Inside the mystery box sat a short sword. Not a longsword, not a dagger, not a mace or axe, but a short sword. It seemed well made, and sat next to a sheathe that was obviously made for it. The blade was wide, sturdy, and had a simple pommel and hand guard that was about 4 inches long. With both slight disappointment and also the reverence of finding my first...
"Loot," I breathed, giddy with excitement, I reached out and grabbed the hilt.
I immediately regretted this. "Ah!" I jumped back. A sensation not unlike a stern jolt of static electricity shot across my hand and up my arm, making it feel slightly numb.
"I swear I'm going to find out which divinity decided not to just tell me these and I'm going to gut punch them."
I waited a moment for the feeling to disperse, and approached the chest again. This time, however, there was something different about it. The chest itself wavered almost like a mirage, and the sword inside shined with... something. It couldn't be described visually, other than it shone. I looked at my hand, and in wonder, saw strange pinkish lines that extended from my fingertips all the way up to my shirt sleeve. I looked down my shirt, seeing that strangely, the lines were coming from all of my extremities and terminating in a knot in my stomach. However, after observing it for a moment, the vision disappeared. The sensation did not, however. I could tell that it was still there, but just not... visible.
Wanting so badly to describe this feeling, I wracked my brain. How to explain color to a person born blind? How to bring music to the deaf? Sure, there were approximations - warm colors, deep vibrations - but nothing could truly match such an integral sense. I reasoned that I'd suddenly gained the ability to sense mana, or magic, upon touching the clearly magical sword. It was inside me, it was around me. I could feel the slight variations in the atmosphere around me caused by the sword in the chest. I could feel the metaphorical grime and grease of my surroundings. It felt like touching a puddle of used car oil, except without skin contact, or temperature, or friction. It was truly odd, off putting, and strangely beautiful.
I shook my head. "No time. Later. Safety first," I said, inwardly chuckling that the adage was so universally helpful. I huffed, and once again grabbed the sword. This time, holding the blade did not cause any sort of reactions, but it did feel like some sort of pulling sensation was occurring. It almost felt like part of me was... drawing, writing on the weapon? Imprinting? Like a kindergartener writing their name on a sticker on her stuff.
"Still don't know what kinda properties you have. Better than nothing, but a blade won't be helpful much against bones." I looked at it. It could easily be described as a gladius and at the moment, that felt fine to me. I grabbed the sheathe and slid the weapon inside of it, resolving to simply hold onto it for now, since I had no sword belt to put it on. The weapon made me pause again, however. How did I want to handle this? I was right-handed. Did I use my dominant hand for my weapon, or my magic? Thinking on it for a moment, I came to a quick decision. Use a weapon in my right hand, and magic on the left. I wasn't willing to give up on magic, but the idea of having a good weapon to rely upon was too comforting to pass up. "It's not like I have to commit to it, or anything."
Setting aside my trepidation once more, I padded forward, feeling the bruising on my leg improve over the amount of time I walked. Whether it was simply acclimation or actual healing, I couldn't know, and at the moment, couldn't spend any proper testing on. The labyrinth seemed even more dangerous now that I could feel it on a magical sense. A slow malaise drifted through the air that sapped at my mood and willpower. Before long, I came upon another one of those bony creatures, but this time I had the initiative. It had not yet noticed me, and was turned the other way. I had the advantage of being around a slight corner to this one as well. I wondered if it would be possible to get into a firefight with the thing. My Mana Bolt went a lot faster than the bones it threw, so I reasoned it'd be safest to just take it out from afar.
Sliding the blade from the sheathe as silently as possible and setting it down on the ground, I prepared myself by lowering my center of gravity and sidling up to the corner. I silently counted to three, and then burst out from cover. "Mana Bolt!" A burst of pinkish magic soared towards the creature, slamming into the large 'sack' of bones on its back. It stumbled forward, but didn't lose its balance, and turned around. Before it could finish, I sent another Bolt at the creature. This one was aimed at a shoulder in hopes to prevent its first bone throw. Unfortunately, the creature started the fight with a double, and I was forced to retreat back into cover.
It was a good thing I did. Eyes wide, I heard and watched as both of the bones smashed into the wall past me, literally splintering the things and cracking the wall. This had far more force than the last one. Not allowing myself to give into panic at the sudden upset in power balance, I swung about again and primed a Mana Bolt before even getting vision.
"Mana Bolt - fuck!" I barely managed to get out as the creature charged at me, gathering more bones to throw. The odd clinking of its footsteps were like drums right up against my ears as the thing took this Bolt in stride, barely slowing. "Shit! Mana Bolt!" The magic once again hit, this time slowing it slightly, but it had enough forward momentum that I had to sidestep around the corner to avoid getting bulldozed by the skeletal being. It slammed past me into the wall and doubled back towards me with unsettling speed. I supposed not having to deal with pain probably helped with reaction time.
I ducked down as it swung a bone at my head rather than throwing it, and with a quick strike to its pelvis with my blade, I rushed under and past it, using the height difference to my advantage. I aimed another shot, this time waiting for the head to come into view. The Bolt hit the creature's head and it snapped backwards with enough force that some of it broke off. Only hesitating slightly, it lumbered towards me again, and now I got a good look up close at the skull.
Rather than the empty space that had (not?) occupied the previous creature's skull, this one's cranium had a strange whorl of energy inside it. A burning blue thread of magic spun wildly inside, flashing vividly through the hole I'd put in the bone. It gave off an eerie, ethereal look that unnerved me, causing me to almost trip as I stepped backwards to reposition. This was do-or-die; it was right on top of me and I had to finish it off. It brought its left arm down towards me and I instinctively brought my weapon up to intercept it. Normally, one would step away, but it was faster than me. The fight was here.
I used my Parry to strike the limb and deflect the blow, noting that even the single hit made my entire arm feel numb. Without wasting time, I brought my left hand up directly under the thing's head. "Mana Bolt." An explosion of pink energy shot through the skull. It teetered backwards and fell over. Breathing a sigh of relief, my eyes widened as it began to move again on the ground. That bluish energy was violently spinning, now outside the skull that was almost destroyed, and it slowly began to get itself up. "Stay down!" I aimed at its head again. "Mana Bolt!"
My stomach lurched. My arm cramped. "Augh!" With a cry, I fell to a knee. Clearly, this was my limit. No more mana. Time to do it the old fashioned way. It lashed out with one of its limbs and slammed into my side, almost knocking me over. Only through sheer willpower and gritted teeth could I keep my position above the creature. I gripped my sword and smashed its pommel down onto the skull with all the force I could muster. With a loud crack, it slammed on the floor, but still not down. My right arm was nearly out of commission from numbness, so I grabbed the blade with my left hand instead and brought it down again. And again. After that strike, there was a flash and the blue energy dissipated in less than a second. The thing stopped moving and collapsed.
But that wasn't enough. I struck the skull with the pommel of my new weapon until it was completely in pieces. With heaving breaths, I sat back against one of the dingy walls. Pain wracked my side where I'd been struck, and I wondered how badly that had hurt me. My left arm hurt, my left leg hurt, my right side hurt, and feeling was only slowly returning to my right arm. Water was beginning to become a problem as well, as the sudden exercise of fighting was thirsty business, apparently.
I scrunched up my eyes and evened out my breathing, using my nose to inhale and my mouth to exhale. It hurt. I was in danger. But I had to get out of there alive before I could do anything about any of it. "Take stock. Move forward." I looked at my weapon. The one time I'd hit the creature didn't seem to have nicked the edge of it thankfully, and the pommel showed no sign that I'd just been using it as a hammer. I stood up, using the adrenaline to my advantage to try and work through the pain. "So. Five Mana Bolts. How long am I low?" That unpleasant sensation that had hit me still was there, but lessening. The empty feeling in my stomach was fading at a fairly rapid rate. Again, was that acclimation, or was I really recharging mana that fast? I stood for another minute or so, before pointing down at the bony creature. "Mana Bolt."
As it had several times before now, the Bolt manifested from my fingers and scattered the bone on the floor where it impacted. Paying much closer attention, I realized that I could sort of feel the wellspring of energy from which it had come - and one that now felt very empty. If I tried again... "Mana Bolt." I had to know.
My stomach did another flip and it was all I could do not to vomit right there. I fell to a knee and breathed harshly, trying to re-center my sense of self. "So. I use it up fast," I said, wiping a bit of saliva that had escaped my mouth. "But it comes back fast. I can use five in a fight, and I could use one more after like a minute or three." I paid close attention to the sensation of the energy - my mana, I supposed - refilling. Knowing that limit was important. Not only would running out cause my spell to fail, but it'd also hit me with physical feedback, so it was a big mistake to ever let it get that low again.
I trod over to where I had left the sheathe for the sword and reunited it with its match, and set forward again. Strangely, the labyrinth rarely had side passages, and those that did didn't go far. I broke my rule of direction several times to confirm this oddity. For a while, maybe an hour I guessed, there were no more encounters. The eerie quiet and dark environment were getting to me, and my bruised spots were starting to stiffen up. How was this place lit? I couldn't identify any of the lights, similar to the Sanctuary, but it just kind of seemed dimly lit somehow. How long would this place go on? Had I missed the exit somehow?
I only had to wonder for a little bit longer before I came to an ornate set of double doors. Darkish wood, cut beautifully, bisected the wall ahead of me, with ornate handles that might have been gold set into them. It was the first thing I had seen in here that wasn't mostly shit. My heart leapt up to my throat as I approached, wondering if I'd be able to escape and rest. Those potatoes, which had previously been an annoyance, suddenly seemed like the best possible reward for returning safe that I could imagine.
Were they even potatoes? They'd looked like potatoes, but that was no guarantee. I was in another world. What if they were poison? What if they tasted bad? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I had enough doom and gloom to worry about in here. I couldn't let the fear of the unknown stop me now, not after the fights I'd had. A forceful push on the handle revealed the area beyond.
Unfortunately, it did not seem to be any sort of escape, not yet. The chamber was revealed to be some sort of large foyer area for a big mansion, or castle, or something ostentatious. A huge staircase dominated the back half of the room, splitting into two as on the left, it led to a second story, while on the right it climbed further up to a third story. The enormous chamber was held aloft by several enormous stone columns in a loosely greek style that supported an artistic roof. Though it was too dark that high to get proper detail, there was obviously some sort of mural or painting that covered the whole thing. At the very least, there was a pattern or design.
On the ground floor there were two doorways on either side for a total of four entrances, and two doorways on the second floor that I could spy. The third was too far up to tell. I didn't know if the stairs went all the way against the wall or not, not from this position. I stepped inside gingerly, still trying to keep noise to a minimum. Dust spread at my feet as I stepped inside, but not evenly. I looked down and narrowed my eyes as I saw several sets of footprints within it. It couldn't be just one due to the difference in sizes. Also concerningly, there was a gigantic footprint in the ground that had cracks coming out from it in the stone. It had to be an enormous creature, but none were in sight.
My observations were cut short as a loud roar was released from my left, sounding like it was coming from the ground floor. There was a pounding that got louder and louder, so I moved quickly to put one of the large columns between me and the doorway. Just as I'd found myself a spot and crouched low, the closest door burst open in splinters. A moment later, a human man sprinted forward. He looked startled and panicked, fear clouding his features. At a glance, and at the speed he was going, I only got a brief look. He had short blond hair, almost a buzz-cut, and athletic features that made his pace excellent. Long legs in clothing similar to hers took him to the bottom of the stairwell with very little time, and before I could even react, the wall around the door the man had sprinted from blast outward in a storm of stone.
"Come here, little morsel!" An enormous creature, vaguely humanoid, but very much like a huge gorilla in proportions, crashed through the wall. Almost all of its features were hidden behind thick plate armor colored a dark, muted red. Arms that were bigger than her entire body switched its momentum as it charged the stairs. The man was already most of the way up, but slowed by the unfortunate incline. I could see now that the guy had a wicked-looking hand axe attached to his belt as he grabbed at it and flung it at the thing's head. It hardly slowed, smacking the weapon out of the air. The man slipped up to the third floor at top speed, narrowly avoiding a grab. I heard a door open and the steps began to get more distant. "You can't escape me forever!" The creature repositioned and leapt up to the third floor. Another crash sounded, and the footsteps from that creature also began to fade.
Heart pounding, I slowly raised to a standing position. "Holy shit." I couldn't take that on. I had to find some sort of escape. It was fairly safe to say that the pathway they'd used was no longer viable - the entire section of wall was caved in, and if the creature had come from there, there was no use in going that way. I had to leave. Fast. Without wasting any more time, I took a step towards the closest door, one that had been on the right side of the door. However, in the moment, I'd managed to forget her physical state. I faltered and had to catch myself against the door, resulting in a loud slam. The noise reverberated for a moment, and I winced, realizing that if the creature didn't know there were more people here, it had to now, unless its hearing sucked.
I doubted it.
Keep moving. I tried the handle and found the damn thing locked. "Shit." Trying the next door, it thankfully opened before me, leading into what appeared to be a dining room. Luxurious, sturdy chairs surrounded a grand wooden table that lacked any sort of settings. It looked like it would easily be able to provide an eating place for more than a dozen participants if more seating was brought in. But it was unimportant, another doorway lay beyond the fancy table, and I needed to get as secure as possible to hide away from that creature for now. I closed the door silently, and pattered over to the new one. Wasting no time, I flung the secondary one open and moved in beyond, closing that behind me as well.
Clearly, this room was a kitchen. Rows of pots and pans hung from the walls, and a few ovens and other cooking implements were clearly placed for proximity to the dining area. There was another entrance at the other end, likely to a storeroom of some kind. I rushed over and attempted to open that one, but found it locked as well. I took a moment to look for a key, before I heard the pounding sounds of that great creature once again, far above me. For me to hear it even two stories down, it had to weigh a ton.
"Gotta hide. Let that thing think there's no one else here." Looking around, I spotted some cupboards that were situated on the ground, and looked large enough for me to hide in. I opened the cabinet door and was glad to see nothing inside. I crouched down and stuffed myself inside, listening close. I felt my heart pounding and pulled the cabinet door nearly to. How long should I stay? A minute? Ten? An hour? Definitely for a while, and once I -
The footsteps came closer overhead and with a resounding crash, I looked up through the small crack I'd left myself. The entire room shook violently as pots and pans fell off and hit the ground. I huddled down closer, getting as small as possible. The ceiling above the room was creaking violently, and in moments there were cracks spiderwebbing all through the thing. My eyes opened wide, realizing the thing was about to fall into this room, and closed the cabinet door as well as I could.
A moment later, the groaning ceiling sounded like it gave way. A cacophony of stone and metal and flesh colliding filled my ears as I stayed as still as possible. Unfortunately, the room did not fare so well. Containers were destroyed, the preparation area in the middle of the kitchen was obliterated, and the cabinet in which I'd hid half fell apart. The cabinet door in front of me was wrenched free in the violent fall, and I pushed back in as far as possible, hoping the creature would miss my presence.
The huge gorilla-like menace took a moment to right itself, breathing hard. "Ahh," it said, "lively prey. It's been so long." It got its bearings and moved towards the door, but paused.
It made a horrible, terrible, terrifying sniffing sound.
"Ahhhhh," it repeated, with even more satisfaction. "More prey. Where are you?" It turned around and began to comb to room, but without much effort, it spied me hiding in the cabinet. "Amusing small one, that will not save you. Time to die." It advanced on me, that dark red armor appearing that much more intimidating with its ire turned towards me. Realizing my options were quickly being limited by the passing second, I scrambled out and got to my feet.
I'd have to use my size to get past it. Find the exit, or some way of defeating this creature. My little shortsword would do nothing against that thick armor. I got in a low position as it reached out towards me, hands the size of my torso ready to close me in its grip. I burst into action, moving around to its right side and firing a Mana Bolt at its face. Adrenaline gave me the clarity to realize that I didn't need to invoke it audibly to use the spell, and also, the spell had had absolutely no effect on the creature. It changed the trajectory of its arm in a move much quicker than I expected and slammed into my side, flinging me into a wall. I cried out as my back hit the hard surface, and I dropped my blade in pain. That had to have broken some bones, and I wasn't sure how I could possibly get out of this.
The creature turned slowly and swaggered towards me. I couldn't see a facial expression past the helmet but the words I heard come out of it made for a clear picture of a smiling predator. "I told you. Time to die." It unceremoniously raised its fist and shot it towards me. Out of desperation, I nabbed the sword at my side and attempted to parry the blow away from me. Remarkably, the attempt was successful in pushing the strike to the side. Unfortunately, that meant that instead of crushing me completely, the blow pulped my right arm. I screamed out in pain.
Was this it? A few hours in, and the journey was over? It seemed ridiculous. I hoped beyond hope that someone would come save me, that there was some sort of way I could get out of this, that there was something, anything, to kill this creature.
"Clever prey. But dead too." The enormous beast raised a fist. I brought up my sword again, in my left hand, to attempt to parry this strike, but instead the creature raised its second fist, and without a moment's hesitation, brought both of them down and my world disappeared in a flash of red.