The chamber reeked of rust and rot, a sour tang that stung Elias Varn's nostrils as he stood rooted to the damp stone. His oversized boots squelched in the muck, coal dust and blood caking the soles, grinding with every shift of his weight—a gritty rasp that echoed in the suffocating dark. His faded jacket clung to his shoulders, soaked with sweat and mine-sweat, dragging at his trembling frame like a dead weight. The notebook trembled in his bare hands, its crumpled pages smeared with dirt and desperation, Rory's scrawl a ghost under his fingertips. Without his glasses, the shadows bled into a smeary fog, but his eyes flared with a faint glow, the ember in his chest throbbing hot and wild—a spark teetering on the edge, fueled by Rory's voice and a will that refused to snap. The air pulsed with the Beneath's dying groan, a low, guttural hum rattling the walls, the stone itself shivering like a beast about to break.
Lena sagged against a rusted beam, her breath a jagged wheeze slicing the stillness, her tattered denim creaking as she flexed her bruised arm. Her short, dark hair plastered to her grimy forehead, and the emerald shard in her grip pulsed green—faint, fierce, throwing sharp flickers across her cracked, glowing skin. She winced, rubbing her shoulder, green eyes blazing through the gloom. "Elias," she rasped, voice rough and urgent, "that violet tide—it's not just surging now. It's a damn monster, jaws wide, ready to chew us up."
Cal hunched nearby, his cracked staff thunking against the stone, his leather coat groaning as he coughed—a wet, hacking bark that sprayed dust into the damp air. His gaunt face was a mask of weariness, graying hair slick across sunken eyes, but his orange glow flickered like a stubborn coal refusing to die. "She's dead-on," he croaked, gripping the staff tight, orange flaring faint. "Felt it—like teeth sinking in, gnawing the spark right out."
Mara stood rigid, her tattered gray cloak swaying as she clutched her staff, purple glow pulsing like a trapped heartbeat. Her silver hair shimmered in the dim, and her scarred face tightened, eyes sharp with old pain. "It's a beast," she said, voice dry and heavy, cutting through the hum. "Violet's not just flooding—it's hunting. I saw it before, when they tore my people apart, left nothing but bones." She jabbed a shaky finger at the slick walls, their sheen rippling like wet scales. "This isn't a tide anymore—it's a predator."
Tuck crouched by a splintered crate, his faded flannel taut over his shoulders, his rusted knife glowing green in his meaty grip. Dust crusted his dark beard, and his hazel eyes burned with rugged fire. "Felt it snapping," he growled, voice low and raw, locking eyes with Elias. "Like jaws clamping down, ready to rip us to shreds."
Ruth loomed beside him, her faded overalls stiff with grime, her hammer steady in her hands, green glow throbbing like a war drum. Her cropped, brown hair framed dark eyes that blazed with solid fury, and her voice rumbled deep. "They're stalking us, Elias. Next bite's gonna tear us apart."
Jace leaned against a beam, his faded canvas jacket creaking, his wrench pulsing orange in his wiry grip. Sandy hair flopped over gray eyes, and his voice was a sharp hiss. "It's feral—like a wolf pack circling, teeth bared."
Vara stood stiff, her faded black streaked with dust, her cane glowing purple as she gripped it like a lifeline. Her raven hair framed pale eyes that sliced the dark, and her voice was a thin, steely thread. "A hunter," she rasped, leaning in. "Sniffing us out, ready to pounce."
Gav shifted his stocky bulk, his faded khaki rustling, his pickaxe pulsing green in his fists. His bald head gleamed wet, and his brown eyes flared with defiance. "A damn bear," he snarled, gravel in his throat. "Claws out, tearing for blood."
Nora braced against a chain, her faded denim taut, her crowbar glowing orange in her grip. Red hair framed blue eyes that sparked with wiry fire, and her voice cut like a blade. "A shark, Elias. Circling, jaws snapping for the kill."
Silas stood still, his faded brown coat streaked with muck, his rod pulsing purple in his gaunt hands. Gray hair framed green eyes that held a steady flame, and his voice was low, calm. "A serpent," he said, glancing at Elias. "Coiling, ready to crush."
Elise planted her feet wide, her faded gray stiff with dust, her mallet glowing green as she gripped it tight. Blonde hair framed hazel eyes that burned with sturdy resolve, and her voice was a solid thud. "A lion," she rasped. "Roaring, lunging for our throats."
Rex leaned against a chain, his faded orange jacket creaking, his pipe pulsing amber in his lean hands. Black hair fell across brown eyes that glinted fierce, and his voice was a low growl. "A jackal," he said. "Snarling, ripping at our heels."
Lila stood frail but unbent, her faded purple cloak swaying, her staff glowing violet in her thin grip. White hair framed gray eyes that shimmered with quiet fire, and her voice was a soft, sharp whisper. "A dragon," she said, locking eyes with Elias. "Breathing death, swallowing us whole."
Finn stood by a gear, his faded green streaked with grime, his hatchet pulsing emerald in his wiry hands. Buzzed hair glistened with sweat, and his gray eyes flared with gritty fire. "A wolf," he rasped, voice raw and sharp. "Howling, tearing for the heart."
Elias's chest burned, the ember roaring against his ribs, and he nudged a pulse outward—a hot, steady wave that brushed their glows, green, orange, purple flaring brighter, a shared spark slashing through the damp. "Then we don't get eaten," he said, voice raw but rising like a war cry, the Shroud's whisper coiling in his skull: "You hold them—I hold you." His eyes blazed, a vision cutting through the blur—faint lights pulsing in the dark, purple, green, orange, a web of sparks screaming from beyond the stone, hunted by violet shadows snarling like beasts. "We fight back, burn hotter, find the rest—together."
Lena's lips quirked, a tired grin cracking her weariness. "Fight a dragon, huh?" she said, nudging the shard, green flaring sharp. "You got a blaze big enough to roast that bastard, Beacon?"
His throat tightened, the ember pulsing as Rory's echo roared: "Kick their ass—for me." He nudged a pulse inward, a warm wave brushing the gold that lingered—a flicker of Rory's grin searing his mind, a spark he'd never let die. "We burn as one," he murmured, tears stinging as the ember steadied, a heat he shaped with shaky hands. "The Shroud—it's ours, not its." He turned to the tunnels, the ember yanking him forward—a heat syncing with distant pulses, whispers of the scattered clawing through the dark like a lifeline.
Finn straightened, his hatchet tapping the stone, green flaring fierce. "West," he rasped, pointing to a tunnel, its mouth slick and gaping, dripping with black water. "Felt something—orange, maybe. Close—damn close." His gray eyes met Elias's, a wiry trust cutting through the fear. "Your call, Beacon."
Mara nodded, purple pulsing steady as she gripped her staff, her voice a low growl. "They're here. Violet's snarling—hear it in the walls."
Elias's chest thumped, the ember a heat he wielded, and he stepped toward the tunnel, his crew falling in—Lena's sharp smirk, Cal's ragged cough, Mara's scarred steel, Tuck's rugged snarl, Ruth's solid stance, Jace's lean edge, Vara's thin grit, Gav's stocky fury, Nora's wiry spark, Silas's gaunt calm, Elise's sturdy fire, Rex's fierce bite, Lila's frail defiance, and Finn's gritty resolve. "Then we bite back," he said, voice trembling but booming, boots slamming the stone.
The tunnel twisted west, the air thickening with cold and damp, the walls slick as a beast's gullet, water dripping in sharp, staccato plinks that matched the hammer of Elias's pulse. The path spat them into a chamber—raw and cavernous, its walls weeping with moisture, its floor littered with rusted chains and broken beams, the air heavy with the stench of wet iron and decay. A faint pulse growled—not green, but orange, steady and deep, and Elias's ember roared, his eyes flaring as he nudged a wave—strong, slicing, ripping through the shadows like a blade.
A figure lunged from the dark—not hiding, but charging, clad in faded orange, a woman with a wiry frame and a stance that screamed fight. Orange glow pulsed from her rough hands, a wrench glowing amber in her grip. "Beacon!" she snarled, voice low and fierce, closing the gap as her glow synced with Elias's, orange flaring bright and alive. "Heard your fire through the rock!" Dust streaked her brown hair, and her hazel eyes blazed, a fire igniting as she squared up, breath heaving in the damp.
Elias's chest clenched, the ember pulsing as the Shroud hissed: "She wakes with you." He nudged a hot wave toward her, orange flaring brighter, a spark shared. "You're one of us," he said, voice raw but steady, stepping into her heat. "The scattered—we're clawing back."
Lena sidled up, green flaring as she flashed a weary grin. "Orange again? Hell, we're a bonfire now," she quipped, eyeing the woman. The crew fanned out—Cal, Mara, Tuck, Ruth, Jace, Vara, Gav, Nora, Silas, Elise, Rex, Lila, and Finn—orange, purple, and green pulsing steady, a ragged line of teeth bared against the dark.
The woman's lips twitched, a fierce grin breaking her snarl. "Name's Tara," she rasped, gripping the wrench, orange glowing steady. "Woke weeks back, orange light, from the forge. Fought 'em off, barely." She nodded at the chains, their edges glinting wet. "Felt you—burning, dragging us up." Her hazel eyes met Elias's, sharp with a wiry fire. "They're here—right now."
Elias's gut twisted, the ember surging as the Shroud's vision flared—violet shadows, jaws snapping. "The Order," he said, pulse steady in his grip. "They hit us with violet—tearing us apart." He nudged a pulse toward the wrench—blue and orange clashing, sparking wild, a bond alive.
Before Tara could respond, the chamber roared—a low, mechanical snarl ripping through the air, echoing from the tunnel behind like a beast lunging free. Elias's ember blazed, his eyes flaring as he spun, nudging a wave—sharp, shaped, slashing the dark like claws. A violet-helmed figure loomed—not alone, but with fourteen more, their armor sleek and pulsing, staffs crackling with violet energy, a snarling violet maw swirling around them, tendrils of light snapping out, sharp and feral, visors glowing deep and deadly.
"Beacon," the lead figure roared, its voice a mechanical howl over the snarl, staff raised high. "The Silence devours—the scattered bleed!" It pulsed, violet tearing through—a wave slamming Elias back, locking his limbs, dimming the ember, the chains rattling like bones.
Elias's chest burned, the ember roaring—a heat he hurled, a pulse breaking free, blue and gold crashing into violet, sparking wild. It cracked the lead figure's armor, but the maw snarled, violet flaring—a wave shattering his pulse, throwing him beside Tara, the ember flickering. Lena lunged, green blazing—a wave smashing the figures, cracking a staff, but a second pulsed, violet slamming her against the wall, dust exploding as she gasped.
"Together!" Cal bellowed, orange roaring as he swung his staff, a wave crashing into violet, cracking a helm, but a third figure pulsed, violet hurling him to the stone, his glow fading. Mara pulsed, purple blazing—a wave slashing violet, cracking armor, but it pulsed back, violet knocking her down, her staff skittering dark. Tuck charged, green roaring—a wave from his knife slicing violet, cracking a visor, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Ruth swung her hammer, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet throwing her down, her glow fading. Jace swung his wrench, orange roaring—a wave hitting violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Vara swung her cane, purple blazing—a wave cutting violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet knocking her beside Elias, her glow fading. Gav swung his pickaxe, green roaring—a wave smashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet throwing him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Nora swung her crowbar, orange blazing—a wave crashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet slamming her beside Elias, her glow fading. Silas swung his rod, purple roaring—a wave slicing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet knocking him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Elise swung her mallet, green blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet throwing her beside Elias, her glow fading. Rex swung his pipe, orange roaring—a wave hitting violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet slamming him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Lila swung her staff, purple blazing—a wave cutting violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet knocking her beside Elias, her glow fading. Finn swung his hatchet, green roaring—a wave slashing violet, cracking a helm, but it pulsed, violet hurling him beside Elias, his glow dimming. Tara swung her wrench, orange blazing—a wave smashing violet, cracking a staff, but it pulsed, violet throwing her beside Elias, her glow fading.
Elias's eyes blazed, the ember roaring—a heat he shaped, merging with green, orange, purple, and orange in a torrent of light—blue, gold, emerald, flame, and violet crashing into the figures, shattering helms, driving them back. The chamber thundered, violet sparking wild, and the maw roared, violet deepening—a wave smashing the torrent, locking Elias's glow, slamming him beside his crew, beams splintering in the dark.
"You claw—only to bleed," it snarled, staff raised, violet flaring—a wave flooding the chamber, dimming their sparks, tendrils snapping toward Elias, cold and feral, jaws tearing at his ember.
A gold shimmer slashed through—not blue, but Rory's echo, fierce and wild, bursting from Elias's chest—a wave smashing the figure back, cracking its staff, sparking wild. His breath hitched, the ember flaring as Rory's voice roared: "Kick their ass—for me." The gold surged, merging with his pulse—blue and gold, green, orange, purple, and orange flaring faint, a torrent of light crashing into violet, cracking staffs, shattering the maw, driving the figures back into the tunnel, violet winking out.
Elias staggered up, the ember pulsing—a hot wave brushing their glows, green, orange, purple, and orange flaring faint but alive. "We—we tore it back," he panted, hauling them up, the notebook clutched tight as Rory's echo growled: "You're enough."
Tara gripped her wrench, orange steadying, a spark clawing back. "Tore it—barely," she rasped, hazel eyes dark with dread. "That—that beast—it's starving for us."
Elias's eyes glowed, the ember a heat he wielded, the Shroud's voice steady: "You hold them—I hold you." "Then we starve it," he said, voice raw but roaring, boots firm on the stone. "We find the rest—together."
The mines stretched dark and feral, the Order's violet jaws snapping, but the spark burned—a flame of defiance clawing, a fight roaring to live. And deep in the shadows, the next pulse howled.