Chapter 68: Into The Depths

As the group made their way back to the cathedral, the air seemed heavier with each step. Their torches flickered against the old, decaying stone walls, and the dim light only heightened the tension hanging between them. When they reached the cathedral’s main chamber, the silence was suffocating. The group, weary from their dangerous exploration, sat in a tight circle, their faces marked with fear and unease.

Gravedigger was the first to speak. A grim seriousness that instantly captured everyone’s attention. His voice, low and deliberate, filled the chamber. “What we’ve witnessed today,” he said slowly, “is just the beginning. These ruins, this place—it's far more dangerous than we realized.

The statement sent a shiver through the group. Abel, his nerves still on edge from the day’s events, exchanged a glance with Tina and Ronald, whose faces mirrored his concern. The events of the day had rattled everyone—the strange whispers, the illusions that seemed to pull them apart. The deeper they ventured into the ruins, the more it became evident that they were dealing with forces far darker and more sinister than they’d ever imagined.

Tina clenched her fists, her earlier frustration with the group replaced by a tense silence. Ronald’s usually calm demeanor had cracked, and even Jane, usually composed, wore an expression of fear and disbelief. They all looked to Gravedigger, hoping for clarity, for some form of guidance that would make sense of what they’d just faced.

“The illusions, the whispers… they were not just tricks of the mind,” Gravedigger continued, his eyes hardening. “Something in these ruins is manipulating us, drawing on our fears. And it’s only going to get worse.”

As the words settled in, a chilling quiet fell over the cathedral once more. Each of them knew that the journey ahead was only going to get harder, and whatever awaited them deep within the ruins was a force far beyond their understanding at the moment.

Jane, broke the silence. “What are we really doing here? Why did the Tower send us?”

Gravedigger hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "The Tower Master didn’t give me all the details. Only that there are secrets buried within these ruins that we must uncover and, if necessary, eradicate. The Tower has reason to believe..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "That a false divine being—a force that could corrupt our world—is attempting to break through into our land. These ruins were once home to an intelligent, nomadic civilization, but they disappeared mysteriously. And the Tower believes this divine corruption is what caused it."

The room fell into a heavy silence, each of them processing the implications. Abu shifted uncomfortably, his bird-like eyes scanning the room as if expecting danger to leap from the shadows at any moment. “Divine corruption?” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Ronald leaned forward, his expression hard. “If that’s true, then this place is far more dangerous than we thought. Are we even equipped to handle something like this?”

Gravedigger’s eyes met his, steady but filled with caution. “The Tower Master wouldn’t send us here if he believed we were walking into certain death. But make no mistake—this will not be easy.”

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Tina clenched her fists, frustration evident in her stance. "So, we’re just supposed to trust that? Trust that we’re not being sent to our deaths?"

Gravedigger didn’t answer right away, but after a long pause, he spoke, his voice quieter. “We have to trust each other. If we let this place get into our heads, we’re finished.”

The recruits exchanged uneasy glances, but there was a grim understanding among them. They were in this together, whether they liked it or not.

After some further discussion and planning, the group decided to rest for the night. As they settled into their makeshift quarters within the cathedral, sleep came reluctantly to most of them. The eerie atmosphere of the ruins weighed on their minds, and Abel found it hard to shake the feeling of being watched.

…

The next morning, after a quick meal and final preparations, the group headed back toward the ruins. As they ventured deeper into the devoured village, the unsettling presence of the vines became more apparent. Gray-green tendrils twisted around what remained of the crumbling houses and skeletons of buildings, pulsing faintly with some kind of eerie energy. Entering the ruinss they began to follow towards the cause of the vines.

“This place feels alive,” Gerald muttered as he walked beside Abel and Ronald. He seemed disturbed by the creeping vines. Every now and then, one would reach out like a predator testing its prey.

Abu, his eyes sharp with his implanted bird vision, scanned the area ahead. “There’s a concentration of magical energy up ahead,” he reported, his voice low. “Looks like the vines are thicker around that area.”

Abu nodded in agreement. “I’ll keep watch. The vines are moving strangely today.”

The group moved cautiously, following Luke’s guidance until they reached the entrance of a hidden underground tunnel, almost completely concealed by the thick vines. Abel could feel the air grow colder as they neared it, the magic in the atmosphere becoming almost oppressive.

“Stay close,” Gravedigger ordered as they descended into the tunnel. The walls were slick with moisture, and the faint glow of the vines cast eerie shadows that danced across the stone. The deeper they went, the more unsettling the atmosphere became.

At the end of the tunnel, they stumbled upon a large sacrificial altar. Surrounding it were murals depicting scenes of the nomads offering themselves to a celestial being. The murals were ancient, the colors faded and cracked, but the story they told was clear—sacrifices made to something far beyond human understanding.

Abel’s eyes lingered on the paintings, his breath catching in his throat. Every time he tried to focus on the being the nomads worshipped, his mind seemed to go blank. It was as though his brain refused to process the image, only able to retain the memory of the sacrifices themselves.

“What... is this?” Jane whispered, her voice trembling.

Ronald shook his head, disturbed by the same phenomenon. “I can’t... I can’t look at it. It’s like my mind won’t let me.”

Gravedigger, his expression dark, stepped forward. “It’s starting to make sense. Whatever being they worshipped, it had the power to influence minds, to erase memories.”

Abel shuddered, feeling a cold dread settle in his stomach. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but the picture they were forming was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

“This isn’t just a ruin,” Gravedigger said, his voice grim. “It’s a gateway to something far worse.”

The group stood there in uneasy silence, the eerie murals watching them, waiting. They knew there was no turning back now.