Chapter 13 - Portal Room

Kleo stood upright with a jerk. “What was that?” she asked, alarmed.

“What was what?” Will responded, eyes alert.

“I felt something…”

“Jack and Thespis,” Maya said, half-question, half-statement, her gaze drifting towards the tunnel entrance.

Kleo didn’t answer. There wasn’t time to explain the icy dread that had gripped her. What she felt wasn’t just unusual—it was wrong. A malevolent presence, cold and ancient, like a shadow cast across her soul, now intruding on her mind. Whatever was pulling her into the desert, this wasn’t it. This was something else entirely.

"I told him not to wander off. We’re just going to pee," she mimicked, rolling her eyes.

"Famous last words," Maya said, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "Next time, we tie a bell around his neck. Or better yet—put Will in charge."

“I offered to go with them,” Will muttered, his brow furrowed with concern. “But someone decided they were adults—when really, they’re just tall toddlers.”

“All I know is that If Jack’s dead, I’m going to kill him,” Kleo muttered.

Kleo stopped at the tunnel entrance and turned, her earlier annoyance replaced by a stark intensity. “They’re not alone,” she whispered, her expression hardening. The air itself seemed to hum with a subtle, unseen energy.

“Who’s not alone?” Rugr’s voice echoed from behind, making them all flinch.

“By the gods, Rugr—read the room,” Will muttered, shooting him a frustrated look.

“Where are Jack and Thespis?” Rugr asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Exactly,” Maya whispered, her gaze sharp as she looked at Kleo. “Kleo let them wander off alone.”

“I let them go because someone said—and I quote—‘What trouble could they possibly get into?’” Kleo snapped, her voice tight with worry.

“They weren’t unsupervised,” Will said. “They had each other.”

Rugr rolled his eyes. “Great. We’ve debunked the theory that two idiots are better than one.”

“If they were just lost, it’d be annoying,” Kleo said, focusing inward, trying to recapture the feeling. “But something’s with them. I felt it. Something… old.”

“I felt it too,” Rugr admitted, his usual gruffness softened by a hint of unease. “Just a flicker. But it was real.”

Bug Bug skittered up behind them, antennae twitching, sensing their tension.

Threat?

Protect,

Kleo signaled a silent command, pointing back toward their camp.

Protect.

“Jack’s not here, and we need light,” Rugr said, ”Maya?”

But before Maya could react, Kleo’s skin shimmered—soft white light blooming from her like a halo, pushing back the encroaching shadows of the tunnel. The passage lit up, the darkness fleeing into the cracks and crevices. Rugr stepped aside, his eyes wide for a moment, as she led them down the tunnel.

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Their footprints were easy to follow, and at the first split, they saw Jack and Thespis had kept to the main path. This made sense as the side fissure narrowed to an impassable gap.

After ten more meters, a pale blue shimmer flickered across Kleo’s shoulders—her mana armor activating, a silent hum against the oppressive stillness.

She raised a hand, halting the group. The tunnel now split into three branches. Something had veered off the main path and concealed itself in the largest of the new passages. She stepped closer, silent as a wraith, her senses open, reaching. The air in that passage felt heavy and charged.

Whatever it was, it lingered just beyond view. She could feel it—waiting, listening. Malevolent, but not hostile. Not yet. If anything, it felt… curious. And ancient. A weight of eons pressed against her awareness.

She stretched her awareness further, and her bond with Jack sparked like a flare, a reassuring warmth in the surrounding cold. He was alive. Whole. Even the distortion from the presence couldn’t mask it. Whatever this thing was, it hadn’t hurt him. Yet. Maybe it planned to ambush them, waiting for the right opportunity—a moment of weakness.

Kleo adjusted her breathing, shifting her internal resonance, trying to match the faint, alien vibration she felt emanating from the side passage. There was a strange recognition in that silent exchange—a mutual pause, a fleeting sense of… awareness. Then she lifted her hand and drew a circle in the air. The symbols of the Kull spell shimmered like disturbed water as they etched into the air, then anchored into the cold stone of the tunnel entrance. The ward sealed the tunnel entrance. Not only a barrier but a snare, a field that would suspend movement—freeze it in place.

The creature hissed in reply, a dry, rasping sound that echoed in the confined space, startled by the sudden obstruction. But it didn’t attack. Kleo stepped back, uncertain if this new spell she used to construct the trap would hold against something so ancient.

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“Keep moving,” she said, her voice low and urgent. “I’ll deal with this later.”

Rugr peered into the sealed passage, his brow furrowed. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach.

“Will that hold it?” Will asked, his eyes darting nervously at the shimmering barrier.

Kleo gave him a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “Be prepared for some epic fun if it doesn’t.”

“Nothing but fun with Jack and Kleo,” Rugr muttered, falling behind her as she continued, his hand never straying far from his sword.

Maya raised an eyebrow, a wry amusement playing on her lips. “So, are we officially blaming you for this?”

Kleo gave her a dry look. “You want to fight about it now or after we rescue our two wandering idiots?”

Maya smiled playfully. “After’s fine.”

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When they reached the circular room with the strange symbols etched into the wall, the air felt different, charged with a latent energy. Rugr ran his calloused hand along the carvings, his expression thoughtful.

“These are portal keys,” he said, his voice hushed with a hint of awe. “Old ones. I don’t recognize the destinations, but the format is standard.”

“Why are they carved into the wall?” Will asked, his gaze sweeping over the intricate symbols. He’d heard of portals before—Rugr used them to travel in and out of Astiria—but he’d never seen one up close.

“If I had to guess,” Rugr said, stepping back to study the band of symbols that encircled the room, “these are decorative. Maybe a record of common destinations from this era. They have no function, but it means a portal’s nearby. Probably behind one of these walls.”

Kleo followed the trail of disturbed sand and footprints to the far side of the chamber. Her eyes narrowed as she found the recessed circle on one of the walls—subtle but recently pressed.

“I always say not to touch things he doesn’t understand. Does he listen? Of course not.”

Will nodded, a familiar exasperation in his tone. “Classic Jack.”

“Think they’ll be naked when we find them?” he added, nudging Maya with a playful smirk.

“Only emotionally,” she retorted, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

“Shall I?” Rugr asked, hovering the point of his sword near the recessed circle.

Kleo let out a slow breath and gave a reluctant nod.

The wall groaned and slid open, revealing a smooth black chamber beyond. Inside, Jack and Thespis sat shoulder-to-shoulder near a dark corner that smelled like a bad life decision.

“Oh. Hey. Look what we found,” Jack said, brushing dirt off his shirt with a sheepish grin.

Thespis blinked, his eyes wide and a little unfocused. “We were just, uh… talking about how much we missed you.”

“You were supposed to pee, not uncover ancient ruins and unleash a shadow creature,” Kleo snapped, arms crossed over her chest.

Thespis looked even more sheepish. “You felt that?”

“Of course I felt it,” Kleo growled, the lingering coldness still clinging to her. “Rugr felt it—and he’s about as sensitive as a rock.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rugr asked, offended.

“Okay,” Jack said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “In our defense—we didn’t release anything. It just… left. On its own.”

Thespis pointed a finger toward the far corner. “You’ll be happy to know we didn’t touch the mummies.”

Will stepped into the room, surveying the figures hunched against the wall, their forms wrapped in brittle bandages. “So let me get this straight. You two wandered off, stumbled into a hidden chamber, got haunted, trapped yourselves in said chamber with dead bodies, peed in the corner, and now you’re sitting around getting to know each other?”

Jack shrugged, a weak attempt at nonchalance. “Would you prefer we activated the portal?” He gestured towards a disc embedded in the floor.

“Absolutely not,” the group said in unison, their voices echoing in the silent chamber.

There was a beat of silence, the only sound the faint drip of water in the darkness.

Rugr moved to examine the disc embedded in the floor, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Jack’s right. This is a portal array. It's older than anything I've seen, yet it’s... pristine. Undisturbed."

Will crouched beside him, peering at the intricate markings on the disc. "So it's functional?"

"I don't see why not. Restarting it would require a lot of mana, but once activated, it will hum along for quite a while."

"Where does it go?" Jack asked.

"That depends on the key you use. Each destination has a unique code. Based on those symbols outside, this portal can transport between locations in this world—and between different worlds."

“So, it's similar to the portals in Astiria?" Thespis asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Yes, but those were modified to restrict travel between worlds for security reasons. This is an older design, but it should work similarly."

As they studied the portal, Maya moved with quiet reverence toward the mummified remains in the corner. She knelt, her eyes soft with a dawning recognition. "A mother and child," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. "They lay down here together. Must have come in here to hide and couldn't get out."

"Probably hiding from those hideous spider creatures," Thespis said, a shiver running down his spine.

"You mean one of those 'hideous' spider creatures that might help us rescue Sela, or some other kind?" Kleo asked, her patience wearing thin.

Thespis frowned, his earlier fear replaced by a familiar defensiveness. The last thing he wanted was to argue with Kleo, not when he felt so rattled. "Just forget I said anything. I'm tired and hungry," Thespis said, turning to Rugr with a pleading look. "So Rugr, could we return to Astiria if we powered this up? You know the key."

Rugr shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the ancient portal. "No, that wouldn't be possible. Astiria wouldn't allow the connection. Though someone from Astiria could come here."

"Leaving so soon, little brother?" Kleo asked.

"Not without Sela. I just thought that if we got into a pinch, we could use the portal to go someplace safe."

Kleo knew that rescuing Sela was a long shot, and she watched Thespis with a growing concern. He had always been emotionally fragile, and now he was clinging to a hope that seemed unlikely to become reality. She feared its failure would shatter what little resilience he had left.

“All right,” Rugr said, finally breaking the silence. “We’ve found a portal that might be useful. Let’s keep this little secret to ourselves for now. Best we head back to the camp. Thespis and I leave in a few hours, so it’s best he eats and sleeps before then.”

“What about that thing we felt? It could be out there. Waiting for us,” Thespis asked, his voice a whisper, fear etched on his face.

“Let me worry about that, brother—you best focus on helping Rugr bring my mother back to where she belongs.” Kleo’s tone was firm, brooking no argument.

Thespis frowned, a shadow of his usual petulance crossing his features.

Kleo sighed inwardly. Her long, contentious relationship with Thespis wouldn’t disappear overnight, but if things were going to change, she had to try at least.

“You know how important this is to me, Thespis. I’m grateful for your help.” The words felt stiff and unfamiliar on her tongue.

He nodded, his gaze cast to the floor. “I know. I wish I were going with you. To find Sela. It feels like the right thing to do.”

“I know. I wish you were coming too,” she lied, the words catching in her throat. “But Rugr’s getting too old to carry that box through the desert. He won’t make it without your help.”

Rugr opened his mouth to object, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise, but Jack’s subtle head shake put him off.

He cleared his throat, playing along. “She’s right, Thespis. I need your help. Let Kleo do what she does best. We’ll see Sela on the other side of this.” He placed a reassuring hand on Thespis’s shoulder, hoping it would offer comfort.

“Come on, friend,” Jack said, clapping Thespis on the other shoulder. “Let’s get you something to eat before I take it all.”