Theos walked slowly, eye checking every corner, every shadow that moved with his movement. The breeze resumed to blow once he left the crystal room, it felt like it blew out of it, at one point, but now it was moving with purpose towards an exit, again.

So he followed it, again.

A slow and steady progress, that battled with his eagerness to leave. He moved faster now, at least, now that he had light in his hands. As long as he did not ruin it by squeezing too hard.

It was why the lanterns existed in the first place. The shards were fragile and prone to getting destroyed by the simplest of strikes, and so the lantern was made to hold it in place, and keep it shielded. As best as it could protect something that wished to break, at least.

There was also the other function of using shards to blow shades up or something, but he never tried that.

He settled into acting like he was holding a glass egg, even if he never had the experience. Theos stopped in his place as he began to hear the muffled roar of the water, and his progress became a crawl again.

His eyes began playing tricks, or the shades were slithering from one corner to the next. That made him stop more than once, just to verify, and it did not help that his heart was ringing louder than the waterfall.

He found nothing, and nothing found him, all the way to the waterfall.

He could see it clearly now, and it was such a deep drop from above into the deep pool below. And a hasty scan with his eyes made him see shadows under every rock. Nothing moved as he froze at the edge of the exit. There was a path that followed the water, going deeper into the caves.

No other paths but into that tunnel at the end of the path. A warm breeze blew behind him and towards that tunnel to confirm his conclusion.

Theos stepped forward, and all of Amenti broke loose. The rocks gave birth to the slithering shadows. The holes in the walls, the folds in the rocks, and even his own shadow. The creature sprung up like a coiled serpent, armed with ethereal, vine-like limbs that swayed with the lights, and a body that was as dark as the night sky.

It looked more like a bramble than anything living. The hands, the head, and even the torso, looked human-like, but the rest were a collection of broken and shattered attempts to mimic a person’s visage. And that was before it decided to break its limbs into more, bone and shattered twigs thick limbs.

If there was ever a man who had to swallow his heart back into place, it was him at this very moment.

The attack came almost immediately after the creature seemed to notice the light that left his hand, and it was more panic than thought that made him hurl the shard. It was also the only thing that saved him from being torn to a hundred pieces, and only getting struck by one of the skewering, vine strikes.

He stepped away as the blow went through his arm, making a tiny, bleeding scratch on the top of his tunic that he felt deep inside his muscle. Theos felt the chill of the grave everyone spoke of, as the wound began to spread the unnatural cold that cracked the bones, the debilitation of his body, the wobble and dizziness. He watched the shade turn and chase the shard as it went in an arc, then dropped into the water with a soft splash.

The creature hovered over the resulting ripple, watching the light dim as the shard sunk deeper and deeper, before turning towards him again and seeking the shards in his hand instead. He panicked as the gangly figure extended and decided to toss another one before breaking into a run.

And before the other one even reached the peak of the arc, the place flashed with a bright blue light that quickly burned into a blinding white. He did not stop, even as the features of the cave vanished from his sight.

Theos tossed another shard, as he saw the black spots replace the burning white, before realizing they weren’t more shades. He struggled to keep his footholds on the uneven, crunching ground, as he saw the cave get hit with another flash of white from behind.

He could see the vaguest hints of what the path in front of him looked like, but that did not stop him from hitting the wall with his shoulder a few times as he moved closer to them in his fear of falling into the waters again.

How many shards did he have left?

No, not important, not now, he decided as he felt another chill, this time at the sides, closing to his abdomen. The dizziness came again, with the chill. A cold so glacial it looped out to burning, he hissed as he dropped another.

The one he tossed before flashed, and the next one was going to any time soon.

His vision was clearer, now, and saw the path curve upwards, away from the water. Another strike went by him, and another one passed between his legs- no, that was the shade, not an attack, he realized with horror as the creature seemed to recoil to the incoming light.

Theos grabbed a single shard before tossing the rest of them into the water and putting all his power into following the path with all the strength his legs could muster. The flash of the combined shards was a few times more intense than the single ones. And it kept the place lit for a good while. Enough to see there was a tiny amount of water descending the path.

It was a good choice to keep the last one, he thought, as the light died down and the darkness crept on him yet again. His mind wandered, between panic and pain, thinking about how the shade chased the shard.

The shade was following him though, he hissed as he began to feel the pain of the wounds he didn’t know he had, but the fear made him move through it. The wall cracked behind him as the flurry of strikes caught up to him.

The spins and turns saved him more than his reflexes did, as the scratches and blows began to build up. His ankles began to ache, too, from the uneven rocky ground and the small puddles of water that riddled his path.

Then he felt a tug, something catching his foot just as it touched the ground. The feeling of it sinking inside a pit of quicksand. Theos tripped, his arm losing the grip it had on the last of the shards.

Theos watched it fly in front of him as his foot was released from the pit.

The shade twisted and swerved, moving in front of him and elongating itself on the wall only to spring out of the roof of the tunnel and covered his escape path with a web of shadows.

“I was never told you were smart,” Theos said under rapid breaths, he loosened his grip as he watched the shard fall somewhere behind the shade. “I don’t know what I would’ve done If it weren’t for Akh-ba’s assistance,” he chuckled, more nervous and exhausted than broke into the run just as the shard hit the damp ground.

The shard’s light was amplified, a bit slower, but the shade looked bothered by it and decided to let Theos go and use its might on the shard, instead.

Theos continued the spiraling, winding climb, just before the attack resumed. Right after the shard exploded into the brilliant light that invited the darkness again. He stood there, in the dimming light, as the shade cut his path again and closed his eyes as the creature struck.

He felt nothing.

No pain. No chill. No embrace of the grave.

Was he dead? he thought with escalating horror. As he opened his eyes he saw the shade frozen in place, its limbs a hair’s breadth away from every piece of his body, constricted by black writhing grains of sand.

The creature struggled helplessly as the light faded, the grains began to pull it back into the ground, and then down the path. The shadow’s thorny limbs made scratching noises as it got dragged on the rock ground.

He decided to gain as much as he could in the distance before the fading light died out, and before he had to meet another damned creature in these fucking mines.

The rest of his journey was a long trek in the dark, feeling walls, and feeling the warm breeze behind him every now and again. Theos managed to reach the exit as the sun was setting down. He left the cave and breathed in relief as he dropped to the ground.

He relaxed, watching the orange rays shine on the dark figure next to him. “Thanks, Akh-ba,” Theos huffed out.

The creature waved away the thanks and pointed towards a slab of sandrock in front of the cave. “Sustenance during the full moon,” Akh-ba said.

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“So you didn’t save me out of the kindness of your heart?” Theos croaked a laugh.

“We are a kind Akh-ba,” it scoffed with the tone of sands falling over cliffs. “If you wish to show your gratitude, provide us an offering of sustenance, that crimson essence that runs within the Khe of the living.”

“Blood,” Theos stopped laughing and stared at the dark creature. “You want a literal sacrifice for an offering.”

“We saved your Khe,” the sands swirled around it as it spoke, “at great expense to our Ka. Khe for Khe, Ka for Ka. Show gratitude, or bother not showing yourself before us.”

He watched the visage disappear into clouds of sand that floated back into the cave, following the wind.

Theos stood up, sought a high point, and realized the cave entrance was somewhere in the mountain above the outpost.

It did not specify what kind of offering it wanted, did it? Theos smiled as he limped down to the outpost.

-

Theos finally managed to descend the mountain, taking a roundabout path that offered much better angles for his feet and ankles and was near the outpost. He raised his arms in the air as he limped to the walls, just in case the guards decided he looked like a ghoul or something.

“Don’t shoot me,” he added, weakly, for good measure. “Person, not dead.”

He didn’t know who these guys were, they did not know who he was either. He appreciated that they did not err on the side of caution and shoot him regardless. It was close to night, and nothing well meaning came out at night here.

“What do you want?” one of the guards shouted from above the walls, leaning lazily on the stones. It reminded him of Moswen’s lazy behavior as the shift was about to end. Theos hoped he also managed to make it out alright.

“I was guarding the mines-” Theos began coughing as he tried to speak louder.

“Holy shit,” the guard stood ramrod before gesturing for the others. They all came down from the wall and were in front of him.

“You are the one of the guys that got lost in the cave-in?” the man looked at him in disbelief. Theos nodded, still coughing. One of them offered him his waterskin and he gladly accepted it. “We never thought you’d make it after we heard the news.”

“News?” Theos renewed cough almost made him choke as he took one too big of a gulp.

“Easy there,” the man, who appeared to be the captain for these guys gestured to one of the younger guards. “Help him inside, maybe check in with the doctor?” he looked at Theos for the last part.

Theos nodded again. “Thank you.”

The younger guard helped him walk in, and the captain joined them. He told the others to wait for the night shift group before leaving the walls.

“You guys found shades?” the younger one asked him.

“I did,” Theos grumbled. “Did Moswen come out? I mean the other guy that was with me.”

The captain shook his head. “The miners were ordered to mine, not to look for two guards who were probably under a mountain of rocks.”

Moswen was caught in the cave-in? Theos did not see what happened after he fell, but he thought Moswen was in the clear. “The others?” he asked.

“The guide died,” the younger person said as he tried to adjust his grip on Theos, “blood loss from the injury.”

Theos nodded. It didn’t look good when he saw the wound.

“Two guards and one guide left the mine a while back, the second group went in their place.”

“One injured mine guard coming in,” the captain shouted as they approached the infirmary.

Theos felt the fatigue as he was placed on the mat. The pain was just accompanying him all the time after leaving the cave.

“What happened down there?” the captain crossed his arms and watched as the physician moved lazily, gathering materials.

“A monster,” Theos said, lying down.

“Shade?”

He shook his head, “first time I see one of those things.” How would he describe it? “It stood on its wings… sharp teeth, it pretended to be a person before it began shifting.”

“Gods protect us,” the younger one inhaled.

The physician came over and gestured for him to remove his clothes.

“I think it was trying to ambush us,” Theos winced as the pain flared from his head to feet.

“I heard of those,” the captain grumbled. “Tomb bats. They are flying predators, and usually attack the cattle of the tribes on the edge of the Greenbelt. They aren’t supposed to hunt in caves.”

“Well, this one was comfortably sitting in the cavern as we approached, pretending to be a person… then it began to unfold,” Theos acted.

“Don’t move,” the old physician said as he examined one of the wounds on his arm. It looked skin deep but hurt like it went through his bones.

“How the fuck would such a creature get inside the mines?” the younger guard asked his captain.

“Ventilation shifts are vertical,” the captain hummed. “Perhaps it went in to hide from the sun and couldn’t get out after that.”

“Whatever brought it-” Theos felt the old man’s hands on his ribs and nearly jumped. “Ouch- easy there!”

“Not broken, stop complaining,” he replied in a grumble.

“Whatever brought it there, we killed it.”

“Are these shade wounds, boy?” the physician asked sternly. He simply nodded and watched the others flinch.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” the captain said, turning to leave. “Those things aren’t as bad as shades, but they are pretty bad.”

“You don’t have to tell me…” Theos grumbled.

“Drinks on us, if you are the type,” the man waved and left, the younger guy following closely behind him.

“I will need to clean and dress some of these wounds,” the physician said. “The shade wounds, however…”

“Yeah, I know,” Theos huffed out. “I’d have to seek the temple of Dion.”

The goddess of Shinar. Bringer of moon, water, and purity. Many people swear by the healing powers she grants her Astral, some even say she grows back missing limbs. The only problem was how many people went to Shinar to get healed, and the tributes they had to bring so they could even get the chance.

“I don’t think there is any other way,” the old man said as he slathered a wound with a thick, burning paste. Eye still on the blackening wounds. “I’ll squeeze the black pus out, it will slow down the wound, keep it from festering for a couple of more weeks.”

“Yeah,” Theos watched the man work. “Thanks.”

The old man grunted and continued to treat him.

-

Theos left the infirmary when it was night, and headed towards their tent, almost tasting the rest on his tongue. He arrived to Na’heb washing his clothes near the well, crimson coming out of them.

“Damn, that’s so much blood,” his voice cracked as he spoke. “Who stabbed you in the butt?”

Na’heb nearly jumped out of his thick skin when he heard his voice and turned his head to reveal a disbelieving look. He rubbed his eyes a few times just to make sure it was Theos that was walking towards him. “You dung beetle of a man!” he eventually said.

“The fastest and hardest,” he smiled as the big guy stomped to embrace him. “Don’t, you will break-”

That did not stop him from crushing him in a heavy hug that made his wounds flare again. He began coughing uncontrollably, and that made Na’heb release him.

“I think you did more damage than that bat did,” he groaned when Na’heb dropped him, it was a small drop, but it made him stumble, and almost fall. He held him in place, though. “And the shade, too.”

“You dung beetle!” he repeated.

“Yeah,” it shouldn’t be a compliment, being compared to the dung beetle, but they were hardy creatures that survived on little. It became a compliment over the years. “We’ve already done this bit,” he put his fist on his shoulders.

“You- you,” the big guy stuttered. “We looked all over for you two, followed blood stains until they disappeared, then- I thought you were dead!”

“So, you didn’t find Moswen,” Theos huffed as he limped to the tent. “Was hoping he made it out, at least.”

“Heras is in there with the guide guy, whatshisface,” Na’heb waved. “He knows a path from another shaft that goes around into the caved-in section, as long as Moswen stays put…”

Theos laid on his mat and covered his face as Na’heb continued.

“The other guy, he died, that thing cut his arm like a crodils would, just broke the bone like a twig,” he continued, “so much blood, man, I’ve been washing my clothes for a while now.”

His stomach grumbled as he began to feel the hunger. “Don’t suppose I can get food right now.”

“Yeah, no more rations,” Na’heb laughed, “but don’t worry, I did not let yours go to waste.”

“You ate my food?” Theos stood up.

“Yeah!” Na’heb grinned, “And Moswen’s. You know, in your memory.”

Theos’ eyes narrowed in disbelief. “I’m going to murder you.”

“With those fighting skills?” he scoffed. “You should thank me, the bread cubes were as hard as rocks today. I basically saved you.”

“I haven’t eaten anything in a day,” Theos dropped again, “my pouch fell into the water.”

“Water?” Na’heb said in surprise.

“Yeah, an entire river underground, a river filled with shades,” he grumbled.

“How in the holiest of Dion’s name is there a river underground? Are you sure you were not hallucinating a small stream or something?”

Theos went back over the things that happened to him in his mind. Falling, almost drowning, then meeting Akh-ba.

Speaking of which…

“You know, I heard a hit on the head made you see all kinds of weird shit,” he continued.

“Do you know what Akh-ba means?” Theos interrupted the barrage of conversations. “Or Ka, or Khe?”

“What are you trying to cough out?” Na’heb laughed. “You sound like a couple of kids trying to spit on one another.”

That probably meant he didn’t know. He thought about talking about Akh-ba, and what happened to him, but that smelled of danger. Akh-ba saved his life, but what for? It made him confront the shade and get injured a few times before it acted to help.

“I’m heading to Shinar after we are done here.”

“To get those shade wounds cured, I bet,” his tone changed to grumbling so quickly. “You know what you should bring as a tribute? A citar, they sacrifice it right above the temple and let the blood seep through the channels, makes the healing stronger I heard, and-”

Theos’ mind went spiraling, as exhaustion began to dig its claws deeper into his body. He dozed off as Na’heb kept talking.