Hours later…
Kaelor's boots struck the cavern floor, each step stirring dust and whispering echoes along the vast stone chamber. He was the first to enter, descending from Titan's back. His sword, Keranous, slid from its sheath with a glint of metal and weight of silence. He held it ready as he stepped deeper into the shadows, away from the light of the exit.
Behind him, Titan landed with a booming quake that shook stalactites above, causing dust to fall like snow. The beast's heads growled low, sensing movement in the blackness. No doubt the bat-creatures heard the thunderous arrival, but that didn't matter. Kaelor had not come to hide. He had come to kill.
One after another, the Bloodstone Archers glided down into the cavern, wings of black membrane spreading wide like shadows torn from the night sky. Their descent stirred gusts of wind.
