Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

(Story by Koviell Sashermasock)
Like expected, the first night will be harsh. Hard to sleep well on a rocky ground, but at least we're still living. When Arkum woke up, I take a nap until he wakes me up.

"Soala? Soala? Wake up, we can't stay here anymore." He whispers.

"What do you mean we can't?"

"Someone is coming. We must move up quickly." He whispers.

We take our gear and start moving up silently in the tunnels. I'm still a bit sleepy, but I should be okay for now.

"Who do you think they were?"

"Gray Ones I think. Maybe they're patrols looking for fleeing survivors." He said.

"How many are they?"

"Two, maybe three. If we find a good place to hide, we can ambush them, they're moving in our direction." He said.

"Got it."

We walk till the tunnel split in 3, so we hide in one of them.

"Do you have any weapon?" He asked.

"I got my slingshot and a few marbles."

"You might need something more effective if they get in close combat." He said before handing me a sword. "Do you know how to wield this?"

"I do, I will be okay."

"Sshh, now silence, they're coming." He said.

We wait hidden in the tunnel for some time. Like Arkum said, 2 creatures were there. Who are they? We will see…

"I think we're going in the right direction." A female voice said.

"I think not." A male voice said.

"See see? The Tunnel split in 3, this means my way leads somewhere." The female voice said.

"Don't cheer up too soon, we still got to choose the right place to go." The male voice said.

"We should go fowards." The female voice said.

"No, we should go right." The male voice said.

And then they argue with each other.

"They aren't Gray Ones, they're from our kin."

"I'll check, just to be sure." Arkum said.

He take a look and slipped out of his concealment.

"You're quite noisy you two. I could stab you in the back with my eyes closed." Arkum said.

The duo suddently stop talking, maybe Arkum scared them.

"W-Who are you?" The female voice asked. clearly surprised.

"One of yours, we thought no one else would survive the attack. Soala, get over here" Arkum said.

I stepped towards them to greet the newcomers.

"Hello you two… Bishop? You're alive! This is great news!"

The male one was Bishop, one of the guys working with me at the library. He's quite pious, but he never been in an order or something. We gave him this nickname back in the days, he didn't seem to mind. I'm really happy to see him. I have no idea who's the female travelling with him.

"Thanks the gods, you're alive!" Bishop said before kissing my cheeks. "I thought we were the only survivors."

"I'm really happy to see you Bishop. This is Arkum, my friend. Who's your friend travelling with you?"

"She's Leena. She's one of the matron helpers and a close friend." Bishop said.

"It's nice to meet you both. Does either of you know a way to a secure shelter?" Leena asked.

"Soala and I are travelling to the Surface. The underworld is a dangerous place and we don't belong there anymore." Arkum said.

"The Surface? You're going on quite a trip. Getting there will take time and efforts." Bishop said.

"We know that already. Every place is better when it's not the target of the Gray Ones Empire. I doubt they will want to take over the Surface."

"Let's hope so. What do you think of the Surface Leena?" Bishop asked.

"I don't know what to think of it, I just want a place safe to live." Leena said.

"I did check some tunnel maps before, I think I know a way to the Surface, but it will take time. It's a dangerous way, but I'm sure we can make it." Arkum said.

"I trust Arkum, I'll follow him."

"We should do so too. I'm not even sure where we're going, really. At least I know we're far from Kapazu." Bishop said.

"As long we will get there safely, I'm in." Leena said.

"Then we shall get going. This way." Arkum said by pointing to the tunnel where we were hiding.

We then take this tunnel. As we get deeper and deeper into it, the tunnel grows in size until we came to an underground lake...