Dawn of Man, Dinosaur Era Fantasy - Descent into the Basin of Shadows

Above the basin, Erma and the black dragon pull higher and farther apart, trading fire, acid, and a smear of dark smoke across the dawn sky.

Then they lock together again and dive into the trees. Birds burst from the canopy, and a violent crash rolls through the Pit as enormous trunks snap and shudder.

Below, the rejected survivors recoil. Some press closer to the sealed stone, angry and scared. Others simply fold in on themselves, stripped of comfort and looking for someone to blame.

At the center of the dais, Hhannvis’s frost-light spear thrums harder. The runes beneath him answer with a cold, judging glow, as if the machine is waiting for him to choose what this broken group becomes.

The dais hum deepens, and the frost-light drains a little more from Hhannvis’s gear. The next seal, or the next break, hangs on what he does with the survivors now.

Hhannvis lowers one hand to the floor and lets the frost-light flow through his palm. The runes take the touch at once, and the chamber’s harsh groan settles into a steadier hum.

A cold pulse travels outward from his fingers, knitting the wavering seams into a clean pattern. Dust shivers off the dais edge and falls in a thin silver drift.

The sealed entrance gives one heavy shudder, then stills. The chamber answers with brighter lines, and the pressure in the air eases by a breath.