Darkness swallowed them whole. The feeling of falling never stopped and Natasha held her breath for a crash that failed to occur. The freefall experience seemed strange because the pit seemed to have no end. Then, without warning—
THUD.
A painful tumble left her stranded on rocks and dirt as dust flooded the area around her. Everyone joined the sound of pain as they arrived in the abyss one after another. The dark rocks scratched her fingers as she tried to rise from her collapsed position. The sword still hugged her hand with its faint blue core light from touching the Sigil Guardian.
The system notification brightened as an alarm activated.
System Alert:
Abyssal Trial Initiated.
Objective: Survive.
Warning: Time Limit—6 Hours.
Penalty for Failure: Permanent Data Corruption.
Natasha's heart pounded. This battle area differed from other dungeons because it functioned as a realm of death.
A tired Alison stirred by her side to regain her focus. "Where the hell are we?"
The surroundings appeared totally foreign to them. Above us a crimson mist covered the endless empty sky. Their feet rested on a large dark rock that displayed glowing symbols that echoed with the rhythm of life themselves. Large metallic structures at a distance shook with pulsating blue power while showing network of fractures.
An empty voice emerged from space beyond description.
"Only those worthy may leave. Show your ability to resist or you will become part of the abyss.
Movement passed through the earth below.
Crack.
The earth unleashed a split that revealed monstrous beings crawling up from the deepest part of the planet. The creatures emerged from below with stretched limbs and swirled their bodies in lifeless void energy. Natasha felt a cold shiver run down her back when empty dead eyes watched the team appear and a horrifying cry entered her ears.
System Alert:
The Abyssal Sentinels (Level ???) materialize at this moment.
Conventional weapons cannot harm it in any way.
She clenched her teeth while holding her sword harder. "No damage?"
Eldric cursed under his breath. Our usual combat methods will not hurt them. We need to find another way."
The enemy Sentinel shot ahead rapidly. The instant creature pounced Alison yanked Natasha out of its path and its claws cut through the space she had been standing. The air turned electric when the creature launched its strike that buzzed through the earth below.
Ira started to panic because fighting was impossible according to her. "There has to be a weakness!"
Natasha's mind raced. Natasha recognized that previous battles included weak points which they could overcome. Every moving monolith emitted steady beats while the ground symbols below the creatures blinked when they stepped.
That had to mean something.
"We need to separate them!" she shouted. "The monoliths—try drawing them closer!"
Alison didn't hesitate. He ran directly to a monument then slipped abruptly to a halt when the nearest Sentinel kept pace. When the Sentinel entered the shadow of the monolith the underlying symbols rapidly transformed to gold.
A high-pitched sound reacted when the beast folded and stretched away into its separate parts.
"That's it!" Eldric roared. "The monoliths disrupt their form!"
The charging Sentinel followed Natasha when she ran toward its second target and stepped onto a monolith. As soon as the Sentinel stepped into the bright area its body shook violently and switched between appearing and disappearing. Its symbols absorbed all void energy that produced its shape.
Ira's eyes widened. "The Abyss rejects them!"
Natasha didn't waste time. "Then we use that to our advantage!"
With strategic planning the team made Sentinels chase monoliths to their destruction. Ira steered the monsters toward monoliths as Alison and Eldric directed them. As the team leader Natasha understood when to synchronize the strikes based on the pulses and guided everyone proficiently.
One Sentinel after another disappeared as their bodies broke down into empty void.
Then, the ground shook violently.
After all its Sentinels disappeared the last one transformed into a more powerful form by absorbing their void energy. Its form started to distort as it doubled in size until it reached triple its normal dimensions. The black mist turned into rough armor as its empty eyes turned red.
System Alert:
Abyssal Guardian Awakened!
The amount of air weight doubled. The power the creature exerted weighed heavily on Natasha making it hard for her to move.
Eldric cursed. "It's adapting!"
The being lifted its enormous fighting claws. The team experienced a powerful energy discharge directly from the monster's center. The blast threw Natasha so hard that she smashed against the monolith with a screaming scream at pain.
She failed to stand because of blurry vision. Her sword—
It was glowing.
Faintly at first, then brighter, pulsing in sync with the abyssal symbols around her. The remaining energy from the Sigil Guardian's core that stayed in her blade connected directly with the Abyss.
Natasha's breath hitched. The sword had changed into something more powerful than a typical weapon.
It was a key.
She gripped the weapon firmly then lifted it and the mystical light brightened further. The Abyssal Guardian detected her power change when it looked at her.
Ira shouted in warning. "Natasha—what are you doing?!"
She wasn't entirely sure herself.
She sensed that the blade served its purpose in that instant.
The Guardian snarled toward her and contorted its shape with the power from beyond the light. Natasha held her position and placed all her attention into her sword's actions.
And then she swung.
A brilliant beam of light and dark blue light divided the abyss's darkness directly. The Guardian screamed loudly as its being disintegrated into energy that merged with the monoliths.
Everyone remained speechless as they stared at the monoliths.
When the battle finished Natasha felt her legs give out under her because of complete weariness. The group arrived without delay to support Natasha when
A new system message appeared.
System Alert:
Trial Complete.
Abyssal Seal Partially Lifted.
Hidden Pathway Unlocked.
The stone formations changed position and exposed a concealed stairway descending into the underworld.
Alison exhaled sharply. "We barely survived that."
Eldric stepped forward to lift Natasha to her standing position again. "And now it wants us to go further?"
Ira turned her head toward the new passage while barely projecting any sound. Below us lies something that wants us to continue.
Natasha gritted her teeth. Our adventure continues forward because we have no option to change our path.
Our real descent into the blackness would start next.