The narrow tunnel finally opens up, and the team stumbles into a small, damp cavern. The light is dim, the walls covered in luminescent moss casting an eerie green glow. The space is tight, but it gives them a much-needed reprieve from the crawling and insects.
Evelyn brushes off the dirt and webs clinging to her clothes, her face still pale from the ordeal. "I swear, if I see another insect, I'm going to lose it."
Khalid grins at her but says nothing, too busy shaking out his own cloak. Darius, standing a little farther back, eyes the room cautiously. His mind is still racing with thoughts of Moonshade's betrayal. Knowing they were walking into traps made him uneasy.
Kenshin, blind but ever aware, takes a deep breath and tilts his head toward the entrance they came through. "Something's off," he whispers. "We're not alone here."
His words freeze the group. They had barely recovered from the earlier fight with the bat monster, and now another danger lurked nearby. The sound of faint skittering echoes from the tunnel, growing louder by the second. The familiar clicking and rustling of insect legs fills the air, only this time, the insects are much larger than the harmless ones they encountered before.
"We need to move," Evelyn whispers, her hand instinctively moving toward her weapon. "This cavern isn't safe."
Just as they prepare to leave, a loud crash reverberates through the cave. The wall behind them collapses, revealing a swarm of creatures. Enormous centipedes with sharp pincers crawl out from the rubble, their glossy black bodies glinting in the faint light.
"Run!" Khalid shouts, pushing Evelyn and Darius forward as the creatures surge toward them. Kenshin, using his heightened senses, already feels the vibrations in the ground as the centipedes close in. They sprint across the cavern, but the path ahead is blocked by more rubble.
"They've trapped us in," Darius growls. He spins around, gripping his weapon tightly. "No choice. We have to fight."
The team prepares for battle, though their energy is already running low. Kenshin, who has been relying on his newfound wind magic to guide his steps, closes his eyes and focuses. He senses the air currents around them, picking up on the creatures' rapid movements. His control over the wind has grown stronger since the fight with the bat, but he knows he's still not at full power.
"We need a plan," Evelyn calls, already hacking at the nearest centipede. Her sword slices through its exoskeleton, but there are too many of them, and they keep coming. "We can't take them all head-on."
Darius, using his incredible strength, swings his massive hammer, crushing two centipedes in one blow. "We need to find their weak spots. There has to be something."
As the battle rages on, Kenshin feels the wind shift. A slight draft brushes against his face, coming from a narrow crack in the far wall. "There's a way out," he says, turning toward the others. "But it's small, and we'll need to clear it."
"We're not getting out of here unless we kill these things first," Khalid grunts, narrowly dodging a snapping pincer. His ax flashes in the dim light, cleaving through one of the larger centipedes.
Evelyn, sweating and tired, feels herself slowing down. "We need to draw them away from the crack. Otherwise, we won't have enough time to clear it."
Kenshin nods. "I'll distract them. You three focus on breaking through the wall."
"Are you insane?" Darius yells, his face flushed with both effort and anger. "You can't take them all by yourself."
Kenshin smirks, his sightless eyes turning toward the swarm. "Just trust me."
Without waiting for an answer, Kenshin takes off, using his wind magic to propel himself forward. He moves with unnatural speed, his feet barely touching the ground. The centipedes, sensing the disturbance, turn their attention to him.
"Kenshin, no!" Evelyn shouts, but he's already gone, leading the creatures in the opposite direction.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Khalid and Darius slam their weapons against the cracked wall. The rubble begins to give way, but it's slow going. The creatures are relentless, and Kenshin won't be able to hold them off for long.
Evelyn, keeping an eye on Kenshin's progress, works to cover Khalid and Darius as they push through the wall. Her heart races with anxiety, but there's no time to second-guess their actions.
"Kenshin, hang on!" she yells, watching as he deftly dodges the centipedes' attacks, using his wind magic to create small gusts that knock the creatures off balance. But he's tiring quickly, and his movements become less fluid with each passing second.
Finally, the wall collapses, revealing a narrow tunnel beyond. "It's clear!" Khalid shouts.
Evelyn rushes toward Kenshin, who's on the verge of being overwhelmed. "Kenshin, now!"
Hearing her voice, Kenshin spins, using the last of his energy to create a powerful gust of wind that sends the centipedes scattering. He stumbles, but Evelyn catches him just in time, pulling him toward the newly opened tunnel.
They dive into the gap, barely escaping as the centipedes regroup and begin to flood the cavern once more. The team scrambles through the tight tunnel, bruised and battered, but alive.
As they crawl deeper into the darkness, Khalid laughs weakly. "Well, that was close."
Darius, panting heavily, wipes the sweat from his brow. "Too close. But we made it."
Evelyn, still holding onto Kenshin's arm, whispers, "We're not out yet. Keep moving."
With no idea where the new path leads, the team pushes forward, their bodies aching but their resolve stronger than ever.