The stench of death seeped from the closed doors.
With hesitant steps, Kevin moved through the narrow corridor.
Damn... where could they be?!
The boy scanned his surroundings, searching for any clue about the whereabouts of the two girls.
The rotting wood, damaged by moisture, and the faint signs of seepage on the walls all suggested that this place had been forgotten by God.
The foul odor suddenly grew stronger.
Kevin turned toward the room from which the smell emanated.
A doorless chamber awaited him. The only one lacking any barrier to entrance or exit, as nothing alive would ever leave this place.
Without looking back, he crossed the threshold.
The acrid stench that had lingered in the air became unbearable.
Kevin shut his eyes, knowing what awaited him.
I have to do this...
Reluctantly, he opened his eyelids, and the gruesome sight began.
A pile of decaying corpses completely filled the room. Fragments of bone and bodily fluids obscured the stone floor. Dozens of glassy eyes stared back at him, devoid of any emotion. Many of the corpses had been brutally slaughtered and tortured: some bore enormous gashes across their bodies, while others had been burned, their blackened skin seeming to fuse with the remnants of their clothes.
Kevin examined them one by one, praying not to see any familiar faces.
Thank God they're not among them.
The boy thought, relief flooding over him.
Before leaving, the young man gave a slight bow, then was swallowed by the darkness of the corridor.
__________________________________
What awaited John and Noah was nothing short of extraordinary.
A long corridor adorned with statues stretched for meters, interrupted only by small rooms embellished with frescoes and crystal chandeliers. Large stained glass windows let in natural light, illuminating the entire space and giving it an almost fairytale appearance. The wooden floor was covered by a long red carpet that extended throughout the area, with gold accents visible at every turn.
"Where the hell are we?"
John asked.
"I have no idea..."
Noah replied, glancing around.
At the end of the corridor, a grand hall welcomed them, colder than the previous spaces.
Tall columns soared upward, supporting a coffered ceiling adorned with dozens of frescoes depicting macabre scenes.
he first mural captured a figure ensnared in an endless spiral of shadows, his eyes wide with terror. Dark tendrils writhed around him, dragging him deeper into an abyss. It was a frozen scream, an embodiment of anguish that resonated deep within Noah's soul. Around him, tormented faces twisted in agony served as a haunting testament to the souls lost to despair, each one trapped in their own personal hell.
His eyes moved to another fresco, which unfolded like a waking nightmare—a grotesque banquet of the damned. Skeletal figures hunched over rotting corpses, their bony fingers clawing at the putrid flesh as if it were the most exquisite delicacy. Hollow eyes glimmered with an insatiable hunger, relishing the horror of their surroundings. Amid the carnage, a twisted jester danced, his decayed visage adorned with a wicked grin that only amplified the horror of the scene.
Noah's heart raced as he turned his attention to the Judgment of Souls, a grand scale looming ominously overhead. Ethereal spirits trembled in fear as they were weighed against heavy stones, their fate resting in the hands of a sinister figure draped in dark robes. In his grasp was a gavel made of bone, raised high with a chilling smirk that spoke of dread and finality. Some souls rose in desperate hope, their forms flickering with light, while others were inexorably pulled down by shadowy hands, their expressions forever frozen in a haunting mix of terror and regret.
His breath caught as he noticed a fresco depicting betrayal—an image of a once-noble soldier plunging a dagger into the back of his unsuspecting friend. Blood splattered across the ground, while disbelief and shock painted the friend's face, capturing the essence of ultimate treachery. In the background, chaos reigned as lifeless bodies littered the earth, their vacant eyes staring blankly toward the heavens.
In a dim corner of the hall, a barren wasteland sprawled across another mural, where lost souls wandered aimlessly, their faces twisted in despair. Chains of darkness bound them, and ominous figures loomed in the shadows, watching with cruel delight as they savored the suffering of the damned.
Finally, the Dance of Death took shape in a chilling tableau—a macabre revelry of skeletal figures twirling among a floor littered with bones. Their hollow laughter echoed through the hall, a sinister melody that twisted the heart. Each figure wore tattered remnants of lives once lived, swaying to the haunting strains played by a skeletal minstrel, flickering candlelight casting an eerie glow over the ghastly scene.
A shiver ran down Noah's spine as he absorbed the grim murals. These frescoes were not mere decorations; they were stark warnings, each brushstroke a chilling reminder of the fates awaiting those who dared to wander too far into the darkness. Hope dimmed in the face of despair, whispering of inevitable death and suffering, an unending cycle that threatened to consume all who ventured into this cursed place.
The floor, made of the same material as the columns, reflected light more austere, giving the hall a regal, almost religious air.
At the far end, motionless, a being clad in golden armor seemed to dance without accompaniment.
Tap
Tap
Tap
Only the sound of its footsteps echoed through the hall.
Above its head, the usual message displayed the being's name:
__________________________________
AVARUS, The Primordial Sin
__________________________________
Avarus raised his axe, pointing it at the two without moving from his spot. The gold engravings on the weapon's handle glinted in the sunlight.
The tip of the axe touched the ground, and the knight performed a slight bow, as if inviting the boys to approach. Holding the weapon with one arm, the being fixed its gaze on Noah and John.
"Which of you wishes to challenge me?"
Avarus asked from beneath his ornate helm.
"I do."
Noah replied, stretching his shoulders.
The young man's hand slipped behind his back, summoning his trusty scythe from nowhere.
The two stared at each other for a moment, frozen in the middle of the hall.
Tock
The handle of the axe struck the floor again, this time with greater force.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, creating small concentric waves that spread like ripples in a pond.
"What the hell—"
A strange sensation washed over Noah. As the waves crashed against his feet, much of his strength seemed to abandon him. An unexpected message appeared before his eyes:
__________________________________
WARNING! YOUR ROLES AND THEIR SKILLS HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY BLOCKED!
WARNING! PART OF YOUR STATISTICS HAS BEEN ABSORBED BY THE ENEMY!
__________________________________
This will be a tough battle...
Noah thought, bracing himself for the fight.
__________________________________
Kevin continued his desperate sprint down the narrow corridor.
With each door he flung open, a mix of terror and joy, hope and despair surged within him.
Nothing... where could they be?!
Two rooms remained to be checked. Two possibilities.
The young man's right hand rested on the doorknob. With his other hand, he removed the latch and turned the handle.
"K-Kevin?! Thank God!"
A familiar voice rang in his ears.
"Isabelle! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you!"
Running alongside the girl, Kevin began to fumble with her restraints.
"Where's Grace?"
"...I don't know... he took her away... I... I tried to stop him..."
"Don't worry, we'll find her together."
Clack
"Here we go, you're free now."
"Thank you... I thought I'd lost hope."
Unsteadily, Isabelle rose to her feet. A nasty abrasion marred her ankle where she had been chained.
"Let's go get Grace."
"But we don't know where she could be..."
"I do."
The girl replied.
The pain still lingered on her back.
__________________________________
Shoom
The two warriors moved, one toward the other.
The knight's foot planted itself on the ground, and the being lunged forward, arms extending ahead.
Seeing the blow coming, Noah leaned slightly to the side, allowing the blade to pass just beside his shoulder.
Or that had been his intention.
Splat
A spray of blood obscured the boy's vision. The sensation of his flesh being torn apart flooded through him.
Damn, I'm not used to fighting like this.
Slow.
Even though his eyes could track the movements of his opponent, his body struggled to keep pace with his instincts: to Noah's mind, now accustomed to steering a well-prepared racing car, it felt like he was driving a Volkswagen Beetle.
Without a moment's hesitation, the knight's weapon lifted once more into the air.
The being's feet rotated around itself in a sort of pirouette.
The axe handle seemed to bend under the immense force it had been subjected to.
Noah's hands moved quickly to his side, and then came the impact.
The blade of the axe came crashing down toward him.
Using the shaft of his scythe, Noah intercepted the cutting blow aimed at his side.
Boom
It felt as if Noah were about to be split in two.
Under the weight of the assault, the young man's feet lifted off the ground, sending him soaring through the air.
Only the cold columns broke his fall.
Damn... it's getting better, though... considering I could barely keep up just a moment ago...
I'm getting used to this!
A slight smile formed on his lips.
Noah pulled another potion from his inventory, gulping it down.
"And with this, we're at eight."
The numerous cuts that had marred the boy's body began to heal one by one. Even the nasty wound on his shoulder closed up, leaving only a faint scar on his pale skin.
"I'll defeat you before the tenth."
The young man proclaimed.
A dark flame illuminated the depths of his once-dull eyes for the first time in a long while.