The fog remained thick around the Deathforged, clinging to the tunnel like damp cloth, curling around their legs and shoulders as they moved forward through the shallow water. Atlas was no longer among them, having pushed ahead to clear whatever path lay beyond, leaving the others swallowed by the haze and the sound of whispers that seemed to move with it. The voices slipped through the cavern as though carried by the fog itself, seeping into ears and minds alike, and though they all walked together, each of them heard something different.
Seris forced herself forward, coughing as the mist burned her throat, her boots sloshing through the water as she moved blindly ahead. The whispers pressed close to her ears, overlapping and clashing, each voice fighting to be heard over the others, rising from murmurs into frantic shouts that twisted together until they became almost unbearable.
"Help! It hurts!"
"Save me!"
"Don't leave me!"
She grit her teeth and kept moving, refusing to stop, her hand tightening around her bow as though grounding herself would keep the sounds from sinking any deeper.
Ako, perched atop Garruk's shoulders, buried her face into his thick hair, her small hands clamped tightly over her sensitive ears. Her whispers were quieter, but heavier, each one carrying the weight of finality, echoing in her head like last words spoken too late.
"This is how it ends?"
"I don't want to die."
"My family…"
Garruk continued forward without speaking, his massive frame cutting steadily through the fog and water alike. Whatever voices reached him left no trace on his expression, his jaw set and eyes forward as though he could simply endure his way through it.
Lorian, on the other hand, thrashed as he walked, his hands pressed hard against his ears as though he could physically block the sound out.
"Stop talking!" he shouted, his voice cracking with frustration.
The whispers meant for him were different, their tone mocking and surprisingly rude rather than pleading.
"Your skin's looking pale."
"Rough hair day?"
"Your laugh is annoying."
"I hate your smug smile."
Lorian clenched his teeth, water splashing as he stumbled forward, spitting out, "This is just underhanded! Why are they so damn mean to me—"
"Lorian."
He froze instantly.
That voice cut through the others, familiar in a way that made his stomach drop. His eyes widened as he turned sharply, scanning the fog that pressed in from every direction.
"Who said that?!" he demanded, his voice high and strained. "Stop messing with me!"
"Lorian. I hate you. You betrayed us."
The voice was close, almost gentle, carrying sadness rather than anger, and the smugness drained from his face as recognition set in.
"Big brother?" he whispered. "Roland?"
He turned slowly, water rippling around his boots as another voice joined the first, softer but no less cutting.
"Lorian. I trusted you. We both did. We believed in you even when mother didn't. How could you do that to us…"
His expression darkened, his shoulders sagging as he swallowed hard.
"Little sister?" he muttered. "Vivian?"
Before the fog could close in further, Seris raised her voice from ahead of them.
"It's the fog!" she shouted. "Cover your mouths! Atlas is waiting for us!"
Garruk surged forward at her command, lifting his arms to swat through the fog as though it were something physical, pushing his way ahead with slow determination. Ako awkwardly mimicked him, waving one arm out while clinging tightly with the other, while Seris pressed forward, covering her mouth with the bend of her elbow as she moved.
She glanced back and spotted Lorian standing still, staring down at the water pooling around his boots.
"Lorian?" she called. "We need to move. You okay?"
He jolted as though waking from a trance, his usual grin snapping back into place as he looked up.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he said quickly, forcing a smirk. "Worry about yourself, gorgeous."
Seris chuckled lightly and turned back ahead. "Hurry up. The whispers are random. Just ignore them."
Once her attention was gone, Lorian's smirk faded, his head lowering as he trudged forward, the voices still crawling through his ears.
"You left us there…"
"You're horrible. I wish you weren't my brother."
"I know," he muttered quietly to himself. "I know."
After what felt like miles of walking, the tunnel began to change. The fog thinned, lingering low but no longer thick enough to carry the whispers, and the passage opened wider than before. A staircase rose out of the water ahead, carved directly into the black stone, and as they climbed it, the environment shifted completely.
They emerged into a vast cavern, nearly a hundred feet across, with a ceiling that stretched high overhead, disappearing into shadow nearly sixty feet above them. The ground beneath their feet was no longer slick stone and water but solid dark granite, cold and smooth beneath their boots.
"We're getting closer," Seris said quietly as she took the lead.
Blue flames burned along the distant walls, mounted in iron brackets and casting an icy hue across the chamber that made the air feel colder than before. The light reflected off the stone, bathing the cavern in pale shades of blue and silver.
"Blue flames?" Ako murmured from Garruk's shoulder. "That's weird."
"It's pretty," Garruk rumbled.
Lorian lagged behind them, unusually silent, his eyes flicking toward every shadow. Seris glanced back at him.
"You sure you're fine?" she asked. "You've been quiet."
"Don't address him," Ako snapped. "I liked the silence."
"I'm fine," Lorian said quickly, forcing another smile. "This place just gives me the creeps, that's all, and it's freezing. Where's that shitty leader of ours anyway? How far ahead did he go?"
"Not far," Seris replied. "He wouldn't leave us."
"He totally left us," Lorian scoffed. "That asshole. I swear when I see him again I'll look him dead in the eye and smack the hell outta—"
He never finished the sentence.
Something slammed into him from the fog, knocking him flat onto his back as water splashed outward. He coughed and wheezed, feeling weight pressing down on his chest as he looked up to see a short figure cloaked in black pinning him there.
"What—?!"
Atlas stared down at him, unimpressed.
"Get off!" Lorian squealed.
Atlas pushed off without a word, rolling to his feet in one smooth motion.
"I told you," Ako laughed from above.
Seris held back a laugh herself until she noticed the fresh scratch across Atlas's cheek. "What happened?"
"Something swiped at me," Atlas replied. "Something big."
Lorian snorted nervously. "Sure. Just admit you tripped on the stairs—"
A deep, distorted roar rolled through the cavern, vibrating through the stone itself.
"By the gods," Lorian muttered.
The fog parted as a massive shape pushed forward, pale flesh cutting through the mist until the creature stood fully revealed before them. It towered over the Deathforged, standing nearly fifteen feet tall, its long, lanky body twisted and unnatural. Its skin was gray and mottled, stretched tight over bone as though it had been dead for years, the stench of rot clinging to it. Its head was bald and misshapen, its sunken eyes hidden in shadow, while rows of jagged teeth lined its gaping mouth.
Its arms dragged nearly to the floor, ending in claws over a foot long, while its torso remained short and compact, its legs unnaturally long in comparison. The creature's proportions were wrong in a way that made the sight of it deeply unsettling.
It roared again, the sound warped and unnatural.
Seris raised her bow in a single smooth motion, drawing back an arrow. Ako leapt from Garruk's shoulder and landed on all fours, muscles coiled and ready. Atlas already held his dagger, his stance steady. Garruk stood unmoving, massive and calm.
They hadn't even left the tunnels yet, and the first blockade had already found them.