“Light of the Gods!” Luke’s voice echoed within the caverns, repeating itself over and over and over. Like a small sun, golden light exploded, momentarily dispersing the fog, and revealing what lay beneath. A snake slithered away too fast for them to see it properly. The hand gripping Kyle’s ankle let go of it. It was Caille’s. She lay on the ground, one hand gripping her throat, the other reaching for Kyle and Luke. Her eyes were wide open, and she opened and closed her mouth in terror, though no sound came out. “It must have bit her!” Luke said as Kyle helped her sit up. Caille nodded, then rummaged through her inventory. “We need an antidote, or a cure spell. Or something!” Luke exclaimed. “Caille, where is the wound? I can try to heal it!” Caille shook her head, then finally found what she was looking for. A pen and paper. Kyle narrowed his eyes as she scribbled something on it. ‘BE QUIET’ she had written. Once she m

  He could barely hear the roars of the minotaur over the whispers of the snake that continued to echo in his mind. ‘Take me there’ ‘Surface… the sun…’ ‘Show me…’ The words began to mix as they repeated in his mind. The image of the distant sun as soon from the bottom of the chasm was fresh in his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see it. And that longing feeling accompanied it no matter how hard he tried to push it away. The snake’s thoughts and his began to mix. The voice he heard was no longer Caille’s. It was his own voice speaking in his mind. When he tried to speak, no sound came out. He tried to kick the snake, to pry it off of himself, but the more he struggled the more it coiled around him. The voices in his mind grew even louder. They were more prevalent than his own thoughts now. “Slug, go!” Caille’s voice sounded from the distance. “Wait – my voice is back!” She exclaimed imme

Laying on the grass, Kyle enjoyed the warmth of the sun. It was so relaxing to lay down under the sunlight, to let it wash over him. “Apple?” Caille offered. He shook his head, not even opening his eyes. “I’m fine, thanks.” “Oh, I want one!” Luke piped up not a moment later. “We should return tomorrow morning.” Caille suggested. They had set up camp at the entrance to the stairwell. After a short conversation, all three of them had agreed that they were too tired to try and traverse the land shortly before dusk. Naturally, Kyle was more than happy with this arrangement. He rolled to his side and yawned. He could fall asleep right now, that was how exhausted he felt. “Oi,” Caille poked at his shoulder. “Don’t sleep.” “It’s so comfy though.” He muttered. “Log off and go to sleep then.” She giggled. “I bet your bed is comfier.” “Leave him be,” Luke piped up. “He got nearly killed by a huge snake, remember?” “It sto

  “It’s beautiful!” Igna’s shout and her amazed smile clearly made that dangerous trip down the chasm worth it for Luke and Caille. “It’s like that story – like the golden fleece in Greek mythology!” Igna continued as she carefully touched the gold coloured cloth. “We can call it the ‘Golden Tablecloth’” Luke suggested with a smirk. Kyle stood back. This trip had only been somewhat worth it for him because of two vital pieces of information he gained. The fact that his summons’ kills granted him experience points even when he wasn’t in the area made things a lot easier, and the existence of a second path to his side of the chasm was vital information. While he wasn’t immediately worried about attacks to him or his plateau, he felt like just shutting the door at the end of the stairwell and putting a log against it wasn’t the best solution. He needed to find a better way to either seal that entrance, or to have a way to be alerted if anyo

The skies were washed in crimson as Irena and Kyle decided to stop for the night. The Priestess was perfectly fine with going on, but Kyle was exhausted. He had been on the move for days now, with only minimal rest. And now… after a day riddled with intermittent fights and constant walking, he was done. “Do whatever you need to make sure the campsite is safe.” He said with a tired sigh as he took his cloak off and threw it on the patch of tallgrass by a large rock. He sat on the cloak, then laid on his back. “I’m heading to sleep,” he added with a yawn, and closed his eyes. He heard the Priestess of the Golden Flame chant with a low voice, casting her protective spells as she circled their campsite. As much as he didn’t trust her much, Kyle gave in to the sweet darkness of sleep. His dreams were calm and serene. When he woke up with the first light of dawn, he felt well rested, despite having slept on a piece of cloth thrown on some grass. He wasn’t sure at w