Echoes of Forgotten

Beneath the roar

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon as the group continued their journey, moving through the vast open plain beyond the collapsed canyon. The cool morning air carried the scent of earth and distant foliage, and for a moment, there was peace. Fina led the way, her sharp eyes scanning the landscape for any potential threats. Kollr walked just behind her, while Penrod and Dianaim followed, with Veoford trailing quietly at the back of the group.

Penrod stretched his arms, feeling the stiffness from the previous day's battle. His gaze wandered to Kollr, who was cleaning his gauntlets as they walked. "Hey, Kollr, what exactly do you feed those gauntlets to keep them sparking like that?" Penrod joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Kollr smirked but didn't look back. "A steady diet of ants, apparently."

Fina chuckled, shaking her head. "Seems like they had more of a taste for us than you did for them."

"Yeah, well, I'm not planning on becoming their breakfast," Penrod said, grinning. "But seriously, I've been thinking. That shot I fired back there... I've never felt anything like that before."

"Lightning's a wild beast to tame," Kollr said, glancing at Penrod. "It's a good thing Veoford knew what he was doing, or you might've ended up charred."

Penrod nodded, his expression growing more thoughtful. "It wasn't just the lightning. It was... I don't know how to describe it. There was something more to it. I felt it in my bones. It was like I could control the energy in a way I've never been able to before."

Dianaim, who had been quietly listening, raised an eyebrow. "You're saying you could control the magic itself?"

Penrod shrugged. "Sort of. But it wasn't just magic. It was like Veoford unlocked something in me."

"You're not a mage, though," Kollr pointed out.

"No, I'm not," Penrod admitted. "But... maybe I could learn."

Kollr gave him a sidelong glance. "Don't get too cocky. Magic's not something you just pick up because you had one good shot."

Before Penrod could respond, Veoford abruptly stopped, causing the rest of the group to halt in their tracks. His eyes were focused on something ahead.

"Veo?" Fina asked, her voice cautious.

Without saying a word, Veoford pointed toward the top of the canyon walls to their left. The others followed his gaze and froze.

There, nestled in the crags of the mountains, was a sprawling wyvern nest. Dozens of the massive creatures lay huddled together, their scaled bodies pressed close as they slept. The flock was large, much larger than any of them had anticipated.

"Great," Penrod whispered. "Just what we needed. A whole flock of sleeping wyverns."

"We'll need to move slowly," Dianaim said, her voice tense. "If they wake up, we'll have more than just a bad day."

The group began to tread lightly, trying not to disturb the earth beneath them. But as they crept forward, the ground beneath them began to tremble, subtly at first, but then growing into a violent quake.

"What now?" Fina muttered.

Suddenly, the ground erupted with a deafening roar as a massive creature burst forth. Dirt and stone flew in all directions as a gigantic centipede-like creature rose from the earth, its segmented body gleaming with an oily sheen. Its jaws clicked menacingly as it reared back, preparing to strike.

"I've read about these in The Beasts of the Underworld. They're burrowers, usually found deep underground, but something must've drawn it to the surface."