Yuria landed on Felkin as they fell toward the cave ground. Metas was roughed up, but fine. Felkin had a few bruises but was otherwise unharmed. Yuria however had a gash on her leg that was slowly trickling blood.

Felkin searched his person for anything to wrap the wound with. Yuria sighed and said: “If only some of those wolf bones were left.” Metas grabbed into his coat and handed her a fingerbone from the wolf. “What you-!?” she exclaimed in shock but she grabbed it, nonetheless.

Tendrils of darkness emerged from thin air, covered her wound and in an instant, it was gone. She winced in pain for a single moment before finally settling as the bone in her hand turned to dust.

“Why did you-?” Yuria started. “I was keeping it, just in case.” Metas remarked. “Well, what’s done is done.” She stood up and she stumbled. Felkin went to catch her and she motioned not to. “I’m fine, its just-“she fell onto his arms. “Well, maybe not.” Yuria soon fell unconscious and Felkin gently laid her down.

Felkin checked her vitals and said: “She’s fine, just tired.” Metas responded, “Perhaps today took a bigger toll on her than we realize.”

Felkin remained seated with Yuria who was asleep. “What now?” Felkin asked. “We need to talk.” Said Metas.

When Yuria stirred, she was being carried on the shoulders of Metas. “Mmmm…” “So, you’re awake.” “Yep.” Then Metas set down Yuria haphazardly onto the ground. She stood up, picked up the wolf’s hide, and patted away the dust from her clothes and gave and Metas an annoyed look.

“I assume you two took turns carrying me?” “Yep. Who thought someone so frail could weigh a ton?” Said Metas stretching his arms. Yuria looked at their surroundings.

They were in a dark cave illuminated by bioluminescent mushrooms. The ground was wet and she could hear the sound of running water. She looked around and did not see the place where they entered the cave.

“So, how long have I been out?” “We don’t know.” Felkin answered. “No light down here.” Said Metas.

The three continued to walk through the cave tunnel. Occasionally hearing the sounds of animals and creatures who crawled faintly in the dark.

As they walked Metas grabbed something from his cloak. “Here, it’s the last claw.” He gave it rather begrudgingly and she accepted. Yuria wondered why he would have kept it and ruminated on the events that had passed and went on in silence.

Their footsteps and the trickling of water were the only things that were clearly audible, the end of the cave’s tunnel was nowhere in sight. The walls of the cave were grey stone and it was strangely clear of any stalagmites or stalactites.

Yuria suddenly stumbled and stopped before the edge. “Whoa!” Metas was preparing to catch her but she regained her balance before walking backwards. Metas walked to the ‘exit’ of the tunnel and snapped his fingers to illuminate the pitch-black interior.

They emerged from the tunnel into a vast cave interior, Metas’ firelight barely illuminating the cave’s ceiling. Felkin readied his sword and Yuria clutched the last remaining wolf claw like a dagger.

Metas looked down and saw that the mouth of the tunnel was only a few feet away from the bottom of the cave. He sat down at the edge of the tunnel, flame still in hand, and dropped down. He motioned for the others to wait as he slowly surveyed the surrounding area.

He looked up and saw bats nestled up in the far reaches of the cave’s ceiling. Each step on the cave was audible because of the echo of the wet puddles he walked in.

He motioned for them to come down and follow. Felkin went first and he helped Yuria down to follow. They walked slowly and cautiously across the cave. “I was keeping the claws just in case, for safekeeping.” Said Metas.

Yuria was startled then said: “I understand.” The previous wistful expression that was on her face returned for a moment.

She had heard tales of ‘knights’ in armor that travel across the land in epics and adventures. She paid these tales no heed, to her they were mere fiction or stories told to children.

She also thought if that they were real, they would be enemy to dark forces and try their hardest to expunge her. She took a closer look at Metas and had a realization.

There was rumor in the town. But among the hundreds of gossips and rumors that spread, one stuck to her mind for some strange reason. There was an infamous figure that the town talked about frequently. An individual who had also cloak and armor, and wielded arts of flame.

Only that their armor was described to be in a shade of glimmering gold, and their cloak was white but stained by the blood of-. Her train of thought was cut off.

“Hey.” Felkin was speaking to Yuria for the past few seconds. “Look.” He motioned to the cave’s wall which was partially illuminated by Metas’ firelight.

The rock face had markings and visages carved into the wall. “I can’t read these symbols.” Metas said. Many different symbols adorned a larger image and were written around it on the wall. The text stretched into the high part of the cave wall they were facing so Felkin was wondering on the method that that was achieved.

It resembled language, some unknown or ancient form but language, nonetheless. Yuria stared at the wall and suddenly achieved understanding. “Behold the doorway to darkness, Behold the unending torrent of flame. Look upon the unimaginable chaos of the cycle.” Yuria blurted out the first words that came into mind.

“Can you make the flame brighter?” asked Yuria. Metas obliged, he strained himself a little but did not make it apparent. He lifted his hand to reveal the entire image that was transcribed on the stone wall. The portrait of the massive Dragon was carved, and it displayed its sheer size into a more compact image. The Dragon was in combat with something, but it looked like the figure it was fighting was scribbled out, like shards of rock were dragged across the wall obscuring the image and defiling the visage.

The light revealed symbols on the left and the right of the carved image, the left side read: “Behold the God of fire made flesh.” Said Yuria, the right side was erased like the figure in the middle. Fear was slowly dawning on them.

Metas took a step back and the flame in his palm flickered and darkened. “There’s one more passage above.” Yuria said slowly and nervously. Metas stabilized is flame and rose his hand up to reveal the last passage.

Felkin was silent, observing the situation with uncertainty and fear. Yuria began to read the last passage. “Be-“ “Behold the end.” Felkin interrupted her. “How did you-?” Metas asked.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

An ominous shaking could be felt, and Felkin hurriedly drawn his weapon. His sword moved on its own suddenly and the blade extended and began coiling into itself and around his around his arm.

He winced in pain as the blade dug into his skin but realized that he could not move. Metas went in to help him but saw Yuria who was holding the remaining wolf claw that rattled intensely, it glowed a harsh purple light and it seemed to move towards the mural of its own will.

She was desperately holding it back when the shaking stopped and Felkin dropped his sword to the ground, clattering with a loud echo that reverberated through the cave.

Yuria went to treat him with magic and Felkin motioned for her to stop. Blood was slowly running down his forearm and he saw that Metas had prepared some bandages to help him.

He snatched it with his uninjured arm and began to work; he sat down and used his teeth and non-injured arm to wrap the bandages tightly.

“We need to save that just in case.” Felkin said as he gestured towards the remaining claw. He stood up and tried to pick up his sword, he winced and dropped it, and picked up with his left arm instead and sheathed it back into his waist.

“We need to get out of here, quickly.” Said Metas. “Couldn’t agree with you more.” Said Yuria as they began to walk deeper into the cave.

As they walked, more stalactites appeared on the ceiling dripping with water and the light on Metas’ palm slowly began to wane. “If I’d known it would be this difficult outside, I wouldn’t have left the village.” Yuria said as they walked through.

They saw lights, more of the glowing fungus in the cave in which they approached. Metas sat down and extinguished his flame. “Let’s rest here.” Said Metas.

He noticed a pool of water near his feet and saw small fish swimming beneath. “You must be hungry.” Said Metas strangely excitedly. Yuria’s stomach grumbled and Felkin groaned.

They ate cooked fish in the glow of the cave mushrooms. Metas had made a small flame but only lit it enough to barely cook the fish. They sat in darkness. They suddenly heard something moving in the cave.

A swarm of bats flew through and startled them. Metas quickly reignited the flame with a snap of his fingers. He saw a giant spider facing them in twenty paces from their location.

He threw his spear in instinct and it harmlessly bounced off its steel-like hide. “Run!” He exclaimed. They ran as fast as they could away from the direction the creature was.

They went forth, Yuria tugging at the wolf pelt as it was flying away because they were running. Soon they could see light at the end of the cave.

They ran and ran; the creature climbing on the ceiling and was gaining on them. It shot web at them, it had targeted Yuria in which Felkin stepped in and had his legged trapped.

He furiously cut at the webs with his sword on his left hand, and when the beast pounced, Metas threw his spear again, this time with harsher force than before.

The creature was struck from mid-air and was blown back to the ground but was otherwise unharmed.

They approached the faint light, and they a path to the outside. Yuria stopped running abruptly. She faced downwards and saw a deep chasm down below.

There was a single narrow walkway that led from there to the outside. “Just go!” Metas was ushering them on. Yuria started inching on the walkway when the spider caught up to them.

It shot web at Metas’ spear arm and he fell and was stuck to the ground. Just then, Felkin appeared to be stuck in a trance.

The spider rushed them and Felkin raised his right arm, holding his weapon. His bloody bandage came loose and fell off, revealing a spotless arm without a single mark.

Metas was struggling to remove the web stuck to him, but then he marveled at the sight he saw. Although he often encountered the supernatural, he seldom believed the spirits and the holy light that was so often preached to him. But in that sight, Felkin glowed with an unearthly radiance and he thought to himself that this is the closest thing to holy that he had ever seen.

In an instant, like a flash of light, his sword extended and rended the creature apart, striking it from its mid-section and splitting its body in half. The spider was unable to make a sound as Felkin bisected it.

Metas freed himself, and they approached the body. He and Yuria marveled how a dull blade could make such a sharp slice.

Suddenly the creature stirred and with its mutilated body and pounced on Felkin in one final desperate assault. Felkin fell to the ground and before he could raise his sword and before Metas could intervene, the creature fell limp, dead.

Yuria had taken the long claw and stabbed it inward into the spider’s mouth. The curve of the claw stabbing through the roof of its mouth and into its brain.

She pulled it out and it was dripping with a multicolored liquid. “That was close.” Said Metas tucking his spear into his cloak and helping Felkin to his feet.

They went across the narrow walkway with Felkin leading them. Metas observed his once wounded arm, now not a single scratch remained.

They neared the exit of the cave and admired the light from outside. It was sunrise. As soon as Felkin marched out of the cave, a dark claw swiped at his face. He fell on the floor, clutching his face in agony as Metas threw his spear to make quick work of the beast.

Another beast emerged and he slashed it across the throat. He bent down to help Felkin and tried to wrap bandages on his face.

Felkin was grunting and breathing harshly in pain. The creature slashed out his right eye. Felkin clenched his fists in pain. “Watch out!” Yuria yelled as a third lycanthrope lunged at the two.

The third lycanthrope fell on the snowy ground below, its dark blood slowly flowed from the wound caused by a crossbow bolt piercing through it.

Yuria held the claw up high preparing to use a spell. She looked at the dead wolf, the injured Felkin, and the stranger who had ‘saved’ them.

That individual was slightly obscured by the snowy mist in the air. The freezing cold aura of the environment was well felt by the party.

Snowflakes slowly fell from the sky, Metas had cold breath for he was breathing quite hard; Yuria even more so. Yuria was tugging close to the wolf’s hide and pointing the claw at the figure in the snow.

Metas picked up his spear and turned towards them. Felkin was laying down and had one eye obscured but was still intently watching the stranger. “Who are you?” Metas asked.

The individual was wearing a thick winter parka, with a hood and had her face covered by a mask across her mouth.

She studied them intently, and she grabbed her kill with gloved hands and brought out a knife to dissect it. She took a few glances while she did her work and saw Yuria approaching Felkin and Metas still standing guard.

She marveled at the abnormality of the creature. It looked like a wolf, but almost had no scent or stench. The skin and hide came off surprisingly fast and she was able to extract the bones cleanly in no time at all.

Yuria used the claw to cast a spell, and dark liquid form over thin air and covered the wounded area on his face. Felkin tensed up, clenched his fists, and closed his eyes in pain.

When the darkness receded, Yuria quickly tore off the bandage on his face. Yuria gasped silently in shock as she saw Felkin’s face.

Although they had travelled together for some time, Yuria seldom paid attention to the color of Metas and Felkin’s eyes. She remembered both of Felkin’s eyes being a light brown in hue.

Felkin seeing her alarmed, sat up quickly and crawled towards one of the icicles at the entrance of the cave. “Hmm?” Metas saw their panic and made a quick glance towards them. The stranger who was examining the perplexing anatomy of the creature saw Felkin’s face and swiftly ran towards him.

She ran towards him and took her left arm out of her sleeve. She pointed her palm at Felkin, revealing a wooden mechanical marvel, an artificial prosthetic arm. She pulled back the drawstring on her arm, a loaded crossbow mounted atop it.

She took one look at the otherworldly carcass and looked back at Felkin, who was looking at the cave’s icicles, then he noticed her gaze and looked at her.

Felkin became alert and agitated. The stranger was confused at seeing one strange occurrence after the other. As well as the group of strange people before her. "What the hell..." She muttered under her breath. Felkin looked at the sky and saw an object with red hue. Red light bathed the group and they could feel something's presence and dared not look up.

Only Felkin was looked up, at the blood red moon. Felkin fell back and both of his eyes closed; one a light shade of brown, and the other of bright crimson.