Chapter Twenty-Two: Clash of Shadows and Scale
The tunnels beneath the ridge were a labyrinth of jagged rock and fetid air. Kael led the way, Umbra close at his side, shadow trailing like living ink across the stone floor. Scouts had marked weak points, traps, and side tunnels, but nothing could fully prepare them for the oppressive darkness and the thick, poisonous stench that clung to every wall.
Fenrik's wolfkin patrols moved silently, blocking side passages and alerting the team to collapsing rocks. Thalos crouched behind a low arch, massive hands ready to smash any obstruction, his deep rumble resonating through the stone.
"Positions," Kael whispered, crimson eyes scanning the shadows. "Wait for my signal."
The wyrm's roar echoed from the deepest tunnel, a low, rumbling sound that shook the earth and rattled teeth. Smoke-like vapors rose from its scales, twisting into the air with a faint green shimmer—poisonous breath ready to choke any who drew near.
Kael stepped forward, shadows flowing from his feet, curling around him like a living cloak. He unleashed a wave of dark energy, shadows lashing like whips toward the wyrm's face. Simultaneously, fire coiled from his palms, striking the monster.
The wyrm hissed, scales clanging against the shadows, teeth snapping. The fire sizzled and died against the iron-gray scales, the poison haze corroding the edges of Kael's flames. The shadows whipped and twisted but could not pierce its defenses. Kael's chest burned with effort as the wyrm lunged, tail sweeping, claws gouging stone and earth.
"Umbra!" Kael barked, spinning to the side as the wolf leapt forward, jaws snapping at the wyrm's flank. The beast shrugged the attack off, claws raking a gouge along the tunnel wall that sent rocks raining down.
Lyria's arrows hissed through the air from above, runes igniting on the shafts mid-flight, striking scales that resisted fire but not keenly aimed force. Each impact was precise but minor—enough to irritate, not enough to break.
Kael's movements blurred as he attacked again, shadows coiling around his fists, fire surging—but each blow was deflected, each strike met with crushing power. He gritted his teeth. This is not enough.
Thalos and Fenrik exchanged a glance. Fenrik signaled, wolfkin slipping between cracks in the rock, striking at vulnerable joints near the wyrm's legs. Thalos slammed his massive fists into the earth, collapsing sections of tunnel, forcing the wyrm to twist and stagger, exposing soft patches near its underbelly.
Kael saw it. Crimson eyes burned. With a roar, he unleashed everything—the shadows curling into spikes, fire surging through the gaps Fenrik and Thalos had carved. The wyrm shrieked, twisting violently, but Kael's fire seeped through the weakened nerve clusters, igniting the nerves beneath its scales. Smoke and sparks hissed as the wyrm thrashed, trying to strike at the source of agony.
With a final, violent sweep, Kael's shadow coiled like a living blade, severing the wyrm's neck. The head fell, rolling across jagged stone, crimson and green light fading from its eyes. The body convulsed one last time, before going still.
The tunnel echoed with silence, broken only by the labored breathing of the strike team and the distant drip of poisoned water. Umbra's golden eyes met Kael's, tail sweeping once in a slow, approving arc.
Lyria, perched above, descended carefully. "It's done," she said, voice calm but low, silver eyes scanning the body. "No more hunts, no more tunnels."
Thalos clapped Fenrik on the back, the wolfkin growling softly. "Your traps and my strength made this possible," Thalos rumbled.
Kael straightened, crimson eyes flicking across each of them. "We did it together. Alone, I could not have finished it. That is why we fight as one."
The captives—elves, goblins, and humans trapped in cages—emerged, rubbing wrists and jaws, some in shock, some smiling weakly. Lyria guided them safely back to the tunnels' entrance, while Kael oversaw the collection of valuables: precious metals hidden in rock fissures, herbs, and small caches the wyrm had hoarded.
Kael paused at the corpse of the wyrm, shadows swirling lightly over the floor. "One more remains," he muttered, crimson eyes darkening. "And I will not fail."
Umbra growled softly, stepping closer, as if affirming Kael's unspoken vow.
The strike team gathered around, battered but victorious, their faces lit by torchlight and faint streaks of smoke. Together, they would return to the Hollow, stronger, wiser, and ready for the challenges still to come.