Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall

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The oozing red liquid slowly spread on ground emitting a putrid odor of decomposing flesh and rotten blood. The chunks of matter rolled along with the liquid. As it got closer, it became more apparent what the chunks were…

"By Apholak's beard!" Wahakim exclaimed. "Is that a head?!" 

The young knight took out his sword and slowly approached the spreading substance. He reached his sword and tried to poke the blood-drenched head. As the knight approached it, Orphella noticed something terribly strange. She immediately tried to catch the other men's attention and pointed directly at the thick liquid.

The healer was quick to react, he immediately grabbed the young knight away from the viscous liquid. Both of them stumbled a few footlings away from the gross substance before the knight realized what he was about to get himself into.

"It's burning the ground!" The knight pointed at the corrosive substance.

Wahakim stood in front of them. "Hide behind my back, all of you!"

Orphella joined in and hid behind the Orkamuu's back. When he noticed that everyone was safely hidden behind him, Wahakim began to chant.

"Great Apholak, father of the sun, bringer of the truth. I ask you lend me your strength and rid this world of its impurities. Cleanse this world with the flame of your mighty sun! Purification!" Wahakim snapped his fingers and blasted a pulse of scorching flames towards the corrosive liquid.

The putrid substance burned under the golden flames of the Orkamuu's magic. As it burned the liquid dry Orphella noticed something once again. She saw the head move and glared at them before completely burning into ashes.

The contorted face of the head seemed to be grinning at them, taunting them and mocking them for their actions. It felt like it was telling them to step a little closer into the unknown. She looked at the others reaction, but all she saw were relieved faces.

"Did they saw that one too?" She thought to herself.

"Is everyone alright?" Wahakim asked them.

Orphella nodded for the three of them. She looked at the head again, but it had melted its face off and only a white naked skull was left. The liquid was finally burnt out of existence; only pieces of human remains, and brittle chunks of armor was left.

The healer and helped the knight stood up, "Are you alright, Ser Martigen?"

Martigen looked at the healer and answered, "Yes I am, Ser Ikareon, thank you."

Both men took a breath of relief.

Orphella took a dagger from its holster and slowly approached the smoking remains. The healer blocked her way. 

"This is no work of a lady, Lady Orphella." He said in his deep, smooth voice. "Let me handle it for you." Ikareon pulled out his sword and slowly approached the remains. 

The remark offended Orphella. First of all, she was a skilled warrior. Secondly, being called a Lady to her was nonsensical and utmost absurd. She doesn't belong in any house anymore and her affiliation with the Indescens sect rid her off of any other title that she might have before.

She wanted to react and scold the guy for treating her like a damsel more than a comrade of equal footing. But then she realized, she no one can understand her. The only communication they understood was her pointing at something or doing some crude signs that made her look dumb more than anything else.

She silently walked away, crossed her arms and looked from a distance as the healer poked what was left of the disembodied head. The Orkamuu went to her and joined on her viewing.

"Knights and their so-called chivalry!" He began to whisper. "It's just a way to make them look dignified despite their filthy deeds to their people." Wahakim grinned.

Martigen followed Ikareon cautiously and picked up the pieces with the end of their swords.  As the young knight raised the armor piece, it became apparent what it was, a segmented shoulder armor.

"A plated armor?" The knights looked at each other.

Just as they realized what the mysterious armor was, the crystal ball buzzed.

"Any reports from down there?" Lord Prestonheim's voice boomed from Wahakim's satchel.

The Orkamuu hurriedly pulled out the crystal ball and answered back, "We just encountered something strange down here, my Lord." He answered.

The line went silent for a moment, "W-what sort of strange is that?"

"A skull and an armor piece, my Lord." Martigan shouted.

"By the gods!" Lord Prestonheim's voice quivered. "Are they all—"

"It's too early for us to know, my Lord." Wahakim calmly answered. "This armor is a segmented shoulder armor. Not one of us has that."

Orphella could hear Lord Prestonheim's sigh of relief from the communication line. "Then who's armor is that?"

"We have to investigate…" The Orkamuu answered back.

As the men were discussing about the remains, something caught Orphella's eye. The white stone wall looked odd. The solid wall seemed to be moving, behaving as if it was in a liquid state. She saw the wall produce ripples bouncing around the wide wall space.

Orphella blinked and suddenly she saw a familiar face. It was the child she saw on her dreams. The crystal she kept with her suddenly began to vibrate in her satchel.  The gem was reacting to the child's presence.

Orphella hurriedly shook the Orkamuu's arm to get his attention, and after she did, Orphella pointed at the white stone wall. Wahakim looked at him baffled.

"Yes, I already reported it to the Lord Commander that white wall is of abnormal origin." The Orkamuu answered.

"No! That's not what I meant!" She signed. "Someone is beyond that wall!"

The men looked at him with their baffled faces, no one could understand what she was talking about. She tried to reiterate what she just said using crude signals, but they kept on answering the same thing.

"I have already reported the wall to the Lord Commander, and he ordered us to stay where we are right now." Wahakim answered.

"You're missing the point—" She gave up with her crude explanations and instead ran towards the rippling wall.

The rest of the men, tried to stop her, but she was too agile and their armor hindered their movement for a bit. Thus, it made it easy for her to approach the wall.

Orphella's heart pounded violently on her chest as she neared the wall. The knights were still hot on their heals for her, but she managed to beat them by 4 footlings. She stepped inside the wall, risking her life on knowing what's on the other side.

There was a sudden flash of light that almost blinded her for a moment. She reflexively closed her eyes protecting it from the rays and when she opened her eyes, there was nothing there but darkness.

It took a her a moment for her vision to adjust to the dark again. Now, she could see the wide pathway filled with dull aetherium ores on the ceiling of the cave.

As she took a step, the ores bigan to shine like stars above the dark sky. It was eerily beautiful and tantalizing, it felt like it was inviting her to go a little further.

Orphella wanted to stop her curiosity get the better her, but the call was much too great to resist. She moved forward passing the wide opening of a gigantic tunnel in front of her. Her feet moved on their own and was walking towards the tunnel.

Just as she was about step a into the opening. The little from her dreams showed up once more. The little girl blocked her way by spreading her arms in standing in front of the pathway.

"You go back." The little girl said. "You cannot do this alone."

"What do you mean?" Orphella's voice spewed from her mouth. "Where—"

The little girl let down her arms and approached her, "This is no time for any explanation." The girl looked back. "Here, draw this on the wall."

The little girl took out her left hand and drew in her palm a pattern of zigzags that started with a descending line and ended with a rising one. After drawing it on her palm she pushed her back hard. So hard that she was thrown back near the area where the white wall was located.

"Seek the truth and reach beyond the veil." The little child's last words, before she went back into the dark cave where a cluster of big bright eyes clumped at the mouth of the dark entrance.

Orphella felt a strong tingle running on her spine. She gasped for air as the monstrous eyes seemed to be looking at her than of the child. She stood up and took a step backward until she was already against the wall.

The eyes wouldn't even lost sight of her, but she had nowhere to go. The intense fear had her knees trembling. Just as one of the eyes glowed a tinge of crimson, a strong hand grabbed her from the stone wall.

Orphella woke up drenched in her sweat. She looked around to see the familiar faces, Wahakim and Ikareon were there with her guarding her as she laid down on the ground.

"Are you alright, Orphella?" The Orkamuu asked as the healer was trying to healer was trying to patch up her busted forehead. "Why did you run on the wall Orphella?"

Orphella looked at Wahakim's baffled look. She slowly lifted herself up and sat down, then wrote what she wanted to say on the dry crumbly ground.

"This is the way." She wrote and even drew an arrow pointing towards the solid wall. "Here's the key." She said, exactly what the little girl told her.

"Are you out of your mind?" Ikareon scratched his head. "Oh… Maybe she's still disoriented that's why she's saying—hey!"

Orphella stood up before Ikareon could finish his sentence. She went to the wall and drew the symbol she saw on her dream.

All of the sudden the white stone wall began to glow. Orphella stopped before completing the drawing.

"W-what was that, right now?" Martigan said from as he dropped the remains he was trying to collect.

She looked at them straight in their eyes with a "now do you believe me" look on her face.

Wahakim's  took out the crystal ball and sent a message to the surface, "My…Lord…The elf found something extraordinary." He took a deep breath, "We need to convene at the surface, now!"