The hollowman- now fully formed- roared at Mira, raising his twin blades at her. His glowing blue eyes, lit by the wisp, stared hungrily at Mira's flesh. His yellow white bones moved stiffly as he began to run at her, still screeching for her to join him. Henry gave a deep growl, crouching low. Mira swung her sword without hesitating, decapitating the skeleton in one blow. His head flew back to where he came, disappearing into the hole the hollowman had dug its way out of. Its ancient bones crumbled into ashes and covered the floor like thick layer of dust.
Three other wisps quickly followed the first down, only to rise with bodies. Mira pounced as quickly as she could (which was quite quickly, considering her Hero blood), knocking the first two hollow men down. They scrambled on the floor, their bare bones scrapping on the stone. Mira struck the third hollowman, as she did another shower of wisps came down. Henry pounced onto one of the fallen skeletons and tore its head from its neck and then proceeded to snap at the ankles of the other. Mira swung her sword in an arch, the blade cleanly slicing through a foes backbone. The top half of the body crumpled and the lower half followed suit; the hollowman was nothing but a jumble of cracked bones. She turned, swinging out her sword again. It sliced through three hollowmen that had been approaching. Others followed, only to fall like their brothers. Wave after wave of the hollowmen attacked, and with each round the layer of dust on the floor got thicker.
Eventually the last wisp from the chandelier was exhumed and then destroyed, and Mira and Henry were left panting, covered in dust and dirt. Mira went to sheathe her sword and after ten seconds of trying found that her hands were far too shaky to slide the blade in place. She stuck the weapon into the ground and leaned on it heavily. The thick dust that swirled in the air was no help as Mira took deep breaths to calm herself and the distant echo of screeching only made matters worse. The princess absently went to fidget with the necklace that nestled itself in the hollow of her throat. Her trembling finger brushed the smooth, circular amulet. Henry sat at her feet patiently as her breaths slowed and her heart began to beat steadily.
After a moment, Mira had composed herself and sheathed her sword. She dusted herself off briskly and Henry shook, creating a cloud of debris. After a deep breath, the princess strode forwards with her companion on her heels, her footsteps echoing down into the farthest regions of the cavern, where her prize awaited her.
It took several hours of fighting and running and panicky magic summoning, but eventually Nymira found herself in what seemed to be the heart of the Reliquary. Her chest hadn't stopped heaving in the last hour, nor had the quakes of fear that left her hands trembling whenever she wasn't being chased by the dead. There were several moments when Mira simply crumbled to her knees, weeping and whimpering in the dark. But Henry never left her side, and urged her to continue with friendly yips and an occasional nuzzle.
Mira came to a staircase that was steep enough to hide whatever was at the top from view. Grimacing at the small mountain she was to climb, Mira let out a string of profanity that Jasper would have gasped and possibly fainted at.
As if triggered by her cussing, five more hollowmen descended from the ceiling before rising again. Henry lunged at one, tackling the structure of bones to the ground in a clatter. Mira shot an intense ball of fire at the next, disintegrating the head and consequently making the rest of the skeleton clutter to the floor. The third hollowman charged at Mira with its axe raised while the fourth ran for Henry and the fifth raised its rifle. The Hero drew and then swung her sword around in one hand, summoning a flame in the other. The hollowman charging her was swiftly dismembered and the one charging Henry was left as a pile of ashes.
The last hollowman was jerked backwards by the recoil of his rifle, the bullet of which pierced Mira's bicep. She cried out and staggered backwards, scarcely managing to remain upright. With effort, she raised her arm and fired a final fireball, which struck the hollowman in its empty rib cage. The skeleton collapsed into ashes and bone, leaving no sign that there had been a monster there a moment earlier.
Mira pressed her hand down on the bullet wound and felt the blood begin to soak her sleeve. Knowing there was nothing she could do but press on, Mira sheathed her sword and turned to continue.
Mira ascended the stone stairs, coming to a gargantuan arch. From deep within the passage beyond the entrance came a faint melody. The song hung in the air, and Mira had the feeling that it had been playing for a very long time. The harmony seemed so sweet, but it was as if there was a warning behind it, as though there were a price to pay for hearing every lingering note. With numb legs, Mira stumbled forwards, entranced by the tune. With every step she took, the music became purer and sharper. From the darkness emerged a single beam of light, although there was no hole in the ridge above to let in the sun. As Mira came closer, she realized the ray, and the music, came from a music box, placed on a pedestal.
With trembling hands- from both the exhaustion, the fear and anticipation- Mira lifted the music box from its plinth. The ray from the box seemed to explode and the entire cavern was lit in a blast of pure white light. Mira blinked rapidly, clearing her vision to see an illusion in front of her. It was a Guild Seal, but a dozen times larger and it looked like a veil; transparent and as though there were something just on the other side.
"You have done well," came familiar, eerie voice from the portal. "Now, step into the light. There is much you need to know." With the music box clutched tightly, Mira stepped warily into the light.