Thanatos's Curse

Nine: The Investigation

Caine slowly struck an arm out, to halt the soldiers from walking any further. His expression did not waver the slightest. Neither did Audrina's

Kaida couldn't help but gulp in nervousness and dread. Chills ran through her spine, and her hands began to shake and feel clammy. But, she quietly inhaled, then exhaled. Now wasn't the time. Her eyes wandered to Yukio, who tried keeping a stoic and hard face. But she knew he was just as scared as she was, seeing this horrid beast blocking their path.

"You and your group will venture on. My soldiers and I will distract the beast. Go." Audrina unsheathed her broadsword, the silver blade glinting through the fog.  Caine nodded, then turned to the other soldiers to give them the orders through hand signs. Kaida and Yukio didn't understand, but the soldiers behind knew exactly what to do.

And with that, Audrina charged with a silent battle cry, readying her sword for the first slash. Her soldiers followed suit, surrounding the beast. Caine and the others ran around the battle scene, and further into the village.

Everything was happening in a blur. Kaida could only will herself to follow Caine and the others through the stone path. She still kept a hand on one of her dual blades.

Suddenly, they found Aunt Li’s pagoda, untouched and unharmed. Kaida narrowed her brows. All the buildings around them were dilapidated and crumbled to rubble. The damage was probably in the back.

Caine led the way towards the back of the pagoda, and it was how Kaida predicted. Large masses of earth scattered the grounds. As she and Yukio peered into the pathway, there was nothing but blackness. It was silent, eerily quiet.

“Before we enter, one soldier from each row will ignite their torch. Do not make any noises that will bring attention to us.” Caine turned to the group, holding up his own torch.

“What if we die?” A soldier whispered meekly, her lip quivering with the slightest shake.

“Then we die for our cause. We die with justice.” He spoke with a ringing voice. At once, the soldiers seemed to straighten themselves, their faces becoming more confident, more steady. Kaida and Yukio looked at each other, then exchanged a nod. This was to prepare for the worse.

They entered the pathway, Caine and the other soldiers igniting their  torches by quickly running it over the ground, friction starting the spark of fire. The twins simply held a hand out and kept a steady fire going with their qi.

The atmosphere was dark and murky. Suddenly, as everyone walked into the tunnel, the doors slammed close with a ear-ringing shut. Kaida’s breath hitched. It was too late to go back. Now, they needed to move forward no matter what.

“Keep your eyes forward Kaida. Don’t look back.” Yukio whispered.

Even with the dim light of the fire, she could see his skin took on a pale color. He was frightened to the core. Yet, weren’t they all? They all feared for their lives, and no one could dare imagine what evil was ahead of them.

Only Kaida knew what he looked like. Thanatos. He was something she never wanted to see again. He probably pitied her so, a quick death would befit her situation. But she would not succumb to those nightmares, his haunting.

As they ventured deeper into the tunnel, it began to get harder to breath. The dank and damp oxygen left in the darkness made her nauseous, made her dizzy. She could see its effects on the people around her. Even Caine looked like he wasn’t holding up as well as before. But she could feel vibrations under her feet, tiny tremors that sent shivers through her spine.

Not one person spoke in the tunnel, too concentrated on looking out for any demons or monsters that lay about in the dark tunnel. Kaida couldn’t help but wonder how Audrina and her group were doing, or the groups that had traveled to Xiantian or Jianli. Lives would be lost, and that was to be expected. But would their victory be lost as well?