Crimson Hail and the Secrets of Valour — Chapter 8.a: Beneath the surface

When Crimson agreed to phase into a part of Valour he wasn’t supposed to be in, to help a friend he didn’t know very well, he had an inkling that his life would be at risk. This inkling was masked with layers of adrenaline and bravado at the time, and it wasn’t until this moment, this very moment that his nostrils were filled with the stench of rotting corpses, and his options for getting back looked impossible that his inkling became an all-consuming thought. This could be the place he dies.

Crimson was in an enormous, dimly lit cave with three tunnels going in different directions. The one in front of him caught his attention as it was the one which had the most amount of light. He carefully made his way down the pile of bodies and noticed some of the faces resembled people on the missing posters of the Corbis Devoreum. At the bottom was a familiar face.

‘Zeik?’ he whispered in shock. Upon jogging down and taking a closer look there was no doubt in his mind it was who they were looking for. ‘Oh man, what did they do to you?’ he cradled Zeik’s head while searching for a pulse but he couldn’t find one. There was nothing he could do for his friend now. If only Nisbah were here to truly mourn his passing. He reached into Zeik’s pocket and retrieved the sapphire ring they had used to track him before paying his respects and continuing his exploration.

It felt as if Crimson’s pursuer had abandoned the chase. He sensed no effort from the…