The darkness beyond the threshold was absolute. Lothras quickly used a torch from his inventory. I thought about summoning Lune to use Foxfire as a light source, but I quickly dismissed the thought: I didn’t think my little companion would appreciate being in an underground crypt.

  Kara had lit another torch, and we started moving.

  "Stay tight," Lothras said, moving to the front. His white armor gleamed in the torchlight. "I'll take point."

  He was surprisingly reasonable.

  We descended in single file. The passage was carved directly into volcanic rock, with rough walls and rocky floor. We could hear water dripping somewhere in the distance, echoing with a creepy rhythm.

  The air grew cooler with each step.

  The passage curved sharply after about thirty meters. Lothras rounded the corner and immediately raised his shield, dropping the torch on the ground.

  "Contact."

  Two figures stood in the corridor ahead.

  Skeletons, from what I could see. Their bones were dark, stained by volcanic soil and a long time of being out of the sun.

  One gripped a rusted pickaxe, the other a shovel with a cracked handle. Above their skulls, their name was clearly visible.

  They lunged forward with surprising speed.

  Lothras met the first one head-on. "Smite!" His sword flared with golden light as it connected with the skeleton's ribcage. The impact sent bone fragments flying, but the creature kept coming, swinging its pickaxe in a wide arc.

  Lothras caught the blow on his shield and countered with a slash that severed the skeleton's spine. It collapsed in a heap of bones and rusted tools.

  The second Gravekeeper charged past him, shovel raised high.

  I loosed an arrow, and Piercing Shot punched through its skull, the force spinning it around. Athos was already there, his blade flashing in the torchlight with a Piercing Stab that shattered its pelvis. The skeleton fell, bones clattering against stone.

  "That was almost disappointing," Kara said, her lute still strapped to her back. "I didn't even need to play a note."

  "Basic mobs," Athos said, kneeling beside one of the corpses. "They'll get tougher deeper in."

  “Gave quite good xp, though.”

  Something caught my eye; a scrap of parchment clutched next to the remains of the pickaxe skeleton.I picked it up and raised it carefully. The paper was yellowed and brittle, the ink faded but still readable.

  I read it aloud. "Day seventeen. We can’t dig out, no matter where we try. Seven of us remain. We've tried everything but the door won't budge. Food runs low. We found a water source, but it doesn’t matter. The dead grow restless below. We hear them at night. Scratching. Moaning. Something is wrong with this place."

  Silence settled over the party.

  "A hundred years ago," Kara said quietly. "These were the workers who got trapped during when the Veil came down."

  "And they became the monsters," Athos finished.

  Lothras was already moving ahead. "Tragic. Let's keep moving."

  Kara lingered, staring at the scattered bones. "The timeline fits. The Coastal Wars happened around 120 years ago. House Trynd lost, got buried here, in their last place of rest.”

  "You think there's a connection?" Athos asked.

  "The Trident was sealed after a time of trouble, right? The Count mentioned his great-great grandfather hid it ‘after an unrest’. It had to be the coastal wars."

  She gestured at the parchment. "They sealed the trident shortly after burying House Trynd here, and hid one of the keys here as a sign of respect, maybe? Then the Veil came a couple decades later, and the gravekeepers got stuck here because of it.”

  "Makes sense," Lothras called back. It felt like Kara’s monologue made him find respect for the Bard. "But we can discuss history outside. The quest is ahead, not behind."

  He was right.

  We pressed deeper. The passage widened into a natural cavern, stalactites hanging from the ceiling like teeth. More Gravekeepers waited in the shadows, five of them, armed with various mining tools. We engaged methodically.

  Lothras drew their attention by using Oath of Steel, his armor gleaming as his defense increased. The skeletons converged on him, tools clanging against his shield.

  I fired Fan of Arrows. Eight mana-arrows spread in a cone, striking four of the five skeletons. The coordinated impact knocked three back, giving Athos space to engage.

  He moved like water, his Blade Rush carrying him forward with slashes that severed joints and shattered skulls. Each strike was precise and calculated. He was fighting the same way as he did in the tournament: with ease and a confident smile on his face.

  Kara played a soft melody on her lute. The sound was gentle, almost soothing, but I felt its effect immediately. My movements became smoother, arrows nocking faster. It was Sonnet of Valor, the level 10 Bard skill that increased power and speed for the whole party.

  Fighting with a Bard at your side was really comforting. The class had the innate difficulty of needing to have some sort of melodic skills beforehand, however, if done flawlessly, it had the strongest support abilities. More risk, more reward.

  The last Gravekeeper fell to Lothras's Holy Charge, his sword cutting clean through its the bones of the neck.

  "They're getting more numerous," Athos observed, wiping bone dust from his blade.

  "But not more dangerous," Lothras countered. "Still level 15."

  A howl echoed from deeper in the catacombs. It sounded like something was hungry down there.

  "What was that?" Lothras asked.

  Another howl answered, closer this time. Then another. Multiple sources, converging around us.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Four creatures burst from a side passage. They looked like massive dogs, if dogs were looking like the nightmares you’ve had when you were seven.

  Their skin was mottled and rotting, chunks missing to expose bone and sinew. Their eyes glowed with faint red light.

  They moved fast, faster than the Shademere Wolves.

  The first one leaped at Lothras. He caught it mid-air with his shield, his Smite knocking it back with divine force. It hit the wall hard enough to crack stone.

  The other three spread out, trying to flank us.

  I targeted the one circling left. Burning Arrow struck its flank, fire spreading across its rotted hide. The creature yelped with a horrible sound, and then charged straight at me.

  I used Quick Step, dodging to the side. Athos was there instantly, his Vertical Strike coming down on the creature's spine. It collapsed, twitching.

  Kara played a different tune: Aria of Protection. I felt my skin tighten, as if invisible armor had formed around me. The defense buff shimmered across all four of our party’s members.

  The remaining Scavengers fell quickly. Lothras's Purging Flame burned one to ash. I put two arrows through another's skull. And Kara finished the last with an Echo Strike going straight through its heart.

  "Stay alert," Kara warned.

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “These were called Scavengers. They looked like carnivores, probably grave diggers.”

  “And?” Lothras asked.

  “Every remain here should only be bones and dust, like the Gravekeepers were. But if there are carnivorous Scavengers as well, that means they have a food source. Something for them to scavenge.”

  It was a bit of a reach, but considering how detailed and well thought out this game was, it was not a bad deduction.

  “If whatever it is can be hunted by these weak mobs, it shouldn’t mean much.” Lothras said, and I was inclined to agree.

  “Still, just stay alert,” Kara said. “I have a bad feeling.”

  We moved on.

  The passage opened into a proper chamber. Rectangular, carved with deliberate precision unlike the rough tunnels behind us. The walls were lined with alcoves, each one sealed with stone slabs engraved with names and dates. They were burial sites, and there were dozens of them.

  At the chamber's center stood a stone altar, simple and unadorned. Another scrap of parchment rested on its surface, weighed down by a small rock.

  The moment we all stepped inside, grinding stone echoed through the chamber.

  "The door!" Athos shouted.

  I spun to see the entrance sealing itself, massive blocks sliding into place with mechanical precision. We were locked in.

  "Of course," Lothras muttered, already scanning for alternate exits.

  Then I heard it. Water. It was not the same dripping sound we had heard at the entrance.

  Water was rushing in.

  Holes appeared in the walls, eight of them from what I’ve seen, each the size of a fist. Water sprayed from every opening, pressurized and fast. Within seconds, the floor was covered.

  "The parchment!" Kara ran to the altar, snatching it up. She read quickly, voice tight. "The dogs of Vizgrad drowned us in blood. We are the drowned. We do not forget."

  "Very poetic," Lothras said. "How does that help us?"

  The water was ankle-deep now, rising faster. I looked around desperately. The chamber had no visible mechanisms, no levers or switches. Just the altar, the sealed niches, and water that wouldn't stop coming.

  Can you drown in this game?

  You definitely could. I haven't tried swimming underwater yet, but I imagined if you couldn’t hold your breath, your health would start to go down after a while.

  "The alcoves!" Kara pointed at the burial niches. "Look at the inscriptions!"

  I waded closer to the nearest one. The stone slab was engraved with a name: Marius Trynd

  Beneath it was a symbol. A ship with three sails.

  “Not all of them have symbols," Athos called from across the chamber. "Three on this side!"

  I checked the next alcove. Helena Trynd, and a sword icon. The third showed a crown. The fourth, scales of justice.

  “Two here!”

  The water reached my knee. The pressure from the holes wasn't decreasing.

  "Three here as well! That’s eight total! They're all family members," Kara said, moving between alcoves. "The symbols might represent their roles. Ship for naval commander, quill for diplomat, crown for heir, scales for magistrate..."

  "So what?" Lothras demanded. "We can't open them. They're sealed."

  "The altar," I said suddenly. "Look at the top."

  The altar's surface wasn't smooth. It had indentations carved into the stone, each one a different shape matching symbols we’d seen on the plaques.

  "We need to match them," Kara said immediately. "Press the symbols in order."

  "What order?" Athos asked, water now at his chest.

  Kara's eyes were distant, thinking fast. "The note said 'drowned in blood.' During the Coastal Wars, House Trynd fought for the opposing side. They lost. Maybe the order of their deaths? The military commanders would have fallen first in battle, then the leadership, then..."

  "The children last," I finished grimly, looking at the icon of a child crawling on the ground.

  The water reached my hips. We had maybe two minutes before it filled the chamber completely.

  "Ship first!" Kara shouted, running through the water to the altar. "Naval warfare happened before land battles!"

  I pressed the ship symbol. It sank into the stone with a solid click. One hole in the walls stopped flowing.

  "Sword next?" Athos called. "Military leadership, right?"

  We pressed the sword, and it also closed one of the holes. The water level stabilized for a moment, then continued rising.

  "Scales next!" Kara said. "Justice came after the fighting. Trials, executions."

  Lothras pressed the scales symbol. Another hole closed.

  The water was quickly rising. “We need to do this faster!”

  "What's left?" Athos asked, trying to keep my head above water.

  We quickly checked all the icons. Quill, Child, Crown, Book, Eye

  My heart sank. "Which one?”

  “Crown and Child should be the last two. Eye is for something like a witness, maybe? Try that!

  I pushed Eye. It closed another hole.

  “That was a reach,” she admitted. “Quill next. Some sort of diplomacy?”

  That one worked as well.

  Whether her logic was sound or not, I couldn’t tell.

  “Child, Book and Crown are left!” I shouted. Water level was at my chest.

  “Child is obviously for the children, crown is for the house head. Those should be last. What is the book about?” She asked.

  “A story?” Lothras asked. “That could be the last one. The story dies last. When people forget.”

  That was… a good way to see it.

  We were neck deep into water.

  “Crown, child, book, then!” Kara shouted. “Do it NOW!”

  I pressed the buttons.

  Crown closed a hole.

  And then the child reset everything. Water started pouring from all holes, and we were almost completely submerged.

  “Start over! Crown, Book, Ch–” Kara shouted before completely going under.

  I started pushing the buttons. Ship, Sword, Scales… what came next?

  At this point I was also underwater.

  Eye!

  It worked.

  Alright, then.

  Quill. Crown. Book.

  As I wanted to push the last button, a strong current drifted me away from the altar.

  Thankfully, Lothras dove, pressing the Child symbol underwater.

  Nothing happened for three terrible seconds. We were drifting aimlessly due to the strange currents, barely holding our breaths. Kara’s health started dipping on our party screen.

  Then the last hole slammed shut. The altar split down the middle with a grinding roar, revealing a drainage grate beneath. Water rushed into it, the level dropping as fast as it had risen.

  Within thirty seconds, we were standing in a damp but empty chamber, coughing and gasping.

  "Clever," Athos managed between breaths. "Horrible, but clever."

  Kara stared at the altar, now broken open. Inside the split stone was a small compartment containing a single rusted key.

  "The first test," she said quietly, retrieving it. "Let's hope they don't get worse."

  She put the key into the wall just across the way we came from, and the sealed door opened up, revealing a passage leading deeper into darkness.

  We caught our breath, checked our equipment, and continued down.