The trio dashed forward, away from the falling stones and towards the terrifying presence. They would have outrun the collapsing tunnel if every step didn’t feel like wading through malevolent molasses.

A chunk of ceiling fell from above, Leif instinctually tugged at his newest skill. [Gold Iron Physique] activated as two arms of ethereal gold erupted from his shoulders. Unlike before the limbs were far more defined, and though they were still far from opaque the skill's projections were distinctly more solid.

Leif caught the rubble and tossed it aside, another slab of stone crashed down but he rolled away. He used his two golden limbs to push himself quickly up to his feet. He spent a brief instant to marvel at how good the skill fusion felt.

Before if I’d tried a similar stunt the skills structure would have strained, maybe fractured.

“Push back the aura! Together, now!” Sieg bellowed.

For a brief moment the spriggan was confused, push back? How? But the answer was clear as he felt the auras of both humans billow out and shove against the dark whispers. Leif copied them, his own aura pushed into theirs from behind.

It worked, the malicious presence retreated and the trio dashed forward. And not a moment too soon, the way back came crashing down in a shower of stone and debris. Leif conjured [Under My Protection]s barrier to protect himself as he stumbled out of danger.

Dust sprayed everywhere, turning the air into a chalky mess. “Away.” Marcus coughed, a purple mist sweeping the air around him clean. Sieg just breathed out heavily, icy wind clearing away flying detritus.

Leif was suddenly and acutely aware of the downsides of being able to taste from all over his body. Dust got everywhere, seeping into the tiny cracks between his bark. The three stumbled into the chamber they had barely made it into.

From somewhere deep within the darkness the sounds of something crashing around was heard. It seemed far enough away that Leif didn’t suspect it was an immediate danger, whatever it was.

“Good news guys.” Marcus whispered. “This place isn’t flooded with water.”

“After all this, we actually found our objective.” Sieg sighed. “I’d trade any amount of extra credit for my life at this point.”

“Found what?” Leif asked.

“Dungeon.” Marcus said simply. “It's the source of the awful aura, a place where mana filters down from above and coagulates in the depths of the world. A monster breeding ground; depends on the type of mana what kind.”

“I’m betting undead. Or death attuned monsters at least.” Sieg said, worry in his voice.

“Lets hope there are no corpses lying around down here then.” Marcus said, ever the optimist.

They took in the rectangular chamber as the mage sent a ball of light zipping around. Every ten metres or so was a small side room carved into the walls. Within were person sized slate stone boxes.

“We need to leave. Right now.” Sieg barked, no longer keeping his voice low.

“Shit, shit shit.” Marcus said as he closed his eyes. He winced after a second. “No good, you’ll have to carry me out if I try that again. But it should be to the right, I can feel an exit in that direction.”

“Towards whatever’s breaking things.” Leif commented dryly. “This is…”

“Suboptimal?” Marcus finished with a wink. “Don’t worry, what's the worst-”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Sieg and Leif both stared the mage down, he didn’t finish his sentence. The northerner took the lead, he ran down the length of the room, Marcus and Leif hot on his heels. They reached an intersection and skidded to a stop.

Three more chambers, identical to the first spread out in cardinal directions. On the floor of the intersection were deep inset claw marks, as if something large and not overly adroit had come through not long ago.

Leif heard an unsettling chittering coming from the right. It reminded him of something but the memory was fleeting at best.

Quiet thudding sounds began to spill out from all four chambers. “Why is there a mausoleum down here?” Marcus muttered. “Doesn’t seem fair.”

Sieg hefted his burden of mana shards. “Right, let's move.” They half sprinted half snuck as they went, the banging from the stone coffins became louder and louder.

Leif felt faint hostile intent lock onto him from the newly animated corpses. But there was something else, he could sense a power not unlike lifeforce from within the tombs. But it was off, twisted in an indescribable way.

A skeletal fist punched up from below, but the trio didn’t stop to say hello to what was undoubtedly a friend in waiting. The sound of a stone lid sliding free was quickly followed by another. Chittering came from the direction they were headed, louder and more distinct.

Again Leif felt an odd sense of connection. It reminded him of a muddy field soaked in blood. Of rain pouring down in endless sheets. Of dark humanoid figures marching in ominous lockstep. He shook the memories away, now wasn’t the time to get distracted.

They passed through countless tomb-filled rooms, each filled with undead clambering to break free of their prisons.

Marcus’s purple sphere of light reached the end of the chamber first, there it illuminated a large rounded door made of stone. It had been split down the middle like a lumberjack would divide logs.

There was no other way to go, undead began to climb to their rotten feet. Sieg cursed, Marcus licked his lips and Leif tensed his conjured arms. Then they entered.

Thankfully their destination still had the Mythhold’s natural blue glow. The soft light gave definition to the shape of the large round room. Not dissimilar to the one with the mana geode, though almost three times the size.

A titan towered above the far wall, it held a sword up as if in victory. A silver sheen lit up its metallic body. Leif noted that the statue was almost identical to the one in the city plaza. In circular patterns on the floor were mosaic depictions of men and women in battle, their weapons aglow with brilliant silver light.

Eighteen ornate stone coffins lined the left and right of the chamber in small alcoves, they were perfectly spaced, each with a smaller metallic statue at the coffin's head.

An insectile creature the size of a small shack struck down into one of the coffins, the stone split with a crack that shook the air, disturbing resting particles. It was long and surprisingly slender for its size, six segmented legs and wickedly sharp mandibles.

It chittered and turned to the trio. Now facing them Leif noticed more details. Patches of rot snaked along its cracked obsidian carapace, a sickly black-green light flickering within its wounds. What's more, the same twisted unlife energy dwelled within.

Refugees streaming into a city fronting a vast lakeside.

Scared villagers, destroyed lives.

A month of two armies going back and forth, neither engaging.

Victims on both sides.

The golden blood in Leif’s veins ran cold. Faces he no longer recognised flashed through his racing mind before dissolving into rain and darkness.

Leif hissed, anger churned deep within his soul. The enemy. Fragmented images from a long fought battle bubbled to the surface. A part of him desperately wished to grasp these memories. To become as he was, but Leif doubted he had the luxury of time.

“Enslaver.” Sieg spat. “I thought they had all been killed during the war. There shouldn’t be any more in Pherin”

“Apparently not…” Marcus commented.

The undead ant monster observed them each carefully, it’s antenna twitched in apparent displeasure.

“We need an exit Marcus, we need one right now!” Sieg snapped as he stepped forward, mana shards clattering to the ground as he brought his axe into a ready position.

“Behind the statue, there’s a small tunnel.”

Leif stepped up beside Sieg, his golden eyes alight with boiling emotions. His internal energies thrummed with anticipation. “Can we kill it?”

The large man looked at him like he was insane.

Hostility, hungry and frenzied, lanced into Leif with an almost physical force. The colossal ant reared up and shrieked, the sound shook the chamber. Then it charged.