Blighted Path

“It clearly didn’t help this world.” Alma tried to focus her eyes in the darkness, but her gaze kept pulling back to Qu’l-Nia’s glowing head in front of her. “But I haven’t exactly been dungeon diving in a while. This might be fun. If I could see a damn thing. Looks like these eyes only work when they want to.”

“You should have said so from the beginning.” The eldritch woman began humming a gentle tune. Every few beats, a small wisp of purple flame manifested in her upturned hand. It would then float slowly around her before she created a few more. As her melody reached its conclusion, five miniature balls of fire danced before her. She smiled gently at each one, then released them into the room around the two. As each one reached their destination, their blaze fluoresced and grew bright, illuminating a large portion of the temple.

The ex-soldier marveled at the small but intricate display put on by her friend, the extradimensional songstress. The walls of the temple were now bathed in an indescribably otherworldly luminescence. Along the sides were long slabs of stone at waist level, filled with crude objects and strange tools. In the center of the room were rows of elevated rock that all looked very uncomfortable. In the very back of the ancient temple was a lone, tall cathedra—small steps leading up to the seat. It was a throne sitting higher above the rest, that rested in front of an altar of stained masonry. Chills ran down Alma’s spine as she imagined the kind of horrors that might have happened by the alien beings that lived before.

“They didn’t have much to work with down here, did they?” noted the gunslinger.

“This place is quite possibly older than your entire world," replied Qu'l-Nia. She walked up to the throne at the end of the room. "On that note, for them to develop a religion this prematurely in their existence is astonishing."

"I saw a carving near the entrance. I think they actually worshiped the sun out there. Which is kind of silly, since they lived underground." Alma chuckled. "Maybe they just lived in fear of it."

"In fear, perhaps. But perhaps not. I do not think the star of this planet was always so corrupted. That indescribable energy I sense from it definitely comes from beyond this sphere. Regardless, it seems that this has caused some sort of extinction level event. I cannot imagine there was much hope for this planet.”

“That’s kind of a downer," remarked Alma.

The ex-soldier walked over to an erect slab against the wall and picked up a stone slate that hadn't been moved in eons. She shook, rubbed and blew on it, trying to get the dirt and dust off of it before finally giving it a good once-over. Ancient runic symbols had been inscribed on it from long ago. As she skimmed over the weird runes, it almost felt as if they had let off a small glow, causing her fingers to fumble and almost drop it. Inspecting it again, she realized she was now able to read the runes on the slate.

"Skies are lies. In a thousean thousean time, parasite gods will descend through the aether. Awaken our light. Our light will awaken then. Turn off the dark. Bathe everything in light. Burn away the evil. The source slithers in. Darkness travels."

It detailed what felt like some form of prophecy. Alma wasn't sure what to make of the words she could suddenly somehow read. It felt like reading cryptic messages had started to become a habit. She then noticed behind where the slate had been placed was a miniature figurine of some kind of humanoid reptilian. It had a long snout and a small row of sharp teeth. It stuck out its little limbs and appeared to be sitting. Alma stuffed it into her pocket, thinking it would make a cute souvenir of her otherplanetary journey.

"Q," Alma called to her eldritch friend who had been inspecting the stone throne with her tailbone. "You mentioned earlier about my eyes adjusting to this world. Do you think it could somehow translate other written languages for me? ...Because it literally just happened." She held up the strange slate she was holding.

"Anything seems possible for you at this point, Alma." Qu'l-Nia had been adjusting her position in the chair, attempting to make herself comfortable. After a moment, she jumped from her seat. "Truth be told, I am not sure how you are even capable of breathing here. I am almost certain this planet no longer has much of an atmosphere."

Alma lurched her head back at that statement and for a moment, her throat had started constricting almost instinctively. Her hand squeezed at her neck, and the feeling passed quickly. She swallowed.

“Let me take a look at that.” The eldritch woman motioned at the slate Alma was holding. Her sparkling eyes scanned the alien runes with ease. “It appears that—”

The ground beneath them began to shake violently, interrupting whatever thought Qu’l-Nia had been about to unleash. A large crack ran down the wall of the temple behind the altar.

“Q, watch out!” Alma ran toward Qu’l-Nia, who had trouble keeping her balance. Small fractures began to form on the ground beneath her. The sniperess tugged on the eldritch woman’s sleeve and pulled her away before the floor crumbled into a large hole where she was just standing, causing them both to tumble into a heap.

“We need to get out of here!”