The City of Blacksteel Pt. 5

The boy's name was Kaleb. He told me that after I pried for what felt like hours, but it was probably just me being impatient. His voice was weak, more of a whisper really, and had the distinct vibe of someone who was more tired of life than actually living it. I couldn't blame him, considering the shape he was in when I found him. But still, I couldn't help thinking, This kid needs a hobby… or like, therapy.

The mine loomed ahead like something out of a bad horror movie—dark, cold, and giving off the vibe of "enter here and die." The entrance was surrounded by crumbling rocks and rusted metal tracks that looked like they hadn't seen use since before Kaleb was born. A faint breeze blew through, carrying the scent of… what was that? Sulfur? Dead rats? It wasn't exactly welcoming, let's just say that.

"So… this is it?" I muttered, mostly to myself. Kaleb's nervousness was like a mosquito in my brain. Buzzing, constant, annoying.

"Y-Yeah… no one ever comes back," he stammered in my head. You could practically hear his heart pounding.

"No one ever comes back, huh? Well, that's encouraging," I replied, giving the dark tunnel a look that said, This is fine.

"Are you… are you scared?" Kaleb asked, his voice quivering.

"Nah," I said, grinning as I stepped inside. "It's just a death trap. No biggie."

As we moved deeper into the mine, I could feel the weight of the place pressing down on me, but it didn't really bother me. If anything, it was a nice change of pace from the usual. The air was cold, stale, and thick, like the mine was trying to choke me out with the vibe of "you shouldn't be here." But hey, I wasn't here for a vacation.

"Alright, let's get this over with," I muttered, stepping carefully over the cracked floor.

"So, uh… what do you think happened to her? Elara?" Kaleb asked, his voice breaking the silence. It was almost like he was trying to distract himself from the fact that we were in a creepy mine. I get it, kid.

"Could be anything. She could've gotten eaten by a monster, cursed by some ancient magic, or maybe she just really liked it down here and decided to stay," I said casually, shrugging.

"You think she's… alive?" he asked, quieter now.

I paused, considering. "Honestly? Probably not. But hey, we'll find out soon enough."

He didn't respond to that. Guess the truth isn't always comforting. Oh well.

After about an hour of walking through narrow, winding tunnels (I'll be honest, it was kind of boring), we hit a fork in the road. One path led down deeper into the mine, and the other veered left, following the old, rusted tracks.

"Which way?" Kaleb asked.

I could feel him pushing me toward the safer-looking path, but I was never a fan of easy routes. "We go down," I said, ignoring his internal groan.

The further down we went, the colder it got. My breath started fogging up in front of me, which made me feel like I was in one of those haunted house attractions—except this one might actually kill me. Not ideal, but I'd seen worse.

Suddenly, a faint glow caught my eye. Up ahead, the tunnel was bathed in a soft, eerie light. As we got closer, I realized the walls were lined with glowing crystals, humming with an energy that felt… off. Like, the kind of "off" where you wonder if touching it will give you powers or just kill you instantly.

"Uh… what are those?" Kaleb asked, clearly unsettled.

"Magic rocks," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Probably cursed. Best to avoid 'em."

I maneuvered carefully around the crystals, not wanting to test my luck today. They tugged at me as I passed, like they wanted to pull me into their weird crystal cult. I resisted the urge to poke them. Barely.

Rounding a corner, I found the real problem: skeletons. And I'm not talking about the cool Halloween decoration kind. The ground was covered in bones, scattered everywhere like someone had a clearance sale on human remains. Some still had bits of armor on them, but most were just… well, bones.

And that wasn't the worst part.

Slithering between the bones were creatures. Worm-like things, but with disturbingly human faces, their mouths wide open in silent screams. They moved fast, darting around like someone had just flipped the switch to "nightmare mode." They didn't seem to notice me yet, which was a relief.

"Uh… what the hell are those?" Kaleb asked, his voice full of the kind of terror I was definitely ignoring.

"New friends," I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Shh. Let's not say hi just yet."

I pressed myself against the wall, moving as stealthily as possible. One of the worm-things paused, its head snapping up as if it sensed something. Its hollow eyes locked onto mine for a split second.

"Shit," Kaleb whispered, and I couldn't help but agree.

The creature screeched, a sound so shrill it could probably wake the dead. And just like that, the whole squad of them turned their attention to me.

"Oh, good. Groupies," I muttered before taking off down the tunnel.

The things were fast—faster than I expected—and they were right on my heels. One lunged at me, brushing against my leg, but I kicked it away, not missing a beat.

"You didn't tell me this was a race!" I shouted, more to myself, but I could feel Kaleb panicking in my mind. The kid was probably two seconds away from having a heart attack.

I spotted an alcove ahead and dove into it, pressing myself into the shadows. The creatures slithered by, their screeching filling the tunnels. I stayed perfectly still, holding my breath until they passed.

When I was sure they were gone, I let out a sigh. "Alright, so, that was fun."

"Fun? You call that fun?!" Kaleb was losing it.

"I'm alive, aren't I? Relax. We're fine."

I glanced back at the glowing orb in the center of the chamber—the source of all this nonsense, no doubt. It pulsed like it was alive, drawing me in with its creepy, hypnotic glow.

I grinned. "Alright, let's see what kind of trouble we can stir up next."