Amelia moved swiftly through the twisting pathways of the cavern, her senses sharp and her daggers at the ready. The echoes of battle behind her had grown faint, swallowed by the labyrinth of tunnels. She didn't dwell on Silas—the damn fool had chosen his fate. A natural-born fighter, sure, but his penchant for throwing himself headfirst into chaos would get him killed. Potential didn't mean much if you didn't know when to retreat.
"Battle fool," she muttered under her breath, her eyes scanning the dimly lit surroundings.
Occasionally, a mole rat would skitter into her path, its hairless, leathery form grotesque in the flickering shadows. They were minor threats, easily dispatched with swift, calculated strikes from her daggers. Each creature fell before it could even sound an alarm. Amelia moved like a wraith, her footsteps light and her strikes lethal.
As she pressed deeper into the maze-like tunnels, she stumbled upon a larger chamber, dimly illuminated by faintly glowing fungi clinging to the damp walls. In the center of the chamber was a litter—a writhing mass of baby mole rats, blind and hairless, squeaking pitifully. Guarding them was a king mole rat, its bulk blocking the way forward. It growled low, baring massive incisors as it locked eyes with her.
Amelia didn't hesitate. The king lunged, but she sidestepped easily, her daggers flashing as she struck at its vulnerable underbelly. The fight was brief, her precision and agility overwhelming the beast's brute force. With a final slash, it crumpled to the ground.
Her gaze turned to the litter, her lips curling in distaste. She saw the squealing mole babies as a future threat—one that could grow into a larger problem if left unchecked. Without a second thought, she dispatched them, her strikes swift and merciless.
"Neutralized," she muttered coldly, wiping her daggers clean on her leather armor before moving on.
The tunnels grew more complex as she delved deeper, twisting and turning in confusing patterns. The air was cooler here, damp with the scent of earth and something faintly metallic. She paused briefly to consult the system, hoping for guidance.
"System, confirm I'm in the right area."
The response was curt and unhelpful: You are within proximity of a hidden realm entrance.
Amelia clenched her teeth. "Proximity? Great," she muttered. The vagueness didn't help her narrow down the path, but at least she knew she was close. She moved forward, her eyes scanning for any subtle signs—a change in the air, a shift in the terrain—that might lead her to the entrance. Her patience was thinning, but she didn't let it slow her progress.
The deeper she went, the more she felt the weight of the earth pressing in around her. Time was running out—she could feel it. The chaos behind her was growing quieter, but that only spurred her urgency. The hidden realm was here somewhere, and she intended to find it.
After what felt like an endless series of twists and turns through the labyrinthine tunnels, Amelia finally emerged into a cavern that was larger than any she had seen so far. The air here was cooler, damp and thick with moisture, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed softly in the chamber. Her sharp eyes quickly found the source—a vast underground lake stretched before her, its surface eerily still, reflecting the faint bioluminescence of the fungi clinging to the walls and ceiling.
She paused at the edge, her boots sinking slightly into the muddy ground as she scanned her surroundings. It had been hours of methodical searching, painstakingly checking each tunnel and passage for anything unusual. She'd avoided the paths that led downward, where the air grew hotter and carried the faint scent of sulfur. Those areas had struck her as dangerously unstable, likely heat vents or lava flows. The system had confirmed that the hidden realm's entrance was on her current level, sparing her from having to risk venturing further into those treacherous depths.
Her gaze swept across the lake, her instincts on high alert as she surveyed the water for anything out of place. And then she saw it—a faint glimmer near the bottom of the lake, a soft light that pulsed faintly in the darkness.
Amelia sighed, a weary smirk tugging at her lips. "Assumptions," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "Who said the entrance couldn't be in the middle of a lake?"
She crouched down at the water's edge, her fingers brushing against the surface as she stared at the glow below. The realization was almost amusing in its simplicity. Of course, it wouldn't be in some obvious or easily accessible spot. A challenge like this required persistence, ingenuity, and—apparently—a willingness to get wet.
Her reflection wavered in the still water, framed by the faint shimmer of the hidden realm's entrance below. Smiling faintly, she stood and began preparing for the next step