The oppressive silence hung heavy in the air, as though the very stones of Hollowdeep were holding their breath. Sigma's crimson gaze bored into me like twin embers, his presence radiating a dark, suffocating pressure that made my skin crawl. Behind him, the ash-skinned creatures stood motionless, as though waiting for his signal.
Arya shifted slightly at my side, her dagger glinting faintly as she readied herself to strike. On my other side, Soren's knuckles whitened around his twin swords, his usual smug expression replaced by something cold and deadly serious.
I didn't lower my blade.
Not for him. Not for anyone.
Sigma tilted his head slightly, a mocking smile playing across his lips.
"You're stronger than I expected," he said finally, his voice as smooth and cold as steel. "I saw the spark in you the moment you defied me at the tower. But you still don't understand, do you? You're fighting a battle that was lost long before you were even born."
I forced myself to speak, though my throat felt like it was lined with gravel.
"Maybe," I said evenly. "But that doesn't mean I stop swinging my sword."
That earned a faint chuckle from him—low and humorless.
"Good," he murmured. "Keep that fire alive. You'll need it."
Then, without another word, he turned and vanished into the shadows.
Just like that, the tension in the cavern broke.
The ash-skinned creatures hissed in unison and began to retreat, melting back into the dark tunnels until only silence remained.
For a long moment, none of us moved.
Then Arya exhaled shakily.
"Well," she muttered, sheathing her dagger. "That was… unsettling."
"That bastard," Soren growled. "He could've ordered them to tear us apart, and we wouldn't have stood a chance. He let us live… for now."
I didn't answer.
Because I already knew.
This wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
---
We made camp deeper in the tunnels that night, using one of the abandoned scout outposts we'd passed on the way down. The walls were still blackened with soot from some ancient fire, and the air was damp and bitter.
Arya sat by the meager fire, sharpening her dagger with methodical precision. Her hands moved steadily, but her eyes kept flicking to me.
"Lynn," she said at last, her voice low.
I looked up.
"That man," she continued. "Sigma. You knew him. Didn't you?"
I hesitated.
And then nodded.
"From the tower," I said. "He was waiting for us there, too. Like he already knew where we'd be."
Arya's brow furrowed.
"And now he's here. Leading those things. It's no coincidence."
"No," I agreed grimly. "It's not."
Soren leaned back against the wall, arms crossed.
"Then who is he? Some kind of mage? A general? What?"
I shook my head.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But… there's something about him. Something familiar. Like I've seen him before. Long before the tower."
The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
"Whatever he is," Arya said firmly, "we can't let him shake us. We finish what we came here to do. We find out what's killing our scouts. We bring back proof. Then we deal with him."
I nodded slowly.
Because what else could I do?
---
The next day, we pressed deeper into Hollowdeep.
The tunnels grew narrower and steeper, the air colder with each step. Strange runes glowed faintly on the walls, their meaning lost to time. Once, we passed a massive cavern filled with shattered statues and collapsed pillars, as though some ancient temple had been swallowed whole by the earth.
We moved cautiously, every sound amplified by the silence.
It wasn't long before we found our first clue.
The path ahead was choked with rubble, but through a narrow gap we could see a makeshift camp—torn bedrolls, broken lanterns, dried blood.
Soren crouched down, inspecting the ground.
"Recent," he muttered. "Maybe a day old. Whoever was here didn't leave voluntarily."
Arya pointed to a deep groove in the stone, leading away from the camp.
"Dragged," she said flatly.
We followed the trail.
---
It led us to a vast subterranean chamber, the ceiling so high it disappeared into shadow. Faint blue light filtered down from cracks above, illuminating a grim tableau.
Dozens of ash-skinned creatures knelt in a rough circle, chanting in their guttural language. In the center of the circle, suspended above a pit by chains, hung one of the missing scouts. His armor was cracked, his face bloodied, his eyes wide with terror.
Before we could react, a figure stepped forward.
Not Sigma.
This one was smaller, draped in dark robes, its hood concealing its face. It raised a jagged obsidian dagger and began to speak, its voice a rasping hiss.
A ritual.
They were going to sacrifice him.
I didn't think.
I just moved.
---
The moment my foot hit the stone floor, the creatures turned as one, hissing and screeching.
Soren was right behind me, his swords flashing in the dim light.
Arya vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind one of the robed figures to drive her dagger into its back.
I cut down two of the creatures as they lunged at me, their blades sparking against mine.
Soren fought like a whirlwind, his twin swords carving a path through the mob.
Arya slipped between them, her movements precise and deadly.
We fought our way to the center of the circle, where the scout still hung.
I swung my blade, severing the chain with a single strike.
The scout collapsed into my arms, gasping for breath but alive.
"Go!" I shouted. "Run!"
He staggered toward the tunnel, clutching his side.
We turned to follow—
And froze.
The hooded figure still stood there, unmoving, its face hidden.
Then it raised its head.
And I saw what lay beneath the hood.
Not a face.
A mask of black metal, featureless except for two burning red slits where eyes should have been.
"Impressive," it rasped.
Then it raised its dagger.
And the chamber began to shake.
---
The ground split open, and a massive clawed hand erupted from the pit.
A creature unlike anything I'd ever seen hauled itself up—a hulking monstrosity of stone and shadow, its maw filled with jagged teeth, its body wreathed in dark fire.
It roared, and the very walls trembled.
The robed figure pointed at us.
"Kill them all."
The creature lunged.
And the world became nothing but fire and steel.