‘Huh? Y’all here for the crypt too?’

  The person was clearly female, and human.

  ‘Err, yes?’ I tried for a smile, even with my rather dirty face and nervous complexion.

  ‘Great. Just absolutely wonderful…’ She carried a distressed and embarrassed look on her pale, near porcelain face.

  ‘Listen, lass, we’re also here ta’ help out clearin’ this lil’ crypt. Any chance we could be of aid?’ Aiden to the rescue for breaking the awkward tension. Yay.

  ‘Yes, we were also on the hunt for some kind of crypt. I presume you found it?’ I tried my best to seem genuine and kind, despite my rather snobbish Elven accent.

  ‘Yeah, I found it alright. Only to find that it’s covered up by a bunch of immovable bricks!’ Her anger flared at that last statement.

  ‘Hmm… I guess yous could be of some help. C’mere.’

  So we joined the effort in digging up the pile of bricks guarding the entrance, only to find that our results were nil. Either the bricks were too dense and heavy for our tools and strength, or some kind of magic was involved. I sighed deeply. I hated when magic was involved.

  ‘Hey, any chance maybe the bricks are held together by some kind of Enchantment?’ She immediately scoffed.

  ‘If it is all that hocus-pocus nonsense, then good darn luck gettin’ in there. That thing’ll be tighter than a steel hatch.’ I contemplated her words. She was correct, of course. If they were held together by some kind of Enchantment, then we’d need something that…

  ‘Hey, Aiden, you still have some of that ‘disenchanting juice’ we took from those magicky freaks back at Helmsville?’ Aiden looked dumbstruck for a moment before nodding excitedly.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ‘Sure do, catch!’ The unexpected throw barely registered in time, but I caught the glass bottle. ‘Careful next time, you brute!’ I glanced at the bottle resting in my palm. The liquid inside was clear. Newfound spell-breaker in hand, I aimed and threw it at the bricks.

  I sighed with relief as they quickly fell inside the depths.

  ‘Well, ain’t that something.’ The adventurer nodded and quickly took out a torch before lighting it and attaching it to her belt, keeping the area lit while freeing our hands.

  ‘Alright. First obstacle outta the way… names. I’m tired of referring to ye as ‘elf’ and ‘dwarf’ in my head, so let’s get some names.’ I responded first.

  ‘My name is Luke Thralyn. I’m a half-elf who grew up in some soddy pub after being exiled from Alfania.’ Alfania was the nearest Light Elven kingdom, and where my mother was originally from.

  ‘The name’s Aiden Bouldercast, and i’m a dwarf. Technically got some human blood in me too, but I like to ignore tha’.’ The adventurer nodded at our explanations, clearly listening before speaking.

  ‘My name’s Ema. Don’t bother with surname. I’m a farm girl who happened to have a little bit too much exposure to adventuring books and got into it. This is my first venture out, but I’m solid at this.’ I pondered over this new information. A lack of surname was strange, but I figured not to push it. Maybe she didn’t have one. Either way, she was a welcome addition.

  As we descended into the dark, musty depths of the crypt, I felt a lot more relieved. The smell from outside was not as pungent down there. Aiden and Ema also seemed to notice and breathed easier. At some point, the staircase stretched out into a hallway, a rather narrow one. We continued marching on, before Ema pointed a detail out. ‘Hey, is it just me, or do those patterns look a wee bit too curved to be cracks?’ I tried to check what she was speaking of, but the hallway was too dim to discern any meaningful patterns. I quickly rummaged through my bag and took out my ocular clarity goggles.

  ‘Well, ain’t those somethin’!’ I glanced at Ema. ‘My goggles, you mean?’ She nodded fiercely, and I decided to leave it at that. I swiftly put the goggles on my head and fastened the leather strap before examining the ‘patterns’ Ema was pointing out. They turned out to be words, in.. Ancient Celestial? I knew bits and pieces, so I tried my hand at deciphering it.

  Immediately, my eyes widened as I figured the meaning.

  ‘In illis profundis nihil nisi mors manet.’

  ‘In these depths nothing but death remains.’