Pajaran raised her mace just in time to block an attack, claws rattling against the metal bar. She deflected another rake with her shield before shoving the ghoul back, making a space to swing her mace at full power, feeling it collide into lank, grimy flesh. The place stank, blood and rotting meat, the ground underfoot uneven, old and eroded stone. Another attack caved in a skull, a ghoul sinking to the ground, body twitching on the ground.

She could feel stiff numbness crawling up her arm from where the thing had attacked her, some paralytic venom moving through her veins. She muttered a prayer under her breath, her shield glowing with a moment of steel light, stopping the venom from moving through her further. Where were the others?

She heard arcane chanting, a snap of blue light from around the corner as Hakara cast a spell – ice sprung up from the ground, enveloping another one of the ghouls and freezing them into a solid block. Pajaran smacked her mace against it, frozen flesh splintering into shards, another attack breaking through a ribcage.

They were in a half-sunken chamber, ancient tree-roots having wormed their way down into the room, with the unseeing eyes of old statues staring at them, elven warriors and sages from times long past covered with grime and gore. Another one of the ghouls, a stringy and naked humanoid, covered in filth and fore, jumped at Hakara. She deflected the attack with a magical barrier, barely keeping the thing back. With the ice-block in the way, Pajaran couldn’t move to help, but an axe swung through the air, slicing through flesh and bone, the ghoul hit so hard that it went flying, colliding with a wall.

Vrintar was covered with scratches and other light wounds but moved with easy grace, blood dripping from her axe-heads, as Hakara let the protective spell drop. ‘I would have thought the elves would have kept their ruins safer.’

The sounds of violence echoed from nearby, the warbling hisses of the ghouls, darting around the fat roots of the trees from above.

‘Take it up with Parth! Wherever she’s gone this time. Where’s Brina gone? And Semari?’

Pajaran reached down, picking up a stone and channelling power into it to make it glow with light, before tossing it into the darkness. Ghouls chittered and hissed at the intrusion of light, a robed figure visible towards the back, holding a gleaming black staff, dark hair framing a lean face. Pajaran heard a nervous squeak, Kivata hunching over to hide behind Hakara.

‘Ophexia…’

The wizard, one of Janaxia’s siblings, raised her staff, a dark wind swirling around it, partially-visible faces screaming in torment, before screaming towards them. Pajaran jumped forward, raising her shield as a screaming wraith slammed into her. It was bitterly cold as it passed through her shield, tormented and hateful eyes glaring at her for a moment, siphoning away her life force before fading away.

‘Kivata. So, you’ve turned traitor as well, then? Hmmm, I can’t say I’m surprised. You never did really have the right spirit. And your spirit is scarcely even worth using elsewhere. Maybe it will become a plaything, or used to fuel something worthwhile?’

Kivata shuddered, hiding herself even more behind Hakara, starting to drag her downwards as well. The spiral of wraiths continued to spiral her staff, ready to attack again, the ghouls readying hissing and reaching forward with dirty yellow claws.

‘Hakara, you need to break their charge – if you’ve got anything that can do that, now’s the time!’

As they charged forward, Pajaran grabbed another stone and tossed it forward, the enchanted rock hurtling towards a target, hitting one in the arm and making them stumble. Behind them, she could see actual undead, skeletal shapes in ancient cloaks – elven bodies, raised from the dead. The temperature lowered, mist condensing from empty air as ice started to form, rapidly becoming a thick wall, the ghoul-charge smacking into it. They started to attack it, cracks forming.

That bought them some time. ‘Semari! Brina! Where the hell are you?’ The ice was thick enough to drown out the sound from the other time, except for the worrying sound of the ice cracking under the assault.

‘Over here!’ Semari’s voice echoed strangely, but it sounded close by. Vrintar raced ahead, ducking beneath an oversized root, Pajaran moving towards Kivata.

‘Are you OK? We’ll look after you. Although if she has any particular tricks or weaknesses, it would be helpful to know them!’

‘She’s powerful, and likes to steal the souls of those she defeats.’

Part of the ice wall cracked, an arm reaching through, dark shapes visible on the other side.

‘Well, we’ll just have to not be defeated. Let’s get moving!’

She moved ahead, leaving Hakara to deal with Kivata, moving after Vrintar, into another room. Water trickled through the chamber in a stream. Semari was in the centre, foot flashing around in a kick and cracking the skull of another attacker. Several bodies were laying on the ground in front of her, their blood dirtying the water. Brina was there, frozen in mid-thrust, her rapier extended, body paralysed. Several zombies, fresher ones with new and shiny swords, were splattered around their place, bodies sliced apart, or showing signs of pummelling.

Semari had to twist in mid-jump, throwing herself in the way of another attack, a ghoul slicing up her top. Her own movements started to slow, the paralytic poison taking its effect, just as Vrintar reached the brawl, her axes flashing, shoving the things backwards in a flurry of violence.

Pajaran charged, joining in the scrum herself, using her shield to bash them back, mace swinging in satisfying strikes and impacts, already chanting a prayer. She dropped her mace, the strap snapping tight on her wrist as it dropped, letting her touch Brina. Light washed over her, curing the paralysis, and she staggered to the side, Pajaran using her shield to support her until she regained her balance.

‘Where the hell is Parth? She said she knew the way out of here!’

‘I don’t know, I turned around and she was gone.’ Brina’s rapier flashed, striking forward and skewering a squealing ghoul, at the same time as Semari slammed a hand into its neck, with enough force to snap the spine.

‘Semari, you OK?’

‘I’m, like, slow and fuzzy.’ Her voice was a slow drawl, half her body not moving right.

‘Let me try and fix that. Although I can’t keep doing this!’

‘Tell them to stop hitting me then!’ Semari tried punching another one, but couldn’t put any force behind the attack, her fist limply impacting her target who screeched and then attacked Semari, rank claws scratching viciously at flesh. Pajaran and Vrintar both attacked it back, flesh turning to mush under the dual attacks. The ground underfoot was getting slippery, blood, moss and water flowing together.

Semari twisted and rolled with an attack, somehow managing to grapple another attacker with just one working arm, wrapping an arm and a leg around them, twisting to hold their face under water, slamming their misshapen head into bare rock, until their skull cracked. More of the things poured around the corner, from where they had come from, as Pajaran bent over, quickly casting her healing spell again. She didn’t have much energy left!

The swirling mist of wraiths appeared, another howling face shooting towards Vrintar, ghostly claws raking at her body. Her speed faltered for a second, the ethereal attack cutting through her battle-focus.

‘Shit! Parth, if you’ve got any bullshit to do, then this is definitely the time to do it!’ Pajaran cracked another ghoul in the head, feeling the skull splinter, Hakara shooting rays of ice at the attacking monsters.

A ghostly shape formed up from the floor, Pajaran instinctively swinging down at it, swearing as her mace hit the ground hard enough to jar her arm from the impact, before she recognised it was Parth. A ghostly hand reached out and grabbed her ankle, and the world went hazy, everything turning silvery-grey, as she started to sink downwards.

When she attacked again, lashing out at a ghoul, her mace passed through them without resistance, although they flinched back, showing they could still see her at least. She was pulled downwards, feeling a vaguely gritty sensation that was somewhat unnerving, especially as it passed up her body.

She sank rapidly, getting pulled through the stone, feeling the grittiness pass through and over her, getting blinded as her head moved beneath the floor. She managed not to panic as she was pulled through impenetrable darkness, wondering where the hell Parth was dragging her, before pale green light shone.

She drifted downwards, the still-ghostly Parth letting go, and then she snapped back to the real world, gravity reasserting itself and making her drop the rest of the way, landing on stone. Parth, still a ghostly wraith, jumped back upwards, vanishing into the stone ceiling again.

Pajaran looked around – where the hell was she now? This chamber was cleaner and neater than the one above, without any of the charnel stench or moss. The statues here were still crisp and clean, without any signs of aging or erosion, bright white stone that could have been carved yesterday.

Green light was being shed from crystals, embedded into the bark of a tree – huge roots had cracked the floors and walls, the shards making a roughly circular shape. Thick seams of amber had dried between the crags of the bark, a floral scent permeating the dry air. Hanging from the ceiling were dozens more crystals, each surrounded by metal wires formed into a mesh, some of them shivering and chiming in an unfelt wind.

Parth kept her mace out, slowly approaching towards the tree, as ghostly feet appeared through the floor, Parth dragging a strangely-tilted Semari with one hand, Brina with the other.

When she let go, Semari flashed from being a silvery outline to full physicality, falling downwards and slapping the ground to take the brunt of the impact, rolling to her feet. Brina wasn’t quite as agile, hitting the ground before standing up, her face wincing from the impact, rapier-tip probing the air.

‘Where are we?’

Semari jumped up, flicking at one of the crystals as she moved passed it. It issued forth a delicate chime, the sound reverberating, making the others chime as well.

Pajaran winced at the noise, hoping that it wouldn’t activate a trap or some ancient defender, looking around warily. Nothing immediately seemed to happen, so maybe this place was safe?

When Hakara and Kivata were dragged down through the ceiling, their landings were both entirely inelegant, slamming downwards, hitting the ground painfully hard and then groaning, only slowly regaining their feet. Hakara immediately started looking around with interest, although she was cradling her arm and looked pained.

‘Any ideas, Hakara?’ Pajaran tried to sense the aura of the place – it was old, serene, unconcerned with the passing of time, the tree ancient and secure.

She had conjured up a sphere of light, the crystals capturing the glow and magnifying and refracting it. ‘I’m not sure – it is obviously a place of ancient power, but I can’t make out its purpose.’

As she approached the tree, the crystals rang and chimed, starting to sound more aggressive. A thin web of lines appeared between them, straight lines kinking and bending, centred around the space just in front of the tree. A vaguely humanoid shape appeared, a ghostly form, covered with spikes and bony protrusions, their shadow stretching towards the light somehow, raising an eight-fingered hand. Pajaran couldn’t tell if she was looking at their head, or some kind of helmet, a spike-covered dome without any obvious eyes or mouth, just small black holes there.

Pajaran shuddered, keeping her mace raised towards it. Brina flicked her rapier, sending a dart of magical energy streaking towards it. The web shifted, the dart hitting a strand and vanishing from sight.

‘Whatever this is, I think we should stay very calm and wait for Parth. Don’t poke it, or anything else. Semari, Hakara, this applies to both of you.’

Semari was looking up at the crystals with interest, but slowly lowered her arm, Hakara crossing her arms, failing to hide her obvious interest.

It didn’t take long before Parth moved back through the ceiling, this time carrying Vrintar with her, axes still swinging and slicing, cutting through empty air. When Vrintar was released, she dropped to the ground, smoothly sinking to one knee to absorb the impact before standing, her tattoos glowing for a second before the light faded.

Parth blinked back into the real world, silvery light fading into actual colours, as she gracefully landed.

‘Where the hell is this? And what’s that?’ Pajaran pointed at the bound demon-thing. She couldn’t tell if it was conscious, or even if it was really there, or simply an illusion of some kind.

‘Ancient foe, bound as power. And prey for the soul-hunter above.’ Parth walked towards one of the walls, waving her hands in mystic patterns, Hakara perking up and paying keen attention, half-mimicking the shapes herself.

The glow of the crystals changed, their chiming changing tone slightly. The circular pattern of the crystal shards buried into the tree flashed, a faint breeze coming from somewhere, the air moving.

‘She will find this place. The foe shall be consumed.’ Parth kept making magical symbols with one hand, drawing a sword with the other, using it to jab at the web, twisting the blade around to slowly draw the pattern towards herself. ‘Power should be denied the foe.’ She kept twisting and spinning the blade, the web tightening, starting to wrap more tightly around the demon-shape, digging into skin. Where it touched, it bit deep, ethereal smoke twirling up before vanishing from view.

It didn’t show any reaction to this, despite parts of its body melting away. However, the circular pattern of crystals shone more brightly, with a light forming in the bark behind them. It started off clean and clear, like sunlight dappling off a stream, before darkening, getting muddier and darker.

‘The light attainted. But of use, a hidden current and flow.’

Hakara nodded, seeming to understand, her hands going to her belt-pouches, pulling out handfuls of brightly-coloured dusts, tossing them into the air where they settled, hovering in brightly-coloured smears around her. Kivata clapped her hands in two short, sharp bursts of sound, making the smears jolt around, before they moved towards the tree.

Where they moved through the web, it changed colours, the green-ish white tinting blue, shards of ice starting to form before the dust moved on. The demon-thing was still wrapped up within the web, more and more of its body fading to smoke as the web tightened around it. There was the faintest spark within the dark eyes – was the thing alive? Or aware?

‘What are you actually doing? And can anyone else get down here?’

‘In time. Wardings stand strong, the earth abides.’

‘You could have warned us, you know! The ghouls were bad enough, but whichever one of Janaxia’s sisters that was seemed pissed.’

‘Seeking an ancient power.’ Parth nodded her head at the bound demon. ‘An ancient charge, an ancient power. To deny the foe, eliminate the power.’

‘I think most of it can be shunted elsewhere, so we don’t get blown up.’ Hakara’s face was taut with concentration as her fingers etched arcane patterns into the air, their blue light only slowly fading. ‘Although I don’t know where it will take us.’

‘A distant hold.’ The ground above them rumbled, the web glowing with a brief flare of light. ‘Safer than here!’

‘So it’s a transport gate?’ The crystals were glowing now, vague shapes visible within the shards – flashes of empty moorland or weed-choked forest flashed past, alongside ruined fortresses and barren islands. ‘Can you at least take us somewhere not in the arse-end of nowhere? Or to where Stathis is?’

Parth shrugged and pointed at Hakara, who now had one hand in a claw, a strand of magical energy on each finger, twisting them about and making the whole web shake and shuffle. The rapid shifting of the crystals slowed, the bark between them fading away into dark smoke, impossible to see though. ‘To walk the furthest paths.’ She gave her sword another twist, the web bisecting the demon, the torso hovering there somehow, as the legs faded away into nothingness.

She withdrew her sword and sheathed it, then ducked through the web, carefully not touching it before walking into the smoke, vanishing from view.

Pajaran looked at Brina. ‘Guess we’re goin’ through, then? You want to lead?’

Pajaran didn’t have the chance to move before Semari bounded forward, sliding and skidding through the lines of power as she darted after Parth.

‘Let’s hope this isn’t another shitshow! Weapons ready, and let’s hope it’s not a fight.’

She moved carefully forward, not wanting to find out what would happen if she touched the web-lines, before moving through the portal. It was pitch-black, and there was the sensation of falling…