CHAPTER 72: SHADOW FEN MESHES MISSION 4

With their beasts at their sides, Xerion’s flames, Salaris blended into the shadows, Rhoam’s bulk grounded their steps as they ventured into the marshes.

The ground was supressed beneath their feet, a mix of mud and hidden sinkholes that threatened to swallow them whole.

Kelvin led them probing the path with his staff, while Lyra’s keen eyes scanned across the terrain, and Darius guarded their rear with his soulstone gauntlet humming.

The marshes were a sensory assault. Distant wails pierced the fog, sharp and mournful, while unseen creatures were splashed in the murky water.

The mist became thickened, ceasing their footsteps and wrapping them in a suffocating embrace. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves set their nerves on edge, the group moved in a tense silence.

Hours into their trek, they reached a perilous obstacle: a wide swamp, its surface a deceptive sheen broken only by tufts of solid ground. A rickety bridge, its planks were warped and rotting it offered the only way of crossing. Kelvin tested a board with his foot; it groaned and splinted under the pressure.

"This won’t hold us all," he muttered, Lyra stepped forward, with her mind already racing. "I can reinforce it with shadow runes. It will take a moment, but it should hold." "Do it," Kelvin agreed, trusting her skill.

She knelt beside the bridge, Lyra traced the intricate patterns in the air with her fingers weaving threads of shadow that snaked around the planks, binding them with dark strength.

Her gauntlet glowed, the runes pulsed as she worked, sweat flowed down on her brow. "It is ready," she said, rising, though her voice carried a hint of strain.

One by one, they crossed, Xerion’s flames was lighting the way, casting eerie shadows on the water below; Salaris darted across with feline grace, her talons clicked softly, Rhoam’s weight tested the runes’ limits, the bridge creaked but was held; and finally Kelvin and Darius, exhaled in relief as their boots hit solid ground.

Their respite was fleeting. As they pressed on, a grisly discovery halted them: a mound of bones that were stark white against the black mud, remnants of those who had ventured here before. Lyra’s breath caught, her voice was a whisper as she said. "There are traps and ambushes. We are not alone."

Kelvin’s grip tightened on his staff, his pulse was quickened. "Eyes open, everyone."

The warning proved prophetic. A low, guttural moan rolled through the fog, followed by the shuffle of decayed feet. From the mist emerged a horde of zombies dragging corpses with glowing green eyes, their flesh were hanging in tatters. Dozens converged, their intent unmistakable, their movements were eerily coordinated.

"Form up!" Kelvin barked, raising his staff. Xerion snarled, flames bursting from his mouth in a defiant roar.

The battle erupted in chaos. Kelvin unleashed torrents of fire, the heat seared through the undead ranks, their decayed forms crumbling into ash. Lyra’s shadow runes lashed out, coiling around the zombies’ limbs and pinned them in place with dark tendrils.

Darius fired soulstone blasts, each explosion scattered foes in bursts of light and dust, the air crackling with energy. Their beasts fought fiercely, Xerion raked through flesh, Salaris’s shadow-wreathed form darting between enemies, Rhoam’s bulk crushed bones beneath his hooves.

But the zombies were relentless, their numbers increased as more lurched from the fog. Fatigue gnawed at the Tide’s Crest, their formation tightened as they were surrounded.

Kelvin’s arms burned with each swing, his breath was coming in ragged gasps. A zombie lunged and its claw grazed his shoulder, and he stumbled as pain flared. Xerion roared and incinerated the creature, but the horde pressed closer.

In the mist of the fray, Kelvin’s mind flashed to his map, the collapsed tunnel, marked as a potential route. "There is a tunnel ahead!" he shouted. "We can use it to lose them or flank them!"

Lyra met his gaze through the chaos, her runes flickered as she fought. "Lead on!" she called and her voice was steady despite the strain.

Cutting through the horde, they fought their way to the tunnel’s mouth, a jagged, muddy gash in the earth. With no time for hesitation, they plunged inside, the zombies’ moans faded as darkness swallowed them.

The tunnel reeked of damp rot, its walls were slick and seemed to be enclosed in a confined space. Xerion’s flames casted flickering light, revealing a narrow passage that pressed in on all sides, the air was thick with the stench of decay.

They paused and tried to catch their breath, their chests were heav in the dim light. Kelvin leaned against the wall and his shoulder sting where the zombie had struck.

Lyra checked her pack, her fingers trembling as she counted their dwindling supplies. Darius wiped sweat from his brow, his grin was gone and was replaced by a grim of determination.

Then, a chilling sound echoed ahead, a deep, resonant groan, closer than the horde behind. From the shadows emerged another group of zombies, their eyes glowed brighter and their movements were eerily coordinated, as if it was been guided by a singular will.

"Brace yourselves!" Kelvin commanded, rallying the group, his voice a spark in the dark.

The confined tunnel amplified the fight’s intensity. Kelvin’s fire painted the walls in orange hues, the heat stifled as it scorched the undead. Lyra’s runes danced in tight arcs, binding the zombies’ limbs, though her movements grew sluggish and her energy reduced.

Darius’s blasts reverberated like thunderclaps, each explosion shake released dirt from the ceiling. The beasts fought with ferocity, Xerion’s flames roared, Salaris’s strikes were precise, Rhoam’s charges were relentless but the zombies used the narrow space to their advantage, pressing forward with relentless force.

As the battle wore on, Kelvin’s eyes caught a fracture in the tunnel’s ceiling, a jagged crack, barely visible in the flickering light. A desperate idea sparked. "We can collapse it!" he yelled. "Bury them and clear our path!"

Lyra and Darius reacted instantly. Lyra’s runes destabilized the earth, weaving shadow into the cracks, her gauntlet glowed with effort. Darius aimed a precise soulstone blast, the green light flared as it struck the weak point. Kelvin channeled a Convergence through Xerion and amplified the wolf’s fire into a blazing surge that shook the tunnel’s core.

With a deafening roar, the ceiling caved in, stone and mud crashing down on the zombies in a torrent of debris. The group stumbled forward and narrowly escaped the collapse, their lungs burned as they burst into the deeper marshes. They collapsed onto the muddy ground, panting, their bodies were battered but alive.

The air was heavier now, tinged with the dark magic. The den was close and they could feel it, a pulse that seemed to throb beneath their feet.

Kelvin pushed himself up, his staff sinked into the mud. "We are almost there," he said, his voice was raw but resolute. "The heart of Shadowfen is waiting."

Lyra nodded, her face was pale but determined. "No turning back." Darius managed a weak grin, though his eyes were shadowed with exhaustion. "Let’s finish what we started." he said.

Their rest was brief. The marshes loomed darker, the fog were denser, the air were alive with whispers of despair. The Tide’s Crest stood and their beasts were at their sides, ready to face the den and the darkness within.

Their trial was far from over, but their bonds were forged in fire, shadow, and earth held them steady, a beacon against the coming storm.