They swam through the green archway and found a wide stone staircase leading upward.

The water level slowly dropped as they climbed the slick steps until they finally broke the surface.

They stepped out into a dry cavern illuminated by braziers burning with pale blue fire.

Gina dropped the water-breathing spell with a tired sigh.

She leaned against a stone pillar to catch her breath.

Eliza and Lora wrung the excess saltwater from their clothes, leaving small puddles on the ancient tile floor.

’This place looks very old,’ Kai thought, looking at the elaborate carvings covering the walls.

’These are not simple village cultists. This is an organized religion.’

A wide stone altar sat in the very center of the huge room.

The young village girl from the night before, Clara, was chained tightly to the stone slab.

She was unconscious but still breathing. Six men in dark robes stood in a tight circle around the altar, holding long, rusted cutlasses.

A woman stood directly behind the altar.

She wore a long dress made of green kelp and woven pearls.

Her skin was a pale, sickly shade of seafoam green, and her eyes were completely black pits with no white visible at all.

She radiated an aura of immense dark magic.

"You killed my guardian serpent," the green woman said.

Her voice echoed off the high ceiling like a breaking wave.

"That is highly impressive for a group of simple land dwellers."

"I am the High Priestess of the Drowned Whispers," she introduced herself smoothly.

She did not even look at the six men holding weapons and kept her completely black eyes locked right on Kai.

"I serve the old gods of the deep. And they are very interested in you."

"I am not looking for a new religion," Kai replied firmly.

He kept his blessed dagger ready.

"I just want the girl on the altar."

Gina peeked out from behind Kai’s broad shoulder.

She let out a small sob when she saw her sister chained to the cold stone. "Clara," she whispered, her hands clenching into tight fists.

The High Priestess smiled, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

"The girl is just a simple tribute to keep the local fishermen happy. She is nothing compared to the power I can offer you."

She walked slowly around the stone altar.

Her long kelp dress dragged across the wet floor.

"The corruption from the southern mountains is spreading very fast. The Succubus Queen will eventually consume this entire coast. The old gods of the deep want a champion to fight back the lust faction. They have chosen you, Kai."

’A faction war,’ Kai thought, piecing the lore together quickly.

’The sea gods are fighting the demons for control of the map.’

"Take my blessing," the Priestess said.

She reached out a pale green hand toward him.

"Accept the mark of the deep. You will gain total mastery over the ocean. You can summon storms, control the tides, and drown your enemies with a single thought. You will become a literal force of nature."

A new blue system window popped directly into his vision.

[System Event: Faction Choice]

[Offer: Blessing of the Drowned Gods]

[Accept: Unlock Tier 4 Water Magic Skill Tree.

[Gain +50 Intelligence.]

[Warning: Accepting the blessing will permanently mark your soul. You will be bound to the ocean and vulnerable to holy magic.]

Kai stared at the tempting offer floating in the air.

A Tier 4 magic tree was a massive power spike for his current level.

He could easily wipe out the entire cult and protect his new party members without breaking a sweat.

But the warning text was a red flag.

He turned his head and looked at Eliza. Her bright holy magic was currently the only thing keeping the corruption away from their camp at night.

If he took the sea god’s mark, her healing spells might actually burn his skin.

"I am going to pass on the offer," Kai said flatly.

He dismissed the blue window with a quick thought.

"I prefer to keep my soul exactly the way it is. And I really do not want to owe any favors to a giant squid."

The High Priestess let out a loud shriek. Her black eyes widened in pure rage.

"You arrogant fool. If you will not serve the deep, you will drown in it."

"Kill them all," she ordered the six robed men.

The cultists charged forward with their rusted cutlasses raised high.

Kai did not wait for them to reach him.

He triggered his Shadow Step and vanished into thin air, then reappeared directly behind the nearest cultist and drove his dagger straight through the man’s dark robes.

The man dropped instantly.

"Lora, cover the right side," Kai yelled over his shoulder.

The merchant was already moving.

She dropped to one knee and fired a quick steel bolt from her crossbow.

The bolt caught a cultist right in the throat, sending him crashing into the shallow water near the stairs.

Eliza raised her hands and unleashed a blinding beam of holy light right into the center of the charging group.

The magic burned the corrupted cultists, making them drop their rusted weapons in agony.

Gina ran directly toward the stone altar, ignoring the fighting around her.

She raised her grimoire and summoned a sharp blade made entirely of highly pressurized water.

She slashed the iron chains holding her sister to the stone slab.

Clara woke up with a loud gasp and threw her arms around Gina in a tight, desperate hug.

"You have ruined everything," the High Priestess screamed.

She raised both hands high into the air.

"The deep will consume you." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Such a cliche villain dialogue.’

The water pooling around the bottom of the stairs began to rise rapidly.

A wave of freezing ocean water surged up the stone steps, threatening to wash the entire party back down into the sunken tunnels.

’I need to stop her casting right now,’ Kai thought, sprinting across the ancient tile floor.