The beam from the flashlight was a dying pulse. It flickered and dimmed, casting long, dancing shadows that writhed like living things on the curved tunnel walls. Each step they took was a gamble, a step further into a darkness that was becoming more permanent by the second.
"It's not going to last much longer," Ben stated the obvious, his voice flat with exhaustion and dread. He gave the flashlight a hard shake, and the beam flared brightly for a moment before shrinking back to a pathetic, yellow glow.
"We just have to hope we're close," Elara said, her voice trying for a confidence she didn't feel.
Kai said nothing. He walked at the front, his saber held in a low guard, his senses stretched to their absolute limit. Without his shield, he felt exposed, vulnerable. His new acid resistance was a comfort, but it wouldn't do anything against claws or teeth. He kept his Observe skill active, but it was like trying to see through a thick fog; the weak light gave it almost nothing to work with.
Then, the sound started.
It was different from the wet, dragging noise of the Sludge. This was a dry, sharp, skittering sound. The click of hard points on concrete. It was fast, and it wasn't coming from the path ahead. It was coming from the walls. And the ceiling.
Kai stopped dead, raising a hand. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Elara whispered.
Ben shook the flashlight again. In the brief, brighter flare of light, they saw them. For less than a second, the beam illuminated dozens of pale, insectoid creatures clinging to the pipes on the ceiling. They were each about the size of a cat, with long, spidery legs and bodies like flattened cockroaches. They had no visible eyes, only a pair of twitching antennae that swept the air. As the light hit them, they froze, then scattered back into the shadows with impossible speed.
And then, the flashlight died.
The darkness that slammed down on them was total. The loss was so sudden and complete it felt like a physical blow. Elara let out a small, terrified gasp.
"Don't move," Kai commanded, his voice a low, steady anchor in the terrifying blackness. "Don't make a sound."
The skittering started again, no longer just a few exploratory clicks, but a cascade of sharp, scraping sounds. They were moving, descending the walls, closing in. Kai could hear them dropping onto the walkway on all sides, their hard little feet tapping on the concrete. They were surrounded.
"Back to back," Kai ordered. "Form a triangle. Now."
He felt Elara and Ben shuffle until their backs pressed against his. He could feel them trembling. In the pitch black, his vision was useless. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to rely on his other senses, on the faint hum of the swordsman's echo in his mind.
A sharp hiss came from his left. He reacted without thinking, his body moving on pure instinct. He lunged sideways, his saber slicing through the empty air where the sound had been. He felt a brief, jarring impact as his blade connected with something solid, followed by a high-pitched shriek of pain and the wet thump of a body hitting the floor.
[You have slain a Level 3 Tunnel Crawler.]
[XP Gained: 30]
[XP: 425/600]
The notification was a flash of confirmation in his mind, but it was immediately drowned out by the sound of a dozen more hisses. They attacked, a wave of unseen bodies and clicking claws.
The next few minutes were a blur of pure chaos. Kai fought in a whirlwind of steel, relying entirely on sound and the preternatural instincts granted by his skill. A skitter to his right, a parry. A hiss from behind, a backward thrust. He was no longer a frightened kid from a curio shop; he was a blind swordsman, his blade an extension of his will, his world reduced to the sounds of the enemy and the feel of his blade finding its mark.
He felt a sharp pain in his leg and grunted, stumbling. One had gotten through. He spun and cut downward, slicing his attacker in half.
Beside him, he heard the solid thwack of Elara's tire iron connecting with something, followed by an angry shriek. Ben was yelling, a mixture of fear and rage, as he swung the dead flashlight like a mace. They were holding their own, but they were being overwhelmed.
Then, through the cacophony, Kai saw it. Or rather, he sensed it. Far down the tunnel, a faint, straight line of dim gray light appeared. The exit grate. Hope.
"The grate!" he yelled. "I see the grate! We have to run for it!"
He shoved Elara and Ben forward. "Go! I'll cover you!"
He turned to face the skittering horde, planting his feet. He swung his saber in a wide, horizontal arc, forcing the creatures back. For a moment, they hesitated, their eyeless forms confused by the sudden, aggressive movement.
It was the opening they needed. Ben and Elara scrambled away, splashing through the water as they ran towards the distant light. Kai backed away slowly, his saber held ready, a one-man rear guard against the children of the dark. The Crawlers, unwilling to let their prey escape, surged after them.
Kai turned and ran, his