Chapter 1: Prologue

Dark and humid catacombs. A place, which makes one become nervous just from staying there.

The capital’s catacombs were one of the most dreadful places one could imagine. Built as a way to quickly maneuver troops underground, and swiftly strike from outside the walls, currently they are the place where the lowest of scum hides and lives. Mostly uncharted, and spreading below the entire city, these underground tunnels and ways are known to very few, making them the place where nobody walks. The place, where one can easily escape the hand of the law, provided they have enough money to buy a pass and a map.

One of such scum walked fast, with a torch as his only source of light. After he was put on the wanted list for his crimes and got a hefty bounty on his head, his only option became fleeing the capital.

For a large sum he bought a map to one of the many hidden exits from the catacombs, leading all the way out of the capital.

He was a slippery man, and his guilty conscience was making him tremble at any noise. Behind every corner he was seeing the phantoms of the rival gang members, or the law enforcement. In every echo he was hearing a pursuit.

Armed with only a dagger, a torch, and a pouch of stolen, he was making his way to the freedom.

[‘I need to turn here.’] He checked the map.

He squeezed in a narrow way, and ended up in another tunnel, the one that lead directly to a secret entrance to the catacombs.

Neither of the tunnels was lit. The light here means only a gang’s territory, or a foolish traveler who wished to use the underways.

This far, however, there would be no people. Only a fool would trap themselves in a presumed dead end.

The man accelerated his steps.

In some places the tunnel was a reinforced with brick, in some it was just soil with wooden or stone supports. This was one of the original tunnels, so it was made completely out of brick.

For him it didn’t matter that somewhere the masonry was battered or crumbling. What mattered was…

[‘What’s that…?’] Suddenly, in one of the side ways the man saw something unexpected.

It was a weird elliptic object, seemingly growing out of the ground.

[‘What the hell…?’] The man was mesmerized by an unknown object but he chose to ignore it.

Then, the object… moved?

[‘Holy Light of the God…!’] The man was not pondering for long.

Whatever that thing is, it does not matter.

What matters is his life.

The man started running with all his power.

At one moment he glanced behind while running.

“AH?!” And at the same moment something hit his face.

“Ha… ha… ha…?” The man came back to his senses, and saw that whatever jumped on him was lying nearby. Dead.

It was burnt by the torch, and then the man was knocked unconscious.

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“F*…!” The torch was extinguished, the map was lost, and he was all dirty and wet from the moisture on the floor.

“F*…!” He coughed a couple of times, and continued walking in the darkness. He doubtfully would get lost here.

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“Get ready! We need to seize him, if he is yet to escape!” A young man shouted to a small group of soldiers.

His blue eyes and blonde hair gave out his descent to the soldiers, making them obey him unquestioningly.

The youngster in crude leather armor showed at a couple of soldiers.

“Follow me! We’ll try to search for him from here!”

Their orders are to seize a dangerous criminal, who supposedly contacted one of the catacomb guides for information. The accomplice confessed that he sold a map to this entrance, far outside of the capital.

The young man and two soldiers entered a cave.

They continued walking deeper and deeper. It would be clear, that this is but a cave.

Finally, they hit a dead end, overgrown with moss.

The youngster put his hand into the moss, and started searching.

“Got you!” He pulled a hidden lever, and a secret door opened.

The three entered the catacombs.

It took them several dozens of meters to find something.

At the limit of the torches’ reach they saw something lying on the floor.

As they approached, they saw a body.

A body of a man, with his chest spotting a gaping hole.

“What… is this…?” The youngster’s feet got cold, and goosebumps covered his body.

“Look over there!” One of the soldiers saw something else.

It was a small shed skin, in shape of a weird, worm-like creature with a plate on its head.

“Whatever it is… the gangs will take care of it.” The youngster dismissed the weird finding, knowing that whatever it was, the catacombs’ brutal inhabitants will grill it for a dinner. Or will become its dinner.

Or, to everyone’s happiness, the creature and the gangs will murder each other.

Thought he, as he claimed the case to be closed.

Oblivious, of what is to come…

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