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Nox was on his feet in less than a second, his spear clutched fimly in his hands and leveled at the draugr who stood no more than twenty feet away. The dim light illuminated their exposed bones, making them glimmer in the darkness. His body was sore and exhausted. He had barely enough energy to keep the spear leveled at the draugr and it was running out fast. Zyk backed up a few paces, his body pressing against Nox’s leg. The hair long his spine was standing straight up and his teeth were bared.
“Abomination...” Zyk hissed, glaring at the draugr. “This magic shouldn’t be here...”
Nox didn’t have time to think about what he meant as the draugr took another step forward, both of them drawing their rusted swords from rotten scabbards. It was plain they were the same individuals from before. Through some inexplicable power they were able to find him, probably honing in on the clavis once more. Nox had hoped its call would have faded when it changed form, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Even without pupils he could tell they were focused on his left hand where the ring now sat, although their gazes seemed to dart to Zyk every few seconds as well. Now that the clavis’s power had been released, he didn’t know what they would do.
“What do you want?” Nox shouted at them, brandishing his spear. “Why do you keep following me?”
“The clavis...” the one on the right rattled. “The clavis cannot leave... this city...”
“The one true god... demands blood,” the other added, taking a step forward.
“Thievery is punishable... by death.”
“He is angry...”
“Give us the clavis...”
“Give us the clavis!”
Their words echoed through the tunnel, washed away by the rush of the river. Nox took another step back, Zyk close at his side. The draugr continued to push forward.
“The clavis has awoken...”
“You cannot be allowed... to leave this city”
Nox drove his spear toward the closest one, piercing it between the ribs. He jerked the weapon back, hoping it would go down, but the draugr took another step, showing no sign of slowing just like before.
“What do we do?” Nox asked, looking down at Zyk.
“I... I don’t know,” he replied, the fear evident in his voice. “They can’t be killed by physical force. Dark magic binds them to this world and their duty.”
Nox’s foot struck the river’s edge, nearly slipping into the dark rushing water. He gritted his teeth in frustration. There was no choice but to stand his ground.
“I’m not going down without a fight,” Nox growled and rushed forward.
The draugr didn’t expect the attack and Nox was able to strike each of them before they got a chance to parry his blows away. He managed to break a few ribs before he jumped back, drawing his spear close to his side. They were quick to retaliate. Their rusted swords arced through the air, both aiming directly for his chest. He knocked both of them away, ducking to the ground and rolling out of their reach. Springing to his feet he thrust the spear over and over, burying it deep in their bodies. But just like before they didn’t react to the blows. Instead they continued to lay into him, looking for any opening to run him through.
A lucky swing landed the head of his spear on one of the draugr’s hands, knocking the sword from his grasp. It felt like a small triumph as it skittered across the ground. But the other one doubled his efforts to make up for the loss, nearly bringing Nox to his knees. He was doing everything he could to deflect the blows, but his movements were growing slower, the exhaustion finally taking hold of his limbs.
“Help!” Zyk cried suddenly from a few feet away.
Nox turned his attention back to the river’s edge where Zyk still stood. He hadn’t noticed that the other draugr had rearmed himself and was now bearing down on the small fox. Zyk was fast enough to avoid the swings as the sword sparked off the stone, but with the river to his back he had nowhere to run. Another crushing blow came down on Nox, this one aimed for his head, and he barely deflected it in time. His energy was running out fast.
“Nox!” Zyk yelled again.
Getting rid of the fox had been the plan all along, it was the only way he’d survive once he got out of the ruins. But as he heard the fox’s cries fill the cavern, something in him shifted. The cries reminded him of Abi’s siblings as he realized how helpless the fox really was. He needed to save Zyk if he could.
Nox ducked under another swing and thrust his leg out, sweeping the draugr off his feet. The bones collided with the floor, the armor clattering loudly against the stone. He kicked the rusted sword away and turned back to the river just in time to see the second land a kick to Zyk’s ribs. The tiny fox yelped and was lifted off his feet, flying several feet over the water before crashing into the surface. Rushing water swallowed him up instantly and he was gone, carried away by the current. Nox didn’t hesitate for a moment. He ran forward, ignoring the second draugr, and dove into the freezing river.
The shock of the cold numbed his body instantly, causing his limbs to freeze up. Only his determination brought him back to the surface. Gasping for air, Nox struggled to keep his head above the roiling water as he was rushed far away from the draugr and their murderous intent. Still grasping his spear, he hefted it above the water, trying to find Zyk in the dim crystal’s light. Amongst the tumultuous white water he was easy to find, but he wasn’t swimming, merely floating on the surface, tossed by the river’s current. Nox paddled his way over, fighting against the pull of the water. He reached out to grab Zyk, but as he did his body collided with a large boulder, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him under once again. More stones hid in the darkness and each time he struck one a new blossom of pain enveloped his cold-numbed mind.
Finally he broke the surface again, choking on the water he’d partially inhaled. Lifting the spear up again, he searched. Zyk’s body was a few yards ahead and still unmoving. Nox tore at the water, doing everything he could to get a hold on him. Narrowly avoiding a stalactite hanging low from the ceiling he finally managed to get a handful of fur and pull Zyk toward him. Immediately he lifted the fox’s unresponsive head out of the water and held onto him tightly. The river battered him back and forth as it carried them away, each collision hurting less and less as the cold leached through to his bones. There wasn’t enough light to see much and Nox was quickly losing the energy to keep his head above water.
A dull roar in the distance caught his attention. There wasn’t enough light to make out what was causing it, but Nox had a feeling whatever it was wouldn’t be good. The further they went on, the louder it got until, at the last moment, he realized what it was.
Before he could form the word waterfall in his mind, he was airborne, free of the freezing water and the rush of the river. For a moment everything seemed to stop, but gravity took hold and Nox found himself plunging into the darkness with no idea of what lay beneath him. He fell for what seemed like hours, not knowing if he would hit water or stone, but bracing himself for both.
Suddenly he struck the surface and was submerged without time to take a breath. He sank quickly, the violently churning water dragging his body over stones creating more bruises on top of the ones he already had. One hand gripped his spear while the other held tightly to Zyk. Without knowing which direction he was going, he kicked off the stones, desperate to find the surface. His lungs were burning as he kicked, the weight of his soaked clothes slowing him down. Just when he thought he was about to burst, his head broke the surface and he gasped, misty air filling his lungs. Coughing and sputtering he lifted the spear, letting the light dance across the water. All around him the surface had turned still and dark, no longer rushing or churning beneath him. In the distance he could hear the roar of the waterfall. It dawned on him that he was in an underground lake of some kind.
Teeth chattering he spun on the spot, searching for any hint of a shoreline. To his surprise he noticed many of the glowing crystal structures jutting out of the walls and ceiling. Following those that looked closest, he began to swim. His arms had gone completely numb and it felt like he was barely moving, his soaked clothing and Zyk’s fur weighing him down. Shallow breaths were all he could draw, the cold tightening his muscles nearly to the point of paralysis. He felt an overwhelming sense of relief when his feet finally touched the bottom and he could stand, no longer having to keep himself afloat in the pitch black water. Scrambling on his hands and knees he pulled himself up on the cold stone ledge overlooking the water, tossing his spear to the ground.
Laying Zyk down gently he looked at the fox, wondering what he should do. He didn’t know how much water he’d swallowed or if he was still alive for that matter. Nox put his ear close to the foxes mouth. There was no breath. Lifting him gently, Nox tipped him backwards, hoping to get the water out of his lungs. As soon as he was moved he began to cough and Nox breathed a sigh of relief. He held the tiny fox to his body, knowing it wasn’t doing anything to keep him warm. Ten minutes ago he’d wanted Zyk out of his life completely, but now he found himself wondering if his thoughts had brought undeserved pain upon that pitiful creature.
“I h-hate D-draugr,” Zyk coughed, shivering in Nox’s arms. “Why w-would the g-gods allow that h-here? D-Dark magic like that s-shouldn’t be a-allowed.”
“I told you,” Nox replied, shivering as well. “There are no gods. Not anymore.”
Zyk was quiet for a moment. “It’s s-so c-cold.”
“I don’t have anything to help with that,” Nox sighed, pulling the fox in tighter. “My pack was destroyed by the spiders.”
“Maybe I can h-help,” Zyk replied, pushing himself out of Nox’s arms.
He wobbled on his feet, barely able to stand, his fur still dripping with water. Taking a step forward he closed his eyes, his muscles quivering in a desperate attempt to create warmth. His tail drooped and his ears went flat against his head. For a long moment he stayed that way. Just as Nox was about to say something, he saw a ripple in the air in front of the fox. He reached out to touch it, but pulled his hand back, realizing it was hot. In the space of a blink a small flame popped into existence hovering a few inches off the ground. It swelled to the size of a melon and stayed there, making almost no noise. Zyk swayed on the spot and fell over, Nox catching him before he hit the ground. Waves of warmth washed over them both and for the briefest of moments Nox caught himself being glad for the strange magic.
“I won’t be able t-to keep it going f-for long,” Zyk muttered, sounding like he was on the verge of passing out. “Get warm and d-dry while you c-can.”
Nox laid Zyk down on the floor, making sure he wasn’t too close to the enchanted flames to be harmed. Piece by piece he stripped off his clothing, placing them in a circle around the fire. Left in only his trousers he placed himself as close as he dared, savoring the intense heat. Within a few moments he found his eyelids drooping and before he could resist sleep took him away from the discomfort of the Hollow.