The ledge trembled beneath their boots, flakes of resin and stone breaking loose and tumbling into the void. The abyss below was immeasurable, a black maw swallowing every echo. At its center, far beneath, the Heart of the Expanse pulsed with green and black light, massive tendrils radiating outward to feed the labyrinth above.
Carlos stared down at it, his grip tightening around the Blade of Ascension. The golden glow of the sword reflected faintly off the abyss, like a star trying to light an ocean.
"That's where it all comes from," he whispered. "The corruption, the creatures, the labyrinth itself. We cut it out, we end this."
Maren's staff flickered with unsteady light. Her lips were pale, her voice frayed. "Assuming it lets us reach it alive."
Rina crouched at the edge, peering into the depths. "There are footholds. Roots, jutting out. We can climb… if we're insane."
"Lucky for us," Thalor rumbled, lowering his shield to test the edge, "we passed that threshold a long time ago."
Lys strung one of her last arrows and let her gaze sweep the abyss. Her voice was quiet, almost prayerful. "Then we descend. Together."
The First Steps
They began the climb.
The roots and tendrils served as both ladder and trap — thick enough to bear their weight, but pulsing with a slow rhythm that made them feel alive. Each touch left resin clinging to their hands, sticky and foul-smelling.
Carlos led, his blade strapped across his back to keep one hand free. The golden glow lit the descent, casting jagged shadows along the chasm walls.
Below, the Heart pulsed — steady, patient, as if mocking their feeble progress.
Minutes stretched into hours, or what felt like hours. The abyss had no true sense of time, only the pounding of the Maw's colossal heartbeat.
The First Attack
Halfway down, the roots trembled.
Carlos froze. "Hold!"
From the walls erupted tendrils, lashing like whips. One slammed into Thalor's shield, the impact rattling through his entire arm. Another snapped at Lys, who twisted aside on the narrow foothold, nearly tumbling into the void.
"They know we're here," Rina hissed, daggers flashing as she severed a root that struck for her legs. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling on the stone.
Maren raised her staff, summoning a shield of flame around them. The fire roared, driving the tendrils back — but the effort bent her nearly double, sweat pouring down her face.
"Keep moving!" Carlos barked, slashing at a vine that had coiled around his arm. "It's trying to shake us off before we get close!"
Step by desperate step, they hacked and dodged their way downward, the abyss alive with writhing fury.
A Narrow Escape
They reached a ledge of cracked stone jutting from the wall, panting, battered.
Lys leaned heavily against the rock, her breath ragged. "Arrows… almost gone." She shook her quiver. Only two rattled within. "After that, it's just me."
Thalor flexed his shield arm, blood dripping from his gauntlet. "You'll always be more than your arrows."
The archer gave him a faint, grim smile, but her eyes flicked back to the abyss. "We're still only halfway."
A deep rumble shook the chasm, the sound reverberating like thunder. The companions looked down to see the Heart pulsing faster, brighter, tendrils writhing as though the entire entity had been roused to fury.
And then the ledge began to crumble beneath their feet.
"Move!" Carlos shouted.
The stone shattered, chunks tumbling into the void. The companions leapt for the roots, scrambling to cling on as the ledge fell away entirely. For a heartbeat, Lys dangled by one arm, her bow slipping from her grasp.
Carlos swung down, catching her wrist with his free hand. "Not today!" he snarled, hauling her up even as his own grip strained.
Her eyes shone with fear — and gratitude. "I thought—"
"Save it," Carlos panted. "We're not done yet."
The Abyss Fights Back
The descent grew more dangerous. The roots twisted beneath their hands, writhing like serpents. Some turned sharp, sprouting thorns that cut into their palms. Resin oozed freely, slickening every surface, threatening to send them plunging into the void.
And the whispers never stopped.
They crept into their ears, inside their minds, gnawing at their resolve.
"Climb down, climb down… into your grave.""One slip, one breath, and you'll fall forever.""You cannot win. You are already mine."
Maren faltered, her grip weakening. Flames sputtered from her staff as her concentration broke. Rina darted to her side, hooking an arm around her waist and steadying her.
"Eyes up, mage," Rina snapped. "If we're going to die, it won't be from a bad grip."
Maren laughed weakly, the sound more sob than humor. "Comforting."
Glimpse of the Heart
Hours — or what felt like hours — passed before the Heart loomed closer, filling their vision. It was monstrous: a sphere the size of a fortress, pulsing with green fire, covered in writhing veins of resin. Each beat shook the abyss like a quake.
The tendrils thickened, harder to cut, harder to dodge. Resin-born horrors crawled along them — insectile creatures with glowing eyes, their screeches like tearing metal.
"They're guarding it," Thalor growled, smashing one from the wall with his shield. The creature exploded in ichor, its remains sizzling on the stone. "The closer we get, the more it throws at us."
Carlos's jaw clenched. His blade's glow flared brighter, though his arm ached with every swing. "Then we fight harder."
The Final Descent
At last, a massive root spiraled downward like a staircase toward the Heart. The companions leapt onto it, the surface slick and trembling.
Every step was war. Resin-born beasts swarmed them in packs, clawing, snapping, shrieking. The companions fought side by side — Thalor's shield holding the line, Lys's last arrows striking true, Rina's blades flashing in a blur, Maren's magic blazing despite her trembling hands, Carlos's sword cleaving paths of light through the darkness.
Still, the swarm pressed closer.
A beast leapt for Rina, claws aimed for her throat. She ducked, but another struck from behind. Carlos's blade flashed, splitting it apart. Resin sprayed across his face, burning like acid.
"You owe me," he panted.
Rina smirked despite the blood on her lips. "I'll pay you back… if we live."
The Heart Awaits
The spiral root ended on a platform of resin directly before the Heart itself. It towered over them, pulsing with unbearable light, its tendrils lashing outward with furious life.
The companions stood together, battered, bleeding, breathless.
"This is it," Carlos said, voice hoarse but unyielding. "The Maw's heart. We end it here."
The Heart throbbed, and a roar shook the abyss — a sound of rage and hunger. Resin split open across its surface, forming a gaping maw lined with crystalline fangs.
It spoke with a thousand voices, each one a reflection of their own fears:
"COME CLOSER, LITTLE ONES. YOUR SOULS WILL FEED US WELL."
The abyss screamed. Tendrils lashed. Resin-born horrors swarmed in greater numbers than ever before.
And the companions lifted their weapons one last time.
The final battle had begun.