Footsteps from white steel-plated boots echoed throughout the dark and damp corridors of the crypt. Her white-gloved hand, with golden tips, dragged against the dusty stone wall as she walked forward. A ball of magical light trailed and circled her frame, keeping her illuminated and giving guidance a few feet down the hallway. The sound which had brought her down into the darkness bounced against the walls and guided her further and further down. A humming from a deep voice, a sombre and haunting tune. It was a man’s voice and it was almost taunting, pulling on her heartstrings and bringing her further into the abyss.

Her long, blonde hair bounced up and down against her chest as she walked, the few feathers which seemed to sprout between the curls swayed with her movements. The small round light cast bluish hues upon her pale cheeks as her golden eyes darted from every corner while she nervously moved forward. The high, open collar of her jacket uselessly attempted to hide her red choker which covered half of her small neck. Much like the feathers in her hair, the ones that decorated her shoulderguard flickered beautifully in the light breeze which carried itself through the corridor from an unknown source. She could feel the golden bands that hung down from her waist causing the ends of her long overcoat to move heavily behind her, her white cloak moving like a silent shadow in unison.

Her left hand came to rest tightly against her chest. The crypt was unnerving; cold and it had the stench of death lingering like the dust itself. The walls had carved-out resting places for the dead and bodies decorated each one. Some were wrapped in cloth, others lay with the bones to be picked clean by the climate and insects that had taken the place as their home. Then of course there were the armoured ones. She had seen them many times before, they often came alive in the night and walked the halls with heavy slow steps. She had joined many would-be heroes in an attempt to keep the undead locked beneath the earth in the tomb where they belonged. It had proved more difficult than people had thought, as they kept coming, every single night.

Now these dead bodies stood against the walls, looking at her with empty eye sockets. They did not harm her, although some would reach their maggot eaten hands towards her, some would even manage to grab her cloak. With a squeak and a yelp she would pull herself free, stumble forward as the force left her and nearly fall to her knees. Gaining her balance she would continue. But as the undead kept clawing at her, she would merely pull her cloak away from their grip with slight anger, glaring at them as she had noticed that they weren’t trying to harm her. She was not one to hide her feelings behind masks of confidence like her friends or the strangers on the surface, but their attempt to stop her from moving forward without their usual strength or ill intent merely made her frustrated.

Even with the fear that brought coldness to her very bones, causing her muscles to tighten and her bottom lip to tremble she would continue her walk down the long and narrow steps. The humming guided her further.

The torches which hung loosely against the stone wall fizzled out every time she walked past them. In the beginning it scared her but slowly it became naught but annoying. Everything became dimmer, yet she could see the path in front of her well enough, the ball of light aiding her efforts. The spirit of the crypt was clearly trying to scare her enough to make her run away but the humming made her far too curious.

Soon she reached the final chamber. The brazier in the middle was already lit, which was uncommon as she had seen only the heroes light it once the threat of the crypt had been banished. Now the fire burned bright, lighting up the room and dimming the shadows that nested in the corners and crevices of the bricks the room was built of. Her eyes fell upon the coffin which always lay in front of the burning fire, locked shut by the heavy stone it was made out of was now open. The lid laid cracked upon its feet.

Without knowing why the girl stepped closer, hands still clutching the jacket over her chest as she peered inside. It was empty, with not even dust or any proof that a body had ever been put to rest inside. She felt a terrible fear strike her very soul and she stumbled backwards, turning and spinning around in an attempt to look everywhere at once. She hadn’t noticed when the humming had stopped but now all she could hear was her own heavy breathing, and the small noises of her voice it carried with it.

Then she heard heavy footsteps, countless of them running towards the entrance of the chamber. She shouted out in surprise, startled at the party which rushed into the room. Heroes which had belonged on the surface and always travelled below to stop the infestation from getting any worse had joined her.

They looked at her in surprise, seeing a little girl who had just reached adulthood, so short and frail, standing alone in the room which usually held the greatest threat was not something they had expected.

“You! Why are you down here all by yourself? Did your party abandon you?”