Kairos 83: The Gatekeeper

It was getting darker the further they went.

For the first time since he had started riding Rook, Kairos had to carry a torch in one hand and his spear in the other. It was a struggle, as the flame flickered whenever the griffin flapped his wings, but necessary to see anything. The cavern’s ceiling had grown high enough that Rook could fly relatively unhindered, but he still struggled to avoid stalactites in the dark.

[Sleep] ailment negated by [Horns of Hypnos].

It felt strange to trade his [Hydra Crown] for another helmet. The [Horns of Hypnos] were heavier to wear, and Kairos had grown used to his regalia’s passive regeneration. He found himself getting winded more easily without it.

It was still better than eternal slumber though. Kairos had received dozens of these notifications in the last hour, every two minute or so. Thales had suggested that the effect worked as a pulse spreading from the island’s epicenter at a regular interval. Even if someone managed to resist the effect once or twice through luck, they were only one failed mental resistance check away from defeat.

“We are approaching a powerful source of magic, my love,” Andromache whispered at his side, her body a cloud of white mist floating in the air. Her facial features shifted like the wind, and she needed complete concentration to keep a unified, stable form. “A font of necromancy.”

And Kairos sensed danger ahead.

“Do you smell that, Kairos?” Rook asked. The griffin turned his head left and right, fearing an attack.

Yes, he smelled it. A strong body odor worthy of a giant bear, or Nemean Lion.

They had entered the den of a dangerous creature.

Kairos looked at the ground below, and the skiff glided on an underwater river. The stone shores of Hypnos’ Cave of Sleep surrounded the waterway from both sides, dark and impenetrable. Both Cassandra and Agron used their weapons to create light, while Thales, Nessus, and Sertorius struggled to row against the current.

Though no undead attacked them on the skiff, hungry souls came for them the moment they made forays on the island. Skeletons, insubstantial shades… Thankfully, they were no threat to the party, and flammable. Agron seemed quite happy to leave fiery pyres left and right, with Cassandra and Sertorius purifying the remains behind them.

After checking the island’s shores and confirming that the [Horns of Hypnos] did protect them from the [Sleep] effect, the group had found the mouth of the river Lethe flowing through it and fueling the second level’s lake. Since the water of oblivion flowed from the Underworld’s heart, reaching the source seemed like the best strategy to access the third floor

A part of Kairos had wanted to explore the island more in-depth, to look for the treasures buried beyond its shores… but they weren’t on a treasure hunt. They only had so many supplies to last with, and so little time left.

Besides, while the descent had been halfway pleasant so far, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t last long. His [Seamanship] Skill didn’t work in this dungeon, even if they used waterways to travel; he would get no advanced warning.

Andromache raised a cloudy hand, and pointed at a red glow in the darkness. “Here. This is the source.”

“Careful,” Kairos whispered before looking down at his team below and giving out orders. “Time to buff!”

“Finally, some action!” Agron rejoiced below, a hand on his Songaxe’s strings. “Do I sing yet?”

“No,” Kairos replied. Making noise might attract undead or wake up slumbering monsters. “Only if we engage in battle.”

Agron groaned, while Sertorius and Andromache both started spellcasting. Kairos heard his concubine whisper words of power as she enhanced him with magic, the effects spreading to Rook through their [Animal Bond] link. “[Fire Resistance], [Water Breathing], [Firebrand], [Thunderbrand], [Protection from Spells]...”

You gain Resistance to [Fire]. You can now breathe underwater. Your attacks with weapons will now inflict additional [Fire] and [Lightning] damage. You gain a bonus at shrugging off hostile spells—

Kairos lost count of the effects applied to his person. It was the third time Andromache cast them, and she knew the list by heart. “If only we could make these buffs last forever,” he whispered, “instead of applying them again every hour.”

His complaint amused Andromache. “When I become a [Demigod] and raise my [Magic] stat higher, my other half. The higher the latter, the longer my spells last.”

It would explain why the spells cast by a [God] could remain active long after their demise.

The source of the light became clearer as they approached. Kairos mistook it for hundreds of torches burning at once, until he began to distinguish the symbols glowing on a surface of thick steel. It didn’t take him long to see a familiar shape rising from the darkness.

Gates.

A massive set of doors stood before them, built on the shores of the island. They were so tall, so large, that Kairos wondered if giants built them; even the dragon that his crew fought in Orichalcos would have looked as small as a cat in comparison. Cadaverous, deadly figures were carved on their steely surface; together they formed a fresco of hooded reapers, screaming faces, grim skeletons, and furious daemons. Sharp spikes and burning ancient Greek inscriptions covered the hinges, as if daring anyone to open them by force.

Not that Kairos’ team would need to. The doors were half-open, letting the river Lethe flow through them. The Travian expedition could only see a red, glowing veil beyond the threshold; like a barrier of shining blood separating this level of the dungeon from the next.

‘Only the dead may pass,’ Kairos translated, as he read the symbols. ‘Living beware.’

Kairos had Rook hover in front of the doors, waiting for the skiff to reach it. Andromache wouldn’t wait however. Overwhelmed by curiosity, the witch floated before the gates, and then attempted to peek through the opening.

Her cloudy face hit an invisible wall when she reached the bloody veil, her body rippling like water.

“Andromache!” Kairos called, as Rook immediately flew to her side. “Are you alright?”

“A magical barrier,” Andromache muttered as she regained form and substance. “I cannot get through.”

Kairos frowned, raised his [Anemoi Spear], and pushed. His weapon’s tip hit an invisible obstacle as it reached the gates’ threshold, the crimson veil as impenetrable as a stone wall.

The [Telchine Skiff] below had no more luck. The ship, designed to sail across the Underworld freely, bounced off the invisible obstacle. Sertorius had the crew pull over to the left shore, the group climbing down from the boat.

“Fascinating,” Thales whispered as he examined the gates’ metal. “This seems to be an alloy of steel and adamantine, with a dash of orichalcos crystals. I wonder how the builders managed to melt them together.”

“I can’t pierce through the veil,” Kairos said, as Rook landed next to the skiff. Even his Skills couldn’t gather any information on these gates. “Andromache, Sertorius, can you dispel it?”

Andromache landed on the ground and transformed back into a nymph. She raised her scepter at the gate, while Sertorius did the same with his own staff. “[Dispel],” they cast as one, trying to breach the barrier.

A blue light erupted from their weapons, but the crimson veil didn’t falter before the assault. The gates’ glyphs glowed even brighter, briefly illuminating the barren, rocky wasteland of the Cave of Sleep. Kairos didn’t notice any movement in the dark, but he hoped the sudden lighting wouldn’t attract a monster’s attention.

Of the two magicians in the room, Sertorius was the first to give up. “Too strong,” he said while lowering his staff. “The caster’s power eclipses mine.”

“There is a reaction, however,” Andromache replied, as she kept casting [Dispel]. Perhaps she hoped to gain a better understanding of the wards by testing their resistance? Kairos considered telling her to keep her strength for later, but trusted her expertise enough not to interrupt her.

Cassandra grabbed her [Fork of Nemesis] with both hands, and closed her eyes in a silent prayer to Persephone. Perhaps where magic had failed, faith would prevail?

Nessus didn’t seem to think so. The satyr observed the gates with somber respect before shaking his head. “It’s useless,” he said. “The way is shut.”

“You know where these gates lead?” Agron asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. To Hades’ Palace. What’s left of it after Lycaon broke out anyway.” Nessus let out a sigh. “These are the gates to the Underworld, oh my bull, the afterlife’s threshold. Maybe the last set left after the flood.”

“Is Persephone waiting on the other side?” Kairos asked with a frown. He had thought the entrance to the Underworld was located on the fourth underground level, not the third.

“No,” Cassandra replied, as she ended her prayer. “The goddess is silent and far away. She will not help us here.”

“The Underworld is made of different layers,” Nessus explained. “The upper part is a sorting area, where the three judges of the dead examine souls and Charon transfers them to a specialized afterlife deeper underground. Elysium, for the best. The Asphodel Meadows, for the mediocre…”

“And Tartarus for the worst,” Agron finished thoughtfully. “So the dungeon’s third level is located in this crossroads, and the fourth closer to Tartarus’ entrance.”

“That’s my guess,” Cassandra said. “Nessus is correct, Hades kept his palace near this region of the Underworld… but only ruins remain now. After Lycaon deprived her of her husband and child, she moved to another place, far away from her sorrowful memories.”

“You said they were barred?” Sertorius asked Nessus with a suspicious frown. “From which side?”

“Ours,” Andromache replied softly, as she finally lowered her staff in defeat. “The energy that fights back my dispel attempts comes from somewhere nearby. Something, or someone fuels that barrier.”

“So we need to kill a guardian to progress further?” Agron guessed. “Good. I’m tired of undead thralls who die in one hit.”

Kairos didn’t share his enthusiasm. He only knew of one guardian of the Underworld infamous for keeping its gates shut to the living. The smell in the air suddenly became familiar, as the Travian captain connected the dots.

It was a scent he had lived with for years, in his own home.

This is bad, he thought. The creature was a [Demigod], and a keystone preventing the dead from escaping the Underworld. Killing it would not only be difficult, but make the world a more dangerous in the long-term as vicious undead would escape their afterlives. Then again, Orpheus did bribe him with songs...

“Thales, could we break the gates by force?” Kairos asked his engineer, even though he already guessed the answer. “Or remove the hinges keeping them up?”

“I’m afraid that is beyond our capabilities, sir,” Thales replied. “Even adamantine weapons will only make a dent on the surface at best. As for opening them further, we would need the help of giants. I doubt even Lady Andromache could have moved the gates in her previous form.”

Kairos let out a sigh. “Agron, we will need your song.”

“I know the one Orpheus played,” the minotaur replied. Clearly, he had guessed the guardian’s identity too. “Though I suppose we should give him a treat too.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Rook replied with a suspicious gaze. “Or I’ll bite you!”

Kairos half-expected a joke from Nessus, but the satyr hadn’t spoken a word. Instead, he looked at the darkness around the group, his body tense. The air was getting cold, in spite of the gates’ fiery glow.

“Do you see something?” Kairos whispered to Nessus.

As an answer, the archer wordlessly raised his bow and pointed it at the darkness.

Realizing the danger, the entire group moved into formation. The spellcasters and Thales took cover behind the fighters, while Rook expanded his wings to take flight at the first sign of danger.

“It happens again.”

A ghostly figure stepped out of the darkness, so ephemeral that Kairos could barely distinguish its features. Red eyes peered beneath a black cowl, wings of shadow flapping on his back. His voice was low, barely a whisper.

“Many [Heroes] and [Demigods] crossed these doors in ancient times, to seek an audience with Hades,” the figure said with heavy contempt. “Orpheus, Heracles… so many foolish mortals dared to descend where only the dead should thrive. How many times have I prayed before these doors, awaiting the day when the worlds on each side would fall silent?”

Nessus fired an arrow.

The projectile went through one side of the figure’s head, and continued on the other. The cowled creature didn’t even seem to notice.

“You are not welcome here, mortals,” Thanatos declared, his voice heavy with hatred as his red eyes glared at Nessus. “And you most of all, my shadow.”

“He’s not here,” Kairos warned as Andromache readied her staff to fire a spell. His [Observer] Skill couldn’t analyze the shadow. “It’s just a projection.”

And truthfully, he was thankful for it. Nessus wordlessly prepared to fire another arrow, his wish for death denied for the time being.

Agron snorted. “Too scared to face us head on?”

“You think yourself beyond my grasp, minotaur? I see the remaining time of all mortals, a number that shifts with the whims of Fate. And when it reaches zero… I can claim their soul.” A ghastly, inhuman smile flashed beneath Thanatos’ hood. “The more you progress, the lower your count dwindles. Some faster than the others. By treading in this forbidden place, you shorten your lifespan and condemn yourself to my cold embrace. So why do you continue? Why throw away this life you love so much?”

“Why try to stop us, if our fate is already sealed?” Thales asked with curiosity. “Unless... you see other people’s numbers go up as we descend? Does the probability of our death also increase that of everyone else’s surviving?”

Thanatos’ smug grin died on his pale face.

Kairos took it as a confirmation that they had a chance of stopping the madman’s plans even if they perished in the attempt, which he couldn’t tolerate.

“Is that how you are trying to defeat us?” Agron scoffed. “With words and threats? I don’t fear death, and I don’t fear you.”

“Even in the unlikely event we perish, my death will be worth preserving the greatness of Lyce,” Sertorius declared calmly. “Go away, ghost.”

“Not yet.” Flames swirled around Andromache’s staff. “Where is Circe’s soul?”

“The witch?” Thanatos’ eyes flickered in the dark. “She had foreseen her demise, and that of her father Helios. She loved her sire the way only a daughter can, and came to me with a deal. In exchange for a second life for her beloved sun and herself, she would give me a new feast of souls.”

“But she didn’t know you schemed with Lycaon and her foes,” Nessus said, his lone eye cold as ice. “I guess there were cracks in her foresight.”

“Death takes no sides. I care not for who prevails, so long as souls flow. It was an interesting offer though, and I accepted it. I fulfilled my end of the bargain…” Thanatos chuckled ominously. “To the letter.”

“I will repeat myself more clearly,” Andromache said with a threatening tone, the searing flames around her scepter so bright Kairos had to look away from them. “Where is her soul?”

“Underground, beyond your reach. Does it even matter? You will both die. Everything dies in time.”

“Life bounced back the first time you tried to wipe us out,” Nessus said with contempt. “Haven’t you learned anything?”

Thanatos shrugged. “Before the last war broke the world, the number of mortals had only increased. A ceaseless tide of life, a cacophony of heartbeats keeping me awake at night. When mortals broke the world, billions dwindled to millions. The symphony became an ambient noise. For a few centuries, I was…”

Thanatos trailed off his answer, letting out a sigh of blissful pleasure. “At peace.”

That cold, hateful thing only found happiness, true happiness, in the extinction of life.

Kairos would have found it halfway reassuring if Thanatos had just been doing his job. He could have justified the [Demigod]’s actions as an agent of Fate trying to fulfill his purpose, no different from the Moirae.

But the hateful glee in his voice, the blissful pleasure at the thought of billions perishing… Kairos couldn’t help but find it deeply unnerving.

The incarnation of death turned his head to face the party again, his eyes shining balefully. “But now, life is on the ascendancy again,” he said with pure, visceral hatred. “You vermin grow ever more numerous, and more [Heroes] rise to defend mortals from the horrors of the world. This self-sustaining wheel of life drives me mad.”

Sertorius didn’t look impressed. “If a legionnaire complains about his post, it is customary to lash him. I swear on the Senex, if you had been under my employ, I would have beaten the thought of rebellion from your mind until you learned your proper place.”

Thanatos remained silent for a moment. “I will take great pleasure in reaping your soul.”

“Perhaps,” Sertorius scoffed. “But not today.”

Kairos remained silent, as he considered Thanatos’ words. The ancient [Demigod] had revealed important information without even noticing. The number and power of [Legends] are linked to life itself. The more life prospers, the more numerous the myths.

“Why are you here, Thanatos?” Kairos asked as he pointed his spear at the apparition’s head. “If you mean to scare us away, you’re wasting your time. Unless you are trying to delay us?”

“I had come to see if the moment to reap your soul had come. Alas, it is not yet to be. But thankfully… There is another way. The guardian of these doors will not let the living pass.” The shadow raised his pale hand. “Especially not a wolfling.”

Realizing what he intended to do, Kairos created a bubble of wind around the projection’s head to prevent sound from spreading. But whatever spell Thanatos used to manifest, its power trumped the [Anemoi Spear]’s.

“Your beloved master’s slayers have returned!” Thanatos shouted, as he brought his fingers to his teeth. “To kill your mistress!”

Death’s shadow whistled, before collapsing into nothingness.

For a few seconds, the noise echoed across the cavern like a resounding call; one that was quickly answered. The sound of heavy footsteps and clinking chains reached Kairos’ ears, announcing the arrival of a colossal beast.

“Disperse!” Kairos shouted while Rook immediately took flight. Six red eyes glowed in the darkness, followed by a mighty roar.

A stream of flames erupted from the creature’s three mouths, revealing its presence atop a stone hill at the gates’ left. The beast was even larger than the Nemean Lion, a nightmarish hound whose back reached as high as ten meters. His black fur smoldered like magma, his claws as big as a man. Helmets identical to the [Horns of Hypnos] covered each of his three heads, while tongues of flames erupted from between his fangs. Strong steel chains dangled from collars around his necks, keeping him bound to the stone hill; but as the beast descended from his promontory to rush at the intruders, Kairos realized they wouldn’t be short enough to stop him.

A notification appeared to the Travian King, right as his team began to rain spells and arrows on the guardian.

[Cerberus] burns with rage!

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A/N: chapter made possible by you, dear patrons.

I originally planned to have the intro and battle in one chapter like the Nemean Lion chapter, but got sidetracked by the Vainqueur webtoon's development and couldn't finish in time. Here, a little sneak peak as an apology:

Also, I haven't forgotten the monthly poll. I have, however, a daring idea for it, but you'll need to wait for a future chapter for it.