"...so I told him 'get your own damn drink!' Hahaha! Get it? I'm a bartender, and I told him to get his own drink-"
"Shut the f-"
"SHHHH!!! Shut it! Both of you! Who knows what other abominations lie in this godforsaken tower. We may have breezed through a few already, but that doesn't give us the luxury to fool around." Brutus kept his voice in a hushed tone, fearful of the creatures that lurked within this place. Not only that, but Gregor and Fritz were irritating him to no end. The three of them may have grown up together, but that didn't mean they had to get along.
"Fine, whatever. But you two gotta admit, the joke was clever." Fritz, an joker with a silver tongue.
"As clever as my fist in your face." Gregor, a warrior with an iron will.
"Ugh..." And Brutus, an archer with the leadership skills to keep the three of them from falling apart.
The dull banter continued, regardless of anyone's feelings. They just fought against humanoid abominations for the first and survived. Either a stroke of luck or a fluke that won't carry on. Granted, these three fighters were known across Reim as capable soldiers, top among their peers. However, will that be enough to save them in the end?
The hallway they eventually found themselves in was very dark, black even. Fritz touched the walls out of curiosity, noticing their slimy texture. Color wasn't visible due to the light not reaching far enough, so Fritz and company could only assume the slime was mold. The smell in the air was just as rotten as the texture on the walls, foal and corrosive to the nostrils.
"Smells like corpses," noted Gregor, "What do you think, Brutus?" Even the mighty Gregor became nervous from the texture and smell of the poorly lit hallway. The humanoid abominations smelled, too, but not of rotting flesh. Brutus noticed Gregor's uneasiness coupled with Fritz's dangerous curiosity.
Instead, he just answered, "probably just some exotic mold smelling the place up," and let his friends do and think as they please. The archer grew weary of setting his companions straight and just decided to let them be. If he didn't want to be told what to do or how to act, then they probably didn't want to either.
Seemingly no traps were sprung, but an audible scrapping sound could be heard coming from both walls. of the hallway. Brutus' sharp eyes and Fritz's sharp ears could tell the walls were moving closer together, probably intending to squeeze the life out of the three trespassers. "Ah man, what now!?" worried Fritz, "walking abominations and now walking walls?"
Thankfully, the three spring into action right away, running towards the tiniest sliver of light in the distance. Running towards the light was the only sane thing to do, what with the other way being far too long a stretch. They'd risk setting off another trap, but getting killed by two walls wouldn't be any fun.
The trio raced for the light, sprinting as fast as they could. However, the faster they ran the quicker the walls came together. Fritz and Brutus looked as though they could escape, but Gregor, being the armor wearing warrior, couldn't quite keep up his sprinting pace. The walls weren't getting any farther apart as the light turned into a legitimate exit, so Gregor would have to lose his precious armor if he wanted to keep his even more precious life.
Fritz and Brutus were able to escape the creeping walls. They looked back to see if Gregor needed help, "Come on Gregor! Run faster!" Gregor left his armor behind in hopes of running faster, but the walls sped up, too. Fritz's useless yelling didn't reach Gregor's ears has his entire body was pulsing with adrenaline and causing his ears to ring. The large man sweet bullets as he saw both the exit and the walls; they seemed indistinguishable, almost as if he was already dead and just stuck in purgatory. However, Gregor could feel a warm touch on his outstretched hands as he reached for the light. In a last ditch effort, Fritz and Brutus grabbed the sweaty Gregor and pulled him out from between the nearly shut walls, saving the poor warrior's life.
"Oh my god, that was close...I thought for sure I was dead." Fritz and Brutus saved Gregor and now found themselves in another poorly lite area. However, the darkness from the hallway still lost in terms of visibility. Looking back at the now closed walls, the Fritz and Brutus noticed there wasn't any mold growing, but instead rotting flesh and blood hung from the squished crease of the former hallway. Fritz and Brutus felt sick and upchucked whatever was in their stomach. They were used to seeing corpses line battlefields, but not entire hallways covered in nothing but flesh and blood. Strangely enough, Gregor didn't made a sound.
"Gregor?"
The light within the room had become much dimmer as Fritz and Brutus were vomiting. They barely noticed Gregor leaning against a nearby pillar. In fact, upon further inspection of the room, there turned out to be nothing but pillars. Whatever the appearance of the room, Fritz and Brutus had turned their attention to Gregor, casually leaning against a pillar as if he hadn't just run for his life. However, Gregor's eerie silence worried his companions. They crept closer, not even seeing any movement from the standing Gregor. They could hardly seem him, but it was definitely still Gregor against that pillar. No humanoid abomination was as big as Gregor.
"Come on buddy, stop being so silent. Are you upset with us for almost leaving you behind? Cause that wasn't on purpose." Fritz crept closer than Brutus, eventually bumping his should into something that looked like Gregor's sword. The low visibility definitely didn't help make seeing object easier, but one thing was made clear by Fritz, "Gre...gor..."
"Fritz? What's wrong? Is Gregor just sleep walking?"
Fritz seemed too stunned to move a muscle, so Brutus decided to get closer and see for himself what was so fascinating by that pillar. Having gotten close enough, Brutus shook both Fritz and Gregor, not noticing the object protruding from the warrior's chest. Fritz snapped out of his shock and pointed it the now obviously harpooned Gregor, harpooned by his own sword against the rock pillar.
Brutus' eyes finally adjusted, also turning speechless from shock. How could Gregor have been stuck like a pig so quietly and quickly without to two remaining explorers noticing? They tried to take the sword out, but it was too well wedged into the pillar. Unfortunately, Fritz and Brutus would have to leave Gregor behind if they wanted to escape this hellhole alive.
"Let's go, Fritz, we have to run."
"But Gregor-"
"Run now!"
Fritz finally listened to Brutus and ran with him through the maze of pillars, hopefully outrunning whatever had killed Gregor so efficiently. Though, Fritz just couldn't leave behind a friend's corpse without taking one last look and saying his farewells, so he peaked over his shoulder, only to notice the silhouette of the creature. Fritz became panicked and out-sprinted Brutus, trying to tug him along in a frenzy. Brutus looked back to see what the extra fuss was about and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Why are you running like this-"
"It's right behind us," whispered Fritz in a horror stricken tone.
"There's nothing left there! Snap out of it! Gregor is dead, let's focus on getting out of here rather than making things up!" Brutus felt strange telling Fritz what he just did, but he didn't have the luxury to ask questions or give relief to Fritz. Fortunately for Brutus, he was eventually able to see the silhouette of the creature, too. His thoughts about Fritz going mad were quelled in one fatal glance.
Without thinking, Brutus grabbed Fritz, made a sharp left turn, and pulled Fritz with him. Oddly enough, Fritz didn't seem to have seen the creature a second time, otherwise the joker would have been even more panicked. Well, whatever the case may be, Brutus and Fritz just saw their friend's killer. Only a silhouette could be made out by the both of them, but it must have been the real deal. It was able to out-speed the two explorers, easily getting in front of them in just the turn of a head. This godforsaken tower was simply maddening to begin with, so a creature of this danger level wasn't out of the question.
Not long after turning and sprinting in a different direction, Brutus foolishly turned his head back to see if the creature was near them. His scanning eyes weren't able to see anything until he looked back in front; the silhouette creature was there again, just as ominous and still as before. Fritz seemed to notice the creature this time and made another sharp turn with Brutus, this time to the right. The leftward direction would bring them face-to-face with Gregor's corpse, a dead end, "We can't outrun this thing," cried Fritz, "we...we'll die here!" Fritz obviously continued to lose his mind at the thought of being impaled like Gregor, like a hunk of meat, but Brutus still didn't have the luxury to help his friend, more so now than ever before.
Fortunately, one good thing came out of turning right again, a look at the exit. Brutus didn't look behind him this time so that he could see the creature jump in front of them. He slowed his run, prepared his bow with an arrow, and focused on the exit. If the creature made it's typical move, the arrow would fly. However, Brutus knew the chances were slim-to-none. A creature of this caliber would likely not fall for Brutus' actions, a measly human's panicked attempt clinging to life. Thankfully, the exit was getting very close, two large doors that were hopefully not locked.
"We're almost ther-"
Brutus paused mid-celebration as he caught a glance of the creature out of the corner of his eye; it was right next to him for just a split second, staring like a predator towards prey. Soulless eyes marked with Gregor's blood, skin jet black, and presence so immense that Brutus forgot out to breathe. This creature could kill anything it saw instantly without any effort whatsoever, but it didn't kill Brutus and Fritz. In fact, Once Brutus and Fritz made it to the large doors, the exit, the creature didn't follow. Brutus learned how to breathe again, helping Fritz push open the double doors. They didn't look back as they put all their might into saving their precious lives, but one thing was clear; the creature was staring at them from behind, breathing down their necks, knowing it had won the hunt.
A bright light engulfed the remaining two companions. They fainted, waking up in a new area, still shrouded in darkness. When they awoke from their exhaustion-induced collapse, they didn't speak a word, only moving forward. Gregor's death hit them hard, especially combined with the fact they could have died if the creature thought them to be worthy trophies. Their walk felt long and pointless. Looking back, no doors were within sight. No exit was ahead either. Only darkness and a shroud of black haze. Fritz and Brutus could hardly see each other, despite their trained eye-sight. Perhaps this area was meant to rob trespassers of their senses before robbing them of their mortal bodies. Regardless, they eventually snapped out of their shock, sort of. They still didn't speak to each other, but they knew they had to stick together and prepare themselves for whatever was to come.
Ages felt like they passed as they continued to traverse the infinite darkness. The floor at their feet and the chill in the air were the only sensations left for them at this point. Brutus looked over to Fritz, only to see absolutely nothing. Brutus stopped walking, crouched closer to the ground, and notched an arrow into his bow. He didn't feel like dying in a place as soulless as that creature's eyes. He called out for Fritz, only to hear his own voice echo across the vast void. A few minutes later, he could hear footsteps behind him. Brutus' senses were dulled from the long walk and the cold mist, so he couldn't tell if he was hearing Fritz or something else.
"Fritz," he whispered, "is that you?"
The footsteps ceased their existence. Silence refilled Brutus' ears, heightening his human fear of the dark. His sweat dripped from his face like rain from a storming cloud. His breathing intensified like the winds of a hurricane. His unblinking eyes reddened with blood. Brutus' ears heard his own heartbeat...and another footstep. With a loud clap of his feet, he quickly turned towards the source of the sound.
He attempted to shoot his arrow, but he bumped into something that instantly swatted the bow and arrow out of his grasp. With precision skilled mixed with primal instinct, Brutus jumped into the direction of the thing that disarmed him, talking it onto the ground. He got his hunting knife out and attempted to stab the invisible foe, but was countered with sharp pain to his face. He was struck and in turn forced on his back. The thing that hit him then got on top of him and grabbing Brutus's arms in an attempt to restrain him. In a last ditch effort to defeat the invisible foe in front of him, he slammed his head against the humanoid being's head, or at least what felt like a head during the tackle, "I'm not dying today!" Without further hesitation, Brutus stabbed the staggered being with his hunting knife.
The invisible foe and Brutus now both stood, but only Brutus kept standing. With an audible thud, a body fell onto the floor. A flash of bright light blinded the primal Brutus. He staggered back while rubbing his blood-stained eyes. When Brutus was able to open his eyes, he slowly noticed said blood on his hands. Must have been the invisible foe's blood.
The flash also snapped Brutus out of his primal haze, allowing him to remember Fritz, "Fritz. Fritz! Where are you!" The weaponless archer scanned his illuminated surroundings and noticed nothing but treasure as far as the eye could see. Gold, jewels, and various other ornaments littered the surroundings. But then Brutus noticed Fritz, lying on the ground, hunting knife deep in his back. The lifeless corpse of the former joker was nothing short of horror to Brutus; he had killed his own friend. Brutus didn't move, awestruck by what had transpired throughout his exploration of the ominous tower.
The most noticeable treasure started shaking, eventually leaking with a black mist. Brutus didn't care what happened anymore. Nothing could snap him out of his current state. Not even the Djinn that emerged from the black mist, congratulating the man for successfully clearing all of the dangers this dungeon had to offer.
"Congratulations, Brutus. You now have all the power and wealth you've always wanted."
"Shut the f-"
"SHHHH!!! Shut it! Both of you! Who knows what other abominations lie in this godforsaken tower. We may have breezed through a few already, but that doesn't give us the luxury to fool around." Brutus kept his voice in a hushed tone, fearful of the creatures that lurked within this place. Not only that, but Gregor and Fritz were irritating him to no end. The three of them may have grown up together, but that didn't mean they had to get along.
"Fine, whatever. But you two gotta admit, the joke was clever." Fritz, an joker with a silver tongue.
"As clever as my fist in your face." Gregor, a warrior with an iron will.
"Ugh..." And Brutus, an archer with the leadership skills to keep the three of them from falling apart.
The dull banter continued, regardless of anyone's feelings. They just fought against humanoid abominations for the first and survived. Either a stroke of luck or a fluke that won't carry on. Granted, these three fighters were known across Reim as capable soldiers, top among their peers. However, will that be enough to save them in the end?
The hallway they eventually found themselves in was very dark, black even. Fritz touched the walls out of curiosity, noticing their slimy texture. Color wasn't visible due to the light not reaching far enough, so Fritz and company could only assume the slime was mold. The smell in the air was just as rotten as the texture on the walls, foal and corrosive to the nostrils.
"Smells like corpses," noted Gregor, "What do you think, Brutus?" Even the mighty Gregor became nervous from the texture and smell of the poorly lit hallway. The humanoid abominations smelled, too, but not of rotting flesh. Brutus noticed Gregor's uneasiness coupled with Fritz's dangerous curiosity.
Instead, he just answered, "probably just some exotic mold smelling the place up," and let his friends do and think as they please. The archer grew weary of setting his companions straight and just decided to let them be. If he didn't want to be told what to do or how to act, then they probably didn't want to either.
Seemingly no traps were sprung, but an audible scrapping sound could be heard coming from both walls. of the hallway. Brutus' sharp eyes and Fritz's sharp ears could tell the walls were moving closer together, probably intending to squeeze the life out of the three trespassers. "Ah man, what now!?" worried Fritz, "walking abominations and now walking walls?"
Thankfully, the three spring into action right away, running towards the tiniest sliver of light in the distance. Running towards the light was the only sane thing to do, what with the other way being far too long a stretch. They'd risk setting off another trap, but getting killed by two walls wouldn't be any fun.
The trio raced for the light, sprinting as fast as they could. However, the faster they ran the quicker the walls came together. Fritz and Brutus looked as though they could escape, but Gregor, being the armor wearing warrior, couldn't quite keep up his sprinting pace. The walls weren't getting any farther apart as the light turned into a legitimate exit, so Gregor would have to lose his precious armor if he wanted to keep his even more precious life.
Fritz and Brutus were able to escape the creeping walls. They looked back to see if Gregor needed help, "Come on Gregor! Run faster!" Gregor left his armor behind in hopes of running faster, but the walls sped up, too. Fritz's useless yelling didn't reach Gregor's ears has his entire body was pulsing with adrenaline and causing his ears to ring. The large man sweet bullets as he saw both the exit and the walls; they seemed indistinguishable, almost as if he was already dead and just stuck in purgatory. However, Gregor could feel a warm touch on his outstretched hands as he reached for the light. In a last ditch effort, Fritz and Brutus grabbed the sweaty Gregor and pulled him out from between the nearly shut walls, saving the poor warrior's life.
"Oh my god, that was close...I thought for sure I was dead." Fritz and Brutus saved Gregor and now found themselves in another poorly lite area. However, the darkness from the hallway still lost in terms of visibility. Looking back at the now closed walls, the Fritz and Brutus noticed there wasn't any mold growing, but instead rotting flesh and blood hung from the squished crease of the former hallway. Fritz and Brutus felt sick and upchucked whatever was in their stomach. They were used to seeing corpses line battlefields, but not entire hallways covered in nothing but flesh and blood. Strangely enough, Gregor didn't made a sound.
"Gregor?"
The light within the room had become much dimmer as Fritz and Brutus were vomiting. They barely noticed Gregor leaning against a nearby pillar. In fact, upon further inspection of the room, there turned out to be nothing but pillars. Whatever the appearance of the room, Fritz and Brutus had turned their attention to Gregor, casually leaning against a pillar as if he hadn't just run for his life. However, Gregor's eerie silence worried his companions. They crept closer, not even seeing any movement from the standing Gregor. They could hardly seem him, but it was definitely still Gregor against that pillar. No humanoid abomination was as big as Gregor.
"Come on buddy, stop being so silent. Are you upset with us for almost leaving you behind? Cause that wasn't on purpose." Fritz crept closer than Brutus, eventually bumping his should into something that looked like Gregor's sword. The low visibility definitely didn't help make seeing object easier, but one thing was made clear by Fritz, "Gre...gor..."
"Fritz? What's wrong? Is Gregor just sleep walking?"
Fritz seemed too stunned to move a muscle, so Brutus decided to get closer and see for himself what was so fascinating by that pillar. Having gotten close enough, Brutus shook both Fritz and Gregor, not noticing the object protruding from the warrior's chest. Fritz snapped out of his shock and pointed it the now obviously harpooned Gregor, harpooned by his own sword against the rock pillar.
Brutus' eyes finally adjusted, also turning speechless from shock. How could Gregor have been stuck like a pig so quietly and quickly without to two remaining explorers noticing? They tried to take the sword out, but it was too well wedged into the pillar. Unfortunately, Fritz and Brutus would have to leave Gregor behind if they wanted to escape this hellhole alive.
"Let's go, Fritz, we have to run."
"But Gregor-"
"Run now!"
Fritz finally listened to Brutus and ran with him through the maze of pillars, hopefully outrunning whatever had killed Gregor so efficiently. Though, Fritz just couldn't leave behind a friend's corpse without taking one last look and saying his farewells, so he peaked over his shoulder, only to notice the silhouette of the creature. Fritz became panicked and out-sprinted Brutus, trying to tug him along in a frenzy. Brutus looked back to see what the extra fuss was about and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Why are you running like this-"
"It's right behind us," whispered Fritz in a horror stricken tone.
"There's nothing left there! Snap out of it! Gregor is dead, let's focus on getting out of here rather than making things up!" Brutus felt strange telling Fritz what he just did, but he didn't have the luxury to ask questions or give relief to Fritz. Fortunately for Brutus, he was eventually able to see the silhouette of the creature, too. His thoughts about Fritz going mad were quelled in one fatal glance.
Without thinking, Brutus grabbed Fritz, made a sharp left turn, and pulled Fritz with him. Oddly enough, Fritz didn't seem to have seen the creature a second time, otherwise the joker would have been even more panicked. Well, whatever the case may be, Brutus and Fritz just saw their friend's killer. Only a silhouette could be made out by the both of them, but it must have been the real deal. It was able to out-speed the two explorers, easily getting in front of them in just the turn of a head. This godforsaken tower was simply maddening to begin with, so a creature of this danger level wasn't out of the question.
Not long after turning and sprinting in a different direction, Brutus foolishly turned his head back to see if the creature was near them. His scanning eyes weren't able to see anything until he looked back in front; the silhouette creature was there again, just as ominous and still as before. Fritz seemed to notice the creature this time and made another sharp turn with Brutus, this time to the right. The leftward direction would bring them face-to-face with Gregor's corpse, a dead end, "We can't outrun this thing," cried Fritz, "we...we'll die here!" Fritz obviously continued to lose his mind at the thought of being impaled like Gregor, like a hunk of meat, but Brutus still didn't have the luxury to help his friend, more so now than ever before.
Fortunately, one good thing came out of turning right again, a look at the exit. Brutus didn't look behind him this time so that he could see the creature jump in front of them. He slowed his run, prepared his bow with an arrow, and focused on the exit. If the creature made it's typical move, the arrow would fly. However, Brutus knew the chances were slim-to-none. A creature of this caliber would likely not fall for Brutus' actions, a measly human's panicked attempt clinging to life. Thankfully, the exit was getting very close, two large doors that were hopefully not locked.
"We're almost ther-"
Brutus paused mid-celebration as he caught a glance of the creature out of the corner of his eye; it was right next to him for just a split second, staring like a predator towards prey. Soulless eyes marked with Gregor's blood, skin jet black, and presence so immense that Brutus forgot out to breathe. This creature could kill anything it saw instantly without any effort whatsoever, but it didn't kill Brutus and Fritz. In fact, Once Brutus and Fritz made it to the large doors, the exit, the creature didn't follow. Brutus learned how to breathe again, helping Fritz push open the double doors. They didn't look back as they put all their might into saving their precious lives, but one thing was clear; the creature was staring at them from behind, breathing down their necks, knowing it had won the hunt.
A bright light engulfed the remaining two companions. They fainted, waking up in a new area, still shrouded in darkness. When they awoke from their exhaustion-induced collapse, they didn't speak a word, only moving forward. Gregor's death hit them hard, especially combined with the fact they could have died if the creature thought them to be worthy trophies. Their walk felt long and pointless. Looking back, no doors were within sight. No exit was ahead either. Only darkness and a shroud of black haze. Fritz and Brutus could hardly see each other, despite their trained eye-sight. Perhaps this area was meant to rob trespassers of their senses before robbing them of their mortal bodies. Regardless, they eventually snapped out of their shock, sort of. They still didn't speak to each other, but they knew they had to stick together and prepare themselves for whatever was to come.
Ages felt like they passed as they continued to traverse the infinite darkness. The floor at their feet and the chill in the air were the only sensations left for them at this point. Brutus looked over to Fritz, only to see absolutely nothing. Brutus stopped walking, crouched closer to the ground, and notched an arrow into his bow. He didn't feel like dying in a place as soulless as that creature's eyes. He called out for Fritz, only to hear his own voice echo across the vast void. A few minutes later, he could hear footsteps behind him. Brutus' senses were dulled from the long walk and the cold mist, so he couldn't tell if he was hearing Fritz or something else.
"Fritz," he whispered, "is that you?"
The footsteps ceased their existence. Silence refilled Brutus' ears, heightening his human fear of the dark. His sweat dripped from his face like rain from a storming cloud. His breathing intensified like the winds of a hurricane. His unblinking eyes reddened with blood. Brutus' ears heard his own heartbeat...and another footstep. With a loud clap of his feet, he quickly turned towards the source of the sound.
He attempted to shoot his arrow, but he bumped into something that instantly swatted the bow and arrow out of his grasp. With precision skilled mixed with primal instinct, Brutus jumped into the direction of the thing that disarmed him, talking it onto the ground. He got his hunting knife out and attempted to stab the invisible foe, but was countered with sharp pain to his face. He was struck and in turn forced on his back. The thing that hit him then got on top of him and grabbing Brutus's arms in an attempt to restrain him. In a last ditch effort to defeat the invisible foe in front of him, he slammed his head against the humanoid being's head, or at least what felt like a head during the tackle, "I'm not dying today!" Without further hesitation, Brutus stabbed the staggered being with his hunting knife.
The invisible foe and Brutus now both stood, but only Brutus kept standing. With an audible thud, a body fell onto the floor. A flash of bright light blinded the primal Brutus. He staggered back while rubbing his blood-stained eyes. When Brutus was able to open his eyes, he slowly noticed said blood on his hands. Must have been the invisible foe's blood.
The flash also snapped Brutus out of his primal haze, allowing him to remember Fritz, "Fritz. Fritz! Where are you!" The weaponless archer scanned his illuminated surroundings and noticed nothing but treasure as far as the eye could see. Gold, jewels, and various other ornaments littered the surroundings. But then Brutus noticed Fritz, lying on the ground, hunting knife deep in his back. The lifeless corpse of the former joker was nothing short of horror to Brutus; he had killed his own friend. Brutus didn't move, awestruck by what had transpired throughout his exploration of the ominous tower.
The most noticeable treasure started shaking, eventually leaking with a black mist. Brutus didn't care what happened anymore. Nothing could snap him out of his current state. Not even the Djinn that emerged from the black mist, congratulating the man for successfully clearing all of the dangers this dungeon had to offer.
"Congratulations, Brutus. You now have all the power and wealth you've always wanted."
