The Beginning and Then End

Whispers murmured from behind desolate corners, each turn leading to more darkness and eerie noises. The flashlight's electronic light hummed gently as it illuminated the dark chambers.

'How long have we been walking? You said it would be quick!' Priscilla kept her voice to no more than a whisper.

'Time passes differently for you than me. Two hours is but a second for me.' 

'Blah blah. I get it, you are old. Tell me how much longer we have to walk for.' Priscila nudged Lucia's shoulder with enough force to make her lose balance.

'I can't tell you. Once we run into the locals then they will guide us the rest of the way. The map we have only covers about 1/10 of the real size.' Lucia shoved the map in Priscilla's face, the flashlight pointing down at the different marked paths.

'Wait...what do you mean locals?? People live down here?' Shivers ran down her spine at the thought of being watched from the shadows.

'And remind me again why we can't just use Night Vision?'

'The locals don't react to magic very well. Those who have searched for Nidhogg before never had the nicest intentions, and most of those people have either been witches or warlocks.' 

Falling stones echoed in the distance, Priscilla snapped her head back only to be met with a half-corroded skull. A large gulp choked her as she struggled to breathe properly, her hands tugged at Lucia's coat trying to point at a random corner in the deep darkness. The skull had quickly disappeared as they headed further down into the chambers. 

A large chamber emerged from around another corner. Fire danced across the walls with each flaming flickering at each passing breeze created by wind stones jammed in the walls. Twenty doors including the one they had come through separated various different chambers that reeked of bloodlust, red mist covering the ground around the entrances. 

Lucia stepped forward holding a strangely shaped medal up high. 'We have received permission from the UN to inspect Nidhogg's egg, we humbly ask for a guide to it.' Like clockwork each tunnel erupted into demonic chants, a dismembered man walked slowly toward the centre of the room, his hand rising into the air ceasing the noises.

'We the tribe cast out by your society allow the visitation of the chaos dragon. However, we ask you to surrender your weapons and you may pass through.' He trudged over, showing no signs of animosity that could be easily picked up by Priscilla. 

The two offered up their weapons to a second person, a woman who seemed to be no older than Priscilla. Into the darkness, she disappeared with their wands without so much as a word said.

'What are you waiting for young lady? Go with her. I said no weapons.' His tone was stern, but his expression was like that of a forgiving priest.

'She cannot do such a thing. The remaining weapon is bound by the Zodiac's oath. Please overlook it just this once.' 

'Hmm. Very well. Follow me young ones.' Lucia breathed a sigh of relief for their allowance to inspect Nidhogg.

The path continued winding down, darkness that had surrounded them around the entrance was no more, every nook and cranny was illuminated with torches that burned ever so brightly. Charcoal burned holes through Priscilla's nose, the smoke entering her lungs freely and escaping without causing much damage.

Before them, a large pit that stretched for close to two kilometres in diameter had appeared. Torches had illuminated the pit's dangerous steps that seemed to circle the edge of the hole endlessly. 

'It's down there? How deep is that pit?' Priscilla attempted to wrap her head around the sheer size of this hole that dwelled in Paris' basement.

'It is about four kilometres deep young one. Are you confident in your fitness? Because we have a lot of walking to do.' The old man chuckled to himself lightly before beginning the descent without the two of them.

'Surely there is an easier way to descend down this hole right?' Priscilla begged Lucia to think of a solution.

'Well I mean, we could use the elevator.' Her thin finger pointed toward the fancy hotel elevator carved into the wall. 

'Yeah, that seems like a much better idea.' The metallic button pressed in and the doors slid open, the relaxing elevator music feeling Priscilla with a sense of luxury despite their depth into the Earth. She began to wonder what exactly they were going to be inspecting about Nidhogg. 

'Oh, Priscilla. This is our only chance to do this, but try and eat a piece of the shell.'

'What the fuck is wrong with you?!'