The oppressive darkness of the root-choked passage enveloped Kael like a physical shroud. The air was cold, still carrying that faint, acrid scent overlying the deep, earthy musk. His 'Silent Step' was active, his AGI of 22 allowing him to move with a fluid, almost preternatural quietness over the uneven ground. His Ironwood shortbow was held loosely in his left hand, an arrow nocked but not drawn, his right hand resting near the hilt of his Direhorn Axe.
The memory of the desiccated spearman was vivid. He advanced cautiously, his senses, amplified by his INT, WIS, 'Keen Mind', and the subtle vibrations of the Sylphwing Quill, strained to their utmost. The faint bioluminescence of the Shadowmoss lining parts of the passage provided the only illumination, casting eerie, shifting patterns on the gnarled roots that formed the walls and ceiling.
He reached the spot where the spearman had fallen. The body was still there, a mummified testament to the hollow's lethal energies. It seemed undisturbed. Kael gave it a wide berth, his gaze sweeping the passage ahead. The System had mentioned the Effigy he now carried was a "one-time use" item, its energy largely discharged, but he wasn't taking any chances.
The passage continued to slope downwards, twisting slightly. The Attunement Shard in his pouch pulsed with a steady, rhythmic warmth, the gentle tug he'd felt at the entrance now a more insistent pull, urging him deeper. The Sylphwing Quill, tucked behind his ear, vibrated with a higher frequency here, and Kael found his 'Air Attunement (Rank F)' skill, though still basic, allowed him to perceive subtle shifts in the air currents, the way the ancient, stale air eddied and flowed around the roots. It was as if the air itself was a living thing, whispering secrets he could almost understand.
"System," Kael murmured, his voice absorbed by the oppressive silence, "any changes in energy readings or life signs ahead?"
[System Analysis: Ambient vital/necrotic energy concentrations are increasing as you descend. No new animate life signs detected within immediate 20-meter scan range. However, the energy fluctuations are becoming more complex, suggesting proximity to a focal point or a significant conduit. The acrid scent is also intensifying. Proceed with caution. Your 'Resilience (Rank C)' skill should offer some protection against minor ambient energy drain, but prolonged exposure is inadvisable.]
Increasing energy concentrations. A focal point. Kael's resolve firmed. This was what he had come for.
He continued his descent. The roots forming the passage grew thicker, more ancient-looking, some as wide as his body. In places, they were slick with moisture, and he could hear the faint, distant drip-drip-drip of water, echoing from somewhere far below. This resonated with the riddle: "...ancient roots drink from forgotten streams."
After another ten minutes of careful progress, the narrow passage began to widen. The oppressive darkness seemed to lessen slightly, not from an external light source, but from an increase in the bioluminescent Shadowmoss, which now coated the roots in thick, velvety patches, casting a dim, ethereal green-blue glow.
The passage opened into a vast, cavernous chamber.
Kael stopped at the entrance, stunned by the sight. The chamber was immense, easily a hundred feet across, its ceiling lost in the darkness far above, supported by colossal, pillar-like roots that seemed to writhe up from the earth. The air here was heavy, saturated with the scent of damp earth, moss, and that strange, acrid tang, but also with a faint, sweet aroma, like decaying flowers.
In the center of the chamber, a pool of water shimmered in the eerie glow of the Shadowmoss. It was perfectly still, its surface like black glass, reflecting the ghostly light. From the center of the pool, a single, massive root, thicker than any he had yet seen, spiraled upwards into the darkness, like the heartwood of some subterranean behemoth. This had to be the "forgotten stream" or its source, and the "heart of the Whisperwood" the riddle spoke of, or at least a significant part of it.
The Attunement Shard in Kael's pouch was now pulsing with a strong, insistent beat, almost like a second heart. The Sylphwing Quill vibrated intensely, and Kael felt a dizzying rush of sensory information – the subtle currents of air, the oppressive weight of the ancient energies, the faint, almost inaudible whispers that seemed to echo from the very walls of the chamber, too faint to be words, more like the sigh of ages.
His 'Keen Mind' struggled to process it all. This place was ancient, powerful, and utterly alien.
As he scanned the chamber, his eyes, aided by the Quill and the ambient glow, picked out movement. Not from an animal, but from the shadows themselves. Near the base of the central, spiraling root, on the far side of the pool, shapes seemed to coalesce and then dissipate, like heat haze, or smoke given form. They were tall, slender, and vaguely humanoid, but their forms were indistinct, their edges blurring into the surrounding gloom.
The Silent Watchers.