Garden Of The Abyss

"Honestly, why was so much information left out before I came here? All of this would've been helpful to know!"

Galaggher laughed at the display of pouting from the tired young man, retrieving a serving of the freshly cooked stew into the bowl he held before bringing it to Ren, who accepted it with a "Thanks."

"So...the minotaur--"Asterius", right? He's not going to just randomly show up here right?"

Before he could lift the wooden spoon to his lips, Ren needed to have that question answered. It would be impossible to enjoy a meal and relax with the ever present fear of the minotaur lurking in his mind.

"Worry not--as I said, this is a safe haven, lad. The seals on the exits there, they prevent anything from entering--except from the door you came from, but it's impossible for Asterius to enter that way."

"Wait, so once I leave--that's it? I can't come back?"

"Unfortunately so, until you die that is. I don't think you plan on dying though, but keep that in mind!"

Ignoring Galaggher's new fit of laughter, Ren brought the spoon to his lips, bringing the warm, fresh soup into his mouth. Swallowing the steamed meal into his throat, it glided through his body like a sample of paradise.

"How's it? I've had a long time to hone my culinary skills down here!"

"Great!"

The unrequited kindness displayed by the skeletal merchant was contrary to what Ren expected of a merchant--imagining the stereotypical, greasy money-grubber who wouldn't even give up a warm dish without payment. It was easy to come to the conclusion that the man he saw before him, who was a husk of his original self--was lonely.

--Should I tell him I'm an otherworlder? If he's from Mastorn...then there is a good chance he'll probably just hate me.

In fact, the kindness and hospitality that exuded from Galaggher made his unorthodox appearance seem completely normal, the sight of his bare bones became a natural, if soothing sight.

"Gramps Galaggher."

"Pah! I may be centuries old at this point, but my soul is young, lad!"

Galaggher laughed at the new title bestowed onto him by his guest. The merchant sat himself next Ren, holding an olive tinted bottle in his hand as he popped the cork off.

"You can drink? Won't that…"

"Go through my bones? You'd think so! But being a pile of ol' bones isn't that bad, I have runes to keep what I put inside me there."

With that, Galaggher didn't hesitate to empty half the bottle into his body within moments, releasing a satisfied breath after setting the bottle back down. After chowing down multiple servings of the stew, the unavoidable concept of drowsiness fell upon Ren's body as a yawn exited his lips.

"I guess I'll call it a night…"

Ren laid back, pressing his head down against the cushion below as he adjusted into a comfortable position.

"Actually...I have one more question."

"Bah, you've got a lot of questions, lad. I don't blame you though, ask away."

"--"Asterius", do you have any tips on dealing with that thing? It seems like nothing I do can even hurt it in the slightest. Sword or magic, nothing works…"

The question brought momentary silence from Galaggher, who sat himself on a scarlet cushion, stroking his beard in one hand as he took a sip from his bottle of alcohol.

"Asterius, huh? Due to the nature of that monster's innate ability...I'm hard-pressed to find any clear weaknesses with it."

"It's innate ability? What is it?"

In his two encounters with the beast, it displayed nothing relating to magical talent, so the thought of it possessing an innate ability--the height of magic--was something that didn't cross his mind.

"--"System of The Forgotten", that is the ability unique to Asterius. Like the other floor guardians of this temple, he is a being of forgotten myth, a husk of his former self, used as a tool. This ability of his--it is indeed a cruel one, a perfect ability for this trial."

Galaggher's tone had dropped as he recalled the power possessed by the monstrous entity, his bony fingers visibly trembling against the glass bottle he held.

"Through battle, Asterius adapts, growing stronger and crueler as time passes. Any injury inflicted upon him makes his skin tougher, every swing he makes will sharpen his blows."

"You're joking...that means…"

"Indeed. The Asterius I defeated long ago is nothing but an infant compared to the one of present."

Knowing this, Ren felt his blood run cold--realizing just how unfair this trial truly was. It was the very first obstacle set in front of him, and it was made to be impossible.

--I'm an idiot. If I did manage to use my great magic on it back then...it would've adapted to it. I would've set myself on a path to suicide. If it's really been as long as Gramps here thinks--hundreds of years, then it's really spent all of that time in battle, growing past its limits time and time again.

"This is the first floor, right? I don't get it--why did whoever designed this thing make it impossible? What's the point of it being a "trial" if it's not even expected to be cleared?"

"That's the nature of these old gods, Ren. Forgotten by humanity, all of their devout followers fell to their mortality--ushering in a new age of gods that sealed the ones of old away here, in this dimension of nightmares."

Finishing off the entire bottle without even a droplet left to sit at the bottom, Galaggher let out a belch that ran through his bones.

"--Due to this, many of these replaced gods became spiteful, turning more into demons than gods--malevolent beings who want nothing more than to punish the mortals they once cherished and protected. That's why this trial is as cruel as it is--a punishment for those who are forced to bare their ancestors' sin before these cruel divinities. However, those who pass--this is just a hunch, any who claim victory of the trial are seen as humans worthy of these spiteful deities' blessings. Some want the unparalleled strength gifted by these gods, or knowledge of forgotten magical arts...or some, come in hopes of resurrecting those they've lost."

"--What?"

That last part caught Ren's attention, who quickly hid his surprise by lowering his gaze. With just that one word--it felt as if his entire world had flipped.

--Meinhard.

The very first and only thing to fill his mind as the concept of resurrection met his ears. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought temporarily, he looked up at the merchant.

"How do you know all of this anyway?"

"Hoho. A businessman can't expose his trade secrets, now can he?"

Somehow, Galaggher's own jokes always seemed to manifest unstoppable fits of laughter from within him, slapping his own knee as if it were a drum and his bony arm was a stick.

"Now, get some rest, will you? Those bags under your eyes aren't healthy! Even if you're immortal within the bounds of this place, sleep deprivation is still a killer! Baha!"

"--What about you? Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Lad, I'm a pile of bones."

"Right."

With that, Ren pulled the silken blanket over his body and closed his eyes, relieving himself to the temporary safe haven. The cackling of flames stemming from the torches that guided light into the room was present.

--Ah, this sound. It takes me back to the good old days before I was a shut-in--just a brat going camping with his family, listening to the flames as the sweet smell of toasted marshmallows flowed into my nose. Now look where I am. Weird, isn't it? I wonder what you're doing, Mom, Dad…

After a tiring welcome to the Purgatory Trial, falling into slumber came easy. It was different from any other sleep he had put himself through--there was a distinct difference between the normal state of slumber he had experienced all of his and that within the trial.

He was conscious, or rather, he was aware--Ren could feel his own body recharge through slumber, laying in what felt like a sea of colorless liquid, devoid of stress. Soon this sea of liquid shifted into an ocean of golden clouds, carrying his body with the comfort of divine embrace. Each particle of the fluffy, gilded clouds caressed his tired pores, kneading and reshaping his exhaustion into energy.