Some sights, simply awaken you to the reality of the moment and I’ve…seen many things since coming here.

But this…

Kaine thought as he gazed down at the sky and world below.

This goes to show, that I really, truly…That without a single remaining doubt.

Clenching his hands into fists as he watched several large winged creatures soar past below.

I’m stuck in a fucking game.

Taking in a deep breath as he gazed down with wide bewildered eyes, Kaine closed them, embracing the feeling of unreality which filled him. Stretching his shoulders and moving about his toes within his boots, Kaine released the held breath.

This is a game, just a game.

These arms, hands, aren’t mine. These legs, feet, I only control, I don’t own them.

He told himself, he forced himself to believe, crushing back down the feeling of wonder which the sight drove into him.

Opening his eyes back he narrowed his gaze at the view before him, a feeling of cold emptiness he was all so familiar with, refilling him right then.

And as the rest stared with both wonder and awe, Kaine turned around to face the pack of deadly beasts.

As they watched with keen blank eyes, seemingly blind but obviously not.

{Quest Log}

{Objective Complete}

“You kept up with us, and lost not your own. Well done pup.” The Alpha mused, then suddenly snarling at the wolf that had helped them, “And you, daughter, how many times must I tell you?” It growled with great annoyance, but also moving onto a tone of great patience. “Stay with the pack.”

Luna whined as she lowered her head but moved not from where she stood, “Yes…father.”

Returning to them, the Alpha gazed straight at Kaine now. “Come dark one, you wish to know of your blood…” Huffing back at Luna, “This one will show you around.”

“Yes father.” As Luna’s ears then perked up, very clearly interested in them.

Releasing a long sigh, the Alpha turned away, “I have other things to attend to, but if you wish to find me, simply ask any of the pack.” It mused as it walked off, the rest of the remaining wolves turning with it, following their Alpha.

“We will.” Kaine said, turning to Luna himself as the wolf approached Jedd.

Head still down, “I will take you then…” Luna said as she stood before Jedd.

“Lead the way, we’ll follow.” Jedd responded warmly, and each of them then received a notification.

{Quest Log}

{New Objective!}

[Dark Origins]

{Objective}: Follow Luna

And follow they did, as the wolf excitedly turned about and began showing them the way. Leading them through the path of stone which curved around the cavern’s walls, breaking into more paths at several intervals, some going up, some going down and the third continuing on straight.

As they followed Luna, “This is…man-made?” Roy suddenly mused as he had been glancing about.

“The Delve was made by the Dark Ones.” Luna mused back.

“Dark Ones?” Kaine repeated and the wolf briefly paused to glance at him.

“By you, by others like you.” Luna said before prancing onwards, “They built this, for themselves and for creatures like us.” She explained, pausing before another intersection, glancing at the strangely unnatural formation of stone.

A style of construction that seemed to try its best to be natural, to fit in with the rest and it almost did. Other than the small inconsistencies like the obvious rhythm, the almost perfectly similar length of each path between each intersection. And the energy which Kaine could barely sense within, a fluctuation of magic that the rest of the ground and walls did not ooze.

If it wasn’t for those, which only Roy and Kaine noticed, nothing would have seemed out of place as the drop into the sky took in most of the attention off it.

Keeping out a keener eye as they continued to follow Luna, Kaine inspected every aspect of his surroundings now.

Noticing that, the higher he looked up the more things he saw standing out.

That each level, below and above, were their own different habitat. From the short-grassed level riddled with trees, like woodlands, where they now stood to several others, each different in their own way.

Kaine also noticed that the pack hanged around mainly this level and saw not a single one guarding or prowling about the others. “Do others live…down here?” He decided to ask.

“Oh yes, The Delve is home to many!” Luna exclaimed, seemingly happy to. “The pack lives here,” she said stomping her front left paw onto the ground, “The flock lives below.” Pointing then her snout off the edge and at the lower levels. “And the rest make home above.”

“The flock? The rest?” Jedd repeated in question.

“Oh, right.” Seemingly realising that she wasn’t being a very good guide, Luna then hopped over to the edge and pointed down with her paw. “They, are the flock.” She said as the adventurers walked over to follow her gesture.

Seeing before them the creatures they had briefly glimpsed soaring far down below.

Horned Watcher [Level 31]

Larger than the Angler Wolves even, the Horned Watchers had many owl-like characteristics, from their feathered body, head, feet and talons the creatures highly resembled a horned owl. But the resemblances ended there, as their elongating torsos were riddled with a plate-like armour, multicoloured just like their feathers.

Their wings were feathered just like an owl, but more akin a bat’s in form as their limbs gave way into a second set of talons at their end.

Then the so-called ‘horns’, unlike the horned owl Kaine matched them with, these creatures actually had long white horns growing out of their foreheads and each set differed from one Watcher to the other. Each Watcher having their own different pattern of both colour and horn shape.

And also, as suddenly each and every Watcher below turned their necks about unnaturally, as suddenly they all looked up to stare at them.

Kaine clearly noticed several different eye colours within their gazes, as they shone eerily at him.

“The pack keep the tunnels safe, the flock keep the sky.” Luna explained before looking upward, everyone else following her gaze, “The rest live.”

“An entire eco-system centred around our protection, and the Dark One’s creations.” A deep voice then mused from below, as a massive set of talons suddenly rose from beneath the edge. Pulling itself up as the adventurers and Luna retreated back, its giant frame towered over each and one of them as it arched its back and sat down.

A Horned Watcher of bright brownish colours, going from mostly white with patterns of beige and tawny for feathers into plates of walnut brown, accompanied by large forward spiralling horns.

Kaine strained his neck to look up into the creature’s face as it stood looming over them, meeting its large wide eyes of bright ember.

“Visitors, I see.” The Watcher mused, glancing not at any specific one of them, but staring deeply at the entire group as a whole.

“Watcher Kindle, a Dark One has-” Luna began to explain but was cut off by the creature.

“I can see that much,” Kindle mused pointedly, “You are welcome to visit,” It said whilst stretching its long talons, “But the rest are not welcome to stay.”

“We won’t be staying long.” Kaine added, meeting the monster’s eyes.

“No, you will not.” Kindle added, “But for as long as you do, one must not forget to visit the Great Watcher.” Staring solely at Luna then.

“Y-Yes, Great Watcher Garroth shall be told…” Luna whined, less so in fear and more so in respect.

Tilting its head briefly as it glanced at Kaine, Kindle turned about then, its large tail-feathers swooping over their heads as it did. Leaning up, Kindle then suddenly pushed itself with its wing-talons off the edge and into the air, opening them wide to glide off.

It then suddenly closed up its wings, dropping down and disappearing out of view.

Kaine and the rest breathed out in relief, entrapped and cornered as they abruptly were by the creature, their instincts had surged into caution.

“Apologies, for that.” Luna mused, turning to them. “The flock does not like outsiders within The Delve, but please understand, they have their reasons to be wary.”

“Those reasons…being?” Sin asked as she and many others glanced off the edge, searching for the creature but unable to pinpoint it amongst its kind resting below.

Narrowing her blank eyes, Luna also gazed off the edge, but stared not at the Watchers nesting beneath and instead at the sky far below. “You may not, but we feel it. We sense the change coming. The sky, below, above and around is faltering.” Growling lightly as she stretched out her claws and folded back her ears, “We sense the danger, and there are little we can trust.” She said, turning about then to stare directly at Kaine.

“Come, there is more.” Luna added, gesturing with her head for them to follow.

As the wolf continued to lead them forth, all the way around to the other side of the Delve.

The sky is faltering…

Kaine thought, glancing then at his quest log.

{Quest Log}

{[The Message];

A beast of the savanna has requested you to deliver an urgent message to the far elven city of Calen'Ris which lays deep within the living ravine downstream from here.

Requirements;

Total level: 4 or higher

Race: Elf, or subcatagory of Elven

Reward: Unknown

Time limit: 24 days

Possible results of failure include:

-Death of player

-Widespread deaths throughout the associated realm

-Doom of the associated realm

Eight days, it’s been eight days.

Glancing off the edge, Kaine gazed at the sky beneath, seeing little difference from the sky above other than the land stretching out far far lower.

“We’ve arrived.” Luna suddenly said, pausing before one cave entrance, the rest stopped behind her.

Larger than the other entrances of stone, this one was also very different, as blackened roots grew out of its edges and around its walls.

“Only the Dark One may enter.” Luna then said, “I cannot guarantee others would come back out…” Adding then as she glanced back at Jedd and the rest.

“Is i-it dangerous in t-there?” Lara asked as she hid behind Jedd and Roy.

“For you, yes.” Luna warned, turning then to Kaine. “For him, this place is him, it is them.”

“I don’t understand…” Kaine replied, gazing deeply into the darkness within the tunnel before him, with his eyes he saw through it.

Staring directly at two large doors of black crystal, carved into, a great pattern of runic inscriptions lay in both.

I don’t get it…

Kaine thought, but he felt it. He did not understand what it was, but he felt the pull within, it was magnetic.

It called out to him, to something inside him. He didn’t know what it was or why, but for some reason he felt like he needed to enter.

He needed to open those doors.

“Master…I don’t like this place.” Nova mused, her eyes blinking from crimson to a brief emerald, “Don’t enter there…” she warned before returning to normal.

And Kaine recognised the second voice, for it was not Nova’s.

Well…Now I just gotta enter.

He thought in amusement, his curiosity peaking. “Wait here, I’ll be back.” He told the rest.

“And what if you won’t be?” Dark then asked with a smirk.

“Then go on without me.” Kaine replied coldly, “You seem to have little issue with that.” He added, meeting Dark’s glare briefly before stepping into the darkness.

Feeling it envelope him, feeling his senses awaken to the lack of light, Kaine stepped to the large doors of black.

Raising his hand towards their surface, Nova suddenly slithered about his arm, her head rising to face him as her eyes turned once more to a deep emerald green. “You seek answers, and in there answers lay. But they are not the answers you want.” The demon warned, “These people, once great, are not who you are.”

“You don’t know who I am either.” Kaine replied, “I’ll decide who I am.” He said, pressing his hand onto the door then.

Kaine tried to push, but the door simply did not budge.

Instead, the runes upon it flared alight, dark blue the inscriptions all lit up before him.

And suddenly as he backed away, Kaine felt the doors stop him from retreating.

As he now stood on the other side of them, surrounded by darkness.

Glancing at his arm, Nova was also gone.

He had entered, he was alone.

{Quest Log}

{Objective Complete}

You have entered a {Dungeon} Prepare yourself child, for {The Halls of Darkness} surround you.

{Quest Log}

{New Objective!} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Survive the onslaught