[49 Hours Into The Dungeon: Floor Unknown]
'I'm scared…'
Des sat, all huddled together in the tight, enclosed space filled with darkness. He hadn't moved for several hours, and his body was already growing numb.
But… he couldn't do anything about it.
His body was small, so the small cave had a bit of room to let him move around a little, but he found it to be unnecessary and wasteful. He had to conserve his energy, after all.
'I'm hungry, thirsty, aching, and severely weak.' His thoughts flowed as his eyes slowly began to close, before flickering back open again.
After he woke up from his unconscious state, the first thing he did was treat his head by using a piece of his cloth to clean the dry blood and tie it up. Yes, the fabric was dirty, but it wasn't like he had any other option.
'My head keeps pounding, but… there's nothing I can do about it.'
It would have been better if he could sleep and conserve more energy, but the constant pain he felt made it impossible for him to do so.
'If I had those supplies now, maybe I could treat myself and even find something to eat.' Unfortunately for him, the bag was outside—at least an hour away from where he was holed up if he was to crawl there.
Des didn't know if he had the kind of strength and mental fortitude required to journey there and back, but more importantly… he was frightened of the journey.
He didn't want to step outside since that would pit him against the very Horror that killed all the members of his Party. It was only by sheer luck that he survived the last time.
What if he wasn't so lucky again?
"M-maybe I should just stay here and hope another Party gets transported here. If I tell them how to deal with the Horror, maybe they can rescue me…" Just by listening to himself, Des knew he was being delusional.
Based on what Dredd and the others said about this place, it wasn't registered on the Compass—the guidemap that Explorers had to navigate their way through a Dungeon. That meant anyone who made it here was going to be very lost.
Also, wasn't it very unlikely that anyone would even make it here, to begin with?
It wasn't like secret areas of a Dungeon appeared very often. Plus, if the postulation that this could be a much lower Floor was true, then wouldn't it take a very long time before the Trailblazers got to this place?
If Des was lucky, this could be the 12th or 13th Floor, which meant it would take weeks—if not a few months—before they eventually reached him.
'When have I ever been lucky, though?' He asked himself, tears nearly falling from his eyes.
There was no way he could even survive for that long, especially without any supplies to help him through his time in this place. The only rational option was to go outside and obtain the supplies from the bag he carried as a Porter.
Des knew that, but… BUT…
'I can't do it!'
Anytime he thought of going outside, the horrifying grin of the Horror would flash in his head, and his entire body would grow numb. His head would also pound louder than normal, sending him into a world of pain.
The trauma he had incurred was far greater than what any 17-year old—someone who was barely an adult—should suffer.
However, for Des, there was no consideration offered to him by this world.
He had to step out eventually… or he would die.
*************
[Day 5 In The Dungeon: Floor Unknown]
Des had already made up his mind—today was the day he left the cave and went out.
His scrawny body barely had any meat left, and the bags under his eyes had become too heavy to describe. His stiff joints barely functioned, and all his bones were evident through his skin. His dry lips were cracked, and his tongue had no saliva left in it.
Even as a Slave, Des never had to suffer hunger to this point.
A day or two was the maximum, which made this a much more excruciating experience in comparison. He was incredibly tired, almost to the point of death.
But… he was not dead.
In fact, he hadn't lost the will to live, even despite all of the insurmountable problems that surrounded him.
'For days… I have studied this Floor…' Des began, his eyes narrowing as he peeked through the slightly darkened area .
Just like daytime and nighttime, the Dungeon had a similar cycle.
During 'daytime', the crystals would shine very brightly, and the Horror he encountered roamed around—consuming crystals and just stomping everything like the hulk that it was. During 'nighttime', however, the thing was completely dormant.
At least, that was what he suspected.
'We were unfortunate to have arrived when it was almost dayime, so while we were still being confused… the lights came on and the Horror struck.'
Now that he knew better, he studied the cycle—especially how long each lasted.
'Daytime lasts roughly 8 hours, and Nighttime lasts for about the same period. Once it's nearing Nighttime, the Crystals will slowly begin to dim, until it gets completely dark…' And that was what was currently happening.
It was unfortunate that the same didn't apply for Daytime, since the lights instantly turned on for that one.
'But no matter… that isn't my concern for now!'
Nightime was about to begin, which meant Des had eight hours—no, seven hours, just in case—to reach his supplies and return.
In the past, he estimated it would take him about an hour to reach his supplies, but since his physical abilities had regressed considerably, he doubled the time needed.
'That means the whole trip will take four hours max. If I account for the drag that the bag might cause, or me sorting out the supplies I might need, let's just round it up to five hours…' Des knew he was being too generous with the time, but it was better he gave himself more than enough time so there wouldn't be any trouble with the mission.
He also considered whether or not he needed to crawl very slowly to reach his goal this time, since the Horror would be dormant, but since he didn't know if the Horror could be alerted by his presence if he made any spontaneous action, he decided to stick with the safe option.
Besides, it wasn't like his current state would allow him to move very quickly anyway.
'Alright, Des! It's time already!' He watched as everything became pitch black, marking the start of his first hour.
Without wasting much time, he thrust himself out of the stifling cave and embraced he chill of the world outside it.
'Let's do this!'
*
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Some readers are bound to complain about the slow pace of my books, but it's a style I utilize to tell my stories. If you don't like it, or find the story boring like this, then I think it's best you tap out.
I won't really pay much mind to criticisms about pacing.