Their return to the plateau was fairly eventless. A few rogue wolves attempted to attack, but the Fallen Knight was particularly alert, and she disposed of them in the blink of an eye.
“I think you’re overreacting.” Kyle said with a shrug. She had been questioning him about every detail he could remember about Vis. “I’ll accept she was not a normal, ordinary person, but if she wanted to kill me, she would have tried that already.”
The Fallen Knight shook her head. “Perhaps she was simply trying to see if you are a threat to her. Or perhaps she is not quite strong enough to kill you.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “She walked into a wyvern’s lair and came out unscathed. She’s definitely strong.” He sighed. “You know, next time we meet, you can try and ask her yourself. How does that sound?”
The Fallen Knight nodded. They continued walking in silence for a while before she spoke up again. “You said she had crimson hair?”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, wavy crimson
“What?” Kyle stared at Caille and Igna blankly. “Let’s go!” They insisted again, each of them pulling at one of his arms. “You’ve got a fortress to rebuild, remember?” he reminded them, only to have them roll their eyes and shrug. “Harriet and The Architect can handle that. Besides, you’ve got nearly a hundred skeletons helping. They don’t need us!” Caille said with a grin. “Come on, it will be fun!” “What will be fun?” A cold, harsh voice startled both women. Luke, the tall, blonde paladin was standing behind them, towering over both of them. His armour was no longer shiny and new, it was dented and scarred. This new look made him look quite a bit more intimidating. “You do realise what shape the fortress is, don’t you?” The Paladin asked, narrowing his eyes, glaring at each of them. “Luke…” Caille let go of Kyle’s arm. “This is for the Guild’s-“ “Tell me exactly what it is you’re planning.” The Paladin
Walking on the side of the chasm’s cliff wall was… odd, to say the very least. The ground – their ground – was jagged. It was difficult to walk on. “This has to be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done in my life.” Caille mumbled as she walked. Kyle nodded, this was beyond weird indeed. Not only was it extremely disorientating, but it was confusing as well. Seeing the world from an angle they’d never seen before, Kyle couldn’t help but feel amazement as well. … Just not enough amazement to quell the fear in his heart. “Let’s just hurry.” He mumbled. The Jellyfish was floating right next to the small group of three. If they strayed too far from it, the changed gravity would return to normal, and they’d fall to their deaths. “Yeah.” Caille gulped. Even her scholarly curiosity was being pushed aside by the threat of falling down the chasm. Despite both of their urges to speed up, the Jellyfish went at a normal and steady pace, and they had n
“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
The tunnels began to even out, no longer were they heading directly downwards. The tunnels also became narrower. A single person could fit with ease, but two people couldn’t walk side by side. Their steps were silent, the thick cover of moss and mushrooms made them so, but their very breathing still echoed around them. The silence was deafening, and it was most certainly unnatural. Were they nearing a powerful monster? Or was it finally the end of this musky tunnel? Soon, their questions were answered as they walked around a corner, only to come face to face with a cast metal door that blocked their path. It was a single, solid piece of metal that wasn’t too familiar to Kyle. It wasn’t iron or bronze, nor was it something as valuable as mithril, though it did have the same colour as it. He scowled, shot the confused Caille and Luke a quick glance, then pressed his palm against the door. A moment passed, and nothing happened. He pressed with all his st
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
“You’re lucky it didn’t immediately choke you to death.” Caille muttered. “Why didn’t it, I wonder?” She pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. Kyle shook his head. “I think it wanted to get out of this cave, and the chasm.” He admitted. “It had telepathic abilities, and it kept showing me the sky.” He sighed, then pushed those thoughts, and the lingering feeling of longing to the back of his mind. “Putting that aside, let’s try to find the artifact and get out of here.” Caille nodded vigorously. “I’m fed up with this place. Let’s hurry.” The Priestess of the Golden Flame didn’t linger here much longer. She informed Kyle of a faint trace of magic she was sensing on the back wall of the cave, then vanished into her flaming rift. “Oh yeah,” Caille muttered a few moments later, pressing her palm against that same wall. “Illusion magic. There’s something beyond this wall.” She stepped back and knelt on the ground.
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
“I agree,” A woman’s voice sounded from the distance, stirring Kyle in his sleep. “It was most unfortunate.” “Indeed,” Another voice sounded. “We must inform him.” Kyle opened his eyes, and immediately closed them again as the first rays of sunlight at dawn blinded him. He covered his eyes with his hand and tried again. He was laying on the grass, just outside the dungeon he, Caille and Luke had gotten out of yesterday. He blinked a few times to try and wake up as footsteps neared. “Summoner,” The Priestess of the Golden Flame spoke. “We cleared the underground tunnels. Not a single creature is left alive.” Aoris nodded. “But we did not find the snake you talked about. It must have sensed our presence and escaped to the bottom of the chasm.” She folded her arms. “I can go down and look for it, if you wish.” Kyle shook his head. “No, that’s fine.” He muttered, still trying to wake up properly. “Make sure