Chapter 74: Beneath the city
"I discovered this place thanks to you," Morgan said matter-of-factly.
The underground chamber was completely shrouded in darkness.
Emily could only make out vague shapes and figures in the pitch dark. She threw him a surprised look.
" What do you mean?"
Morgan smiled in the darkness.
" I happened to slip into the house above the alley where you were hiding. I was escaping the Bretnar’s detection."
Morgan chuckled lightly before continuing.
"I heard the clanging of the grate when you tried to open it. You wouldn’t have succeeded because it was bolted securely from the inside. I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t made it there in time."
A somber silence lingered in the air as they walked following the direction of the tunnels; their footsteps echoed in the empty tunnel.
" Those creatures have become alarmingly intelligent. They intended to surround me, catch me unaware, and finish me off." Morgan spoke up.
"But they made one crucial mistake."
Morgan’s suit conveniently absorbed the sound of his steps, allowing him to creep around soundlessly.
The suits were academy-issued, but since the academy fell under the jurisdiction of the Great Houses, it had access to a fraction of the resources that the families wielded.
" And what mistake would that be?"
Morgan grinned darkly.
" I’m human while they’re mere beasts. I quickly realized what was happening even before the trap was sprung."
Emily sighed quietly in the darkness.
" All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Morgan laughed in amusement, the melodic sound echoing eerily around them in the darkness.
" You’re quite the bookworm. But you’re right, something like that. Anyway, when I crept down to open the grate, I also discovered this tunnel. I think it could probably lead us back to the temple."
They continued in silence, with only the shuffling of their footsteps breaking through the tranquil stillness.
Morgan quietly muttered under his breath.
"What’s the matter?" Emily asked curiously.
"These tunnels, they’re built too elaborately. I wish you could see them, like they were made with purpose, and something else strikes me as odd. Have you noticed?"
Emily quietly hummed.
" If the tunnels truly led back to the temple, we would have long reached our destination, but we’ve been walking for a while without stopping."
Morgan nodded, a hint of hesitation flickering through his eyes.
" My thoughts exactly. So it’s safe to assume that these tunnels lead elsewhere."
A light draft blew through the tunnel, stopping them in their tracks.
" Do you feel that?"
Emily whispered.
" Yeah, it looks like we’re nearing the exit."
Morgan abruptly came to a stop, his entire body going rigid.
Emily felt the tension through his grip on her fist.
" What’s the matter?"
Only silence answered her.
In the distance, Emily could barely make out wet squelching sounds with rhythmic squeaking and screeching.
The sound of something feeding frantically and ravenously.
Morgan quietly tugged her arm, pulling her back with palpable urgency.
They slowly retreated into the cave in silence.
After a while, they suddenly came to a stop.
" I think it’s safe here. We should be out of sight."
Morgan let out a quiet sigh, then slumped down to the ground.
" What’s wrong? What was the matter? What did you see?"
" Kravenar, two of them. Well, technically one, since we found the larger one feeding on the other one. From what I saw, it was eating it alive."
From Emily’s memory, Kravenar were giant spiders with dark, long legs.
The large creatures were recorded in the bestiary, accompanied by a massive sculpture depicting their appearance.
Outside of the rigorous training, the two of them had decided to study the remainder of the sculptures just in case the knowledge ever came in handy.
" The Kravenar eat their mates after the mating ritual and lay their eggs in any unsuspecting victims they happen upon," Emily whispered, shuddering slightly.
A shiver of dread coursed through her, setting every nerve within her alight with numbing fear.
" We should turn back. We can’t fight that thing."
Morgan silently remained on the ground, pondering their next move.
" We’ll fight it. We’ve come too far to turn back," he said, his eyes gleaming with determination.
" And besides," he grinned darkly," this should be a good experience for both of us."
" What do you mean? I can barely see anything down here."
Emily’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness after staying underground for so long.
" That’s why you’ll make the perfect bait. But if you’d like, I can be the bait and you can kill it." Morgan said somberly.
Emily’s eyes widened in shock.
" Is that even a choice? Are you trying to get me killed?!"
" Hey, relax, I promised I’d keep you safe. You’re still alive, aren’t you? Trust me."
Emily hesitantly contemplated the plan. After a few moments, she reluctantly agreed.
" So what’s this plan of yours?"
Morgan smiled mischievously and then told her.
A while later, Emily quietly walked forward, shuffling silently through the dark tunnel.
" Why am I even doing this?"
Morgan skulked ahead of her in the shadows, waiting to spring his trap.
His plan was simple; it had sounded simple, except for the slight chance that if anything went wrong, she could end up dead.
" Just draw its attention to yourself, and I’ll handle the rest."
Morgan said, handing her one of his blades.
" That’s a suicidal plan," she hissed.
" Don’t worry," Morgan said reassuringly," I’ve got this."
" Idiot!" She muttered under her breath.
After walking for a few moments, Emily stood directly in the Kravenar’s path.
She breathed in shakily.
" Here goes nothing."
Emily wandered into the Kravenar’s territory, managing to look like a lost lamb.
The Kravenar immediately spun around on its long, hairy legs.
Its pincers clicked together menacingly.
" Shit! If I survive this, I’m going to kill that guy."
The Kravenar’s beady black eyes watched her intently for a while, then in the next instant, it barreled forward.
Emily shrieked very convincingly, not that it took a lot because she was mostly scared out of her wits.
Her instincts screamed at her to run, but Morgan had told her that was the worst thing she could do.
" Never turn your back on an unknown enemy unless you’ve got a solid plan."
So that’s why, instead of running, Emily ran straight at the giant spider.
The Kravenar lunged at her, its body speeding up in an instant, its mandibles threatening to cleave her in two in one bite.
Emily froze mid-sprint, her mouth falling open in horror.
Morgan darted out of the shadows, darting towards the gargantuan monstrosity.
" Shit, I won’t make it in time."
Emily was supposed to roll beneath the monster’s assault, but fear and shock froze her in place.
Then miraculously, she slipped and fell on her butt.
The giant creature flew past her, landing further from its target.
The Kravenar spun around, its eyes gleaming with the uncanny intelligence of a dangerous predator.
Morgan’s cover was blown.
" There’s nothing to do but face it head on."
His mind worked feverishly, thinking of every possible angle from which to attack the Kravenar.
He roughly pulled Emily to her feet. The dark-haired girl was frozen in shock.
The fear of having brushed so close to death emptied her mind of everything, every part of her becoming numb with pure, unbridled terror.
" Hey Emily, snap out of it. You need to fight. This is it, you hear me!"
In the next moment, Morgan roughly shoved Emily away.
A split second later, a dark blur slammed into him, throwing him into the distance.
" Crap!"
Morgan flew through the air with his remaining blade held out in front of him.
He’d seen the Kravenar lunged forward, moving impossibly fast out of the periphery of his vision.
His instincts had kicked in at the last minute.
In that brief moment, he’d spun around, shoving Emily out of the Kravenar’s path while simultaneously bringing up his blade in front of its incoming pincer.
The terrible force of the blow almost wrenched the dark blade out of his arm.
Morgan gracefully flipped in the air and then landed, skidding back a few feet on the ground.
A horrendous sight was unfolding before him.
" Emily!"
The Kravenar had cornered Emily, its pincers eagerly reaching for her.
Morgan activated his awakened ability in an instant.
His body became a dark blur hurtling toward the Kravenar, but even with the enhanced speed, he was still too slow.
The Kravenar’s mandibles bit down with alarming finality.
A shrill scream tore through the air before dying away abruptly.
A strangled cry escaped Morgan’s lips, his eyes widening with despair.
" No, this can’t be."
Dark blood pooled on the stony ground, spilling in thick dark rivulets that quickly stained the stone crimson.
Morgan stood frozen, his blade uselessly hanging from his hand at his side.
The realization of what had happened was like a weight, crushing him
" I failed..I failed her, I promised to keep her safe, and I broke that promise."