~ unknown location ~

  [The Year 8616 in the current Age]

  THE ECHOES had finally abated.

  After recovering from the immediate shock he had soon started grimacing in desperation - the reverberating echoes had created a true symphony of noise and had surely advertised his presence to everything close by. It had also taken an excruciating amount of time, in Eljas’s opinion, to lessen and disappear.

  He paranoiacally watched his surroundings, expecting something to happen any moment. Though, to his immense relief, nothing happened in the moments after the silence had reclaimed the hall and a indefinite time passed where Eljas didn’t move a muscle.

  He had scrambled away from the skull and in is his frantic retreat he had cut himself on his hand - probably on some bone shard or the like.

  He took a couple of calming breaths and tried to relocate the place, where once at least a person had lain. After crawling in the wrong direction at first, he finally touched upon some stuff littered on the floor. He began trying to identify the objects he encountered by touch, but it offered limited success in clearly specifying what was what. His crawling had brought him back to his original spot and he started rummaging trough the pile he was able to make out in front of him to a certain degree.

  First, he carefully retrieved the cloak he had noticed in the beginning. Only now, he could feel the age of the fabric and he found the holes and tears the darkness had previously hidden from his gaze. Nevertheless, his first assumption proved accurate - the cloak being a heavy one and perfectly suited to protecting themselves against cold environments. It was nothing fancy of course, but the material was quite thick and durable - a clear indication that the damages must have been caused by a strong external force, however that happened.

  He eagerly folded the precious object together and placed it close next to him.

  He nodded to himself contentedly and refocused on the now unveiled area.

  He looked on grimly at the skeleton that had collapsed in on itself after he’d disturbed the delicate balance it had maintained for who knew how long. Judging by the clean, dry bones, it must’ve been a long time - unless, of course, the same creatures that had haunted his chamber when he first awoke had played their part here too. In truth, he suspected both were likely, two threads of a story now lost to time.

  A shiver ran through him as he wondered what the person’s final moments had been like. To die in such a place - far from any semblance of civilisation, from comfort given by family and friends, from even the memory of light - alone. Forgotten to the world.

  He continued thinking about the person’s demise while examining the other objects laying around. There were some buttons here and there, of the pertaining clothes only scattered rags remained, time hadn’t been kind to them.

  He continued sweeping his hands across the floor, placing any bone fragments he found onto the slowly growing pile he had arranged against the wall. Then his fingers brushed against two unfamiliar objects - one about two paces long, the other roughly the size of a rock - both previously hidden between the figure’s feet, most likely.

  He began moving his hands up and down on each object, trying to outline them in his mind. The second object was definitely some kind of rock, it didn’t give away when scratched and had a heavy feel to it. The first one was definitely some kind of wood - the rough, uneven surface under his fingertips a strong indication for it in his mind. The only confusing property was the barrel-like enlargement at the end of the stick, he furrowed his brows in concentration and a sudden theory let him close with object. His nose hovered only finger away and he breathed in deeply. Surely, the characteristic smell of scorched material with hints of wax cleared any uncertainty - Eljas had found himself a proper torch.

  Following the hints, he picked up the rock with his other hand and steppe towards the nearest part of the wall. With a decisive motion, he stroke the rock against the wall with force and was met with an immediate explosion of sparks. The darkness hid his growing smile, but in the next moment another outburst of sparks flashed into existence. This time, however, the torch was in the right place and a lively flame pushed the encroaching darkness away.

  The sight of the flame stirred something deep within Eljas. His eyes remained fixed on the amber glow as a single tear traced a slow path down his cheek. The comforting thought that he now had the means to illuminate his path brought a quiet warmth to his chest, and for a fleeting moment, the tense lines etched into his face softened into something almost carefree.

  The moment passed, though, as soon as it came. He refocused on the situation and stepped back to his momentary treasure trove. What greeted him was a ghastly sight for sure. A small area had been cleaned of dust and residue and the stone floor had become visible again. To the side rested the pile of bones and to the other the lone skull still lay on the dirty floor, seemingly watching over this odd scene.

  “Did every treasure hunter experience a moment like this?” He wondered. He wouldn’t know - after all, the tales only ever spoke of the exorbitant treasures they unearthed, not the moments in between.

  He kept looking at the sight in front of him, slowly moving the burning torch from one side to the other - watching how the shadows changed in length.

  He proceeded watching the rest of the hall as well, noticing details that had eluded him before while looking for any other interesting object nearby. His examination bore fruit, when he noticed something occasionally reflecting the light of the flame. The object in question was hidden under a small mound of dust he had unknowingly piled up next to the cleared area. Only a small part sticked out of the dirt and without the reflection Eljas would have never found it. He bent down and slowly grabbed for the hidden object.

  His eyes widened in wonder as a dagger emerged. It bore no ornamentation on its wooden handle and appeared simple at first glance, yet the way the amber flame danced across the naked blade was mesmerising. It felt right in his hand—balanced, purposeful, as if forged just for him by the finest smith in the Merchant Empire. A weapon of legends, discovered in the deepest, darkest pit of the world.

  Following this, Eljas stood up and posed determinedly over the remnants of past failings, a shining dagger in one hand and a torch held up high over his head, gazing back the way he had previously crept along. A feeling of steadfastness gradually enveloped him and Eljas took a reassuring breath.

  As if a silent observer, hidden from sight, had taken personal offence to Eljas’s proud bearing, the stone floor beneath his feet suddenly began to tremble, and a familiar noise surged through the air around him.

  Numerous new openings slowly but surely joined the solitary one along the hall’s walls. Eljas, his mind frozen in sudden fear, slowly began stumbling backwards - away from the walls. His eyes darted to the many recesses that slowly grew larger and larger.

  He reached a round podium slightly elevated from the floor in the middle of the hall and tightly gripped his two newly acquired objects with desperation.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Too late, he remembered the light shining through the lone opening - a tender promise of safe retreat. He jerked around, eyes wide with hope, only to gasp in fright as he saw the opening steadily shrinking. Unlike the others, his passage was closing and the process had already passed the halfway point.

  He leapt off the podium and sprinted toward the fading refuge, which now seemed impossibly far away. A heartbeat later, Eljas crashed into the sealed wall, sliding the last few meters in a desperate attempt to slip through before it was too late. But all he could do was stare in anguish at the diminishing patch of light on the floor before him - powerless to stop it. Still, he pounded his fists against the now-silent wall, clinging to the hope that the door might somehow reopen. Yet that hope felt distant, swallowed by the darkness that crept back in to reclaim the space where light had briefly dared to shine.

  Eljas rested his forehead against the wall in silent desperation, the silence of the hall intermittently disturbed by his fists futilely pounding on the hard surface. The sounds echoed through the darkened hall, the torch extinguished in his mad dash of retreat, and resounded through the various new entrances.

  All of a sudden, a deep, gargling sound cut through the noise of his frantic pounding, making him freeze in place. Eljas held his breath, listening. Faint echoes drifted towards him from the far side of the hall - slow and deliberate, like something massive was prowling ever closer. The movement stopped for a brief, agonising moment. Then, the gargling returned, low and guttural, reverberating through the air like a nightmare incarnated. A shiver crawled down his spine as a sudden dread coiled tightly in his chest, slowly making him turn.

  The movement resumed and the originator seemed much closer now. Eljas carefully extracted the firestone, and with trembling hands proceeded to re-ignite the flame. His eyes darting around while the darkness appeared heavy and full of animosity yet again.

  The sudden spark of light relieved somewhat his apprehension, only for it to return full force when he caught sight of two distant rows of red eyes, hovering within the darkness of one of the many new openings on the far side of the hall. The eyes were fixed squarely on him and the dreadful sound reached his ears once again.

  The moment stretched on, every heartbeat thundering in Eljas’s ears as he barely dared to breathe, afraid that even the faintest sound might provoke a reaction. But the creature needed no invitation. The flickering amber glow of the torch in his hand danced across the jagged surface of a spiked snout - emerging slowly, threateningly, from the darkness beyond the opening.

  A creature unlike anything any story had ever prepared him for emerged. Its elongated head was studded with jagged spikes, flanked by two horizontal rows of three eyes on each side - each eye blinking independently in an unsettling rhythm. The heavy skull was supported by a thick neck, packed with corded muscles that rippled with every subtle shift of its body. That same raw power extended across its back and limbs. Six sturdy legs supported a broad, armoured torso, with small spikes jutting from the elbows and knees. Behind it, a spiked tail swung lazily from side to side, carving shallow gouges into the surrounding rock with every pass.

  Eljas tracked the creature’s every movement, though it was painfully clear he stood no chance of defending himself against such a predator. He swallowed hard as his gaze was drawn back to that eerie, transfixing stare.

  The full width of the hall separated him from the beast’s partially opened maw, where rows of jagged teeth - some slick with blood and saliva - gleamed menacingly. Whatever had caused those terrible screams earlier was likely standing before him now. What had once felt like a vast chamber suddenly seemed suffocatingly small, offering no real protection. The creature could cross the distance between them in just a few strides.

  The nearest openings called out to him, each one a whispered promise of escape from a bloody, terrible end. Only a short dash to either side stood between him and safety.

  But the creature was no mindless beast - it tracked his every twitch with one of its many blinking eyes, and then, as if reading his thoughts, took a slow step forward, baring its full set of jagged teeth. The guttural, gargling sound returned, deeper this time, like a growled warning. It was the threat to accept the reality of the situation... and his fate.

  And still, Eljas had never been the type to simply follow along. That stubbornness had earned him plenty of trouble in the past, after all.

  So, while the creature continued its terrible, throaty growl and paced menacingly toward him, Eljas clutched his few possessions tighter. With a final, grounding breath, he launched himself to the right. But he didn’t dive for the first opening. Instead, driven by a sudden, hair-raising premonition, he hurled himself forward—arms outstretched—just as something primal screamed at him to duck.

  It wasn’t a second too soon.

  Two pairs of gleaming, razor-sharp talons sliced through the air, passing mere inches above his head. A heartbeat later, the creature crashed into the stone wall behind him with a deafening impact, shaking the entire chamber and showering Eljas in dust and stone splinters.

  Eljas had survived the first encounter and didn’t wait any longer. He took one hasty glance over his shoulder at the momentarily dazed monster and then proceeded to run headlong into the next opening - the flickering torch illuminating a barren hallway that stretched straight ahead into the gloom.

  He had no idea how long the chase had lasted - he had lost all sense of direction and any feeling for the passage of time. Only a vague sense remained of how many turns he had taken before the current one. His torch flickered ahead, revealing yet another junction at the end of the corridor he was now barreling down.

  But he had no time to think on it. The creature was close - far too close - just as it had been from the very start.

  It had recovered quickly from its daze after that first crash into the wall of the great hall, and it had done so again and again, each time Eljas had forced it into another sharp turn. No matter how powerful it was, the beast couldn't pivot swiftly enough once it had gathered speed.

  And for that, Eljas was immensely grateful.

  The only reason he was still drawing cold, musty air in ragged gasps into his lungs was because of these twisting, labyrinthine corridors. They were his salvation - at least for now.

  However, the creature had learned from its previous failures and at the next turn Eljas didn’t leave unscathed. The creature crashed into the wall yet again, though this time it tried to turn in time using his many limbs to anchor itself. Luckily it didn’t work and Eljas regained new and the much needed distance from its maw. Eljas redoubled his efforts after hearing and feeling the tremendous impact in his boots, but this time a searing pain on his back flashed out of nowhere and catapulted him to the ground - the creature had used its spiked tail for the first time to draw his blood. And with great success; Eljas could feel the blood flowing out of the long gash with each beating of his heart.

  The pain made him stubbornly crawl onwards and when he finally reached the corridor’s wall, he carefully moved to stand up again - the pulsating pain a taste of what would soon happen to him if he didn’t keep going.

  The gargling, guttural sound announced the return of the creature - the clicking sound of its talons on the stone floor reverberating throughout the empty hallway.

  Eljas didn’t look back, instead he hobbled with a pain contorted grimace around the next corner and was met with a narrow, jagged gap in the wall a few paces away. He reached it and squeezed through, exiting it shortly after into an open space - the subtle change of air temperature and the slight breeze that was present indicating as much.

  The torchlight cast a flickering light over mould-covered surfaces, occasionally there were fungi growing out of crevices. Eljas couldn’t help but marvel at the new signs of life - other than the terror in the corridor behind him of course - in this place of nightmares.

  `Fungi means something edible!’ the thought shot through his mind and his eyes widened at the realisation.

  ?The monster won’t fit trough the gap, Im safe for now…“ He murmured disbelievingly after he had looked back the way he had come.

  He continued hobbling in-between the islands of life, racking his brain about any knowledge he had of fungi. However, the information remained obscure - probably another of his missed lessons during school.

  After carefully examining yet another type of fungi, Eljas nearly stumbled off the edge of a vast gorge as he turned around. A startled gasp escaped him, and he barely managed to catch his balance.

  Beads of sweat trickled steadily from his brow, disappearing into the yawning abyss below. Heart pounding, he leaned forward cautiously, trying to glimpse the far edge of the chasm - but the darkness obscured everything beyond a certain point.

  The growling of an approaching beast snapped him back into reality and he turned around full of dread. The monster slowly entered the amber sphere of light, its muscles tensed for a final assault.

  Eljas could only watch in frozen terror as the creature, baring its massive fangs, began crouching low and every bristle on its body started vibrating in tandem. He desperately rose his hand gripping the dagger tightly and let out a shout full of terror and fright.

  The shout kept echoing throughout the open space and reverberated in the gorge long after the creature had jumped Eljas and they were both tossed over the edge - a desperate fight ensuing while falling into the abyss.