Echoes of Forgotten

Traps and Tides

The village was eerily quiet, the only sound being the soft rustling of water from a nearby underground stream. After their escape from the collapsing cave system, the group had found an abandoned underground village made entirely of stone. The walls of the cave were covered in bioluminescent fungi, casting a dim, soft glow that lit up the otherwise pitch-black space. It had now been three days since they arrived here, and no exit had been found.

They had set up camp in the middle of the village, using a stone courtyard as their base. Penrod was on watch, his bow resting lazily in his lap as he leaned against a stone pillar. Kollr was fiddling with his gauntlets, occasionally sending out harmless sparks that fizzled in the air. Fina was pacing, her beastlike claw tapping rhythmically against her palm, while Dianaim was busying herself with a collection of old books she had found.

"It's been three days," Fina said, her tone tinged with frustration. "How can there be no exit? We can't stay here forever."

Kollr looked up from his gauntlets and grinned. "Maybe there's a hidden switch somewhere. You know, like in those old stories where you pull a torch on the wall and a secret door opens."He grinned at his own joke

"Seriously?" Penrod raised an eyebrow. "You're going to suggest we start pulling on random objects hoping something will happen?"

"I mean, we’ve done crazier things, haven’t we?" Kollr replied with a laugh.

Dianaim chimed in, still flipping through her books. "He’s not entirely wrong. There could be some mechanism we're missing. These underground structures are often built with hidden passages."

Penrod shook his head, clearly unamused. "Yeah, well, I’d rather not waste time chasing after fairytales."

"Come on, lighten up, Penrod." Kollr raised his electrified gauntlet, sending a few harmless sparks in Penrod’s direction. "It’s not like we're in immediate danger or anything."

"Not in immediate danger?" Penrod crossed his arms, staring Kollr down. "In case you forgot, we’re underground in a forgotten village with no idea how to escape. How is that not dangerous?"

Dianaim chuckled softly from behind her book. "Kollr’s way of coping with stress is humor. Let him have his fun, Penrod."

Fina nodded, smirking. "Yeah, even if his ‘plans’ always involve some ridiculous idea that gets us into more trouble."

Kollr grinned. "Hey, it’s not my fault my ideas are too creative for you guys to appreciate. I mean, remember that time I suggested we—"

"—jump off a cliff to escape the wyvern?" Penrod interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, we remember."

Fina stopped pacing and glanced over at Veoford, who was sitting silently by the campfire. He had barely spoken since they arrived, his eyes constantly scanning the village as if lost in thought.

"What about you, Veo?" Fina asked, her voice softer now. "Any ideas?"

Veoford didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stood up and walked towards the edge of the camp, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. The group fell silent, watching him.

Suddenly, Veoford pointed to a building not far from them. "There," he said quietly. "That house. It’s different."

The group turned to look at the house. It was a larger structure, with what looked like a forge attached to it. Unlike the other homes, this one had a more intricate design, with carvings of strange symbols etched into the stone.

"Looks like a blacksmith’s shop," Penrod remarked, already standing and heading towards the building.

They followed him inside. The interior was dusty and abandoned, but it was clear this had once been the workshop of a skilled craftsman. Tools lay scattered across the floor, and the remnants of old, rusted weapons lined the walls.