Chapter 6 - The Underground City

The figure darted off, its small frame moving with a hopping motion, quick and nimble as it disappeared into a narrow passageway carved into the rock. The group rushed forward, but when they reached the passage, they quickly realized it was too small for any of them to squeeze through.

"Damn it," Spoon muttered, running his hand along the edges of the passage. "No way we’re fitting through there."

Bwompy scowled, frustrated. "Now what?"

Aeval turned, scanning their surroundings. "There has to be another way around."

They fanned out, searching for another opening, when Hydro suddenly called out. "Over here!"

The group hurried to where he stood at the edge of a vast opening. As they stepped out onto a rocky ledge, they froze in collective awe.

Before them, stretching endlessly into the brightness ahead, was an enormous underground city. The cavern was massive, its ceiling lost in the glow of suspended magenta crystals that bathed the expanse in their pulsating light. The walls of the cavern were lined with buildings carved directly from the rock, intricate structures with arched doorways and glowing blue symbols etched into their foundations—echoing the glyphs they had seen before. Some of the glyphs seemed to be manned by short figures.

The city was alive.

Below them, figures moved through the streets—small, shadowed, and swift. The hum of unseen energy coursed through the air, mixing with the distant sound of flowing water. Aeval took a slow step forward, her breath caught in her throat. 

“What is this place?!” Aeval whispered, eyes wide as she took in the impossible sight before them. “What the hell has the Warden been up to? Is this what we’ve been mining for?”

Hydro, ever calm, studied the glowing blue glyphs lining the cavern walls. “I don’t think this is the Warden,” he said. “Look at those people down there. They’re way too small to be human. And those glyphs—they’re interacting with them.”

“This ain’t like any technology I’ve ever seen,” Bwompy muttered, shifting his weight uneasily.

Spoon pointed toward a narrow walkway carved into the side of the rock far below. “There—look! That’s the thing we chased!”

Aeval followed his gaze as a small, cloaked figure emerged from a doorway and hurried across a stone bridge. Even from this distance, its movements were fast and deliberate, a fleeting shadow against the glowing expanse.

Spoon pointed again, this time toward a towering structure in the distance, its silhouette framed by an overwhelming, blinding light. “If I had to guess, that’s where it’s heading.”

“I don’t think we’re welcome here,” Bwompy muttered.

Hydro nodded. “Judging by the way that thing flashed that light at us and bolted, I’d say it’s more scared of us than we are of it.”

“Yeah, never mind the fact it—oh, I don’t know—shot light out of its damn hand!” Bwompy scoffed. “Seriously, what the hell was that?!”

The group exchanged uneasy glances. No one had an answer. They had all seen it—an energy blast, pure light radiating heat as if it were some kind of weapon. It was like something out of a fantasy sim, except this wasn’t a game.

And that wasn’t the only impossibility.

The magenta crystals overhead weren’t just glowing—they were alive in some way, pulsing with energy, generating both light and heat. Unlike any mineral they had ever seen, these weren’t just reflecting ambient light. They were producing it. And the glyphs? They pulsed like veins of living electricity, yet no wires or conduits connected them. Some were linked by concentrated beams of light, as if they were conducting energy through sheer force of will.

Then— A deep, echoing horn sounded from somewhere within the city.

The group instinctively tensed, watching as the small figures below suddenly scattered. Those working the glyphs stopped what they were doing, abandoning their posts to fall in line with the others. The once-thriving cavern dimmed, the once-blazing glyphs fading as the figures fled. The magenta and blue lights that had bathed the city in an otherworldly glow flickered and waned, as if someone had turned down the brightness of the entire cavern.

It was clear now. They weren’t just seeing the city. The city was seeing them.

 Between a Rock and Hard Place

The group remained frozen on the ledge, watching the small figures disappear into the glowing city below. The last remnants of the magenta light pulsed faintly in the crystals above, their glow dimming like embers cooling in the dark.

“That can’t be a good sign,” Spoon murmured.

“No shit,” Bwompy added, gripping his rifle a little tighter.

Before anyone could respond, a distant clattering of rock echoed from behind them. Instinctively, they spun around, muscles tensed—ready for whatever had followed them.

But instead, they saw Nick and Huzz, emerging from the darkness behind them. Their faces were strained, their movements rushed. As soon as their boots hit the cavern floor, Huzz yanked off his gloves and shook out his hands, his voice sharp with urgency.

“You’ve been down here way too long.”

“Patrol’s making rounds again,” Nick added, breathing heavily. “They’ve already checked once. If they come back and we’re all gone—”

“We’re screwed,” Aeval finished grimly.

Spoon ran a hand through his hair, casting one last glance at the city before nodding. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Nick and Huzz barely had time to process what the others had found. They exchanged a brief glance at the glowing metropolis below but didn’t linger—there wasn’t time.

As a group, they turned and hurried back toward the tunnel leading to the ropes. The once-bright glyphs were now dark, and while the crystals above still hummed softly, their glow had faded to a dim flicker.

Just as they rounded the last bend, they skidded to a halt.

Four guards were descending from the hole above, their ropes swaying as they repelled into the cavern. The team ducked behind a corner, pressing themselves against the stone wall.

Bwompy, holding his rifle at a low ready, looked to Spoon. Spoon gave him a firm nod.

"Cover me," he whispered before stepping out into the open.

One of the guards had just finished untying his rope when he looked up and spotted Spoon approaching. His hand flew to his holster.

"Don't move!" the guard barked, yanking out his sidearm.

Another guard followed suit, aiming his weapon at Spoon. Within seconds, all four had their guns trained on him.

"Where are the other prisoners?" the squad captain demanded.

Spoon hesitated, thinking fast. "Uh… we found something," he blurted.

The captain narrowed his eyes, exchanging a glance with the others before turning back to Spoon.

"Kill him."

Shots rang out from behind Spoon as Bwompy leaned out from cover, unloading rounds at the guards. Spoon dove toward the rock wall, barely dodging the barrage of bullets that followed.

"Run!!" Bwompy shouted, laying down more covering fire before breaking into a sprint behind the others.

With the guards in pursuit, the team raced back toward the cavern, their boots pounding against the stone floor. They skidded to a stop at the ledge, searching for an escape route.

"Look—a path!" Hydro called out.

Ahead, a narrow walkway was roughly chiseled into the cavern wall, leading downward toward one of the now-abandoned glyph stations. Without hesitation, they followed the path, winding along the edge before finding an open corridor. It led to a rock-hewn staircase spiraling downward.

They took the steps two at a time, heartbeats hammering in their ears—until they reached a sealed stone door.

"Fuck!" Bwompy cursed. "We’re screwed! Pinned between the Warden’s dogs and these goddamned hobbits!"

Hydro, catching his breath, wiped sweat from his brow. "I’d rather take my chances with the hobbits."

"Agreed," Aeval said.

As if on cue, a low hum vibrated through the stairwell, followed by a faint clicking sound—a rhythmic, deliberate pattern. The group turned to face the door just as it began to slide open.

First Contact

The figures weren’t running. They weren’t carrying weapons. They weren’t hostile—but they were approaching.

Behind the group, the stone door slid shut with a deep thud, sealing the guards away. The air hung thick with uncertainty, the only sound the faint hum of the magenta crystals pulsing above.

“Hold your fire,” Aeval ordered.

Bwompy grunted but kept his rifle low.

The figures moved closer, still shadowed by the uneven lighting. They were small and hunched, their bodies wrapped in lavish cloth. Long, delicate fingers flexed as they whispered to one another in a strange, clicking language.

Then, one of them stepped forward.

The creature moved with slow precision, raising its three-fingered hand and placing it flat against its own chest. Then, carefully, it extended its arm forward, palm up—a motion that, though unfamiliar, felt universal.

A peace offering.

The group remained still.

Aeval hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward and mimicking the motion.

The creature’s glowing eyes flickered, and a new sound escaped it—a warbling hum, something between a chirp and a deep, resonant vibration. The others shuffled closer, their luminescent eyes scanning the humans with open curiosity.

Then, one of them reached for the glyphs along the cavern wall.

With delicate precision, it traced the air above one of the symbols. The glyph responded instantly, sparking to life and sending a ripple of blue energy outward, a pulse that stretched into the underground city like a silent signal.

The humans instinctively tensed—but nothing happened. No explosion, no attack.

Instead, another glyph behind them ignited, its glow spreading outward until a translucent blue barrier formed—a force field, shimmering faintly in the cavern’s dim light.

Nick turned sharply. “Okay. That’s… new.”

Aeval’s breath caught as realization dawned. “They’re trying to help us!” she whispered.

The creatures turned, gesturing for them to follow as they moved back toward the city.

“Let’s go with them,” Aeval said without hesitation.

“Nothing to lose at this point,” Bwompy muttered, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

The group followed their newfound guides, first across a stone bridge and then up into the carved pathways of the ancient city. Behind them, gunshots rang out—muffled but sharp.

They turned in time to see the bullets collide with the glowing blue wall. Instead of piercing through, the rounds flickered, lost momentum, and then simply fell—tumbling soundlessly into the abyss below.

There was no time for questions. But one thing was clear:

This was unlike any technology—or magic—they had ever seen.