Maybe we underestimated this pathway. We were half-way down and already had a mangy dog on our tails (no pun intended). Luckily Chris and I managed to take it out pretty cleanly with a few well-aimed bullets.
The pathway is dark from the night but also surprisingly green. As soon as we opened the gate from inside, we were met with long, intertwining ropes of ivy. I mean, they're everywhere. Trailing all along the stone walls, winding around rocks, curling throughout the various foliage and even creating webs of green along the rocky ground. It's nice to look at actually; all of the vines rustle in the breeze and make up a messy ripple along the passage.
For once, I actually don't mind the silence. All I hear are crickets singing faintly and leaves shuffling in groups which gives me a sense of peace - out-of-place peace for sure, but still calming somehow. Matched with the scenery, this place feels ethereal - like something you'd read about in Greek mythology.
On our right is a statue of an angel with turrets of overgrown weeds at it's base. That asset alone gives it a sort of graveyard feel and an eeriness that makes my skin crawl. The path is damp from the frequent lashes of rain and blood which creates a gentle splosh every time one of us takes a step. It's a short path, around 10m long with a slight curve. There's an old, faded blue door at the end but several kicks and pushes confirm that it's firmly shut.
Lucky for us, Rebecca told us about the crest we might need for the door to open and sure enough, there's an indentation engraved into the stone right next to it. I lean closer towards the hexagonal groove and there are...words? They're small though. I squint my eyes and vaguely make out the phrase: 'The defiler of the accursed coffin'. Rebecca must be right - it makes sense. We found the emblem in a coffin with a monster which pretty much matches this description. There was no harm in trying to open it by force though.
Chris is the one with the emblem, not me, so I turn and watch the mutt's body twitching on the ground instead. Out the corner of my eye, Chris leans towards the indentation and fiddles about with the crest, probably studying it one more time. The dog's mangled corpse pulsates slightly and brings up a feeling of queasiness in my stomach. Poor dogs, they didn't deserve this stupid virus.
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"D'you think this will fit?" Chris's voice rings out in the silence as he holds up the strange umbrella-patterned emblem.
It's splattered with blood from that crimson-coloured thing we fought earlier and leaves a faint orange swipe on his palm.
I sigh and tear my gaze away from the creature to face Chris, "Only one way to find out,"
He nods and presses the crest into the indent. There's a click from our right as it slots into the gap perfectly with no audible struggles. The two of us share a triumphant grin and I almost can't believe we had an argument earlier. It's like it never happened, or maybe we're just being gentler with eachother for caution. Either way, I definitely prefer this.
