Chapter 15: Beneath the Mountain
An hour later, the streets of Yggdrasil had grown quieter.
Most citizens had retreated indoors.
Only guards, workers, and the occasional drunk remained outside.
Kai, Andre, and Akshay made their way toward one of the oldest sections of the city.
The deeper they went, the older everything became.
New stone gave way to weathered rock.
Decorations disappeared.
The roads narrowed.
The mountain itself began swallowing the city.
A rusted iron gate stood before them.
Two guards immediately straightened when they saw Akshay.
"Your Majesty."
Akshay nodded.
"Open it."
The guards exchanged glances.
One of them hesitated.
"Sir... are you certain?"
Andre immediately grinned.
"Oh this is gonna be fun."
The guard ignored him.
Akshay folded his arms.
"Open it."
The gate creaked as ancient mechanisms turned.
A cold gust of air escaped from the darkness beyond.
Kai felt it immediately.
The underground smelled different.
Damp stone.
Mold.
Old dust.
And something else.
Something unpleasant.
"After you, Your Majesty."
Andre made an exaggerated bow.
Akshay pointed toward the darkness.
"After you."
Andre's smile vanished.
"Damn."
The tunnel descended deeper into the mountain.
Torchlight illuminated the path.
Every footstep echoed.
The silence felt unnatural.
Even Andre had stopped joking.
For now.
Several minutes later, the tunnel widened.
Kai's eyes widened with it.
An entire district existed beneath Yggdrasil.
Markets.
Buildings.
Workshops.
Taverns.
Thousands of people.
All hidden beneath the city above.
"Feels like home."
Andre smiled.
Akshay looked at him.
"That explains a lot."
The place felt completely different from the surface.
The upper city was orderly.
Structured.
Civilized.
The underground felt alive.
Chaotic.
Dangerous.
People stared openly at Akshay.
Some looked nervous.
Others annoyed.
A few simply ignored him.
Apparently even kings had limited authority down here.
As they moved through the district, Kai noticed something.
People were watching them.
Not curious glances.
Careful ones.
Measured.
Calculating.
The kind of looks people gave when deciding whether somebody was trouble.
One particularly large man stepped into their path.
Scarred face.
Broken nose.
Missing teeth.
The complete package.
"You shouldn't be here."
The man looked directly at Akshay.
Akshay didn't even slow down.
"Move."
The man didn't.
Andre cracked his knuckles.
"Can I?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"What if—"
"No."
Andre sighed dramatically.
The large man suddenly moved aside.
Not because of Akshay.
Not because of Andre.
Because someone had appeared behind him.
A familiar voice spoke.
"You're blocking traffic."
Vice Encio emerged from a nearby alley.
White hair.
Calm expression.
Perfectly pressed clothes despite living among criminals.
Kai was beginning to suspect that was some kind of superpower.
The large thug immediately stepped aside.
"No disrespect intended."
Vice ignored him.
Akshay nodded.
"Vice."
"Your Majesty."
The two exchanged brief greetings.
Professional.
Respectful.
Clearly familiar with one another.
Andre looked between them.
"You two know each other?"
Vice raised an eyebrow.
"He's the king."
"Fair point."
Kai stepped forward.
"We think somebody used the underground."
Vice sighed.
"Of course you do."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because whenever something terrible happens in Yggdrasil, eventually someone comes down here asking questions."
Vice folded his arms.
"This way."
The group followed him deeper into the district.
Away from the markets.
Away from the crowds.
Toward older tunnels.
Older structures.
Places that looked abandoned.
Eventually Vice stopped beside a stone wall.
At first glance it looked ordinary.
Then Kai noticed scratch marks.
Fresh ones.
Vice pointed.
"This wasn't here yesterday."
Akshay crouched.
Examining the marks.
Several heavy objects had clearly been dragged through the area.
Recent.
Very recent.
"What was moved?"
Kai asked.
Vice shook his head.
"No idea."
Andre touched one of the grooves.
"It's heavy."
"Very."
Vice nodded.
"Too heavy for one person."
Akshay stood.
"Where does this lead?"
Vice pointed toward a tunnel disappearing into darkness.
"There."
The tunnel looked abandoned.
Collapsed supports.
Broken stone.
No torches.
No signs of life.
Which made it the perfect place to hide something.
Andre smiled.
"Now we're talking."
The group proceeded cautiously.
The tunnel narrowed.
The air became colder.
Every step echoed.
The deeper they went, the more uncomfortable Kai felt.
Then they found it.
A chamber.
Hidden deep within the mountain.
The room contained strange markings carved into the floor.
Symbols.
Circles.
Runes.
None of which Kai recognized.
Akshay immediately frowned.
"Magic."
Vice nodded.
"Recently used."
The center of the chamber contained melted candle wax.
Burned incense.
Dark stains.
Kai looked around.
"Some kind of ritual?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
The attacks.
The demon activity.
The strange incidents.
Something had happened here.
Something important.
Then Andre noticed something.
"Guys."
His voice sounded unusually serious.
Kai turned.
"So—"
Andre pointed upward.
A crossbow bolt slammed into the wall beside Akshay's head.
The chamber exploded into chaos.
Figures emerged from hidden passages.
Masked men.
Armed.
Waiting.
An ambush.
Akshay drew his sword.
Vice reached for a concealed dagger.
Kai raised his fists.
Andre grinned.
"There it is."
The first attacker charged.
And the fight began.