The tremor put everybody on high alert. Vibrations forced them to crouch to avoid losing balance and falling. Sweeping the vicinity with their eyes, panicking, they finally found the source.
The wall in front of them slowly began to open, revealing what was hidden behind. A very loud gasp, followed by an ear-piercing moan of metal, and a dark line appeared in an epic battle between a hero and a horde of monsters, depicted in a magnificent relief. It widened slowly, at the first moment making it impossible to see what was beyond.
Fortunately, it soon changed, when the space became even wider. Through this opening, they could see a moving shape. Something that initially was too grotesque to be identified, with time, though, they were able to comprehend what they were looking at.
Surrounded by an incredibly massive, semicircular table, filled with gigantic portions of tasty food, sitting on a throne assembled from slabs of stone, sat a peculiar creature. This couldn't be a man, despite the resemblance, only because the size was simply biologically unachievable for the homosapiens. He was massive. Tall as a house, but also fat enough to roll instead of walking. Almost as round as a ball. Only a loin cloth covered his body. The flaps of skin, filled with fat, hung on this towering frame, filling the throne to the brim. Overflowing even.
The individual was munching, and slurping on a ridiculously big drumstick. The size of that thing was way beyond a turkey leg, putting even an ostrich leg to shame.
'You could beat somebody to death with this,' Sam observed, as this creature tore a piece of cooked flesh off the bone, only to repeat the same motion with the other drumstick held in its other hand.
The mouth was so filled, that some of the grease and meat fell from the mouth of the humanoidal caricature, which didn't seem bothered, even when the fat dropped on its chest, sliding slowly due to the tremors.
Moments later the shaking stopped, but the individual kept eating. Tearing mouthfuls after mouthfuls and chewing loudly while gasping. He soon paused, putting the meat back on the table to grab one of the jugs, big as barrels. He drank from it, spilling the contents on his chin. A blob of partially melted fat slid off the chin, slapping right on the chest, to then fall off.
As the creature pealed off the jug from its lips, a loud burp burst from its mouth, filling the ears of all the humans who watched in shock. The sound twisted their stomachs in an unpleasant grip, but the worst came later. The smell of the breath. It was disgusting, contorting their faces, almost causing them to vomit.
They covered their noses and mouths with their clothes. Some used the sleeves of their sweatshirts, while others opted for ties. Those with less had to use more desperate methods. Lily had to hide her nose in the crook of her elbow, hoping that it would be enough. Fortunately, the smell quickly disappeared, fast enough to somehow endure the situation.
„What is that thing?!" Jordan hissed, taking a few steps forward.
„It could be dangerous," Brad warned. „Let's be careful."
„It's the judge, look," Evan announced pointing forward.
It took a moment for everybody to notice what he had in mind, but eventually, they spotted a desk nameplate. It was wooden, but had golden letters carved on its surface, which spelled 'The Judge'.
„It's clearly more interested in food than us. Maybe we should try talking with it?" Evan asked, deciding to slowly approach.
„Genious idea. Why don't we try drowning in the fountain instead?" Lily snorted, but her comment was ignored.
Sam caught the boy moving with the corner of his eyes, which prompted him to walk as well – cautiously. After the two, the rest also followed. When they reached the wall, which so ostentatiously opened, leaving them with still plenty of distance to reach the feasting creature, it moved.
It threw one of the drumsticks back on the table, to point to the side with a plumb finger, before grabbing the food once again, completely engrossing itself with eating.
Gasping and freezing in place, all their gazes ventured toward the showed direction. In the plain, grey, and flat wall was a dark entrance. In front of it, immersed in the cobblestone, was a massive slab of stone with something clearly engraved on the surface, as they could see the marks, even from a distance. However, the angle made it impossible to read from their position.
„I'm not going any closer to that thing," the man in the suit informed.
Nobody seemed to care, but all looked at one another as if expecting somebody to take charge.
„I'll go," Brad spoke, not giving them a room to stop him, as he immediately began walking.
With his eyes focused on the feasting massive humanoid, he started his approach. Sam watched it carefully, noticing that the strange creature paid them no mind. At that moment he decided to follow right behind the soldier.
'This could be the way out. Or at least a direction,' he concluded opting for a slightly longer route, which put more distance between him and the potential danger. 'The monster doesn't seem interested in us, so it should be safe...'
Brad opted for a straight line, keeping close tabs on the massive humanoid as he walked.
A couple of steps in, others noticed that nothing was going on, giving them a weird, and suspicious sense of relative safety, which prompted them to move as well, in the hope of finding a way out.
As the distance to the dark pathway shortened, Sam was able to see the words on the slab. 'To leave, enter the labyrinth. Clear the trials, and emerge victorious,' was written on the ground. He immediately peaked at the door, but couldn't see through the darkness.
„Enter the labirynth? What does that mean?" asked Mia, approaching with the others.
Nobody answered her question initially. Brad reached the slab, and for a moment glared at the thick shadows swirling inside the path ahead, seemingly blocking the entrance.
„There is only one way to find out," he said after a moment, then stepped forward, vanishing behind the wall of absolute darkness.
Lily gasped, noticing this, but others didn't show as much emotion, still approaching. Sam reached the enigmatic entrance, freezing right in front of it, looking intently at the emptiness ahead, hoping to see something. Even though he was ready for something, when Brad's hand popped out, a violent shiver still shook his body.
„It's safe… I think," announced the soldier when his head popped out, at first only looking at Sam, but then his gaze shifted to others. „It looks like there is a labyrinth ahead."
„Entering a labyrinth without any water or food could be fatal," Evan pointed out. „We could easily get lost and die of starvation."
„Duh, but how do you propose we solve this problem? It's not like we can pull some food from a hat," Lily complained.
„You have a hat. Maybe try performing the magic trick, before you ridicule my idea," the boy said sarcastically.
She only gave him an angry look in response.
The answer to her question was obvious. Everybody knew it, but nobody wanted to say it out loud. Their gazes naturally shifted to the feasting giant. To their surprise, the monster stopped eating, and it glared back at them. It was not just any look, but quite a clear challenge. The massive eyes were taunting, almost shouting: 'Come here, try taking something if you dare.'
„Yeah… That's not happening," Sam mumbled.
„I agree," Jordan said much louder. „Let's just try to find our way through the labyrinth."
„Why?" asked Evan showing fake surprise. „We could feed the girl to that thing. Maybe then it will be friendly enough to share with us.
Mia squealed.
„Stop scaring her," Kenji growled. „This is not the time to be joking like this."
Sam had enough of their pointless arguments, so he moved forward, forcing Brad to take a step back to make room. He passed through the darkness. As others noticed, he was already vanishing in the thick shadows.