The three knights pressed on, the eerie silence punctuated only by the sound of their boots on the stone floor. When they reached the altar room, Kyrntar halted abruptly, the scene before him stealing the breath from his lungs. The once-pristine stone altar had been shattered, its pieces scattered across the floor like the remains of a long-forgotten tragedy. Dark stains marred the stone, the air thick with the faint stench of decay, as if something had died here—and not quickly.
Marra gasped softly beside him, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. "What could have done this?" she whispered, her voice trembling in the heavy silence.
Kyrntar didn't answer, his gaze drawn to the far end of the room where a faint, unnatural glow seeped through the cracks in the floor. His stomach twisted with unease. Whatever had happened here, it wasn't over.
"Stay close," Kyrntar commanded, his voice low but firm. "We need to find out what's causing that light."
As they stepped closer, the floor beneath their feet began to tremble, a low rumble vibrating through the temple walls. The cold deepened, sinking into their bones, and Kyrntar's instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong. His hand tightened around the hilt of his greatsword.
"Get ready," he murmured, his voice barely above a breath. The glow intensified, and the rumble grew into a deafening roar. Something was about to wake, something ancient and terrible.
Beside him, Edric swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously around the room. "Whatever's down there, I don't like it," he muttered. He cast a sidelong glance at Marra, his tension easing just a little as he tried to lighten the mood. "I hope you're ready to patch me up when it comes for us."
Marra, despite her own fear, shot him a quick tense smile, her voice so thick with fear, she couldn't respond
Edric's smirk flickered, but there was an edge to his voice despite the bravado. "We'll be fine," he muttered, his grip tightening on his bow. "Nothing we haven't handled before."
Kyrntar allowed the moment to pass, his gaze sharpening as the weight of the temple pressed down on them. "Tighten up, Edric," he said, his tone soft but commanding. "Prepare to steel your heart and keep your focus—we face whatever waits wants more than our death."
Kyrntar's focus remained fixed on the glowing cracks beneath the altar. Whatever lay below was stirring, and it wouldn't remain dormant for much longer.
"We need to find the source of this light," Kyrntar said, his voice steady even as the ground beneath them trembled with greater force. He motioned for Edric to scout ahead, his bow at the ready, while Marra remained close, her hands softly glowing with healing energy, ready to act at a moment's notice.
Edric nodded, creeping closer to the shattered altar with the grace of a seasoned hunter, his longbow drawn and an arrow notched. Marra, her usual confidence dimmed by the weight of the unknown, muttered a quiet prayer under her breath, her soft glow the only warmth in the icy room.
As they approached the altar, the light grew blinding, the temperature plunging until their breaths came out in frozen wisps. Suddenly, the ground beneath them shifted. A section of the floor crumbled away, revealing a dark, spiraling staircase that led deep into the earth, the glow pulsing from somewhere far below.
"Looks like we're going deeper," Kyrntar muttered, glancing at his companions, his brow furrowed in concern.
Marra shot Edric a sideways glance, her voice trembling with forced bravado. "We will be ok right?"
Edric smiled warmly, "I told you before, I'll protect you. Plus we are still with the big guy."
Marra chuckled, though it was strained, her eyes betraying her worry. "I'm sure you will."
Kyrntar's gaze lingered on the two of them, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. For all their playful banter, there was something deeper between Edric and Marra—a bond forged through years of training, through every battle fought side by side. It was moments like this, even in the face of overwhelming dread, that reminded him of what they fought for: not just duty, but each other.
"Let's move," Kyrntar said, his voice steady as steel. "We don't know what's waiting for us down there, but whatever it is, we face it together."
With a final glance at the crumbling altar, they descended into the darkness, the glow from below lighting their path. The air grew thicker, colder, the sense of foreboding wrapping around them like a shroud. Kyrntar's heart pounded in his chest, but as they moved deeper into the temple's bowels, he took comfort in the presence of his companions at his side.
Whatever lay ahead, they would face it—together.
The three knights descended the winding staircase cautiously, the cold intensifying with each step, the air growing heavier with an overwhelming sense of danger. Their breaths misted before them, the light of their torches casting eerie shadows on the ancient stone walls. As they reached the bottom, the passage opened into a vast underground chamber, where the light grew brighter, emanating from strange, glowing symbols etched into the walls—symbols that pulsed with an unnatural energy.