The Rot Beneath
"Why did I even decide to follow these two?" Natalak mutters, hiding among the boxes of crates.
Peeking through the small hole, he focused his eyes, and it was clear as day that they were paranoid. Their eyes wander at every corner of the place, regarding anyone who might be following their footsteps. Once their senses tell of no presence, the two quickly dive through the alleys.
Natalak follows, but a hand grabs his shoulder. Fear quickly exploded through his soul, but when he turned to see who the person was—
"Y-you almost killed me with a heart attack!" Mutter Natalak, faintly soothing his heavy breathing.
"You left me at the inn." Frowns Riya. "Do you know how many people I've talked to just to find you? And what are you doing in this place?"
"Alright-alright… I'm at fault. I'm following two men."
"And the reason?" Riya squats, joining with the shades of the crates.
"Curiosity." A blank stare, Natalak gave. "…Look, I know this may sound weird, but those two are hiding something." He continues pointing his fingers and nodding towards their direction.
Riya gazes towards where Natalak was aiming, and a thought came to her mind.
"That leads to the old cemetery." She whispers, her eyes now giving a straight look.
A small pause before nodding with each other, the two stood and trailed the alley path.
Hiding at every corner they can see, every shadow they come across. They managed to chance upon the two mysterious people. And from their ears, the two seem to be arguing… they're in a hurry, Natalaks can tell by the voices.
"This is too dumb; we should have rather used a teleportation spell or a scroll." The man scoffs.
"You're stupid!" His partner replied, as if irritated by his companion's presence, even in the way he spoke.
"What did you say?!" The man looks at him, his fist ready to cast magic.
"Do you know that using magic would reveal our location? Thanks to you, we almost got screwed because of your damn stupidity! If it weren't for my reasons and my humiliating pleas, our souls would have been chained by that man! And thanks to you, we have to double our work!" His partner leans closer, challenging his comrades to flick a spell. "Go on, do your thing… and we will see what the future will lead us." He adds, measuring his eyes towards his partner.
In it came a long pause.
"Now what? Are we going to do this all day? Or will you turn that stone before someone else might spot us?"
"Tch…" The man spits and quickly turns the gravestone, revealing a hidden passage as one of the grave ledger slides opens.
To Natalak and Riya, the actions they saw and the arguments they've heard. The two men possess more secrets than they do through the hidden tunnel they enter.
"Sister Riya, why don't you go report back to Sheila what we saw. Or perhaps the guild might be a better choice."
"And what about you?"
"I'll stay here, see if there are more things that need to be surveyed."
"I don't believe you."
"I'm not that dense to enter that dungeon all alone." Natalak gave Riya a straight face.
On that point on, there were no answers, only a long silence between the two. And if they ever need to solve or unearth what's beneath the cemetery, one needs to make a decision.
Riya grunts, still deciding on Natalak's request. "Fine, I take your demand," Riya concluded. "But do keep your promise." She continues.
Natalak nods as he distances himself from the cemetery. But once Riya fades, Natalak steadily walks towards the cemetery, right where the man turns the gravestone.
Turning the gravestone at a swift pace, the grave ledger slides open. Enter did he not… in the wake of standing at the open stone hatch. It felt like an abyss that pulled at his soul, and, strangely enough, the book he held felt a pulling presence. The feeling is like a snake drawn by the scent of its prey. He cannot tell, he cannot explain, yet somehow, he himself is drawn by the book's desire, tempted.
Pulling the simple sword, there was a mix of disappointment and acceptance smeared on his face. The same sword which he had looted from the beginning of his journey, the same sword that gave him a trifling survival.
He groans before belting the sword into his belt.
Scavenging anything that enhances his frail body, only a single endurance potion was all that was left.
"Should have gathered more at the market." He mutters and drinks the whole vial as if it were just a mug of ale.
The closer he inspected the entrance, the more he could see inside. Alas, with a final breath of resolve. The Traveller enters the dark.
Upon his descent, the entrance holds no guards, no soul, only the flickering of torchlight. A thought came to him, a question of why they didn't use magic light. It was then that he saw a rope hanging aligned from the gravestone.
Curious, Natalak pulls the rope and hopes for the best. What he received wasn't an alarm trip, nor a burst of magic trap. Instead, the door slab above begins to slide, closing the gap.
"Okay, if there's no magic involved… There must be something deep in here." Natalak turns to the tunnels once the slab is completely shut. And there he begins his steps.
From the surface, once the slab was closed… a person leaned through the shadow watching Natalak's movement. It didn't follow the traveller; it retreated to the dark, erasing any of his presence.
As Natalak ventures deeper, the tunnels slowly turn more into a dungeon. As slots of open corners are there for hiding. Collapsed cobbled stone walls block half of the path, tree roots begin their descent, and water drips for one to hear. Even stranger, he questions why there were no magic lights or any guard stations at every corner. Then, as he strolls further, he notices one mistake—
"Shii…" Natalak paused, gazing down at his boots.
The stone path and the hard materials from his boots created a clattering sound that may have been heard by the people who dwell beneath. It was then that he quickly removed his waders, before he could attract anyone who might hear his steps.
As his bare feet kissed the stone path, the nerves from his feet sent a stinging sensation towards his nerves. It was cold, too cold, but his fortitude held up. It was eerie for silent to fill the places, no guards to be seen, not even an abomination to face. Perhaps if he walks deeper, he might encounter some.
True enough, after reaching the far end of the corridor, he came across a room with an area of approximately five square meters. Torches were stuck to the wall, but only a few to light the dark.
The room branches into four long, dark corridors, making it more difficult for Natalak to choose. Before he could step out in the dark, Natalak heard faint footsteps coming from afar.
Stepping backwards, he quickly slithers through the darkness, hiding as he observes.
Two men slowly appear, conversing to themselves, and they are not in a mood. Their clothes were identical yet different from those of the two men he had first seen.
"Gahh…" The man spits in rage. "I hate being ordered by that man!"
"We'd better hurry before his anger gets to us!"
"Bahh…I should better gut him first after that beating, he did to me!"
"C'mon as if you can, he'll roast you to death before you could move an inch." The man chuckles.
"I can't stand that man, who does he think he is… just because he knows a thing about tweaking with Veilmages."
Their hands were covered in blood, and what they wore was not cult cloth but rather different commoners' clothing.
Natalak thought of something… if they wore the same clothing, perhaps he could borrow one, either by killing or not. Much more, the stain from their hands, their clothes were made of blood. And they are not on the side of virtue.
He gazes at where they emerge… and, that said, he steadily approaches the point where the two originated. Merely seconds of sneaking through the corridor, he was met by a door in welcome. Light brighter than the torches on the walls. And a strange sound can be heard coming from the inside of the chamber.
For a moment, the noise he heard felt a familiar presence. A thought of a flesh being operated on. And once he peered through, he wasn't mistaken at all.
Dozens of bodies are piled like stones, most of them are children. Their bodies are preserved, not by magic but by strange roots that prevent the flesh from decomposing. He could see that their abdomens were stitched, indicating that their innards had been extracted.
In the centre of the room lies the man who, perhaps, created such an abominable scene. From that point on, Natalak, without hesitation, draws his sword… but when he did, the blade glides through the walls, fashioning a sound.
"FUCK!" Natalak stone froze.
"Did you bring what I need?" The man implores, unbothered by who or what the person behind him is.
Natalak didn't answer; instead, when he saw the buckets full of intestines, full of blood. And the more he watches the lifeless person, a female child being butchered. He saw through her eyes… a remnant of tears still dripping.
This time, his fortitude couldn't withstand the scene, and it made him sick to his stomach.
He heaves, still, the man was unaffected by Natalak's action, instead—
"You dare puke at my—"
The moment the man turned around, his neck was pierced deeply. He couldn't utter a word because his vocal cords were lacerated. A quick flicker of his spell, but Natalak was swift to take action.
Hastily pulling his sword, Natalak then slices the adversary's arm. It didn't quite fully amputate its hand, as there's still flesh left hanging, connecting. But that does not matter, as he returned his sword to its sheath and, relentlessly, butchered his neck until the head fell off.
Even when the man fell, his body was still struggling to cast a spell, which left Natalak ruthlessly dismembered every part of the man. Worse is when he smashed the decapitated head into a pile of splattered flesh through the use of the collapsed stone wall pieces. He felt nothing as the stone cracked the skull, spilling the inside of the head. Flesh scraped by the stone's sharp edge, eyes spilt before it could be turned into paste. Twenty times of mauling was enough for Natalak to come to his senses.
Once all the man's dismembered body didn't give a twitch, the adrenaline quickly faded. His hands were shaking as he felt his digestive system turn sour. The smell of rotten flesh, the dreadful scene was enough for Natalak to empty the food that he had eaten on the man that he had killed.
Unable to stand the room, he goes out for a breath of air. Then a thought came to him… If those two were to return and see the dead bodies of their comrades, he would be in great peril.
"Can this man have a break?" He mutters before returning through the room.
At the heart of the city, the priestess resting on one of the castle's high towers felt an ominous presence coming from the northeast, the direction from which Natalak infiltrates.
"Lady Serin," Ferish calls to the paladin.
"Yes, my lady. Is there something you need from me?" The paladin quickly enters her chamber.
"Send a letter to the king, there's something I need to discuss with him." Still gawking at Natalak's direction.
As we follow Riya's track… dashing through the alleys, evading traffic. She was deciding whether to report it herself through the guild or to inform her companions. In the end, she passed through the guild heading to Sheila's place.
Once she arrived, she didn't stop; she rushed inside.
Right after her entrance, Sheila and Chifya were at the table discussing magic spells and items. They couldn't help but notice Riya, who was gasping for air.
"Take a deep breath, Riya, and where's Natalak?" Sheila initiates.
"There's something you need to hear," Riya answered.