The deeper levels of the Elarian Wild's ancient dungeon felt like another world—one where light struggled to exist, and time moved differently. Damp air clung to every breath. Faint echoes of distant howls and shifting stone reminded the trio that they were never truly alone.
Juichi, Renji, and Alicia moved quietly down a narrow, vine-choked corridor, their steps muffled by the thick layer of moss underfoot.
"Still nothing," Juichi muttered. "Feels like we're walking into a trap."
"Because we probably are," Renji replied, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead. "There's too much silence between the ambushes."
Alicia walked behind them, arms folded, her hood up. Her normally sharp expression was subdued—troubled. She hadn't spoken much since they entered the second floor of the dungeon.
Juichi glanced over his shoulder. "You holding up?"
She nodded. "Fine. Just… focused."
Renji raised a brow but said nothing. Tension hummed between them—not just from the dungeon, but from earlier. Alicia had led them here. And though she hadn't explained why, they all knew she was hiding something.
Suddenly, a screech split the air. Corrupted goblins burst from the shadows, their limbs longer than natural, eyes glowing violet. Behind them came bloated lizard-creatures with bubbling skin, oozing dark mist.
"Here they come!" Juichi shouted.
He shot forward, fists ablaze with blue energy, cracking through the first goblin's skull with a spinning backfist.
Renji met the lizards with swift, surgical strikes. His blade glowed, cutting clean through muscle and corrupted bone. "They're mutating fast. This is dark mana exposure beyond normal levels."
Alicia raised her staff. "Then we burn it out."
With a sweep of her arm, magical glyphs spiraled through the air. Flames burst from the ground in jagged lines, incinerating two goblins mid-lunge. Her next spell froze the path ahead, causing another group to slip before Juichi barreled into them like a meteor.
Juichi grinned. "Okay, I'll admit it. You're kinda scary when you go all out."
Alicia's lips twitched—almost a smile. "Try not to fall behind."
A particularly massive goblin lunged from the side, its claws ready to gut Juichi—but Alicia raised her hand.
"Mana Spear: Scattershot!"
A dozen spears of light formed around her and launched at once, turning the creature into a pin-cushion before it exploded in a puff of cursed smoke.
Renji exhaled. "You're still hiding something, Alicia. But thanks for not letting him get torn in half."
"Don't thank me yet," she said, her tone quiet. "We're not even close to the source."
After dispatching the final wave of mutated beasts, they pressed forward into the core chambers of the dungeon. The air turned colder. Roots no longer grew naturally—they pulsed with a strange, green glow.
They reached a collapsed temple hall. Stone pillars had been shattered by some great force, and the floor was covered in arcane symbols etched in serpent shapes.
Juichi took a step forward. "Feels like something's watching us again…"
Renji stepped ahead of him. "This is it. The barrier is thinning. The monster responsible is just beyond this room."
A low vibration trembled through the floor.
Alicia flinched. "We're close. The seal… it's starting to fracture."
Juichi looked at her. "Seal?"
Before she could answer, the temperature dropped again. A hiss echoed from beyond the tunnel ahead—wet, guttural, and ancient.
Alicia turned pale. "No. It's already awake."
Renji drew his blade. "Then we go in prepared."
Juichi cracked his neck and stepped forward, the faintest flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Let's see if this overgrown snake can handle the three of us."
They moved as one, entering the final chamber, unaware that what awaited them was no ordinary beast—but a corrupted general of darkness, reborn beneath the scales.
---
To be Continued...