"Yeah, yeah, you think something like that would kill me? I'm the one and only Trevor Thorne, baby!"
Niss felt a huge wave of relief roll over him as he saw his buddy alive. Even if he was covered head to toe in blood, he was acting fine.
"Uhh, do you want me to blast you with some water? You look like you died and came back to life!" Lysandra was laughing hysterically at her little joke.
"Wow. How empathetic of you."
WHOOSHHH
Standing before them was Trevor, completely drenched but now not in blood. He looked completely fine after all the blood had washed off.
"Whoa! Is that an artifact you found, Trevor?" Now that Lysandra knew he was okay, she was curious about the glowing cube Trevor was holding.
"Yeah, I found it in the little cubby I survived in.... here." He tossed it over to her.
"Hmm... I mean, if it's the prize for clearing the puzzle, it must be something great, right?"
Curt had finally come to his senses after seeing Trevor alive. "It's likely the key to that huge door back there."
Niss came up to Trevor, smacking him on the back. "Trevor! Didn't doubt you for a second, buddy! Good looks!"
"Are you good?" Trevor looked at him like he was crazy.
"No, I'm not good! Scared the heck out of me, man!" Niss said in a half-joking manner, smiling now, regaining his composure.
"Well then, let's try out this so called key!" Trevor laughed with his normal loud and infectious laugh, fully returned.
'I shouldn't have lost my cool. Dungeons are clearly more complicated than I thought before. But knowing Trevor, there was no way he would have died to some simple spikes.'
As they retraced their steps back to the main room, the colossal door loomed above them, its surface adorned with intricate, unfamiliar etchings and engravings. Niss mulled over his recent actions, contemplating how he could improve himself.
'I can't be losing focus so easily.'
With Siarra's flame flickering brightly and highlighting the door's mysterious symbols, the group was able to see every part of the massive door, noticing a small space in the center where the engravings converged, forming a perfect little square.
Approaching the mysterious door, Trevor stepped forward, holding the green cube out towards it. The cube vibrated intensely, its emerald light flaring up and enveloping the area, creating what almost looked like an aura. The group watched in awe as the symbols on the door seemed to react, glowing faintly in response to the cube's energy. There was a sense of anticipation in the air, as if the very essence of the dungeon held its breath.
.....Creeaakkk....
Perfectly splitting down the middle, the door swung inward, revealing something that none of them had expected or maybe they did expect it, considering its a crypt. A large room filled with sarcophagi, all lined up perfectly and undisturbed. The room was vast, extending far in front of them, and the ceiling was so high up it couldn't be seen, shrouded in simple and pure darkness above them. In the distance, Niss could discern the shape of a throne.
"Is this some kind of grand throne room that was filled with these sarcophagi?" Niss wondered aloud.
Entering, nobody noticed the doors slowly coming to a close behind the group.
..Drip...
...Drip...
Droplets of something could be heard splashing against the floor, although nobody paid any mind to it as they stared in amazement at the lavishness of this ancient throne room. It was insane the sheer size, the columns that held the ceiling seemed to extend forever into the darkness. Carvings of ancient dragons and warriors fighting adorned the room, filling it with a sense of grandeur beyond compare. Not even the capital of Landia displayed this level of artistry. The group stood in awe, taking in the beautiful sight before them.
...Drip.
Splat.
A thick and viscous fluid dropped directly onto Niss's head. The stench of iron gave it away. Blood. Looking up, Niss could only see darkness for a moment before two large and demonic looking eyes came into focus, glaring down at him.
"Watch out!" Niss yelled, shoving others to the side.
BANG!!
Massive.
This creature was massive, a long and hairy body ending in two thick legs with claws digging into the floor crushing the sarcophagi it had landed on. The upper part of its body was an equally hairy and gross mess, matted with blood, and it had two massive wings arched up from its back. The creature's head was as large as the rest of its beastly body, with two fangs jutting out of its bloody mouth. The fangs could have been mistaken for lances used by royal knights given their size and ferocity. It's ears were large and pointed up, alert to the groups every movement, but its deep, dark eyes gave a soft, terrifying, and demonic glow, seeming to look at nothing.
"A BAT!? SINCE WHEN DO BATS GET THIS BIG AND SCARY!?" Lysandra cried out.
The massive gray bat whipped its attention to Lysandra, blood dripping from its fangs. The beast seemed practically to be smiling, as it had finally found new prey to hunt.
"Trevor! Occupy it while I get the girls to casting distance!"
"OI BAT THING! COME MESS WITH SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE! IT'S NOT NICE TO PICK ON A LADY!"
Niss grabbed Lysandra and Siarra, swiftly ushering them behind one of the pillars. He glanced over and saw Curt had found safety as well, then turned to the girls.
"Trevor and I will engage directly. Lysandra, we're buying you time to land a significant hit on him. Siarra, focus on supporting us with your magic and keeping Curt safe."
"Right!" Both girls nodded in agreement and sprang into action.
Trevor parried a massive claw swooping down from the bat, his broadsword glinting in the dim light. His aura rippled around him aggressively, causing the pebbles and shattered chunks of sarcophagi to tremble in his presence, emphasizing his affinity for earth magic.
Seizing this momentary vulnerability, Niss snatched his kama and dagger from his belt, dashing forward with aura infused speed. He sliced horizontally across the back of the beast's leg and followed up by plunging his dagger as deep into the wound as he could manage. Infusing his aura, he glowed with an intense obsidian energy, feeling a surge of strength coursing through him. The dagger buried deep, causing a deafening screech to come from the creature.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Niss leaped back, regrouping with Trevor to confront the beast head on. Ignoring the searing pain echoing in his mind, he increased the amount of aura infused in his kama and dagger, causing the dagger to develop micro-cracks all across its blade. Niss didn't have time to notice, he dashed forward once more slicing and dodging with precision as the beast fought with reckless abandon, desperately trying to slaughter the adventurers who had stumbled into its lair.