The horn's echo lingered in the Upper Maw, long and low, vibrating through the stone until it faded into silence.
Lysa went still. She gripped her spear with both hands, knuckles whitening. "That's not a creature," she said quietly. "Someone's signaling."
"Someone?" Kail asked.
"Humans. Or something close enough to them."
She stepped to the edge of the tunnel, listening. Kail did the same—but something strange happened.
A faint pulse trembled through his skull.
[Essence Echo activated][Detecting focused life signatures][Quantity: 3][Essence Rating: Moderate — Intelligent Hostile Potential]
Kail blinked. The air ahead of them shimmered slightly, like heat rising from stone. Three faint silhouettes glowed behind the distortion—humanoid shapes.
"They're ahead," he murmured.
Lysa stared at him. "How do you know that?"
He didn't answer. The truth wasn't something he could easily explain. Or something she was ready to hear.
They crept forward. The tunnel widened into another chamber—this one smoother, more symmetrical. The organic walls were reinforced by carved stone, as if someone had long ago tried to tame the Maw.
And they weren't alone.
Three figures stood near the center, dressed in armor—black, segmented plates reinforced with bone. Their helmets were angular, their visors glowing faintly. Two carried spears of bone and steel. The third held a device that hummed softly.
Lysa inhaled sharply. "Bonecarvers," she whispered.
Kail kept his voice low. "Who are they?"
"Collectors," she said. "They harvest monster essence… and people, if they think the essence is valuable enough."
The center figure turned toward them.
"Identify yourselves," the voice boomed, filtered through the helmet.
Lysa stepped forward cautiously, spear angled down. "We're survivors from the lower levels. Our group was wiped out. We're trying to reach the Outer Maw."
The Bonecarver tilted his head. "One wounded. One mutated." His visor fixed on Kail. "Step forward."
Kail didn't move.
The Bonecarver's voice sharpened. "Step. Forward."
Lysa shot Kail a warning glance, silently begging him to comply. He stepped beside her, meeting the armored figure's gaze.
The Bonecarver lifted the humming device. "Essence scanner. Hold still."
Kail felt his skin prickle. The scanner emitted a soft pulse of light that swept across him.
It flickered.Crackled.Then the device let out a sharp, high-pitched distortion.
The Bonecarver jerked back. "Impossible."
The two others took defensive stances, spears leveled.
Lysa tensed. "What's wrong?"
The lead Bonecarver stepped closer. "His essence reading—"A pause."—is unstable. Mutated. Comparable to… no, greater than…" The visor's glow brightened. "Boy. What did you devour down there?"
Kail's pulse sharpened. "Why does it matter?"
"Because no human should have a signature like this." The Bonecarver lifted the scanner again. "You should be dead. Or worse."
Kail's hunger stirred violently. The Bonecarvers radiated essence—rich, bright, alive. His throat felt dry.
Lysa noticed his hands clenching. She whispered urgently, "Control it."
He tried.
The scanner hummed again.
This time, the Bonecarver staggered.
"His essence… it resonates with the Maw. No. With something deeper." The man's voice lowered. "He fits the profile."
"What profile?" Lysa asked.
The Bonecarver raised his spear toward Kail."The Devourer's Heir."
Silence hit the chamber like a blow.
Lysa's breath caught. "That's a myth—"
"No," the Bonecarver said. "It's a threat."
He snapped his fingers. The two soldiers moved to flank Kail.
Kail's eyes narrowed. "You think you can take me?"
"We don't need to take you." The Bonecarver pressed a panel on his gauntlet. "We only need to mark you."
A sharp needle shot from a wrist device, aimed at Kail's neck.
Kail moved.
His hand shot up, catching the Bonecarver's wrist mid-strike. The man's eyes widened behind the visor.
Kail squeezed.
Bone cracked.
The Bonecarver screamed and dropped to one knee. The two soldiers charged, spears thrusting.
Lysa spun, blocking one spear with her own. Metal clashed, sparks flying. The second spear aimed for Kail's ribs.
Essence Echo flared.
A burst of clarity cut through Kail's vision—lines highlighting weak points on both attackers. The world slowed.
He stepped aside just enough for the spear to graze air, grabbed the shaft, and yanked the soldier forward. His fist crashed into the man's throat, sending him sprawling.
The other soldier kicked Lysa back and lunged at Kail from behind.
Kail pivoted.Hungry.Focused.
He grabbed the attacker by the helmet and slammed him face-first into the stone. The visor cracked. The man collapsed, stunned.
The lead Bonecarver scrambled backward, clutching his broken wrist. "Stay back!"
Kail approached slowly. His hunger twisted inside him, whispering.
Take him.Devour.
Lysa stepped between them, breath ragged. "Kail. Stop."
His eyes met hers.Dark.Shifting.
"Kail," she repeated, voice softer. "This isn't the way."
The whisper in his mind grew louder.More.More.
He shook his head sharply.
The Bonecarver raised his remaining hand weakly. "You're not human…" His voice trembled. "You're becoming something else."
Kail inhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"Then you shouldn't have tried to mark me."
The Bonecarver's fear was palpable. Kail could taste it.
But he stepped back anyway.
"Leave," he said coldly. "While you can."
The Bonecarver didn't hesitate. He dragged the stunned soldier to his feet, and the two fled down a side tunnel, abandoning their fallen comrade.
Lysa exhaled shakily. "That was… too close."
Kail stared at his trembling hands. The hunger was still there. Stronger. Getting harder to ignore.
The system chimed faintly.
[Hunger Instability increasing][Control diminishing][Warning: Mutation Pressure rising]
Lysa placed a hand on his arm. "We need to find a way out of the Maw. Before whatever's happening to you gets worse."
Kail nodded.
But deep inside, he knew the dungeon wasn't done with him.
And neither were the factions outside.