The Tower King

Sora nodded without hesitation. He knew that the longer he stayed here, the more his injured arm would become a handicap. Moreover, if there was one thing he had learned from observing his enemies, it was that sometimes it was better to retreat in order to strike back more effectively. He quickly scanned the area, looking for an escape route. The forest around them was dense, but the Skarnoks were weaving between the trees with disturbing ease.

"Follow me!" Nerris ordered, taking the lead and rushing off in one direction without looking back.

Sora didn't waste a second and sprinted after Nerris, gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain in his injured arm. Every movement brought back an unpleasant burning sensation, but he couldn't afford to slow down. Nerris also had an injured arm, although she didn't seem to be bothered by it, at least not outwardly. Behind them, the Skarnoks let out a shrill cry, intensifying their pursuit.

The trees whizzed by as they zigzagged between the trunks, dodging roots and low-hanging branches. The damp ground threatened to throw them off balance with every step. Nerris, lighter and more agile, moved with ease, while Sora felt his breath shorten, his injury slowly draining his strength.

A sinister crack echoed behind them. Sora glanced back and saw one of the Skarnoks projecting bone spikes from its arm, firing them like projectiles in an instant. One of them shot straight toward him. Instinctively, he dove to the side, rolling on the ground before awkwardly getting back to his feet. The spike lodged itself in a tree right where he had been standing a moment earlier.

"Hurry up!" Nerris shouted, waiting briefly for him.

He gritted his teeth and resumed running. The Skarnoks weren't slowing down. Worse, some were climbing trees with terrifying speed, allowing them to circle around him. One leaped from a branch, its claws ready to strike Sora. He raised his good arm to block, but a gleaming blade sliced through the air before he could react. Nerris had just delivered a swift blow, slicing the Skarnok's leg in midair. The creature screamed as it crashed to the ground, its bones already readjusting in an attempt to regenerate.

"They won't let us go that easily," she growled. "We have to find a way out." "

Sora scanned the forest. The morning mist made it difficult to see, but he spotted a steep slope nearby. A fall could be risky, but it might give them a moment's respite.

"Over there!" he shouted, pointing to the descent.

Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the edge. Behind them, the Skarnoks redoubled their efforts, their bones clattering ominously with each movement. Sora and Nerris reached the edge of the slope and plunged into the void, sliding down the descent on the damp earth. The Skarnoks stopped dead in their tracks when they saw them disappear, hesitating for a moment before roaring in rage.

Sora rolled down the slope, his injured arm hitting a rock and causing him to cry out in pain. He came to a halt with difficulty, breathing heavily. Nerris was a few yards away, already back on her feet, scanning the surroundings.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding out her hand.

He nodded weakly, knowing full well that they weren't out of danger yet. The fight had only just begun.

Nerris helped him to his feet with a steady hand, her eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously. Sora, still dazed from the fall, took a shaky breath. The pain in his arm was a constant burning sensation, but he had to ignore it.

A crackling sound echoed from the top of the slope. He looked up and saw one of the Skarnoks watching them, its glowing eyes piercing the morning mist. The creature seemed hesitant to descend, its claws scraping against the loose earth. The others were not visible, but Sora knew they would find them soon.

"We can't stay here," he whispered.

Nerris nodded. She turned toward the forest stretching out before them, denser and darker than before. "Maybe there's a cave or a recess where we could hide..." "

They plunged into the trees, their breathing still ragged from the chase. The ground was soft, strewn with thick roots that made it difficult to move forward. Each step was accompanied by the dull thud of their racing hearts.

Suddenly, Nerris stopped dead in her tracks. Sora almost bumped into her. She raised a hand to signal him to stay where he was. Before them, a wide, turbulent river wound its way through the forest. The current seemed fast, and the cold water could cause them problems if they had to swim with their injuries.

"Should we cross?" whispered Sora, his gaze sliding to the opposite bank.

"Too risky, but..." Nerris frowned and turned slightly. "Listen."

Sora strained his ears. At first, he heard only the sound of the water, then another sound became distinct. A dull, rhythmic pounding. Heavy footsteps. Not those of the Skarnoks.

"Something's coming," she whispered. "We have to choose: the water or face whatever's coming."

Sora hesitated. His injured arm would make him vulnerable in combat, but the river represented an unknown danger. Behind them, a shrill cry rang out. The Skarnoks were resuming their hunt.

"Given our condition, I don't think we have much choice."

Nerris and Sora plunged into the icy water, the current immediately carrying them away from the bank. Sora struggled to keep his head above water, his injured arm pulling him down. He saw Nerris struggling too, trying to swim despite his own injury.

The river carried them away in a whirlpool of chaos and biting cold. Then, suddenly, a waterfall appeared before them.

Sora didn't have time to scream. They tumbled into the void.

Sora felt his stomach lurch as he fell. The next moment, he hit the surface of the water hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He opened his eyes underwater, but the force of the torrent prevented him from seeing anything. His injured arm throbbed excruciatingly, each movement a torture. He struggled, trying to reach the surface. He was gasping for air, his lungs burning.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his collar and pulled him violently upward. Sora emerged coughing, gasping for breath. He recognized Nerris, soaked and exhausted, but still clinging to him. Together, they let themselves be carried by the current to a rocky shore where they washed up heavily.

Sora rolled onto his back, staring up at the gray sky through the foliage. Every muscle in his body ached, but at least they were alive. Nerris sat up, grunting, and surveyed their surroundings.

"I think we lost them," she whispered, scanning the opposite bank.

Sora struggled to his feet and looked too. No Skarnok in sight. The roar of the river had surely covered their fall and their escape. But that didn't mean they were safe.

"Now what?" he asked, rubbing his sore arm.

Nerris took the map out of her soaked pocket and examined it. "Well, the map is useless. But the temple should be somewhere to the north."

Sora nodded weakly. He was exhausted, but stopping here was too risky. They struggled to their feet and moved along the riverbank, hoping to put even more distance between themselves and their pursuers.

After several minutes of walking, a strange structure appeared among the trees. Ancient ruins, covered in moss and half-engulfed by vegetation. Worn engravings dotted the stones, bearing witness to a forgotten era.

"It might be an annex to the temple," Nerris murmured, intrigued.

Sora approached cautiously, adrenaline still coursing through him, but the weight of fatigue weighing heavily on his shoulders. He ran a hand over the rough surface of the stones, the engravings seeming to come alive beneath his fingers. Every detail, though worn by time, seemed imbued with a strange energy, as if the walls had witnessed centuries of buried secrets. He turned his head toward Nerris, his gaze questioning her without words.

"We have to keep going to find the temple entrance," she replied in a determined voice.

"Have you been here before?" Sora asked, continuing to scrutinize the many mysterious engravings.

Nerris looked around to make sure no Skarnoks had followed them. "No, I didn't even know this temple existed. I wonder how Jarek found out about it." "

Sora nodded as he tried to imagine Jarek's reaction upon seeing these immense ruins. "I wouldn't be surprised if he discovered it by chance. "

Nerris let out a soft laugh before stepping further into the ruins. "Come on, follow me before more monsters come after us."

Sora nodded. They both ventured deeper into the ruins, their footsteps echoing in the heavy silence of the ancient stones. The overgrown vegetation, with its thick vines and twisted roots, seemed to want to engulf them with every step, but they kept moving forward, drawn by the hope of an escape.

The engravings on the walls became increasingly complex as they penetrated deeper into the ruins. Some depicted creatures that were half-human, half-animal, their convoluted forms intertwined with mystical symbols that Sora could not decipher. He brushed one of the sculptures with his fingers, feeling a strange sensation, as if the air around him had become charged with a special energy.

"It's as if this place... is breathing," Sora whispered, a strange sensation rising in his stomach.

Nerris, who was walking ahead of him, turned briefly. "It seems that these ruins have been forgotten by everyone... Yet this is not the kind of place one leaves behind without reason. "

Sora nodded. He agreed. He felt that they were venturing into forgotten territory, where even the oldest secrets might still be alive. "By the way, do you know why this temple is called that?"

Hesitantly, Nerris turned briefly toward Sora before answering. "The Nymeus Temple?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

Continuing to venture deeper into the abandoned ruins, Nerris paused for a moment before answering. "I have no idea, but for this temple to bear that name, it must mean that Nymeus is a place, a person, or an event of some significance... At least, those are the only reasons I can think of that would explain why a temple would bear such a name."

Sora didn't respond and continued to follow Nerris, looking around him, ready to react to the slightest suspicious movement.

They ventured deeper into the ruins, the ground becoming more uneven, littered with worn stones and plant debris. The atmosphere was heavy, as if these ancient walls carried forgotten memories within them. With each step, Sora could feel the dampness of the place penetrating his skin, like an additional burden on his shoulders, already weighed down by the pain in his arm.

The engravings on the walls continued to evolve, moving from simple geometric patterns to more complex scenes. Sora could make out human figures wearing masks, their hands raised toward a dark entity at the back of the walls. The symbols were strange and unfamiliar, but they seemed to convey a silent message, a warning perhaps.

"Look at that," said Nerris, stopping abruptly in front of a large stone door decorated with hypnotic intertwining spiral patterns. She placed a hand on it, and a faint humming sound rippled across the floor, as if the door were responding to her presence.

"Do you think we can open it?" asked Sora, slowly approaching, her eyes fixed on the door.

"It seems to react to pressure. Maybe we just need to push," replied Nerris, hesitantly. She applied slight pressure with her foot, but the door remained immovable. "There must be a hidden mechanism." "

Sora knelt down to examine the edges of the door, running her fingers over the cold, smooth stone. After a few moments, her finger stopped on a small crack near the base. There was a cross-shaped pattern engraved just below it. It was almost invisible, hidden under layers of moss and dust.

"I think this is it," he whispered, pointing to the crack. He gently pressed the cross, and suddenly there was a metallic click. The door slowly opened, releasing a fine dust that floated in the air, mingling with the rays of light filtering through the ruins.

They rushed inside, their footsteps echoing in the heavy silence of the room. A large chamber stretched out before them, decorated with imposing statues of mystical creatures, their hollow eyes all turned toward the back of the temple.

A huge statue stood where all those empty gazes converged. The statue stood proudly on a pedestal almost as tall as Sora and Nerris; it was impossible to see its face or any physical features, as a long granite toga covered its entire body. As for its face, a hood concealed its identity, making it all the more mysterious.

"I didn't expect to see such a large statue," Nerris whispered, her gaze fixed on the central object. "It must be Nymeus."

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