As soon as the door was unlocked after a few minutes of strategic thinking, the door finally opened--it freaks slowly as it opens.
Steve and his team, now knowing that they're in a way different area--realized that they were in a monstrous labyrinth--the hallways taller than the previous one, the commonly found horde of monster guards--seemingly gone, and the loud noise heard almost everythime--extinct beyond the iron door they have opened.
Before they take a step forward, Steve noticed a severely damaged sign which reads, "Later two of the prison, what will you encounter beyond the endless hallways?" It read as they already know that the sound of the signs text is not filled with any bit of joy.
"That does not sound good at all..." Steve said as he backed off from the sign--knowing that they're fates could be sealed at anytime throughout the hallways.
"Proceed with caution." Steve said as him and his team walked off. But after a few tens of steps, they encountered three different hallways with each of them having doors.
They didn't know about this puzzle, the doors were the exact same--what could go wrong? Well, as they split up--they contained a different puzzle each.
They realized that this was the only correct path, but didn't panic--instead split up with careful consideration, determined to find whoever is controlling the prison.
"Proceed with caution." Steve said, warning his team on what danger lies ahead of them. He leaded the team forward through the first hallway.
Just after a few tens of steps, they've encountered another locked door, with a padlock with a label on it reading "Master Key". They looked all over their pockets, only to find their weapons but nothing else.
They realized there was nothing they could do as they looked at the door once again--it has no gaps. Almost the entire team thought that they have gone through the wrong hallway.
That's until Noor looked up on the wall, noticing a iron trapdoor with many straight lined holes--a ventilation entrance.
"Look up there. A vent." Noor said to the team, alerting them about the vent Noor mentioned. They're hopelessness had finally come to an end as they all looked at the vent, the team taking a sigh of releif.
"Nice one bud, but be careful--traps could be set up by now." Said steve as he turned his back on Noor. Not just warning him but everyone.
Before Steve could turn his back onto the progression, him and his team were suddenly ambushed.
An arrow covered in flames flew right beside the face of Steve, almost grazing him or burning his hair.
Luckily, his reflexes didn't give up, he tilted his head quickly enough to avoid a single strand of hair to be burnt to ashes.
He pulled out his sword and hit another flaming arrow with great timing, flinging it away as the arrow was left on the floor, slowly burning down.
Before steve could look up, a unknown voice of a man came to their ears, "So, are you trying to destroy the system?" The voiced echoed as steve slowly looked up.
The figure came towards him, riding a skeleton horse, holding a enchanted bow, and wearing a rare variety of armor--chainmail armor, a uncraftable armor which is only given to mobs rarely.
Steve immediately pointed his sword at the figure and it's horse, not flinching as his hand stays still.
"I'm here to destroy the system--and the prison itself." Steve said, his eyes narrowing as he spoke to the unknown figure in front of him.
"Not so soon--that's clearly impossible. No objections." The figure then pulled out a stone sword. Coming forward as it's shadow begun to fade away.
It revealed it's true identity--the Stray. it came along with its team, two more of them on the back of the one who's talking.
Steve stood up, but then the stray stopped him as it put the sword right on Steve's neck, ready to slit his throat if he moves a inch.
"Move and your dead." The stray said, looking at steve dead in the eyes.
After his one line of speech, steve froze still for seconds and seconds. Impatience was incoming as steve narrowed his eyes more and looked at the sword on his inventory.
Steve took it out then sliced the arm of the skeleton, fragments of bones coming out as the cut part begun to slowly shatter appart, the stray making a blood-curdling scream as it held it's arm in pain.
Steve immediately used his time to stand up straight then attempted to slash the head of the stray, but then the skeleton horse ran him over, knocking steve back.
"Garr! Stupid horse!" Steve yelled in anger as the two other strays immediately engaged, firing flaming arrows at the rest of the team.
The team immediately took cover and so did Steve, he rolled away right before the arrows could land on him.
Alex immediately shot a stray with her bow, but the arrow unfortunately hit the skeleton instead of the stray.
"Damn it! They're trained to be used as slaves and shields!" Alex yelled out.
The skeleton then fell to the ground, making the stray roll over to the ground.
It tried to get up, but was impaled by steve from behind, then was thrown to the wall, breaking most of its bones due to its lack of protection--the chainmail didn't help.
The rest of team then teamed up on one of the strays, knocking it and it's horse to the floor as it was beaten and stabbed to death.
As the stray was having it's last moments being tortured, it got back on its horse then ran away.
The team immediately noticed and chased down the last stray. Alex shot arrows, but missed. Steve tried to match the speed of the horse but failed.
The chase kept up as the stray and it's horse were fighting for their lives. But then, some mobs emerged from some parts of the darkness. Now chasing Steve and his team, creating a death train.
However, a witch has spawned in front of Steve while he was running with his arms spreading while holding his sword, creating a big range of damage.
As it walked out, Steve unexpectedly killed it, but he noticed. He stopped running unlike the team, curious about it's loot from death.
As Steve pushed it's body aside, a glow appeared. His eyes brighten in excitement as he threw the body away with apathy.
He found a big grain of Redstone dust, but then a magical and unrealistically impossible thing, an exilir from it's death!
Steve picked it up, his inventory gets it, he checks the name and it reads "Potion of swiftness II".
Steve got a great idea as he looked at the stray.
He drank the exilir and particles start to emerge from his body--a magical aura that has the color of the potion.
He began to run faster than the skeleton horse, his doubled velocity creating winds behind him as he runs.
After a while, he caught up to his team lately. They looked at him, shocked. "How did you get here so fast?" Asked Alex, looking at the trail of wind following him.
"Some magical potion from a witch, I've never seen one but heard of these before!"
He said as he caught up to the speed of the skeleton horse, keeping quiet so the stray won't notice him while he runs.
Steve suddenly went dangerously close to the wall as he tries to increase his speed, possibility of having a graze from the bricky and sharp wall could occur.
As he ran, he suddenly used all of his energy--putting him in front of the stray and it's skeleton horse.
As the stray kept riding, it suddenly and finally saw steve in front of them.
"Wait.. What?" The stray looked at steve in confusion.
...
"Sneak Attack!" Steve yelled as he dived right in front of the skeleton horse and the stray then dropkicking them, the alamgam of the power so converged that the dropkick sent the stray and it's horse flying into the air before landing roughly on the ground.
"Argh!" The stray said in pain, clutching it's rib cage from the impact of the force.
"Come on my horse, we can't go down without a fight!" The stray said, looking at the skeleton horse.
He tried to reach for the horse, but it was shot by Alex, using her bow once again. The arrow landing on the skull of the skeleton horse, creating a critical hit or a headshot.
"Damn it! You stupid abomination of a team!" The stray said, trying to keep his fearful and brave deamanor but it's current state of weakness and helplessness betrays it.
Steve emerged from the smoke, and walked towards the stray with forgivelessness.
"Wait... N-no! This can't be happening! - I have to help the wounded soilders from battle!" The stray pleaded, stumbling back.
But as he walked back, Noor grabbed it's shoulder and knocked him down to the ground as it bent on it's knees.
"Please... I've been working here for the years, I can't lose my progress.." It softly said, trembling in fear.
"Those ten years are nothing but a work for shit and absolutely nothing." Said Alex as Steve came up.
"Do we kill this pain in the ass?" Noor Asked as the stray looked at him with extreme fear on his eyes.
After his question, silence came by as nobody said anything yet.
...
"Surely" Steve said, leaving the stray behind with heartless apathy.
"Wait! Wait! N-no! Don't leave me here!" The echoes of the screams from the stray could be heard by Steve as he walked towards the hallway.
As the stray continued to scream, cry, and plead, Noor gets it's sword then beheads it without hesitation.
"Job one done, now what's next?" Asked sunny, looking at everyone.
As Steve continued to walk, he realized the size of the hallway, suddenly turning from small as the ones before, to a tall and bigger version of the hallway.
"Guys... You may want to look at this..." Said Steve, looking up at the height of the hallway.
The hallway contained nothing but a huge door, with a sign on top of it reading "Management Room Access".
As he looked up, so did his team, they realized the future severity of the situation, all of them guessing whether it is a puzzle, a hallway with more guards, or something worse than imagination.
"I don't think this is good..." Said Zuri as she looked at the sign.
"But remember, this is not just for us...
This is for everyone."
Said Steve, looking back at his team once more before approaching the door.
To be continued.