Rumors in the Dark

The deeper they went into the dungeon, the quieter it became.

Not in the peaceful way.

In the wrong way.

The kind of silence that made Arlan's skin prickle, as if something unseen was waiting just beyond the torchlight.

They had been walking for nearly half an hour after their battle with the gnolls, and despite the occasional rustle of unseen creatures in the distance, nothing had attacked them yet.

Leila frowned as she adjusted her grip on her bow. "I don't like this."

Tomas glanced at her. "You don't like what?"

"This quiet." She scanned the darkness ahead. "Something should have attacked us by now. Second-floor monsters aren't shy."

Mira slowed her pace slightly, her grip tightening around her staff. "She's right. Either we're lucky…"

"Or something else is hunting in these tunnels," Beren finished.

Arlan exhaled slowly, trying to push away the sense of unease settling in his gut.

Bones, hidden within his cloak, twitched slightly. Not enough for the others to notice, but enough for Arlan to know that his undead companion felt it too.

Something was here.

Watching.

Waiting.

But before Arlan could dwell on it, the silence was broken.

Voices.

Human voices.

They were faint at first, carried through the twisting tunnels in echoes. But soon, the words became clearer.

"…did you hear? Another group went missing."

"Yeah. That's the third one this week."

"They say it's not just monsters killing people down here. Someone's hunting adventurers."

The group exchanged glances.

Tomas raised an eyebrow. "That's not exactly comforting."

Mira motioned for them to move quietly. "Let's get closer."

They approached carefully, peeking around the bend of a cavern tunnel.

Three adventurers stood near the edge of an underground ravine, their torches flickering against the stone walls. Their armor was scratched, their weapons dull—low-ranked adventurers, probably no stronger than Arlan's group.

"…I'm telling you," one of them, a lanky man with an old sword strapped to his back, said. "People don't just vanish in the dungeon. Something's killing them, and it's not just monsters."

The second, a woman with a crossbow, scoffed. "And what? You think it's a ghost?"

The third, a heavily-built man leaning against the wall, shook his head. "No ghosts in the dungeon. But I've heard things. A group of rookies found a crypt a few days ago. Said something unnatural was inside."

Arlan's breath hitched.

The crypt.

The one they had found.

The woman frowned. "You mean that collapsed cellar?"

"Yeah," the man said. "But that's not the weird part. The weird part is that a paladin—one of Cedric's men—has been asking questions about it."

Arlan felt his stomach twist.

Cedric's men?

He should have known it wouldn't go unnoticed.

Tomas shifted slightly. "Well, that's reassuring."

Beren grunted. "Paladins sticking their noses where they don't belong. Fantastic."

Leila looked at Arlan out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't say anything.

For once, he was grateful.

The three adventurers kept talking, oblivious to their eavesdroppers.

"…either way, I'm not going any deeper," the lanky man muttered. "Whatever's down there, it's not worth the gold."

The other two nodded in agreement. "Let's head back to town."

Arlan's group stepped back, waiting for the adventurers to pass.

Once they were gone, Tomas crossed his arms. "Well, that's fun news."

Mira's expression was unreadable. "Cedric's men, huh?"

Leila exhaled. "They're probably checking if it's a real undead threat or just some dungeon anomaly."

Arlan forced himself to keep his voice steady. "And what if they decide it is a real threat?"

Mira's gaze flickered toward him, unreadable. "Then things are going to get a lot more dangerous in Duskhaven."

Arlan swallowed hard.

He already knew it wasn't just some dungeon anomaly. He had felt it. Heard it.

And if Cedric's men got too close to the truth…

His secret wouldn't stay hidden for long.

A Sudden Attack

They decided to finish the dungeon run quickly and get back to town before any more rumors could spread.

But fate had other plans.

As they reached a narrow passageway, a sudden snarl echoed from above.

Arlan barely had time to react before a dark shape dropped down.

A gnoll—larger than the ones they had fought earlier—landed in front of them, its eyes gleaming red in the torchlight. Its fur was darker, its claws longer, its teeth sharper.

A stronger variant.

And it wasn't alone.

Two more emerged from the shadows, moving with practiced, hungry precision.

Tomas raised his shield. "Now we get an ambush?"

Beren grinned, gripping his axe. "Took 'em long enough."

Leila already had an arrow nocked. "I hate gnolls."

Mira muttered a curse, preparing a spell.

Arlan took a step back, his pulse quickening. The gnolls' attention flickered toward him, and he felt that same pull again—that strange, unnatural connection between himself and things that should not be alive.

One of the gnolls snarled, baring its teeth. It locked eyes with him.

For just a second, Arlan felt… something.

Not words. Not thoughts.

Just hunger.

Like it could sense something in him.

Then, it charged.

Tomas intercepted the first strike, raising his shield as the gnoll slammed into him. The impact sent him skidding back, but he didn't fall.

Beren roared, bringing his axe down on the second gnoll, but the creature was fast—it ducked, swiping at his side. Beren barely managed to twist away, cursing.

Leila's arrow flew past, embedding itself into the shoulder of the third gnoll. It growled but kept moving.

Mira released a blast of fire, forcing one of them back.

Arlan clenched his fist.

This wasn't like last time.

These weren't slow-moving skeletons or goblins with rusty weapons. These creatures were fast.

He needed to react.

He needed to fight.

He reached for his magic.

The darkness flared to life at his fingertips, swirling, waiting.

The gnoll closest to him lunged—

—and Arlan fired.

A bolt of black energy streaked through the air, striking the creature in the side. The impact sent it stumbling, but it wasn't enough.

It turned toward him, furious.

Arlan braced himself—

But before it could attack, Bones leapt from his cloak, landing on the gnoll's face.

The undead rat sank its teeth into the creature's eye.

The gnoll screamed, thrashing wildly, clawing at its own face in a desperate attempt to remove the skeletal menace.

Tomas took the opening, driving his sword through its chest.

The gnoll choked—then collapsed.

Bones skittered away just in time, hopping back onto Arlan's shoulder like nothing had happened.

The battle didn't last much longer.

Beren finished off the second gnoll, his axe cutting deep.

Leila landed a shot straight through the skull of the last one.

And just like that, it was over.

Arlan exhaled, his hands still shaking.

Tomas wiped his blade on his tunic, glancing at Arlan. "That shadow magic of yours is coming in handy."

Leila smirked. "And your rat's terrifying."

Beren grinned. "I like him."

Mira watched Arlan for a long moment, but whatever she was thinking, she didn't say it.

They looted what little they could, then turned back toward the dungeon exit.

As they walked, Arlan reached up, letting Bones crawl into his cloak.

The little undead rat chittered quietly, its glowing eyes watching him.

Arlan wasn't sure what the gnoll had sensed in him.

But whatever it was…

It was getting harder to hide.