Rise of Tyrus

Tyrus didn't know what came over him. His body just moved on its own before his brain could catch up.

He let go of Fiona's hand just as they were about to turn the corner and activated augmentation. A fresh surge of power filled his muscles, and he raised his left arm just in time. His body stiffened the moment they made contact, and a sharp pain coursed through the limb. Tyrus tried to move his arm, but just the simplest action had him wincing. It throbbed like it had its own heartbeat.

Fiona gasped. "Are you alright?!"

Tyrus wasn't given the chance to check his injury when the earth spirits stomps grew closer. Grimacing, he whipped around and turned the corner, with Fion and Igneal right next to him. They approached the room with all the glowing mushrooms and sprinted to the adjacent one, entering a corridor.

"We need to find a way out of here," Fiona said.

"What... what about Grant and Reo?" Tyrus said with a groan. A white-hot pain flared whenever he took a step.

She pressed her lips and said, "They'll be fine. Fortunately, they can retrace their steps back to the sewer. We don't have that kind of luxury, so we need to focus our attention on getting out."

They exited the corridor and stepped foot into the new room with noticeably fewer coffins and the addition of rat carcasses and scattered bones—originating from human and rats. It smelled horrible, causing Tyrus to scrunch up his face and try to take in a breath without vomiting. He even accidentally stepped on a small skull that snapped like dry twigs, sending fragments everywhere.

Another turn later, they encountered another room, much longer and bigger than the rest. No coffins remained here, replaced by various vases and jars just as cracked and broken as the strewn skeletons. Some were in a complete disarray, with dirt and shattered clay spilling all over the ground. In one corner, a pile of unknown powder sat untouched. There was even a visible corridor just above the right wall.

"Fiona, look over there," Tyrus said.

She noticed it too and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, at least that's something. Going up is what we need to be doing. There has to be a way to reach it. Maybe some stairs past this room?"

A low rumbling echoed through the halls, causing everyone to flinch. Everyone turned to the sound of stone being crushed and bones popping left and right. Not even a second later did the figure of the earth spirit came to view. As soon as they locked eyes, it released a bellow so loud that Tyrus clamped his hands over his ears, but it wasn't enough to muffle out the noise. Then came the horrifying part: it charged straight at them, busting through the low-hanging corridor and raining chunks of stone.

Fiona's face turned pale, and she pulled them behind her. "Move, quick!"

With a sharp turn, they sprinted. The ground beneath their feet shuddered violently and cracked, throwing everyone off balance. Turning a corner, they spotted a set of stairs leading down—not a good sign—and ran under an archway bridge that seemed to connect to the area they wanted to get to.

An idea popped to mind, and Tyrus sprung into action. He used augmentation and scaled the wall with a jump, hissing when his left arm hit the side, and reached the bridge. He then grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Fiona shouted, standing at the foot of the steps.

There was no time to answer her as the earth spirit exploded onto the scene, still running with speed that belied its size. It looked up and met his gaze, and roared once more. Instead of charging head on like an enraged bull, it dug its fist into the ground and pulled out a sizable chunk of rock. Tyrus' eyes widened, and he rolled to the other side of the bridge, the projectile missing him by inches.

Once he regained his composure, Tyrus began cooking up a Dual Shot, this time a bit more powerful than the one he used against his first rock spider encounter. Both creatures were made of rock, and Dual Shot was effective in penetrating their armor. An earth spirit shouldn't be any different, no? Because of its massive body, there was no room to dodge in this enclosed space, and he had the height advantage. The circumstances were perfect.

Lightning stirred, and two powerful orbs burst forth. Crackling with energy, they flew forward and struck the earth spirit in its chest, kicking up a puff of dust. Tyrus smiled, confident that victory was within his grasp. However, his smile faded and was replaced by a look of disbelief as he realized that, despite the impact, he had barely made a dent once the dust settled.

"I couldn't pierce it?"

The spirit bellowed from the attack, ripped a chunk of rock from the wall, and chucked it at the arch. Tyrus jumped off, avoiding being squashed and tumbled, landing on his feet. The entire structure crumbled and collapsed, causing a vast cloud of dust and rubble to pile up. His head shot up as the earth spirit continued its pursuit.

"Blinding Light!"

At the incantation, Tyrus felt a hand pull him back from the bright glow of a spell, casting his vision into darkness. His skin stung from a fresh wave of cold frost, and the air grew bitter. When his vision cleared, a sheet of ice coated the ground. The earth spirit was covering its eyes in the middle of its charge and stepped foot onto the ice. Its momentum carried it forward, and Tyrus's heart skipped a beat when the creature slipped and was sent careening to the left of the stairs. The deafening sound of thunder boomed throughout the caverns, and huge chunks of rocks from the ceiling cascaded down, blocking off the corridor.

Igneal was holding onto his arm—which he let go with a quickness when Tyrus stared—while Fiona leaned against the wall, clasping her chest as her breath came out in labored pants.

"We," she began, "should be alright from now on. That was very dangerous fighting that thing alone."

Tyrus frowned. "I thought Dual Shot would work the same it did against a rock spider, but I barely made a scratch on its exterior. Why didn't it work?"

"That's because earth spirits, especially that one, are tougher than rock spiders," Igneal explained. "Their bodies are composed entirely of mana, making them more resistant to magic compared to ordinary creatures. To defeat them, you would require a more powerful spell or exploit their vulnerabilities. As much as I dislike to admit, but using fire magic against it would be a waste of mana on my part."

Fiona's breath became steady, and she stepped away from the wall. She walked over to Tyrus and muttered 'Restoration'; a golden light shined. Warmth spread through his body and focused on his injured arm. He felt nothing unusual until his skin and muscles itched. The pain gradually faded, and the throbbing pain disappeared.

Tyrus moved his arm and said, "Thank you. Was that a light spell you used?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. Right now, we should move while we have the chance."

Tyrus nodded, and all three of them rushed down the stairs, leaving the earth spirit trapped behind the rubble.

***

Tyrus had forgotten the sole reason they were underground to begin with until he heard scampering and squeaking ahead of him.

"Rats are up ahead," Tyrus said, coming to a halt.

Out of another corridor and into a room, blocking a staircase leading upward, were giant rats, a lot of them. They were gnawing on bones and roots alike, some even nibbling at the mushrooms and feasting on fresh carcasses. As soon as the rats heard them, their heads whipped in their direction, and their lips curled, revealing yellowish fangs and blood-stained teeth. They began moving together like a mob.

Igneal sighed and stepped forward, allowing flames to dance along his hands. Mana swarmed his fingertips, and he released a wave of fire, scorching the ground. The rats hissed and squealed, but Igneal didn't relent. He fired off more volleys to the ones that remained, causing some to drop dead, charred to crisp, while others scurried off to the stairs and disappeared. Igneal jogged forward, running past twitching rats still aflame without so much as sparing a glance.

Fiona and Tyrus shrugged and followed, climbing up the stairs that seemed to twist and turn. More squealing followed, and the smell of smoke was prominent, accompanied by the faint scent of burning flesh and rolling bodies. Soon, it didn't take them too long for them to reach the end of the winding stairs that seemed to stretch on.

The wide, rectangular room flickered with the fiery glow of torches, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The flames burned so intensely that they seemed to rival the brightness of the sun. Above, the ceiling was tainted by intricate webs and tangled roots, as if nature itself had violated this once grand space. Six sturdy pillars stretched upwards, supporting the compromised ceiling. The air was heavy with the scent of dampness and decay, mingling with the faint aroma of burning wood. Rows and columns of recesses became apparent, lining the walls. Some held wooden coffins and weathered vases, while others stood empty, covered in a thin layer of dust and grime.

Remarkably, there were no signs of rats scurrying or slimes oozing about, which was undeniably a relief. Perhaps the creatures had been dealt with already? Yet, a lingering unease remained, knowing that the source of their infestation had not been discovered. It seemed likely that they had taken a wrong turn, ending up in this foreboding room.

"That might be the way out," Fiona said.

Tyrus followed her gaze and eventually spotted a magnificent door at the far end of the room. The door was massive, towering over three men standing shoulder to shoulder. Its weathered stone surface bore the intricate carving of a woman with long, flowing hair, bent over and clasping a bony hand with her own. The door emitted a faint, musty scent, and Tyrus couldn't determine if the woman's grip was one of confinement or embrace.

The three of them walked toward the door and stopped. Tyrus saw no way of unlocking the door like a lever or a keyhole. He even used his ring of Scourge like last time, but nothing happened. Even the combined strength of three people wasn't enough to budge it, no matter how hard they pushed.

Fiona cursed. "Come on, there has to be a way to open this stupid thing! I do not want to be trapped in this underground graveyard forever!"

"Let's just blow this damn thing already," Igneal suggested. "It's bad enough you wouldn't let me fight the earth spirit, so you should have no qualms with this."

She rolled her eyes. "Fighting underground is never a good idea. There's a possibility our attacks could bring the whole place down. That's why I decided running was the best option, not out of cowardice. There's also the problem with piercing its defenses with just us. If Grant were here, he'd be able to use augmentation and maybe punch it to death. No offense, Tyrus, but I don't think you're strong enough to attempt that."

Tyrus shrugged. He cracked a tree before with augmentation, but bark and rock were two different things. He couldn't complain that Fiona basically called him weak in that regard. Still, it sucked that his primary affinity had little effect on the earth spirit. To think it was resistant to magic attacks because of its body... Meadow never told him about that. Just what kind of magic would be effective against that thing?

As he thought it over, a thump from afar caught his ears, getting closer with each second. The others were too busy inspecting the door to have noticed.

"Um... I think the earth spirit is coming," Tyrus said.

Fiona turned, eyes shot open. "Please tell me you're joking."

To answer her question, loose rocks from above the corridor entrance trickled, and the stomping grew loud to where they could hear it as well. They readied their weapons, waiting with bated breath. The ground shuddered, and the amber eyes of the spirit came to view, shining just as brightly as the torches. It shambled into the room in a crouched position, raining even more debris atop its head.

"I knew we should've killed that thing long before," Igneal said.

"Shut up," Fiona grumbled.

Another deafening roar erupted from its monstrous jaws, shaking the very foundations of the surroundings. The blinding light flickered violently, casting eerie shadows that danced across the trembling pebbles and rattling bones. Then it began lumbering toward them at a menacing pace, as if convinced they were trapped with it.