The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 2: Fifth Month, Part 5

The first thing Nox noticed upon his return to consciousness was the warm liquid dripping into his head.

It was dark, but his eyes slowly adjusted. He lay on the hard ground, limbs bent at awkward angles. Thankfully, they weren't broken; he could move his hands just fine, and he slowly pushed himself off the cold ground.

A drop of liquid fell on his brow. He looked up, but even his eyes couldn't see beyond five feet in the encroaching darkness. Another dropped fell, and this time he smelled the metallic stench.

Blood. But whose?

His heart hammering, Nox squinted hard then breathed a sigh of relief. It was only one of the griffon juveniles, dangling at the edge of a large piece of the rubble, half of its face gone, beak shattered.

What was it doing up there? The last thing Nox remembered was rushing to his friends' aid and—Ireela!

He whirled around hoping to catch a glimpse of his Squire, but he was alone in the darkness. He looked up again. The floor had gave in. His body hurt, but nothing seemed to be broken. If they fell beneath the hall, it must have been only a short fall. There should be an exit somewhere.

But he had to find the others first. He tried sending his thoughts to Estella. Trapped below the keep. Send help. Nox didn't know if it went through. He could only hope for a swift rescue.

Filling his lungs with air, he started walking, Erebos outstretched in front of him. He may not be able to see more than five feet in front of him, but he could still navigate in the darkness.

Nox counted his pace with each second that passed. When his Animarta struck something solid, producing a ringing sound, he paused and groped with his free hand. A rocky wall coated in slime greeted him. He took at least four minutes to reach it. The chamber was vast.

Carefully, he followed it to the left, keeping one hand on the wall while the other gripped Erebos tightly. There was no sound save for his own breathing, and no sign of his group.  Where were they? If they had fallen together—and he remembered that they did—they should just be nearby.

His fingers slipped from the wall a moment later. Air wafted from within it, cool and earthy. A tunnel.

He proceeded slowly, his footsteps echoing around him. Where the tunnel led, he didn't know. But it was the only way he could go for now. It might take him to the others.

As he went on, he noticed a faint orange glow ahead. It wavered, but when he drew closer, it solidified into the solid images of burning torches, illuminating the smooth walls on either side. This must be part of the fortress. Torma was right; there was a passage somewhere.

Still, Nox wasn't sure if it led outside. But at least he no longer had to navigate in the dark. It would be easier finding Ireela and the others.

The tunnel continued for a hundred paces. Nox sensed a chamber at the end. He wasn't good at drawing maps, but it was a starting point. He could make his way from there.

Upon entering, he scanned the room. Torches also burned here. Odd. The fortress had long been abandoned. Either the torches were enchanted to keep burning for eternity... or someone was maintaining them.

Both explanations didn't sound reassuring.

He crept forward. The passageway in front of him merged with a flight of stairs that disappeared around a bend. It probably led to the surface. But he had to find Ireela and the others first.

There was another tunnel to his left, the opening nothing but yawning darkness. Nox didn't see any other tunnel. Adjusting his grip on Erebos, he approached the entrance.