"You smell... Tartarus?"

I question Fenrir. It’s a fair enough question, who’s heard of an animal able to smell out a location from god know where?  Then again… I furrow my brows. Fenrir is a demi-god, so it’s not completely impossible. Some lost canines are able to find their way back home through familiar smells. I could probably apply the same train of thought on Fenrir’s sense of smell except probably more exaggerated.

Fenrir nod to confirm my thoughts before continuing his observation, "Yes, even though it is a different cell, it has the same scent."

At light of this newfound clue, Twitch, using his hole-filled hooves, did a timid crawl up Fenrir's back. He passes through me and directs his attention at Fenrir’s ears, "D-d-different cell? Does that mean there’s more than one?"

"Yes, there are multiple cells spread across this world, each holding a prisoner," Fenrir says in a neutral tone.

"H-h-h-how do you know this?" Twitch stammers as he speaks like a frightened child cowering under the blankets in the midst of a thunderstorm. His jaws are shivering from fear, the chatter of teeth sounding off in the distance. His hooves are shaking like a child who just realized he got into something way over his head.

Fenrir pauses before responding to the scared child’s query, "I know this information because I was once a prisoner."

Twitch’s eyes jump at the sudden information, not at all expecting this answer. Then his face relax at a realization, a hope of an improbable possibility, "Y-y-you were a prisoner and they let y-y-you go free?"

I look back at Twitch and smile, "Well, not exactly. You see, it wasn’t so much good behavior, rather me busting him out."

"You freed a Tartarus prisoner!?" As Twitch speaks, his pupils dilate, the tiny black dots making his fear apparent shrink. The marks of panic grow smaller, making his feelings of dread more transparent to us. They finally shrink into two tiny dots, so small you would need a microscope to see anything but the white of his eyes.

I sigh a little before answering Twitch’s growing concerns and continuing my discussion with Fenrir, "It's a long story. Anyway Fenrir, would you happen to know if the river Styx is in that Tartarus cell?"

Fenrir shook his head, "No, the river Styx is inter-dimensional, so trying to smell it specifically without something from it is like trying to tear apart a ribbon of the gods."

I sit back down, relax myself on Fenrir’s coat and begin to think. Fenrir isn’t able to smell anything specific except for the fact that what he smells is a Tartarus cell. Well since the Styx River is a part of Tartarus itself... "Well, if finding the Styx by smell is impossible, I guess we will have to visit every Tartarus cell until we find it.”

Fenrir gives me a look of apprehension, "Are you sure, Celt? It will not be as easy as freeing me from my cell since my guardians were already destroyed.”

I return his anxiety with a carefree comment, "Meh, how bad can they be?" Oh god, I jinxed it...

"If you are absolutely sure about this, Celt, then I will take you there. I can’t guarantee that you will survive.”

Twitch pushes to move right in front of me on Fenrir's back, "Do I get a say in this?"

“Well, Twitch let me think about it," I take a brief pause, "Eenope, let's go!”

"That doesn't sound fa-." Twitch’s complaint cuts short as Fenrir’s legs burst forth in a dash of unparalleled speed.

I have to hand it to Fenrir, when it comes to speed, no creature on land can overtake him. The more surprising part of his speed is the amount of finesse he uses to skillfully cross around the unpleasant surprises that the jungle has to offer.

Trees that bunch up together, branches and vines able to stop clumsy runners without polish in running technique straight in their tracks and trenches and pitfalls able to claim mindless runners with a 20 meters unhappy collision. The unpleasantness of the jungle takes form of these traps and snares.

With a quick step, Fenrir weaves through the narrow spaces in between the trees enclosing on each other. Without losing speed, he rushes pass the trees that would normally greet sprinters with a crunch of the bones in their face. Sprinting through the jungle, Fenrir zooms past the landscape with a frenzy pushing his legs forward from the earth with every step.

I look down at our new companion. I see Twitch with his eyes and jaw fixed in utter terror, his pupils still as shrunken as a dried up eggplant. His back is pressing firmly against my coat, shaking slightly in a terrified dread.

I guess going at 50 miles per hour while on a 15 foot wolf that can easily crash into a tree or a low hanging branch that can take your head off would be rather frightening to a child. I laugh at the thought that my life could end by the same branches I see every day outside, just lazing around.

I turn my head away from Twitch and focus on the landscape zooming right past us with every stomp on the ground Fenrir does. Tree trunks wider than Fenrir and thinner than needles whiz by us. As Fenrir tramples through the jungle, I see in the distance a brighter light opening further out of the jungle.

The shadows that followed us earlier soon return and creep at us, skulking and hiding between the trees, their obscured hands and faces letting us wary of their presence. They seem to shift and zoom past the trees we pass to make sure I don’t forget their presence as I turn my head at them. They seem to be able to almost keep up with Fenrir’s agility, as their slight nods creeping beside the trees seem to tell me.

I do a quick count as I scan across the jungle, trying to figure out how many I saw despite Fenrir’s blinding speed and their shifty movements. I sigh as I finish counting, grown tired of even trying. The best I could figure out was about five in total but I don’t know, their constant shifty movements and Fenrir’s rush through the jungle seems to make it hard to keep track of how many there actually were.

I begin to ignore the shadows. From what I could see, they had no intention of attacking us, merely content in observing us, waiting for something. I don’t appreciate the sudden fan club but right now, I have better things to deal with.

I look forward, I see out ahead in the far landscape, a large hill sticking out like a sore thumb in the distance. We finally rush past the jungle and stop at this hill. Fenrir’s smart enough to give a little distance for stopping. At the very least he wouldn’t abruptly stop and let us fly, giving us a painful lesson in inertia. Fenrir slowly changes his pace to a run then a jogger’s run and lastly he gently slows to a walk, letting a few steps forth before firmly stomping on the earth to stop.

Fenrir stopped right here so I’m going to assume this place is the entrance to the Tartarus’ cell he sniffed out. I examine the hill before considering my opinions. There isn’t anything particularly special about this hill, coats of green lay blanketing the earth, the trees decorated with leaves of different hues loitering around the patchy green and the patches of brown dirt that the green blanket couldn’t cover.

Everything is the very perfect picture image of a normal hill with the exceptional of the large gaping hole in front of me. The hole is big enough for a small van to fit through it, the savage claw marks dug into the walls of the inner caverns and tore into the outer part made it painfully clear that mostly Diamond dogs roamed the caves the hole opened to.

I scan closer at the entrance that is the hole and open my eyes to the sight of a few tipped trees, roughly slanted in an awkward angle. The deeply sunken footprints in front of the hole and passing through the caves tell me someone had already taken their entrance inside.  I jump off Fenrir, a heavy stomp on the ground echoes my landing. Twitch does the same thing, only a light stamp on the ground sounding off his landing.  

"This is where the scent leads," Fenrir speaks up in a clear voice, confident in his statement.

I wait to collect my thoughts and consider a plan for entrance. Well, the hole’s size kind of makes my planning easier.

“Well, there’s no way you’ll fit through and Twitch is only one step closer to literally pissing himself." I turn toward the cave, "Fenrir, you and Twitch stay here. I'll go inside and check the cell."

Fenrir states a last attempt warning, "It isn't wise to enter alone, Celt.”

It didn’t matter what Fenrir had to say, if what I wanted was in the Styx River, then nothing’s going to stop me from getting it, "I don't care. If the Styx is here than it's worth the risk.”

That sentence made Fenrir back down, a begrudging acceptance passes through his mouth, "Fine, I will stay with the bug.”

"Don't die..." Twitch said quietly. I pause slightly at this. He’s already able to say something like this. Well, I can’t say something discouraging now. I have to say something reassuring! I rack my brain to think of something confident.

"Don't worry. I am totally, probably, maybe, not going to die." I wince. That didn’t inspire as much confidence as I hoped it did. Wow that was so reassuring, I should give pep talks to stunt doubles I take my first few steps into the belly of the hill, take a last look at Fenrir and Twitch, and continue onward into the caves. There was only the shifting of my feet being the only sound echoing through these desolated caverns besides my breath.

My footsteps echo down the cave until they’re only a whisper ringing through the darkness. The jagged rocks digging into my feet with every step I take causes a minor discomfort, irritating me slightly almost as much as the darkness. I open my eyes to pitch black as I walk farther away from the entrance.

Slowly but surely, the light from the beginning of the tunnel fades, every step farther from the ever-dimming feeble light brings me another step closer into the darkness. After a few meters into the tunnel, the darkness greets me completely, engulfing the light and embracing my senses in its empty, cold feel. The cold embrace of pitch-black shade renders my vision useless in this land of endless shadows.

With my irritation towards the darkness, I reach at my back and pull out my crossbow from its holster. I whisper the word of flames, “Ignis” to the crossbow like a man whispering sweet nothings to a shower nozzle. A spark of fire lights up my sight for a second with surges of heat swirling around, spinning around  the crafted form of a seemingly intangible bolt. A soft red glow illuminates through the tunnel, a calm flame flickering bravely against the cold darkness with its warm light.

I continue to trek through the tunnel with this new light. The tunnel seems endless in depth and distance. The grey walls of the cave inclined slightly in a slant, giving the only sign that I was indeed getting deeper into the belly of the hill. A stagnant air, stale from lack of wind bringing in fresh air, made their company in the tunnels.

I push forward, determined to find the Tartarus cell. I finally approach a space that extends out past a few meters, a circular dome shaped room. The scent of diamond dogs and the familiar claw marks on the walls makes me consider this is where the Alpha usually hung around. I guess this den is abandoned.

I walk to the center of the room. I see the possible paths that this room extends towards. Eight entrances into tunnels more convoluted and time-consuming as the next time extend past the circular dome of the room, all in completely different directions. I lean forward at each entrance to check how far each tunnel would stretch in terms of distance only to meet with darkness.

"Well fuck, it’ll take me forever to go down each path," I curse at the idiots who dug these tunnels out, wondering who would make them so convoluted. I look down at my crossbow. Ignis would cause an explosion and I'm not taking my chances at surviving a cave in.

I walk around the room, clearing my head and checking each hole more clearly for some overlooked sign of Tartarus. A few lingering steps after and look down on my crossbow, considering a possibility, “I wonder if my crossbow can do more than simple elements."

Ignis, Ventus, Confringo… the basic elements can definitely be done. It’s already established that I can add a second word for further effects. But what I’m about to do goes a level further from manipulating the simple elements.

"Extinguo." The bolt dispersed its heat suddenly fading without a trace, "God I hope this works…. Lux.”

It shines. A bright light shines through the darkness of the cavern. The glow of the light radiates such a blinding shimmer that I turn my eyes away. This light is a glimmer too pure for even my eyes to take in. I take a peek at the light, not directly looking at it into the rays. Light swirls and envelopes the arrow in a glowing sheen. A coat of warmth covers the bolt in light. It bends and shifts around formlessly, only the bonds of magic holding it together. An existence that expels even the slightest darkness takes form as a bolt.

I quickly scan across the room, the walls lay bare for the entire world to see and even the slightest shadows are exterminated by this radiant shine. I take aim at the first of the eight entranceways, letting the arrow’s path run free in my head. I calm my breath to allow for a precise shot. I squeeze the trigger, letting the bolt soar through the shaft, illuminating the way as it flies. The light remains steadfast in its shine as it flies forward further into the darkness. The light finally settles, revealing a dead end before the light fades away.

I repeat the process once again, each time with the next tunnel way. The same light engulfing the darkness around me. The same pose and shoot. The same bolt flying through and hitting a dead end before dimming away are all done once again 6 times after the first.

I reach the last wall and take aim, my arm poises to shoot once again. If this one is a dud too, I swear I will light this jungle on fire.I fire the bolt, the bolt unleashes with a roar and burst of wind. It continues loyally forward just like the previous arrows had. This time is different. The arrow’s shine fades into darkness before I can hear the familiar sound of a dead end.

I begin my trip descending into the ever present darkness of the tunnel. The tunnel where the bolt’s light faded before impact swallows me as I descend further into the shadows. By now, my night vision has gotten to the point where I can at least scout out a few stone pillars that jutted out of the floor and ceilings. The jagged edges of the stone columns are nothing as long as I avoid them with my passable night vision.

My footsteps stop at a seemingly dead end, a large pile of rocks and dirt blocks the way through the shaft. I kneel down and look at the heap of rubble, examining with my fingers and eyes. I tip the few loose bits of stone and it crumples on the ground. The dirt and rocks haven't settled yet. Someone or something must have moved It. This wasn’t a natural occurrence, if that’s the case….

I take the crossbow out of the holster, still in my kneeling position. I take aim at the mountain of nature’s debris, crawling back a few meters in case of ricochet.  After a deep breath, I command the word of earth.

“Terra!” The word echoes through the cavern and rebounds off the wall, making me hear double or triple what I said. Yet even after this ear-splitting agony, the crossbow remains the same. No bolt of any element shows and the crossbow remains still in its dominant state of inactivity. Huh, Tartarus must cancel magic.

I stand up and prep my arm back. I lash with a violent force at the dirt, only to be met with a resounding thump. The rumble is too solid to smash through and I’ll probably be done in fifty years if I start to dig through it. I inspect the walls before me for anything that can be of use. I only see more rocks and a few small gemstones of weathered quality. I rip the gemstones out of the walls just in case and begin to retrace my steps out of the pitch-black passage.

The feel of a draft signals my arrival back into the Alpha’s room. My footsteps lead me back to the circular dome once again. It takes me a few more steps into the room before I notice something’s wrong. The darkness in the room obscures my vision further. I’m barely able to see through unlike last time when it was something acquired night vision could deal with. I walk to the center of the room with an uncertain step. I hear the sound of shadows laughing, a child’s laugh. Night vision lets me see shadows dancing and sauntering with a light step. The shadows move as if given life and form.

"Whatever you are, you can stop messing with the shadows,” I demand the shadows.

”Well then, I better stop hiding," A grave voice rings through the dome. The shadows gather at the center in a mass of pitch-black. As if clay is being added to preexisting clay, the shadows grow larger and more immense in presence. They merge, growing in size one shadow can’t hope to achieve. Finally, the shadows take form of a large ball, the shadows meshing together by strong bonds of unity. The ball takes concrete shape.

As if the surface of the ball is a lake, ripples form on the skin of the unknown creature. Suddenly, claws jerk out as if a being was trying to get out of its cage, tearing apart the bonds holding the ball together. A creature is ripping apart the constraints binding it from the outside. Finally, the unknown creature finally shreds through the final layer of mass, a resounding crunch echoing through the dome. The shadows fall on the ground only for the creature to take in, as if by force of nature, its darkened flesh. A few lingering shadows coat the ground in its black hue. A vaguely humanoid shape is facing me.

"What brings you to my home, fleshling?" The same voice resounds through the dome once again.

I can’t believe my eyes. The creature has no legs, his body suspended in space. The creature floats off the ground, having no choice to stand. The bottom of his chest holds only a torn cloth slowly fluttering through the slight breeze of the cavern. The wisp of his ghostly figure is where normal legs should be. His eyes were glowing white with malice, small tendrils flickering off them. His shoulders are covered by what looks like metal shoulder pieces but the shadows surrounding his body conceal any minute details about them. His arms start thin and weedy at the shoulder and slowly begin to expand until the hands.

Arms as thin as rope dangle in the dark. Hands, as thick as stone, waver back and forth in the dark. His hands only have three fingers. They’re jagged where nails should be, twisted and annular where the palm should be and the whole arm looks as ghastly and diseased as shadows should be. Each finger wavers in the dark dome, each extending further than a normal finger should, with the middle one being the longest. They wander in the murky black, dangling gently as if to make a statement. How easy it would be to drive one of these into my chest. He kinda looks like Nocturne from League of Legends, just without the giant blades on each arm.

I refuse to be scared of this, "If you must know freaky shadow thing..."

" My name is not 'freaky shadow thing', it is Tenbrion, God of Shadows and you will refer to me as such.”

Wow, does this guy have a short fuse or something? I have bigger fish to fry, freaky shadowing thing, "Yah, whatever, freaky shadow thing..."

“My name is Tenbrion! You will speak with respect or I will end you!" I notice the grave voice getting slightly agitated.

This is getting nowhere, I might as well play along with him for now, "Fine, the reason I'm here 'Tenbrion'," I put extra emphasis on its name just to annoy him,"is so I can get to Tartarus.”

“Why would you need to go to Tartarus? Are you a Warden? Did that new bitch in charge hire you to capture me?" I now sense…. a little fear, maybe irritation fits better?

I’m actually absolutely confused, what is he talking about? "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me! I am the god of secrets and tricksters!” The voice roars in an accusative tone.

Hmmm….? What’s this? I cross my arms, "I thought you were the god of shadows.”

"I am all three of them. Do not change the subject, I can tell you are hiding something from me! Now tell me or I will devour your soul and use your body as my puppet!"

I sigh at his stupidity, is every god a dumbass or something? "Wouldn't that fall under the god of puppets or death's rule? I don’t think that counts as being a god of shadows nor a god of secrets and tricksters.”

"Enough of your questions! If you will not tell me your secrets then I will rip it from your mind!" His form begins to sink into the lingering shadows on the ground. A shade darker than the rest begins to move with the other shadows as a group, moving and shifting through the dome as they blend with the darkness.

I bring out the blade in the metal arm, ready to pierce his body when he appears. I slowly start to circle the dome, looking every possible direction for a shadow darker than the rest. I see shadows shift and move at unnatural speeds but not one of them is the one I’m looking for. They all look the same to me. I dart my eyes up for a second, hopping that the pay-off will be worth him skewering me if I’m wrong and he takes advantage. The same shadows greet me again with the same movements, as if to mock me.

If it isn’t left, right, forward, backward or above that means-! My eyes jump with realization. I flash my eyes down right below my feet to see a shadow of the darkest shade. I leap back right before I see a spike, formed from the ground, piercing where my body was. No…. where my heart was. My breath runs ragged and my heartbeat pounds faster from almost being impaled by a shadow.

I press my back against a wall, eyes darting left and right searching for the darkest shadow again. A large spike erupts from the center of the room and launches itself at me. The spike drives through the cave air and aims for my heart…

I swerve left, dodging death once again. The spike bashes into the wall where my heart was against. The impact caving in parts of the wall and shattering others crashes through the cave. I look at the tendril piercing through the stone wall. The spike sinks into the stone as it was a hot knife on butter. The tendril tries to withdraw, a crater of pulverized stone telling how deep the spike embedded into the wall.

I realize my chance. As the spike retreats back to the ground shadows, I rise up and slash down at the spike. The resulting slash tears the shadow’s body in half. I smile at my achievement until the shadow fades, meshing with the larger mass of shadows on the wall.

You think your mortal blades can cut me? FOOL! I am a god of shadows! I AM TENBRION! I suddenly feel air under my legs. No longer having the safe hard earth to ground me, I feel suspended in space. I feel what the Tenbrion feels. I wriggle my legs and feet in a frantic dance to get a sense of being grounded.

I grasp at my neck as Tenbrion’s ghastly grip clamps onto my windpipe and begin to squeeze it, a crunching sound echoing through the dome. He lowers me down to his eye level. I can see his eyes. I stare into those eyes that take in nothing. There’s nothing in them, no pupils or anything. I see only a landscape of pure white overseeing everything in the world before him. There is an emptiness that takes in no light, no joy and no human emotion. They reveal a bare void in them.

Tenebrion brings his translucent arm down and proceeds to throw me against the wall, smashing it. The crashing impact dislocates a few loose rocks out and caves in part of the wall, the debris collecting any fallen pieces of the cavern.

Think, Celt, think! Ok, let's see what I know. He can hide in the shadows and manipulate his body in any manner. Trying to cut him won't work since he’s basically a shadow. He clearly wants something from me or else he wouldn't have shown himself. So why didn't he appear while I was in the tunnels? There were more ways he could’ve kill me there then here. What changed to make him show himself? The only difference between now and then is that I had.... light.

I pull myself up and look at my foe. His body, constantly shifting in and out of the darkness lies in my sight. The outlines of his body flicker and shift like an off-focus photograph, allow me to see double or triple of him. His translucent body floats above the jagged rocks that bugged me at first. He’s approaching closer to me, drifting pass the troubles I go through like a child uninterested if he’s killed an ant as he steps on the ground.

He’s right before me. He lifts his arm towards me. The ghastly claw shoots out and seizes my neck, holding me high in the air. The shadows that compose his body obscure and conceal his other arm in a murky darkness. After a few seconds, a blade of pitch-black becomes his other arm, the smooth dye of black shows how peerless this blade is. Only a few feet separate us, his blade lightly pressing against my bare chest.

"Any last words mortal?" Tenbrion gives me a moment of mercy before killing me. How nice.

"Hmm, long or short version?" I ask him to humor me a bit.

Tenbrion thinks for a moment, "I have much time, long version.”

"Alright," I clear my throat, "This fist of mine glows with an awesome power! Its burning grip tells me to defeat you! Take this! My love, my ang-“

Tenbrion cuts me off, "Never mind, I prefer to not have to cut my ears out after listening to last words, especially half-baked clichés. Give me the short version instead.”

"Fine then,” I bring my crossbow up against his body. The crossbow is aimed point-blank at his chest, "Let there be light, bitch! LUX!”

The bolt begins to take form, light swirling and converging together around the bolt. The rays of light shifts and turns formlessly, the bonds of magic holding them together. The light weaves its magic around the small bolt shape and releases a blinding shine.

I fall down to the ground as Tenbrion releases his grip and wails in pain. The light is poison to him, an existence that eats away at his being. I stand back up and poise the crossbow at him again. I release the bolt as it pierces straight into Tenbrion, sending him spiraling back with screeches of anguish flooding the air.

The word of light howls through the air many times. The same brilliant light summons onto the crossbow, becomes an exorcising arrow and unleashes its radiance onto the so-called god of shadows. The first time I did so, it causes more shrieks of agony to echo through these tunnels. The second time I did so, it causes more screams of torment to resound and rebound through these walls. The fifth time I did so, it causes only moans of suffering to tell of his torture. I fire away at the monster without mercy again and again. Finally, I corner the bastard with his back shoved against the wall and my crossbow aimed point-blank at his chest.

I decide to taunt him with his almost exact words, "Any last words Mr. God of Shadows?"

“Just seven,” He takes a moment, “I'll get you next time.” A large circle of darkness opens behind him. He begins to fade into it.

"Oh hell, you’re not getting away after what you did!" I lunge into the circle.

I begin to float, shadows enveloping my entire being until I just seem to fade away. I feel different, I’m in something weird.  It feels like a sea or ocean here. I can flap my arms or kick my legs around but gravity doesn’t affect me here-

I don’t have time to consider where I am! I look in front to see that bastard slither away. I begin to race through the space like I was swimming, taking large strokes to push forward. I reach Tenbrion in a matter of seconds, colliding with him and sending us both to the side. After I kill this asshole, I'm going to get to Tartarus!

We continue to rush to the side until we hit another large circle. The circle isn’t made of shadows but a shining brilliance fills my eyes. We pass through the circle and I feel the shadows let go of their clutches on me. The world turns strange for a moment and I abruptly land with a solid thud on top of Tenbrion. I scan around the scene to see where I am. A large underground cavern is around me. A large castle is placed in the center and a river flows right besides it.

There’s really only one thing to say.

"Where the fuck am I?"

Next Chapter: Seeing the Light (19) Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 41 Minutes