The trip to the Under-realm started off easily enough.
The group passed through the first two gates into the lower district without issue, but they were stopped at the final gate.
“What business do you kids have outside?” one of the guards barked.
Before anyone could respond, Filas stepped forward and grabbed Solnoz by the shoulder.
“Tell them it’s a scouting trip for your uncle’s next hunt,” he whispered.
Solnoz followed his advice without hesitation.
“It’s a scouting trip for my uncle’s next hunt.”
“Who authorized this?” the guard demanded.
“Which uncle?”
“Uncle Alak Despiryn,” Solnoz replied nonchalantly.
“Despiryn…” the guards echoed, immediately recognizing the family name.
“Why are you alone? Your uncle should be with you.”
“I’ve scouted plenty of times on my own,” Solnoz answered indignantly.
Keldras was surprised.
Despite being common guards, these sentries were well trained.
He couldn’t help comparing them to Blackspire’s gate guards.
Back home, an orc would have given him a suspicious glance at most before waving him through.
The lead guard looked over the rest of the group.
“All right. Give me your names.”
“Kronin Claddett,” Kronin answered confidently.
“Solnoz Despiryn.”
“Filas Freval.”
Each family name earned a look of recognition.
The lead guard turned to Keldras.
“Keldras Helvindar.”
The two guards exchanged a glance.
Neither recognized the family name, though Keldras’ dress and bearing marked him as a noble.
After a moment, one guard shrugged, apparently deciding House Helvindar must be newly established.
“Get the logbook,” the lead guard called to his partner.
After searching through the book for a while, the second guard nodded.
“Checks out. The Despiryn family has a hunting expedition scheduled in the near future.”
The lead guard scratched his chin thoughtfully, once again studying the group.
They looked prepared enough.
The guard’s gaze swept across the boys.
Kronin carried a shield nearly as tall as himself and a practical longsword.
Solnoz had a hunter’s bow slung across his back, while Filas wore enough pouches to make the guard assume he was an alchemist.
Then his eyes settled on Keldras.
No weapon.
The guard examined him more closely.
The boy wore numerous pouches, so he assumed he was a mage.
“Where’s your staff, boy?” the guard asked.
Boy?!
Saphira exclaimed indignantly in Keldras’s mind.
Without saying a word, Keldras simply raised a hand.
His halberd slowly materialized from thin air before the astonished guards and his companions.
Filas blinked.
“You never mentioned you could do that.”
“What kind of magic is that?” one guard whispered to the other.
“Hells if I know. I ain’t no wizard, and nobody tells me nothin’,” the lead guard muttered.
He gave the group one last look, then nodded.
“Stick to the established routes. Don’t wander. Stay out of the wild tunnels, and don’t stray too far from the city.” With that, he waved them through.
Beyond the gate, the orderly stone roads of Kumora gave way to the raw cavern beyond.
Lanterns grew sparse, replaced by the faint glow of luminescent fungi clinging to the walls.
Behind them lay the safety of the city.
Ahead stretched the Under-realm.
“Phew, I’m glad Uncle had planned a hunting trip,” Solnoz said, wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow.
“You mean you guessed that!” Filas exclaimed.
Solnoz smirked.
“Reckless” Keldras observed.
Saphira snorted “Moron” in his mind.
Kronin stretched his arms behind his neck, “So where to?” he asked
Solnoz pointed toward two broad tunnel mouths branching away from the main road.
“We usually take the left passage. A few hours from the city there’s a mushroom grove, where some lesser creatures gather, mostly cave rabbits.” Solnoz replied.
Kronin groaned “Cave rabbits?! That’s boring, I was hoping I could test my skills against a sabre wolf.”
Filas scoffed “Sabre Wolves hunt in packs you nitwit.”
Keldras tried but failed to conceal a chuckle.
The three boys looked at him.
“He laughs?!” Solnoz observed.
“Indeed” Filas agreed adjusting his glasses.
Kronin smiled and then his face scrunched up, “Who you calling a moron you nerd!”
Keldras face resumed its stoic expression “You imagined it.”
Liar, Saphira murmured.
A faint magenta glow emanated from the tunnel, Keldras eyes lit up, whisperfern he thought.
He motioned Filas over.
“See that glow” he pointed out.
Filas followed his pointing finger.
Pink?
He mouthed somewhat confused.
Keldras’s eyes narrowed.
“Whisperfern?”
Filas froze.
“…No.”
The two were already moving.
Whisperfern…?
No…
it can’t be.
Maybe Keldras replied
Behind them Kronin sighed.
The two rushed towards the light.
Solnoz and Kronin looked at each other and shrugged before following after them.
The two followed the faint pink glow eventually finding the plant under a large mushroom tree.
Filas let out a disappointed sigh “It’s only aura-moss.”
Keldras began gathering large handfuls of the plant.
“It still has its uses.”
Filas scanned the area then looked down at one of his books.
“That looks like Fever-vine over there”
He’s reading a book?
I’ve personally cultivated these.
Keldras looked where he pointed and scanned beyond the vine, growing up the tunnel wall.
“Don’t harvest the roots.”
Filas blinked.
“Why”
“It dies” he looked further down the tunnel.
“There’s some Bluecap, combined with aura-moss it’s pretty effective at reducing swelling”
“Hey plant nerds!” Kronin shouted.
“This isn’t what we came out here for”
Solnoz laughed.
“We’re going in generally the right direction, shouldn’t be a problem”
The group traveled for quite a while with Filas pointing out herbs from his book and the Keldras offering his insight on the uses of the ones he recognised.
They eventually found themselves standing near a large Under-realm Lake.
“This, is wrong” Solnoz stated
Kronin looked at him
“We should have hit the mushroom grove half an hour ago”
Keldras and Filas were crouched next to the lake fishing out some subterranean kelp.
“We’re lost.”
Still pulling at the kelp, Keldras shrugged.
“Probably.”
Filas looked back around the chamber at the various branching tunnels extending off of it.
“Almost certainly.”
Kronin smacked his palm against his head.
“WOULD YOU TWO STOP COLLECTING THINGS FOR FIVE MINUTES?”
Saphira sighed.
What am I going to do with you.
Keldras shrugged.
The kelp suddenly refused to budge.
Keldras tugged again.
Nothing.
The line of kelp slowly began moving…
toward him.
…
The ground seemed to shake slightly.
Solnoz looked over and noticed the surface of the water moving.
“Uhhhh… I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.”
The water began lapping up over the shore and splashing over the friend’s boots.
Then the water erupted.
Kronin took his shield off his back and drew his sword.
A massive crimson shell broke the surface.
Then came two enormous, serrated claws.
Saphira gasped That should not be here.
Would love to hear some comments, what people are enjoying about the story?
what you think about the world?
maybe scenes that are hard to understand?