Chapter 118: Descent into the Unknown
Stone grinding into stone produced an endless sound that rattled the chamber while having a deep unsettling impact on the ruins. The mechanism finished its operation by releasing dust particles into the air that revealed a spiral staircase which led to the complete darkness below. The downward blowing wind delivered two distinct odors from below: moist stone along with a terrifying fragrance released from rotting remains of buried history.
[New Area Unlocked: The Abyssal Vault]
[Warning: High-Level Dungeon Detected – Proceed with Caution]
The rhythm of her breath remained smooth while she cleaned the sweat and dirt from her forehead. The system notifications displayed messages at the edges of her view yet she already understood the threatening creatures located beneath her surface. Her movements caused severe aches across her body since their battle with the Forgotten King left fresh wounds.
Alison stretched his right hand onto his sword while standing next to her. His face revealed no emotion while he used his keen eyesight to measure the depths in front of him. Down there exists something which humanity should have never discovered.
By reaching out with her hands Ira sensed an ethereal magical energy flowing from beneath them toward the passage below. Her expression darkened. "The magic here… it's different. Ancient. And dangerous."
Dren released an impatient breath as his knuckles crunched together in an attempt to discard his hesitations. "Then what are we waiting for?"
A beat of silence followed.
Natasha clenched her jaw. That seemed to be the main question at hand. The members of their band had only narrowly escaped death in their most recent conflict. They were wounded, exhausted. Their current state of tiredness makes a descent at this moment dangerous because they might run out of strength to get back.
But if they left…
Her eye movement toward black empty space made her uncomfortable. The feeling says something is not right. A force, unseen yet undeniably present, pressed against the edges of her consciousness. The sensation remained just under her perception similar to a faint distant murmur or faint internal desire. A pull. The area below seemed to draw the group deeper inside.
A feeling of ice ran down her back as the thought crossed her mind.
"We should take a breather," Ira said, rubbing at a bruise forming on her wrist. Our present condition puts us at risk of facing unknown dangers.
Alison gave a slow nod. "We need to be strategic. The dangerous level of this dungeon demands we study its layout before entering it.
"I get that, but we just unlocked this place," Dren argued. The place could close permanently if we delay our entry. Our progress may be blocked either because this dungeon locks up or some other threat emerges.
That thought was equally troubling. The team risks inability to handle future threats once they abandon the dungeon searching area.
A deep humming sound emerged from below to the point it felt like it traveled into their skeletal structures. Natasha tensed. The faint feeling in her mind grew stronger as if tiny nerves stroked her mind.
She sensed the experience along with someone else in the group.
Through her arms she rubbed to rid herself of a ghostly feeling. "I don't like this. Whatever is there keeps watching and waiting for us.
"Or watching," Alison murmured, his voice quiet but heavy with meaning
Dren scoffed. "Then we go down there and stop whatever it is before it stops us."
One of Natasha's jaw muscles started to jump. The others had valid points that matched his assessment. They required a strategic approach when making their decision.
Option one: Retreat, regroup, recover. A safe choice, but risky in its own way.
At this moment I must execute option two because something or someone might extinguish our escape route forever.
She faced the abyss once more while deeply breathing in through her nostrils. Heavy air pressure became more noticeable as she moved forward because of an ambiguous dangerous presence.
A soft air gust brushed against the back of her neck with a sound like wind.
A whisper.
Not words. Not sound. But something deeper. Something calling.
Her heartbeat thundered inside the cavity of her ears.
Natasha exhaled sharply. "We're going in."
Alison's gaze flickered to her. "Are you sure?"
"No," she admitted, gripping the hilt of her blade, "but I'm not willing to risk what happens if we wait."
The group members only paused briefly before showing their agreement. Each person moved towards the twisting staircase path as their shadows vanished beneath the growing gloom.
The minute Natasha stepped her foot downward the mental whispers inside her head intensified.
Something was down there.
And it knew they were coming..