After reading the ominous warning at the entrance, we proceeded with caution through the stone corridors until we emerged into a vast, open chamber.
At the bottom of a set of stairs lay another stone room with a high ceiling. In the center sat a massive pipe organ, looking completely out of place.
Liquid—no, not water—was pouring from the walls, flooding the floor everywhere except for the organ's dais and the stairs we stood upon.
"…That's stomach acid, sa. Normally, it would be seawater, but since we're inside Bonbori-sama, it's all digestive juices," Olga noted.
"I thought about diving to see if there was a path, but that's out of the question," I muttered. "Looks like we have to solve this puzzle the honest way."
Robin pointed toward another inscription near the instrument. "There's more writing here. 'He who plays the correct notes, only the pure of heart may approach the shining gold...'."
"What's that supposed to mean, sa?" Olga asked.
"There's a music sheet on the organ. I'm guessing we have to play the song. Robin, Olga—either of you know how to play?"
"Sorry, Uncle... I've never touched an organ before," Robin admitted.
"Do I look like I know how to play that thing, sa?" Olga snapped.
"Right. Well, if I have the sheet music, even I should be able to manage. Stay here, both of you. No telling what happens if I hit a wrong note."
I left them at the top of the stairs and sat at the organ. I looked at the parchment and winced. "Are you kidding me?"
The beginning was clear enough, but the middle was faded from age, and the final section was completely torn off.
Nothing for it. I leaned in, squinting at the notes and the keys, using my index fingers to meticulously press each one. Clink... clank...
"It's so slow I can barely tell, but is that...?" Olga whispered.
"Uncle, maybe I should try?" Robin offered. "Your... frame might be a bit too big for delicate fingerwork."
I ignored them, focusing entirely on my "two-finger style" until I reached the faded section. I guessed the next chord and pressed down.
WHIZZZ!
"Uncle, look out!"
"Krieg! Danger, sa!"
The sound of slicing air preceded a hail of arrows launched from hidden slits in the side walls.
"Whoa! So wrong notes equal a firing squad?!"
I tensed my entire body, activating Iron Body. The arrows struck my back and shoulders with the sound of metal hitting stone, clattering harmlessly to the floor.
The trap stopped after a few seconds, but my heart was racing. I grabbed the sheet music and retreated to the stairs.
"Are you some kind of freak, sa?! First, you fly through the sky, and now you're bouncing off arrows?! You have to be an Ability user! Olga shouted.
"Uncle... that was... very bad for my heart," Robin sighed, clutching her chest.
"It's just a well-trained physique," I grunted. "Harder than common steel. Makes getting medical shots a nightmare, though—the doctors always complain they can't get the needle in."
I showed them the paper. "I can't finish it. The second half is gone."
"Let me see... the ending is missing," Robin observed.
"Hmm... wait," Olga said, listening to the echo of the notes I'd managed. "Based on what you were playing... I think I know this song. It was too slow at first, but I recognize it now, sa."
"My apologies," I grumbled. "I'm a soldier, not a virtuoso. I can only do one key at a time."
"I'll sing it for you, sa."
Olga began to sing in a clear, crystalline voice. It was a lullaby—gentle, mournful, and ancient. It echoed through the stone chamber, bringing a strange sense of peace.
"That's it, sa. Can you play it now?"
I hummed the melody, burning the rhythm into my mind.
"Uncle, how about this?" Robin handed me a piece of paper. She had transcribed the missing parts by ear, filling in the gaps with neat handwriting.
"Perfect! This makes it easy. Thanks, Robin!"
"I can't play, but I have a good ear," she smiled. "Be careful, though; I might have missed a note."
I returned to the organ. I took a few more volleys of arrows as I corrected my timing, but finally, I played the full lullaby.
CLUNK!
A heavy mechanism groaned. The stomach acid filling the room began to drain through hidden grates, revealing a doorway on the far side.
"Heh, it worked, sa," Olga muttered, looking conflicted. "But if my crappy old man made this trap... why did he use my favorite song...?"
No one had an answer for her, but we moved forward.
The second chamber was different—a vast cavern divided by a deep, jagged canyon. Far below, a river of glowing digestive acid churned. On the opposite cliff sat a drawbridge, held upright by a bird-shaped target.
"Another inscription," Robin noted, leading us to a stone monument. 'He who would claim the shining gold must possess both focus and courage.
Pierce the sacred hawk to forge the bridge.' "Basically, we hit the target and the bridge drops, sa," Olga said. "Since the path is cut off, it's our only way."
"The acid below looks nasty. Dropping the bridge is the safest bet. Stay here."
I left them at the entrance and descended the small stairs to the cliff's edge. I'd noticed a suspicious cave opening nearby and wanted to check it out before they followed.
As I approached the opening, a low growl vibrated through the air.
"Of course. There's always something."
A three-horned, four-legged dinosaur—a Triceratops, basically—lumbered out of the shadows. It scraped its feet against the ground, let out a roar, and charged.
I could have used Iron Body to take the hit, but I didn't want to get pushed back. As the beast reached me, I stepped aside at the last second, reached under its belly, and hoisted the multi-ton creature over my head.
"HRAAAAAAAAH!!"
I slammed the dinosaur into the ground with a massive Suplex! The poor beast took the full impact of the slam plus its own momentum. It laid there, legs twitching, foaming at the mouth.
"…Robin, is that an Ability too?" Olga asked, bewildered.
"That's just Uncle being Uncle," Robin replied calmly. "Don't try that at home, Olga."
"I don't want to be anything like that freak, sa..."
I ignored them and pulled a massive handgun from my holster. My customized "Bear Kong: MK-II." I'd taken the base model from a pirate named Bear King years ago and never stopped tinkering with it. It had massive stopping power and—despite being a "handgun"—a decent rate of fire.
I braced my feet, gripped the handle with both hands, and opened fire.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I emptied the entire magazine in a thunderous roar of smoke.
"Uncle..."
"Are you serious, sa?! You fired all those shots and didn't even graze the target!"
"Be quiet! I'm a close-quarters specialist! Throwing and shooting have never been my strong suits!"
To save face, I whipped my legs in a cross motion.
"Tempest Kick: Crosswind!!"
Two compressed air blades shot out in an 'X' shape, neatly slicing the bird target in half.
CLANG! The drawbridge chains rattled as it slowly lowered, connecting the two cliffs.
"Alright, it's safe! Come on down!"
"You really are a freak, sa! How did you do that?!" Olga asked as they caught up.
"He kicked the air so hard it created a shockwave," Robin explained. "Quite a few people on the surface can do that."
Robin, don't make it sound like everyone can do it... Though air-slashes aren't exactly rare in the New World.
As we crossed the bridge, a group of pterodactyls swooped down for an ambush. Robin didn't even break her stride.
"Tres Fleurs... Clutch!"
Arms bloomed from the wings and necks of the predators. With a sickening crack, the pterodactyls plummeted into the acid river below.
"What?! You're an Ability user too?!" Olga's eyes were the size of saucers.
"It's a secret, okay?" Robin winked.
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