“So, the entrance to these caves and tunnels is supposed to be here, in the solid rock wall?” Riegert asked sceptically of Fellaroth after he had led the group behind The Duke’s mansion.

  “This is no mere rock wall, Riegert.” Answered Fellaroth, stepping forward and placing a hand against the cold stone. It was now late evening, and darkness had taken the world, lending an ever more eerie nature to the empty city. A soft wind swept through the city, whispering through the emptiness like a forgotten ghost of this place’s past inhabitants. Clouds slowly parted in the skies high above, bathing the sombre city in a subtle soothing light. As the light of the two moons crept across the overgrown garden behind the mansion, the stone wall seemed to react to Fellaroth’s touch. The group watched on in silent amazement as before their very eyes the stone wall started to shimmer in the moonlight, slowly fading away until a dark passageway appeared before them.

  Before another word could be uttered or action taken, Riegert rushed forward and blocked the way, turning to the others with a familiar look on his face. “How Fell? How could you possibly have known that this was here? You said that you had never been to this city before, and yet you led us directly to this spot as though walking down a familiar path! And don’t give us that nonsense about how you have researched this place, or how it ties into the story of the long-forgotten King come God. You knew exactly where this place was, and better yet, you knew exactly what to do to reveal the path forward. I need answers Fell! How is it that you know all of this?”

  Stepping forward from behind Fellaroth, Calvin broke the silence that had been brought by Riegert’s question. “I understand your frustration Riegert, and to be honest, I too would like to know the answer.” He said to even Riegert’s surprise. “Why are you shocked by this Riegert? Did you think that you were the only one who had doubts about Fell’s stories? There isn’t a person alive who could read a few books and have such a complete and comprehensive knowledge of forgotten places. I’ll give you this, it’s one thing to know about a long-forgotten King or God or whatever he may have been, I mean ancient tomes are discovered all the time, and knowledge like that would be closely guarded, particularly when they would challenge the current order. However, the way you led us through those castles, and even to this very location, that was first-hand knowledge, not something you read in a book, Fell. I have tried to leave well enough alone because until now you have used your knowledge to help us, and I figured that you would tell us more when you felt that the time was right. I’m not going to stand here and demand that you tell us everything right now, we have other matters that need to take precedent right now, but when this is all over, we need you to come clean Fell, you need to tell us the truth!”

  “Wait, am I the only one who has believed Fell all this time?” Asked Jackson, suddenly feeling rather foolish as he stood and looked at the others expectantly before Calvin answered.

  “I don’t know what to tell you Jackson, his knowledge was just a little too perfect.” Before another word could be said, Fellaroth raised both of his hands in the air and spoke.

  “Very well, I will tell you as much as I can, though I fear there is much that you will not believe, for now, we should focus on the task at hand, there are people that we might be able to save. Once we have completed this task and reported our findings to the guild, then I will tell you what you want to know.”

  “Very well, Fell.” Said Riegert, stepping to one side to allow Fellaroth to lead the way. “We will continue to trust you… for now!” Without another word being spoken, Fellaroth took the lead once again, leading the group into the dark depths of Mount Cruwshant.

  Making their way down the narrow passage that only grew darker with every step, the group began to see a dim light coming into sight up ahead. Before their very eyes, the passage ahead began to emit a faint light that grew slightly brighter as they pressed on. Within moments the entire passageway was lit by a faint light that was comforting to the eye and perfectly lit the way forward. Upon closer inspection, Calvin was amazed to find a glowing moss that was growing on the very walls of the tunnel, almost as though the tunnel wanted people to be able to find their way more easily. Touching the moss softly, Calvin noted that the places that he had touched would dim slightly for a moment before gradually brightening to their original strength.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “This is amazing!” he said, his voice echoing down the empty passage ahead, causing the others to stop and look back. “Why can’t this stuff grow in every cave and dungeon we explore, it would make our lives so much easier. We wouldn’t have to worry about carrying torches or lanterns, or even have to cast light magic!”

  Turning back, Fellaroth considered the moss for a moment, something he hadn’t really done, even while he was alive. “That would be convenient, to say the least, but, to my knowledge, this is a very rare kind of moss that only grows in environments that are rich in magical energy.”

  Riegert looked up at the ceiling of the cave for a moment and then at the others before saying. “Of course, this place is teaming with magical energy! Let me guess, there must be enormous deposits of byzanthianite below this mountain, which is why the castle holding the gateway was built on top of this mountain, the gateway draws on the magical energy of the byzanthianite to function, right?”

  Turning to face Riegert, Fellaroth was slightly shocked that he had retained what Fellaroth had said so long ago. “You remembered that?”

  “How could I not?” retorted Riegert. “The idea that anyone could create anything that was able to tap into naturally occurring mana to sustain itself and continue to function long after its creator has left, is astonishing!”

  “I just didn’t think that you were all that interested in the topic.”

  “Of course, I was interested. Only a complete dullard wouldn’t have been interested. I was just more interested in the fact that you possess that knowledge.”

  Stepping forward, Jackson cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Not that this isn’t a fascinating discussion or anything, but don’t we currently have more pressing matters to attend to?”

  “Right! Sorry!” interjected Calvin, after realising that it was he who had distracted the entire party with his curiosity about the glowing moss. “Let’s focus on the matter at hand and find out what’s become of the people of Cruwshant!” he quickly added, hurrying along the dimly lit tunnel.

  The tunnel before them twisted and turned one way and then the next, over and over again as it continued to descend deeper and deeper underground. To their amazement, the tunnel had no deviation, no offshoots, no way in which one could get lost, there was only one path and one direction in which to go. It was a strange feeling for Calvin and the others, they had never been underground for so long without the prospect of getting lost. “Didn’t you say that this was a network of tunnels, Fell?” asked Calvin. “So far this isn’t turning out to be much of a network, but rather just a path!”

  “Oh, believe you me, Calvin, this place is a real labyrinth!” answered Fellaroth, still walking on with purpose. “Once we reach the central chamber, you will see just how many tunnels branch off, and let me tell you, they go on for kilometres in every direction! This is the only path into the mountain that is a single straight path, all of the others are a veritable maze.”

  “Well then, I’m glad we chose to enter using this one!” remarked Riegert making yet another mental note about Fellaroth’s uncanny knowledge of this place.

  “The central chamber isn’t far now!” exclaimed Fellaroth, drawing his spear from his lower back, prompting the others to draw their own weapons in response. “I can sense dozens of life forms up ahead, though there’s something very unnatural about them, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they’re very odd. That’s not all, there is a powerful evil presence there as well, one that we shouldn’t take lightly!”

  “Are we just going to go in there blind?” asked Riegert. “You’ve just said that there’s an evil being in there that we shouldn’t take lightly, in that case, shouldn’t we have some sort of plan before going any further?”

  “It would be a great idea to have a plan, Riegert.” Answered Jackson. “But how exactly do you suppose we come up with a plan when we have no idea of what lies ahead? We don’t have the lay of the land. We have no idea if the strange life forms Fell has told us about are the people of Cruwshant or any manner of unfamiliar creature that he has yet to have encountered. We don’t even know where this evil presence will be located once we enter. That isn’t much to go on when forming a plan. At this point, going in there blind seems to be our only real option.”

  “Well, when you put it that way!” remarked Riegert, unable to fault Jackson’s logic.

  “Very well, I’ll lead the way!” announced Fellaroth, walking toward the entrance of the central chamber, leaving the others with little option but to follow.