Chapter 29 - Echoes Beneath The Stone
As the afternoon light faded into dusk, the group finally reached the entrance of a cave carved into a mountainside. Mary held the small, ever-shifting parchment, following the line as it redrew itself with each step they took. She glanced up at the looming cave mouth, its edges rough and dark, as though swallowed by shadow.
“This should be it,” Mary said, looking back at Yumiko and Lukas. “My colleague mentioned the flowers would be deep inside a cave—so they should be in here. Don’t forget, we’re looking for something else: the Serpent Staff.”
“Whatever.” Lukas said, glancing down at the page, seeing nothing but blank paper. He rolled his eyes, stifling his frustration. For all the talk of maps and shifting symbols, he saw nothing—but he’d known Mary long enough to at least trust her. Without a word, he stepped forward, extending a hand and summoning a palm-sized flame that cast an amber glow through the dark passageway.
Yumiko lingered at the entrance, casting a cautious look over her shoulder into the thickening dusk. “They’re still out there, watching us.”
Mary nodded, glancing back at the parchment. “About half a mile behind, if this map’s accurate. Go ahead,” she said, motioning for Yumiko to enter the cave first.
Once the young lady had entered, Mary followed, pausing just before stepping inside. With a focused breath, she held her hands against the rock and summoned her earth magic, sealing the cave entrance shut. Stones scraped and rumbled as they formed a solid barrier, entombing them in near-total darkness.
Yumiko raised a brow, glancing toward the freshly formed wall. “Can’t they break through that? Like the time in Ferloch when you raised that rock wall?”
Mary shrugged, her expression calm but determined. “Possibly. I’m not entirely sure it’s the same people following us now. Either way, we’ll have the advantage if they make it this far. According to the map, there’s a fork in the path just up ahead and I think I have a plan once we get there.”
Lukas, a few paces ahead, turned, his flame casting shadows across his face. “What’s with the theatrics? Why seal us in?”
Mary stepped closer, her gaze steady. “Because we’re being followed—unless you don’t believe that, either.”
Lukas’s expression hardened, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes. “I will not lie… I’ve…felt something. Once or twice,” he admitted, clearly uncomfortable with the idea but unwilling to ignore the faint prickling unease he’d sensed outside.
They moved forward in silence, their footsteps crunching on loose dirt and gravel, the sound muffled by the thick walls. The darkness seemed to press in around them, so dense they could barely see fifty feet ahead, relying on Lukas’s flame as their only guide.
Mary observed Lukas’s hand as it held the flame above his head. The fire remained steady, smooth and unwavering—a stark contrast to the shaky, erratic magic he’d used earlier against the Blaenhorn. His mana seemed balanced, even, as though the strain of that battle had never happened.
“It’s solid,” Mary murmured, more to herself than anyone else. She couldn’t help but feel intrigued by how quickly his magic had stabilized since their fight with the creature. The spell that had left him pale and sweating now seemed effortless.
“Odd that when you’re using magic, your arm isn’t shaking anymore. Is it only when casting larger spells?” Mary asked, her tone probing.
Lukas merely grunted and kept moving, his steady steps echoing as he led the group, flame in hand, through the dark passageway. Soon, they reached a larger cavernous opening where five narrow passages branched out before them, like fingers stretching into the mountain’s depths.
Yumiko stepped forward, gently taking the map from Mary’s hands. “Is this what you were talking about earlier?”
Mary nodded, studying the five paths with a critical eye. “Yes. According to the map, we need to take the second passage from the right.” She pointed it out, and Yumiko examined the map with a confirming nod.
Lukas moved toward the indicated passage, but Mary stopped him with a quick hand on his shoulder. “Hold on. I want to throw off anyone tracking us.” She walked to the far left and, with a deep breath, focused her earth magic to seal off the two leftmost passages. Rocks shifted and tumbled together, creating solid barriers.
Dusting her hands off, she observed her work. “There. Now it’ll look like we went down one of those paths and tried to hide our trail by sealing off another. It should slow them down.”
Yumiko watched the sealed passages, a hint of worry in her eyes. “What if they don’t notice? What if they just assume the passages were naturally blocked?”
Mary reached into her pouch, drawing out two small vials, one blue and the other a rich green. With a quick flick of her wrist, she tossed the blue vial to Lukas, who caught it mid-air, and handed the green one to Yumiko.
“Mana potion for you, Lukas, and a stamina potion for you, Yumiko. You might both feel fine now, but after that fight with the ox, a bit of a boost won’t hurt.”
Yumiko and Lukas exchanged glances before uncorking their vials. Yumiko drank first, feeling a surge of energy course through her, like a refreshing wind at her back. Lukas downed his potion as well, feeling a calming warmth flow from his fingertips to his head. His flame flickered, growing a shade brighter.
Yumiko wiped her mouth, a surprised smile crossing her face. “That’s…easily the best potion I’ve ever had.”
“High-potency potions. They’re strong, take effect quicker, and taste better, but they come with a steep price tag,” Mary said, pocketing the empty vial Yumiko handed back.
She turned toward the sealed-off paths and dropped the empty vial at the base of the rocks, creating faint trails in the dirt that hinted at recent passage. “Hopefully, these will make it look like we entered one of the blocked passages in a hurry and left something behind.”
She glanced back at Lukas. “Now, throw your vial down by the entrance to the passage we’re actually taking.”
Yumiko tilted her head, a frown forming as she tried to understand. Mary clarified, “They’ll notice the sealed passages, but they might suspect I’m trying to throw them off. So we’ll leave broken vials by the blocked paths to hint at misdirection—and one broken vial near the real passage to make them think that’s the fake one.”
Lukas nodded, hurling the empty vial against the wall of their chosen path. The glass shattered with a sharp crack that echoed down the cavern. “Now, let’s move,” he said, turning and leading them further into the dark.
Silence soon settled around them, save for the occasional drip of water from the stalagmites overhead, forming shallow puddles on the cool stone floor. Their footsteps grew hollow as the passageway widened, creating an ominous, yawning space around them.
Yumiko suddenly stopped, listening intently. Lukas and Mary halted too, exchanging a quick, questioning glance.
“What is it?” Mary asked, studying Yumiko’s face.
Yumiko tilted her head again, her ears straining against the low, ambient sounds of the cave. “I feel like I hear something… not just dripping water.”
Lukas tensed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. “It’s probably just those shadows you two keep worrying about.”
Yumiko shook her head, glancing around uneasily. “No… it sounded more like scratching.”
Mary offered a reassuring smile, tapping her gently on the shoulder. “Caves have a way of playing tricks on the senses. Could be an echo, or maybe just a bit of loose gravel. There’s nothing on the map, is there?” She glanced down at the map. “What’s it showing?”
Yumiko’s eyes returned to the map, studying the next marked turn. “It says to keep following this passageway... but then, up ahead, there’s a big room shaded completely in black.”
“Black?” Mary leaned over her shoulder, her brow creasing. “Lukas, bring the light closer.”
Lukas approached, holding his flame near the map. Sure enough, the map depicted a large darkened chamber looming somewhere ahead, an unsettling void in the center of their path.
“Could this be the drop that note mentioned?” Mary asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as she stared at the ominous marking. “I guess the only way we’ll know for sure is for us to keep moving ahead.”
As they pressed forward through the cave, the scratching sounds intensified, growing louder with each step. Mary scanned the shadowed walls, her brow furrowed. “Wait… I hear it too now,” she whispered.
Yumiko tightened her grip on her kunai, her voice tense. “You hear the scratching too?”
As they pressed further into the cave, the scratching sounds intensified, echoing off the cold stone walls with an unsettling persistence. The noise grew louder with each step, weaving itself into the silence of the tunnel like an ominous warning. Mary’s brow furrowed as she slowed, her gaze scanning the shadowed walls. “Wait… I hear it too now,” she whispered, a note of apprehension in her voice.
Yumiko’s fingers tightened around her kunai, her voice tense. “You hear the scratching too?”
Mary dropped to one knee, placing her palms against the floor before raising a rock wall slowly and deliberately to meet the ceiling, her movements careful and controlled. She looked over her shoulder at Yumiko, who watched her with growing confusion.
“I thought you’d sealed the other passages to throw them off,” Yumiko whispered. “Why block it now?”
Mary dusted her hands, her expression grim. “Because I don’t like this… sound. Call it a hunch, but I’m doing this for extra protection. I don’t know if it’s the people following us or something else… If it is the pursuers, I doubt they’d turn back this far down. And if they try to blast through the wall I just made, we’ll hear it.”
Yumiko nodded slowly, her grip tightening on her blade. She glanced back at Lukas, noticing the unease creeping across his features. “What’s the matter?” she asked softly.
Lukas shook his head, his gaze darting to the shadows. “I can hear the scratching now too…”
They fell silent, straining to pick up any subtle shifts in the darkened tunnel. The scratching sounds grew louder still, filling the air with a grating echo that bounced from wall to wall. Mary’s face tensed, “It’s louder… And it’s getting closer.”
Yumiko glanced nervously at the rough stone walls, her blade raised. “Where’s it coming from?” she whispered, her eyes scanning the dim passage.
Lukas lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he noticed faint dust and pebbles trickling down from the ceiling. He watched as droplets fell from the stalactites above, tracing their movement in the shadows. The scratching seemed to be converging from multiple directions now, until—
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A sudden fissure cracked open in the ceiling above them. With a hiss, a massive rat—nearly two feet long with matted fur and gleaming teeth—plunged down in front of them, landing with a dull thud on the stone floor. Its eyes glinted red in the faint light, a snarl rumbling in its throat as it crouched, poised to strike.
Yumiko took an involuntary step back, repulsed by the creature’s grotesque form. Its eyes glowed an unnatural red, and jagged, oversized teeth jutted from its mouth, stained from burrowing through rock and stone. It lunged, claws extended, straight at Lukas. He stepped forward and landed a brutal kick, sending the creature flying into the wall, where it hit with a sickening crunch before lying still.
Then, an even louder scratching echoed from all sides, followed by the unmistakable sound of chittering and squealing growing louder.
Lukas scanned the tunnel, his face darkening as he saw two-foot-wide holes riddling the walls. “These rats are everywhere—they’ve got a whole tunnel system! We need to move!” he shouted, gesturing frantically for Yumiko and Mary to run.
The ground trembled as they bolted down the passage, the screeching and scurrying growing deafening. From every wall, rats began pouring out, falling from the ceiling and charging through the small burrowed holes. The wave of creatures filled the narrow pathway behind them, dozens growing into hundreds.
“What are these things?” Yumiko cried, her voice thick with disgust as she swatted at a rat that came too close.
Mary, keeping pace, shouted back, “Rock rats! They chew through stone with those teeth—they’re nothing alone, but in numbers like this? They’re deadly!”
Glancing over her shoulder, Mary’s eyes widened. Easily two hundred rats scrambled over each other, and the swarm was still growing. Her mind raced. “How far to that dark chamber?” she yelled, trying to keep the panic from her voice.
Yumiko glanced at the map, her face pale. “Still at least fifteen hundred feet!”
They kept running, but now the swarm was flowing from both in front of them and behind. The rats poured from new holes in the walls, encircling them in a tightening ring of screeching, gnashing creatures. The group skidded to a halt, realizing they were surrounded. Mary hefted her hammer, her knuckles white as she glanced at Lukas and Yumiko.
“What now?” Mary muttered, beads of sweat trickling down her temple as the rats crept closer, red eyes gleaming. The creatures seemed to be waiting, drawing closer by the second, until the space between the group and the swarm was a hair’s breadth away.
“Can you seal them off, Mary?” Yumiko asked, her voice trembling as she recoiled from the writhing mass of creatures.
Mary quickly shook her head. “I could try, but it would have to be slow… But the burrows they just dug could make the cave collapse on us.”
Lukas glanced at the encroaching swarm, his jaw clenched. “I’ve got an idea…” He slowly reached into his pouch, pulling out a metal canister.
Yumiko’s eyes widened in recognition. “That’s the same thing the bandit boss used against us in Torrwr!”
Lukas nodded. “It’s similar. This one’s a flashbang. These things are sensitive to light. It’ll blind them and give us enough time to run.”
Mary gripped her hammer, eyes flashing with hope. “Do it!” She swung her hammer down with all her strength, sending a shockwave that forced the rats to momentarily scatter.
Lukas hurled the canister into the air. “Close your eyes!” He conjured a flame in his free hand and sent it hurtling toward the canister, then shielded his face as the fire made contact. A blinding explosion of light filled the cavern, illuminating every corner with an intense brilliance. The rats shrieked, crashing into each other as they frantically scurried away from the flash.
“This way!” Lukas yelled, pushing forward, his face half-shadowed by his hand against the fading light.
Yumiko followed, wincing at the afterglow seared into her vision, but pressing on as the rats’ shrieks filled the cave behind them.
Mary glanced behind the group and could see the wave of rats stuck in distress. “It looks like that will buy us some time!”
Just then, another, deeper explosion boomed from behind. Mary whipped around to hear rocks crumbling through the darkness of the passage. “Already? They’re already here!” she shouted, falling in line beside Lukas as they sprinted down the tunnel. “This is not good! One of those followers is fast, while the other is strong! It is only a matter of time before they catch us!”
Lukas reached into his bag, pulling out a torch and swiftly lighting it. He thrust it into Yumiko’s hands. “Take this! I only have one, so keep it safe!”
Yumiko’s brow furrowed. “Why are you giving this to me?”
He looked at her with steely resolve. “Because I’ve got a plan! You two go on ahead! I’ll be right behind.”
Before Yumiko could argue, Mary seized her hand, dragging her forward. “Trust him! We don’t have time!” she urged, half-dragging Yumiko away.
Lukas exhaled, steadying himself, as the retreating light of their torch faded down the passage. He stood alone, surrounded by the frantic scurrying of the rats as they began to recover from the blinding light. Beyond the swarm, Lukas’ gaze settled on two approaching figures, their silhouettes etched against the shadows—their pursuers, moving with deadly intent.
“So, you finally decided to show yourselves,” Lukas muttered, fixing his gaze on the large figure blocking the passage.
Ronan stared back, his expression shifting as an inexplicable sensation gripped him. He staggered, pressing a hand to his head. “Why… Why does it hurt when I look at him? It’s like…” His voice trailed off, a memory flickering just out of reach. “Like we’ve met.”
“Pull it together!” Vanessa snapped, stepping forward, unfazed by the rats crawling around her feet.
“Wait!” Ronan called, but Vanessa only narrowed her eyes.
“I won’t let you stop me this time, Ronan!” she spat, her mouth curling into a dangerous smile as she locked eyes with Lukas.
Lukas raised an eyebrow, calm but calculating. “Wondering why these rats are in so much pain?” He reached for his pouch, slowly withdrawing a cylindrical canister and holding it up just enough for them to see.
Vanessa’s reflexes took over as she shot an icicle in his direction. Lukas dodged, the shard slicing the air just inches from his face. As she prepared to launch another, a rat lunged toward her, gnashing its jagged teeth. She sidestepped the creature in disgust, stabbing it into the ground with another ice spike.
By the time she looked up, Lukas had hurled the canister directly toward her. Ronan’s eyes widened, shouting, “It’s a flashbang! Shield your eyes!” Vanessa flinched, instinctively covering her face.
A glint of amusement flickered in Lukas’ eyes. “Not exactly.” With a precise flick of his fingers, he sent a spark across the cavern toward the canister, igniting it. A split second later, the explosion tore through the tunnel, sending a shockwave echoing through the cave.
Far down the passage, Yumiko and Mary stumbled as the ground shook beneath them, a deafening roar filling the air.
“Was that him?” Yumiko gasped, gripping her kunai as she turned back toward the source.
Mary’s face blanched. “Damn it! That idiot wouldn’t be reckless enough to risk a cave-in, would he?” She turned, bolting toward the explosion. “Come on! We’ve got to go back!” she shouted.
Yumiko hesitated. “I thought you said to trust him!”
“That was before I heard the place might be collapsing!” Mary shot back, sprinting back toward the sound.
They’d barely started down the path when they saw a light flickering in the darkness, steadily growing brighter.
Mary squinted, realizing Lukas was charging toward them, his expression fierce. “What are you doing?! I told you to keep going!” he yelled, gesturing wildly. Behind him, a horde of rats by the thousands surged forward, their eyes gleaming in the torchlight as they flooded the tunnel in a ravenous wave.
Mary spun around, motioning for Yumiko to lead the way with the torch. “Map!” she called, extending a hand, and Yumiko quickly passed her the paper. Mary squinted at it as they ran. “It’s just ahead! This is where the main cavern should be!”
They raced down the narrowing corridor, the thunder of rats behind them echoing louder. Soon, the passage opened up into a massive chamber lit by clusters of glowing blue crystals embedded in the walls, casting a faint cyan hue over the room. Yumiko glanced back to check on Mary and Lukas, but her foot slipped as the ground gave way beneath her. She gasped, just barely managing to keep hold of the torch as Mary lunged forward, catching her arm and yanking her back.
Yumiko’s eyes went wide as she looked ahead; at the center of the room, a gaping chasm yawned into blackness, as if it had no bottom. Mary pulled her clear of the edge, rolling her back onto solid ground.
Lukas skidded to a stop, swiftly positioning himself between the group and the swarm of rats pouring in. He thrust his hand out, conjuring a low wall of flames that hissed and crackled, forcing the creatures to hesitate and screech, stepping back from the blistering heat.
“Where are the pursuers?” Mary asked, catching her breath.
Lukas wiped sweat from his brow, eyes hard. “I threw a combustion grenade at them. If the explosion didn’t take them out, the cave-in might have.” He panted, still recovering from the sprint.
Mary’s gaze fell to the dark, ominous pit behind them. Their backs were quite literally against the wall. “Now what? Any ideas?” she asked, her voice tight as she eyed the countless rats advancing from every direction, filling nearly every inch of the cavern.
Yumiko, still catching her breath, crawled to the edge of the pit, holding out the torch to gauge its depth. She watched as the light vanished into the darkness. Grabbing a rock, she tossed it in, waiting to hear an impact. Seconds passed with only silence. “There’s no way down!”
Lukas, gripping his sword, let out a tense breath. “Only one option: we fight. Once this wall goes, we hit them with everything we’ve got.” He glanced back at Mary and Yumiko, his face set with grim determination.
Mary sighed, pulling her hammer from her back. “I suppose you’re right.” She surveyed the chamber, noting the rats’ burrow holes littering the walls. Using her magic in here would be a risk—it could bring the entire cave down on them. But what else did they have to lose at this point?
Suddenly, a voice echoed in both Mary’s and Yumiko’s minds, clear and urgent: “They are still upon you. Heed my warning and run! Do not fight!”
As the flame barrier began to sputter and wane, a new sound filled the cavern—an eerie screeching and shuffling from the opposite end. The rats seemed to panic, their cries growing frenzied as they scattered in every direction, retreating into the walls. Moments later, two figures emerged from the shadows: Ronan and Vanessa, their faces marked with irritation and a simmering fury.
The atmosphere grew tense, charged with a hostile energy that set the remaining rats on edge. With one final collective screech, the creatures darted away, vanishing into their burrows and leaving the room eerily silent in their wake.
Lukas tilted his head, eyeing the two strangers with growing unease. He couldn't quite grasp what was happening as Ronan glared at him. “That was a dirty trick!” Ronan snarled, his voice dripping with menace. “Using that flashbang canister as a decoy for an explosive!”
“Oh, finally!” Vanessa crowed, practically bouncing on her toes with barely restrained glee. “Now can I fight them?”
Lukas sighed, sparing a sidelong glance at Mary and Yumiko. “Persistent bastards,” he muttered, his tone edged with annoyance. “But this is better than thousands of rats, I suppose, right?” He threw a question over his shoulder to Mary, hoping to cut through the tension.
But Mary stood paralyzed, her wide eyes fixed on their opponents’ glowing red gazes. Her hands quivered around her hammer, her knuckles ghostly white as she tightened her grip. A foreign chill crept through her limbs, making her skin prickle. What… what’s happening? she thought, Why am I so afraid?
“Mary?” Lukas’s voice cut through the fog, a hint of concern slipping through his normally steady tone.
Yumiko moved beside Mary, steadying herself as she faced their pursuers. She forced her bow into her grip, but an unnatural chill ran down her spine. She clenched her jaw, willing herself to stay composed. “Lukas,” she managed, “It’s their eyes… there’s something in them. It’s like they’re designed to break us down—to make us feel... small.”
Lukas turned his focus back to Ronan and Vanessa, his eyes narrowing as he took in the unnatural, burning red that tainted their gaze. His heart pounded as recognition finally dawned on him: those eyes—they mirrored the one he’d been hunting all these years. Fury simmered beneath his composure, and he clenched his blade tighter. “So,” he spat, venom lacing every word, “you two are with him. Those eyes are his work—I’d know that twisted gaze anywhere. You work with the one in black armor, don’t you?”
Ronan’s brows lifted, momentarily thrown. He exchanged a glance with Vanessa, then chuckled, a wry smirk creeping across his face. “Well, it seems our little hero here has had a run-in with one of our friends.”
“I only wish I’d had the chance to kill him then,” Lukas shot back, pointing his blade at Ronan, defiance and hatred blazing in his stare. “But it’ll be all the sweeter to send his ‘friends’ to the grave.”
Yumiko caught Lukas’s expression and felt a chill; despite the oppressive weight of the pursuers’ gaze, he seemed unbothered, as though untouched by the force that made her heart race and her skin crawl. How was he resisting it?
Vanessa pressed a hand to her forehead, blinking to clear her vision, a faint frown creasing her brow as dizziness washed over her. “Odd… he does seem familiar, doesn’t he?” She cocked her head, fixing Lukas with a faint, twisted smile. “Think he’s really seen one of us before?”
“Possibly,” Ronan replied, his gaze never wavering from Lukas. “But that’s not why we’re here. We came for the serpent staff. These three are just… extras.” He slid his hands into steel gauntlets, the metal gleaming in the cave’s dim light as he flexed his fingers, the promise of violence sharp in his smirk. “I’ll deal with him. You take the girls—but leave one alive. I’ve got questions.”
Vanessa’s grin widened, her eyes flicking between Mary and Yumiko, who instinctively and nervously shifted back, bracing themselves. “Don’t lose your nerve now!” she taunted, her voice dripping with malice. “Hopefully our master’s influence doesn’t scare you too much… wouldn’t want the fight to end before the fun begins!”
With a laugh that echoed against the cavern walls, Vanessa lunged, her figure a blur of motion, her gaze fixed like a predator closing in on her prey.