##
The rhythmic *BOOM… BOOM… BOOM* of the Stoneheart Drum vibrated through the sanctuary's ancient flagstones, a primal counterpoint to the resonant hum of the wards. Each impact felt like a physical blow to Nian's chest, shattering the fragile peace they'd found. The sound wasn't just noise; it carried a heavy, oppressive Qi, a vibration of raw earth-power that grated against the sanctuary's subtle harmony.
Mei Lin stood rigid in the chamber doorway, her face etched with grim certainty in the Starfall fragment's soft emerald glow. "Rockbreakers," she breathed. "They haven't marched in generations. Not since the last Jade Emperor tried to tame the southern peaks." She glanced south, towards the Imperial camp's faint glow. "Zhao's fire drew their gaze… but *that*," she nodded at the fragment in Nian's hands, "is the flame they crave."
Grandma Xiu pushed herself upright, her face pale but alert, the newly healed scar on her arm stark in the dim light. "The Rockbreaker Clan… masters of earth Qi, tunnelers, forgers of living stone. They answer to their Mountain Kings, not the Eternal Throne. And they believe celestial jade belongs to the bones of the world… meaning *them*." Her gaze locked onto Nian. "They will shatter mountains to claim it. Zhao is arrogant, but the Rockbreakers… they are elemental force."
The drumming intensified, the tempo increasing, driving a sense of urgency into the cool sanctuary air. Nian clutched the fragment. Its song, soothed moments ago, now thrummed with fresh anxiety, resonating with the deep, pounding rhythm. She felt its flaw – that tiny, dissonant vibration – twitch like a nerve exposed to thunder.
"The tunnels," Nian said, the words tumbling out. "Mei Lin, you said there are tunnels. We have to go. *Now*."
Mei Lin nodded sharply. "Agreed. The sanctuary wards are strong, but the Rockbreakers wield the mountain's own bones. They could crack them open like an egg. And Zhao…" She grimaced. "He'll be scrambling, caught between the Veil's wrath and a clan that views his armor as scrap metal. His focus will fracture, but his hunger won't. We use the chaos."
She moved swiftly, gathering her bow and quiver. "Bring only essentials. Water. Food. The fragment. The sword. The tunnels are… unpredictable."
Nian helped Grandma to her feet, hastily repacking their meager supplies. The Starfall fragment went back into its pouch, its light dampened, but its anxious thrum a constant pulse against her hip. *Silent Mercy* felt reassuringly solid across her back, its quiet presence a bulwark against the external cacophony.
Mei Lin led them through the crumbling rear archway into a smaller, darker courtyard. Here, nestled against the cliff-face that formed the sanctuary's rear wall, was an opening. Not a grand arch, but a low, unassuming fissure in the rock, partially obscured by a curtain of thick, dark ivy. It exhaled a breath of cool, damp air smelling of deep earth and minerals.
"The Path of Echoes," Mei Lin whispered, pulling aside the ivy. "The Listeners walked it to commune with the Source Pools. Few feet have trodden it since." She ignited a small resin torch she pulled from a niche beside the entrance. The flickering light revealed a steeply descending tunnel, its walls rough-hewn but showing signs of ancient tool marks. Symbols, similar to those in the sanctuary but cruder, were carved at intervals. "Stay close. Watch your step. And listen… not just with your ears."
They plunged into the earth. The sanctuary's hum faded rapidly, replaced by the oppressive weight of stone and the relentless, muffled *BOOM* of the distant drum that still vibrated through the rock itself. The air grew colder, damper. Mei Lin's torch cast long, dancing shadows that made the tunnel walls seem alive. Nian kept one hand on the damp rock, her Whisper stretched thin, trying to parse the mountain's whispers beneath the drum's domination.
The descent was treacherous. The path was uneven, slick in places with condensation, littered with fallen rubble. In several spots, sections had collapsed, forcing them to squeeze through narrow gaps or scramble over piles of broken stone. The drumming seemed to follow them, echoing strangely in the confined space, sometimes sounding far away, sometimes frighteningly close.
After what felt like an eternity of downward scrambling, the tunnel leveled out. The air grew heavier, thick with moisture, and a new sound joined the drum's vibration – the deep, powerful rush of flowing water. It came from ahead, a constant, thunderous roar.
"The Underriver," Mei Lin called back over the noise. "A tributary of the Azure Serpent, born in the deep Source Pools. The path crosses it ahead. Be careful!"
They rounded a bend and stopped. The tunnel opened onto a wide, natural ledge overlooking a vast underground chasm. Below, a river of churning, ink-black water roared through the darkness, white foam flashing on its surface where it crashed against hidden rocks. Spanning the chasm was a bridge. Not stone, but something that made Nian gasp.
It was a root. A single, massive root, thicker than the largest tree in Whispering Willow, stretched from their ledge to the opposite side of the chasm. It was petrified, turned to gleaming, dark stone over eons, but its original organic shape was unmistakable – the colossal remnant of some primordial tree that had once pierced the mountain's heart. Carved steps had been painstakingly etched into its upper surface.
"The Lifespine Bridge," Grandma breathed, awe overcoming her fatigue. "I thought it legend."
"It's real enough," Mei Lin said, her voice tight. "And slippery. One step at a time. Do not look down." She started across, testing each carved step with her foot before shifting her weight, the torchlight revealing the dizzying drop to the raging water far below.
Nian followed, guiding Grandma carefully. The petrified wood was cold and slightly slick underfoot. The roar of the Underriver filled the chasm, vibrating through the bridge. The drumming was fainter here, drowned out by the water's fury, but Nian could still feel it as a deep tremor in the stone beneath her feet. Halfway across, the Starfall fragment pulsed sharply against her hip. Not fear, but… warning.
She froze, her Whisper snapping to the darkness *above* the bridge. Movement. Large, leathery wings unfurling. A chorus of high-pitched, chittering shrieks echoed off the chasm walls. Glowing, emerald-green eyes, dozens of them, ignited in the cavern roof.
"Shadowbats!" Mei Lin yelled, nocking an arrow in a fluid motion. "Spirit-touched! The drumming woke them!"
The creatures dropped from the ceiling like living shrouds. They were the size of large dogs, with leathery wings, fur as black as the river below, and mouths full of needle-sharp fangs that glinted in the torchlight. Their eyes burned with the same feral green fire as the Viperfang Shadowstalker. They swarmed, a screeching, diving cloud of teeth and claws, drawn to the light, the movement, and the potent energy radiating from the fragment.
An arrow whistled from Mei Lin's bow, striking a leading bat mid-dive. It shrieked, spiraling into the abyss. But there were too many. They swarmed Mei Lin, forcing her to drop the torch to draw her short sword, the light guttering wildly before plunging them into near-total darkness, save for the bats' burning eyes and the faint, pulsing glow from Nian's herb pouch.
Chaos erupted. Nian heard Grandma cry out as claws scraped stone near her. The bats shrieked, diving blindly, their wings buffeting Nian, their claws snagging at her clothes. Fear threatened to paralyze her. Then, *Silent Mercy*'s quiet flooded her mind, cutting through the panic. She couldn't fight them all, but she could create space.
She drew the jade sword. Its smoky blade seemed to absorb the bats' burning gaze. Focusing on the swirling vortex of chaotic, predatory energy around the swarm, Nian swept *Silent Mercy* in a wide, low arc before her, pouring her will into the blade. *"DISPEL!"*
A wave of profound silence radiated from the sword. It didn't harm the bats physically, but it severed the frenzied connection to the spirit-touched rage driving them. The shrieks turned into confused, disoriented chitters. The coordinated dive faltered. Bats collided in mid-air, flapping erratically, their burning eyes blinking in sudden bewilderment. The swarm lost its cohesion, dissolving into panicked, individual flutters in the dark.
"NOW! RUN!" Mei Lin shouted, seizing the moment. She grabbed Grandma's arm, pulling her forward across the remaining length of the bridge. Nian followed, sheathing *Silent Mercy*, the residual quiet a shield against the disoriented bats still flapping around them.
They stumbled onto the relative safety of the opposite ledge, collapsing against the cold rock wall, gasping. Behind them, the confused bats milled in the air over the chasm before gradually dispersing back into the upper darkness, their eerie green eyes winking out one by one.
The respite was brief. The drumming, momentarily masked by the river and the chaos, surged back into perception. Louder. Closer. And now, beneath its relentless beat, Nian's Whisper caught new sounds carried through the stone: the clash of steel, guttural shouts, the roar of enraged beasts, and the sharp *crack* of Imperial crossbows. Distant, but unmistakable.
"The Rockbreakers…" Mei Lin panted, wiping sweat and bat ichor from her face. "They've reached Zhao's camp."
A savage grin touched her lips, devoid of humor. "Let the hammer fall on the anvil. While they break each other…" She pointed deeper into the tunnel, illuminated now only by the faint glow from Nian's pouch. "...we disappear. The Source Pools aren't far. Their power might mask the fragment's song… or awaken something far older." She looked at Nian, her eyes reflecting the emerald light. "The deeper Veil awaits. Are you ready?"
Nian touched the pouch, feeling the Starfall fragment's anxious pulse, its flaw vibrating in sympathy with the distant battle. They were caught between two colossal forces, using their clash as cover to flee deeper into the unknown. The Lifespine Bridge was behind them, but the true test of the Path of Echoes lay ahead, where the whispers of ancient water and the echoes of primordial power promised sanctuary or doom. The Verdant Veil's heart was close, and its secrets were stirring.