15 City of Ravens 1 (1/2)

Sliding down a shaft was a rough experience, halfway thought I manifested my soul image to protect myself.

When I reached the bottom, my body was still in pain. I released my soul image and sighed from relief.

I sluggishly got up and looked up the shaft I just fell form, a small spot where a little bit of light was still visible. It will be hard to get back up there, the shaft was almost entirely vertical with a small slope at the end.

The surroundings were dark and the air damp, I manifested my soul image on my hand. With the light, it produced I was able to observe my environment.

A small cave, just tall enough for me stand upright and a tunnel up ahead. This was too bizarre… first I got lost even though it doesn't happen to me. Then that bird and the fall. It was too big of a coincidence.

It was scary. But getting back up there through the shaft again looks almost impossible. If can find any other way it would be better. Whatever is happening I still have to get out of here, with not much choice I entered the tunnel.

As I walked through the uneven floor, I could feel the air getting colder the further I walked. After dozens of minutes I arrived at a crossroad, split into three pathways I had to choose one. The right one was a lot smaller, and it looked like it was getting even smaller further in.

The middle one and the left one looked almost the same, other then some wind coming from the middle one they were identical. The wind was a good sign, there was no need to think but to enter it. Wind means exit!

Following the dark tunnel, I began to have a bad feeling the further I went in. The wind carried a weird smell, metallic… like blood. The tunnel was slowly becoming bigger and more spacious, but it was gradually slanting downwards.

The smell of blood became denser, and soon I found traces of blood on the ground. The trail was small with only a few drops of blood, only the smell was getting thicker. Soon I stumbled upon something unusual, a paw.

A single paw with the rest of the body nowhere in sight. It had black fur and white spots, too familiar to me.

How it got here didn't matter much, it wasn't anything good whatever it was. There is a lot of monsters that can make this happen, and all of them can kill me in seconds.

The smell of blood was only getting thicker, and the eerie atmosphere more prevalent. Standing in front of the paw I hesitated, I felt like I shouldn't continue downwards. The wind was getting stronger, but I ignored it.

I turned and ran back up. The feeling disappeared when I got back to the crossroad. I was exhausted, and my soul essence was almost gone, the situation wasn't the best. There was no signal on the satellite phone which means I will have to find my way back before anything.

I found a small cavity with the rest of my soul image and hid in it. I tried to close my eyes and rest, but it was hard to stay comfortable. But the exhaustion took over faster than I thought.

'Gurrhr…'

A low growl woke me up, followed by almost soundless steps. Holding my breath, I waited for the footsteps to fade, I didn't dare to use my soul image to light up the darkness and see whatever was there.

After whatever it was left I tried to fall asleep again, but time passed by and I couldn't. I started to meditate, observing my soul and waiting for the soul essence to regenerate.

It was a few hours since I fell here and for now, it didn't look like there was any other exit than the one I fell through. The tunnel I went to was going downwards, the chances that it would bring me anywhere close to the exit are slim.

There were two more tunnels that I need to check, and if they don't lead me anywhere, then I will need to try to climb up the shaft I fell through.