I descend the staircase with the torch in my hand. Every step feeling heavier than the last, my mind begins to wonder as I walk down. It feels like my drive is more than before. Even with that fear drilling into my very soul… even with the presence of the blackness that surrounded the entrance now engulfing me… I feel no desire to turn around. Maybe because it's too late for that. It was too late when I killed one of those things for the first time… no, it was too late when I stepped into this village. My sights are set… whatever it takes to get her back… but I need to find words to describe this feeling. Because the words fear or terror pale in comparison to what this feels like. I'll have to think of something… and with my thoughts finished I reach the end of the staircase. I realize that I can see somewhat clearly. It's possible my eyes have adjusted to the darkness… I throw away that thought in an instant. It seems more appropriate to say that this place has adjusted to my eyes… I walk through this place, the only sound being the echo of my footsteps. Something comes into view.
From this distance it looks like a podium. I walk to it to find an open book. I'm overcome with a sense of curiosity. I stand over the podium and read the book…
"You who enters, what is it that you seek. Is it power? Wealth? Standing? Thy answer matters not. Gaze into the words below… and I shall grant a taste of what is achievable"
I attempt to read the words however the text below is unrecognizable. After my eyes reach the end of the text I feel a pounding in my head… causing me to drop to my knees. Pounding like a drum, over and over, the pain causes me to instinctively put my hands over my head and grit my teeth… I open my eyes back up… knowledge and information starts pouring directly into my head. Symbols and Visions of things that I cannot recognize fill my sight. Words and whispers fill my ears. I suppress the urge to yell from the overstimulation of my brain. I can hear a voice speaking to me but I can't make out what is said. The searing pain of this process is agonizing, then all of a sudden it stops… I don't know how to describe it but it feels like I have a better understanding of the world and the beings that inhabit it, it's like a sense of clarity but something else stands out.
A phrase.
I look over to the injury I received from that creature and begin to chant.
"O Lord
In exchange for pain
Grant me health"
I grunt in pain as it feels as if pins drive into the wound and stitches itself back together. A burning sensation goes across my wound… it feels as if it's being cauterized. I hold my tongue as I don't know if the creature's from above could hear me. Within the span of a few seconds the wound was completely healed. Only leaving the scar, the pain I felt during the process looked nothing like the result. Just going by feeling, it should look like a mess of burnt tissue and blood, but it looks like it healed completely natural. This is something I got on the very first floor… if even more powerful abilities lie below. Maybe… maybe I really can fix everything… I look towards the book again. And the text is different. Like it's speaking to me…
"A small gift to assist you in your travels… Or you could leave now if you please."
It was almost like hearing the voice in my head when a single thought flows through my brain… the same words that appeared on the page.
"It's too late for that now isn't it?"
A door behind the podium opens up, another set of stairs lies within. As I walk towards it, the darkness from before radiated from the stairs. As I stare down into the abyss I can feel that same fear as before, although this time, a tiny portion of that fear from before was replaced with conviction. I take a deep breath and descend the stairs once more. Leading to the 2nd level.
…
The interior looked similar, with obvious differences in the floor structure.
I begin walking forward. Step, step one more step
I notice something on the wall to my right. I hold my torch up to the wall illuminating the object I saw. It's…
A painting…
Although I can't make out exactly what it is. It's not… completely abstract but there's also something abnormal about it. there's a being that's clearly not of this world, I can't even make out its shape or form. It's as if my mind can't comprehend it, but it also extends through the painting as if reaching out to something, but what… its split into pieces. Structures, buildings some from the present, some from the past. but the part he's reaching out to I'm not sure, it's like a world of fantasy but while still forming what seems to be a society, but beyond that it's… unrecognizable. More abstract patterns and shapes form similar to the being itself, and then there's nothing…
I became lost in thought about this painting, for longer than I expected. I used to paint… I never took it seriously but Aria took a liking to my pieces of work. Eventually I started getting better. I would paint all the time and she would always love to see what I made. She used to love to watch, seeing the process of creation, but her favorite part was always the finished product. She even tried it herself a few times. Seeing her smile was always the best part for me whenever I showed her anything.
I never picked up a brush again after she died…
I place my hand on the painting remembering her smile… the slight warmth that filled my heart was gradually corrupted with despair. Feeling the weight of her corpse strapped to my back. I move forward from the painting and continue walking through the dungeon.
I stumble upon a few barrels and wooden boxes which I rummage through them looking for anything useful. I find some food. Although I'm hesitant to trust the consumable items I find here, they possibly could prove useful in a dire situation if I find out what they do. I pack the things and continue walking. I find it strange that I haven't encountered anything yet. I saw many of those things in the village. But none here. Maybe it's because these are only the first two floors. If that's the case, what floor will I encounter more of these on. I should be ready for whatever might happen. As I'm walking, I noticed something in my peripheral vision. Likely because of the sheer difference in the sight that I've been seeing up until this point. It looked like a jail cell. I walk up to it and push the door. It swings open slowly with little resistance. Only the grinding of the decaying metal can be heard as the door creaks open. I looked all over for anything, anything interesting and eventually my eye took notice of something.
A key!
It looks like it almost fused together with the wall itself. After some struggling I managed to get it out. I wonder how long this has been here for. Holding it in my hand gives me the feeling that this has some significance, it's a pink key which is unusual for keys and the shape is strange too. I put the key in my pocket and leave the cell. I stumble upon the next set of stairs after walking for a bit longer. The lack of presence on the first two floors increased the feeling of uneasiness… but nevertheless I descend deeper.
…
This room has a significant difference. It's more like an open area. The ceilings are higher than the previous rooms, more openings as well. Hallways leading to the left and one more to the right. Without much thought I go to the right. I follow along the hallway, it ends up leaving me with even more options, but instead of pathways these were rooms. I put my ear up to the door beside me and listen in… nothing. I open the door quietly and walk inside. Looks like more crates and barrels. I look inside them to see if there's anything of use. I found some herbs and a book inside one. Judging from the title it teaches the basics of medicine of different kinds of medicine. I flip through the pages to see if I can find anything on any of the things that I've found from here. It takes a bit, but I found out that the herbs are used to relieve pain. While the medicine that I found is used for multiple things. A temporary physical improvement along with increased stamina. It also shows me how to make certain medicines different herbs, while also explaining those herbs properties. I put the book in my bag as it has a lot of useful information. I leave this room then I continue down the pathway.
I feel like I probably won't have time to check every single entrance. The longer I stay here the worse and there's so many pathways that could probably lead to my death, but at least now I have a way to survive. But I can't imagine what a bad injury would feel like to repair it.
I walk to the end of the hallway and open the door to a kitchen? It's not modern at all. It's obvious looking at it but I'm quite surprised to see something like this here at all… it has a certain smell to it. Looking around the kitchen I find something. A pot, on something that seems to be a stove, but from a distance I can almost tell that it has something in it.
I'm not sure why but my curiosity got the better of me. I walk towards it, when I get close, the smell hits me all at once. A stench so putrid I drop to my knees and vomit almost immediately. I knew at once what it was.
Human remains…
While most of the pot was filled with what I assumed to be blood and organs I caught a glimpse of a few human fingers and eyeballs. I catch my breath and put myself off the ground. I no longer have an urge to check the rest of the kitchen. As I start walking to the door to the next room I hear something…
Heavy steps come from behind me. I turn immediately to see another one of those things… A Lot bigger than the ones in the village and the one I killed. It stood at least 7 feet, its muscles bulging from what little clothes it had. It carried a mace within its right hand. I knew at once killing this thing was out of the question. Time stood still as I stared this creature in its eyes. The deafening silence, only broken by the ringing I started hearing in my ears. I turned towards the door and sprinted as fast as I could. I ran through the door and continued running as fast as I could. Focusing my hearing to gauge how close his footsteps were… I need to find some place to hide…