Dark Crypt

My friends and I were just returning

from the Court of the Jugglers, where a director named Dartel asked me and Vadania to guard his production of "Feuding Families" against the play's enemies, and Aramil to play one of the main roles due to the illness of one of the actors. Unfortunately, we weren't able to defend the performance. We didn't receive a single penny for our help, but I'm not surprised, we almost eliminated Dartel from the "Great Stage." Besides, this isn't the time to recount what happened in the past; it's better to focus on the present. The day had been calm so far, and nothing indicated that it would change; a few clouds appeared in the sky, portending rain. The third day of horseback riding had left me very bored, and I almost fell asleep; I was in a state of what we call "inner stillness." Suddenly, Aramil woke me from my state:

"Arwald, get off your heavy ass and help us set up camp." Aramil was a high elf and liked to rule, which often earned him a scolding. These traits, along with his knack for getting into trouble, were what made him a warrior.

"Better watch your words, or you might lose not only your friends but also gain a few scars," I replied, but I knew such words had no effect on him and he would continue to speak to me that way.

As he walked away, I managed to hear only very quiet words that sounded like, "Stupid Aasimar, he'll pay me back someday," but I paid them little attention, knowing his code of honor forbade fighting his comrades-in-arms, even if they were the greatest thugs and scum. Such is the code of Helm's followers.

Chapter I "Ruins"

After setting up camp, lighting a fire, and eating our travelers' rations (I can't wait for a normal meal, in a normal inn and in a normal place, because, believe me, salted meat and wine diluted one to four with water isn't very tasty), it was time to split the night guards. Fortunately, my friend Vadania was first – a very wise and, by human standards, very pretty human woman who couldn't find her soulmate. Lonely, she joined the "Red Wizards" faction, which included people similar to her, but that didn't suit her either, and she set off with us on a journey towards a more interesting life than sitting in a monastery and praying to the gods.

My "dream," however, didn't last long, as I was awakened by a strange feeling that we were in an abnormal place. After waking up, I was surprised to see a worried Vadania returning from the forest. When she came relatively close, I asked,

"What happened, Vadania?" I see you're worried. - It wasn't a very sharp observation, because Vadania had beads of sweat on her face, heavy breathing and a watchful eye.

"A moment after you fell asleep, I found a few bricks on the ground. Curious, I approached one of them and saw even more at the edge of the forest." Vadania barely managed to get the words out, her breathing still ragged.

"But what are these bricks, and why are you panting so much?"

"I'm trying to explain this." I followed the bricks into the forest and found a strange structure, a ruin, to be precise.

"What?!

A ruin. Inside it was something resembling a mosaic, but it was too damaged to see what was on it. I also sensed a strange energy there, which made me very uneasy, and I preferred to get out of there quickly rather than expose myself. "Let

's wake Aramil," I said with great reluctance, "and the three of us go investigate what exactly is there."

After about ten minutes, we managed to wake the elf, but he immediately asked,

"Why the hell are you waking me up?! Is this something related to your feelings again?"

Vadania looked at him like he was an idiot. I'd gotten used to such comments by now, as Vadania was the third woman in our group, and I admit I shared a certain bond with the first. That's where Aramil's line came from.

"Get your weapons!! We'll tell you exactly what happened on the way," I replied, ignoring the second part of his question.

Aramil reluctantly climbed out of the tent and followed us, saying something in elven (I'll have to learn that language someday, because it's already irritating me that I don't know what it says about us).

Vadania's story turned out to be true. In the forest were large ruins, probably of some kind of manor house.

Prepared for anything, we entered behind the remains of the ruined walls. Behind several columns was a huge, circular field with scattered mosaic fragments. Aramil approached the mosaic as if stunned. After a moment of silence, he uttered the words:

"Let's search for all the pieces of the mosaic."

"But why?" Vadania asked.

"Don't ask, just search!" he replied, shouting in a way that woke up almost half the forest.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to shout ("If the Lord commands, the man must," that was his motto, and it was best not to disobey him, because Aramil could be very annoying later on).

Under Aramil's supervision, we began searching the ground for mosaic pieces. After about two hours, we managed to find enough to put together this gigantic puzzle. By then, it had started raining, but we were well-covered by trees. I was only worried about our camp and the horses, which might escape into the forest (and our horses were really good, because they came from a higher zone, from Artalen – the "Golden Lands" – inhabited by celestials and my brethren, who truly care for any creature that might be useful).

After another two hours, Aramil, with a little help from Vadania, managed to piece together a concrete image. Aramil now fell into a sort of trance, didn't speak for about ten minutes, and neither I nor Vadania dared interrupt him. Suddenly, he turned around and said,

"I know what this puzzle represents," he said calmly.

"So what is it?" I asked.

"It's a nymphiara."

"Nim-what?"

"A nymphiara, or white deer, has extraordinary magical abilities. In the past, it was believed that the blood of this creature could heal any disease, any fracture, and there were even those who believed it could resurrect the dead." I didn't recognize Aramil at all; he spoke with an uncharacteristically gentle tone. "

Why before?" Vadania asked.

"Because not now," he said, as if reverting to his previous, nasty self. "Actually, the creature wasn't killed or found, but there are people who claim to have seen a nymphiara."

"So what did you come up with?" I asked. "

They see another person in this mosaic, most likely a hunter getting ready to throw a spear at the animal.

" "And...

" "And I think this is the tomb of either a nymph or a hunter.

" "And where do you see any urn or coffin here?" Vadania replied, clearly irritated.

"I don't know. We have to look on the ground. For many years, the earth could have covered the entrance to the tomb."

"And if there's nothing here, why did we bother with this stupid mosaic?" "Didn't

you notice? Look to the east.

" Clouds were visible in the sky, but to our surprise, it was as bright as noon in the east, except that it was raining. We stared in amazement at this strange phenomenon, until Vadania finally muttered something along the lines of, "Let's look for the entrance." For a long time, I couldn't understand what she was saying, but finally I managed to move and we began searching for an entrance to the tomb.

Chapter II "Light and Shadow"

The search was fruitless. It should have been around seven in the morning, but the sky was the same as it had been a few hours earlier. Rain clouds spread above us, and it was as dark as night, but it was light in the east.

"That doesn't make sense," I said. "

I guess you're right; there's no point in looking for that entrance any longer since we have another task to perform," Vadania replied.

Aramil's face showed he didn't agree with us, but he nevertheless acknowledged our point.

As we were leaving the forest, I suddenly tripped over something. Fortunately, the fall was painless, as the ground was wet from the rain and covered in moss. Nervous about my soiled trousers and chainmail leggings, I turned to see what had caused my fall. It turned out to be something resembling a square, rotten piece of wood, the size of a door often found in wine closets in various taverns. After a closer inspection, I decided it was indeed a door. On the side, it had metal elements resembling hinges. Curious, Aramil lifted the door and snapped it in half. To our disappointment, there was nothing beneath it except a nest of worms. We thought we had found something, but nothing. However, this motivated us to search for the entrance again. This time we had one clue: the opening was the size of that door.

We searched for about an hour when Aramil suddenly spotted a hole the size of the door. Vadania began digging around the edges to see if there were any hinges, in order to identify the basement entrance. Finally, she found them.

"Yes, there are definitely hinges for the door," she announced.

Aramil, for some unknown reason, had brought the door, or rather what was left of it, and was trying to attach it to the hinges.

Without a moment's hesitation, we all began digging. We had one major problem: we had nothing to dig with, so I blunted two daggers on it, and Aramil used his two-handed axe. We'd dug down about half a meter and no longer had the strength to dig. So far, the only thing we found was a steel ladder leading down. After a short rest, we continued digging, but this time we had to do it by hand. Fortunately, Vadania had the idea to soften the ground with a water spell to make digging easier. The idea proved to be a brilliant one; the ground caved in slightly under the pressure of the water, and we were able to continue digging. This time, the ground gave way under the pressure of our hands and sank further and further. Finally, after fifteen minutes of hard work, a clearing appeared. A blinding light emanated from the hole made by Aramil's head (he had slipped on the mud). This light was strange, filling my heart with fear of the unknown. When I turned around, I noticed I wasn't the only one afraid of something. I saw a strange grimace on Vadania's face, and from Aramil's, I could only read that he was nervous about his muddy head, as his entire face was covered in grime. If I had been in a good mood, I probably would have commented on Aramil, but for now, I didn't feel like it. I felt myself slipping into the ecstasy I usually felt before battles. Suddenly, as if against my will, I began to mechanically uncover a further descent. After digging, a strange sight met my eyes. This sight was a staircase made of an unfamiliar material, emanating an unimaginable light that momentarily blinded me. I quickly tied one end of the rope to the ladder and held the other in my hand. I was about to descend when Vadania suddenly stopped me.

"What are you doing?! Wait a moment and let's discuss whether we should descend or not!

" "I think you're right," I replied.

"Personally, I think we should go down and see what's down there," Aramil said.

"I agree with him—for the first time, I think," Vadanio said. "

I suggest you think about it for a while. We don't know what might be waiting for us down there.

" "I'm going down anyway," Aramil said at the same time, and I went down one step.

"Wait, Arwald! I'm going down with you," Vadanio announced.

"And what about me?! I have to wait up here," Aramil thundered.

"It looks like it," I replied, and without heeding anyone, I went down the stairs.

The path was long, and the light made my visibility terribly limited. After about two minutes of rapid descent, we reached a large room, where another wave of blinding light hit us. Unfortunately, I had now completely lost visibility, but I wasn't the only one, as Vadania suggested we return to the top. I didn't argue, because blind people can't find anything. At the top, our vision gradually began to return, and we finally managed to see the grimace on Aramil's face.

"And what did you find there?! "

"Nothing!"" Vadania replied.

"What do you mean? You were down there and found nothing?

" "No way!" I replied. "We reached a room, but the light blinded us, and we couldn't examine anything in detail.

" "Next time, I'm going down!" he growled.

"No way," I said. "You'll keep watch here. If anything happens, we'll pull the rope, and then you can descend."

"Grrr. You don't tell me what to do!" Aramil shouted.

"Fine!" If you want to go down, go down, but without us!!" she shouted back at Vadania.

Clearly, Aramil wasn't prepared for such a line and decided to keep quiet. After this small argument, Vadania and I tied ourselves tighter and began our second attempt at descent. "

Remember, when we pull the rope, you'll be able to go down," I said as I said goodbye to Aramil.

This time, the descent seemed much faster, and the light wasn't as blinding. Finally, we reached the hall, and another wave of light hit us; I lost my sight again. Vadania must have been okay, because she asked,

"Is everything okay?" I didn't expect to find a hall like this here. "

Besides the fact that I've lost my sight, that's nothing," I replied with irony in my voice. "Vadania, can you describe everything to me?"

"No problem. "

"So, tell me, what does this hall look like?"

"The hall?" So it's made entirely of some white material that radiates light. This room is very high, about five meters high. Paintings hang all around the walls, and between them are some strange, enormous mirrors.

"How is that strange?"

"Instead of reflecting the view, they're completely black.

" "Is there anything else here?"

"Yes, in the middle of the room, there's something that resembles a tomb.

" "What does this tomb look like?"

"Just like the walls, it's made of an unfamiliar white material. There are some pictures on the walls." At that moment, I heard Vadania approach the center of the room.

"What are these pictures?" "

They remind me of that mosaic upstairs. These pictures tell some kind of story. I assume it's the story of the hunter's search for the nymph."

"And what are those pictures on the walls?"

"They tell the same story, but in more detail."

Suddenly, we heard a scream from above:

"I'm going down!"

It was obvious that Aramil had grown tired of waiting and decided to join us. I ignored him and continued talking to Vadani.

"Could you check what's in this tomb, Vadanio?"

"Okay, but I have a strange fear that something unpleasant will be inside. "

After a moment, I heard the sound of scraping the tombstone.

"So what's in there?" I asked. "Nothing

.

" "What do you mean, nothing?"

"There's simply nothing. The tomb is empty and there's no trace of anyone ever lying here.

" "Strange."

At the same time, I felt a shaking of the rope. I guessed Aramil was close. To my surprise, no one came down. Only a shiver ran down my spine. At the same time, I heard Vadani shout:

"What the...?! "

What happened, Vadanio?" "

There's a shadow in this room.

" Chapter III "Mirrors" "

A shadow?? What's it doing?" "

It approached the tomb and something was rummaging around in it."

"Describe exactly what he's doing."

"I think he wants to open it.

" "But why? Strange. What's he doing now?"

"He's entering the tomb.

" "That might be a clue.

" "I have a guess," Vadania replied.

At some point, my vision slowly began to return. When I started seeing normally, I only just managed to notice Vadania entering the tomb and shout,

"Vadania. Nooooo...!"

Unfortunately, my screams were to no avail. As the tomb closed, the blinding light in the chamber suddenly changed to normal. To my surprise, there was no tomb left in the chamber. The only things left were the paintings and the still-dark mirrors. On the ceiling was a stain, forming a perfect rectangle, the size of a human. Behind me, the stairs disappeared; neither Aramil, Vadani, nor the shadow were there. Now I knew it was up to me whether I would ever make it out of here, with or without my friends. At first, I didn't know what to do, but after a while, I started taking action. First, I checked if there was anything behind the paintings—the simplest solutions. Unfortunately, this isn't a place with an easy exit. Frankly, I couldn't think of anything else. Desperate, I shot my bow at the stain on the ceiling. The arrow flew into the stain, and strangely enough, it didn't penetrate the ceiling. Only after a moment did the possible consequences of that shot dawn on me, when drops of blood suddenly began dripping from the ceiling. Finally, I hit on the idea of ​​smashing the mirrors. I took my one-and-a-half sword and swung it. I struck with tremendous force, almost feeling it. The sword bounced off the mirror, only pushing it slightly toward the wall. When I looked back at the mirror, I saw that the mirror behind me was half white. When I turned around, however, it was as dark as before. Finally, I found a clue. Motivated by my momentary success, I did the same with the mirror next to me. This time, I was careful not to accidentally hit myself. When I looked into the mirror I'd struck, the mirror behind me was completely white. Just as before, after turning around, nothing was white. However, when I looked around the room, I saw that the largest mirror, which had replaced one of the paintings, was one-third white. I repeated this procedure with all the mirrors, and the largest one became completely white, blinding with its brilliance. I didn't know what this meant, but I approached it and shot an arrow at it with my longbow. The arrow was absorbed by the mirror. A moment later, however, an identical arrow flew at me from all directions, severely wounding my arm. All I could do was clench my fist as, a moment later, I saw complete darkness before my eyes.

Chapter IV "The Body"

When I woke up, I was in a completely different room. The wound had stopped bleeding. There were no mirrors on the walls. However, the room was similar in size to the previous one. Along the walls stood three large sarcophagi made of mithril, the strongest and most expensive metal in the world. After a moment of contemplation, I walked to the nearest sarcophagus and opened it. When I looked inside, I was simply transfixed; Vadania lay there motionless, wounded in the arm. When I tried to pull her out, some energy prevented me from reaching inside. Figuring I couldn't overcome this energy, I approached the sarcophagus on the other side. I already had an idea of ​​what, or rather who, might be inside. My suspicions proved correct; Aramil lay wounded inside, as usual, with a grimace on his face. This time, I didn't even try to pull him out.

"If two of these sarcophagi contained my friends, what could be in the last one? Could they be undead?" I thought.

Just in case, I took out my sword. Prepared for anything, I approached the third sarcophagus and opened it. Fortunately, there was no one inside who resembled any of the undead. Inside were only a beautifully ornate dagger, likely magical, and three large coins. I took them, but it seemed strange that there was nothing else inside. After a more thorough search, I found a small gap between the sarcophagus wall and the floor. The gap was the same size as the dagger's blade, so I used it to pry the floor open. However, I was right; there was something else inside. That something was a ladder and a passage to the next room. Without hesitation, I descended. The room was identical to the first one. This time, however, there was a tomb in the center. I approached it and opened it. Inside lay the completely intact body of a very old, gray-haired man, his arms crossed, and a one-and-a-half sword across his chest. For a moment, I was afraid it might be a sleeping undead, but I came to the conclusion that the body of an undead is never in good condition. This man's sword was incomparably better than mine, so I decided to swap it with mine. When I did, the light in the room suddenly began to erratic, changing to a blinding white or complete darkness. I wasn't afraid, however, because I had encountered this phenomenon many times before when I was tasked with stealing something from a mage or killing him, and so far, nothing bad had happened to me. To be on the safe side, I left the dagger and coins I had found in the man's tomb. At that same moment, two black coffins appeared in the room. Hoping to find my friends inside, I quickly opened them, but found nothing but dents from the bodies of the people who had been buried inside.

Chapter V "The Passage"

I've lost all hope. I haven't saved my friends, and worse yet, I haven't found a way out of this cursed place. I have no idea what to do. I'm certain these are my last moments in this life, and without food, it will surely end quickly. Desperate, I wanted to see once more the place where I would die. I wanted to carefully study all the inscriptions and pictures on the walls of this place, so that at least by the end of my life I would be wise. When I climbed the ladder to the upper room, I almost had a heart attack with joy. Vadani and Aramil stood stunned in their sarcophagi, clearly amazed that they had managed to escape. After emerging from the sarcophagus, my eyes met Vadani's. Overjoyed to see me, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she jumped out of the sarcophagus and ran toward me, wanting to throw herself into my arms. Unfortunately, she didn't succeed because she passed through me like an apparition. We could communicate, but not touch.

Aramil only just recovered and immediately asked,

"What the hell is going on?! "

And how should I know?" I replied. "I've been trying to save you for hours and find a way out, but I couldn't find the second one.

" "Did you find anything interesting here?" Vadania asked, still crying with joy. "

A dagger and three strange coins in this room, and the body of an old man in the next."

"And where is that next room?" Aramil asked.

"You have to go down the ladder in that third sarcophagus.

" "Is there anything else in that room?"

As I was leaving, two black coffins appeared, empty inside.

"Strange," Vadania replied.

"And you're telling me that?" I said with irony in my voice.

For a moment, we stood motionless, staring at each other.

"I think I have an idea." Vadani's voice suddenly rang out. "We should get into those coffins.

" "Are you kidding?" I replied. "You've already forgotten that this is how we got stuck here.

" "We have nothing to lose," Aramil said. "I'll try to get in anyway.

" "I guess you're right," I replied.

Without further ado, we went to the room with the coffins. Unfortunately, there was a problem there too. There was no third coffin for the last person to get into.

"So what do we do?" Aramil asked.

"You go!! I'll find another way out of here," I replied.

"Are you sure about that?" Vadani asked.

"Of course. I guess," I replied.

"Oh, good then. Then we'll meet up on the surface. At least I hope so," Aramil said.

With these words, Aramil and Vadania opened the coffins, and portals appeared within them. Finally, they only said "goodbye" and disappeared through the portal, along with the coffins.

I was devastated; I knew I wouldn't get out of here; I had no idea. Stressed, I wanted to kick a stone lying on the floor, but my foot went through it, giving me an idea. I walked to the nearest wall and stuck my hand out. My idea turned out to be brilliant, yet simple. I could pass through the wall and reach the surface. With that in mind, I went to the room where I'd woken up. This time, in the wall at the end of the room, there was an opening leading to the room where it all began. When I entered, all I saw were two shadows moving quickly toward the place where the entrance had once been, and a moment later, they disappeared. I did the same as the shadows, or rather, I approached the wall and, with gritted teeth, jumped into it and found myself on the stairs leading to the surface.

Epilogue: "Deva's Sword and the Soul from Heaven"

I practically ran to the surface. I just wanted to get out of this damned place as quickly as possible. At the top, I found Vadania and Aramil lying on the ground, thanking the gods for allowing them to leave this cursed tomb. After a moment, I joined them. No one was paying attention to anyone else; everyone was absorbed in prayer. Suddenly, we heard a whistling sound above our heads. We rose to see what it was. To our astonished eyes, a ball of energy appeared where the mosaic had once stood. We knew what had damaged it so badly. After a moment, the ball began to fade, and within it, the outline of a human figure could be made out. This figure turned out to be the same man who had been lying in the tomb below. He was dressed in the same clothes and had my old sword, only he seemed younger. He had no gray hair, just long, lush blond hair. Even though his eyes were closed and his mouth wasn't moving, I could hear exactly what he was saying. It was like telepathy.

"Give me back my sword, Aasimar.

" "But who are you?" I asked

. "Never mind! Give me back my sword.

" "Fine. I won't endanger the dead."

I took out the sword I'd acquired underground and prepared to return it. As I approached the man, I began to feel strangely calm. I almost forgot what had happened below. I had already approached the mosaic, and the man had one hand outstretched, trying to take what belonged to him. For a moment, I was overcome with the thought of attacking the man and taking his weapon, but that thought quickly vanished. The last steps seemed to pass like hours.

I didn't want to say goodbye to my weapon, but deep down, I knew I had to. At one point, I heard the words in my head:

"Give me back my sword!"

I didn't object to the voice and handed the man the weapon. He suddenly moved his left hand, previously hidden behind his back, toward me. In his hand was the dagger I'd left in his crypt, and he stabbed me squarely in the heart. The blow was so powerful that I fell flat on my back. With the last of my strength, I managed to see the clouds receding and the sun, which had only just managed to emit its rays. From the side of the mosaic, I saw a light, clearly emanating from the nymph's eyes. The last words I managed to utter were:

"Farewell, friends."