Chapter 329: Pride Before The Pit

The sound of boots echoed through the ancient stone passage, steady yet tinged with an undercurrent of unease.

Flashlights flickered like fireflies, barely piercing the oppressive darkness that enveloped them,a darkness that seemed to pulse with the weight of centuries.

The air was thick and damp, clinging to their lungs with every labored breath.

Leading the charge was Ravik, his back straight and chin held high.

His crimson cloak billowed behind him, catching what little light there was.

The men of the Crimson Jackals fell into formation behind him, striving to mirror his confidence even as unease crept across their faces, masked only by forced smirks.

At his side, Jarek,his sharp-eyed right-hand man,broke the silence with a hint of sarcasm lacing his voice.

“Commander… are you sure this is the right tunnel?”

Ravik let out a mocking laugh that bounced off the stone walls. “Of course it’s the right tunnel! That emotionless dude hesitated like a lost dog between options. I don’t hesitate; I act!”

He thumped his gloved hand against his chest for emphasis. “That’s why I lead.”

He shot a smirk back at his men. “That man looked at this tunnel first; you all saw it! He considered coming this way but second-guessed himself. Not me! No knowledge? Fine! We’ll use wit,..my wit!”

Laughter erupted among the men, echoing in defiance against the tomb’s oppressive silence.

A few hurled insults in Arthur’s direction:

“He’s a coward, always playing it safe!”

“He probably ran into a dead end by now.”

“Our commander doesn’t need maps or magic keys!”

Ravik reveled in their laughter, basking in smugness while Jarek muttered under his breath, “Or he’s smarter than you…”

But his words were swallowed by echoes.

As they pressed deeper into the seemingly endless tunnel, their flashlights flickered more frequently, they are running out because of the magnetic fields.

The circle of light shrank around them, casting long shadows that crawled along cracked stone.

With each passing moment, breathing became more laborious; silence thickened until it felt suffocating,broken only by boots striking stone and fading jokes.

Unease wormed its way into even Ravik’s most loyal men.

Jarek stole glances at Ravik from time to time but found him unbothered on the surface.

The tunnel narrowed further; shoulders brushed against rough walls as they slowed their pace and ducked beneath a low ceiling.

Sweat trickled down necks as they descended deeper into darkness,the very tomb seemed eager to claim them.

Just then something happened.

The ground trembled beneath them.

A deafening crack shattered the stillness as stones gave way beneath their feet.

“MOVE!” Ravik roared.

The ground gave way with a thunderous crack.

Men shouted, their voices swallowed by the chaos as dust erupted like a volcano.

Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!.

Two piercing screams sliced through the air,then silence, as bodies disappeared into the gaping black pit below.

When the dust finally settled, those who remained clung desperately to the edges, chests heaving in panic.

They peered down into the abyss, their flashlights illuminating a nightmarish scene: two comrades impaled on a gruesome forest of stone spikes, their lifeless forms twitching in an eerie mockery of life.

Pale faces reflected horror; hearts raced as fear clawed its way up their throats.

For Ravik, this was a moment of reckoning. His eyes flickered with raw fear,a feeling he quickly buried beneath a mask of fury.

He straightened his back and inhaled deeply as if he hadn’t just brushed against death itself.

“Stop staring!” he barked, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

“Sacrifice is the price of glory! Their blood marks our path forward! We’re close,can’t you feel it? The tomb tests us because it guards something worth finding!”

With that declaration, he marched ahead without looking back, stepping carefully around the cracked edge.

His commanding tone resonated with authority, yet his men sensed the tremor beneath it,a hint of vulnerability that made them uneasy.

Still, fear of their commander outweighed even their dread of what lay ahead. They followed him into uncertainty.

Minutes dragged on like hours; each step felt heavier than the last and every breath was laced with dread.

Jarek broke the silence with his sharp tongue: “Close? If ’close’ means being buried alive, then yes, Commander..we’re practically there.”

A few nervous chuckles punctuated his words; Ravik shot him a glare but remained silent,his pride wouldn’t allow him to respond.

As they pressed deeper into the tunnel, relief flickered when it widened again but it was short-lived.

Suddenly something happened again.

Rhe walls were cracked and riddled with thin slits that went unnoticed until one man’s boot pressed down on a concealed stone plate.

A click echoed ominously.

Then chaos unleashed its fury.

Arrows and stone darts erupted from both sides like deadly serpents striking at prey. The air thickened with impending doom.

Men screamed as shields flew up in desperation but three fell instantly: one staggered back clutching his throat while blood poured between his fingers; another took a dart directly to the eye; and yet another was struck through the chest and slammed against the wall.

Panic surged among survivors as they roared in terror, shields raised high to form a fragile barrier against this relentless storm of death.

“FORWARD!” Ravik bellowed through gritted teeth, fury twisting his face into something primal. “Don’t cower,…MOVE!”

They pressed onward, step by grueling step, their shields battered and arms aching from the relentless barrage.

The sharp clang of darts ricocheting off metal echoed ominously in the stifling tunnel.

By the time they stumbled into safety, three of their own lay lifeless behind them.

The survivors doubled over, gasping for breath and clutching at their wounds,cuts and bruises that told stories of their harrowing escape.

Their eyes flicked nervously back toward the treacherous corridor they had narrowly fled.

Doubt hung thick in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst.

Whispers ignited among them, spreading like wildfire.

“This path will be our doom.”

“The commander is lost.”

Ravik’s jaw tightened as anger boiled within him. He couldn’t let these murmurs fester and grow.

In a flash, he turned and struck one of the doubters across the face; the crack of flesh on flesh sliced through the silence like a knife.

The man crumpled to the ground, blood trickling from his lip.

“Say it again,” Ravik hissed with venomous intensity. “Dare to say it again, and I’ll end you myself.”

A heavy silence enveloped them; none dared utter another word.

Their fear of Ravik now eclipsed even their dread of what lurked within the tomb,just barely.

They trudged forward once more, the tunnel stretching endlessly ahead, quiet except for the shuffle of boots and Jarek’s occasional muttered curse.

His sharp tongue couldn’t resist making its presence known; though his words were careful now,barbed yet subtle,his jokes drew nervous laughter that briefly pierced through their tension before silence reclaimed them.

Finally, they reached a widening up ahead,a vast chamber opened before them, echoing with possibilities.

Relief washed over them momentarily… but it was fleeting.

Suddenly, a tremor rippled through the ground.

A thunderous boom reverberated as a massive stone slab crashed down behind them, sealing off their only escape route with chilling finality.

Dust filled the air like smoke from a fire gone out of control. The way back was obliterated.

The Jackals froze in place, wide-eyed and hearts racing.

Ravik turned sharply to glare at the sealed wall before shifting his gaze into the shadows ahead. A grim smirk crept across his lips.

“That man is not the only one who has luck on his side,” he muttered under his breath.

But as Ravik spoke bravely, his men exchanged terrified glances; his bravado did little to mask an undeniable truth,they were trapped deep within this tomb, where trials awaited them that had only just begun.

The darkness ahead loomed ominously like an insatiable beast ready to swallow them whole.

And then… silence fell over the chamber once more.

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