The Watching Darkness

The group moves past the thick wall of the Keep through the breach, Liora leading. Reaching her staff out in front of her the colors swirling around it becoming more purple. Only a few steps behind walks Brann with his double bladed battle axe resting on his shoulder. Due to the size of both Brann and Kael, Kael followed behind him. Nixie and Throne on the other hand fit side by side in the back of the group. The travel through the wall felt endless, though only taking a few seconds. The air seeming to get thicker as it weighs down every part of them. Then they cross the threshold.

“Daehlume” The word almost like a song releasing a bit of the tension. a soft light illuminated the shadowy room in the blue light radiating off Liora’s staff. With the addition of light the party could now see the room around them. Aside from the opening behind them, directly in front of them stood a door, or what remained of one. It’s stone frame starting to crumple and the door itself hanging from one hinge almost like it was busted open. The angle of the hanging door creating a small opening for someone the size of Nixie to slip through.

“I’ll go take a look.” Nixie whispers, moving through the group.

“Take this.” Liora says holding a small rock. She repeats ‘Daehlume’ causing the rock to glow the same blue as the staff, before handing it over. Nodding, she grabs it before slipping under the door, leaving the rest of the party to sit in silence, time moving in slow motion. The dust is so thick it is almost like it has settled into the air, making it more like breathing dust rather than air.

***

Keeping her body low to the ground Nixie looks around half her body on each side of the door. To her right stood two large doors creating a large entrance, Most likely the front door. in front of her she can just see the pattern on a wall with a door on either side of it. Turning to the left Nixie can see a hallway that turns the corner after the second door on the wall in front of her. And into the darkness of the turn there was something. . . Cold shivers slowly crawled up her spin almost like spiders crawling all over her. The shadows seem to be swirling, but not all of them, the swirls seeming to create the shape of a creature. It was almost human like in form but something was off. But Nixie couldn’t put her thumb on it, infact she could beraly even wiggle her thumb. Her body was stiff and eyes locked, she wants to scurry away or shrink down. But she knew it was pointless because even though she didn’t see any eye she knew. It was looking right at her. But it didn’t move it just watched almost amused, as the shadows slowly creeping closer.

Just as the shadows were about to touch her the door above her splinters into pieces Brann slamming His axe into it. “Luxantra” The song of Liora sounding more like a battle cry, rings through the short hallway followed by a bright blue flash of light shoving the shadows back to the corner they come from.

“Nixie,” Throne says, kneeling next to her, concern filling his eyes. As quickly as the light has come, it dissipates, leaving the only illumination from Liora’s staff and the glowing blue rock. Nixie’s eyes still glued on the shadows. She seeing it step further into the darkness, but she knew it was still looking at them, examining them. Following her gaze, Thorne looks into the shadows, only catching a glimpse of the creature, before it disappeared further into the depths.

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🔹 Want to know how it all began?

Step back into the shadows and follow the party’s first steps—

👉 Read Part 1: Into the Keep to uncover the beginning of their journey. https://shopping-feedback.today/fiction/into-the-keep%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="1x3zcuc-StoryContent">.css-1x3zcuc-StoryContent{pointer-events:none;}