The marsh gave way to a jagged gorge where the earth split open like a wound. Damp stone walls rose steep and unforgiving, dripping with cold water that traced faint trails in the moss. The air grew heavier here, the scent sharp with minerals and something metallic—old blood, Mo thought, or maybe rusted iron.
Mo's boots sank into the soft mud at the gorge's mouth, and the Shamshir across his back hummed low, a barely contained power thrumming beneath the steel. He didn't have to look to know Aylen was tense beside him—her hands hovered near the hilts of her daggers, eyes flickering like hawks in the shadows.
Without a word, they pressed into the narrowing path, silence wrapping around them thick as fog. The ground beneath occasionally quaked, subtle but enough to unnerve.
Suddenly, from the gloom, a massive figure lumbered forward—its skin like cracked stone, veins glowing faintly red beneath the rough surface. It moved slow but deliberate, like a mountain waking from a long slumber.
Mo's hand slid to the Shamshir, drawing it with a fluid motion that spoke of practice and promise. The blade's azure light cut through the darkness, a sharp contrast to the dull gray rock.
The creature swung a heavy fist, and Mo barely rolled aside, mud spraying as the blow crashed into the ground where he'd stood moments before. He lunged, steel slicing along the creature's arm, sparks flaring where blade met stone.
Aylen was already moving, light and swift, weaving between the creature's legs, driving her daggers into softer joints. The beast snarled, a sound like grinding boulders scraping one another.
Mo circled, looking for weakness, feeling the pulse of the Shamshir. It wasn't just a weapon—it was a key. His eyes caught a faint fissure glowing faintly on the creature's chest, veins of light like fractured crystal.
Without hesitation, he charged, leaping onto the creature's shoulder and driving the Shamshir deep into the glowing crack. The beast convulsed, its rough skin splintering as light exploded outward in jagged lines.
With a final guttural roar, it collapsed, earth trembling beneath the weight of its fall.
Mo stepped back, chest heaving but steady, the Shamshir's glow returning to a steady pulse.
Aylen wiped grime from her face, eyes locking onto his with something close to approval.
No words were needed.
They moved forward, deeper into the cavern's shadowed maw—toward the secrets waiting just beyond the stone's cold embrace.