Vale stared at the centipede as it finished adjusting its massive body to face him fully.
Its carapace was obsidian black, at first glance not unlike the scorpions they had been fighting for weeks. But Vale knew better now. Two weeks of constant combat had trained his eye. This creature was different.
The chitin plating along its segmented body was denser, smoother, almost refined, as if shaped by far greater pressure and age. Where the scorpions shells fractured under precision, this one looked forged, layered upon layer of hardened growth, stronger, more durable, built to endure.
Its countless legs tapped softly against the sandstone floor, each contact precise and synchronized. The sound wasn't loud, but it was rhythmic, mechanical, like a ticking clock counting down the seconds until death.
Vale felt his nerves tighten.
The centipede had no eyes. None that he could see, at least. Instead, its head was dominated by four massive mandibles, two smaller, serrated ones for grasping, and a larger, heavier pair designed not to consume, but to kill. Those were the ones that worried him most.
He swallowed.
The creature turned slightly, aligning its body, coiling like a living blade. It waited.
Vale's lips curled into a small, nervous smile as he glanced upward toward the distant opening far above. "Hey, guys!" he shouted, forcing lightness into his voice. "I'd really appreciate it if you could hurry up down here!"
The centipede answered by charging.
Its legs struck the stone in unison, a thunderous vibration rippling through the cavern as it surged forward with terrifying speed. Vale didn't hesitate, he released his grip on his blade and shifted his stance, widening his footing, grounding himself completely.
'Don't fight it head-on,' he thought. 'Not like this.'
As the creature lunged, Vale stepped forward instead of back.
He caught the centipede by its mandibles.
The impact jolted through his arms, raw force slamming into him as the creature hissed violently, its jaws snapping open and shut inches from his face. Each clash of chitin came close enough to tear his head clean off.
Vale gritted his teeth, muscles screaming as he dug his heels into the stone.
"I'm stronger than you," he muttered through clenched teeth. "I'll use that."
With a sharp exhale, he twisted his torso and hurled the centipede aside with everything he had.
The beast crashed into the cavern wall, stone cracking as it rebounded. Vale didn't waste the moment, he drew his blade in a fluid motion just as the centipede recovered and charged again.
It was faster than before.
Vale twisted out of the way as its body surged past him. He pivoted, raised his blade, and struck downward with full force,
The blade bounced off.
The impact rang through his arms as if he'd struck solid steel. Vale bit back a curse as the centipede whipped around, its body looping, attempting to encircle him.
'It's too hard,' he realized instantly. 'Not the shell.'
He reacted without conscious thought.
Vale dropped his blade and grabbed his spear in a flash of bone and intent. In one smooth motion, he thrust the weapon upward into the creature's lower jaw, angling it just right. The centipede shrieked as its weight lifted momentarily off the ground, suspended awkwardly.
But only for a moment.
Vale leapt back as the centipede tore itself free, black blood dripping thickly from its fractured mandible. The creature hissed, rearing, its movements less controlled now, angrier.
Vale smiled weakly. "So that's it," he murmured. "Your weakness."
A sudden impact echoed through the cavern.
Another figure dropped from above.
Eskar landed hard but cleanly, rolling once before rising to his feet without hesitation. The moment his boots touched stone, he sprinted forward.
The centipede turned, hissing, and charged him.
At the last second, Eskar twisted, his agility carrying him just past the creature's strike as he drew his blade mid-motion and attempted to drive it into the centipede's side.
The blade deflected.
Eskar hissed under his breath, eyes narrowing as the centipede adjusted its angle and surged upward, lifting its body to strike from above.
"Eskar!" Vale shouted.
He planted his feet and hurled the spear with full force. "Catch!"
The spear tore through the air and slammed into the centipede's mouth, driving straight through the damaged mandible. The creature recoiled, shrieking.
Eskar caught the spear without breaking stride.
A grin spread across his face. "Oh," he said, understanding dawning. "I see."
His hands ignited in brilliant orange light, the glow racing down the spear's shaft. Flames erupted from within the centipede's body, forcing their way through tiny fractures in the carapace.
The creature thrashed wildly, screeching as fire tore through it from the inside out. Eskar held fast, muscles straining, until the assault finally stopped.
The centipede collapsed in a lifeless heap.
Vale exhaled deeply, tension draining from his body as he approached.
Eskar crossed his arms, glancing sideways at him. "You're seriously lucky I was here," he said flatly.
Vale rolled his eyes and grinned. "Well then, I guess I'm extremely lucky."
He glanced around the cavern, eyes scanning the tunnels. "So… how are we getting out of here?"
Eskar sighed and looked upward. "Drago's probably weaving a rope out of scorpion muscle by now. Apparently this place is unstable. The guardian can't come down here without collapsing the whole thing."
Vale nodded slowly. "Makes sense."
His gaze lingered on one of the narrow tunnels branching off into darkness. Something about it tugged at his instincts.
"I'll be back in a moment," Vale said, already sheathing his weapons. "Wait here."
Before Eskar could argue, Vale turned and stepped into the narrow passage, his silhouette swallowed by shadow as the cavern grew quiet once more.
Vale walked down the narrow passage for several minutes, his footsteps echoing softly against the stone. The air grew still the deeper he went, heavy in a way that pressed against his chest. Then, faintly, he saw it.
A flicker of light.
Not fire. Not sunlight. Just… illumination. As if the darkness itself had thinned.
Vale slowed but did not stop. Something pulled at him, an invisible thread tugging him forward with quiet insistence. His instincts whispered caution, but curiosity, no, recognition spoke louder.
"What are you hiding?" he murmured under his breath.
With every step, the shadows retreated. The passage widened slightly, the stone walls smoothing, until at last Vale passed through the final narrow opening and emerged into a large chamber.
It was fully lit.
Yet there were no torches. No candles. No cracks in the ceiling for sunlight to slip through. The light simply was even, soft, and all-encompassing, as though the room itself remembered how to shine.
Vale's eyes narrowed as he took it in.
Tables filled the chamber, some overturned, others broken clean in half, a few still standing as if frozen mid-use. Dust blanketed everything, thick and undisturbed. Human remains lay scattered across the floor, bones bleached pale by time, some piled haphazardly, others resting where bodies had fallen.
Vale's heart began to pound.
For a moment, panic threatened to rise, but he forced it down, steadying his breath. Fear would solve nothing. He knelt and brushed dust from a nearby skeleton, his fingers trembling slightly as they traced the curve of a rib.
"Whatever happened here…" he whispered.
His hand drifted to a skull, fingers brushing its smooth surface. "It happened a long time ago."
He stood again, scanning the chamber with sharper focus now. That was when he saw it.
Against the far wall sat a skeleton unlike the others.
Perfectly intact.
It was seated upright, almost reverently, one arm extended, its finger pressed gently against the stone wall beside it. Next to the skeleton stood an old altar, weathered but unbroken, as if protected by something unseen.
Vale approached slowly, every step measured, careful not to trigger traps long forgotten. The air around the altar felt different, heavier, older.
He wiped dust from its surface.
Words emerged.
''Whoever stumbles upon this relic, may be our savior.''
A bitter taste filled Vale's mouth.
He looked around the chamber once more, the bones, the silence, the unmistakable finality of it all. There had been no savior. Only death. Whoever these people were, they had waited… and waited… and died waiting.
"I'm not your savior," Vale said quietly.
Still, he sighed and turned his attention back to the altar.
Resting atop it was a necklace, an emerald set within an elegant golden casing, suspended from a dark onyx leather cord. The gem caught the chamber's unnatural light and reflected it softly, almost warmly.
Vale hesitated.
Then he picked it up.
"I'll honor your memories," he said softly, slipping the relic into his pocket. It felt heavier than it should have.
He turned back toward the seated skeleton, and froze.
The wall where the skeleton's finger rested was coated in dust, thicker than anywhere else. Vale narrowed his eyes and crouched, gently brushing it away.
His breath caught.
Etched into the stone, written in dried, darkened blood, were words that made his skin prickle.
Slowly, carefully, Vale read them aloud.
"May the Father of Flaws rise once more."