into the reach, pt. ii

[Talon]

16 Ash 121

“Think that’s everything?” Aoren looked over the supplies that they had gathered for the journey. It was their typically array of magical accessories along with several potions, some tools, rations, first aid kits, and an assortment of other things. That which could fit within the confines of the featherlight bags had been stored. The rest placed within their travel packs.

“I think that is as prepared as we can be, given the circumstances.” Talon tugged on one of the gauntlets of his Skyforged Raiment. He had made some modifications to the armor sets in order to better reflect his more heightened skill. Those adjustments would likely prove vital in the journey ahead. He did not know how long they would be down in the Warrens but he knew that there was a strong possibility it could be an extended journey. He tried not to think too heavily on that potential outcome.

“The last time we fought a dragon…” Aoren left the statement hanging. Talon remembered. It had been just that past summer. Talon had experienced a flashback to when he had been overwhelmed by the darkness spawned from an attempted killer’s dark ritual. Both the dark ritual and his traumatic flashback had resulted in him unleashing and ascending to heightened levels of divine power. Talon had felt it almost immediately after the encounter. His senses had grown. His mind had expanded. His awareness of the Aetherium had become almost second-nature. If he looked closely enough, he could see the edges of the material plane. He felt as though he need only push himself past that border. He was not sure he was ready to do that. It felt as though it were a step that would have consequences that far outweighed the benefits.

[Talon]

“I am better equipped now.” He had spent long hours meditating and examining his reaction to the terrifying situation. It had not been the first time he had frozen on the battlefield. It likely would not be the last. But he had to master himself in order to better face the trauma that he had experienced over the past two years. Between everything that had happened since his return from Atinaw, he had been given sparse few moments to actually process everything he had experienced.

“Hey.” He felt his lover’s hand upon his shoulder. The gentle squeeze prompted him to turn so that he could face Aoren. Across the Bond, he felt warmth and reassurance bloom. It started as a tingling in his chest that grew to become a gentle warmth that cradled him.

“We will face this. Together. As we have always done.” Talon nodded. He leaned forward so that the two of them could press their brows together. After a moment, they stepped back and Talon began helping Aoren dress himself in the Skyforge Raiment of his own.

“What did the Circle want?” Talon helped tie the sash around Aoren’s waist.

“It is not what the Circle wants, so much as what the Circle was asked to leverage.” He felt curiosity blossom across the Bond. Talon smiled softly.

“The Gate Watchers of Shemashk are requesting the creation of a device that can help strengthen the Ghost Wall.” Grabbing one of the enchanted gauntlets, Talon helped slip it on to Aoren’s muscular forearm. “The device itself is something that the Circle is more than capable of forging. They have numerous Master Runesmiths. It is not that the device itself requires my specific expertise. They are requesting the addition of something that only I can give.”

Across the Bond, he could feel understanding dawn upon his partner. Aoren’s raven wings flexed and extended slightly as he tested the ties that held his upper clothing in place.

“They want your divine blessing.” Aoren turned and Talon picked up the protection circlet. He placed it upon Aoren’s head. The circlets too had received upgrades to their internal structure as Talon had reworked them into being able to sustain Master level Negation magic. He had imbued the magic himself once he had learned how to properly weave it into the enchantments that were already in place.

“Let me take a look at you.” Aoren stepped back at Talon’s prompting. Extending his senses, Talon examined the aetheric structure of everything that his partner had on his person. He looked for the slightest flaw. He examined everything for the barest hint of a defect. From the armored boots on his feet to the circlet that was atop his head, to the earring that was in his ear, his gauntlets and even his rings. When he was satisfied that he found nothing out of place, Talon gave a nod. He blinked away his aethreal sight, smiling at his lover. Aoren folded his arms over his chest with a proud smirk.

“I don’t know why you always insist on doing that before we set out. It’s not as though you allow the slightest imperfection in your works.” He flexed his wings then folded them neatly upon his back. Aoren picked up his featherlight bag, attached it to his hip. He placed his hands on his hips, meeting Talon’s gaze steadily.

“The journey ahead will not be an easy one. Even for you, beloved.” A moment of understanding passed between them. It was never an easy thing, going into the Warrens. Shambling horrors, large monsters, those were often the least of their worries. They were no less dangerous but the real dangers of the Warrens were most commonly the unseen ones. Threats that toyed with the mind, threats that dampened one’s spirit, or turned the individual against their allies and better judgements. He did not know fully what they would face when they made it to the Haunted Reaches but he would do his best to be prepared.

“No, I imagine not.” He stepped up to his Bondmate. Reaching up, Talon grasped Aoren’s head with both of his hands and tilted it so that they could touch foreheads. He felt his partner’s hands come up to brush along his arms as, together, they shared a moment of silence as they prepared for the journey ahead.

“Come. They will be waiting for us.” Extending his senses, Talon aligned the spatial pathways of the Slipspace until the outskirts of the Dawnmartyr settlement came into view. He threaded his aether into the Slipspace and parted it, creating a portal that could ferry both himself and Aoren. Stepping through the portal, Talon was greeted by the cool touch of the Ash evening. The sun was setting, casting the landscape into twilight. He felt Aoren step out of the portal beside him. As soon as he did, he ceased funneling his aether into it, allowing the weave of the Veil to fall back into place.

[Talon]

“Prince Talon!” He turned to regard Athrian as the knight made his way toward him. Beside Athrian were two others that he did not immediately recognize. He could feel the warmth of his divine mark burning softly within Athrian’s soul. Even without his Semblance, the touch of it shone like a beacon in his sight. The other two did not possess one of his marks but they must have been both capable and trustworthy if Athrian had chosen them. The paladin stepped up to him, reaching out a hand. Talon accepted it, clasping the man on the forearm tightly.

“This is Devera. She is one of the Spellforged. She has spent her life facing dark sorcery. I trust her to face whatever twisted magic might be waiting for us in the Reach.” The woman regarded Talon cooly. Her gaze was critical as she observed him. He did not need to be a Mesmer or a Sembler to know or understand what that gaze meant. She would be watching him, assessing him, observing him throughout their journey. He was accustomed to such appraisal. It was something that had become a norm for him ever since his first steps into the realm of the aetherium. Devera was a brown haired woman with a freckled face and an athletic build. She wore the armored robes of the Spellforged but in colors of black and white. On her chest was the blazing sun of the Dawnmartyrs at the center of which was wand.

“Well met, Talon.” He did not miss the undertone in her greeting. He also did not miss the lack of any honorific. They were off to a great start. Nevertheless, he greeted her warmly.

“Well met.” Beside him, he felt Aoren flare with mild irritation. He could hear his thoughts just as easily as his own. Quietly he urged his bondmate to calm himself. These warriors did not know them. They had not seen what they were both capable of. They would see in time. A very short time at that. Athrian frowned at Devera’s exchange. He opened his mouth as if to say something but Talon sent a soft note of assurance across the connection they shared through the mark of Eminence. As soon as he did so, Athrian let out a sigh. He motioned to the other knight. This one was also a human. He had dark skin and equally dark curly hair. His brown eyes observed the world with a note of seriousness and mischief. When he met Talon’s gaze, he bowed his head.

“Well met.” There was none of the critical undertone of Devera’s greeting but even in this man, Talon could sense hesitation.

“Feyran is of the Pathfinders. One of our brightest. He will be guiding us as a scout through the Warrens. I trust his instincts. They’ve never led us wrong before.” Together, the three of them stood in front of Talon and he observed them. He extended his senses across the aethereal so that he could look at their auras. Between each of them he could see strong lines of trust and companionship. It was clear to him that these three knew each other outside of more than just this mission. Between the three of them, Athrian’s aura shone strongest in terms of magical capability. Every Dawnmartyr was a mage and it seemed that among them, Athrian was the most adept in his practices. Second was Devera, which was to be expected and Feyran was not far behind her.

“What do you see when you look at us?” It was Devera who spoke up. He considered what he saw for a moment.

“Hope.” He left it at that as Athrian took charge.

“We will be going through a mountain tunnel. Feyran scouted ahead and followed it into the Warrens. It will take us past a nest of shinaegri and somaval. Unless we wish to take the long route through the Yawning Chasm and descend that way, this is the quickest way to the Haunted Reaches.” Athrian looked at him and Aoren. Talon offered no commentary to the contrary. It was as good a route as any and it was best to adopt it while it was still open. The roads into the Warrens were ever-changing and there was no telling when this particular road would close. Feyran produced a crystal. A cursory glance showed it to be a lorestone map. He tapped the crystal once with his finger and the memorized map materialized into the world in front of them.

“I think the Gravebound Hordes have been tunneling upwards to escape the influence of the dragon. It has displaced some of the things in the deeps from what I can tell. It will be a rough journey and there will be parts that we will not be able to avoid a fight.” He clasped the crystal in his hand and the map disappeared. Athrian nodded but did not look troubled. Talon was glad of that. The Dawnmartyrs were known for their ability to face down terrible threats. That the leader of this excursion was not grim but rather, determined, showed promise.

“Come. We should get moving. It will be nightfall soon and these creatures only grow more ravenous in the dark.”Hoisting his pack, the paladin took the lead and began guiding them toward the path that was before them. He nodded to Feyran who gave a nod of acknowledgement back. The pathfinder darted off into the woodlands ahead of them. Before long, Feyran had disappeared into the green, blending in with the woodlands around him.

[Talon]

“Feyran grew up in the streets of Gel’Grandal and honed his skills in the Republic of Cathena.” Devera responded calmly. She cast a glance at both himself and Aoren. “I’m certain that is a far cry from the upbringing you received.”

Talon saw as much as felt his bondmate’s temper flare slightly. He reached out across the Bond and pushed at the hottest spots of Aoren’s annoyance. The heat in his bondmate’s eyes dulled from a growing fire to a soft simmer but the flex of his jaw showed his irritation. Neither of them needed to speak as it was Athrian who replied on their behalf.

“Do you know the Rite of Passage of the Synnekar Avialae, Devera?” The paladin’s deep voice was measured, showing how comfortable he was moving in his heavy armor. Before the sorceress could respond, Athrian continued.

“They spend the entirety of their childhood being tutored and trained to face the horrors of the Warrens. When they turn eighteen, they go on what is called the Warren March. It is a trial where they must either survive within the Deeps or perish to them. If rumors are to be believed, Prince Talon ventured all the way to the Third Deep and back for his trial.” Athrian stepped over a fallen tree with practiced ease. Talon and Aoren followed suit. As Devera climbed over it, Athrian caught her and steadied her.

“Lord Aoren is a Kathar.” A look of understanding passed over Devera’s face as she blinked at his bondmate. Aoren’s face remained impassive as he stared back at her. Devera clearly understood what that meant. She frowned slightly before stepping forward. There was tension there and Talon knew that it would need to be addressed soon enough but that was for another time.As they continued forward, the sound of footsteps reached Talon’s ears. He turned his head in time to see the wretched form of a shambler stumbling its way toward them. It was followed by several other forms. Before he even had the chance to react, a form appeared from out of the shadows of a nearby tree, dropping from an overhanging branch. The form quickly decapitated the shambler then released two throwing daggers into the skulls of two others dropping them before they truly had a chance to react. The form of Feyran trotted forward.

“We’ve got a problem.”

---

Talon looked down at the mouth of the tunnel entrance. It certainly looked new. He could see the characteristic claw marks that told him that a horde of Gravebound had dug this one into existence. He remained in the shadow of the treeline. Beside him was Aoren who was looking on calmly. In front of them, the three Dawnmartyrs were looking at the mass of Gravebound that were swarming the entrance. There had to be at least a fifty of them. Among them, Talon counted three Hungered that were slowly stalking their way through the crowd.

“This is bad. We have to warn the settlement. It will take at least three squadrons to deal with this.” Feyran whispered low. Talon looked to Aoren. He gave his bondmate a nod of acknowledgement. Aoren stepped forward and began making his way toward the small horde. As soon as he reached the edge of the hill, he propped up one of his boots and spread his wings. The movement caught the Dawnmartyr’s attention.

“What are you doing?!” Talon moved out of the shadow of the treeline then.

“Allow us, Knight-Captain.” Before any of them could respond or move, Aoren leapt from the edge of the hilltop. He did not ascend but rather, glided down to the horde that was amassed around the opening of the tunnel.

“Are you insane!?” Feyran immediately summoned two daggers and looked as though he were about to jump down when Athrian caught his shoulder. Devera propped herself up on one knee.

“There are too many. I can’t protect his flank! Dammit! You stupid--” Her words were cut off as the horde began swarming Aoren as he landed. Talon looked onward, clasping his hands behind his back as he watched his bondmate stride forward calmly. Across the bond, he felt his partner’s power begin to rise. The air around Aoren began to emit a mirage of heat before flames ignited all around him. Shamblers leapt for his bondmate but as they dove closer, their flesh was charred and blackened before a burst of flames swept outward from the raven-winged Kathar, incinerating everything in its path. Before the blast of flame could reach them, Talon erected a kinetic barrier around himself and the three Dawnmartyrs. The fire washed over the dome around them. As the shamblers were charred, Aoren darted forward, summoning his blades. Between one blink and the next, he was cutting down one of the three Hungered that was still lumbering forward. One by one he cut them down until all three were felled. The whole ordeal had likely taken no more than two or three minutes. When it was over, Talon dropped his kinetic barrier. He adjusted his wings as he stepped forward, allowing himself to drop from the cliff. He expanded his wings and slowed himself to a slow fall, landing on his feet. He strode forward without looking back, joining his bondmate calmly. Aoren was not even breathing hard.

[Talon]

He opened up his senses in order to examine the tunnel ahead of them. Through the lens of Semblance, he watched as the pathways of the earth in front of him groaned and shifted. He frowned. The land was beginning to rework itself much in the way that the Warrens always did when it was rebuilding itself. Volumes filled the Circle of Spells libraries detailing the phenomenon. It was one of the reasons that the place was both so valuable for resources and dangerous. Nothing stayed gone or the same forever. He dropped his senses and turned just as the Dawnmartyrs were making their way forward from the base of the hill. Athrian was staring at the two of them with a careful expression. Feyran was grinning. Devera looked flustered.

“You have got to teach me how to do that, my friend!” Feyran stepped up close to one of the still smoking carcasses of a shambler. He peered at it for a moment before shaking his head. Aoren was smirking. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

“How did you get the flames so rise to such a temperature so quickly?” Devera looked at Aoren curiously. Her brow was furrowed in consternation. “I have seen many powerful elementalists but few of them can get the flames to burn so hot or so completely.”
Aoren raised his hand. The fire in his eyes burned brighter. All across the field, even from the trees, flames began winding their way toward his hand. The pyrolyth dragonshard on his gauntlet glowed brightly. The dragonshard absorbed the flames.

“Fire is my Arche. That, plus the gift from my bondmate and there is little that can withstand my flames.” Talon looked around at the devestation that was around them. As he turned to join the group as they approached the tunnel, he smiled.

“You held back.” Aoren clasped his hands behind his back, falling into step beside him.

“Only a little.” Talon made a hum of acknowledgement. Feyran paused.

“That was holding back?”

Talon chuckled and together, they ventured further into the dark. The Deep Reaches awaited them. It would no doubt be a perilous journey in and of itself.

“Light’s up.” Athrian commanded. Devera reached into a pouch on her hip and withdrew a wand. Affixed to the tip was a small crystal. She tapped the end of the wand and a soft illumination blossomed around them. Talon extended his senses beyond the dome of light that encompassed them, sending out a kinetic pulse across the solid structures, weaving together his aetheric senses through semblance. In a natural setting, it would have been a hive of activity. In the Warrens, there was nothing but darkness and deadspace between the solid structures that formed the more memorable portions of the Warrens. Outside of the solid structures there was simply…nothing. There were many who theorized why this was but in the centuries that the Warrens had been studied, none had found a solution.

“Serious question.” Feyran turned to look at Talon. “You have Traversion, do you not? Can you not teleport us to the Haunted Reaches?”

Talon shook his head.

“No. No traverser can. I can create a portal that stretches across a single layer of the Warrens but not between them. The Sages of the Circle theorize that this may be because each layer of the Warrens is a dimension unto itself.” There was no conclusive answer. It was another aspect of the Warrens that baffled the normal laws of aether and how it should work.

“Some believe it has to do with what rests at the heart of the Fifth Deep.” Talon side-stepped a stalagmite cropping up out of the ground.

“What rests at the Fifth Deep?” Athrian looked over his shoulder as he walked.

“No one knows. The Fifth Deep has never been explored. Not by us. Not by the civilizations that came before us. The only reason we know it exists is because of records mentioning an expedition to it.” The sound of scraping and shuffling reached his ears. Across his senses, the shape of creatures registered. The three Dawnmartyrs tensed, readying themselves for a battle. Before the small group of Gravebound could even leap at them, Talon grabbed the roughly six or seven creatures with his kinetics, ensnaring them within the web of the aether flux. He did not slow his pace as he continued walking. With a flick of his thoughts he sent a vibration across the aether flux, tightening the strands until they cut through the forms of the shamblers, shredding through them. He tightened the grip smaller and smaller until the creatures fell to mere dust upon the ground without having ever even moved from their spot. The knights accompanying them stared at him. Athrian looked a little speechless.

[Talon]

“I begin to wonder if we are even necessary for this excursion.” The paladin gave a lighthearted chuckle.

“There is not much on the First Deep that poses a threat to Talon, even before his godhood.” Aoren hopped down from a rocky ledge, eyes scanning over the dust that was formerly the shamblers.

“What does?” The group came to a stop, turning to look at Devera who had posed the question.

“The Saintiri.” Talon looked at her steadily. “Some say they are greater demons. Some say they are fallen Mistlords that have been imprisoned here on the First Deep. Like the Gravebound, their origins are known only to them.”

He said nothing further on the matter. With any luck, they would not have to face any of the fabled Saintiri. That would be a battle they likely would not survive, even with his powers as a demigod. Seeing the way ahead, he joined Athrian at the fore of their group while Devera and Feyran remained in the middle. Aoren brought up the rear, his dark armor and infernal eyes making him appear much like a creature of the Warrens itself.

“You know much about the Warrens, my prince.” Athrian looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“I join the Sky Guard in dealing with pockets of more dangerous manifestations when the need arises. The Warrens, for all their dangers, often contain unique objects that are immensely useful for my runeforging. Such as a dragon.” That brought a chuckle from the paladin.

“Ah, so this is not entirely a selfless errand.” Talon smiled at man.

“Not entirely.” They continued walking through the darkness of the Warrens. Between the five of them, the various small pockets of creatures that they encountered easily dealt with easily.

“It’s here.” Feyran trotted ahead just after cleaning his daggers. Ahead of them there stood a cavern that had various hivelike structures in the walls. Crawling along many of them were columns of insectoid creatures that looked to be a mix of the Gravebound and creatures from the Second Deep.Talon stepped up beside Athrian. He was joined by Aoren. They looked to the Knight. Athrian crouched down, looking closely at the tunnel that the creatures were flowing into and out of.

“That is our way forward. I have never seen formations like these.” Athrian looked upwards. Talon followed his gaze. Above them were hanging pillars that resembled honeycombs. Inside each of them were more of these insectoid monsters from what he could tell.

“The dragon is causing this. Look, they are continuing to burrow toward the surface.” He pointed skyward, toward the roof of the cavern. The columns of the insects were converging on a point. Rocks fell intermittently from the convergence, showing that they were digging. Talon frowned. An incursion of this size would be a nightmare. It would swarm the woodlands around the city. It would overwhelm many of the defenses of the surrounding townships and would even threaten the city.

“What is your plan?” While he had his own ideas, he would not rob Athrian of leadership. The half-Dratori paladin looked over the walls of the cavern in front of them. He then pointed to the large stalagtite hive hanging above them.

“There are too many for us to take head-on. If we can dislodge that hive structure though, it can drop down on top of them and take most of the hive with it.” He nodded to the tunnel. “We just need to clear a path and hold them off long enough to get through the tunnel.”

“Won’t that seal the tunnel behind us?” Athrian nodded.

“There is more than one way back to the surface, yes?” The paladin gave a grim smile.

“I can assist you in clearing a path through the tunnel.” Athrian shook his head, looking between Talon and Aoren.

“The two of you are the strongest. You need to drop the hive. We will hold the tunnel.” Talon hesitated. Athrian reached forward and clasped him on the shoulder. “Trust us. This is what Dawnmartyrs train for.”

He nodded.

“At least let us give you a headstart.” Talon looked at his lover. Aoren smirked. The Kathar’s eyes flared to life as fire burned fiercely within them. That fire began to grow hotter and more intense until it became the crackling power of lightning. Aoren stepped back, gave a salute to him and the Dawnmartyrs then dove backwards off the outcropping overlooking the area. He spun and around him manifested at least fifteen or so blades that quickly became wrapped in lightning. A shriek echoed through the chamber as the insectoid creatures caught sight of him.

[Talon]

The swarm moved. Aoren dropped from the air, landing squarely in the center of a gathering of the creatures. He released arcs of lightning from his body, spearing through those immediately beside him, tearing through them. His blades all dropped down and released arcs of lightning as well before zooming off into various directions, cutting through the insects. Talon stepped forward then. His hands were clasped calmly behind his back. He adjusted his wings but did not unfurl them. He walked forward and off the ledge of the overhang. Where a normal man would have dropped, Talon walked upon the air as though it were solid ground. Extending his senses into the aether flux around him he began to excite the pathways around him.

It took no more than a breath before all around him, the aetheric pathways ignited in a blue-violet flame that spiraled around him. He clenched one of his fists and the pillars of flame branched outward, following the lines of the aether flux until the kinetic fire plunged into the tunnel, filling it with a roaring inferno. He looked over his shoulder, giving a nod to Athrian.

“Move out!” Talon heard the paladin’s command over the roar of his kinetic flames. He ceased channeling his excitation of the aetheric pathways so that the aether flux could calm once more. Across the bond he reached out to Aoren. His bondmate looked up at him from on the ground just as he was finishing severing the torso of one of the insectoid creatures. He felt his partner’s acknowledgement. With that, Talon looked up to the hanging hive-structure overhead. He flew toward it so that he was somewhat level with its widest most point. Letting out a breath, Talon began extending his senses outward across the stone structure. He concentrated, focusing on what he could see through the use of his Aether Sight. Dividing his attention through two different Runes was not ideal. Instead of using Semblance to perceive its complete makeup, he focused only on its physical structure through Kinetics.

As he was focusing, spreading his senses across the hive-structure, a high pitched churring filled the air. It made him wince. Out of the corner of his eye he saw many of the insects hunch down and arch their backs as insect wings began to unfurl. A column of them took flight and began making their way through the air toward him. He was about to shift his focus to deal with them when several blades cut through the air, slicing the nearest of the creatures to pieces. Fire erupted across the space, washing across the chitinous forms of the insects flying through the air. Aoren darted up into the space between himself and the oncoming insects, his wings spread, as he kept himself aloft.

“I will take care of these. Focus on dropping the hive!” Aoren dove forward, his blades flying, fire following him as he cut through the flying insects. Talon sent a wave of gratitude then returned his attention to the hive-structure. He furrowed his brow as he concentrated and began working, not to move it, but to dissolve the rock and stone at the base connecting it to the ceiling. Reaching out he continued to tunnel his senses through the base of the rock, creating pockets of implosions that began to destabilize the structure of the hive. Then he heard the first cracks. Then he saw the cracks. They began winding their way across the base of the structure, creating growing fissures that spread like a disease across the surface of the hive. Talon began Splintering sections across the hive-structure until finally he heard a groan from the stone.

“Move!” He dove out of the way as a chunk of rock fell away from the structure then teleported himself to the ground. He landed behind the Dawnmartyrs. Feyran was loosing arrows into the creatures. Devera tossed a crystal at a wall of them that exploded, sending a cascade of frost over them. They flash froze and quickly thereafter, Athrian smashed through them with a shield and cut through others with his sword. When they saw Talon appear, Athrian looked up to the column to see chunks of rock beginning to fall away. Athrian bashed his shield against the head of a charging insectoid then sprinted back to the group.

“Fall-back to the tunnel!” As one, both Feyran and Devera moved. Devera released a blast of icy winds that pelted several of the creatures with razor sharp ice. Feyran released an arrow that soon duplicated to several more. Across the bond, Talon summoned Aoren. He felt a twisting of the space around him and in one breath, Aoren was standing beside him. Talon looked up. He gathered his power and with an outstretched hand he made a yanking motion toward the hive-structure hanging above them. There was a resistance. A heavy resistance before the deformities that he had created all began breaking apart. An echoing groan filled the cavern as the hive-structure began to fall toward the earth. The many insectoid creatures began scattering or swarming forward.

Sprinting into the tunnel, Talon stayed beside Feyran, Devera and Aoren.

“Athrian!” Devera shouted. Talon looked behind him to see the paladin stumbling back. There was a slash on his leg that was bleeding and though he was fending for himself, it would not be long before he was overrun. Talon locked eyes with the paladin. Athrian looked resolved. Talon refused to accept that. He sent a wave of Kinetic force to blast back the insects then Blinked to Athrian’s side. He grabbed the paladin.

[Talon]

“What--!?” Before the man could protest, Talon jumped them both forward, enacting Seeming with the space ahead of them just as rocks began to fall. The two of them were propelled forward. He dragged the knight with him, the two of them stumbling forward into the darkness of the tunnel, not daring to look back. The roar of rocks crumbling and the tunnel collapsing all around them filled his ears. He did not stop running and he did not let go of the knight he was pulling with him. They ran until Talon tripped and fell forward the two of them rolling out of the mouth of the tunnel just as the rocks and dirt caved in. Talon tucked his extremities together and allowed himself to roll. He bounced and then rolled further until he came to a slow stop.

He lay on the ground, dazed, panting for breath. When he tried to get up, he winced. Something was pinning his left wing. He looked up and once his vision stopped spinning he could make out the form of Athrian’s body laying supine, staring up into a grey sky. The half-Dratori knight groaned and sat up.

“Um…Athrian?” The Knight-Captain blinked at him. Talon nodded to his wing. Realization dawned on the knight and he rolled off. Talon winced again and slowly pulled himself to his feet. He was part-way to his knees when he felt an arm tuck itself under his own and help him up. He felt Aoren’s presence even before he made eye contact with him. Talon made it to his feet, a little unsteady, but no worse for wear than anyone else.

“You idiot!” Devera ran forward and threw her arms around Athrian, hugging him tightly. The half-elf blinked but returned the hug. Feyran jogged forward, a look of relief on his sweaty face.

“Thank Arcas.” The pathfinder let out a heavy breath before plopping down onto the ground.

“Yes.” Athrian looked at him. Talon met his gaze. “Thank you. For saving me.”

“Oh shit, uh…well…hmm…that phrase has new meaning.” Feyran quirked his head. They all looked at one another before relieved laughter spread through them all. Talon laughed. Aoren chuckled. Athrian looked relieved to be alive. Even Devera was smiling despite herself.

“We should find somewhere to bunker for a little while. Rest. Treat wounds. Get some strength back.” Athrian spoke a little breathlessly. Talon agreed.

“Where are we?” Devera looked around.

“Welcome friends, to the Haunted Reaches.” Aoren answered. All around them, the dark reaches of the Third Deep could be seen.

Now, their real journey had begun.