Xin and Belial made their way through the dense forest, Leaving evidence of their fierce battle. Their weapons hacked and slashed though the thick vegetation, making a path through the endless horde of orcs. The forest resonated with the sounds of combat—The clash of weapons, the gruff cries of the orcs, and the small cheers of victories from the two soon to be hunters.
While walking through the thick forest, Xin and Belial noticed a man in a dark robe suddenly emerge from the darkness, his sudden appearance made it seem like he was part of the forest, moving with a uncanny grace of a veteran.
The man smiled warmly, yet there was an unsettling glow in his brown eyes in the dark forest. "Why are you both here at this time?" the man inquired, speaking in a calm controlled tone. "Encountering travelers your age this deep in the woods is rare...and dangerous, Do you need any help?"
Despite being cautious after what happened earlier, Xin felt uncomfortable with the man's overly friendly act. Always the courteous one, he was able to muster a slight smile. Xin promptly responded, "Were okay, thanks" despite his words sounding somewhat rigid. "We know what we need from here."
The mans grin grew wider as he looked back and forth of them. "Oh, please," he exclaimed, with a tone that sounded almost playful. "i can definitely help you. Its almost that time of the night when its bound to get dangerous"
Xin took a quick look at Belial believing it would be impolite to reject the mans proposal without thinking it over. "I mean...perhaps we can consider—"
"No," Belial l interrupted, his voice resolute as he glared at the stranger with distrust. "We have no interest."
Xin was taken aback by the sharpness in Belial's tone and blinked a couple of times in surprise. But then he realized he dint have any say in the matter and eventually gave in and scrunched his face.
He was pouting.
Why is Xin pouting?
"He only trying to help.."
Midnight was approaching, The two were exited to set up camp and head rest. After successfully clearing the difficult part of the forest, they were surprised by the sudden change in their surroundings. they unknowingly fell into a dangerous quicksand pit, the ground swallowing them whole swallowed by the sandy darkness.
Upon regaining consciousness, Xin and Belial discovered that they were in a strange dark underground like cave system. The chilly moist tunnels their were in had walls coated with unknown shining material. A feeling of dread filled the humid air and oppressive silence lingered. Both of them looked at each other with confusion, equally puzzled by the sudden shift in their situation.
"You okay?" Belial asked, his voice echoing in the tunnel slightly.
Xin massaged his head and scanned the area, his expression showing a blend of puzzlement and pain. "What happened?"
Belial let out a sigh, clearly showing his frustration. "I think we got sucked in the ground...a Quicksand maybe and now were in this place where ever this may be"
Covered in dust, Xin tried to stand up but stopped when he saw an insect on his axe...one, two three...Too many legs! He responded almost instantly, letting out a piercing scream, he jumped into Belial's embrace, holding onto him as if he could shield him.
"There's a spider!" Xin's voice held a combination of instinctual fear and surprise.
Attempting to stifle his laughter, Belial sarcastically rolled his eyes in response to Xin. "Are you scared of bugs? Come on, we need to figure out a way to escape from this place."
Cautiously picked up his dull axe at the small eight legged creature as it crawled away. "Those things are creepy.."
The two continued down into the tunnel. Their weapons at the ready. There was a feeling of approaching danger, with a sense of foreboding present. Every step they took felt all the more chilling.
The air became more humid as they continued exploring. Both of them unnerved by the sounds of monsters in the distance but never sounding far enough.
The two turned with their weapons ready as a loud screech suddenly broke the silence. They spotted a swarm of goblins with shining eyes..it dint take long for them to notice the two. They charged at them in the near darkness, the goblins were uncontrollable and frantic, their actions seemed like they were filled with madness in their unholy excitement.
The goblins rushed forward with a deep guttural shout, their weapons glinting the faint light, Xin confronted the horde wielding his huge axe with swings so strong it sent small wind gust toward Belial. Xin's attacks caused the ground beneath the goblins to break and falling in a chaotic pile.
Even though they were in the midst of an intense fight, Xin and Belial were beginning to show the signs of having been in a long duel together. They pressed on, undeterred, and fought with the kind of brutal determination that one might associate with soldiers charging toward an objective. They were not yet through with the task that had been set before them. They still wanted to, and were still capable of,
The cavern seemed endless, yet they ultimately discovered an ancient door set into the wall of the cavern. The door was adorned with a veritable cornucopia of designs: symbols, shapes, and forms that hinted at the potential for many hidden secrets. Belial attempted to use his dark powers to force the door open, but for all his effort (and for all the effort that dear dark god seemed to be putting into it), the door and the wall around it held firm.
"Get out of my way!" Xin commanded, his clear voice cutting through the air with an undeniable note of authority. He raised his axe, pouring his power into the weapon. He used a strike that would fell a charging beast to bring the axe down onto the door. A shockwave rolled through the cave, carrying the force of their combined might, yet the door remained.
Belial, thrown off by Xin's clumsy method, caught sight of a broken key that lay abandoned on the ground.
He crouched, gathered it, and lifted it with a smug look. "Perhaps if you weren't so hell-bent on just muscling through, you could take a moment and use a smidgen of reason instead?" The question was just for show. He had no expectation of a response.
With a broken key, how are we ever going to get through, oh genius?
Belial's gaze was caught up in a flash of inspiration.
He started feeding his dark power into the
key, and it began to float in front of him and change.
It started to change in a way that was completely diabolical: it transformed in a manner that wouldn't have been out of place in a Lovecraft story. The key, a near-perfect reflection of the latch, now hovered in front of the door, or would have been if there had been a door there to begin with.
With a simple wave of his wrist, however, a door appeared. And this door had a keyhole.
The door began to creak.
When Xin and Belial entered the following chamber, Belial accidentally set off a concealed trap. From the walls, arrows erupted. Belial had enough time to duck and cover but was still hit with a couple of the deadly projectiles. Xin's heart was in his throat as he watched one of the few arrows that didn't hit Belial zip right past his head.
"This place could be crawling with traps," Xin warned, his voice strained but steady.
"Of course, my chief, as if it was not already completely obvious!" Belial replied while rolling his eyes. Indeed, it was a well-known fact that the original Lucifer had a habit of making all the top demonic power players look bad. Not to mention, he was tailing people who employed or even gave lip service to the original underworld. In short, he was a loose cannon.
The light was a blinking red and then, right after that, a whole bunch of creatures was everywhere, wild and loose. The floor was a living mass of them. I don't think we could have fought in what seemed like the literal surf of gnashing teeth and claws if we hadn't managed, by this time, to shoot up to the second level of what remained of the Grand Cathedral.
Never before had a challenge been so intimidating for Xin. He was in the midst of a staggering number of opponents, which made it hard to even think when one was being attacked consistently from every angle. He was nearly losing his axe—it was about to slip from his now moist and slippery fingers—when he suddenly found all of the opponents before him staring, even gaping, in disbelief. His adversaries had just turned to face him.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Belial knew he had to move quickly to save his friend. He found a weakness in the monsters' formation and signaled to Xin, indicating an opening they could exploit. "There's an opening; we can push through!"
Following Belial's lead, Xin sped ahead in a wide curve, his axe in hand. The monsters momentarily wavered, thrown off by the sudden frontal assault. They had given Xin and Belial a few precious seconds in which to catch their breath. But then the monsters closed in again. Defeat had been too close a call for Xin and Belial both.
The respite, however, was short-lived. The creatures quickly remade their ranks and came at him again. Xin was obviously fatigued, and it was now showing in his demeanor. He was really sinking under the pressure. We could see that he was near his limit and that, after this moment, we would have to press on with the rest of the plan, no matter how poorly timed it felt. "Get back! I can't hold them much longer!" Belial's voice, barking above the din of battle, made us laugh. It was a laugh of disbelief, and it was the only laugh we had left.
Reluctantly, Xin backed away. The axe he carried now felt surprisingly heavy, almost like it was trying to keep him rooted in place. He watched Belial go up against the horde and felt a stir of envy. Belial was much stronger; he was the one meant to take on monsters like this and survive. Even so, as Xin looked on, Belial had to resort to some very basic tactics, and he was getting swarmed pretty badly for someone who was supposed to have this under control.
"XIN, LEAVE THIS PLACE, IT'S A SET-UP!" Belial's words were barley audible over the commotion, yet Xin struggled to make out his voice using his Hax in the midst of the battle. During the ongoing battle, wall made of the same substance as the door started falling down, darkness surged around Belial and made a large palm about the same height as him. Since Xin wasn't far from him he was able to accurately determine his location and quickly shove Xin before the wall could fall, dividing diving the two. The unexpected obstacle left Belial exposed, separated from his companion. Xin felt heartache while watching Belial fight the monsters, trapped on the other side of the wall. He noticed the strong resolve and pressure on his friend's face, which made him feel regretful for his inability to assist. Belial inhaled deeply, holding his sword aloft while surrounded by swirling dark energy. He knew it was absolutely vital to hold out for as long as possible. The noise his heart made in his chest was a constant reminder of how precarious his situation was and made the moment more dramatic. Belial, however, at least, held some kind of inside track to the army of monsters that was ramped up just outside the door.
The room echoed with the sounds of weapons clashing, monster growling, and their two straining to exert as much force as possible. Xin's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each one racing to discover a path to reunion with Belial.
He understood that the only chance they had to survive was to break through the wall and join forces with his companion. During the chaos, Xin became more determined. He refused to allow Belial to battle by himself. Belial, conversely, was putting up a fight with all his might. Even though he moved with fluidity and precision, he still sensed the fatigue taking hold. His dark abilities were starting to weaken, and he understood he needed to persevere for a bit longer.