Beyond the Tower's Base

After roughly two hours of rest, Ryan opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.

The soreness in his shoulders had eased somewhat. His fingers were still stiff, but he had recovered enough to move.

He lowered his head to inspect the items on him—the knife was intact, the faint light source still worked, spare strips of cloth and thin rope were secured in his waist pouch, and his food and water were nearly gone.

Without wasting another thought, he stood, brushed the dust from his clothes, and stepped back into the passage ahead.

The faint light source lit up, casting a dim, hazy circle of yellow light.

The passage grew narrower and narrower, its walls pressing in at shoulder width. Pipes ran along the ceiling like thick black veins, twisting overhead.

Ryan tapped the wall with the back of his knife. A dull thud echoed back. The stone surface was covered in aged cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

He narrowed his eyes and examined them carefully.

Those cracks showed that the structure here was extremely unstable. If the load-bearing balance failed, the passage could collapse outright.

With every step, he had to choose his footing carefully, testing the ground with his toes before putting his full weight down.

He moved forward slowly, keeping his breathing as quiet as possible.

Suddenly, an unusual scent drifted through the air.

It was neither mildew nor dampness, but an odor mixed with the earthy stink of soil and the scent of wild beasts.

Ryan stopped at once and dimmed the faint light source to its lowest setting.

He held his breath, every muscle tensing.

Before he could react, three shadows lunged from the darkness!

One charged straight at him like an arrow;

One leaped down from high on his right, from a vicious angle;