The staircase wound downward in a tight spiral, with every step each of them took the cold seemed to worsen, the walls seemed to close in from around them, and the air grew more stale and harder to breath. Every sound they made started to become swallowed by the darkness until they could only hear the sounds of their breaths and the beating of their hearts.. The light from their torches flickered unevenly, casting long shadows that bent and twisted along the walls. With every step, it felt less like they were descending through a tunnel and more like being swallowed by the earth.
Qyburn reached out and let his fingers drag along the damp stone beside him. "This place feels... wrong," he said. His hand pulled back like it had brushed something foul. "The very air here... it's stagnant. There's something unnatural about it, as if there is substance to it."
Samaya was walking just ahead of him, one hand tight on the hilt of her sword. Her grip hadn't loosened since they'd passed the last torch sconce above. She didn't look scared, but beneath her facade she certainly felt it, everything about this place felt wrong to her. "We shouldn't be here," she said. "No one should be here."
Daario, bringing up the rear with that same casual smile he always walked with, chuckled to himself. "Oh, please. Would you rather take your chances with the fiery witch and her merry band of mercenaries up there? I'm sure they'd be delighted to roast you alive."
Samaya halted and turned halfway toward him a scowl forming on her face. "Speak again, and I'll save them the trouble."
Obara was already rubbing at her temple with the heel of her hand, the thickness of the air and the difficulty it made breathing already grated at her mind, the arguing happening next to her only made it worse. "Enough of this bickering. We've got bigger problems than Daario's mouth. Though, admittedly, that's high on the list."
Daario shrugged with a faint grin. "Oh, forgive me for trying to lighten the mood. I didn't realize I was traveling with a pack of humorless septas."
Jon's voice came from ahead, he had mostly been ignoring the chatter from behind him focusing on each step below; making sure none would give way, but the arguing from behind was starting to effect his focus. "Enough." He didn't turn around, but the torch in his hand lowered slightly as he paused. "Save your strength. We'll need it."
He stood on the step just above the next bend and looked back over his shoulder. "There has to be another exit to this place, the mazemakers were incredible architects, they wouldn't build such a place with only one entrance."
"How difficult it is to get there however is a different story, so stop gossiping like a bunch of kitchen maids and keep focused," he said sternly to all of them.
Obara didn't look convinced. She lifted her chin, staring past the torchlight. "How can you be so sure?"
Jon glanced down into the darkness. "I can't," he said. "But I do know this. The way behind us is blocked. The mercenaries, the flames, the cultists, going back isn't an option. This is the only path we have left."
They stood there a moment longer, the actual weight of their situation dawning on them. They were not in a good situation, they were faced with almost certain death or the unknown, and in the end all of them wondered whether facing Mya and the others was better than whatever they may find down here. They all took in Jons words and regained their focus, looking ahead rather than bickering back and forth. They finally continued down the stair case at a much faster pace until at last, the spiral ended. The narrow walls fell away and opened into a chamber so vast it silenced them before they even understood what they were seeing. They stepped forward slowly, their eyes wide, the torchlight stretched just far enough to reveal the shape of what lay beyond.
A ruined city filled the hollowed-out cavern, its scale so vast that even if it were day he doubted they'd see the end; doing some quick equations in his head Jon was able to estimate that the city spanned over half the island in its size which was by no means a small feat. Broken towers jutted toward the distant ceiling like the ribs of some long-dead beast. The streets below were choked with rubble, scorched stone, and what looked like the remains of warped stone. Great stone buildings leaned and collapsed against one another, their walls blackened by fire or torn open as though by siege. Everything bore the marks of violence. Deep gouges ran through the stone roads. Massive craters punctured the landscape like the aftermath of fallen stars. A sharp, sulphuric scent still clung to the air as though the fires that had done this had only just died out.
Something truly terrible happened here, something so terrible that there was no one left to bear the memory of what.
Jon stepped closer to the edge of the stairwell and raised his torch higher. His eyes locked on a massive claw-like imprint carved into the ground just ahead, each groove deep enough to stand in. "It's incredible," he said. "An actual city of the Mazemakers. Hidden all this time... and almost intact."
Obara scoffed. "Intact?" She pointed at a collapsed archway to their left, the stone shattered into dozens of jagged pieces. "This place is barely holding itself together."
Qyburn moved past her without replying. His eyes were locked on the skyline, tracing the broken silhouettes of towers and domes. "Extraordinary," he said. "The Mazemakers truly were masters of their craft. Even in ruin, this is beyond anything I've ever seen. Look at the scale of it. Look at the precision. This wasn't built with common tools. And look here... the shape of the buildings seems as if they fit together, as if they can move."
Samaya wasn't watching the ground or the buildings. Her eyes had gone upwards. "It's the stars," she said in almost a quiet whisper.
They all followed her gaze. The ceiling of the cavern was vast and seemed to be much smoother than a natural cavern formation, but embedded in its stone were thousands of tiny gleaming points. They shone faintly in the dark like stars in a night sky. Together, they formed constellations some familiar, some strange. The light they gave off was soft but it was light enough to cast the city in a pale glow once their eyes adjusted.
"They're not stars," Jon said. He stepped forward again, narrowing his eyes. "They're jewels. Embedded in the stone, maybe. It's too far to tell."
Samaya kept looking. "Why would they put jewels up there? What purpose does it serve?"
Jon shook his head. "Perhaps it's symbolic. Or maybe it was art. The Mazemakers often tied meaning to their designs."
"Perhaps it serves as a sort of light source, a natural one using the refracting properties of the crystals?" Qyburn commented as he rubbed his jaw. "There must be a central crystal acting as the main source."
"Could we get out that way?" Obara asked, as she followed everyone else's gaze to the ceiling of the cavern.
"Unlikely, the light likely passes through the smallest of holes," Qyburn replied.
"At least we don't have to walk in the dark," Jon commented as he held his torch down. While he may be able to traverse the darkness now, his companions were not.
Daario's eyes however, weren't on the ceiling. He was looking from building to building, his grin spreading slowly. "There must be plenty of gold here," he said. "Hidden treasures, ripe for the taking. If we're lucky, we might even find some of their old weapons."
Obara's mouth pulled into a scowl. "Forget about gold, you fool," she spat. "Our lives are still at risk. Or has your greed blinded you to that fact?"
Daario gave her a sideways glance. "I'm a sellsword woman. Gold is my life. And if I'm going to risk it, I'd like to come out richer than when I went in."
Before she could bite back, Jon moved between them and raised his hand. "Enough," he said. "We don't have time for this. Rest while you can. We'll need it before we move forward."
No one spoke after that. They spread out near the stairway and lowered themselves to the stone, each of them glancing at the ruins ahead with different eyes. Most of them saw the unknown and while that excited people like Qyburn and Jon in normal circumstances, these were not normal circumstances. They were fighting for their lives and one of wrong move could spell the end of them. However one amongst them saw an untapped treasure trove, and if he made it out of here... well he was going to make sure he could at least have enough to build himself a keep.
Obara's glare lingered on Daario for a long moment before she finally turned away, muttering something under her breath as she crossed the fractured street. She lowered herself onto a flat slab of stone half-buried beneath a crumbled wall and sat with her arms braced against her knees, her eyes sweeping the city's jagged silhouette without rest. Samaya followed her but did not sit. Her posture remained upright, her shoulders squared, her hand still fixed on the hilt of her sword as if letting go of it might invite death. She stayed near the wall, keeping her back to the stone and her gaze outward, never relaxing even as the others tried to rest. Daario leaned lazily against a column split in two, his body draped against the stone like he had nothing to fear. His grin hadn't faded, and his eyes wandered across the ruined sprawl like a man browsing a market stall.
Jon didn't join them. He remained standing at the far edge of the group, just past the shattered threshold of what might once have been a gatehouse or an arch. His torch was planted in a crack in the stone, and the flickering flame cast warped shadows that danced up the broken wall beside him. He closed his eyes, not in rest but in search. He could feel something down here, not with any of his traditional senses, but with his newly awakened greenseer ability. It was just a faint tug in the space behind his thoughts. It came like a whisper through fog, there was no discernible direction nor did he know anything more than its presence. He tried to follow it, but that meant leaving his body; despite doing it already he found it quite difficult to do. Leaving your own body was such a foreign experience that even when done once it took a good amount of effort to do it again.
Behind him, the quiet atmosphere started to fray—much to his dismay.
"It doesn't make sense," Samaya said suddenly. She spoke without turning, her eyes still on the shadows beyond the rubble. "I shouldn't have memories of him. None of it was real. But I do. I remember it all. As if it happened."
"Me as well," Obara said after a moment. Her voice was lower than usual, knowing that Donnell was some sort of spectre or a wraith chilled her to the bone, even speaking of him made her worry that she would inadvertently invoke his presence. "It's like years of my life had him in them. Like he was there at every turn, every time I bled or laughed or lost something. And now..."
"I don't know what's real anymore." She said after a moments pause.
Samaya's arms folded across her chest. She didn't look at the others. "It is a foul magic he must've used on us, to so easily insert himself into our memorises."
"To have him seem so real... even now I doubt myself." she added.
Obara shook her head, her mouth pressing into a line. "I feel the same, part of my heart aches the loss of someone I've never known."
Daario's laugh interrupted their talking. It was loud and full of disdain. "Does it matter?" he said, pushing off the stone and pacing a few steps forward. "Real or not, I'll run him through if I see him again. Magic or not, I'm not falling for it a second time."
"You're an idiot," Obara said, her voice rising due to the sheer idiocy of the man before her. "You can't kill someone who doesn't exist."
"I can kill anything if it bleeds," Daario said, turning to face her. "And Donnell will bleed."
They might have kept going, but Qyburn raised his hand and stepped forward, leaning against a broken slab. His breathing was shallow, and his face had taken on a sickly pallor. "Enough," he said. The word came out weak; the air down his was not good for a man of his advanced age. "You're all missing the point."
Daario threw his hands up in mock relief. "Thank you."
"You misunderstand," Qyburn said. His expression didn't change, but something in the way he looked at them made them all pause. "This isn't about whether Donnell was real. You're asking the wrong questions."
Samaya narrowed her eyes. "Then what's the right one?"
Qyburn looked toward the ruins beyond.. "Who was Donnell? And why did he want us to open this place?" The words that he spoke into the silent cavern made the hairs on the back of their necks rise. It was a question that they had not considered, but now that they had... they truly began to realise the horror of their situation.
Who was Donnell?
Why did he want this cavern open?
The possibilities surrounding those questions only served to shake everyone's confidence that they may find a way out of here.
It made them truly scared of what lay ahead of them, what lay in the unknown.
"Fuck him," Obara muttered. But even she didn't sound convinced anymore.
Qyburn said nothing. He didn't need to. His silence said more than anything he could have.
Daario shifted again, his gaze flicking toward Jon. "What's the bastard doing?"
They turned together. Jon had moved away from the group. He sat cross-legged on the cold stone now, just past the broken threshold. His torch lay beside him, its flame still alive but lower, casting smaller shadows. His eyes were closed, and his body was still. His face didn't give anything away.
"He's finding the way," Samaya said, quietly as if not wanting to disturb him.
"How?" Obara asked. "By sitting there?"
Daario scoffed. "Great plan. If you guys need me I'll be over there digging my own grave."
Despite them talking about him, Jon didn't hear them. His breath had slowed and his thoughts had emptied. He let himself sink into the pull that had been lingering in the back of his mind since they entered the ruins. It wasn't a matter of effort or will. He simply gave in to it. The weight of his limbs faded. The tension behind his eyes dissolved. His mind pushed forward, parting from his body like mist blown by wind.
He slipped free.
It wasn't walking... it was flying. He had felt nothing like it in his life, even when riding on Aeksions back. He left his body behind and moved across the ruined city, each moment carrying him further than the last. Broken towers flashed beneath him. The shattered bones of archways swept past. He passed through walls without slowing, moving faster than he ever could on horseback, or even on dragon back. He saw temples that had collapsed and streets swallowed by cracks in the earth that went so deep it looked to be nothing but a void.
The pull led him deeper. It drew him past the ruins and into the rock itself. He moved through the layers of earth without resistance, passing veins of stone and chambers carved by millennia ago. He didn't think. He didn't feel. He followed.
Then it stopped.
The pull was gone. His momentum vanished with it. There was nothing ahead, no sense of direction, no ground beneath him. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't feel anything. He reached for his body but couldn't find it. He tried to breathe but there was no air. There was no space, no shape, no sound. Only the sensation of falling without motion, sinking without weight.
Then something stirred in the dark.
It was fire. A harsh glow that bled through the black like a wound in the void. Them shape came with it, it was massive and layered with smoke. It coiled as it moved. Its form burned at the edges with intense plumes of fire. Smoke twisted and curled like it had a mind of its own. The heat didn't reach him, but the air around it seemed to ignite and bend around its massive form.
It turned toward him.
The fire moved like it wore a face, though no face had ever looked like that. The features were made of flame, the eyes twin hollows of burning ash, the mouth a chasm that flickered without sound. The smoke shifted with every breath it took, glowing hot at the core, darker around the edges. It was looking at him.
And it knew he was there.
It reached out.
But then the world gave way.
Jon crashed back into his body all at once, causing him to throw up on the ground next to him as numerous sensations filled his body all at once. His lungs seized and dragged in air like they had been drowning. His chest heaved. His hands scraped at the ground, looking for anything solid. His eyes snapped open. The sweat poured down his face and soaked into his collar. His vision swam. The fire was gone, but he could still feel the scorching heat.
He barely heard the footsteps rushing toward him or the voice that called his name. His heart was still pounding.
"Jon!"
Samaya dropped to her knees beside him and grabbed his shoulders. She shook him once, trying to catch his eyes. "Are you well?"
He stared at her for a long second before nodding. His hands were trembling, and his mouth was dry. "I'm fine," he said. The words scraped out of his throat. "Just give me a moment."
Daario's voice cut in from nearby. "That might be a problem."
He was pointing behind them, back toward the staircase.
Jon turned.
The spiral rose above them, cutting into the dark, but something was moving along it. A glow flickered near the top, slow at first, too faint to be firelight. But it brightened. It grew hotter in colour, deeper, richer, not the orange of flame but something more molten. It took them a moment to realise the light was moving, but not slowly as would the light of a torch, but faster, much faster. The steps above them began to shimmer, the heat rolling down in waves.
Then the glow surged.
A ball of fire unfurled from the darkness, spinning slowly in the air, the heat bending the scorching the stone beneath it. The light wasn't natural. It pulsed like it was alive. The shape stretched and twisted, flames whipping along its edges.
Jon stood.
"Run!" he shouted,
Jon felt the air ripple with heat as the flames erupted behind him, but he didn't look back. Instead, he surged forward his sword in hand, his shoulder slamming through the half broken door ahead. Splinters exploded outward, scattering across the crumbling floor as Jon stumbled inside, barely managing to keep his balance. Samaya followed closely, sliding beneath a chunk of falling stone that smashed into the floor behind her.
"Keep moving!" Jon shouted, twisting to pull Qyburn upright as the older man tripped over debris. Behind them, the thunderous footsteps of Gendry echoed through the ruined chamber as he jumped off the stairs and landed with a massive thud. The massive berserker burst through the same doorway, his warhammer swinging in a wide arc demolishing the frame and part of the wall in a single blow.
Jon spun around to face him, Gendry thrust his hammer forward like a spear taking Jon off guard, he caught the end of it with one hand though he was forced back a few steps as they both fought for control. Gendry roared before using both hands and swinging upwards making Jon lean back, the young Targaryen then stepped forward slashing his sword against his side Gendry deflected the sword with a gauntlet before swinging with his other arm; Jon ducked under before lunging up and shouldering Gendry into the wall. Gendry grabbed him as he did this and threw him into the wall next to him before throwing him across the ruined building. Jons sword flew out of his hands when this happened, he only barely got it back into his hands before he raised it to parry off a hammer strike from Gendry. The impact jarred through his arms, driving him back several feet. Gendry snarled and swung again, this time horizontally. Jon ducked low, blade arcing upward as he tried to slice into Gendry's abdomen, but the huge man twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the blow. He countered swiftly, slamming the haft of his hammer into Jon's ribs, sending Jon sprawling across the room, crashing into a wall again. Stones dislodged and showered onto Jon's shoulders, knocking the air from his lungs.
Samaya rushed forward her sword slashing at Gendry's exposed back. Gendry pivoted, batting her blade aside and seizing her by the throat with a massive hand. He lifted her off the ground, but she drove her knee sharply into his ribs. Gendry grunted and threw her aside, sending her crashing through a stone wall into another chamber. By then Jon surged back to his feet, and charged again. This time, he feinted left and slashed right, his sword biting into Gendry's forearm. Blood spattered across the floor, but the big man barely flinched, roaring with rage instead. "Oh shit..." Jon muttered before Gendry grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him up throwing him up to the ceiling where he hit it and cracked the stone.
Across the room, Daario and Obara battled the mercenaries flooding through another broken doorway. Obara thrust her spear into the gut of the nearest attacker, wrenching it free just as Daario blocked an overhead sword strike. He twisted the mercenary's arm before kicking him aside. Two more mercenaries lunged forward; Daario pivoted around them, slashing his blade in a wide arc that caught one across the back, dropping him instantly, the other he grabbed from behind and slitting his throat before throwing him forward and into Obara who vaulted over the mercenary with her spear, kicking another before landing on her knees and inadvertently ducking beneath a mercenary's sword swipe, she lunged forwardand drove her spear upward, impaling him through the chin.
"Behind you!" Daario shouted. Obara turned just in time to catch another mercenary's sword against her spear shaft. She twisted, knocking the blade away, then swept her foot out to trip him, before driving the spear down through his chest.
On the other side of the room Samaya groaned as she pulled herself from the rubble of the collapsed wall, blood trickling from her forehead. A mercenary charged toward her, sword raised high. Samaya braced herself, sidestepping at the last second to slash across his thigh. As he stumbled, she grabbed his collar and hurled him into another mercenary who was sprinting in from behind, both tumbling to the ground. She then walked over and grabbed both of them by the legs, "YAAAAHHH!!!" Samaya threw them into a doorway that mercenaries were pouring in through with enough force to knock them out cold.
Suddenly started to grow warmer, enough so that people felt their sweat evaporate off their body.
Mya entered the chamber, fire danced across her body and started to pulse as the flames grew hotter; the moment she walked into the room her eyes were locked on Jon, not even bothering to hide her fury. She extended a hand, releasing a torrent of fire that raced toward him. Jon barely dove clear, rolling across the stone as the fire struck the wall, scorching the stones black. "You're dead snow!!!" Mya hissed as she gestured with her hand turning the torrent of fire into a more condensed whip which she lashed at Jon.
*CRACK*
Jon looked with wide eyes as the whole cracked open a piece of rubble beside him. 'That's not good...' Jon thought to himself. He quickly pushed off the ground avoiding another crack, but ended up bumping into one of Mya's soldiers. Jon head butted him before pivoting behind him and avoiding another whip crack. The bloodcurdling scream that followed made Jon's back ache in empathy. "Sorry friend," Jon said with a sheepish smile before lifting and throwing him across the room into Mya who slide under him with a burst of fire. Before sending multiple small spheres at Jon who deflected them with his sword, though the last one managed to catch his shoulder.
Qyburn, still half-crouched near a pillar, frantically rummaged through a small pouch, pulling out a glass vial. He threw it hard at Mya's feet, the glass shattering on impact, releasing a dense, choking smoke. Mya coughed violently, her flames sputtering out as she struggled to breathe. "Jon now!" Qyburn yelled.
Jon lunged through the smoke, driving his shoulder into Mya, knocking her to the floor. He had to quickly grab her hand and aim it off to the side as she shot off a plume of fire. Jon felt the heat flash against his cheek as the flames from her hand licked against his skin. He managed to push her hand down and went to knock her out with the other only for her mouth to open and a light to build up from inside.
Jon barely rolled away in time for her to breathe fire out of her mouth like a dragon.
Gendry, meanwhile, had grabbed Samaya by the arm, dragging her toward him. Samaya pivoted and delivered a fierce kick to his knee, forcing him down momentarily, before she swung her sword towards his neck. Gendry lifted his hammer and blocked it with the head, which led to Samaya to dropping it and delivering a vicious punch to his stomach which winded him, she followed it up with a combo of punches to his face and chest.
Gendry caught her fist and head butted her before he grabbed her throat and lifted her up before slamming her into the wall. Samaya lifted her elbow up and started slamming it into Gendrys arm but the Baratheon bastard didn't relent and slammed her into the wall again crumbling it.
Daario sprinted forward, leaping onto Gendry's back, blade pressed against the giant's throat forcing him to drop Samaya. Gendry snarled, grabbed Daario by the hair, and hurled him over his shoulder. Daario crashed into a pillar, crumpling painfully to the floor.
Obara rushed at Gendry, spear leveled, but he spun with startling speed, batting her spear aside and gripping her by the throat. Her feet dangled off the floor, and she choked, kicking out desperately. Gendry threw her aside, and she crashed through another wall, disappearing into darkness.
Jon scrambled upright again, blood streaming from a fresh gash on his temple. He saw Samaya struggling to rise, Daario groaning on the floor, and Mya regaining her feet, and sparking the flames around her body again. Gendry stood tall, his hammer gripped in his hands, breathing heavily but still enraged.
"Stay down... accept your death Snow!"
Jon staggered backward, catching himself against the stone wall. He shook his head and pushed off again, before he did the unexpected and lifted a huge stone slab that looked to be a collapsed wall and lifted it, tossing it at Gendry and Mya. "Move!" he shouted, to all of them as he rushed towards the only other exit, helping Qyburn along the way.
Samaya pushed herself upright, swaying slightly as she moved toward Daario, who was struggling to his feet. "On your feet!" she barked, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along. Daario stumbled but regained balance quickly, racing with her through the crumbling doorway. Obara emerged from the shadows ahead, coughing and clutching her ribs but still moving quickly. Behind them, Gendry roared and swung his hammer smashing through the wall that had been thrown at him and charging through the next wall, going after them. Mya followed closely, flames crackling around her fists, illuminating the darkened passageways they charged through.
Jon ran after his companions, hearing the mercenaries' footsteps closing rapidly behind. They sprinted through a long corridor, ducking beneath falling debris and weaving through collapsed archways. Mercenaries surged after them; they seemed to be smarter than the average sellsword as they made an effort to cut them off.
"Keep going!" Jon yelled, turning abruptly and slamming his shoulder into a pursuing mercenary sending fhe man flying nearly thirty feet into a first floor window of a building. Another swung his sword before he grabbed his sword hand and pulled him forward onto his own sword; just as another came into view. He pivoted, driving his elbow into the attacker's face, then spun again, blade slicing through another mercenary's side.
Though he wasn't the only one having a hard time.
Samaya dodged a lunging attacker, slashing her sword across his throat and sprinting forward without pausing. Daario spun around a pillar, neatly avoiding a blow, then jumping and swinging around countering with a swift thrust through the man's chest. Obara thrust her spear backward as she ran, impaling a mercenary who had nearly caught up to her. Soon they emerged from the corridor into an open courtyard filled with crumbling statues and broken fountains. The sound of pursuit intensified behind them, and Jon gestured frantically. "Make for the bridge!" He shouted as he saw a large bridge that seemed to cross a vast gap, and connected to another part of the city.
Samaya, Daario, and Obara ran ahead, weaving quickly through the rubble. Jon followed closely, but suddenly a fireball exploded against a statue beside him, showering him in stone fragments and sending him flying into a massive fountain. Mya stepped through the archway, fire danced through her hands and her eyes blazed as she looked at Jon.
"You're mine, Snow!" she hissed, firing another blast of flame.
Jon dove aside, rolling through debris, and came up fast, lunging toward her. He swung his sword, aiming right at her neck—managing to nick her throat and draw blood. Mya shrieked and let out a shockwave of fire slamming Jon back, but as he was thrown he threw his dagger at her. However Gendry smacked it away with the back of his hand before he barreled into the courtyard, swinging his hammer wildly, and obliterating everything in his path. He smashed a statue, sending chunks hurtling toward Samaya, who barely dodged in time. Daario attacked from the side, blade slicing at Gendry's arm, but the huge man blocked with his hammer shaft and retaliated fiercely, hurling Daario through a crumbling wall. Obara raced forward, thrusting her spear at Gendry's exposed side, but he pivoted swiftly, his hammer smashing into her spear, shattering it. She stumbled back in shock which allowed Gendry the time he needed to swing back round and aim right for her head, luckily Samaya tackled Obara out of the at before the lethal strike could reach her.
Meanwhile Jon blocked another fiery blast from Mya using a flat piece of stone before throwing it at her like a shield, Mya ducked under it before firing several fast fireballs at Jon, ones he was able to deflect and slice through with his sword. Mya then raised her hands and formed a wall of fire on either side before collapsing it in on Jon.
Seeing this happening he rushed forward towards Mya and jumped into a drop kick which sent her flying into a statue and crumbling into it. Before he could capitalise on it however he had to duck a hammer strike from Gendry; he slammed his fist into the man's stomach so hard he lifted the giant off the ground momentarily. He then yanked him forward with his palm still on his stomach he heaved him off the ground and threw him towards Mya.
They now had an opening, with both the commanders—and by far the most dangerous enemies—taken out they could make break for it.
"Move!" he shouted to his companions. "The bridge, go!"
They fled through another archway, emerging onto an ancient stone bridge stretching over a dark chasm. Samaya sprinted first, followed by Daario and Obara. Jon turned grabbed Qyburn and lifted him onto his shoulder and turned watching as Gendry and Mya charged forward with the remaining mercenaries close behind.
Jon planted his feet and rushed across to the bridge, the moment he reached the midpoint he channeled all his strength into his fist and slammed down onto the bridge again and again. As the mercenaries almost reached the midpoint, the bridge groaned ominously. Jon struck again, channeling every ounce of his strength into the blow. Stone splintered and cracked deeply. With one final surge, the bridge collapsed entirely, mercenaries screaming as they fell into the darkness below.
As the bridge fell away beneath his feet, Jon pushed off the edge, leaping forward with every bit of energy he had left. He hit the opposite side hard, rolling roughly to absorb the impact and to make sure Qyburn wasn't injured, and came to rest beside his companions, gasping for air as dust and debris rained around them.
Mya stood at the other end, eyes locked on Jon with pure hatred. Her fists ignited with fire again, and she stepped forward as if to jump.
"I'll follow him," she snarled. Flames burst from her hands, blasting down toward the chasm like jets, preparing to propel her across.
Gendry grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back with both hands. "Are you mad? Look at them! There's five of them and just you! Our men just fell into the chasm we have no backup!"
"I don't care!!! I'll slaughter them!" she screamed, her body trembling with rage. "I'll burn his skin off until there's nothing left but charred fucking bone!"
"Don't be foolish!" Gendry roared, dragging her further from the edge. "He can't get away down here. Be patient!"
Mya glared at him, then turned her hate back to Jon. "I'll get you, bastard! And I'll peel the flesh from your bones with fire. You'll die screaming!"
"Fuck off!" Jon shouted back, raising his finger.
Mya's expression twisted into something nearly inhuman.
Samaya snorted.
Obara snorted. "Not helping."
Qyburn said from behind them, "It's not wise to aggravate her further."
Jon didn't turn. "She already wants to kill me. No point playing nice."
He looked at the others. "Let's move."
They left the edge of the chasm and pressed deeper into the ruined city. The paths narrowed again, then widened as they passed through shattered avenues and crumbled staircases. Ancient stonework buckled underfoot, and broken statues loomed from corners where only shadows lived. Eventually, they reached the edge of a massive hollow in the earth. A cavernous void opened up ahead, so vast the far side disappeared into blackness. In front of it stretched a grand staircase, carved directly into the earth, half a mile wide at the top and descending into the dark like a river of stone.
At the head of the stairs stood a great carved slab. Symbols were etched across it, looping characters in the language of the Mazemakers.
Obara frowned. "Can you read it?"
Jon stepped forward. He ran his fingers slowly over the symbols, one by one.
"Lazhek... toruun... ezrah... meldin... shar..." he said aloud.
He paused.
"It says: 'Only the brave descend into the dark. Beyond this point, no flame shall burn. No star shall guide you. This is the last light you will ever see.'"
No one spoke.
Even Daario didn't smile.
Jon stepped away from the slab.
"The only way out is down..."
And with that they descended the staircase into the darkness.
(AN: it's been a long time since I've worked on this story, but tbh i do like it I've just had trouble deciding where I wanted to go with it. But i think I've got it figured out and hopefully I'm gonna finish this arc in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.)
If you like my stuff consider supporting me.
Patreon.com/captainalfie78works