The quartet was pretty beat up. Amat stemmed the flow of blood from his leg. Bahram's face was scrapped and bruised. Shank sparked flint to start a torch, and the sound echoed through the vast subterranean void.
Akisane tried to enter the shadow world again but found the ability absent. Something blocked it. This place was mysterious, and its roots began in prehistory, evidenced by the paintings of dragon hordes. Though he guessed the cursed magic was residue from elemental druids millennia later.
The ground trembled and fractured rock. A low rumble shook their insides, and a red glow pulsed in the distant gloom.
Shank stopped trying to light the torch and took cover. “We’re going to fucking die.”
Amat’s face alternated from disappearing in the dark to being lit by crimson. “What is it?”
Akisane waved him to cover. “I don’t know. Bahram, can you fly your carpet for a closer look?”
"In patience lies safety; in haste lies regret.”
Shank hazarded a peek and stepped out. “Screw it, let’s find out.”
Whatever awaited them made Akisane’s blood run cold. The shadow world's absence meant that reality itself was distorted. Perhaps they’d departed from the realm when they took the passageway. His companions had no idea how deep in the shit they’d found themselves. “Try to step lightly.”
The four walked closer, only able to see during the red light’s phase. A walkway led along a deep crevice, and the four followed the smooth cobbles until the crevice turned and blocked their progress. Bahram took them to the other side by carpet.
A row of giant statues gazed down at them at the archway. An unearthly green light illuminated the area. The shadows on the statues’ faces twisted them into horrific expressions. Akisane saw a shadow of moving snakes on a woman's side profile. “Avert your eyes,” he said. “There are medusas here.”
Bahram elbowed Amat’s stomach. “Cover your eyes with your hands. I’ll guide you.”
A whisper slithered into Akisane’s ear. “You come for the sword, but there’s so much more here.”
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The shadow of a medusa stretched into their path.
The four passed under the arch and climbed a flight of stairs. It led up a rise and opened up to a hellscape—lakes of fire burned in pits that dotted the cavern floor to some imaginary horizon. A skeleton ten fathoms tall and made of embers and flame struggled against shackles as it waded half-submerged in a lake. It splashed scorching liquid as it pulled a cuffed wrist above the surface.
Akisane walked the last few strides to the top of the bluff, where a sword protruded from a stone cube. The cube had eight sections divided by strips of blue energy. “Amat, try to pull it out.”
Bahram and Shank looked at each other, and they took a step back and flinched when Amat grabbed the sword and pulled. But no matter how the massive man struggled, the blade wouldn’t budge.
There should’ve been a trap. Perhaps it was just a ward to secure the sword, but that surprised Akisane. But he should rule it out. “All of you, pull.”
Shank put his hands up. “I’m paid well, but not that well.”
“Fine,” Akisane said. He pulled the sword, but a voice crashed in his head when he touched it.
I’ve been waiting for you.
What was that? What kind of demon sword was this? Akinsane let go and rubbed his hand. There was a pinpricking sensation in his fingertips.
The others looked expectantly.
Akinsane shrugged and gripped the sword again.
Draw Darksun!
The cube opened into parts held together by a matrix of blue lights. The sword rasped against the air and began to ring. The blade was so black that it left holes in Akinsane’s vision when he looked away, but his vision returned to normal.
Shank studied his face. “Are you alright?”
A chuckle escaped from Akisane. Am I alright? I feel fantastic.
The collosole skeleton raged against its captivity. Its mouth unhinged, and it spat lava in a display that lit the cavern.
Heat pushed past the four on the bluff, and Akisane stared at the black blade and raised it high.
Henry (Akisane)
Level: 10
Focus: Telekinesis
Secondary focus: Shadow walker
Weapons: Darksun Sword - 85% corrupt, decay+12