As Valen stirred awake, his head throbbing, the first thing he saw was the towering silhouette of Tar standing over him. Tar's glowing eyes stared down, unblinking, causing Valen to jump. "Ahh! Okay, okay! Don't eat me!" he yelped, scrambling backward.
Luken, who had just started to sit up, groaned and rubbed his head. "Calm down, Valen. If he wanted to eat you, you wouldn't have woken up at all."
Tar, for his part, simply stood there, his stoic expression betraying nothing. He tilted his head slightly, then turned away, leaving the two heroes to collect themselves.
"Wait where's Nyra?" Valen asked, looking around. His eyes landed on a curious sight: Nyra, still asleep, her head resting comfortably on Thal's massive lap. The giant of a man sat silently, his back against the jagged stone wall of the cavern, one hand gently stroking Nyra's short white hair.
"Well, well," Valen said, a sly grin spreading across his face despite the lingering fog in his mind. "Didn't realize you had such a soft side, Thal. Who knew our stoic giant had the makings of a doting father?"
Thal didn't even look up. "She was cold," he said simply, his deep voice echoing slightly in the cavern.
Nyra stirred at the sound of his voice, blinking groggily. When she realized her head was on Thal's lap, her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, and she sat up quickly. "I I'm fine," she muttered, brushing herself off. "Thanks... I guess."
"Guess?" Valen teased, winking at her. "Come on, Nyra, admit it you enjoyed the royal treatment."
Nyra shot him a glare that could have cut through steel. "Say one more word, and I'll make sure you're the one who needs looking after."
Valen raised his hands in mock surrender, a laugh escaping his lips. "Alright, alright. No need to get violent. Just saying, it's a rare sight, that's all."
Meanwhile, Luken was sitting cross legged, his expression unusually serious. He glanced at the others, then at Thal. "What... what was that?" he asked, his voice quiet. "That wasn't just a dream, was it?"
Thal's gaze moved to him, his deep grey eyes unreadable. "No," he said after a pause. "It wasn't. What you faced was your past. Memories, twisted but still yours."
Valen frowned, his earlier humour fading. "Twisted, huh? So.... it wasn't all real?"
Thal shook his head. "Some parts were. Others were shaped by the Spine. It digs into your soul, pulls out your pain, and forces you to face it. But it doesn't lie. It only shows what's already there."
Nyra was silent, her hands clenched into fists as she stared at the ground. Tar, standing nearby, let out a low, guttural grunt, drawing their attention.
"He's right," Thal said, as if interpreting Tar's noise. "You've made it through, but the Spine isn't done with you yet. What lies ahead will test you even more."
Uneasy glances passed between them as Thal's words sank in.
Luken finally stood, brushing off his robes. "Well, we didn't come here to give up halfway, did we? Whatever's in this maw, we'll face it. Together."
Valen nodded, his earlier bravado replaced with determination. "Yeah. Whatever's waiting in there, it can't be worse than what we just went through... right?"
Nyra exhaled sharply, standing up and gripping the haft of her axe. "It doesn't matter what's ahead," she said firmly. "We'll deal with it, just like we always do."
Thal rose to his full height, towering over all of them, his expression as stoic as ever. "Good," he said. "Then let's move. The Spine doesn't wait."
With that, the group turned toward the gaping maw of the cave. The darkness within seemed to pulse, as if alive, and a cold wind blew out from its depths. Their pasts might have haunted them, but the true trial of the Empyrean Spine was just beginning.
The group ventured deeper into the Maw, their footsteps echoing against the jagged walls. The path ahead was unsettling, littered with the remains of massive dragons. Bones jutted out from the walls, some twisted and fused together, forming grotesque sculptures of ribs, claws, and tails. Skulls, some larger than houses, stared back at them with empty eye sockets, their forms melding into the cavern itself.
The air was heavy, thick with the stench of decay and something ancient something alive yet not. Moans echoed faintly around them, whispers of those who had walked this path before. Some had worn runes, their faint glows still visible on skeletal remains scattered along the floor. Others, less fortunate, had no such protection.
Nyra tightened her grip on her axe, her muscles taut. "Those sounds," she muttered. "They're not just... echoes, are they?"
Luken glanced nervously at the walls, his fingers brushing the rune Vivin had crafted for him. "I don't think they're alive anymore," he said, his voice uncertain. "But whatever they are... it feels like they're watching us."
Valen looked ahead, his face pale. "And those roars," he added, pointing toward the deeper reaches of the Maw, where distant thunderous growls echoed like rolling avalanches. "That's definitely not an echo."
As if on cue, a deafening roar erupted from the depths. It was unlike anything they had ever heard, a guttural, bone shaking bellow that seemed to pierce through their very souls. The sheer force of the sound made them clutch their ears in agony. Even Tar, unshaken by most things, let out a pained growl, while Thal winced, his massive frame stiffening at the sound.
"What was that?!" Nyra yelled over the fading echo, her voice trembling as she steadied herself.
Valen looked to Thal, his expression a mix of fear and curiosity. "Thal... what in the gods' names was that?"
Thal was quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. His usually stoic face betrayed a flicker of unease. "A Hydra," he said finally, his deep voice carrying weight.
Luken furrowed his brow. "A... Hydra? What's that?"
"It's not just one creature," Thal explained, his tone grim. "It's what happens when dragons... fuse. Long ago, when they became the Spine, some were pregnant. Their unborn young didn't die they became something else. A Hydra. A fusion of the unborn, twisted into one."
Nyra's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying... that roar came from one of those... things?"
Thal nodded. "Yes," he said simply. "Each of the five heads has its own consciousness, its own rage"
The group stared at him in stunned silence.
"Five heads?" Valen repeated, his voice cracking slightly. "How does something even have five heads?"
"They're fused," Thal said, his expression dark. "Twisted together by magic and hate. A Hydra isn't a natural creature. It's a curse a nightmare made flesh."
Luken swallowed hard, his hand instinctively going to his rune. "And you've... fought this thing before?"
"I have," Thal said, his voice steady but heavy with the memory. "And I failed. I destroyed four of its heads, but not the last. If the final head is taken, the Hydra comes back stronger, more furious, with twice as many heads as before. It's a battle you can't win by brute force."
Nyra gritted her teeth. "So what are we supposed to do if we run into it?"
"You survive," Thal said simply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "And you keep moving. The Hydra doesn't chase prey it defends its territory. If we don't provoke it, we might get through without facing it."
"Might?" Valen echoed, his voice trembling. "That's not exactly comforting."
Thal didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the path ahead. "Stay close. Stay quiet. And don't let your guard down. This is its domain."
As they moved forward, the oppressive atmosphere of the Maw seemed to deepen. The roar still echoed faintly in their minds, a constant reminder of the monstrous creature waiting somewhere in the darkness.
The group moved slowly, hearts pounding as they edged past the Hydra, the massive creature's eyes locked onto them with terrifying intensity. They were inches away from the jaws of death, but they kept moving, each step a delicate dance with fate. The smaller cavern they entered provided some relief a tight squeeze, but it offered a temporary escape from the Hydra's overwhelming presence.
Then, it happened. Without warning, the Hydra lunged, its massive head shooting forward like a lightning strike, its mouth wide open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Luken didn't even have time to react. The air itself seemed to freeze as the Hydra's eyes locked onto him, sensing something unnatural about his scent. It hated anything even remotely related to Kruul, and Luken's blood was tainted with that very curse.
The beast's roar was deafening as it charged, its enormous jaw snapping shut just inches from Luken's head. Time seemed to slow, and Luken froze, wide eyed, knowing that his life was in the creature's grip.
Before the Hydra could make its move, Thal acted with the speed and ferocity of a storm. In one fluid motion, he was between Luken and the beast, his hand slamming into the Hydra's jaw with enough force to shake the cavern itself. The beast recoiled in pain, the ground shaking as Thal's strength forced the creature's mouth back, holding it at bay with nothing but his sheer willpower.
"Go!" Thal shouted, his voice thunderous as he locked eyes with the group, the urgency clear.
The group didn't need to be told twice. Valen, Nyra, and Luken darted forward, running as fast as they could, barely able to process what had just happened. Tar, ever loyal, stayed by Thal's side, ready for whatever came next.
Thal kept the Hydra's head at bay, his grip unyielding, but the creature thrashed violently, trying to break free. Its eyes burned with fury, and its massive neck twisted like a serpent, seeking to crush the Nephilim before it. But Thal was relentless. With a roar of his own, he shoved the Hydra's head back even further, using his immense strength to push against its monstrous jaws.
As the group reached a smaller section of the cavern, Thal made his move. With one powerful strike, he sent chunks of bone and rock flying, sealing off the passageway between the Hydra and the group. The rocks crashed into place with a deafening sound, blocking the Hydra's head from following them, and for a moment, all was still.
Thal didn't wait to see if the beast would give chase. He turned and sprinted toward the group, his massive frame moving faster than anyone could have expected. His eyes were focused, filled with the determination to get them through this.
When he reached them, he didn't stop. "Keep moving," he commanded, his voice steady despite the battle they had just endured.
The group, still shaken but alive, nodded and kept pushing forward, knowing that they had barely escaped the jaws of death. The sound of the Hydra's roars echoed in the distance, but it couldn't reach them now.
They continued their journey, each step a little heavier, but Thal's presence gave them the strength to keep moving. They weren't out of danger yet not by a long shot
Thal couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as he watched Luken, his mind racing over the events that had just transpired. The Hydra's reaction had been so intense, so focused on Luken, and Thal couldn't make sense of it. Hydras were creatures of pure instinct, driven by hunger and the desire to kill, but that had been different. It wasn't just the presence of a potential threat it had been personal.
He studied Luken for a moment, the young man still shaken from the encounter, his breath heavy and his body tense. He appeared like any normal human black hair, brown eyes, a slim face. He didn't stand out in any way that could explain why the Hydra had zeroed in on him. There was nothing about Luken's physical appearance that would make the Hydra react like that.
However something about him was... different. Thal's instincts, honed from years of surviving the harshest environments and battling the deadliest creatures, told him there was more to Luken than what was visible. Something hidden.
What are you hiding, Luken?
Thal's thoughts lingered on the boy, but before he could dive deeper into his suspicions, Nyra caught his gaze from the corner of his eye. She hadn't said much during the encounter, her focus entirely on surviving, but there was a slight tightness in her expression.
Luken's true nature was something that Thal hadn't yet fully grasped. There was a power in the boy, something unnatural. It didn't make sense for the Hydra to react that way unless it had sensed something different about him, something that Thal didn't understand.
Still, even with the mystery swirling around Luken, Thal didn't push. They were on a dangerous path, and there was little time to question each other's pasts when their future was uncertain. But the weight of the Hydra's attack on Luken lingered in his mind as they continued forward.
As they walked deeper into the Maw, the atmosphere became even more oppressive, the roars of the Hydra fading but still echoing in their ears. The bones and remnants of past battles littered the ground, and Thal could feel the eyes of something ancient and malevolent watching them.
He turned to Luken once more, his expression softer this time, not out of suspicion but out of concern. The boy was struggling, his magic strained after the fight, and there was a flicker of something dark in his eyes that Thal couldn't ignore.
"Luken," Thal said, his voice low but commanding, "Keep your guard up. We're not out of danger yet."
Luken nodded, though there was a distant look in his eyes, like he was lost in thought. It made Thal uneasy, but he said nothing more. The truth, whatever it may be, would come to light when the time was right. Right now, they had to focus on surviving the Maw.
As they moved forward, the shadows seemed to grow thicker, the air colder, and the weight of their pasts their hidden truths felt heavier than ever.
As they turned the corner, the air seemed to freeze in their lungs.
They beheld the full enormity of the Hydra's body. Even in the eerie half-light that filtered through cracks in the ribbed cavern walls, the sight was monstrous. Its sprawling form stretched across the massive chamber like a grotesque tapestry of fused dragon corpses.
The Hydra's body was a terrifying amalgamation. Each scale appeared like hardened fragments of a once proud creature, now locked together in unnatural unity.
Luken, Nyra, and Valen could only stare. Their minds struggled to comprehend the scale of what lay before them.
The spines of the dragons it was made from jutted out like jagged peaks, piercing into the cave walls and ceiling. Bones as large as towers stretched across the chamber, the remnants of dragons now fused into the Hydra's body.
The group's attention was drawn to the four severed necks evidence of a battle long past. Each stump was jagged and raw, like they'd been freshly torn, though the creature showed no sign of bleeding. It was as if the wounds had sealed themselves through sheer will, leaving only the fifth head intact. That head, the one that had hunted them moments before, remained craning through the cavern walls, its enormous eyes scanning the area with an almost feral hatred.
Nyra took a step closer, her hands instinctively gripping the handle of her axe as her eyes traced the length of the beast's body. "This thing..." she whispered, her voice laced with awe and unease. "It's... it's half the cave. How... how can it even exist?"
Thal, standing at the front of the group, was stoic, his gaze fixed on the beast as if calculating every step. "This is the nature of the Spine," he said finally, his deep voice echoing softly in the cavern. "The Hydra isn't just a monster. It's a remnant a shadow of what this place truly is. Born from the dragons that gave their lives to hold this world together."
Luken's eyes darted around the chamber, taking in the walls, the ribcage like structures that arched overhead, and the Hydra's massive body, which seemed to merge seamlessly with the environment. "This entire cave..." he murmured, "it's a dragon's skeleton, isn't it? That's why it feels... alive."
Thal nodded. "Not just one dragon. Many. The Spine is their tomb, and this Hydra..." He gestured toward the grotesque creature. "This is what happens when the remnants of their power twist together into something new. Something wrong."
Valen, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward, his usual sarcasm absent as he stared at the beast. "And we're supposed to just walk past that thing?" he asked, his voice low but tense. "It's half the cave, Thal. How are we even going to get through?"
Thal's expression hardened, his eyes scanning the chamber. "We'll have to move carefully. Stay close to the walls, avoid its line of sight, and don't make a sound. It's wounded, but it's far from defenceless."
The group began their slow trek along the cavern's edge, each step feeling like it echoed far louder than it should. The Hydra's massive form loomed above them, its body blocking much of the dim light, casting the chamber into an oppressive gloom. The bones of dragon's ribs, claws, and spines jutted out at odd angles, creating a surreal and nightmarish maze that they had to navigate.
Nyra couldn't take her eyes off the Hydra. "How does something like this... happen?" she whispered to no one in particular.
"It's not natural," Thal replied without turning to her. "The Spine warps everything within it. Even in death, the dragons' power lingers, but here... it festers, twists into abominations like this." He glanced back at her, his tone grim. "This is why I told you all you weren't ready."
As they neared the far side of the chamber, the enormity of the cavern hit them all over again. The ceiling stretched so high it disappeared into darkness, and the ribcage of the dragon that formed the cave walls arched over them like the halls of some ancient cathedral. The Hydra's body, thick and grotesque, sprawled out like a grotesque mountain, its scales glinting faintly in the dim light.
Then without warning, the Hydra's head moved again. Its massive neck twisted as it roared once more, the sound reverberating through the chamber and shaking the very ground beneath them. The group froze, their hearts pounding as the beast's single head began searching the cavern, its nostrils flaring as if trying to catch their scent.
Thal raised a hand, motioning for them to stay still. His gaze was locked on the Hydra, his muscles tensed as he prepared for the worst. "Move when I say," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the roar. "And if it sees us... run."
The group exchanged nervous glances but obeyed, their breaths shallow as they waited for Thal's signal. The path to the exit was still a long way off, and with the Hydra so close, every step felt like a gamble.
The group crept along the jagged cavern walls, their steps silent but their tension palpable.
The air grew heavier, the faint smell of decay mingling with the icy dampness of the Spine. Every bone and scale of the Hydra's massive body seemed alive, as if it pulsed faintly with the remnants of dragon magic but it wasn't the Hydra's immense body that made Thal freeze mid step.
It was the fog.
Thal's massive frame tensed as he quickly turned back to the others, his voice a low rumble of urgency. "Get ready. It knows we're here."
"What?" Valen whispered harshly, his hand already on the hilt of his blade. "How could it know"
"The fog," Thal interrupted, his gaze darting toward the cavern ceiling where the Hydra's head loomed. "It's how it hunts. It doesn't need to see or hear us it feels us. The fog carries our movements, our scents, everything, straight to it."
Luken's face paled as he glanced at the thick mist curling around their legs. "You're telling me this whole time it's been tracking us?"
Thal gave a single, grim nod. "Yes. And now it's found us."
Nyra growled under her breath, tightening her grip on her axe. "Fine. Let it come. We'll cut that last head off and be done with it."
"No," Thal snapped, his tone firm. "You don't understand. If we kill the last head, it'll grow back two for everyone lost. That's why it has four stumps already. Someone thought they were finishing it but made it worse."
Nyra hesitated, her usual confidence faltering. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just keep running?"
"Not this time." Thal glanced toward Tar, who let out a low snarl, readying himself. "We'll have to fight, but not to kill it. We must disable it long enough to get past. Aim for its neck, its limbs anything to slow it down."
Before anyone could respond, the Hydra's head shot into view, its massive jaws snapping shut just shy of where they stood. The roar that followed was deafening, shaking loose fragments of bone and stone from the cavern walls.
"Scatter!" Thal bellowed, pushing Nyra and Valen aside as the Hydra lunged again. Its massive maw crashed into the ground where they had been standing, the impact shaking the entire chamber.
The group split in different directions, weaving between the towering bones and jagged rocks that littered the cavern floor. The Hydra's head twisted and lunged, its movements faster than they could have imagined for something so massive. It snapped at Valen, who barely managed to roll out of the way, the beast's teeth slamming into a cluster of rib bones with a sickening crunch.
Thal charged forward, his footsteps shaking the ground as he moved. With a mighty swing of his fist, he struck the Hydra's jaw, the impact reverberating like a thunderclap. The creature recoiled briefly, but it wasn't enough to stop it.
"Keep moving!" Thal roared, positioning himself between the Hydra and the others. "Don't let it corner you!"
Nyra darted around the creature's massive neck, her axe gleaming in the faint light. She leaped onto one of the jutting bones, using it as leverage to swing her weapon into the Hydra's scales. The blade bit deep, but the beast didn't seem to notice it was too focused on Thal.
Meanwhile, Luken and Valen tried to flank it. Luken's magic glimmered faintly in his hands as he prepared a spell, though his hesitation was clear. He didn't want to risk drawing too much attention to himself or revealing the truth about his Kruul nature.
Valen, on the other hand, was all action. He darted in close, slashing at the Hydra's throat with his blade. Though his strikes were quick and precise, they barely scratched the creature's thick scales.
The Hydra roared again, its massive neck twisting as it swung its head toward Nyra. She barely managed to leap out of the way as its jaws snapped shut, the force of the bite shattering the bone she had been standing on.
"Thal!" Nyra shouted, panting as she regrouped with the others. "This isn't working! We're barely scratching it!"
Thal, standing firm in the centre of the chaos, narrowed his eyes. "We don't need to win. Just keep it distracted."
As the Hydra lunged again, Thal charged straight toward it. With a bellow of his own, he slammed his shoulder into its neck, driving the beast backward into one of the cavern walls. Bones and debris rained down from above, momentarily disorienting the creature.
"Go!" Thal shouted over his shoulder. "Get to the other side!"
The others hesitated for only a moment before obeying, sprinting toward the far end of the cavern. Tar stayed close to Nyra, his massive frame shielding her as they weaved through the maze of bones.
Thal held his ground as the Hydra recovered and turned its full attention on him, fists tightening in readiness. His breath steamed in the cold air. Blood dripped from a cut on his forearm, warm against the chill. But his stance never wavered. For a moment, it was just him and the beast, the tension crackling like a storm about to break.
"You've got one head left," Thal muttered, his voice low and steady. "Let's see if it's enough."
With that, the battle truly began.