Kihra had hardly been able to get any sleep that night. Ever since yesterday, her mind had been occupied by thoughts of her trip to the ruins, and she had barely been able to contain her excitement at the idea of finally going on her first real adventure. Well, perhaps calling it an “adventure” might be a bit of a stretch, but it was no less exciting; if she does this, it would be the furthest she’d ever ventured from home on her own.
It was around early morning (or at least she thought it was early morning) when she heard Mar leave the dwelling. When she was sure the coast was clear, Kihra finally emerged from her room, grabbing the small supply pack she’d prepared the night before as she left. As she made to leave, Kihra found herself stopping at the entrance, her thoughts turning to what may lie ahead for her. She had no idea what she might find at the ruins, or what to expect from their unexpected visitor, and the thought of it all was starting to make her feel uneasy.
Well, no point standing here worrying, Kihra thought to herself, pushing her anxious thoughts down. Steeling herself, she opened the door, and stepped outside.
The cavern outside the dwelling was almost completely silent, the faint echo of Kihra’s footsteps being the only sound. Recalling the directions Meenka had shown her the previous day, she began to make her way down the nearby tunnel. She had elected not to bring a lightsource for fear of giving herself away, trusting instead in her own ability to navigate the dark tunnels by feeling and what she could see in the limited light of the occasional patch of glowing fungi. Slowly but surely, she picked her way down the path, hoping she wasn’t too far behind Mar and the others.
Eventually, Kihra reached her destination: a gap in the wall of the tunnel, large enough for someone of average height to walk through. She recalled Mar mentioning something about this passage possibly having formed from a collapse of some sort from just before his arrival in the area, and that it was through exploring this passage that he had first discovered the ruins. Peering down the passage, Kihra could see it was shrouded in darkness, not a trace of light to be seen further in. Pausing briefly to get her bearings, she slowly made her way into the tunnel, feeling her way along the wall as she went.
She’d only been walking for a few minutes when she picked up the faintest glow of light from a corner up ahead. Following the glow, Kihra soon emerged into a wider passage. Further ahead she could spot what appeared to be a small campsite, with a small crystal lantern at its center. Meenka had told her she’d be waiting here for her to guide her the rest of the way. Keeping to the shadows, she crept up to the encampment, watching for signs of activity from within. Drawing closer, she saw that the site was completely empty, not a trace of anyone to be seen, including Meenka.
Am I too late? Kihra worried, Did she go ahead without me? At this point, she began to worry about what to do next. Perhaps it might be better at this point to turn back home. Then again, she did come out all this way, perhaps she could still catch up to them-
A sudden tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts. Kihra turned around with a yelp, quickly clapping her hands over her mouth as she heard her voice faintly echo off the cave walls. To her relief, she was greeted by the sight of Meenka, a mischievous smile on her face.
“Took ya long enough,” Meenka said playfully, “I was starting to think you’d changed your mind.”
Composing herself, Kihra quickly shook her head in response, “I’ve made up my mind, and I’m seeing this through.”
“Alright, noted,” Meenka replied, turning to head deeper into the cavern, “C’mon, the others aren’t much farther, and I’d rather not keep them waiting too long.”
Kihra nodded in agreement, quickly following after Meenka. While she still felt somewhat nervous about what she might face, she felt a bit more at ease now that she had some company.
It wasn’t long before the two of them emerged into a large cavern, sparsely lit by patches of glowing fungi and the occasional crystalline cluster, as well as the trail of lanterns leading in. On the other side of the cavern stood a large stone structure, completely out of place within its environment, the white stone and silvery metal of its construction appearing to glow in the dim light. Perhaps the most striking feature, however, was the large gate in the middle of the structure, its size evident even from this distance. From where they stood, Kihra could make out a group of figures standing by the door, though she couldn’t make out much more in such little light from so far off.
“There should be a good spot over there that should give you a good view”, said Meenka, pointing out a ledge near the ruins, “Just try to keep out of sight and not draw attention to yourself.”
Kihra gave a quick, affirmative nod, “Thanks again for all of this,” she said.
“Don’t mention it, really,” Meenka replied, already turning to head down the path, “Just stay safe.”
With that, Kihra made her way towards the ruins, making sure to keep herself low to the ground and clear of the light. It wasn’t long before she found herself at the ledge, slowly creeping up to the edge and peering over. Looking down, she could more clearly make out the group gathered at the gates, identifying four Murae like her master and - somewhat to her surprise - two Humans. As she saw Meenka approach them, giving an excuse of having left something behind at the camp, Kihra guessed that this must be the crew she’d mentioned before.
There were, however, two figures that demanded Kihra's full attention. Standing before the large stone doors to the ruins, which stood nearly three times the height of a man with the images of two elven figures carved into them, she quickly spotted Mar, his well-worn coat easily distinguishing. Standing next to him was a figure she didn’t recognise, their red scales, dark mane, and backwards-facing horns making them a near spitting image of the ancient Dragons. Their finely made robes marked them as some sort of scholar, and he appeared to be studying the entrance intently.
“And you are certain of this?” Kihra heard the figure ask Mar, their voice sounding low at their current distance.
“Indeed,” Mar replied, “In all of our excursions, this is the closest we’ve yet come to breaching the interior of these ruins.”
Kihra reasoned that this other scholar must be Talsath. She didn’t know much about the Drakai outside of their shared Draconic heritage, but she knew they rarely ventured far from their homeland without good reason. Just what could be so important in these ruins that would draw him all the way out here?
“And how is that so, pray tell?” Talsath asked, his voice tinged with scepticism.
“Because now, we have this,” Mar answered, reaching into his pack and pulling out what appeared to be some sort of stone tablet. While she was too far away to make out any finer details, she could still see there was some sort of design engraved on it.
“This, Mar continued, “was found within a small cave not far from here, buried under rubble that seemed to match the architecture of these ruins. Had I not expanded my search so far from the ruins site, I might never have found it. I’d initially taken it to be a record from within the vault itself until-”
“I’m afraid I don’t have time for a history lesson,” Talsath interrupted, “Just how, precisely, is this tablet meant to grant us entrance to this vault?”
“Of course, my apologies,” Mar replied, moving closer to the door, “Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the markings on the tablet bore a strong resemblance to those found here,” he continued, gesturing towards the angular markings surrounding the figures on the door, “This, combined with its unusual construction, would indicate that this stone was meant to serve as a key of sorts, and considering how whatever enchantments the Ithyrian Elves had worked into the construction of this vault had thwarted our every other attempt at gaining entry, I believe this may be our best hope of making any further progress.”
Kihra couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement upon hearing this. For as long as she’d known Mar, uncovering the secrets of those ruins had been his greatest ambition, and now she’s here to witness it! Slowly and carefully, she moved towards another ledge below her, hoping to get a better vantage point over the scene below.
“About time,” she heard one of the crew members, a Murae with brown fur, chime in, “Whatever those Elves have stashed away in there had better be worth all this trouble.”
“I understand your concerns,” Mar answered, “but I can assure you you’ll all be compensated for your assistance.”
“Indeed,” Talsath added, “as per our agreement, you’ll be welcomed to whatever spoils may be recovered from here, within reason of course-”
The feeling of her foothold suddenly giving way beneath her snapped Kihra’s attention back to the present. Her claws frantically scrabbled against the rock face in a desperate attempt to stop her descent, but it was too late. Tumbling down the slope, she landed on the ground with an audible oomph, her pack landing next to her shortly afterwards, some of its contents spilling out. With a small grunt, she pulled herself up onto her knees, dusting herself off. It was at this moment that she became aware of how exposed she now was with the loss of her hiding place. Turning, she felt her heart sink as she saw the entire group’s attention had shifted to her, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.
“Oi, who are you and what are you doing here?” demanded a human with short, dark hair, striding over to her.
“I-I…I…uh…” Kihra stammered out, frozen in place. While she knew the risks when she set out, she was still wholly unprepared for the possibility of getting caught. How was she supposed to talk her way out of-
“Kihra!?”
Turning towards the voice, Kihra was greeted by the sight of her master approaching her, a look of shock spread across his face.
“What are you doing here?” Mar asked, “How did you even find us?”
As nerve-wracking as her current situation already was, being confronted by her master somehow felt even worse. Well, no avoiding it now, Kihra thought to herself, “I-”
“I told her,” Meenka interrupted to the surprise of Meenka and her crew's surprise, “I showed her how to find this place.”
“And when were you planning to tell us someone else in on this?” Demanded a white furred Murae.
“It wasn’t her fault!” Kihra finally managed to speak up, “I made her tell me how to get here, it was my idea to do this.”
“Am I to take it that you know our guest?” Talsath asked Mar.
“Yes, she is my apprentice,” repliedMar, turning to face Kihra before continuing, “although I assumed she would have been back at the house right now.”
“I know,” Kihra replied, looking down to avoid his gaze, “I just…I couldn’t stand being left behind again, so I followed you.”
She heard Mar give a short sigh before speaking, “Kihra,” he said, “we’ve been over this, you are not ready for something like this. I don’t want you putting yourself in harm's way just to satisfy your curiosity.”
Kihra continued looking away, her guilt keeping her from meeting Mar’s gaze. As much as she’d claimed to be doing this out of concern for her master's well-being, a small, selfish part of her had still wanted to prove she could keep up with him. “I’m sorry,” she responded quietly.
“I’ll take her back to the house,” Meenka said, “I’m responsible for her being here, I should make sure she gets back safe.” She turned and gave Kihra an apologetic look, “C’mon, let get you back-”
“No,” Talsath interrupted, “she is welcome to join us.”
Kihra's attention immediately turned to Talsath in shock at his words. At first she thought she’d imagined his statement, but the shocked looks of almost everyone around her confirmed it to be true.
“That is…very generous of you to say,” Mar replied, “but she is still inexperienced in matters such as this, I do not wish to endanger her-“
“Nonsense,” Talsath cut him off, “I can assure you she will be perfectly safe with us. Besides,” he turned to face Kihra before continuing, “I’ve always found experience to be the best teacher for these things.”
Kihra wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She didn’t know what to expect from Talsath, but it certainly wasn’t him being so receptive to her joining this excursion, and neither did the rest of the crew, for that matter. “I don’t know,” Kira responded, “I don’t want to be in the way…”
“Not at all,” Talsath replied, a slight tinge of amusement in his voice, “there won’t be any disruptions to the expedition as a result of your presence, I assure you,” He glanced back at the rest of the crew as he spoke as if to address them directly, before turning his attention back to Kihra, “Of course, the decision is yours to make.”
Kihra wasn’t quite sure what to make of this turn of events. She certainly wasn’t expecting Talsath of all people to be so open to her joining in on this excursion, and it didn’t do much to assuage her initial suspicions of him. On the other hand, going along with this would be her best chance at keeping an eye on him. It may even be her only chance at proving herself capable of being a part of something like this. It didn’t take long for her to reach her decision…
“Alright, I’ll go with you.”
“Splendid,” Talsath replied with a small, satisfied smile before turning back to Mar, “Now that that has been settled,” he continued, “you were saying something about a key?”
“Yes, of course,” replied Mar, “right this way.” With that, he turned to make his way back to the gate, pausing to give a brief glance back at Kira. She couldn’t quite tell if his expression was one of worry, or disappointment. As Mar approached the gate, Kihra noticed an indentation between the two carved figures that, on closer inspection, appeared to be similar in size and shape to the tablet he was carrying.
“Please let this work,” she heard Mar mutter to himself apprehensively as he raised the tablet to the indentation and pressed it in. A brief moment after the tablet had slid into place, its surface changed from its original stony texture to a more glassy one, a strange deep blue mist gently moving beneath its surface. Mar paused at this, seemingly amazed to have gotten any sort of reaction from the artifact, and Kira herself was in awe at what she saw, she’d never even heard of any material that could do something like that. After a moment’s hesitation, Mar raised a hand to the tablet and began to slowly trace a finger across its surface, leaving a light blue trail that formed a strange symbol as he went.
As soon as he finished tracing the final line, the glow of the symbol brightened, with the surrounding carvings on the door taking on a similar glow. A few moments passed before a loud, rumbling click broke the silence, causing Kihra and a few others to jump back in surprise. The two halves of the door slid apart with the sound of scraping stone, eventually coming to a stop with a boom. Beyond the threshold, a large hall can be seen, its interior appearing nearly untouched in the light from outside and disappearing into darkness further down.
Kihra stared in awe at the entrance for several long moments. Eventually, she managed to pull her gaze away from the door and towards the rest of the group. While everyone present seemed just as shocked, none appeared to be more so than Mar.
“I…I can’t believe it,” said Mar, his expression slowly changing from amazement to joy, “It worked. It really worked!”
“Incredible,” said Talsath, a pleased expression on his face, “This is even better than I had hoped.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” replied Mar, practically beaming with excitement, “shall we proceed, or should we head back to-”
“Of course,” Talsath cut him off, “I believe we’ve waited long enough for this. I wish to begin surveying this vault as soon as possible.”
“Oh, I suppose you’re right about that,” replied Mar, somewhat caught off guard by his hastiness, “very well then, let’s proceed.”
Satisfied with his answer, Talsath turned to address the rest of the crew. “Gather your equipment and be ready to move,” he ordered, “and do be mindful not to cause too much disruption within the vault. If this goes well, I can promise you’ll all be rewarded handsomely at the end of this.” With that, he turned back towards the entrance, stopping briefly to address Kihra. “That goes for you as well, assuming you haven’t changed your mind?”
Kihra shook her head, “No, I’m coming with you.”
Talsath gave a small smile at her answer before continuing towards the entrance. Mar, on the other hand, lagged behind, giving her a look of concern. Kihra couldn’t help but droop her ears in shame.
“Don’t worry boss,” Meenka chimed in reassuringly, “I’ll keep an eye on her for ya.”
Mar’s expression seemed to soften at this. “Thank you,” he replied. As he turned towards the entrance, he paused for a moment to briefly address Kihra. “Please stay close.”
Kihra gave a quick nod. “I will.”
Satisfied, Mar turned and headed towards the entrance, Kihra and Meenka following behind. “Sorry for causing you so much trouble,” she apologized quietly to Meenka.
“Aw, think nothing ‘bout it,” Meenka reassured, “It was bound to happen at some point, I suppose. And besides,” she added with a smile, “this should be more fun with you here.”
Her spirits brightened a bit, Kihra turned her attention back to the vault ahead. Now that they were inside, she couldn’t help but be struck by just how large the interior seemed compared to the entrance, and more so by just how immaculate it seemed. The floors, walls, and ceiling of the hall had bare a single crack in them, and the markings and engravings along the walls remained clear even after what must have been thousands of years. Ahead, the hall appeared to disappear into darkness beyond the torchlight, and she could feel a slight downward slope in the floor. Already, all of the worries she’d felt earlier had been replaced with a growing sense of excitement at what might lie further in.
As they proceeded, Kihra found her gaze drawn to something standing along the wall. In the light of the torches, she saw what appeared to be a large statue that stood at least a head taller than even the tallest members of the group, the light glinting off of the silvery metal mixed in with the stonework. The statue itself had a slender, humanoid shape, a face that vaguely resembled a bird she had read about called an “owl”, and appeared to be missing its left arm, the remaining one ending in a large blade below the elbow. Further down, Kihra could see at least five similar figures either slumped against the walls, or lying on the ground, all in various states of disrepair.
“Fascinating,” said Mar, stopping to examine the construct, “I had assumed we would encounter a Guardian here, though I had not expected to find one in such good condition.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” said one of the crew, a human, “thing’s givin’ me the creeps.”
“Yeah, feels like this thing’s watching us,” said Meenka, a worried tone in her voice, “It’s not one of those ‘defences’ you were talking about earlier, is it?”
“Indeed it is,” replied Mar, seemingly not as concerned as the others, “although, fortunately, whatever force was responsible for sinking this structure appears to have destroyed or rendered these constructs inoperable. That being said, it would be wise not to tamper with any of them.”
“Indeed,” replied Talsath, “Shall we move on then? There should be plenty more to find further in.”
“Yes, of course,” replied Mar, “Do be careful everyone, we don’t know what other defences may have survived all this time.”
The group slowly continued deeper into the vault, keeping a watchful eye out for any further hazards, though fortunately no more were found. Kihra, however, was more focused on taking in the sights around her. All along the walls were more carvings like the ones on the entrance, some depicting more elven figures, others portraying various scenes of cities and landscapes she’d never seen before. It seemed she wasn’t the only one interested in these markings either, as Mar was eagerly examining each image they passed by. She made a mental note to ask him about these when they got back home.
Kihra was so absorbed in her observations she almost didn’t realize that the group had come to a stop. Looking ahead, she saw a large pile of rubble filling the hall before them, completely blocking all forward progress.
“Oh dear,” she heard Mar sigh next to her, “it would seem the vault has not held up quite as well as I’d hoped.”
“So what now?” asked the brown furred Murae with some annoyance, “Can’t one of you two use some of your fancy magics to move all this, or should we get the blasting powder ready?”
“No,” Mar replied quickly, “We do not know how extensive the damage to this area is. For all we know, this rubble could be supporting the ceiling here, if we were to attempt to move or damage it, we risk causing a cave in.”
“So you’re saying we’ve hit a dead end?” One of the humans chimed in, “We just turn back here and give up?”
“No,” Talsath responded somewhat forcefully, “There’s always a way forward, we just have to find it.”
“While I share in your determination, I’m afraid there truly is no other option,” Mar replied, “Even if we were able to get past this obstruction, we do not know what might be lying on the other side. We are already fortunate enough to have made it this far without incident, we should return to camp and consider our options-”
“We have delayed too long in this endeavour already,” Talsath interrupted, turning to face Mar, “I have it in good faith that something of value to my peers may lay within this vault, and I refuse to leave here empty handed. We will find a way past this obstruction, and we are not leaving until we have done so.”
Listening to the conversation, Kihra felt her nervousness from before creeping back in. While the sudden intensity Talsath had begun to show was enough on its own to set her on edge, she was more worried about what it was he was looking for. What could be in here that he’d be so desperate to find?
“Don’t mean to interrupt anything,” Meenka spoke up, drawing the attention of all present, “but I think I might’ve found your way forward.”
Looking over, Kihra saw Meenka kneeling by the base of the rubble, holding her torch to a gap she hadn’t noticed before. Kneeling down herself to take a look, she could see a narrow passage passing directly beneath the rubble, the light of the torch revealing what appeared to be the rest of the hallway on the other side.
“You must be joking,” said one of the dark furred Murae, “None of us here can squeeze through there, it’s impossible!”
“Not true,” replied one of the light furred Murae with a small sneer, turning their gaze towards Kihra and Meenka as he spoke, “two of us can.”
“Eh?!” Meenka started, jumping up to her feet, “I didn’t agree to this. And why’ve you gotta drag her into this?”
“If you want your share of the reward you will,” replied one of the humans, “ And besides, many hands and all, right?”
Talsath nodded in approval. “Very well,” he said, his tone now somewhat more relaxed than before, “it would seem we have our solution, then.”
“Absolutely not!” Mar spoke up, striding up to Talsath, “I won’t let them be sent in there alone, it’s too dangerous!”
“If you have any other suggestions to circumvent this obstacle, you are most welcome to share,” Talsath snapped back, “We are getting past this, one way or another.”
“Wait!” Kihra finally managed to speak up, drawing looks from both Mar and Talsath, “Mar’s right. I…I don’t think I can go any further.” Some part of her deep down did want to try and press on, but Mars' words rang true; She had no idea what might lie further into the ruins beyond this obstruction, and she was seriously doubtful about her ability to defend herself if she ran into trouble. And though she wouldn’t say it out loud in present company, the obsession Talsath showed in finding something of value here had brought her earlier sense of apprehension back in force.
“Much as I’d hate to walk away from a job like this, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to side with her on this,” said Meenka, “I ain’t riskin’ my life over some dusty old relics.”
Mar gave them both a slight nod, appearing slightly relieved, before turning back to Talsath. “That settles it then,” he said.
Talsath silently regarded the group for a moment, eventually giving a somewhat resigned sigh. “Very well,” he said, glancing over to the dark furred Murae behind Mar.
Mar’s expression changed to one of confusion and alarm as the other Murae roughly grabbed him by the shoulder, while one of the humans moved to close a set of manacles over his wrist.
“Master!” Kihra cried out as she made to rush to Mar’s side, only to stop as the lighter furred Murae stepped in front of her. Even from where she was standing, she could feel an unsettling presence emanating from the manacles.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this!?” Mar exclaimed.
“I’ve told you before, I am not leaving here empty handed,” Talsath replied calmly, “and I cannot allow anyone else to know of this place before our work here is finished.”
“Hey wait a minute, I didn’t sign on for this!” Meenka exclaimed, “I thought this was just supposed to be a delve, not a kidnapping!”
“And it still is,” Talsath responded, “provided you continue to focus on your task. And considering the presence of our uninvited guest here is your doing, I would suggest treading very carefully.”
“Wait please!” Kihra cried out, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this! We won’t say anything, I swear! Just let us go!”
Talsath regarded Kihra for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he gave a small smile, his expression relaxing slightly.
“Very well,” Talsath responded, his tone softened slightly, “I understand, you could not have possibly known how vital our work here is, you are not at fault here. In fact, we may be able to reach an arrangement.”
“W-what do you mean?” Kihra asked, Talsath's calm demeanour having done nothing to assuage her fears.
Talsath simply nodded back towards the rubble. “Our original plan still stands,” he responded, “There should be a veritable hoard of relics further in. Bring whatever you find, and if I find anything of value among them, we can put this matter behind us.”
“And what exactly would be ‘valuable’ to you?” Meenka cut in.
“That is not your concern,” Talsath replied, “You need only concern yourself with your task.” Satisfied, he turned his attention back to Kihra, “So, do we have an agreement?”
Kihra turned to meet Mar’s gaze, the look of worry on his face matching her own. She didn’t know what might be waiting for her further in, and she was not particularly confident about her ability to handle any threats they might run into. Even so, she still recognised this as the only option she and Mar had to escape this.
Turning back to Talsath, Kihra gave a small nod. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Kihra, no!” Mar exclaimed, “It’s too dangerous, I can’t let you-”
“It’s alright,” said Kihra, “I…I can do this.”
“Splendid,” said Talsath, gesturing towards the rubble once more, “Now, I believe we have wasted enough time debating this, best get to it.The sooner this is resolved, the sooner you both can return to your lives.”
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Kihra turned to see Meenka standing by her side. “I’ll look after her,” she reassured Mar, “She’ll be in good hands.”
Mar briefly turned his attention back to Kihra, concern still evident in his expression. After a moment's consideration, his expression softened a bit as he turned his attention back to Meenka, giving her a small nod of approval. “Be safe,” he finally said, “Both of you.”
With that, Meenka turned back to Kihra. “Better let me go first,” she said, gesturing towards the passage, “just keep close.”
As Meenka began to crawl in through the low opening, Kihra made to follow her.
“And one more thing,” she turned back as she heard Talsath speak up behind her, his voice low yet firm, “Don’t do anything foolish.”
Kihra paused, sparing one last look back towards Mar. Taking a breath to steady herself, she turned back towards the passage, and proceeded forward into the darkness.
