Chapter 3: The Crimson Gauntlet
The hall stretched endlessly before him, its cracked obsidian pillars pulsing faintly with crimson veins. The air was suffocating—thick with a weight that pressed against Wolfgang's chest. Each step he took echoed loudly, swallowed quickly by the oppressive silence.
Then he heard it.
A slow, grinding screech, like rusted iron dragged over stone.
Wolfgang froze. From the far end of the hall, figures emerged from the darkness. Hulking, monstrous things, their flesh split by cracks that oozed black ichor. Each carried an axe so massive it looked fused to their arms. Their glowing red eyes locked onto Wolfgang.
[Enemies Identified: Crimson Executioners]
Level: 7
Danger: Extreme
Wolfgang's blood ran cold. The system didn't lie when it called the danger extreme. His fingers tightened around the Shadowfang dagger. The monsters began moving—slow, deliberate, and unnaturally heavy.
"Slow but fatal," Wolfgang murmured, assessing their lumbering forms. "No room for mistakes."
The first Executioner lunged. Despite its bulk, its speed caught him off guard. Wolfgang barely dove aside as the axe crashed into the ground where he had stood, sending shards of stone flying through the air. One caught his cheek, and he hissed as blood trickled down his face.
They were stronger than anything he had faced before.
Wolfgang didn't wait for the next attack. He dashed forward, Shadowfang gleaming, and slashed at the nearest monster's leg. The dagger sank into its cracked flesh, and black ichor spurted across the ground. The Executioner roared—a sound like grinding boulders—and swung its axe in retaliation.
Wolfgang leapt back just in time, the blade grazing his chest, tearing through his cloak. The force of the near-miss sent a gust of wind whipping past his face.
"Too close."
The second Executioner was already upon him. Wolfgang's mind raced. He activated Shadow Step. Darkness rippled around him as the world blurred. He reappeared behind the Executioner's massive back and struck.
Shadowfang drove into the beast's spine. The dagger vibrated as Wolfgang snarled, twisting the blade. The Executioner groaned and staggered, ichor pooling beneath its feet.
But it didn't fall.
Wolfgang's eyes widened. "Not enough?"
The monster swung backward blindly, the haft of its axe slamming into Wolfgang's side. Pain exploded in his ribs, and he was sent sprawling across the stone floor. He hit hard, rolling several feet before coming to a stop.
His vision blurred. He spat blood.
The Executioners were advancing, their axes dragging behind them like weapons of executioners long gone. Wolfgang's breathing quickened. Pain flared through his ribs, and his fingers trembled slightly around the dagger's hilt.
"Focus. This is nothing."
He pushed himself to his feet. The monsters were slow, but their strength was overwhelming. A single hit would kill him.
"Exhaust them," he whispered to himself, his voice hoarse. "Make them chase you. Make them bleed."
Wolfgang darted between the pillars, weaving through the fractured hall with practiced precision. The Executioners roared, their heavy footfalls shaking the ground as they pursued. Each swing of their axes shattered stone, carving through the pillars like rotting wood.
He couldn't fight them head-on. Not yet.
One monster stepped forward too far, its momentum carrying it past Wolfgang. Wolfgang seized the chance. He lunged low and slashed at its knee, the dagger slicing through the cracked sinew. Black ichor burst outward as the Executioner stumbled, its roar shaking the walls.
Before it could recover, Wolfgang activated Soul Rend. Shadowfang glowed, and he drove it into the beast's side.
The creature screamed, its energy ripped from it in pulsing black waves. Wolfgang staggered as the stolen power surged into him, his muscles tightening, his body moving sharper and faster.
[Soul Rend Successful: Strength +3, Agility +2]
The Executioner collapsed with a final, echoing groan. Wolfgang stood over it, chest heaving, shadows curling faintly from his fingertips. He could feel the power in his limbs, raw and alive.
He turned as the final Executioner approached, its crimson eyes blazing brighter—as though it had witnessed the death of its kin and decided to unleash its full wrath.
The monster roared, swinging its axe in a deadly arc. Wolfgang dove aside, feeling the rush of air and the ground quake beneath him.
"Come on," he growled through gritted teeth.
The Executioner charged, its bulk tearing through stone and debris. Wolfgang activated Shadow Step at the last moment, reappearing behind it. He slashed at its exposed back, the blade carving deep, but the beast didn't falter.
It spun, swinging the haft of its axe, and Wolfgang barely ducked in time. The beast's speed was relentless now, its strikes faster and wilder. Wolfgang's body screamed in protest as he dodged and weaved, adrenaline the only thing keeping him moving.
His eyes darted to the ground—there, at the base of a cracked pillar. A plan formed.
Wolfgang sprinted toward the weakened stone. The Executioner, blinded by fury, pursued, raising its axe high for a final strike.
"Now," Wolfgang muttered.
At the last moment, Wolfgang activated Shadow Step, vanishing as the Executioner's axe came down. The blow struck the cracked pillar, shattering it completely. The ceiling above groaned.
Wolfgang reappeared behind the beast, grinning wickedly. "Your mistake."
He plunged Shadowfang into the creature's neck, and at the same moment, the ceiling collapsed. Stone and debris rained down, burying the Executioner in a mountain of rubble. Its final, muffled roar faded as the hall fell silent.
[Crimson Executioner Defeated.]
[Quest Complete: Trial of Blood.]
[Reward Unlocked: Soul Rend - Rank II]
Wolfgang fell to his knees, gasping for air. Dust and blood coated his face, his body trembling from the effort. His vision swam, but the system's message burned bright in his mind.
[Soul Rend - Rank II]
- New Effect: Steal enemy abilities on critical kills.
Wolfgang laughed, low and breathless, as he wiped the blood from his mouth. His smile was sharp, his eyes blazing.
"Abilities… their strength becomes mine."
He forced himself to stand, legs unsteady but unbroken. At the far end of the ruined hall, an ornate door loomed, veins of crimson light pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
He staggered toward it, each step filled with grim determination.
"This world thought it could break me. Now it will learn what it means to kneel."
Wolfgang pushed the door open, stepping deeper into the abyss.