Date: October 30, 542, from the Fall of Zanra the Dishonored.
Datuk's boots thudded dully on the stone, and the sound seemed to carry for miles, awakening those accustomed to feasting in eternal twilight.
The deeper he went into the cave, the denser the rhythm of claws on stone became. The darkness around him began to move. Now the rats came in larger groups, each new wave more organized than the last.
At some point, the tunnel widened, and Datuk found himself surrounded. Ten pairs of yellow eyes. Nine belonged to ordinary "soldiers," but the tenth creature… It stood in the center, its fur gleaming with a metallic sheen, and from its jaws came not a squeak but a low, guttural growl.
*A Pillar,* Datuk assessed instantly. The energy emanating from this rat was dense, structured. It did not merely obey instinct — it controlled its kin.
"Now this is getting interesting," Datuk said, feeling heat surge through his veins. "Come to papa!"
The rats charged all at once. It was a chaos of teeth and claws, but for Datuk, the world seemed to slow down. He spun like a top, and his axe sang its bloody song. He smashed one rat's skull with the blunt end, disemboweled another so its guts spilled onto the cold stone. He entered a trance state where there were no thoughts — only reflexes.
Two remained: a large rat and the Pillar leader. Datuk exhaled sharply, and his muscles swelled, tearing the sleeves of his old jacket. The soldier rat tried to flank him, preparing to jump. Datuk did not wait. His arm shot back, and the heavy axe with a wet thud planted itself squarely in the creature's forehead.
The leader was alone. The rat crouched low, its muscles rippling beneath its steel‑hard hide, ready for the final lunge. Pillar‑level energy pulsed around it, creating a semblance of a protective field.
"What are you waiting for?" Datuk spread his arms, leaving himself unarmed. "Come on, rat king!"
The beast lunged. It was fast — faster than any human. But Datuk was ready. At the moment the Pillar's jaws should have closed on his chest, the dwarf took a short step to the side, caught the beast in mid‑air, and dug his fingers into its thick neck. It became a contest of raw strength.
"Pillar?" he growled through gritted teeth. "You're just an overgrown sewer rat!"
With a wild cry, Datuk pulled his arms in opposite directions. A sickening sound of tearing flesh echoed. The leader rat's head separated from its body, and the dwarf, breathing heavily, tossed the bloody trophy aside.
"Pillar…" he spat blood. "Pretty lousy for a Pillar. My grandmother could yank harder on my ears."
---
Datuk moved on. The tunnel began to change. The rough stone walls gave way to something smoother, like obsidian. The stench of rats suddenly disappeared, replaced by something ancient, dry, and heavy. He emerged into a vast area — a hall so large that the light of his inner vision barely reached the ceiling. In the center of this space lay bones.
A dragon's skeleton. Its ribs, each as large as a ship's mast, disappeared into the darkness, forming a kind of gothic cathedral. The skull, stripped of flesh but retaining its majesty, rested on elongated neck vertebrae. An aura emanated from these bones. The air in the hall became thick as honey. Gravity worked differently here, obeying the will of a long‑dead creature.
"What a majestic beast," Datuk said quietly. "Too bad I never got to fight it. That would have been a worthy death. Or glory."
The darkness in the dragon's empty eye sockets stirred. From deep within the skeleton came a laugh, like the rumble of an awakening volcano.
"Ha‑ha‑ha… Fight me?" A voice sounded directly in the dwarf's mind. "Little mortal, you have no idea how absurd your words sound within these walls."
Datuk reacted instantly. He shifted his grip on his axe, crouched, and scanned for the source.
"Come out!" he shouted. "Stop hiding behind bones!"
"I am not hiding. I am what you are looking at."
Datuk froze, his gaze focusing on the enormous dragon skull. Deep within the bone, a golden spark flickered.
"The bones?" Datuk frowned. "You mean you *are* this dead lizard?"
"'Dead lizard'…" The voice sighed. "Your race always lacked respect, dwarf. Though that is exactly why you were valued in bygone ages. You were among the few who did not prostrate yourselves when we blotted out the sun with our wings."
Datuk straightened, but did not put away his axe. The pressure aura had not vanished, but he was growing accustomed to it, compacting his own energy.
"You called me 'descendant of the makers,'" Datuk said, narrowing his eyes. "In my family, we mostly specialize in breaking things or drinking."
"I speak of those who gave shape to this world," the golden spark grew brighter. "Who forged what was considered unbreakable, before time erased their names. Whose blood now flows in your veins, diluted though it may be by centuries. You did not come here for silver leaves. You came because your very essence sensed the call of something deeper than any rank or scroll."
"I came here because I jumped into a hole," Datuk answered honestly. "Now I'm here, facing a pile of old bones that talk too much. Since you're so ancient, maybe you can tell me how to get out?"
"The exit is always a trial," the voice echoed his words. "Your companions are forging their strength elsewhere, but you… you have sunk your teeth into this world. Within you lives a Spirit that mirrors your stubbornness. An ordinary Spirit for an extraordinary will."
"You mean my Berserker?" Datuk felt the spirit inside him respond with a short growl.
"I mean what you do with it. Tell me, little dwarf, have you ever wondered why your axe finds its mark where others miss, and why your rage does not consume you from within?"
Datuk was silent. He simply fought.
"Come closer," the voice commanded. "If any drop of your ancestors' insolence remains in you. Look upon what is left of one who saw the Fall of Zanra not in chronicles, but with his own eyes."
Datuk hesitated for a second, then, with a decisive motion, slung his axe over his shoulder and stepped toward the enormous skull. He knew this could be a trap. But he also knew that in this world, answers never came to those afraid to step into the dark.
"Well, I'm here," he said. "Now what? A history lecture?"
"No," the dragon rumbled. "Now I will see whether your will is truly harder than the steel your fathers forged. Prepare yourself, descendant of masters. You are about to see the world without its veils."
The golden spark suddenly expanded, filling Datuk's entire vision. The cave walls vanished, and he felt the earth drop away from under his feet, giving way to an endless sky.