Eliad descended the rope, shining his flashlight to get a better view of his surroundings.

The enormous crystallization of corrupt magic was within what appeared to have been a natural cavity. A few steps from the mineral stood two stone altars with an inverted pentagon engraved on them. Two chained skeletons, which had apparently been humans or mutant aehuls, rested on them.

“Demon worshippers,” he thought. The very idea that there could still be foolish believers in such vile creatures repulsed him.

The beam of light descended to the stone floor, where he found several dried bloodstains, accompanied by books, utensils, and decomposed corpses of different races dressed in ceremonial robes. The cracks and the abrupt hole in the corrupt mineral indicated that the demon from the video had likely emerged from within it, but the state of decomposition of the corpses there made it impossible that the demon itself had done it. Whatever had killed all those cultists had done so a long time ago.

He raised the flashlight. Dust motes floated in the heavy air. Cobwebs hung here and there. Several extinguished candelabras were placed throughout the spiritual chamber. On one of the living stone walls, there was an iron door with bars that had been ripped off its hinges.

The hunter approached one of the walls near the corrupt mineral, took out a knife, and made a cut on the palm of his hand. He put the knife away and moistened one of the fingers of his other hand in the thick liquid. He raised the wet finger and drew a protective seal with the blood as he had been taught in his order many years ago. His seals weren’t as strong as those of his mage companions, but they would at least help attenuate the corruption. Once he finished the first one, he moved to the opposite wall and repeated the process. Moments later, both seals began to glow.

“You can come down now.”

***

Neisa watched Eliad as he spoke with Isen. The red leather trench coat with green flame-shaped trims reached almost to his ankles and had a large black cross shaped like a sword drawn on the back.

"How did you manage to attenuate the corruption?" Isen asked. His expressionless face seemed to reflect some curiosity.

“Seeing is believing,” Neisa thought.

"With a protective seal," Eliad replied.

"I'm coming down," Bargu said.

Neisa turned and saw the young drauo starting to descend.

"Like the alchemists' seals?" the combat mage continued. He was undoubtedly interested in the topic.

"No," Eliad answered. "We make the seals with our blood. So even someone like me, who can't use magic, is able to create protective seals."

"Fascinating…" Isen's voice made the soldier turn her gaze back to the mage and the hunter. "A protective seal made with blood… I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, I suppose they're quite uncommon these days," Eliad said with some disdain.

"So it's similar to blood magic?" Isen asked.

Neisa had seen enough blood to be unnerved by something that sounded as dangerous as blood magic. She looked away to watch her comrade descend and couldn't help but glance again at the crystalline formation of corrupt magic. Despite having injected the protector and the protective seal the hunter had made, the soldier still felt drawn to the dark-hued violet mineral. It had a deceptive elegance and beauty, dangerous. It was like forbidden fruit. It was like a wealthy lover who is married.

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"How could it have broken?" the soldier asked with regret. She didn't expect an answer, but she hadn't intended to ask the question either.

"Because that's where the demon emerged from," Eliad said, approaching her position.

"Huh?" Neisa replied, somewhat confused. It was as if she had woken from some kind of trance.

"How is that possible?" the combat mage asked. "The hole is barely thirty centimeters wide."

"Because it was in its true form… a kind of ethereal spirit."

"So that's what Mervin was referring to in the video," Isen said. "How interesting! I'd love to see one with my own eyes."

Neisa looked at the combat mage in confusion. Who in their right mind would want that? Just then, the drauo touched the ground.

"Alright, we're all here," said Eliad. "Let's continue."

"What is this room supposed to be?" the drauo asked as the soldiers and the hunter crossed the chamber. "It gives off a really bad vibe."

"A worship room for a demonic cult," the hunter said. "Someone probably found the demon's tomb by chance and established their religious cult here."

"Is there anything normal in this runieléctrica plant?" Neisa said, disgusted.

"Well, why am I not surprised..." said the young drauo. "By the way, where's the tomb?"

"In case you didn't hear," Neisa interjected. "The demon was imprisoned inside this corrupt mineral."

"Holy shit... So it was the demon who killed all these people?"

"I doubt it," the hunter replied. "They've been decomposed for too long, and the room looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years."

The group passed through the broken door and entered a small passageway, arriving at a hall whose walls were decorated with demonic symbols and tapestries, clearly crafted by humanoid hands. In the center of the hall was an elongated table with dirty, dusty plates and cutlery. Numerous cultists had been brutally murdered while eating or trying to escape. It was as if a beast had feasted on them.

"Whoever did this really enjoyed themselves," Bargu said after letting out a whistle.

The group crossed the hall and exited in a double file through a partially open wooden door reinforced with iron. They passed through another small passageway and arrived at a tunnel about five meters high and four meters wide, which seemingly had no structural support. As they moved through it, Neisa noticed the combat mage asking Eliad several questions, to which Eliad only responded to some. It was curious how roles sometimes reversed.

The tunnel turned left, then right, descending before straightening out again. The walls began to feature holes about a meter in diameter. Despite having been born and raised in Catlon, Neisa knew nothing about tunnels and occasionally wondered if a tunnel full of holes could really be safe. This concern reminded her of her childhood friend André, and a sad, timid smile appeared on her face. Normally, she was the bravest and most determined, while he was the most cautious and fearful, even though he didn't like to admit it. When they were kids, it often seemed like their roles were reversed, causing other children to laugh at them until she set them straight with her fists.

"Did your ancestors make these tunnels?" Neisa asked to avoid thinking about her best friend.

"What are you talking about, girl?" the young drauo said, lifting his visor again. "My ancestors wouldn't have done such a shoddy job. These tunnels must have been made by those damn arruks."

Neisa looked at her companion, and for a moment, she thought she had some kind of creature next to her instead of her comrade. His eyes, with rhomboid pupils, glowed in the dark.

"What's wrong?" the drauo asked, seeing her reaction. "Did you see something?" Bargu turned and looked around.

The group stopped suddenly.

"No... it's just that I saw your eyes glowing and it surprised me," Neisa said. "Sorry. Let's continue."

"And you're just noticing now? Unbelievable," Bargu said as they resumed their march. "Haven't you ever seen a drauo from the regiment in the dark with his visor up or without a helmet?"

"Now that I think about it, no. Why do they glow?"

"Well, I don't know the scientific explanation, but in short, our eyes glow because we can practically see in the dark as long as there's a bit of light."

"You can see in the dark?"

"Yeah, girl. Isn't it cool?" Bargu said with a smile. "Although, theoretically, we see fewer colors than you, and light blinds us more than it does you. That's why our flashlights have a much dimmer tone, and many of us wear visors on our helmets or dark glasses."

"I see, so that's why. I had no idea," Neisa replied.

They continued downhill for a few more meters and reached a small intersection where the tunnel split into three paths. Isen moved his hand from side to side, and suddenly, humanoid footprints and what seemed to be paw or handprints began to appear on the ground.

"He’s been through here," Eliad said. "And it seems he is not alone."