The inside of the fortress was everything Ubuntu expected it to be. Dark, gloomy corridors stretched out in every direction, lined with towering statues of grotesque creatures, their eyes gleaming in the dim light like they were watching him, judging him. The stone walls were carved with ancient runes that glowed faintly, pulsing with a slow, eerie rhythm, as if the entire place was alive, breathing. The air was thick with the scent of something damp and ancient, a smell that reminded him of an old basement—or a haunted crypt.
He walked cautiously through the first corridor, his footsteps echoing off the cold stone. His body was still buzzing from the fight outside, but there was something about this place that made his skin crawl. The fortress was eerily quiet, save for the occasional distant rumble of thunder outside.
Too quiet.
"Okay, seriously," Ubuntu muttered to himself. "Where's the evil overlord? The big reveal? The grand speech about how I'm 'destined to fail' or whatever?"
He stopped and glanced around, raising his voice just a little. "Look, I've read the script, alright? I know how this works. The villain shows up, tells me I'm wasting my time, then there's a big fight, and I probably get some cool loot out of it. Can we just skip to that part?"
No response. Just the quiet hum of the glowing runes and the distant rumble of the storm outside.
"Guess not," he sighed. "Fine. I'll play along. But don't blame me if this feels a little... underwhelming."
He took a few more steps forward, and as if on cue, the walls on either side of him began to shift. The stone groaned, and slowly, two doors materialized out of the walls—one on the left, and one on the right. The doors were identical, carved with the same twisted symbols, each one ominous and foreboding.
"Oh, a choice," Ubuntu said flatly, staring at the two doors. "Because we all know how much I love choices."
He paced back and forth between the doors, pretending to think it over. "Door number one, or door number two? Which one leads to certain doom, and which one leads to slightly more certain doom?" He squinted at the doors. "They're not even trying to make this interesting."
After a moment of mock deliberation, he shrugged. "Eh, let's go with the classic—left it is."
He pushed open the door on the left and stepped through. Immediately, the room on the other side lit up with a blinding flash of light. He blinked, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. When the light faded, he found himself standing in a massive chamber—circular, with a high, domed ceiling that arched above him like the inside of a cathedral. The floor was polished stone, smooth and reflective, and in the center of the room stood a single, tall figure.
"Ah, here we go," Ubuntu muttered. "Finally."
The figure turned slowly to face him, and as the light dimmed, Ubuntu got his first clear look at his next opponent. It was a woman—or at least, it had the shape of a woman. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her long, flowing robes trailed behind her, giving her the appearance of floating above the ground. Her eyes were glowing white, and her face was an unreadable mask of cold indifference.
"You should not have come here, outsider," the figure intoned, her voice echoing through the chamber like a bell. "This place is not for the likes of you. Leave now, or face the consequences."
Ubuntu tilted his head, giving her a deadpan look. "Really? That's the line you're going with? 'Leave now, or face the consequences'? C'mon, you can do better than that."
The figure's eyes narrowed, clearly not amused.
"Look, I get it," Ubuntu continued, holding up his hands. "You're supposed to be the scary, mysterious guardian of the ancient fortress. But could we at least mix it up a little? How about: 'Turn back, or I will reduce you to a pile of quivering bones'? Or, 'I will feast upon your soul and devour your hopes and dreams'? You know, something with a little flair."
The figure's expression remained unchanged. "Your insolence will be your undoing, fool."
Ubuntu sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, fine, I'll do it your way. But I've gotta tell you, this whole 'stoic guardian' act? It's getting old. You're not even the first person to say 'fool' to me today. Maybe invest in a thesaurus?"
Without warning, the figure's hands shot up, and a surge of energy crackled between her fingers. The air around her rippled, and before Ubuntu could react, she launched a blast of raw, crackling magic in his direction.
Oh, now we're getting somewhere.
Ubuntu ducked just in time, the energy blast whizzing over his head and slamming into the wall behind him. The stone shattered on impact, sending chunks of rubble flying across the room.
"Alright, that's more like it," Ubuntu said, a grin spreading across his face as he darted to the side, dodging another blast. "See? Now you're starting to get it!"
The figure didn't respond—of course, she was too busy trying to vaporize him—but her attacks came faster now, each one more powerful than the last. The room lit up with flashes of blinding light as the blasts of magic slammed into the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, tearing through the stone like it was made of paper.
But Ubuntu was faster. His body moved like it had a mind of its own, dodging, weaving, and ducking out of the way of every attack. He could feel the energy in his veins, that familiar burn of power just waiting to be unleashed. He hadn't fully tapped into whatever this world had given him yet, but he didn't need to. Not for this.
"Okay, your magic tricks are fun and all, but I've got places to be," Ubuntu called out as he dodged yet another blast. "So how about we skip the fireworks and get to the part where I kick your ass?"
The figure's eyes flared with fury, and this time, she raised both hands above her head, the air around her distorting as a massive ball of crackling energy began to form between her palms. It pulsed and shimmered, growing larger with every passing second.
"Your arrogance will destroy you," she snarled, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. "No one defies the Sovereign's will!"
"Yeah, well," Ubuntu said with a shrug, "I've never been much of a rule-follower."
And with that, he sprinted forward, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. Before the figure could release the massive energy ball she had been building, Ubuntu was already in front of her, his fist glowing with dark energy as he swung upward.
The punch connected with her chest in a flash of light. The force of the blow sent her flying backward, crashing into the far wall with enough impact to crack the stone. The energy ball she had been forming dissipated into nothing, the magic fizzling out in a puff of smoke.
Ubuntu stood there, shaking out his hand. "Ouch. Thought you'd be squishier."
The figure crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, her glowing eyes dimming as she struggled to push herself up.
"You... you cannot... defeat the Sovereign," she wheezed, her voice barely a whisper now. "You... are nothing."
"Nothing?" Ubuntu repeated, raising an eyebrow. He walked over to her slowly, crouching down beside her. "If I'm nothing, what does that make you?" He reached down, poking her with his finger. "Last time I checked, nothing doesn't get its face rearranged."
The figure's eyes flickered, and with one last, weak gasp, her body dissolved into a cloud of dark mist, disappearing into the air.
Ubuntu stood up, brushing off his hands. "Well, that was anticlimactic."
He looked around the chamber, expecting something—anything—to happen. A secret passage, maybe, or at the very least, a congratulatory voice-over. But no. Just silence.
"So that's it? No treasure? No 'you've unlocked the secrets of the ancient fortress' moment? What kind of dungeon is this?"
As if in response to his grumbling, a soft click echoed through the chamber, and a panel in the far wall slid open, revealing a dark, narrow passageway.
"Ah, there it is," Ubuntu muttered with a satisfied nod. "Knew you wouldn't let me down."
He made his way toward the passage, but as he stepped through the threshold, a thought crossed his mind. He stopped, glancing back at the now-empty chamber.
"You know," he said aloud, as if talking to the room itself, "this whole thing would be a lot more exciting if there was a soundtrack. Something dramatic, maybe. Like a dun dun dun moment."
He paused, as if waiting for the room to respond. When nothing happened, he shrugged.
"Fine. Guess I'll just do it myself."
And with that, he threw his hands in the air, his voice booming through the corridor as he marched forward.
"DUN DUN DUN!"
The passage led deeper into the fortress, winding through narrow, dimly lit tunnels that seemed to stretch on forever. The air grew colder as Ubuntu ventured further in, the walls slick with moisture. He could feel the weight of the fortress pressing down on him, but it didn't bother him. Not anymore.
He was getting closer to something. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel it in his bones.
As he turned the next corner, he found himself standing at the entrance to another chamber—this one even larger than the last. At the center of the room, a massive stone throne loomed, carved from the same dark, twisted stone that made up the rest of the fortress. And sitting on the throne was a figure cloaked in shadow, its eyes glowing with a deep, malevolent red.
Finally, Ubuntu thought, his heart pounding in his chest.
This was it. The Sovereign.
He stepped into the room, his fists clenched, his body humming with energy.
"Alright, Sovereign," he called out, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Let's get this over with."
The figure on the throne shifted slightly, and the red eyes locked onto him.
"So, you've made it this far," the Sovereign said, its voice deep and resonant, vibrating through the air. "But this is where your journey ends. You are nothing but a fool, blinded by your own arrogance."
Ubuntu smirked, stepping closer. "Yeah, yeah. Heard that one before. You guys really need to work on your dialogue."
The Sovereign stood, its towering form casting a long shadow across the room. Dark energy crackled around it, and the air grew heavy with the promise of violence.
"You will fall here, outsider," the Sovereign growled, its voice laced with fury. "Your power is nothing compared to mine."
Ubuntu cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening.
"Well then," he said, his tone deadpan. "Let's find out."