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25% The Crimson Relic / Chapter 4: Into The Ember Caverns

Bab 4: Into The Ember Caverns

Eryx wasn't sure what was worse—Finn's incessant humming or the looming dread that seemed to grow heavier with each step they took toward the Ember Caverns.

"Could you stop that?" Eryx muttered, tightening his grip on his sword hilt. His eyes scanned the dense forest around them, which seemed to close in the deeper they went.

Finn, however, was undeterred. "Come on, man. It's a march to doom or glory! Gotta keep the spirits up." He wiggled his eyebrows and continued his off-key humming.

"You're giving me a headache," Eryx groaned.

Kaelen, walking a few paces ahead, remained silent, her silver hair glowing faintly under the fading daylight. She had been more withdrawn since the campfire incident. Eryx wondered if the encounter with that bandit had shaken her as much as it had him. It was one thing to expect danger; it was another thing to stare it in the face.

"You both need to relax," Finn said, tossing his pack from one shoulder to the other. "It's probably just a creepy cave. No big deal, right? At least it's not a haunted graveyard filled with angry spirits or—"

"Shut up, Finn," Kaelen finally spoke, her tone sharp. "If the Ember Caverns were 'no big deal,' we wouldn't need to be so cautious. Don't let your guard down."

Eryx couldn't help but snicker under his breath. "Told you so."

Finn shrugged, undeterred. "Hey, a little optimism never hurt anybody."

"That bandit last night would've disagreed," Eryx muttered.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes before the trees began to thin, giving way to a rocky, jagged landscape. In the distance, Eryx could see the outline of the Ember Caverns. They looked like the mouth of a beast, ready to swallow them whole.

As they approached the entrance, Kaelen raised a hand, signaling them to stop. "We should rest here for a moment. Once we go inside, we'll be vulnerable. The magic in the caverns will play tricks on your mind if you're not focused."

Finn's grin faltered slightly. "Tricks? Like… illusions?"

Kaelen nodded. "Exactly. The caverns are ancient, and they've been steeped in magic for centuries. What you see inside might not be real, but that won't stop it from killing you if you're not careful."

Eryx frowned. "Great. Just what we need—death traps and hallucinations. Why does everything involving this relic have to be so complicated?"

"Because," Kaelen said calmly, "great power never comes without great sacrifice."

Finn rolled his eyes dramatically. "Is that written on some inspirational poster in a wizard's lair somewhere?"

Kaelen didn't rise to the bait. She sat down on a rock and began rummaging through her bag, pulling out a few small vials filled with a shimmering liquid.

"What's that?" Eryx asked, curious.

"Focus elixir," she replied, handing one to each of them. "It'll help clear your mind while we're in the caverns. Drink it now, and it should last for a few hours."

Finn held the vial up to the light, squinting. "Are you sure this isn't going to turn me into a frog or something?"

Kaelen shot him an icy look. "No, but if you don't take it, I'll be more than happy to leave you to deal with the illusions on your own."

Finn quickly popped the cork and downed the liquid, grimacing at the taste. "Ugh, that's awful. Tastes like swamp water."

Eryx chuckled before drinking his own. The elixir was bitter, but almost immediately, he felt a slight tingle in his temples, like his mind was becoming sharper, more alert. It was as if a fog he hadn't even realized was there was beginning to lift.

Kaelen finished her own elixir and stood up, her expression serious. "Remember, once we're inside, stick close together. The relic is drawing people here, and we won't be the only ones trying to reach the sword."

Finn nodded, wiping his mouth. "Understood. No wandering off to chase glowing butterflies or anything."

With that, they approached the entrance of the Ember Caverns. The air grew cooler as they descended into the darkness, the light from the surface quickly swallowed by the cavern's depths. Kaelen led the way, her hand glowing faintly as she summoned a small orb of light to guide them.

The walls of the cavern glittered with veins of some kind of shimmering mineral, casting eerie reflections as they moved deeper inside. The sound of dripping water echoed around them, making it difficult to tell how far away or how close certain sounds were.

"Creepy doesn't even begin to cover this," Finn whispered, glancing around nervously. "I feel like we're walking into the lair of some ancient monster."

Eryx didn't answer. He was too focused on the strange energy that seemed to pulse through the air, vibrating in his bones. It felt as though the very stones around them were alive, watching, waiting.

Suddenly, Kaelen stopped. "Do you hear that?"

Finn tilted his head, straining to listen. "Hear what?"

At first, Eryx didn't hear anything unusual. But then it came—a low, rhythmic hum, almost like a heartbeat, coming from deep within the cavern.

"That's not good, is it?" Finn asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"No," Kaelen replied. "It's the caverns. They're waking up."

Eryx furrowed his brow. "Waking up?"

Kaelen nodded. "The magic here is old. It senses when people are near, and it reacts. The deeper we go, the more it will try to confuse us, to lead us astray."

Finn gulped audibly. "Fantastic. So… what's the plan?"

Kaelen glanced over her shoulder. "We keep moving. Stay focused, and don't trust anything you see or hear unless I confirm it."

They pressed on, the hum growing louder with each step. The cavern walls seemed to shift and change around them, twisting into strange, impossible angles. At one point, Finn stopped, pointing at something in the distance.

"Guys, is that… is that a castle?"

Eryx blinked, his heart skipping a beat. Sure enough, just ahead of them, there was what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient castle, its towers crumbling, but still grand and imposing.

Kaelen narrowed her eyes. "It's an illusion. Don't get too close."

"But… it looks so real," Finn murmured, stepping toward it.

Eryx grabbed his arm. "Finn, stop. She said it's not real."

Finn hesitated, glancing between Eryx and the castle. "But… what if it is? What if there's treasure inside or—"

"Finn!" Kaelen's voice was sharp. "Focus. It's not real. The caverns are trying to lure you off the path. If you stray, you'll be lost."

Finn swallowed hard, nodding. "Right. Focus. Got it. No treasure-hunting."

As they moved deeper, the illusions grew more frequent—and more unsettling. Eryx caught glimpses of shadowy figures out of the corner of his eye, figures that disappeared the moment he tried to focus on them. At one point, he swore he heard his mother's voice calling his name, soft and pleading, but when he turned, there was nothing but cold stone behind him.

"Keep moving," Kaelen urged, her voice calm but firm. "We're almost through this part."

"Almost?" Finn muttered. "This is the worst part of the trip so far."

Just as Eryx was about to respond, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Dust and small stones fell from the ceiling as the cavern shook violently.

"What now?" Eryx shouted, bracing himself against the wall.

Kaelen's face was pale. "It's waking up faster than I thought. We need to move. Now!"

Without another word, they sprinted deeper into the cavern as the walls seemed to ripple and shift around them. The hum had grown into a deafening roar, and the illusions flickered wildly, distorting their surroundings.

Eryx's heart pounded in his chest as they ran, the darkness closing in around them. He had no idea where they were going or how far they had left to go, but one thing was clear: whatever was waiting for them in the heart of the caverns, it wasn't going to let them reach it without a fight.


Bab 5: The Pulse of the Caverns

The tremors grew worse as they ran, shaking the cavern walls with a menacing rhythm. Eryx could feel the pulses of energy vibrating through the stones, as if the caverns themselves were alive, responding to their presence. His breath came in ragged gasps as he tried to keep up with Kaelen, who was moving with unnerving speed, her glowing orb bobbing just ahead.

"Is it me," Finn panted, "or is this place trying to eat us?"

"Less talking, more running!" Eryx barked, narrowly avoiding a rock that dislodged from above.

Kaelen didn't glance back. Her voice was steady, but urgent. "The caverns are reacting to us. If we don't get to the inner chamber soon, we'll be crushed. Stay close!"

"Yeah, no problem," Finn muttered, his face pale as he sidestepped another falling stone. "Just a casual sprint through a death trap."

Eryx couldn't deny the fear creeping up his spine, but there was no time to think about it. The narrow passage they were in suddenly widened, opening into a massive, vaulted chamber. The stone floor here was cracked and uneven, with jagged rocks jutting up like the teeth of some great beast. In the center of the chamber stood a massive stone door, covered in intricate carvings that glowed faintly in the dim light.

"This is it," Kaelen said, stopping abruptly. She gestured to the door. "The way to the sword lies beyond that."

Finn bent over, gasping for breath. "Thank the gods. I thought we were gonna die before we even got to the shiny sword part."

Eryx, panting, shot Finn a sideways glance. "We're not out of this yet."

Kaelen approached the door, running her fingers along the glowing carvings. "It's a seal—ancient magic designed to keep out intruders. It'll take a moment to break it."

"Take your time," Finn said, flopping down onto the floor with exaggerated relief. "I'm just going to lie here and try not to die."

Eryx leaned against the wall, catching his breath, his gaze fixed on Kaelen. "How do you know how to break a seal like this?"

Kaelen didn't look up. "Because I've done it before."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you've been here before?"

Kaelen hesitated, her hand hovering over one of the symbols. "Not here, exactly. But I've encountered similar seals. This one is older, though. Stronger."

Eryx frowned. There was something Kaelen wasn't telling them, but now wasn't the time to pry. "Just do whatever you need to do."

As Kaelen worked, the room seemed to grow darker, the glow from the carvings dimming slightly. Eryx felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong.

"Uh, guys," Finn said, sitting up, his eyes wide. "Is it just me, or is the ground moving again?"

Eryx's heart dropped. The floor beneath them was rippling, the cracks widening. From the shadows of the chamber, something began to stir—long, sinewy tendrils of darkness creeping toward them.

"What the hell is that?" Finn yelped, scrambling to his feet.

"Kaelen, hurry!" Eryx shouted, drawing his sword.

Kaelen cursed under her breath, her fingers moving faster over the seal. "It's the caverns. They're reacting to the seal being tampered with. I need a few more seconds!"

Eryx slashed at one of the dark tendrils as it lashed out toward him. The blade passed through it, but the tendril reformed almost instantly. "We don't have a few seconds!"

Finn grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it at another tendril, but it simply passed through the shadow, landing with a dull thud. "This is not good! Why do the shadows always have to come alive?!"

Eryx backed up toward Kaelen, swinging his sword in wide arcs to keep the tendrils at bay. "Do something!"

"Almost there!" Kaelen's voice was strained, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she concentrated on the seal.

Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the stone door shuddered. The glowing carvings flared brightly before fading completely, and the massive door began to creak open, revealing a dark passageway beyond.

"Go!" Kaelen shouted, darting through the opening.

Eryx grabbed Finn by the arm and dragged him toward the door as the tendrils closed in around them. They barely made it through before the stone door slammed shut behind them with a deafening boom, cutting off the encroaching shadows.

For a moment, the three of them stood there, panting and staring at the door in silence.

"That… was close," Finn wheezed, leaning against the wall.

Eryx sheathed his sword, shaking his head. "Too close."

Kaelen, still catching her breath, glanced at them. "The caverns won't stop trying to protect the sword. What we just faced was a warning. There will be more ahead."

"Great," Finn groaned. "More living shadows. Just what I wanted."

Eryx looked down the passageway. It was narrow, lined with jagged rocks, and faintly glowing moss. The air felt different here—thicker, charged with energy. "What's waiting for us ahead?"

Kaelen's expression darkened. "The final chamber. The sword is there, but so are the guardians."

"Guardians?" Finn repeated, eyes wide. "Like… monsters?"

Kaelen nodded grimly. "More than monsters. They're ancient, and they've been bound to protect the sword. We'll need to fight our way through them to reach it."

Finn groaned, slumping further against the wall. "Why is nothing ever easy?"

Eryx glanced at him, smirking despite the tension. "Did you expect this to be easy?"

Finn gave a halfhearted shrug. "Maybe a little easier. I thought we'd just grab the sword and go."

Kaelen started moving down the passage, her voice echoing slightly in the narrow space. "If it were that simple, the sword wouldn't have stayed hidden for so long. It's meant to test the worthy—and destroy the unworthy."

"Great pep talk, Kaelen," Finn called after her. "Really boosting morale here."

Eryx followed, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready for whatever might come next. His mind buzzed with everything that had happened so far, but there was no turning back now. The Crimson Relic had drawn them here for a reason, and whatever was waiting in the final chamber, they'd face it together.

"How much further?" Eryx asked after a few minutes of walking in tense silence.

Kaelen slowed her pace, her eyes scanning the path ahead. "Not far now. Once we reach the chamber, stay alert. The guardians will attack as soon as we enter."

Finn groaned again. "I seriously need to reconsider my life choices."

Eryx couldn't help but chuckle. "You say that now, but you'll be bragging about this adventure for years."

"If we survive," Finn retorted.

"That's the spirit," Eryx said dryly.

Kaelen raised her hand, signaling for them to stop. "We're here."

They stood before another door—this one smaller but no less imposing. It was carved with the same intricate symbols as the previous door, though these seemed to hum with energy, almost vibrating under their gaze.

"This is it," Kaelen said softly. "Once we step through, there's no going back."

Eryx took a deep breath, gripping his sword tighter. "No turning back now."

Finn groaned one last time for effect. "I just want it noted that I think this is a terrible idea."

Kaelen placed her hand on the door, and it slowly creaked open, revealing the chamber beyond. The air was thick with magic, and the faint glow of the moss illuminated the large space. At the far end of the chamber, resting on a stone pedestal, was the sword they'd come for—the Crimson Relic.

But standing between them and the sword were the guardians—three massive figures, humanoid but clearly not human, their skin made of stone and their eyes glowing with an eerie, unnatural light.

"Okay," Finn whispered, staring up at the towering guardians. "Now that is definitely not good."

Eryx drew his sword, his pulse quickening. "Get ready. This is what we came for."

Kaelen stepped forward, her voice calm but determined. "Stay close, and whatever you do, don't hesitate."

As the guardians began to stir, Eryx felt the weight of the moment settle on his shoulders. They had made it this far, but the real challenge was just beginning.

With a final glance at Finn, who was muttering something about bad luck, Eryx took a deep breath and stepped into the chamber.


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