Do not move a muscle if you want to keep your head attached to your shoulders, boy," the massive, cloaked figure muttered, his voice sounding like two heavy sheets of iron grinding together in the quiet forest twilight.​Lennon’s breath caught in his throat as the stranger suddenly raised the glowing crimson blade high above his head. The red light from the metal caught the edges of the tattered dark cowl, casting long, menacing shadows across the damp mossy ground. Lennon tried to roll his body to the left, his muscles tensing for a final, desperate struggle, but the towering stranger did not bring the sword down onto his neck.​Instead, the crimson blade whistled through the damp air and sliced cleanly through a low-hanging iron-wood branch that was positioned directly over Lennon's chest.​With a sharp, wet thud, the heavy edge of the sword pinned a foot-long, armored iron-crawler straight to the dirt. The venomous subterranean creature writhed violently against the ground, its mu

Move your heavy shoulders out of the way before we are smeared across this granite, old man," Lennon roared, throwing his weight through the narrow partition into the front cabin.​The solid stone pillar filled the entire front view window, rushing toward the heavy steel bumper at a breakneck speed. The automated system had completely seized the steering mechanism, locking the controls in a dead straight line that promised absolute annihilation in less than three seconds. The headlights cast a harsh, terrifying glare over the cracked face of the ancient rock wall, showing every jagged detail of the impending crash.​"I am trying to clear the column, boy," the massive stranger bellowed back, his boots kicking violently at the lower dash.​With a savage grunt, the cloaked driver used his massive, calloused fingers to rip open the heavy iron floorboard console between the two front seats. The metal cover tore away with a sharp screech, exposing the raw wiring, copp

If you place so much as a gram of weight on that bubbling blue root, boy, we are going to be torn into ribbons before we can draw another breath," the massive stranger whispered, his voice a tiny, barely audible rumble inside the quiet twilight of the massive cavern floor.​Lennon froze, his left boot hovering a mere two inches above a thick, glowing blue root that snaked through the damp marsh. He slowly shifted his weight back onto his right heel, his teeth grinding together as the movement sent a sharp, throbbing ache straight through his fractured forearm bones. He slowly slipped his boots out of the crumpled, smoking driver’s compartment, stepping onto the soft, glowing bioluminescent moss with absolute precision to avoid waking the hundreds of sleeping, razor-tailed Stalkers that surrounded them.​The pale blue light of the marsh illuminated a terrifying landscape. In every direction, massive, armor-plated predators lay curled in tight, overlapping clusters, their heavy chests r

Move toward the dark tunnel, Lennon, because this wall will not stand forever," the massive stranger yelled, his thick leather gloves smoking as he kept both of his hands firmly clamped onto the hilt of the crimson blade.​The wall of red kinetic energy unleashed by the stranger’s blade acted as a solid, glowing barrier, temporarily holding back the swarm of shrieking Stalkers. Dozens of the massive, armor-plated beasts threw themselves violently against the glowing red force field, their heavy skulls cracking against the energy with a succession of sickening, hollow thuds. Each impact sent a bright ripple of red light cascading up the barrier, casting a harsh, bloody glare over the wet granite walls of the cavern.​"I cannot move the others any faster," Lennon called back, his left hand braced against the rough stone as he guided Joren and the old miner toward the dark corridor. "The path is too narrow."​"They need to crawl if they have to," the stranger growled, his massive boots s

Do not inhale a single drop of this freezing water, Lennon, or your lungs will fail before we ever hit the bottom," Vaelen’s spiritual voice screamed inside his head, the sound bouncing wildly against his temple as the icy torrent closed over his head.​Lennon and the stranger were pulled completely beneath the surface of the freezing, high-velocity underground river. The water was pitch black and moved with the speed of a runaway freight train, spinning them wildly through a series of narrow, jagged rock tunnels that acted like a natural grinder. Every single second, the churning foam slammed them against the rough stone walls, tearing away the remaining pieces of Lennon's charred clothes and leaving fresh, stinging gashes across his shoulders.​"Where is the bottom of this pipe?" Lennon tried to shout, but the words only emerged as a bubble of escaping air from his lips.​The sheer pressure of the water was immense, threatening to crush their ribs like brittle twigs with every sharp