The valley, still scarred by the recent battle, lay silent. The smell of sulfur and burnt flesh lingered in the air, a stark reminder of the threat that had risen from the depths. The Kongs tended to their wounded, their grunts of pain and whispers of comfort filling the air. Jiraiya, though physically exhausted from the massive channeling of energy, felt determination bubbling within him. The "Darkness" wasn't just a legend or an occasional incursion; it was a real, active force that threatened the balance of the island.
Leader Kong, his body covered in scrapes and bruises, approached Jiraiya. The silent communication through energy and gestures was clear: the threat came from below. They must go to the source. The Hollow Earth.
Jiraiya nodded. He had heard the legends of the Olwatu and the Aethel about the "Hollow Place," a vast and dangerous underground realm, the cradle of many beasts and the source of the island's primordial energy. Now, with Father Mountain's pact resonating within him, he felt the pull of that place, the promise of even greater power, and the need to confront the root of the "Darkness."
The decision was made quickly. Not the entire tribe could go; the juveniles and females had to remain protected in the valley, guarded by a few males. A select group, led by Chief Kong and accompanied by Jiraiya, would prepare for the descent.
Preparation was a grim affair. The Kongs didn't use equipment in the human sense, but armed themselves with the tools of their environment: sharp rocks as improvised weapons, thick vines for climbing. Jiraiya, for his part, made sure to bring along the essentials of his adapted survival kit: knives made of sharpened bone and volcanic rock, ropes of incredibly tough plant fibers (courtesy of Olwatu lessons), and a bag of edible fruits and vegetables from the surface. He focused on optimizing his own "equipment": his muscles, his senses, and his control over primordial energy.
The chosen landing point was one of the largest fissures opened during the Skull-Crawlers' attack. The mouth of the fissure exhaled hot, dense air, laden with the smell of sulfur and the unmistakable vibration of raw energy. It was an open wound in the island's skin.
The tribe's farewell was silent and emotional. Young Kong approached Jiraiya, emitting a soft groan. Jiraiya placed a hand on his massive paw, conveying a promise of return and safety. Then, he joined the descent party, his eyes fixed on the darkness of the fissure.
The descent began. It was a slippery, black abyss, illuminated only by the fading light from the surface and the faint glow of the bioluminescent fungi that were beginning to appear on the fissure walls as they went deeper. The air grew progressively hotter and more humid, as dense as a primordial sauna.
Jiraiya, moving with the agility of an ape and the precision of a ninja, descended using the uneven walls and exposed roots. The Kongs, with their Herculean strength, climbed with surprising ease, their thick claws finding purchase on even the smoothest rock. The leader Kong, descending just ahead of Jiraiya, seemed familiar with the terrain, his body moving with a confidence that suggested this was an ancient route, perhaps used in the past to access the depths.
The surroundings of Hollow Earth were immediately alien. Gravity seemed slightly different, a subtle lightness that disoriented the senses. The plants that grew here were strange and twisted, emitting their own internal light. There were crystalline formations that glowed with impossible colors. And everywhere, primordial energy seethed, stronger, purer than on the surface. Jiraiya felt his connection to the pact deepen with every meter they descended, Father Mountain's energy resonating with the source of his power.
Dangers appeared quickly. Small, insect-like creatures with multiple eyes, their movements swift and their jaws dangerous, swarmed in the shadows. They were merely the scavengers of the Hollow Earth's surface, but a constant reminder of the food chain here. Jiraiya and the Kongs drove them off or crushed them effortlessly.
They found the source of the foul odors: vast caverns filled with bleached bones and the stench of decay, remnants of larger creature hunts. It was a beast graveyard, suggesting the presence of formidable predators nearby.
As they descended further, the hum of energy became a low, steady roar. The fissure walls sometimes glowed with an internal light as veins of energy pulsed nearby. Jiraiya tried to tune into that energy, to learn about its nature in its purest form. It was overwhelming, raw, a force of creation and destruction intertwined. He felt it held the secrets of the island itself, the source of the Titans' life and power.
The Kongs emitted low growls of caution, their golden eyes constantly scanning the darkness. They were in their element, but also in a place of known danger. Olwatu legends said that the Hollow Earth was filled with "dark spirits" and terrible beasts. Jiraiya knew they weren't spirits, but Titans of Darkness, like the Skullcrawlers, perhaps even older and more powerful.
They reached a section where the fissure opened into an immense cavern, so vast that its ceiling was lost in the darkness above. In the center of the cavern, an unnaturally shaped rock structure rose into the sky, glowing with an internal light. It looked like an altar, a beacon of energy. And around it, the air pulsed with a power that made Jiraiya's skin tingle.
This was an important place, a nexus of Hollow Earth energy. It could be the source from which the Skull-Crawlers emerged, or perhaps a path to deeper levels of the abyss.
As they prepared to explore the cavern, the ground shook again. It wasn't a Titan tremor; it was a collapse. Parts of the tunnel they had descended through began to collapse, blocking their path back to the surface. The sound of the rumble was deafening, and rocks and dust rained down around them.
When the rumble ceased, the descent party was trapped. Their only path was forward, deeper into the Hollow Earth. The air vibrated with the sound of their newfound isolation.
Jiraiya looked at Leader Kong. The ape stared back, his expression solemn. A silent communication passed between them: There was no turning back.
A strained smile appeared on Jiraiya's face. "Well," he muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the vast cavern. "It seems the 'perverted investigation' of the depths will have to wait. First, survival. And then... discovering what horrors stir in this abyss."
The Hollow Earth stretched out before them, a realm of untold mysteries and dangers. Trapped but determined, Jiraiya, the Nexus agent, and his Kong allies prepared to delve deeper into the heart of the abyss, toward the source of the primordial energy and the threats that lurked in the darkness. The descent into the underworld had begun in earnest.
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