Luca managed to reach the edge of the river, but not only was its depth questionable, it was also wide enough that he didn’t dare try to jump across. Even if his agility was technically better than the average person’s, the chances of falling in—and not coming out—were high.

  It was hard to imagine anything could survive in such murky water.

  He glanced to both sides, looking for a way to cross. But there was nothing in sight. That creature was still likely nearby, so he didn’t waste much time. He followed the riverbank, moving forward with irritation and no small amount of wariness.

  The current was fast, the murmur of the water echoing in his ears. It was the only sound there—aside from the distant echo of a bird’s chirp. Luca looked up at the trees on the other side, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. But no luck. There wasn’t even a breeze to brush the leaves at that moment.

  He was tempted to hum to break the damn silence, but he held back.

  Finally, after a few exhausting minutes of walking while hoping not to hear that noise again, he stumbled upon a surprise. A canoe had been abandoned on the riverbank, overturned, apparently for decades. Despite the almost ridiculous sight, a wave of relief washed over him.

  Finally, some good news, he thought.

  Approaching quickly, he bent down in front of it, grimacing at the smell of rotten wood. But this wasn’t even a setback compared to what he’d been expecting to find.

  As he inspected it, he noticed something among the pieces of decayed wood. Something shiny and familiar, even though he’d only seen it once before. But there was one problem—a metal mesh covered the glowing orb, with thick spikes extending in all directions. Rust had stained them a dark black, but they didn’t look any less sharp than a knife.

  Luca frowned and pulled the multi-tool from his pocket, reaching his hand between the wooden planks and trying to push the tetanus-risk contraption aside. There was resistance—the cluster of spikes was firmly fixed, and the wire wasn’t as thin as the one he’d cut earlier.

  He couldn’t believe how hard it was to reach the damn Gem.

  You’d better be Acid, he thought, pulling out the useless multi-tool and reaching in with just his hand. Very, very carefully, he slid his fingers between the spikes and the wire. He winced as he felt the cuts, and hissed when one was particularly sharp, but victory came to his fingers.

  Luca let out a sigh of relief and was about to pull his hand back when he heard a faint creak. It came from the remains. He barely had time to throw himself backward as the wood suddenly gave way. A hiss of pain escaped his lips as he felt the spikes rake his skin. Drops of blood slid down his fingers.

  Luca grimaced. The water carried away the remains, vanishing them from sight, but their mark remained. At least the damage they sustained in Mysteries could be healed without side effects—death being the only exception.

  Footsteps reached his ears then. A shiver rand down his spine.

  A twig snapped. Behind him, in the foliage.

  Of course, the blood, he thought, jumping to his feet while pressing his injured hand against his clothes. He moved along the riverbank, quickening his pace.

  “Please—” a horrible, terrible voice reached his ears. Desperate, scared.

  Small, harmless.

  Luca’s breathing quickened as he clenched his hand, accidentally squeezing his wounds. The sharp pain was enough to send a signal to his feet.

  He ran.

  His legs burned as he ran without looking back, following the riverbank. Hoping—hoping to find another piece of good news.

  Birds chirped from the trees on this side.

  Someone cried.

  Someone familiar.

  Luca forced himself to keep going, desperate for—

  There. Just a few meters ahead stood what remained of a bridge. A handful of half-rotted planks, barely enough to cross.

  Distrust crept into Luca as he stopped in front of it, his muscles burning, his breathing more than ragged.

  The dirty river crashed against the remaining planks—the last one wobbled, threatening to break off. The piece of platform didn’t offer much security. But then again, staying here wasn’t the best option either.

  “Please—”

  Luca placed one foot on the first plank, a determined (perhaps desperate) expression on his face. The creak of the wood sounded over the murmur of the water, but it held his weight without breaking or sinking. The second plank wobbled dangerously as he stepped onto it, and he didn’t have an extra second to hesitate before he was launching himself through the air, straight to the other side.

  LHe landed on the damp ground ungracefully, the sound of crying mixing with the current.

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  Taking a deep breath, he slowly got to his feet.

  Relief flowed through his body.

  On the other side, the bird chirped again, echoing multiple voices. But this time, the sound didn’t affect him as it had moments before.

  He was safe—from that creature, at least.

  Luca stood up and examined his hand with a grimace. Pulling out the multi-tool, he cut a piece of fabric from his vest and wrapped it around his hand. It wouldn’t be a good idea to leave the wound exposed, after all. The makeshift bandage didn’t turn out too bad, so he continued toward the mountain.

  Multiple sounds reached his ears—birds, yes, but also squirrels, insects, the rustle of the wind through the leaves. Colors flowed into what had previously been a black-and-white image. It was as if a switch had been flipped.

  The closer he got to the mountain, the more a smell filled the air—a mix, really. Metal, burnt wood.

  Luca wrinkled his nose.

  This ‘perfume’ only grew stronger. But at least Luca could tell where it was coming from—an entrance in the mountain, carved into the rock. It was about a meter high, and though it seemed dark at first glance, Luca easily noticed a faint light coming from further inside.

  A torch?

  If it was lit, that meant this side was being used. This was both good and bad news. On one hand, torches were a sign of human presence. On the other, it was best to avoid both humans and non-humans since neither was good for his survival.

  Luca left the cover of the trees and crawled into the mountain. As soon as he started moving, the smell of burnt wood and metal mixed with another odor that reminded him of the damp concrete of a basement. The combination made him wrinkle his nose.

  His eyes adjusted quickly, and the darkness became less dense, revealing more details of the walls. His expression cooled as he saw the wooden beams supporting the tunnel. There were marks on them. Lines carved by something sharp. Made by humans.

  The best thing, he thought, is to get through this area as quickly as possible.

  The ceiling rose high enough for him to stand almost at the height of the torch. He wrinkled his nose at the stench clinging to it, not caused by the flame. Further ahead, the passage split into two directions. The carvings on the top glowed faintly in the torchlight. A red ‘sun,’ a simple white circle.

  The smell of burnt wood coming from the first path was overwhelming. But this time, Luca could clearly see its origin. The wooden beams supporting the tunnel had charred patches. But these glowed faintly, providing enough ambient light for him to move forward without any issues if he wanted to. In comparison, the other tunnel was dark, with no more torches along the way.

  Luca took the first path, knowing that was the only way he’d find the Energy Core.

  He moved slowly, cautiously. He avoided stepping on what looked like mysterious luminescent puddles, damp in appearance, while trying to make as little noise as possible. But despite his best efforts, the ground crunched with each step—an uneven mix of compacted dirt and stone. He was lucky he heard them before they heard him.

  The whispers were unintelligible—not because of their volume—but because they didn’t seem to form words.

  The tunnel ended in a kind of chamber, slightly wider, with traces of both human and non-human activity. The carvings on the walls showed mini-suns at the top, with circles at the bottom. In the middle, a solitary circle lay on or inside a rectangle. Something dark and dry stained this small area.

  If the other smells weren’t so overwhelming, Luca thought he might have caught a coppery scent.

  With a grimace, Luca turned toward the entrance of the other tunnel. There was no mark at the top—which was either a good thing or a bad thing. Considering the friendly carvings, he suspected it was the latter. The whispers, still distant but present, didn’t help.

  There were no other options, however.

  Luca approached the tunnel and noticed the differences from the previous ones. It was just high enough for a person to walk through, but very, very narrow. And, judging by the lines in the rocks, it seemed to have been created by stacking stones. It was also as dark as a wolf’s mouth.

  With a sigh, he turned sideways and began to slide through. It was tight. And the feeling that he was about to be crushed began to weigh on him.

  He inhaled slowly. The air was still enough.

  Moving through the blackness, the lack of vision sharpened his other senses. The burnt wood was the main smell in the air, but there was something else now. Something repugnant. Though he didn’t want to, Luca recognized what it was and confirmed he was heading into the ‘bad’ side of the mines.

  The whispers grew louder as a flickering light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

  He hadn’t even reached the halfway point when he heard the sound of his own breathing. The echo was… irritating. He swallowed hard, feeling his mouth go dry, and tried to breathe more quietly. It was a task with mixed results. On one hand, he succeeded. On the other, it was impossible not to notice that there didn’t seem to be much air there.

  Great. The lack of oxygen would kill him before any of the aliens if he kept this up.

  Luca grimaced, pushing the thought aside, and focused on the scene ahead. The light—a torch?—revealed a wide cavernous chamber. The whispers intensified as he approached. But it was a sharp scream that greeted him.

  “Please—” a voice gasped, a person.

  His body froze, and his eyes widened at the sight outside the tunnel.

  A group of hooded figures knelt in front of a stone block. One of them lay on it, the sound of something dripping echoing in his ears over the whispers.

  A damn sacrifice.

  Luca turned his gaze, very slowly, toward the other side. A tunnel marked with a ‘sun’ stood beyond the fanatics. He just had to… pass behind the group. Without being seen. And slip through. Before they finished.

  Yeah. Just have to do that.

  The dripping echoed in his ears as he slid toward the tunnel, pressed against the stone, clinging to the shadows. The sounds of gasps and murmurs, terribly understandable, mixed with the background whispers. Luca wasn’t sure how none of them could hear the beating of his heart when it seemed to want to leap out of his chest, but he didn’t complain.

  The torch illuminated the entrance to the tunnel he wanted to reach, so he had to leave the shadows. Luca glanced at the figures. They were motionless, kneeling toward the stone block.

  Detaching himself from the wall, Luca slipped toward the tunnel entrance, chanting in his mind ‘Stealthy, stealthy, stealthy’ as if that would boost his Perk. He had nothing to lose by trying.

  As Luca left the chamber, the sound of one last breath reached his ears before the level of whispers exploded.

  He ran.