A Zombie's Path to Power

"But there's something...wrong. There is supposed to be four miners but there's five sets of foot prints."

There was a long silence before Colwyn quietly said, "Petition to turn back?"

Rio ignored Colwyn and begun thinking. There were hundreds of potential creatures, but she could filter the possibilities down with a few options. First, they were in a mountain, so creatures from other biomes were eliminated. Then she could every squall ranked mana beast, because the four miners would be to dangerous for it to hunt. Finally it had to be humanoid to be able to leave the footprints.

Rio sighed, there was still too many possibilities. Identifying a mana-beast from just a footprint was to much for her. "What should we do now?" she asked looking at Oz.

Oz furrowed his brow, staring at the five sets of footprints. His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, and his voice was low, serious. "We press on. Whatever's down here, we'll deal with it, but we can't leave those miners."

"Stay sharp," Netra said, her voice firm. She stepped forward, her hand glowing faintly with golden mana, illuminating the cavern walls further. "Colwyn, Rio, no unnecessary chatter. We don't want to attract attention."

Colwyn groaned under his breath but obeyed, staying close to the group as they followed the trail deeper into the mountain. The cavern twisted and turned, narrowing in places and opening into vast chambers in others. Faint echoes of dripping water and the distant rumble of shifting stone filled the air, amplifying the silence of their steps.

Rio kept her eyes on the ground, occasionally glancing at the walls for any carvings or signs of the temple's origin. Ancient runes appeared here and there, worn down by time but still faintly pulsing with residual mana. She shivered. The place felt alive, as though the mountain itself were watching them.

Oz paused suddenly, holding up a hand. The group stopped in their tracks. Ahead, was a thick stone door covered with engravings that depicted a worm of some kind devouring an army.

"I imagine we will find our lost miners somewhere in here."

Oz moved forward, hand still hovering over the hilt of his sword. "This is it," he muttered. "We'll need to be cautious from here on out."

Rio's senses sharpened. The air felt thick, tingling with magic, but not of the natural kind she was used to. This felt… wrong. She could almost feel the stone pressing in on her, a pressure that didn't belong in a natural cavern. The presence of the engravings only heightened her unease.

"What is that thing?" Asked Colwyn as he stared at the worm, "Some kind of God?"

"No, maybe some kind of ancient mana-beast," Said Netra as she stepped towards the door, "Either way the people that built this place revered it... Or feared it."

Netra stepped forward, her glowing mana brightening as she placed a hand on the door. The engravings beneath her palm shimmered faintly, the lines of the ancient carvings pulsing with a strange, rhythmic energy. A low, resonant hum echoed through the chamber, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

"Careful," Oz warned, stepping closer but keeping his sword half-drawn. His eyes scanned the room, alert for any movement in the shadows.

Netra frowned as the door seemed to resist her touch, its magic pulsing back against her mana. "It's responding to my energy," she said quietly. "But it feels... selective. This isn't a simple seal."

Rio stepped forward, her analytical mind racing. "If it's keyed to specific energy signatures, it might be attuned to the creators. Their magic could have been designed to keep intruders out—or to keep something in."

Colwyn glanced at her sceptically. "You think they locked up their precious worm god?"

Rio didn't answer immediately. Instead, she crouched, inspecting the base of the door. The faint runes along its edges flickered in strange, almost chaotic patterns. "It's more likely they feared it, as Netra said. This door wasn't meant to worship—it's a warning."

Before anyone could react to the pulsing energy of the door, a deep rumble resonated beneath their feet.

"What now?" Colwyn muttered, taking a cautious step back.

The ground below him and Rio groaned like strained metal. Cracks spiderwebbed through the stone, faint wisps of dust rising into the air.

"Move!" Netra yelled, her glowing hand reaching out.

But it was too late. With a deafening roar, the ground gave way beneath Colwyn and Rio. The stone crumbled into a dark abyss, pulling them down with a cascade of rubble.

Rio gasped as the floor disappeared under her. Her body twisted instinctively, arms flailing for something—anything—to grab onto. Her hand brushed against Colwyn's sleeve, but she couldn't hold on.

"Rio!" Oz's shout was distant, muffled by the rush of air and falling debris.

They plunged into darkness, their descent lit only by the faint glow of Netra's mana far above. Rio's mind raced, heart pounding as she tried to stabilize herself. Think, think! Chanting a spell, Rio felt the strength of the pull downwards decrease. This was what had earned her the title of genius, her mastery of a lost magic, the manipulation of gravity.

Colwyn, meanwhile, was tumbling wildly, his yells echoing off the unseen walls. Without the skill that Rio possessed, all he could do was cover his body with a thick coating of mana to try and weaken the sudden impact.

Rio scrambled to her feet, brushing dust from her robes as her eyes adjusted to the faint light emanating from distant crystals embedded in the cavern walls. They cast an eerie blue glow, enough to reveal their surroundings—a massive, open chamber with a floor covered in broken stone and twisted roots.

"Are you alive?" she asked, glancing at Colwyn. Fighting the urge to recoil she looked at him in fear. "Colwyn? Are you alive?"

Colwyn had been unfortunate enough to hit the ground face first. There was only so much the coating of mana could do to shield the blow, and it hadn't been enough.

Letting out a pained groan, Colwyn wept in pain. Rio came over to apply first aid, thankful the squire was still alive, but then paused. She didn't know where to start. Colwyn's jaw was without a doubt shattered, and his cranium was definitely cracked too.

"It'll be okay," She said, "I'll figure something out."