[Roots of Dominion 7] - The Apostate Swarm

The corridor narrowed after Zavalei's chamber, the air thick with mist and the after-echoes of fading mantras. Every footstep drummed against the damp root floor, reverberating through unseen chambers ahead. Raven moved first, cloak damp with sweat, chain slack in his grip but ready.

The Vault wasn't done yet.

Their path curved into a new chamber—broad, open, and lit by faint blue veins pulsing under the root-strangled stone. Raven paused at the threshold, raising one hand. "Hold."

Ten figures emerged from the far end. Bark-armored silhouettes. Silent. Root-Kin Apostates.

He narrowed his eyes. "Apostate swarm. Every time one drops, the rest get faster. We turtle up or control hard. We can't brute force this."

Duskrunner growled. Phantom Seer flicked into the shadows, illusions already forming. Ironbark Seneschal stepped forward, bark arms humming with low resonance.

"Seneschal, lock the zone. First pulse, Root Trial Lattice. Keep them rooted."