Jarmo Dorak had survived the strange experiences and the escape from the strange organization injured. Marion had delivered him to an ASTROCOHORS hospital in good time. He was able to recover, but as soon as he felt better, he became restless. Marion had been called to another mission. And he was still searching for the Temple of the Wind Harp. He had a new lead he was dying to pursue.
Jarmo had been on the planet Neptun for three weeks now. His mission was to find a space ship that had crashed on the planet two years ago. The ship carried a slab with a map that lead to the sunken palace of Oogramosh, located somewhere in the depth of the oceans of Neptun. It was said that the palace contained treasures beyond anyone’s imagination – and a hint to the Temple of the Wind Harp, the slab with the map. Jarmo, being an adventurer at heart, hoped that the temple was finally at hand.
Neptun was a water planet with only small islands dotting its vast ocean. Jarmo had to use dive gear to breathe under water, which made his search for the sunken space ship even more difficult. He had been diving for days, covering a large area of the ocean floor, but he had yet to find any trace of the ship.
On the fourth day, as Jarmo was diving near a small island, he saw a figure swimming towards him. It was a woman, about his age, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She looked human, but something about her was different. As she approached, Jarmo noticed that her skin was slightly shimmering, almost like it was coated with a thin layer of water.
“Hello,” she said in a soft voice as she came closer. “My name is Tashana Oyan. Are you lost?”
Jarmo was surprised by her sudden appearance, but he was glad to see another person on this desolate planet. “No, I’m not lost,” he replied, trying to sound friendly. “I’m looking for a sunken space ship. Have you seen anything like that around here?”
Tashana nodded. “Yes, I have. I can help you find it, but you have to promise me something in return.”
Jarmo raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”
“I want to come with you,” Tashana said with a smile. “I’ve been watching you. You are very goal oriented. Something drives you. You want to find something that you have been looking for for a long time. And believe me, I also know these longings. So, will you take me with you?”
Jarmo thought about it for a moment. He didn’t know much about Tashana (he knew nothing about her, to be exact), but he could use all the help he could get in finding the ship. “Okay,” he finally agreed. “You can come with me. But be warned, it’s going to be a dangerous journey.”
Tashana smiled. “I can handle danger. I’m an amphibionid, which means I can breathe under water. Can you?”
Jarmo shook his head. “No, I have to use dive gear. But let’s not waste any more time. Show me where you saw the ship.”
Tashana led the way, swimming effortlessly through the water. Jarmo followed closely behind, feeling a little envious of her ability to move so gracefully. They swam for hours, until they finally came across a small group of looters who were trying to pry open the door of the sunken space ship.
Jarmo and Tashana quickly swam towards them, their dive gear making a loud hissing noise as they moved through the water. The looters turned around, startled by their sudden appearance.T hey also wore scuba gear. Jarmo could see that their helmets were equipped with a communications unit and he wondered if he would be able to talk to them.
“What do you want?” one of them growled, brandishing a harpoon. Jarmo could hear his voice clearly in his comm unit. So he was hooked into their system.
“We’re here to find a simple slab,” Jarmo said, trying to sound confident. “We don’t want any trouble.”
The looters looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But before they could make a move, a large water creature appeared out of nowhere and attacked them. Jarmo and Tashana watched in horror as the creature devoured the looters one by one, leaving only scraps of flesh and torn pieces of cloth floating in the water.
Jarmo and Tashana quickly swam away, not wanting to become the next meal for the creature. They swam for a while longer, until they found the entrance to the sunken space ship. It was partially buried in the sand, and the door was almost completely covered. Jarmo and Tashana used their strength to push the sand away, revealing the door.
Jarmo opened the door, and they swam inside. The ship was dark and damp, with water dripping from the ceiling. Jarmo turned on his flashlight, illuminating the interior of the ship. They searched through the debris, trying to find the slab with the map. After a few minutes of searching, Tashana finally found it. It was lying on the floor, covered in dust and sand. She picked it up, and they both swam back to the surface.
“Now that we have the map, we can finally find the target – the sunken palace,” Jarmo said, looking at Tashana. “Are you still up for the adventure?”
“Of course,” Tashana replied, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Lead the way.”
Jarmo placed the slab in the sand and studied it for a few minutes. The map was carved into its surface. It was written in a language he didn’t understand, but there were some symbols that he recognized. He pointed to one of the symbols, which looked like a seashell that was native to Neptune. “I think this is where we need to go,” he said.
Jarmo got new scuba tanks and they both went back into the water. They swam towards the region that was marked on the map with the seashell symbol, which led them deeper into the ocean. As they swam, they saw more and more strange creatures, some of which were bigger than they were. Jarmo and Tashana had to be careful not to disturb them, as they didn’t want to get attacked.
Finally, after a few hours of swimming, they saw something in the distance. It was a large structure, made of white marble and adorned with intricate carvings. Jarmo and Tashana swam towards it, their hearts beating fast with excitement.
As they got closer, they saw that the structure was indeed a palace, and it was completely submerged in water. But what was even more amazing was that there were lights shining from inside the palace. It seemed that someone was still living there.
Jarmo and Tashana swam towards the entrance of the palace, which was guarded by two large creatures that looked like sea serpents. Jarmo pulled out his harpoon, ready to defend himself. But the creatures didn’t attack them. Instead, they simply watched as Jarmo and Tashana swam inside the palace.
The interior of the palace was just as magnificent as the exterior. There were marble pillars lining the walls, and the floor was made of polished white stone. But what really caught their attention were the treasures scattered throughout the palace. There were jewels, gold coins, and precious artifacts, all of which were worth a fortune.
As they were admiring the treasures, they heard a noise coming from one of the rooms. Jarmo and Tashana cautiously swam towards the room, their harpoons at the ready. They entered the room, and saw a figure sitting on a throne. It was a woman, with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. She was dressed in a white robe, and had a regal bearing that made Jarmo and Tashana feel small and insignificant. Apparently she too was an amphibionid. When she spoke, her voice could be heard through the water.
“Who are you?” the woman asked in a commanding voice.
Jarmo stepped forward. “My name is Jarmo Dorak. I’m an adventurer, and I’ve come to explore this palace.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “And who is your companion?”
“This is Tashana Oyan,” Jarmo said, gesturing towards Tashana.
The woman studied Tashana for a moment, her piercing blue eyes scanning over her features. Tashana felt a chill run down her spine as the woman’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary.
“What brings you here?” the woman asked, her voice still cold and commanding.
“We’re searching for something,” Jarmo said, taking out the slab with the map. “This map led us here.”
The woman’s eyes widened slightly as she saw the map. “I see,” she said. “And what is it that you’re looking for?”
Jarmo hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should reveal his true intentions. But then he decided that he had come too far to back down now. “We’re looking for the sunken treasure of Oogramosh,” he said. “Legend has it that it’s hidden somewhere in these waters.”
The woman’s expression changed at the mention of Oogramosh. Her eyes became distant, and she seemed lost in thought for a moment.
“Oogramosh,” she repeated. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”
“What do you know about Oogramosh?” Jarmo asked, getting a little bit closer to the woman.
The woman looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and determination. “I know more than you can imagine,” she said. “But before I can help you, I need to know that you’re worthy of this knowledge.”
“What do you mean?” Tashana asked, confused.
“I mean that you must prove your worthiness,” the woman said, swimming towards them. “If you want to learn the secrets of Oogramosh, you must complete a task for me.”
Jarmo and Tashana exchanged a glance, both of them unsure of what the woman was asking for. But they were determined to find the treasure of Oogramosh, no matter what it took.
“What kind of task?” Jarmo asked.
“I need you to retrieve a necklace for me,” the woman said, gesturing towards a chest at the other end of the room. “It was stolen from me many years ago, and I’ve been searching for it ever since. It was brought back to me in this chest, but there’s a magical curse on it. So far no one was able to take the necklace out of the chest. If you can retrieve it for me, then I’ll help you find the treasure of Oogramosh. Perhaps you are worthy.”
Jarmo and Tashana swam towards the chest, their hearts beating fast with anticipation. Jarmo opened the chest, and inside he found a beautiful necklace made of pearls and gold. As he reached out to grab the necklace, he heard a noise behind him. He turned around, and saw that the woman had disappeared. In her place was a group of armed guards, their weapons pointed at Jarmo and Tashana.
“What’s going on?” Jarmo demanded, his harpoon at the ready.
“You have stolen from the queen,” one of the guards said, his voice cold and emotionless. “You will be punished for your crime.”
Jarmo and Tashana backed away, realizing that they were outnumbered and outmatched. And they have been tricked. But then Jarmo had an idea. He took out the slab with the map, and showed it to the guards.
“We’re not thieves,” he said. “We’re explorers, searching for the treasure of Oogramosh. The queen promised to help us if we completed this task for her.”
The guards looked at the map, their eyes widening as they realized what it was. “The map of Oogramosh,” one of them said in awe. “It’s real.”
Jarmo and Tashana saw their chance. While the guards were distracted, they swam towards the entrance of the palace, determined to make their escape. They swam as fast as they could, their hearts racing with adrenaline as they dodged the guards’ attacks. Tashana led the way, using her amphibionid abilities to navigate the underwater terrain with ease.
Finally, they made it to the surface, gasping for breath as they emerged from the water. They looked back towards the palace, seeing the guards still standing at the entrance, their weapons raised in anger.
“That was a weird experience,” Jarmo said, grabbing Tashana’s hand. “We have the map, but we still need to find the treasure.”
Tashana nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “Maybe we try if there’s another entrance to the palace,” she said. “Let’s go!”
They swam back towards the location marked on the map, navigating through the treacherous waters with caution. The sunken palace of Oogramosh was a sight to behold. It was located deep in the ocean’s abyss, surrounded by shimmering schools of fish and brightly colored coral reefs. Jarmo and Tashana swam around the palace, their hearts racing with excitement. No guards were in sight. What was all this about? They found a small hole in the wall.
As they entered the palace, they saw that it was filled with treasure beyond their wildest dreams. There were gold coins and jewels scattered everywhere, along with ancient artifacts and valuable works of art. So was the encounter they had before just a distraction? Strange things were going on here.
Andthe true treasure of Oogramosh was something else entirely. It was a scroll in a sealed bottle, written in an ancient language that neither Jarmo nor Tashana could read. But they knew that it was important, and that it held the key to unlocking the secrets that Jarmo wanted to find.
They took the bottle, along with some of the other treasures, and swam back to the surface. As they emerged from the water, they saw that the sun was starting to set, casting a golden glow across the sky.
“We did it,” Tashana said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We found the treasure of Oogramosh.”
Jarmo nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “And we have the scroll,” he said. “Who knows what kind of knowledge it holds.”
They hugged each other, their hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment and adventure. They knew that their journey was far from over, and that there were many more mysteries waiting to be discovered. But for now, they were content to bask in the glory of their victory, and to dream of the wonders that lay ahead.