Footsteps echoed through the winding tunnels, a frantic rhythm of pursuit and flight.
A young Gorlean sprinted down the stone corridors, his breath ragged, his vision blurred by tears. Magickal projectiles exploded around him, missing by mere inches. Though the acolytes had been instructed to travel in pairs or threes, he now ran alone.
His luck ran dry. Just as he turned a corner, an ethereal arrow struck his shoulder, sending him sprawling face-first onto the cold ground. Gasping, he scrambled to rise, but another arrow found the back of his head. His body seized for a moment – then went still.
A figure emerged from the shadows, her hand near her mouth as she murmured into an unseen device.
'I took down a group of three. Moving to another sector. Aileed out.'
She clicked off the device, pocketing it before nudging the fallen Gorlean with her boot to confirm his fate. Satisfied, she turned to leave – only for a bolt of lightning to streak down the tunnel towards her at blinding speed.
'Fuck!' she hissed, teeth clenched as she raised a barrier just in time.
The spell crashed into her ward, shattering it in an instant. The force staggered her, leaving her open just long enough for her attacker to strike again.
A second bolt shot forward, piercing her outstretched hand as she prepared another spell. A gaping hole burned through her palm, but she barely flinched.
Snarling, she retaliated. As her opponent closed the distance, she slashed with her uninjured hand, sending a blade of magick slicing through the air. Noidron barely ducked in time – the attack would have taken his head clean off.
Darting forward, he infused his arms with elemental energy and lunged.
But she was fast. The spellswordswoman caught his wrists, locking them in place. They struggled, strength against strength, neither gaining the upper hand.
Then Noidron smirked and ducked his head.
Without warning, a silent spell struck her face. Her head disintegrated in an instant, leaving behind only a charred stump and a thin veil of black smoke.
As the lifeless body crumpled to the ground, Noidron exhaled and turned his gaze behind him.
'Impressive. If I hadn't known you were there, I wouldn't have noticed your casting at all.'
'Thank you, sir. Silent casting is a favourite of mine.'
Noidron nodded approvingly. 'It's effective.'
Their victory was brief. Riniock suddenly grimaced, clutching his chest as sharp pain lanced through him, like needles driving into his very core.
He dropped to one knee, breath shallow.
It wasn't his human heart – it was his maegi vessel. As Noidron had warned, his body wasn't yet prepared to handle such advanced spells.
Noidron knelt beside him, placing a steadying hand on his back. A soft pulse of energy flowed from his palm, travelling through Riniock's conduits, soothing the pain though not eliminating it.
Riniock forced himself upright, his body still aching.
'Take it easy,' Noidron advised. 'Lay off sparks for now.'
'Understood.'
After looting the mercenary's corpse, they turned their attention to the fallen Gorlean. Two ethereal arrows protruded from his body. He hadn't even been given a chance to fight back.
The acolytes were hopelessly outmatched. Here lay three victims – but how many more had fallen elsewhere in the endless tunnels?
It was turning into a massacre.
'What a sad death,' Riniock murmured.
'Are you absolutely sure the letter reached the arch-maegi?' Noidron asked, his unease growing.
'I'm certain.'
'And your spell can reach him?'
'It can and it will,' Riniock assured him. 'Stop panicking. We can only do so much.'
Noidron exhaled, steadying himself. 'You're right.'
'Let's keep moving,' he nudged and paced forward.
'Yes, let's.'
Elsewhere in the tunnels, three Gorleans fought their way forward, cutting through the dangers that lurked in the dark. Unlike many of their fellow acolytes, they had fared well so far – not because they hadn't faced threats, but because they were seasoned enough to handle them.
Urael, Kieg, and Abrant stood over the fresh corpse of a strange beast, the result of their combined efforts.
At the forefront, Urael wrenched a blade of ice from the creature's body, flicking off dark ichor.
'What the hell was that…' Kieg muttered, sinking to the ground to catch his breath. 'I've never heard of anything like it before.'
'No clue,' Urael admitted. 'Abrant?'
The third shook his head, just as perplexed.
The creature was mesmerising in its grotesqueness – reptilian in form, built for agility, with a sleek body covered in fine scales and a moss-like texture. Even in death, its large, glossy black eyes glared at them, unblinking.
Kieg winced as he inspected the gash across his shoulder, torn open by the beast's blade-like claws.
Meanwhile, Urael studied the corpse, his gaze lingering on the white filaments running along its spine. They still pulsed with a faint glow. But something unsettled him.
It had been strong, nearly matching them in size, yet its ill-formed scales suggested it wasn't fully grown.
'Something wrong, boss?' Abrant asked, stepping closer, sharing his leader's curiosity.
'I can't shake this feeling…'
'What feeling? You find something?'
'I don't know…not yet.'
Shrugging off his unease, Urael turned to Kieg, who was still tending to his wounds. Two empty potion bottles lay at his feet, their contents already working to cauterise the injury. Blood still flowed, but the worst of it had been halted.
'How are you holding up?' Urael asked, stepping closer. 'We'll move as soon as you're able.'
'Won't take long.'
'Good. Don't slack off—'
His words cut short as his ears twitched at a faint sound. Instinct took over. Ice erupted from the ground before him, forming a wall of jagged spikes just as a torrent of fire exploded from the tunnel ahead.
Flames surged into the clearing, devouring everything in their path.
Abrant, standing behind Urael, was spared by the icy barrier. The fire slammed into it, hissing violently as steam filled the air.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the blaze died down. The ice wall melted away.
And Kieg…
Abrant's breath hitched. 'Kieg…' His voice barely rose above a whisper.
Before them lay their friend's charred remains, curled into a foetal position. He hadn't had a chance to react.
Urael's eyes darkened as two figures stepped from the shadows, smirks plastered across their faces.
'You…' he spat, rage creeping into his voice.
They wore Ikshari garments. Their faces were impossible to forget.
The leader of the pair grinned. 'Where's Riniock?'
Urael's expression twisted with fury. 'You burn one of mine alive, and your only concern is that bastard Tolgir?'
Irgod and Piddruin barely spared Kieg's corpse a glance before chuckling. Flames flickered at their fingertips, eager for another kill.
'Where is he?' Irgod repeated, voice dripping with amusement. 'Tell me, and I might grant you a swift death.'
Urael's grip tightened, frost gathering in his palms. 'You wish.'
He sighed. 'One last chance – where is he?'
A smirk tugged at Urael's lips. 'In your mother's room.'