>>6315799The elves' spears are steady, their eyes cold with intent. Reason is a fool's hope here. You take a slow, deliberate step back, your injured foot screaming in protest. You raise your hands, a gesture of non-aggression, but your retreat is a clear signal.
"Back to the chamber," you hiss to Anya.
She understands immediately, melting into the shadows of the doorway as you and Grusk shuffle backward. The two elves advance with the predatory grace of wolves, their focus locked on you. They see the limp, the blood-soaked bandage—they think they have wounded prey cornered.
They follow you right through the shattered doorway.
For a moment, they are silhouetted against the glittering hoard, their forms stark against the wealth of a dead kingdom. Then, the one on the right takes another step forward, his spear held high.
There is a sound like a mountain clearing its throat—a deep, grinding thunk of stone on stone.
From the floor, a single, rusted iron spike shoots upward with blinding speed. It punches through the elf's leather boot, through his foot, and out the top with a sickening crunch of bone and a spray of dark blood. His shriek is not one of pain, but of pure, undiluted terror. It echoes through the chamber, a sound that seems to suck the warmth from the air.
The wounded elf collapses, writhing, but his companion doesn't move to help him. Instead, the second elf stares, not at his comrade, but at the bloody demonic script on the wall near your feet. His pale face goes ashen. He looks from the writing, to the treasure, to his screaming friend, and then his eyes find yours. In them, you see not anger, but a profound, superstitious horror.