While Lord Argur was lamenting the enemies that had escaped his grasp, another group was full of joy. This was especially so for Bor and Ayram, who had escaped death by a whisker. Both were panting heavily, but so were many of the team mates and villagers.
"Alright! We survived!" Lonely Snow was breathless with excitement.
"We made it!" Ice Fist exclaimed. He wasn't sure they would.
Everyone else shouted, screamed and let out sighs of relief. That had been too close.
Level Up!
Level Up!
Finally, there were good news. For everyone, there was a substantial boost in their Exp, and everyone's EXP bars rose madly. Everyone's levels jumped up a few times.
"Don't worry, we took care of that." Looking around, Bor noticed that Firelord Izzu's Illegitimate Son and some NPCs were preparing for the fight coming their way. So he reassured them. They were in an enclosed place, and if trouble was following them, they would have no way out.
However, when he was observing, he couldn't stop wondering where they were.
They were in a dark place, seemingly underground. It looked a lot like the cave they had just left, and someone had lit a torch, which is when Bor's eyes landed on the platform in the middle on the room.
There was a giant sarcophagus sitting on the platform, and based on the size of it, the body inside was more than three meters tall, and as wide as two grown men standing side by side.
Bor did not want to think about it, but he also did not understand why they were in such a place, looking like a burial place of some being. He had to admit, he was getting the creeps from this place, something he did not want others to notice.
"Don't worry, even if they come, they would not be leaving here," the Shaman said as she strode confidently towards the sarcophagus. She then knelt down and supplicated to the thing.
"My Lord, sorry to have kept you waiting, but today, you awaken!" With a solemn and holy expression, she caressed the sarcophagus adoringly.
"Awaken, my Lord!"
"Awaken, my Lord!"
All around them, the villagers started chanting, while closing their eyes and extending their arms, as though in prayer. The chants and the echo, not to mention the dark setting, made for a very macabre visual effect.
By now, Bor was completely weirded out. Seeing the shaman's actions, he even felt his skin crawl. This game was too realistic, and these things were too tangible. Even the cold wind blowing in a cave. A cave! Why would there be wind in a cave? or wherever the hell they were.
However, Bor was in for a shock, for the gore was only just beginning. Without warning, the Shaman grabbed a knife and sliced her throat, falling on the sarcophagus. Streaks of blood could be seen pulsating out of her neck. Meanwhile, the villagers did nothing, just continuing with their chant.
Suddenly, the cave started shaking. Dust was coming off the ceiling of the cave, threatening a cave-in. Moreover, earthquake confined spaces was not Bor's cup of tea.
"Oh Come on, seriously!" Bor lamented. It was as though every single one of his nightmares had come true all of a sudden. He cursed the realism of the game for the umpteenth time.
Unknown to him, I am Fortress was having a ball. This was really great material, and he could tell this was a prelude to something great. What's more, he was here, recording and airing it live on the forums. By now, his live had already garnered over a million viewers.
Unfortunately for Bor, this gory cutscene was not done yet. After the violent earthquake, even the villagers were terribly shook, unable to maintain their chant. As for Bor, he had his eyes wide open, ready for the next macabre scene.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Suddenly, a rhythmic hammering was heard. It took a while for Bor to realize where this sound was coming from, but when he did, he was beyond terrified. You guessed it, the hammering was coming from inside the sarcophagus.
Bor was over six feet tall and a very well toned body. Due to his rough upbringing, he usually came off as a rough hoodlum most times. Terror was not an expression that frequented his face, but at this moment, he was beyond terrified. The color was drained from his face, and a cold sweat trickled down his spine.
A soft eek sound was heard when the sarcophagus's lid flew off, exposing the wrapped up mummy buried inside. With eerie creaking sound, the mummy attempted to get up, but it was too dilapidated to even accomplish this.
At the same time, the Shaman's blood, which had pooled around the platform which held the sarcophagus, started climbing up the platform, draining into the sarcophagus. Yes, the blood, which by all logic should have clotted, actually started climbing.
Soon, the ground around the platform was so dry one couldn't tell there was any liquid that had been spilled.
"More!" A low growl sounded from the mummy. The sound had come so unexpectedly, and so unnaturally sounding, that Bor wanted to take off. Taking a deep breath, he barely maintained his expert air.
Perhaps he was too distracted, he didn't notice that no one was paying attention to him. Apart from a few who could barely maintain their willpower, everyone else was getting fidgety. However, the straw that broke the camel's back for everyone was about to happen.
At the shout of the mummy, the villagers pulled out small daggers which had been on their person this whole time. Moving as one, as though they had practiced this move a thousand times, they all cleanly sliced off their necks, sending plums of blood.
Bor could not even bring himself to watch anymore, unfortunately, the log off option was disabled. Usually, players could just think it and they would be out, in some cases, the game would prevent users from logging off, unless due to emergencies noted by the capsule.
At this time, Bor seriously considered killing himself, just to put an end to the gore, but he endured. Even Ayram, and Lonely Snow, were hulling their guts out, just to give you an idea of how intense that scene was.
Remember the villagers included women and children, and warriors they had fought bravely alongside. Now, they had all killed themselves off as though it was nothing.
After everyone was dead except the players, it took a few minutes for the blood they had spilled to rush up the sarcophagus. With this, the mummy started producing crunching sounds, as though his bones were fitting in place.