Shattered Prophecy Part 2

The trek toward the underground city was long, arduous, and—to Aric’s growing irritation—far muddier than expected. The previous night’s storm had turned the forest paths into a swampy mess, and despite his best efforts to maintain some semblance of dignity, his boots were now sinking with every step.

“You know,” Verin said, smirking as he nimbly stepped over a patch of particularly treacherous sludge, “if you had lighter armor, you wouldn’t be fighting the earth itself every few seconds.”

Aric grumbled and yanked his boot free from the mud with a loud, undignified schlorp. “If you had more muscle, you wouldn’t need to hide behind spells every time we’re in a fight.”

“Boys,” Raelyn sighed, pushing past them both with a graceful step onto drier ground. “We’re about to infiltrate a dangerous city full of dark sorcery and cultists. Maybe save your bickering for after we survive?”

Liora, the newest member of their group, chuckled softly. “Oh, please don’t. This is far too entertaining.”

Aric shot her a look. “I don’t see you complaining about the mud.”

She winked at him. “That’s because I actually know how to walk in it.” With that, she darted ahead, landing gracefully atop a fallen tree trunk and moving swiftly ahead of them.

The others exchanged glances before trudging forward. Verin was still grinning as he flicked away a clump of mud Aric had accidentally kicked in his direction.

By nightfall, they reached the entrance to the underground city. The opening was carved into the side of a crumbling mountain, half-hidden by thick vines and jagged rocks. The gaping maw of darkness exhaled a damp, stale breeze that made Raelyn shiver.

“Alright,” Verin said, adjusting his robes. “Last chance to turn back before we find out if the Veiled One’s cultists are as friendly as they sound.”

Aric unsheathed his sword with a quiet shink. “I’d rather not give them the chance to be.”

Liora, crouching near the entrance, ran a hand over the ground and frowned. “Tracks. Fresh ones.” She pointed toward the tunnel’s mouth. “They’re moving in groups. We’ll have company.”

“Lovely,” Verin muttered. “And here I was hoping for a nice, peaceful stroll through an ancient, cursed ruin.”

Raelyn clasped her holy symbol. “We’ll be fine. If we work together.”

Liora smirked. “See? I like her attitude.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Aric mumbled. “She only talks like that when we haven’t been stabbed yet.”

With that, they entered the tunnel.

The deeper they went, the colder and damper the air became. The tunnel eventually opened into a vast cavern, where ruins of an ancient city lay in eerie silence. Faint blue mushrooms cast a ghostly glow across the broken cobblestone streets, illuminating collapsed towers and shattered statues of forgotten gods.

“This place is… unsettling,” Raelyn murmured.

Liora nodded. “It’s worse than it looks. The cultists don’t just live here. They worship here. Their magic seeps into the stone.”

Verin studied a broken inscription on one of the walls. “This was once a dwarven stronghold. The city’s name was—” He paused, squinting at the runes. “Ah. Varkhall. Translates roughly to ‘The Forsaken Vault.’”

“Forsaken?” Aric asked, eyes narrowing. “Why?”

“Well, if I had to guess,” Verin said, tracing a finger over the writing, “the part that says ‘Cursed by those who walk beyond the veil’ might have something to do with it.”

“…Cheerful,” Aric muttered.

Before they could dwell too long, Liora held up a hand. “Footsteps,” she whispered. “Multiple.”

They pressed themselves against the shadows as a group of robed figures passed through an alleyway. Hooded and whispering in hushed, rhythmic chants, they carried lanterns that glowed with an unnatural green hue.

Raelyn held her breath, gripping her holy symbol as the cultists stopped near a set of stairs leading deeper into the city. One of them turned slightly, revealing a mask of bone with glowing red eyes beneath the hood.

Verin leaned close to Aric and murmured, “I don’t like the way that one’s looking at us.”

Aric gripped his sword. “Pretty sure they can’t see us.”

The cultist suddenly cocked its head to the side, sniffed the air, then let out a guttural hiss.

“…Well. That’s just unfair,” Verin whispered.

The cultists turned sharply, their lanterns swinging as they rushed toward the group. Liora was the first to act, springing into motion with a flash of steel. She disappeared into the shadows, only to reappear behind the first cultist, her dagger slicing across his throat before he could sound the alarm.

Aric charged forward, meeting two of them head-on. His blade clashed with their enchanted daggers, sparks flying as he forced them backward. One of them muttered an incantation, dark energy swirling around his hands, but before he could release it, a blast of golden light struck him in the chest—Raelyn’s magic flaring with divine fury.

Verin, meanwhile, had a different approach. “You know,” he mused, dodging a wild swing, “I really, truly hate fighting fanatics.” He flicked his fingers, and a burst of blue energy erupted from his palm, sending one cultist flying into a crumbling wall. “They never just talk about their problems!”

Liora ducked a swing and grinned. “You do talk an awful lot for a mage.”

“Distraction is a form of strategy,” he said with a flourish, sending another bolt of energy into a cultist’s chest.

Soon, the fight was over. The cultists lay defeated, their eerie lanterns flickering before dying out. Raelyn pressed a hand to her chest, catching her breath.

“Well,” Aric said, sheathing his sword, “so much for sneaking in.”

Liora wiped her daggers on a fallen cultist’s robe. “We were never going to avoid a fight forever.”

Verin dusted himself off. “True, but still. A little more stealth would’ve been nice.”

Raelyn looked toward the stairs the cultists had been guarding. “No point in worrying about that now. We need to keep moving.”

Liora nodded, but her expression was grim. “We’re close. I can feel it.”

As they descended into the deeper tunnels, the air grew colder, and an uneasy silence settled over them. The deeper they went, the more they could sense it—the presence of something watching them from the darkness.

Something waiting.

And whatever it was, it wasn’t going to let them leave unchallenged.

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All Parts of The Shattered Prophecy Series:

• The Shattered Prophecy Part 1
• The Shattered Prophecy Part 2
• The Shattered Prophecy Part 3
• The Shattered Prophecy Part 4
• The Shattered Prophecy Part 5