The four horses moved together at a brisk trot as they strode their way through the deeper and darker and uncharted paths. Carrying them further and deeper down into the depths

“Are we sure this mission was even worth our time Captain?” Rang asked, quickening his pace till he was trotting at Hoseok’s side. “We don’t even have proof that anything did happen

The lightning marked stallion turned his fiery head to him “We also have nothing to say that it didn’t. And with how Spectrum operates do you really think that they just dropped communication?”

The question hung heavy in the air. The four of them had known the Spectrum team for years. They had seasons of experience even ahead of Hoseok’s own group and with Jiyoo leading them in all her years of leadership they didn’t fail to report back in one fashion or another about their movements. Their last report had been a month ago. They were long overdue. 

“Exactly” Hoseok said “Either they can’t send a word or someone for some reason intercepted the message. And frankly I’m not sure which I would find more concerning.”

“You don’t think that there's any possibility they may have actually gotten deeper do you?” Kiyun asked with a tilt of his golden head a hint of hope and envy if that was the case “maybe they found a fourth floor ahead of Crispin’s guild do you?”

Hoseok was about to answer when Linden snorted “We know what we’re meant to do if that happens. You think Jiyoo or Ae-chi would have let their party break from protocol and risk Lord Juwon’s wrath?”

“Being the first in so many years to break new ground in the search and make those discoveries first? Who wouldn’t? Wouldn’t we?” Kiyun added with a look to their captain. 

“We’d follow orders Kiyun.”  Hoseok huffed. Sternly making the smaller coursers smirk falter “That said,” the corners of his muzzle turned up “We’d also absolutely need to go ahead a little after all if we were presenting our discovery to my father we ought to have at least a little insight into what we have really found.” His conspiratorial smile was quickly mirrored by the other three of the Fulminate team that were with him on this run, allowing that thought to play on their minds. 

It was possible Hoseok supposed that Spectrum had gone forward enjoying some discovery. But there was no way to be sure and maybe he was a pessimist but he certainly felt that the other scenarios seemed far more likely.

“We’ll keep an eye out. But personally i think that if anyone is going to find the next floor if there is one. Its going to be us.”

Kiyun snickered “if they have though…bet we could easily get em to split credit if they are stuck somewhere embarrassing”

“Kiyun...”

“Whaaat.”

Hoseok rolled his eyes, “And you wonder why we don’t leave you alone with Taehwa.”

Kiyun laughed and the four’s strides carried them to a path that had been allowed to overgrow, making a thick curtain of ivy and branches over the tunnel. Linden tossed his head and unholstered his axe. Masterfully he cut away what needed to allow them to proceed stepping into the tunnel and the chamber ahead.

thin shafts of light seeped in from cracks in the roof and filtered through layers of green s casting sharp thick shadows upon the walls.

“Where the hell is this?” Rang asked as the black marked woad crept along his eyes on the walls as their own shadows pooled into inky darkness beneath their hooves.

“Looks like one of Lindie’s mythical greenhouses or whatever he used to live in” Kiyun snickered, earning himself a bump from the perlino’s muscular rump and a nip on his golden ear.

“Just admit you're jealous you didn't get enough dirt on your hooves to grow bigger”

Hoseok’s ears pricked alert and suddenly tense. He scraped his hoof against the stone floor audibly. The sound was one each member of Hoseok’s team knew. The shoving match between Kiyun and Linden instantly stopped all eyes on their leader after his wordless call for their attention.

The more Hoseok eyed the spot he’d seen the more agitated the shadows in the leaves seemed to become as if sensing his gaze, twisting and morphing into shapes that seemed…alive.

Not for long Hoseok thought

But as he moved, so did they. Shadowy, horned demons that slid up the walls and along the floor too many to count. They filled the room cackling with laughter rising covering the cracks above plunging the room into near darkness save for the glowing pool of light from their torches.

Pain sliced through the stallions as unseen talons raked their coats scratching into their flesh drawing blood from rump, shoulder, chest. 

Hoseok drew his sword and the fires around them seemed to pale in the brilliant golden light that blazed from the blade making the fiends hiss and shriek as their easy access to their prey was cut off their forms flickering.

Hoseok smirked, sensing the shadow demons' apprehension and hesitation . Hoseok focused his will into his steel his eyes glowing as he channeled the divine. His team's weapons flared with lights of their own infused and empowered by Hoseok's spell. Rang, Linden and Kiyun grinned as Hoseok stared down the shadow nearest to him meeting its hollow eyed gaze before he spoke one single command to his friends 

“Smite!”