length to rescue us. Although I don't want to totally depend on him, we've been made defenseless against Charybdis at this point. I grumbled and tethered myself to the ship so that I wouldn't be tossed over the deck if anything happened. After seeing what I did, the others panicked and performed the same thing.

"Wake up," I shouted so everyone could hear.

We didn't eat supper since we were feeling dizzy as a result of Charybdis plunging back into the ocean bottom. And now we're all drooling at the supper that I prepared for us. I had to resist the temptation to eat them as I was preparing them.

"It's not poisoned," I assured Hiro, who was looking at me with a raised brow.

He chuckled. "That was not what I had in mind at the time. I simply find it humorous that the princess can prepare meals."

I didn't pay attention to him and began eating instead. After lunch, everyone set off on their journey to look into the matter more. They had no idea that the meal contained a powerful concoction. Heh, it wasn't anything toxic. I was able to make it with Shiro's assistance. I also made a protective barrier that will be activated, which will instantly transport them back to the surface at Shiro's command.

The moment we got as close as we could to the egg, which was just above the sink drain-like thing that had a mouth, Shiro dived into the water without hesitation. Blake triggered our oxygen-infused barrier, which enabled us to participate in the dive as well. We were each wearing the same strings around our wrists to keep us from being separated.

When I looked at the embryo swirling around in the water, I felt something pierce my heart. Possibly it was simply Yuki resurfacing inside me, but I was overcome with an incredible sense of empathy. I really wanted to get Charybdis out of here as soon as possible. Shiro had finished sealing the hole by the time we arrived, so I took advantage of the opportunity to begin cutting the roots and strings that were attempting to bring Charybdis down.

"I'll get you out of here..."