The tunnel was not man-made. It was a fissure, a wound in the earth that had been widened by clawed, desperate hands. The walls were slick with a strange, phosphorescent moss that cast a sickly green glow, doing little to push back the oppressive darkness. The hum was louder here, a vibration that resonated in their bones, a dissonant chord that set nerves on edge.
Kaelen led the way, his Pyre-fire the only true source of light and warmth. The team moved in a tight, practiced formation, their senses stretched to the breaking point. Aris stayed in the center, as ordered, her hand clenched so tightly around the Sparker that her knuckles ached.
The air grew colder with every step. The sweet-rotten smell intensified, becoming thick enough to taste at the back of the throat. And then, they saw it.
The tunnel opened into a vast, subterranean cavern. It was impossible, a space this large existing beneath the city foundations. But it was real. And it was occupied.
In the center of the cavern, pulsating with a slow, malevolent rhythm, was a massive, obsidian spire. It was jagged and twisted, like a shard of frozen lightning, and it throbbed with the same shimmering, dark energy as the Wraiths. Tendrils of that energy snaked out from its base, connecting it to the walls of the cavern, drawing power from the geological nexus Aris had identified.
This was the source. The nest.
And it was not unguarded. Dozens of Lesser Wraiths drifted around the spire like satellites, their forms shifting and flowing. And among them, gliding with a more purposeful, terrifying grace, were at least three Greater Wraiths.
"By the First Flame..." Rourke breathed, his voice hushed with awe and horror.
Kaelen didn't hesitate. His strategy was simple, brutal, and born of necessity. "Lysette, Rourke, take the flanks. Clear the Lessers. I'll draw the Greaters. The rest of you, protect the Theorist. She needs to get a closer look."
"A closer look?" Aris whispered, her blood running cold.
"You found it," Kaelen said, his gaze burning into her. "Now tell me how to break it."
Before she could protest, he was moving. He let out a roar, a challenge that echoed through the cavern, and slammed the haft of his axe against the stone floor. A wave of blue fire erupted from the impact, washing over the nearest Lesser Wraiths and incinerating them. It was the dinner bell, and the Greater Wraiths took the bait.
They turned as one and surged towards him.
The battle was joined.