Kaelin paced the uneven ground, her eyes darting between the jagged walls of the tunnel, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “Where the hell did he go?” she muttered, her voice echoing faintly in the oppressive silence. One moment, Liam had been standing beside her, deliberating over which treacherous path to take - the shadowed corridor or the Dragon’s Way. The next, chaos had erupted.

The memory replayed in sharp fragments: the screeching ambush of the burrowers, the shuddering quake as the cavern walls began to collapse, and Liam vanishing from sight as if swallowed whole by the earth itself. “Gods damn it,” she growled, spinning on her heel to survey the carnage left in the wake of the attack.

The burrowers lay scattered around her in various states of ruin, their elongated bodies limp and leaking ichor onto the rocky floor. Their once-menacing mandibles were now useless, slack with the finality of death. They hadn’t been much of a challenge - barely more than oversized, disgruntled worms, slow and predictable. Kaelin had dealt with them efficiently, her blade finding every weak point with precision. They hadn’t stood a chance.

The last of them twitched feebly at her feet, and she put it out of its misery with a quick thrust. Disdain curled her lip as she wiped the blade clean on the creature’s rough hide. “Pathetic,” she muttered, spitting on the corpse for good measure. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts as she stood and took in her surroundings.

The tunnel was a jagged labyrinth, twisting and sloping at impossible angles, its walls glistening with moisture and speckled with faint, bioluminescent fungi. The eerie glow provided just enough light to navigate, though the shadows it cast seemed to move and writhe, keeping her on edge.

She tried to retrace Liam’s steps, her boots crunching softly on the loose gravel as she searched for any clue that might lead her to him. There was no sign of him, no indication of where he might have gone - just the unsettling quiet of the cavern and the faint echo of her own movements.

Eventually, her eyes caught on a peculiar feature in the tunnel floor: a smooth, round opening that seemed to drop into darkness. She crouched beside it, running her fingers along the edge. The stone was unnaturally smooth, worn down in a way that suggested natural formation rather than man-made craftsmanship.

“A lava tube?” she mused aloud, brushing her fingertips over the cool, polished surface. “Or an air pocket, maybe.” She peered into the abyss, her sharp eyes catching the faintest glint of movement far below. “Liam?” she called, her voice steady but carrying an edge of concern. The silence that followed sent a chill skittering up her spine.

Kaelin frowned, realization dawning as she straightened. “If he’s not here, then he’s probably down there,” she muttered, her tone resigned. With a sigh, she moved swiftly, pulling a length of twine from her pack. Working with practiced efficiency, she dismantled the burrower corpses, stripping them down to usable materials. The hide and sinew would make excellent bindings, and the meat - well, it wasn’t her first choice, but it would keep her alive. No sense in wasting good resources.

Once her grisly task was done, she bundled the remains and tossed them into the yawning hole. They disappeared into the darkness with a soft thud, the sound echoing faintly. She adjusted the strap of her pack, took a steadying breath, and jumped in after them.

The descent was swift and disorienting, the tunnel a smooth, twisting slide that sent her hurtling into the depths. The walls rushed past in a blur, the faint bioluminescence creating streaks of light that played tricks on her vision. She fought to control her breathing, forcing herself to relax into the slide rather than resist it.

When the tunnel finally spat her out, she tumbled into a crouch, her agility saving her from what could have been a bone-breaking landing. The air down here was thicker, heavier, carrying a faint metallic tang that made her nose wrinkle. She rose to her feet, brushing dust from her armor as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

The cavern she found herself in was vast, its high ceiling lost in darkness. Jagged stalactites loomed above like the teeth of some enormous beast, while the floor was a chaotic mess of rubble and slick, moss-covered stones. The faint, rhythmic sound of dripping water echoed through the space, punctuated by the distant hum of something she couldn’t quite identify.

Kaelin’s gaze landed on the pile of burrower remains she had thrown down ahead of her. The sight was reassuring in its familiarity, grounding her in the present. But there was no sign of Liam. Her chest tightened, a flicker of worry creeping in despite her best efforts to suppress it.

“Where are you, you idiot?” she murmured, her voice barely audible.

She tugged the bundle of burrower materials behind her, tying them securely to a makeshift harness. The weight was manageable, and she wasn’t about to leave behind supplies she might need later. With one last glance around the cavern, she pressed on, her footsteps light and deliberate as she followed the only visible path forward.

It wasn’t long before the path opened into another chamber, this one dominated by a large pool of liquid. The surface was unnaturally still, its dark expanse reflecting the faint glow of the cavern’s bioluminescent walls. The air here was damp and cloying, the smell of decay mingling with the metallic tang that had followed her since her descent.

Kaelin’s sharp eyes quickly picked out the remains scattered along the pool’s edge. The bodies of burrowers lay in various stages of digestion, their exoskeletons warped and partially dissolved. Slick piles of sludge oozed from their corpses, staining the rocks with a foul-smelling residue.

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

She shuddered, her stomach twisting at the sight. Whatever had done this was unlike anything she’d encountered before. Her hand tightened instinctively around the hilt of her blade as she approached the pool, her steps cautious and deliberate.

The liquid’s surface remained eerily undisturbed, its black depths giving away nothing. Suspicion prickled at the back of her mind, and she crouched to pick up a small rock. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it across the pool to land in the middle. The rock bounced once, twice, before sinking slowly beneath the surface.

“Now that’s strange. Rocks don’t bounce on water,” she muttered. Besides of course stone skipping, but she had lobbed the thing, not skipped it.

The pool gave no reaction, no ripple or movement to betray its secrets. But Kaelin wasn’t convinced. She took a step back, her blade at the ready, her senses on high alert.

“Did this thing take you, Liam?” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. The thought chilled her, the idea of him being consumed by this sinister pool gnawing at her resolve.

She waited, the seconds stretching into what felt like an eternity. The pool remained still, the cavern silent save for the faint drip of water and the thudding of her own heartbeat. The uncertainty was maddening, a gnawing doubt that threatened to crack her composure.

“Damn it, Liam,” she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration and worry. “You better not be dead.” Had she failed him? Had the Chosen One been devoured by this world?

Kaelin stood on the edge of the ominous pool, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind a storm of guilt and frustration. How could I have failed so completely? The thought hammered in her head, each repetition tightening the knot in her stomach. She had sworn an oath - a sacred promise to guide the Chosen One to the city of the gods. And yet, here she was, standing in the aftermath of chaos, unsure if she had failed entirely.

Her breath came in sharp bursts as she clenched her fists, her knuckles white against the hilt of her blade. The weight of her failure pressed down on her shoulders, threatening to buckle her resolve. She cursed herself, the sharp words spilling from her lips like venom. “Damn it,” she muttered, her voice cracking with anger and despair. “Damn it all.”

The oppressive silence of the cavern wrapped around her, amplifying the echoes of her frustration. The pool before her lay still and unyielding, its dark surface reflecting the faint glow of the cavern’s bioluminescent walls. It seemed to mock her, a silent witness to her inadequacy.

Then, a voice - not a sound, but a whisper in her mind, soft and insistent. Kaelin froze, every muscle tensing as the impressions filtered into her consciousness. The images were faint, fragmented, yet undeniably real. She gasped as the psychic echo unfolded, painting a vivid picture in her mind’s eye.

Liam.

She saw him stumbling into the pool, his movements frantic, his form barely illuminated by the cavern’s faint light. On his heels, a gathering of burrowers surged forward, their grotesque forms writhing with deadly intent. The scene shifted, fragmented, and she caught flashes of a battle - Liam fighting valiantly, his determination unyielding despite the odds.

Then came the heart-stopping moment: Liam emerging from the pool, the Prismata Core of the slime in his grasp. His expression was one of fierce resolve, and yet, instead of keeping the treasure, she saw him relinquish it. The psychic slime reabsorbed the offering, its essence pulsing with a strange gratitude.

The final vision was of Liam leaving the chamber, alive.

Kaelin’s breath hitched, and she staggered back, her blade clattering to the ground. Relief flooded her system like a tidal wave, her knees nearly giving out as she sagged against the cavern wall. “Thank the gods,” she whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands went to her face, fingers digging into her temples as she fought to process what she had seen.

She let out a shuddering sigh, her entire body trembling as the enormity of the situation hit her. Liam was alive. He had faced a psychic slime - a high-tiered beast of incredible power - and not only survived but prevailed. She felt a strange mix of awe and gratitude wash over her, a warmth she hadn’t realized she needed.

“Thank you,” she said aloud, her voice directed at the pool. It didn’t respond in words, but she felt the faintest pulse of acknowledgment, a subtle ripple of psychic energy that mirrored her gratitude.

Kaelin straightened, brushing the dirt from her armor. She untied the bundle of burrower carcasses she had dragged along and tossed it toward the edge of the pool. The bodies landed with a wet thud, their limp forms sprawling across the slick stone before slowly sliding into the pool’s surface. The slime accepted the offering, the carcasses sinking with an eerie grace.

Another wave of psychic energy brushed against her mind, this one carrying a sense of weariness and gratitude. The slime was weakened, its presence dimmed but not extinguished. Kaelin frowned, studying the pool with a critical eye. It had clearly endured a brutal battle - one that had left it vulnerable.

Despite herself, she felt a pang of respect for the creature. It had stood against the Chosen One and lived, albeit barely. “You’re lucky,” she said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of wry amusement. “He’s not one to hold grudges.”

The slime pulsed faintly, the impression almost sheepish. She couldn’t help but chuckle, the sound breaking through the tension that had gripped her. “Yeah, you’re welcome,” she muttered, shaking her head as she turned her attention back to the task at hand.

Kaelin crouched near the pool, her fingers trailing along the damp stone as she gathered her thoughts. The cavern was a study in contrasts: the dark, foreboding pool at its center, surrounded by the faint, otherworldly glow of the bioluminescent fungi clinging to the walls. The air was thick with moisture, carrying a faint metallic tang that lingered at the back of her throat. Shadows danced along the edges of the chamber, their shifting shapes keeping her on edge.

She replayed the visions in her mind, each fragment reinforcing her belief in Liam’s destiny. He wasn’t just a capable fighter or a resourceful survivor - he was something more. He was everything the legends had promised, and maybe more.

Her lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. “You’re the real deal, aren’t you, Liam?” she murmured. “You might just save us all.”

Her gaze flicked back to the pool, now still and quiet, the burrower remains completely absorbed. The slime had reverted to a state of dormancy, its presence barely perceptible. Kaelin adjusted her pack, her thoughts turning to the path ahead. If Liam had survived this chamber, he must have moved on, pressing deeper into the labyrinth.

“Alright, hero,” she said aloud, her voice steady and resolved. “Let’s see if I can catch up to you before you get yourself killed.”