Chapter 5 - Amelia's Saga

Author Notes: This chapter was drafted by ChatGPT and heavily edited. I do embrace and leverage GenAI in my writing practice and will always indicate what role, if any, GAI played in a particular work.

Chapter 5 - Tunnel of Madness

The darkness tightened around Amelia as the hissing bounced off the walls slicing through her eardrums. Her body refused to move, but her heart pounded the war drum of her chest. She was able to rally every ounce of will she had to whisper through one side of her mouth, ‘Boltstrider? Why did you turn Volt off?’

‘Ah, but I didn’ she kin only electrify fer a few minutes lessin’ d'airs static electricity floatin’ in da air.’

‘How close do you think the gorgon is? The hissing sounds close,' Amelia's pace began to match her heart as she felt the paralyzing grip of darkness easing around her, 'Don’t you think it’s close? It feels close. If has got to be close. I can't see anything’

‘Amelia!' Boltstriders deep voice full of wisdom closes her mouth, 'Is Impossible ta say right now. Dem hisses travel to er’ry connected tunnel. My bra'der, Echenslider, well he created a gizmo and let me tell ya. Dat’ll tell ya zactly how loud d'ese hisses really are. Yeah, Echen can say zactly where dat beast be at any time.’

‘Great. Where is Echen?’

‘He prefers Echenslider on account of dat bein’ his name an all. Is just I call him Echen cause I know he 'ates it. Anyway, he ain’t here now is he? But don’ worry lil’ Am I have my ways. Go on an close your eyes. Den find dem hisses an focus on ‘em’

Close my eyes! Of course. Amelia closes her eyes waiting for the outline of the mythical map, but the only thing she is able to manifest is a heavy sigh. Nothing changed – no map – just the same complete darkness, ‘OK,' she forces out over the crushing feeling of defeat, 'my eyes are closed and the hiss is scratching into my brain.’

‘Ex'lent! Now, after I stop talkin’ I wont ya to take da quick’st an deep’st bred’t ya can. An when ya do focus on whed’er or not ya can 'ear dem hisses as ya do it. K, Ima stop talkin’ now.’

Amelia’s mind was racing about why she couldn’t see the map. Her distraction had become a liability, ‘I’m sorry, Boltstrider, I didn’t hear what you said. My mind was somewhere else.’

Confused but friendly Boltstrider repeated the instructions. Then with nothing but the gorgon’s vocalizations swimming in her ears, Amelia did as Boltstrider instructed. Her breath was fast, deep, and loud. She opened her eyes to the same uninteresting void, ‘I couldn’t hear it over my breath.’

‘I reckon we 'ave time den. Le’s go.’

The path ahead was slow as the hissing continued to connect her subconscious to the gorgon who was waiting somewhere ahead in the depths. Her slow, unsteady, and cautious movement was not matched by her goggled friend. Boltstrider was hopping from one wall of the tunnel forward 4 feet and over to the other side of the tunnel. Amelia could hear the rocks shuffle quickly 3 or 4 times and then stop.

He must be jumping ahead and then waiting for me to catch up. How does he even know where I am? How does he know where we’re going? Amelia’s eyes widen as her body is suddenly covered in a cold, clammy sweat. How does he know where I’m going? Why am I just following him? What if he’s…

‘Boltstrider!?’ Amelia said more charged than anticipated.

‘Yea, Amelia?’ Boltstrider's voice was deep, but unalarmed.

Amelia took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her the heartbeat in her temple and attempted to take a casual tone, ‘I, uh, just realized, you know, I don’t know where we’re going – I mean, you never asked. And I, you know, never told…you…where I was going.’

‘Din ’ave ta ask where ya’s goin’,’ there was a short beat, ‘I already knows.’

Amelia tightened her fist and braced for an attack, but the darkness was so complete – it was pointless. Her hands relaxed as her inner voice was screaming to run, and somehow she managed a slightly shaky, ‘How do you know where I’m going?’

‘Ya did say d'ey calls ya Amelia, right?' no answer. 'An I suppose you made a new, fiery friend in da forest?’ The continued silence assured Boltstrider his words rang true, ‘Den, we all been waitin’ for ya.’

The fear inside Amelia morphed into a mixture of shock and anger, ‘What?! Who is ‘we all’? And why would anyone be waiting for me?’

‘Let me get ya to da Crystal Mirage first. Das ma home. Is been a long time since I smelled da heavy, old air or sat on da banks of da Viridian Sea,’ Boltstrider trailed off with a tone that revealed he was staring out into the darkness scrolling through his own memories. But the deep gnome’s moment was interrupted by the intensifying, petrifying waves of a snake’s song. Amelia immediately closed her eyes, focused, and took a quick, deep breath.

‘I can’t drown out the gorgon,’ Amelia said as her anger and shock quickly reverted back to paralyzing fear.

‘OK lis’en ta me, Amelia,’ Boltstrider whispered, ‘There is something for ya in da Mirage. If we're able to get dere, all will be clear. Dat’s all I 'ave time to say 'cause we need a plan if we're going to get past da gorgon.’

Amelia wanted to trust Boltstrider, but what if he had other reasons for leading her to the gorgon. She had to decide, and as the whispers continued to grow into a chorus of a thousand snakes she managed an audible whispered to Boltstrider, ‘OK, what’s the plan? Besides, don't look at its face.’

‘Here you’ll be needin’ dese.’

He handed Amelia a pair of goggles with black lenses matching his own and fitting perfectly over her eyes, ‘I didn’t realize complete darkness had different shades of nothingness.’

‘Now when we get in da same tunnel with da gorgon we’ll know it ‘cause da sound’ll be tryin’ to push your eyes together. Once dat happens we’ll move slo’ly for’ard. When we feel da lungs rattle inside our ribs, den we know we're close enough.’

‘How can we fight with our eyes crossed and our chest rattling?’

‘Here an important fact about gorgons. D’air screams are harmless. Is d’air hisses dat’re so disorientin’. So when da lungs rattle I’ll switch on Volt. The gorgon screams. We attack. Done.’

‘Done? Your plan is “We attack”? Don’t you think that’s the part that needs the details? How do we attack a gorgon?’

‘Is underbelly, of course. Da light'll blind da creature, an a quick slice ta is underbelly’ll take it out. Or at least slow it to da pointa bein’ useless.’

‘That’s it? A light and a slice? That’s all it takes to defeat a gorgon?’

‘When it goes right.’

‘And if it doesn’t go right?’ Amelia asked trying to maintain hope in her voice.

‘Les hope it goes right,’ Boltstrider said with a tone suggesting he had seen it go terribly wrong.

The pair walked in silence with only their thoughts and the constant reminder of their potential demise crawling through the tunnels and growing with every advance. Amelia's mind was fixated on the slice.

Does Boltstrider have a blade? Does Volt have a sword in it? Should we use a broken rock? I should ask him, but I can't. I am not sure I want the answer.

Amelia and Boltstrider could not see each other, but they didn’t have to. The thickness of the air outlined the distinct pattern of worry, fear, and determination they were both feeling. Suddenly the weight of the artifacts on Amelia's back became abundantly clear. Every step made her eye twitch and her back jump. Something had shifted.

Amelia stopped as her backpack swung off one shoulder into her hands. She reached into the main compartment and found the blunt obtrusion that had been causing the pain. Her hand closed around a rough but easy to hold object. She pulled it out and cautiously moved her other hand toward it. Leather. The sound as she pulled could only be one thing.

A blade.

‘Boltstrider!’ Amelia’s excitement propelled her words against the walls of the tunnel. Her echo was answered – not by Boltstrider. The intensity of the response shook Amelia’s eyes as it rolled through her like a grater across parmesan.

‘Is fount are tunnel. Won’ be long now. Ya ready?’

‘I am now,’ Amelia said confidently as she resumed the weight of the artifacts on her back. With her confidence restored she felt her power bubble. She quickly closed her eyes and concentrated on the map, but nothing but the deep darkness consumed her vision. Still with her blade in her hand and Volt on their side, she knew they could find victory. The now unwavering attack of the gorgon’s monologue forced her eyes open, ‘Boltstrider? I can’t keep my eyes straight. Where are you? Where am I?’

‘Amelia! Don’ give in to da madness of the gorgon. Dat’s zactly what it wants. Come an fine me, Lia. Kneel down in front an just wait. Da vibrations’ll be startin’ soon.’

Amelia did as Boltstrider instructed. As she knelt in front of him her mind was flooded once again by the mantra that had pushed her into action during the harpy attack.

There is no bravery without fear.

Her trembling hands were joined by a spectacular overture of vibrations as her ribs tried to cage her explosive lungs and her mind tried to control its own eyes. The onslaught of demonic hissing wrapped around Amelia like a constrictor patiently waiting for its prey to become still so it can enjoy its meal in peace. Overwhelmed, Amelia closes her eyes instantly apologizing to Boltstrider in her mind.

The sudden BOOM and CRACKLE pushed her eyelids open. Light danced from Volt filling every exposed crevice of the tunnel.

The gorgon's hisses instantly shifted to screams. Amelia thought her eardrums might burst as the gorgon's agony raced toward the ultrasonic spectrum. As it approached the inaudible, it triggered a reflex and Amelia's eyes closed again. Then silence. Before she could open her eyes, her field of vision faded from darkness to illuminated lines and running lights.

The Map!

‘If we can get past this thing, I can get us out of the tunnels,’ Amelia said studying the best path through the tunnels.

'Dat's a big "IF," Lia'

Amelia open her eyes, and the map was replaced by the tortured gorgon.

The gorgon was still 50 yards away, and the agony was obviously weakening.