42

The group of adventurers stopped in a clearing in the forest, surrounded by the remains of the shadow bats they had defeated moments before. The tension still hung in the air, mixed with the metallic scent of blood, the sweat of battle, and the rustle of leaves swayed by the breeze. Despite having emerged victorious, they all knew it was not a complete victory. Something else lurked in the shadows, something far more dangerous, like the distant howl of a wolf lost in the night.

Eliana, the sorceress, whose blue robe glowed faintly under the moonlight, knelt beside one of the bats' corpses. She extended her hand, closing her eyes while concentrating her energy. A faint golden glow emanated from her fingertips, tracing invisible lines in the air. It was a technique she had learned during her training: to follow the trail of the "Life Flow," a residual energy that all living creatures left behind. As she concentrated, she felt a vibration in her hand, as if the bat's energy still beat faintly, guiding her to the source of its power. A fleeting image crossed her mind: a dark figure, shrouded in shadows, watching from a distance.

"These bats were not here by chance," Eliana murmured, opening her eyes. Her voice was firm, but there was a hint of worry in her tone. "Someone sent them. They follow a pattern... a trail of Life Flow that leads directly underground."

Darius, the warrior in silver armor, frowned. "Underground? Do you mean there's a hidden entrance nearby?"

Eliana nodded. "Yes. And I don't think it's just a simple cave. These creatures are connected to something bigger... something powerful." She stood up, pointing towards a path covered with roots and moss that seemed to disappear among the trees. "We should follow this path. If my calculations are correct, it will lead us to the source of this trail."

The youngest scout, Kael, still trembling from the encounter with the bats, swallowed hard. "What if it's a trap?" Kael, a young man of barely seventeen, had dreamed of adventures since he was a child, but the reality of the danger was more frightening than he had imagined.

Darius looked at him sternly. "If it's a trap, we'll be prepared. We can't go back to Eldoria empty-handed. This is what we came to investigate."

"Besides," added Mael, the other scout, with a nervous smile, "I don't think those bats were smart enough to set an elaborate trap. They were probably just following orders." Mael, a middle-aged man with a long scar on his cheek, was a veteran of many expeditions and had learned not to underestimate danger, but also not to be overwhelmed by fear.

With a resigned sigh, the group resumed their march, delving deeper into the forest. The atmosphere changed rapidly as they advanced. The air became colder and damper, laden with the scent of wet earth and a faint touch of sulfur. The torches they carried barely illuminated the path, creating dancing shadows that seemed to watch them from the walls of gnarled trees. The rustling of dry leaves under their feet and the howling of the wind through the branches created an unsettling melody that chilled their blood.

Finally, they reached a point where the path ended abruptly in front of a large rock covered with vines and moss. At first glance, it looked like a natural formation, but Eliana noticed something strange. The runes carved into the stone, almost invisible under the layers of vegetation, emitted a faint bluish glow.

"This is it," Eliana said, touching one of the runes carefully. "This is the entrance."

Darius drew his sword, ready for any eventuality. "Good. Let's open it."

With a joint effort, they removed the vines and pushed the rock, revealing a door of corroded iron that creaked sharply as it opened. Beyond, a dark and damp corridor stretched into the bowels of the earth.

The group descended slowly through the corridor, their footsteps muffled by a thin layer of dust that covered the stone floor. The torches that hung on the walls cast a dim light, barely enough to distinguish the giant cobwebs that hung from the ceiling and the sleeping bats that occasionally fluttered in the dim light.

"This place is alive," the thief, Anya, murmured, caressing the walls with her gloved fingers. "I don't like it." Anya, a woman of feline movements and penetrating gaze, had learned to trust her instincts in the dangerous streets of Eldoria.

Darius nodded. "Keep your eyes open. From what we've seen so far, this dungeon is full of traps."

As if in response to his words, the ground under their feet creaked subtly. Before they could react, a series of spears emerged from the ground, forcing them to retreat quickly. Kael, the youngest scout, was not fast enough and received a superficial cut on his arm. A cry of pain escaped his lips, as blood stained his shirt.

"Steady!" Eliana shouted, extending her hands. A magic shield appeared in front of them, blocking the spears that continued to emerge. "This is not by chance. Someone has designed this deliberately."

As they advanced cautiously, they began to notice small, disturbing details: runes engraved on the walls that seemed to pulse with an ancient energy, bioluminescent flowers that grew in the cracks and exhaled a sweet perfume that clouded the mind, and shadows that seemed to move even when there was nothing to cast them. The air grew denser as they advanced, as if the walls themselves were closing in on them.

Finally, they reached a larger chamber, where the first creatures sent by Kaili and Aurora awaited them: a mix of giant rats and shadow spiders. The rats, with their glowing red eyes, snarled as they bared their sharp teeth. The spiders, for their part, remained motionless, as if they were part of the environment itself, until they attacked without warning.

The combat was chaotic. The rats were fast, moving in zigzags to avoid Darius' blows, while the spiders launched sticky webs that hindered the group's movements. Eliana used fire spells to keep them at bay, but the creatures seemed to resist more than expected.

"This is not normal!" Darius shouted, cutting down one of the rats with his sword. "They're too strong!"

Anya, taking advantage of her agility, slipped between the creatures, plunging her daggers into vulnerable spots. "They must be feeding on something! Find the source of their power!"

It was then that Eliana noticed something strange: the creatures seemed to be connected to gems embedded in the walls, which glowed with a dark light. Without thinking twice, she cast a spell towards one of the gems, destroying it. Instantly, the nearby creatures weakened noticeably, allowing the group to finish them off more easily.

After the battle, the group gathered in the center of the chamber, panting from the effort. They knew this was only the beginning. Whatever awaited them in the lower levels would be even more dangerous.

"This is not an ordinary dungeon," Eliana said, wiping sweat from her brow. "It's alive... and it's being controlled by someone."

Darius nodded. "Whoever it is, we will find them. But first, we need to rest and prepare. This place won't give us another chance."

With that, the group began to set up an improvised camp, aware that the real test was yet to come. Meanwhile, in the depths of the dungeon, Kaili and Aurora watched their movements through an obsidian mirror, with a cruel smile on their lips.