The rumbling grew louder, shaking the tunnel walls and dislodging bits of debris from the ceiling. Alex instinctively positioned himself in front of Amira, shielding her as the ground beneath them trembled.
"It's the mech!" Jonah exclaimed, his eyes darting toward the tunnel entrance. "How did it track us here?"
Zorath tightened her grip on the glowing staff, her iridescent eyes narrowing. "It's not just the mech. Someone's controlling it—and they know exactly where you are."
Luis's face paled. "Fantastic. A giant killer robot with a personal vendetta. I knew skipping cardio was going to come back and haunt me."
"Shut up, Luis," Amira snapped, her focus on Zorath. "You said this tunnel is a sanctuary. If the Sentinel can't follow us, what about the mech?"
Zorath hesitated for a fraction of a second—just long enough for Alex to notice. "It shouldn't be able to enter. But…" Her voice trailed off, and her gaze flicked toward the tunnel entrance.
"But?" Alex pressed, his tone sharp. "That's not exactly comforting."
Before Zorath could respond, a deafening crash echoed through the tunnel as the mech's massive metallic hand slammed against the entrance. The walls shuddered under the impact, and a spray of dust and rocks rained down on the group.
"Oh, great!" Luis shouted, scrambling backward. "It's definitely entering!"
"Impossible," Zorath muttered, her expression tightening. "Unless—"
"Unless what?" Amira demanded, stepping forward despite the chaos. "Start explaining, or I swear I'll—"
Another crash interrupted her, and this time, the mech's crimson eye appeared at the entrance, scanning the tunnel. Its mechanical voice reverberated through the air.
"Targets located. Proceeding with extraction."
"Extraction?" Jonah echoed, his brow furrowing. "That doesn't sound like the friendly kind of extraction."
Zorath stepped forward, raising her staff. "Stay behind me."
Luis shook his head, eyes wide with panic. "Behind you? What are you planning to do—poke it with your fancy glow stick?"
"Quiet!" Zorath snapped, her calm demeanor slipping for the first time. She thrust the staff into the ground, and a wave of blue light rippled outward, forming a shimmering barrier at the tunnel's entrance. The mech recoiled slightly, its systems momentarily confused by the sudden interference.
The group watched in tense silence as the mech recalibrated, its crimson eye flickering. Then, with an ominous whir, it extended a cylindrical device from its arm—a pulse cannon.
Zorath's expression darkened. "The sanctuary can only hold for so long. We need to move—now."
The tunnel narrowed further as the group scrambled deeper into its depths, their footsteps echoing unnervingly in the confined space. The rumbling from the mech's attacks continued, growing fainter but still sending tremors through the ground.
"This better not be a dead end," Jonah muttered, his flashlight illuminating jagged rock walls.
"It's not," Zorath said, her tone clipped. "But the path ahead is… complicated."
Luis groaned. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be? Maybe we'll run into a lava pit or a nest of alien spiders next. That'd really round out the experience."
Amira ignored him, her focus on Zorath. "You said someone's controlling the mech. Who? And why are they after us?"
Zorath glanced over her shoulder, her glowing eyes unreadable. "The answer to that is… complicated."
Amira threw up her hands. "Everything with you is 'complicated!' We deserve answers. You drag us into this ravine, nearly get us killed, and now you're dodging questions?"
Alex placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice calm but firm. "Amira, we don't have time for this."
She shook him off, her frustration boiling over. "No, Alex. We can't keep running blind! If Zorath knows something, we need to—"
Her words were cut off as the ground beneath them suddenly gave way.
The group plunged into darkness, their screams echoing in the cavernous void. The fall was disorienting, the air rushing past them in a deafening roar. Amira reached out blindly, her fingers brushing against Alex's arm before they were separated.
They hit the ground with a jarring thud, the impact knocking the wind out of their lungs. Amira groaned, her body aching as she pushed herself up. Her flashlight had shattered in the fall, leaving her surrounded by pitch blackness.
"Alex? Luis? Jonah?" she called out, her voice trembling.
"Present," Luis's voice came from somewhere to her left, strained but alive. "Barely."
"I'm here," Alex said, his tone steady but tight with pain.
"Same," Jonah muttered. "But I think I broke something. Probably my dignity."
A faint blue light flickered nearby as Zorath approached, her staff illuminating the cavern. "Is anyone seriously injured?"
Amira glared at them. "Define 'seriously.'"
Before Zorath could respond, a low growl echoed through the cavern, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. The sound was guttural and inhuman, reverberating off the walls like a predator announcing its presence.
Luis whimpered. "Please tell me that wasn't someone's stomach."
Zorath's expression hardened. "We're not alone."
"No kidding," Jonah said, wincing as he stood. "What fresh nightmare is this?"
The growling grew louder, and glowing eyes began to appear in the darkness, surrounding the group. Dozens of them—too many to count.
Amira's heart pounded as she backed closer to Alex. "What are those things?"
"Echo Wraiths," Zorath said grimly. "Guardians of the lower caverns. They won't let us pass without a fight."
"Of course they won't," Luis said, his voice shaking. "Because nothing about today has been remotely easy!"
Zorath raised their staff, the blue light intensifying. "Stay close to me. And whatever you do, don't let them touch you."
"Touch us?" Luis squeaked. "What happens if they—?"
His question was cut off as one of the Wraiths lunged forward, its translucent, shadowy form swiping at the group. Zorath swung her staff, the blue light flaring as it struck the creature, sending it shrieking back into the darkness.
Amira gritted her teeth, gripping a rock from the ground. "Guess we're fighting our way out."
Alex nodded, picking up a jagged shard of metal. "We've come this far. Let's finish this."
The Wraiths began to close in, their growls echoing ominously as the cavern filled with an otherworldly glow. The group braced themselves, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
And then, from the darkness, a deep, resonant voice boomed, silencing the Wraiths.
"Enough."
The creatures froze, their glowing eyes dimming as they retreated into the shadows. A figure emerged from the far side of the cavern, towering and imposing, its presence commanding absolute attention.
It wasn't human—or anything close to it. Its body was made of a shimmering, crystalline material that refracted the blue light, and its face was featureless save for a single glowing orb at its center.
Zorath stepped forward, her voice low and reverent. "The Sentinel Prime."
The figure's voice echoed in their minds rather than their ears. "You dare trespass in my domain. Explain yourselves—or face annihilation."