80 Days: Under the Waves

by Sharp Spark

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My mistress looked at Crankshaft sharply. “You’re talking about the embryonic monomyth.”

“Hmph.” A flash of begrudging respect crossed his face. “Exactly.”

“The… what?” I cut in.

Madame Fog glanced at me sidelong. “Several cultures possess quite similar mythological constructs, positing the existence of a planet-sized creature incubating at the center of the earth. It’s often tied to eschatology, with its awakening corresponding to the destruction of the world.”

“All fairly far-fetched,” Crankshaft said. The Hippocampus turned its nose down, and we began descending into a deep crevasse. With a flick of a switch, the submersible’s headlights came to life. “But there’s a kernel of truth. The deeper you go, the higher the readings of ambient magic. The strength increases exponentially this far down.”

“So you’re condensing this ambient magic and using it to power a generator,” Madame Fog mused. “Clever.”

“Wow, yeah!” a voice chirped from inside a locker...