"Seren, what was tha-" said the robed woman, turning her attention to the distant sound, when suddenly there was another, and a louder, disturbance nearby.

"I don't know, but hush and get ready." said Seren, summoning a dozen of the bright flames with his left hand, spinning around above their heads at great speed. The flames were small, but their power was unmistakable - their heat penetrated even through their reinforced cult attire.

The robed woman took her hands wreathed in thick shadows, letting them clear of the mysterious power before wreathing her arm in violent electricity. It was loud and powerful, screeching with boundless energy as it arced into the air aggressively - filling the carved out stone room with a strong scent of ozone.

Seren briefly turned his attention to her lit up arm, admiring the power behind the simple spell, before turning his attention back to the unknown threat.

The two were startled when another person's voice came from the direction of the cracked wall, "Seren, Brisha, what was that?"

"Oh Laynar, it's just you." Brisha was the first to speak out, taking but a moment to settle herself.

"Captain, we're not sure ourselves. We were just doing a routine check on the Stone Worms with the Anchor, when we heard two sudden and inexplicable sounds." explained Brisha, putting out the lightning spell that still danced in her hand.

"Yes, obviously. I was here already and observed the events from a distance. What I am asking is - why were the two of you ready with your spells?" said Laynar, his boots tapping atop the stone and echoing throughout the chamber as he approached the two.

"W-well..." Brisha started.

"Well Captain, it was because I came across a monster earlier, and I failed to kill it before it got away. We didn't think much of it, but when the sound appeared we thought.. Well maybe there were other things, people, here." said Seren, his face might have been hidden behind the hood, but the his unwillingness to speak about his failure was impossible to mask.

"Hm. A monster? And you say you failed to kill it? Consider me doubtful, that a Sorcerer of your caliber could fail to kill anything this high up. What was it even, the monster?" said Laynar, crossing his thick arms.

"A serpent, Sir. I am not lying, but I will say that, I may have underestimated the darkness down here. Even my flame finds it difficult to pierce True Darkness, so I ended up missing before I lost sight of it." said Seren.

Laynar looked upon Seren, a fine Sorcerer that has been loyal to the Cause of Worms, and mulled over his words. A serpent this high up was not uncommon, but they usually died off quickly - picked off by those much stronger than the glorified worm. The last Seeding had happened some time ago, so they should have already been eradicated, or they somehow grew strong enough to descend. It didn't make sense for one to still remain, and worse yet find it's way in here.

"Fine, I'll believe your words Seren. The True Dark is indeed insidious, I suppose even one such as yourself is bound to make mistakes. What goes of the search?" said Laynar.

Brisha turned to Seren for some backup, but could only sigh when she saw him hesitate to answer.

"The search continues and the worms have not yet found another artifact. My only guess is that we're not deep enough, or our maps were deciphered incorrectly. I'm leaning on the maps being incorrect as we successfully found the Door of Worms and it's hidden chamber - and none of our writings mentioned or even hinted at anything else existing. This should be their final resting place." said Brisha, attempting to guide the conversation with a series of vague hand movements.

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Seren watched the conversation between his captain and Brisha, smiling inwardly at her rather emotive way of talking. He could always tell when she was nervous, as it was like her arms had come to life the moment she was forced to speak.

"Hmm. Your insight is welcome - I'm glad you agreed to join us." said Laynar, finally relaxing his pose.

"Very well. Please continue using the worms to excavated further, widen the area and try to avoid stressing the walls further. We do not want another collapse." Laynar continued before waving the two off.

The three placed their hands on their chest, over their hearts, and bowed deeply at each other.

"Thank you, sir. It was my pleasure to help uncover the ancient secrets of our ancestors." said Brisha.

"There's no one more qualified for the job. I'll get the scholars to reassemble the maps and writings. If you don't find anything in the next three days, you'll return and aid in their study." said Laynar.

She had always been like this, even as kids Seren knew that there was something wrong with her. She had always been prim and proper, following orders with with perfect decorum. It was hard to associate with someone so tangled in the politics of the elite, and even harder when they enjoy the aristocratic dance.

Brisha and Seren spent a few minutes in silence, watching their captain, Laynar, walking back to the cracked wall until eventually he was swallowed by the True Dark.

"Phew, thank the Gods you were here. I don't know if I'd ever leave the conversation on pleasant terms if I were left by myself." Seren sighed.

"The Captain is fair, you would have been fine." Brisha replied coolly.

"Anyway, go check out where the noises came from, I still have to finish studying the worms for any changes." Brisha said, returning to the Anchor.

"Aye aye, boss."

Seren turned on his heel and made way to the far reaches of the carved out room. Along the way, he noted the work done by the worms and was thoroughly impressed by the speed at which everything was being completed.

'A few more days down here and I'm certain we'll uncover the final two artifacts... If it goes well, I might just find it.' Seren thought to himself.

After approaching the furthest wall, Seren searched for any clues as to the origin of the sounds. This corner had already been mostly excavated by the worms, so there should have been nothing but sand and the odd rocky outcropping - too hard for the worms to easily chew through. They still needed to level up, as the metal within the stone was filled to the brim with Mana and made it impossible for the young worms to chew through the reinforced material, so it was strange to find anything astray.

Yet, where there should have been only sand, Seren found a stone strangely out of place. In a quarried like area like this, it would normally be perfectly normal to find a stray stone - but the worms were anything but normal. Their insatiable appetite for the stone wouldn't allow them to leave anything behind, and even the Staff of Worms wouldn't be able to override that basic desire.

Using the mysterious artifact for a few weeks, Seren had gotten accustomed to it's limitations. While he could direct them where to go and change their behaviours somewhat, it was another story overriding their base desire - instead opting to make something akin to deals, choosing when and where they would eat. It was the only reason they were able to get this deep, and this quickly.

Yet, there was a lonesome stone sat atop the soft sand right before him.

'Did someone throw this? Then it would have come from... That direction.' thought Seren, turning his attention to the dark hallway on the opposite side.

Before reporting back to Brisha, Seren decided to see if the source of the other noise could also be found, and it turned out that he was right. There was indeed, another stone.

'Someone threw these stones... I must inform Brisha. I might have to find the little sneak.' thought Seren.

Quickly returning, Seren reported his findings. Brisha took her hands off of the Anchor and crossed her arms in thought.

"That, is troubling. I'm going to need you to search out whoever is hiding. You don't need to rush though, I doubt they know what they're getting into." said Brisha.

"Roger. I'll be off then." said Seren, wasting no time in pursuing the intruder, and set off in the direction of the dark hall.

'I can't have anyone finding out. We're so close now, and... If they're from the Church...' Serena thought to himself, clenching his fists.

Twelve points of light manifested all around Seren, igniting with a powerful gust of Mana before calming down - condensing into palm-sized flames. Though restrained, they still danced as if assaulted by a powerful gale, defiantly refusing to be snuffed out.

Brisha watched the back of Seren slowly disappear behind the wall of the dark hall, before turning her attention back to the Anchor.

'Damn, I wonder what's got him so pissed off.'