Just as the eye finished speaking, a sound began to fill the chamber. Shuffling footsteps echoed from every direction. The sound came from the tunnels in the walls... and also from cracks that had once seemed far too narrow for anything to pass through.
The woman drew into a guarded stance. Her face now bore an expression of full alert. Her eyes scanned every corner of the chamber, searching for exits."They're getting closer," she murmured in a firm, low voice. "It's a horde of undead…"
"We can't fight them all," said Shay, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The entire chamber vibrated in sync with the eye's blinking, as if the place itself were alive… connected to that creature.
Milo gripped the medallion hanging from his neck tightly.
Dozens—maybe hundreds—of the dead were writhing through the tunnels. The air reeked of rotting flesh.
The woman stood with her fists raised, ready to fight with what strength she had left. She showed no fear, even after having lost her dagger."They're coming from everywhere," she said, spinning around to keep watch on all sides. "There's no way out."
Shay, managed to stand by using his warhammer for support.
"If we're going to die," he snarled between teeth,
"I'll kill as many as I can."
The Eye of Bhael blinked once more, and a deep, humorless laugh thundered across the chamber. The vibration was so intense that small stones broke loose from the ceiling."Your suffering will be a most exquisite feast," said Bhael's voice, every word dripping with twisted pleasure.
An arrow whistled through the air, cutting through the chamber's darkness with a golden flash. The projectile struck the center of the giant eye, unleashing a blinding blast that illuminated every corner of the chamber.
The eye convulsed violently. The membrane above it cracked open, pouring a glowing, thick fluid that flashed upon contact with the air.
"Argh!" Bhael roared. "Kill them all!"
The eye began to collapse, destabilized by the unexpected attack.
The undead horde, as if answering their master's fury, attacked with new vigor. They ran now, climbed walls, and leapt from ceiling cracks like beasts. They stormed the chamber from every direction, turning it into complete chaos.
Shay raised his warhammer, prepared to hold off the first wave. His hurt leg sent a jolt of pain through his body, but he was able to stay on his feet.
"We won't be able to hold them off for long!" Shay shouted.
Suddenly, there was a mechanical sound that filled the room. From one of the tunnels emerged a vehicle that defied all sanity. It moved at full speed—a carriage without horses, streamlined in design, its wooden frame cracked by impacts and scrapes. It was driven by a kind of magic none of them understood.
The carriage halted sharply beside them, crushing several of the undead beneath its wheels, ripping them asunder. The wheels emitted a continuous whine, and the entire carriage was enveloped in a bluish aura.
"Get in, hurry!" the driver shouted from atop his seat.
He was a young man with golden blond hair that fell in soft waves to his shoulders, with strands framing a face of noble, well-defined features. His emerald green eyes shone with resolve and a wisdom that didn't match his apparent age. He wore a suit of silver-plated armor which, despite the chaos, showed only superficial scratches.
"Hurry!" the young man insisted, extending a hand toward them. On his back he carried a longbow made of dark wood, decorated with metallic pieces that changed color with every shift of light. At his side hung an almost-empty quiver, with only three arrows remaining.
Shay scanned the scene, his eyes darting between the closing horde. He was breathing heavily, and blood still flowed from his wounded leg. Even so, he nodded at the unknown youth."I guess... we don't have a better option," he murmured, forcing out the words while leaning on his warhammer.
He limped forward and, with a grunt, managed to climb onto the carriage. He grabbed the edge tightly, swaying as the creatures drew closer.
Milo, still clutching his medallion tightly."You don't have to tell me twice," he exclaimed with a grimace that tried to look like a smile, though fear was evident on his face.
He pushed off with his short legs and jumped. For a moment, it looked like he wouldn't make it, but he managed to grab the edge of the carriage. With one final effort, he pulled himself up and rolled inside.
The woman didn't say a word. She observed everything with her usual coldness. Then, suddenly, she bent her knees and leapt with impossible strength. She soared through the air and landed on her feet atop the carriage, the impact echoing with a thud that made the vehicle tremble.
The blond youth didn't waste a second. He drew an arrow from his quiver, pulled back his bow, and fired at one of the chamber walls.
The arrow struck the stone, detonating with a deafening explosion. Chunks of the wall blasted outward as a thick cloud of dust and smoke filled the air. They saw a massive hole in the wall.
The driver raised his hands and began moving his fingers, tracing shapes in the air. Threads of blue energy emerged from his hands, intertwining with the magic surrounding the carriage. The vehicle seemed to awaken, vibrating with power as it responded to his control.
"Hold on tight!" he said, surprisingly calm given the chaos around them.
The carriage jolted forward and sped ahead at full speed, straight toward the hole in the wall. The wind howled around them as they left behind the chamber and the remains of the eye. For a moment, everything was darkness—until the light from the vehicle began to illuminate the path.
But even that wasn't enough to lose the creatures. Some of them had spread thin, membranous wings and were flying after them with fierce determination.
"Someone grab that crossbow and get those bastards off us!!" the driver shouted, pointing to a large weapon mounted at the back of the carriage.
One of the winged beasts was already almost upon them. They were a grotesque mix of human bodies, bat wings, and deformed heads.
Shay, moved toward the rear as best he could.
"I'll do it!" he said as he grabbed the crossbow.
The weapon was heavier than Shay expected. With effort, he managed to lift it and load a bolt he found nearby. The mechanism was strange—unlike any crossbow he'd used before—but it functioned the same in principle.
He aimed at the nearest flying creature, calculating its distance and movement. He held his breath to steady his pulse and pulled the trigger.
The bolt launched with a sharp whine. It struck the center of the beast's deformed body. A gruesome scream had been heard when the creature stumbled backward, dissolving into blackness.
Milo, seeing yet another of those terrible beasts approaching on the left, snatched towards the blond boy's bow, which was on the floor beside the driver's seat.
"Lend me that for a second!" he shouted, raising his voice above the wind and the creatures' shrieks.
The young man saw him and immediately grew alarmed.
"Wait! That arrow has a sealing—" he began, but it was already too late.
Milo pulled the string with all his might and aimed at the head of the creature flying straight at them. He shot… but the shot missed.
The arrow grazed the beast and embedded itself in the tunnel wall. The seal burst into life, detonating in a blast that rocked the entire passage. A stone and fire wall enshrouded the beast, and it screamed as it was engulfed.
"Sorry!" Milo shouted, clinging to the side of the carriage.
Shay fell backward, hitting his head against the side of the carriage. The blond youth struggled to maintain control.
But the explosion was much stronger than they had expected. It struck the carriage from the side, making it lurch violently. For a moment, the wheels lost contact with the ground, and the vehicle slammed into the wall, splintering wood on impact.
Shay fell again, hitting the inside of the carriage hard. The blond youth could barely keep control, his hands glowing brightly as he channeled more energy.
The woman lost her footing from the blow. Her feet slipped on the wooden roof just as the carriage crashed into the wall. For a few seconds, her body was suspended in the air. She reached out, her fingers brushing the edge of the roof… but she couldn't grab hold of anything.