Into the Depths: Investigating the Shimmering Shore Tunnels (Group 2)

Ludovic's blood ran cold as the ground trembled beneath him, each rumble clawing up his spine. He steadied his stance, paws spread just enough to keep his balance—like his father had taught him—as the cracks spidered out, snapping and splintering like fragile bones breaking under the weight of something heavy and monstrous. Dust choked the air, stinging his eyes and clinging to his fur, but he held his ground, gaze narrowed between the two big adults as he watched the shadowy behemoth emerge.

The creature—a grotesque thing of segmented sinew and pulsating flesh—was unlike anything he’d seen. His instincts screamed at him to run, to put as much distance as possible between himself and that singular, sickly eye roving over them with chilling indifference. The beast's petals, slick with that oozing substance, reminded him of deadly flora—beautiful in a twisted way, yet crafted solely to consume. It must have been some kind of underground predator!

A shudder rolled through him as he met that singular, grotesque gaze, the cross-shaped pupil settling on them, clouded in a way that seemed all too wrong. It felt like staring into a void that stared right back, hollow yet hungry. His heart pounded in his chest, a rhythm of fight or flight, and for a moment, he could hear his mother’s voice in his mind, warning him of the world’s darkest secrets he would one day confront.

He swallowed, his voice a low murmur, barely a whisper to the others. “Our lucky day…” he muttered, sarcasm lacing his words in a desperate bid to hold onto some semblance of control. His mismatched eyes flicked to Mortis and Deluge, and he took a cautious step back, positioning himself behind them. He didn't think sweet talking this thing was going to work for any of them.


"Ludovic Praetor-Inferos"