As the world shook, entire sections of the rocky ceiling collapsed around him, and even now, debris still rained down occasionally.

Patting himself down, Earon sighed with relief. Everything seemed in order.

Reaching out and patting his hand through the air, he noted a boulder several times his size had fallen just beside him.

“Nice to know I have at least some luck on my side.”

The passageways that had once been there, had now collapsed. However, a new one had taken its place, though it was more of a chasm that dropped into the abyss.

And worst of all, he now found himself in complete darkness. The ledge he had looked out from and the accompanying light that had emanated from it was now lost to him.

“What was that?” Earon mused aloud. And he wondered if things like this were commonplace in the Scarworld.

He strained to focus his eyes, hoping to make some sense of the darkness.

Nothing. He couldn’t see anything at all.

New ability unlocked – Dark Sight (Passive) Learn to see in the dark.

Progression: 1.

Earon tilted his head, dark sight? What in the world was, dark sight? It wasn’t as if this was the first time he had struggled to see in the dark. It wasn't even the first time since changing classes. Not only that, but he had never heard of such an ability. Sure, some classes had vision-based abilities, but Earon didn't think this was what Dark Sight was.

He had stories of special abilities that could only be gained in certain places. Such as sailors of the Hollow Sea being able to sense the weather. What if the Scarworld provided its own unique abilities to those who dove below? The theory made a lot more sense to Earon than any other reason he could come up with for gaining such an ability.

Unfortunately, one point wasn't helping much, and Earon stumbled and cracked his foot against rocks several times as he struggled to walk through the dark.

"Ow, damned rocks." Earon groaned as he fumbled forward with his hands extended.

An hour passed as he stumbled through the dark. He was probably going in circles. Frustrated, Earon quickened and a second later smacked his head against what was likely a stalactite.

"Curse be Jorral - no I didn't mean that." Earon held his thumping head. "Ow, ow, ow. Sorry," he bowed in the dark and made a quick prayer.

Reaching out, he felt the moist cavern walls. At least he had something to guide himself with now.

Earon's eyes widened a second later. Hazy, red dots glowed into view. They were faint, but they were undeniably real.

Ability upgraded – Mana Sense (Passive) Progression; 2 – 3.

Smiling, Earon was almost thrown from his feet as another tremor shook the ground.

"Easy, we've had enough mayhem for one day."

As the tremors calmed, he refocused on the glowing red dots. Stalking some magical being within the Scarworld seemed like a horrible idea before Earon even thought of it. But he wasn't sure what else he could do.

Having a light to follow gave Earon some sense of direction, but only marginally. He was still in complete darkness, and the glowing red dots did nothing to illuminate his surroundings. However, they were going larger, even if it was taking a while.

As he grew closer, Earon tried to figure out if whatever he had been tracking was still far away, or just small.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The light grew clearer with every step and he realized they must be within the same chamber. Whatever it was, it was small and appeared to be nestled in a corner of the ceiling.

However, the fact that it glowed proved that it was some kind of magical creature, meaning a careful approach was likely wise.

Extending his hands, Earon felt the surfaces around him and crept forward. There was still no light, but the moment Earon another step closer, he saw the figure stretch out and turn toward him.

With its wings extended, Earon was able to piece together the blurry details - It was a bat.

But this was no ordinary bat; upon seeing Earon it dipped its head and swooped down. Faster than he had anticipated, the bat flew through the cavern in seconds and swiped past him, cutting open a shallow wound as Earon dodged to the side, barely managing to evade the brunt of the attack.

In return, he swung his spear wildly through the air. But the clumsy jabs and swirling strikes came nowhere near the fast and agile bat.

Stumbling around the dark cavern, Earon slammed into a knee-high rock a moment later and tumbled onto the ground - and the bat struck again.

Rolling along rocks that dug into his back, Earon skirted out of the way. Loose rocks littered the ground around him and in a desperate attempt at revenge, he scooped up a handful and pelted them at the retreating bat. Only a couple barely managed to graze the bat, but they had. And the minor annoyance of an attack had destabilized its flight.

Interestingly. Earon got an idea and crouched in waiting for the bat to return.

The little animal made a loop around the cavern and reangled itself for another swooping attack.

Earon crouched low and filled his hands with little rocks. The moment it was within a couple of meters from him he released them, creating a spray of tiny missiles.

The bat fluttered from side to side as rocks both hit it and disrupted its flight path.

Lunging forward, Earon had already begun his second attack, his spearhead flying towards the bat as rocks still hailed through the sky. It had been outsmarted and there was no way it could dodge, Earon's spear cut straight into its furry chest.

Falling to his ass, he sighed. Did every fight have to be so damned difficult? Earon was praying for the day this got a little easier.

"I did just kill a magical beast," he murmured, prodding the dead bat with his boot. "Even if it was kind of small."

******

“My liege,” a broad, armored man bowed on a red carpet in a long, opulent room.

Three thrones stood in front of him, one for the king, the archbishop, and the knight commander – all were in attendance.

“Up,” commanded the king, who sat in the middle and wore a golden crown. Short black curls were plastered by sweat to his forehead and his face was lined with age. “What word do you have, Sir Gryland?”

The knight eased his head upward, giving each of the three men a short nod. “It is complete chaos. An army of dwarves has appeared and appears to be marching on Caedstad. The Spine Ridge no longer separates us from the Clain, but that matters little. Dozens of new scars have been reported across the land. The knights, clerics, and paladins have all been called up, and are fighting alongside any militia with a grain of courage. But it isn’t enough.”

“And what of the Spiral Mages?” Questioned King Oppodidus.

“We’ve heard no word from them, my liege. I have sent runners, yet none have returned, and I don’t have the knights to spare for such tasks.”

Clearing his throat, the knight commander sat forward. “If I may, my liege?”

Oppodidus nodded.

“Contact with the mages must be established, and all other orders for that matter. Whatever has caused this, it has to have been the work of magic, and so, if there is any way to reverse it, we shall need their help.”

“Poppycock,” Archbishop Gurlen Burk interrupted. “No magic can undo this; This is day's end. The gods shall abandon this world soon, we're best served praying to them in the hope we are taken with them.”

“Please, Archbishop,” Oppodidus raised a hand. “I am not about to surrender our kingdom. If magic can cause this curse upon the land, then it should be able to rectify it."

“If it can, no circle of mages in Ome are capable of it.” Gurlen huffed.

“And the other kingdoms? Saner? The Sapphire City? How far does this catastrophe extend, Sir Gryland?” The Knight Commander prompted.

“I cannot say, my lord. My men have not been able to travel far enough to confirm. There is too much chaos at home to risk sending good warriors across the Clain. We call adventurers to our aid every day, but my bailiffs always have more work than they do people to complete it.”

“For the sake of our survival, contact must be established. Knight Commander,” Oppodidus said, turning to his left.

“Yes, my liege?”

“Do we have men to spare for Sir Gryland? Caravans must be sent across the lands. If we are alone in this, then I doubt we’ll get much help, but if this has spread further, they might be persuaded.”

The Knight Commander nodded. “Ome’s garrison is short on manpower as it is, but perhaps we can spare a few squires and militia.”

“Anything would be appreciated.”

“And you bishop, can you spare any manpower?”

“Some juniors, I’m sure.” The Archbishop pouted with a wave of his gloved hand.

“There, you have it, Sir Gryland. You shall be provided with both squires and brothers of the faith to aid you. I wish we could provide more, but the very heart of this kingdom is threatened. We must fortify the city at all costs, and I fear we already have too few resources to do so adequately, as is.”

“I understand, my liege. Ome mustn't fall.”

"Then, it is clear. We need allies in this, at all costs."

Sir Gryland bowed low. "On my life, my liege."