Chapter 54: Mysterious Key
Aldwyn's muscles coiled like a spring, ready to unleash a deadly dance of steel. He waited for the creature's first move, his mind racing through the possible outcomes of their encounter.
The creature took a step closer, the sound of sloshing water echoing through the tunnel. As it did, Aldwyn slipped into the shadows, becoming almost one with the darkness. The creature paused, its head tilting as if listening for the slightest sound.
With the grace of a predator, Aldwyn struck, his twin blades flashing through the air. The creature's stick whipped around, the blood-drinking worm lunging at him, its jaws agape. Aldwyn barely dodged, the worm's teeth grazing his cheek and leaving a trail of burning pain. He rolled away, using the shadows to evade the creature's next swipe.
The sewer's narrow confines became their battleground, the foul water splashing around them as they circled. Each step Aldwyn took sent ripples through the water, alerting the creature to his position. He had to be swift and silent, relying on his instincts to anticipate the creature's movements. The air grew thick with the smell of blood and the creature's foul breath.
Aldwyn waited for the creature to make its move, his eyes never leaving it. His heart was a drum in his chest, pumping adrenaline through his veins. The creature's stick swiped through the air, the worm latching onto a pipe overhead. It swung with a feral snarl, sending a spray of water and sewage. Aldwyn ducked, using the momentum to slide along the slick floor. As he passed under the worm, he sliced upwards, severing it from the stick.
The creature screamed, a sound that seemed to resonate in the very walls of the sewer. It lunged at Aldwyn, but he was already moving.
With a blur of motion, he slipped behind it, the shadows wrapping around him like a second skin. The creature's stick swept through the air where he had been moments before, carving a deep groove in the stone. Aldwyn took advantage of the opening, his left blade slicing through the creature's side, eliciting a howl of rage.
The creature's speed was surprising, but so was Aldwyn's. He darted around the sewer, using the slick surfaces and cramped space to his advantage. His silver eyes gleaming in the torchlight, he waited for the creature to charge again. It did, the stick swiping through the air like a serpent. He parried with his right blade, the two weapons locking together with a sound like the clanging of bells.
With his left hand, Aldwyn reached into his hunting bag, his fingers wrapping around something cold and metallic. The creature took a moment to assess this new threat, and in that brief second, Aldwyn threw a handful of silver coins into the air. The coins spun and danced, catching the flickering light and casting a dazzling array of reflections across the wet walls. The creature's eyes widened in confusion, giving him the split-second he needed
Aldwyn's right hand snapped out, releasing a silver coin that sliced through the air like a razor. It embedded itself in the creature's neck, causing it to recoil with a gurgled scream. The creature's grip on its stick loosened, and Aldwyn capitalized, yanking it away and sending the stick clattering to the ground. The worm, now detached, writhed in a frenzy before retreating into the murky water.
The creature staggered, its decaying hand reaching for the wound. Seizing the opportunity, Aldwyn leapedfrogged off a wall, the shadows swirling around him like a cloak. He landed in a crouch, his twin blades slicing through the air in a figure-eight pattern that left the creature's midsection a mess of blood and viscera. It collapsed, the light in its eyes fading to an empty void.
Aldwyn stood over the corpse, panting heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. He noticed a peculiar amulet hanging from the creature's neck. It was made of bone and adorned with a single red gem, pulsating with an unsettling energy that seemed to resonate with the very air around it. He took the amulet, feeling a strange warmth emanate from it, and tucked it into his bag for later examination.
"Well, that was a delightful encounter," Aldwyn quipped, his voice echoing in the dank tunnel. He stepped over the body, his boots squelching in the water, and continued deeper into the sewer.
After a while he reached caius' hiding place, the door to the chamber was destroyed, as if someone had forced their way in.
„I wonder if that was the creature from earlier... At least when he was a human. Maybe he wanted something from Caius and didn't know that he was already dead. That would explain why I ran into someone down here." Aldwyn thought to himself as he entered the chamber.
The room was empty, the only sign of its previous occupant a few scattered scrolls and a rotten bed frame. But the walls were covered in what looked like freshly etched runes, their glow faintly visible in the flickering light from his torch. He approached the nearest one, his curiosity piqued. The runes were ancient, a language he didn't recognize, but the malicious intent behind them was unmistakable. They pulsed with dark energy, a stark contrast to the sterile, almost clinical emptiness of the chamber.
„Was that the guy from earlier? The last time I was here, they weren't there yet... But what exactly is the meaning of them?"
Aldwyn summoned his diary from his infinite bag and meticulously sketched the runes, his hand moving with the precision of a master artist capturing the essence of his subject. His silver eyes studied the patterns as he worked, looking for any semblance of familiarity or understanding that might illuminate the dark corners of his mind.
Once he had committed the runes to paper, he closed his diary and took out the crimson amulet. It pulsed in his hand, its gem radiating a malevolent warmth that seemed to resonate with the very air around him. He felt a sudden wave of nausea wash over him.
"What is this...?" Aldwyn whispered, his gaze never leaving the gem.
He studied it intently, his mind racing through the possibilities of its significance. The way it hummed with dark power was eerily reminiscent of something he couldn't quite place, a distant memory that tickled the edge of his consciousness.
When nothing else happened, he took a deep breath and pocketed the amulet and diary into his infinite bag, the leather satchel seemingly swallowing them whole.
Aldwyn searched the chamber with a methodical thoroughness, his eyes flicking from one corner to the next. His heartbeat had slowed, the rhythmic thud in his chest matching the steady drip of water echoing through the sewer. The room was barren, as if it had been ransacked. A few scrolls lay scattered across the floor, their edges brown with age and damp.
He approached the rotten bed frame, his hand hovering over the crumbling wood. With a gentle push, the frame toppled over, revealing a hidden compartment underneath. Inside lay an ornate key, the metal gleaming in the torchlight. The key was large, almost the size of his palm, with intricate engravings that matched the runes on the walls. It felt cold and heavy with the weight of a long-forgotten secret.
„Hmm... Are the Runes a sort of gateway? But to what? Or to whom?" Aldwyn thought for a few seconds.
„Presumably the other person was searching for this key! Maybe there were even more than one... After all, a lot is missing here."
„It would be stupid of me to use the key now. I don't even know what it's for. I have more than enough problems right now..."
„I copied the runes and followed their order exactly. So I could always duplicate it again by myself, that wouldn't be a problem. If I make it out of Helgarde alive, I'll do some research and see what exactly these runes mean." He thought to himself, his gaze lingering on the spot where the bed frame used to stand.
He tucked the key into his infinite bag with care, feeling the weight of its secrets against his side.
As Aldwyn continued to sift through the debris, his eyes fell upon a small, almost overlooked figurine on a dusty shelf. It was a meticulously crafted representation of the god of death, its features grotesque yet strangely mesmerizing.
„I totally forgot about that... I'll need it as soon as I perform the next ritual."
The figurine was made of a material that resembled bone, with a patina of age that spoke of centuries of neglect. Its eyes were two tiny, black diamonds that gleamed with a cold, lifeless light, and its skeletal hands were poised as if to reap the souls of the unfortunate. Despite its disturbing appearance, the artistry behind its creation was undeniable.
„Back then he gave me a different figure... Was there a reason for that? Or was Caius simply a fanatic of the god of death?"
Aldwyn's heart skipped a beat as he picked it up, the figurine feeling oddly warm to the touch. It was as if the very essence of death had been condensed into this small, unassuming object. He slipped it into his bag, feeling its power radiate through the leather.
Leaving the chamber, he made his way back to the surface, his thoughts racing. „I wonder what it looks like at the top right now? I can't stand this chaos for much longer... My body is almost at its limit, despite the endurance potion. Maybe it's presumptuous to think about it, but the best outcome for me would be, if Master Sewell died... Then my contract would no longer be valid and I could disappear."
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