A Journey's End
Contents
Seven years...
Seven long years had passed since we first landed on this wretched island. Seven years since we first felt the calling of the voice that called below.
Varcosa set up our base of operations, and from there, we dug... and dug... and dug...
We ventured ever downwards, closer towards a treasure that taunted us from beneath the ground.
And when we finally broke through the bedrock, what we found was... nothing. A large cavern stood firm beneath the earth, long since cut off from the rest of world. It bore flora and aquatic life that was otherworldly to us.
And yet.. the reality set in that we had spent all this time digging, only for our greed to lead us into this cavern of hopelessness.
It was in this moment that Varcosa\'s mind seemed to break under the strain of the situation. His body crumpled to the ground as he engulfed himself in a horrible laugher. The cave seemed to shake under the weight of his hysteria, before a bright light shone from deep within.
As it dissipated, we were suddenly filled with wonder, and yet utter confusion, at what now stood before us. A great temple sat firmly within the cave's walls, its radiance illuminating the entire cavern. At its entrance, there stood a woman clad in black.
Her skin was a pale green, and in her grip she held a mighty staff that emitted its own faint glow. The woman lifted her hand outward towards Varcosa, and extended her fingers in a beckoning gesture.
Without any sense of hesitation, Varcosa rose from the ground, and walked towards the illusory temple. As he reached its entrance, the woman took him by the hand and spoke to him in a soft tone that gently echoed through the cavern.
"As my term draws to a close, yours may begin."
The two walked inside the temple, and its large doors shut behind them.
That was the last time I ever saw Varcosa, though sometimes, in the dead of night, I can faintly hear his voice traveling up from beneath the earth...