Chapter 20 – Echoes in the Dark
The squeak of the iron lid echoed through the silent chamber as Cael pulled the lever hidden behind the old bookshelf. An ancient mechanism groaned, and the stone floor shifted, revealing a descending spiral staircase plunged into dense shadows and humidity.
"This looks... promising," remarked the Black Armored Knight, observing the passage with keen eyes.
"Promisingly stinky," Cael replied, covering his nose. "Smells like hell has its own sewage system."
"Welcome to the underground level: smells, rats, and death. In varying order," the System whispered in his mind.
With cautious steps, the two descended. The sound of dripping water echoed all around, reverberating through narrow, moss-covered corridors. The air was thick and damp; every breath carried a metallic, rusty taste, as if time itself had rotted the very air.
"Are you sure you want to explore this now?" the knight asked.
"I'm not even sure what's real, so... why not?"
"Good logic. If life is absurd, embrace the absurdity with sword in hand," the System murmured.
As they turned the first corner, Cael nearly slipped on something viscous.
"Argh... This is..."
Before he could finish, a wet sound was heard behind them. Plop, then another. From the sewer, creatures began to emerge—gelatinous, translucent blobs with glowing eyes and grotesque mouths. Slimes.
"Slimes. Of course," Cael said, drawing his sword. "It had to be."
The Black Armored Knight didn't hesitate. He leapt forward, sword in hand, spinning with precision. One slime was sliced in half, only to merge back together in seconds.
"They regenerate," the knight warned. "You have to be fast."
More sounds emerged. From the opposite side of the tunnel, furry shapes crawled out. Rats, larger than a dog, with lifeless eyes and sharp teeth.
"And now the rats. This is turning into a party."
"Surprise. Mission accepted. Objective: exterminate the Abyssal Rats. Reward: to be revealed. If you survive, of course."
"Great," Cael growled. "Couldn't you have told me that sooner?"
"And ruin the excitement?"
Cael swung his sword, stabbing a slime that was preparing to pounce. The knight provided cover on the other side, fending off waves of advancing rats.
The battle was filthy, slippery, and suffocating, but the two worked in sync. One blocked, the other struck. The slimes were slow but resilient; the rats were fast and treacherous.
After intense minutes, the enemies began to retreat—or rather, melt away. The defeated creatures dissolved into a dark sludge, leaving behind small clusters of souls.
Cael knelt, panting, and wiped his blade on the cape of a dead rat.
"That was horrible."
"It was necessary," the knight said, calmly collecting a soul.
"First wave complete. Rats 0, Cael 1. But don't put your sword away yet. There's more in the dark."
Cael looked ahead, toward the tunnels that stretched out in multiple directions. The silence slowly returned, but it felt tense... heavy.
"This is all just the beginning, isn't it?"
"Welcome to the bottom. The worst always comes after."