Stalker In Pursuit

JP with Lucian, Winteroak, and Omni

They came across the mummified corpse of a boy no more than a hundred paces down the passageway they chose to escape. He was curled as though protecting something with his body, his back to the wall. He had been at most twenty seasons old. Tarmen and Voah had no idea how long he had lain there but there was a set of runes above the body, glowing runes they knew better not to touch again.

Voah mouthed a prayer to Zin for the child who probably died scared and alone.

‘May your black veiled brides sing their laments as they lead that poor child’s soul to your garden.’

There was little else the Arbiter could do.

Tarmen glanced at the boy, wanting to question why he chose here or if he had a choice at all. Steering clear from the runes, he didn’t comment on the Arbiters prayer either. There was a time and a place.

The tunnel opened up to a vaulted space so big that they couldn’t see any other walls or passages. Had Tarmen not seen the dark shape at the edge of the torchlight, he would’ve been impaled by a spear thrown by the mould woman who had somehow circled around to get in front of them.

Like second nature, Tarmen dodged, swinging his machete to knock it aside.

Voah picked up the spear and ran ahead toward the attacker but she retreated. It wasn’t a good idea to throw a weapon back to her and chance missing.

All was silent again for a moment until there came a rush, a shuffle of footsteps and Voah spun around. This time in melee, the mould woman was brazen enough to enter the light for a lightning fast stabbing strike along the wall with a dagger that thankfully Voah deflected. The mould woman knew these tunnels well. She retreated again into the shadows around them, trying to get them into a better position. They were perhaps better off in the long stretch of tunnels before their torch went out again.

They kept their eyes open for the mould woman and pressed to engage but she remained always just at the edge of the light. So they decided silently and unanimously to back into one tunnel, eyes not leaving her. She seemed to stop abruptly and slowly backed into the shadows one last time. The rounded a bend in the tunnel and a moment later, they heard the mould woman footsteps quickly depart.

It would seem they were safe… for the moment. They started moving forward again, slowly, listening for any hint of movement.

For the longest time nothing loomed out of the encircling darkness. With the dust chalking the air about their ankles and knees, it almost seemed they crossed a desert on some sunless world. At one point Tarmen called a halt, and they spent several dozen heartbeats simply standing, listening to the iron-hard silence … The sound of their entombment.