Todos os capítulos de Where Ashes and Oaths Collide: Capítulo 81 - Capítulo 84

As Escuro and Salvaxe approached the cottage an old man came out. He has long, unkempt grey hair that falls in uneven strands around his face and shoulders, tangled and coarse, while his thick beard– also grey and streaked with darker remnants– spreads across his chest in a wild, natural mass. There are deep lines carved into his face, especially around his eyes and mouth, giving him a weathered, almost carved appearance, as though time itself has etched its passage into his skin. He was dressed in worn, layered clothing made of rough wool frayed at the edges and patched in places. A thick fur coat is draped over his shoulders, heavy and unrefined, its texture coarse and uneven. The sleeves of his garments are tattered, revealing glimpses of his aged hands, which are rough and calloused. The old man stood in the doorway of his cottage, one hand gripping the warped wooden frame the other trembling at his side as he spotted the two figures emerging through the trees.

“If we go back down there and stop the water from flowing? What then?” Escuro asked, still not sure if he entirely beliefs all this. The old man’s eyes darted to the corner of the room, as if checking to see if the shadows themselves were listening. “You go down there, you are walking into a throat,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “The mechanism is not just a lever. It is connected to something. Something that breathes.” He picked up the mug again but did not drink. His fingers drumming a nervous rhythm against the clay. “If you stop the flow, you might seal it back up. Or you might provoke what is underneath to come looking for you. There is no clean way out of this, boy. You either let it happen and watch the whole valley turn into something unrecognizable, or you go down there and pray you are faster than whatever is waiting.” He paused, his gaze settling on Escuro. “Fine,” Escuro said and