[Floor five: Lizard monsters]
Sounds of loud gasping and panting emanated from the corridors of the dungeon. It was a more wider path than the ones above as monsters got bigger and attacking patterns required more room to fit in.
Spears hung loosely by the lizards injured bodies, some had them lodged deep in their abdomens.
One had his intestines wrapped around the others shoulder, where an arm had been ripped off by using their spear as a leverage against a hole in the wall that had been made by bashing in the skull of one of them earlier.
Another had his leg twisted so that his scaly leg hung limp, covered in holes where a spear had made multiple incisions. So much that you could see through them from above.
Blood soaked the floor red as twisted guts and matter stained the walls in a dark hue, the lamps flickering as small drops fed the flames.
All of them mostly alive, wishing they weren't.
"What hellish cruelty is this??"
A feminine voice squeaked as her party members stood frozen and ashen faced at the sight greeting them.
They had been wondering why there were fewer monsters but now they knew. Something awful was happening.
"We are sent to hunt yes, but there's a way to do things," a heavy set man crouched low and examined them, "this is just wrong."
GROARRR!
They all immediately became alert and faced all directions.
"Hey you know this, this could just be some monster with monster fight right? Right?"
Their leader shook heads, "I don't think so. Monsters would finish their prey, not leave them mangled." He eyed his healer who was wide eyed and looked like she was going to be sick as she imagined the wrapped intestines.
"Hey! Don't throw up on us now, get a hold of yourself!"
They heard footsteps scrambling to them in a hurry and stiffened. Then a voice rang through. Loud.
"Run! Run! Warn the town! Run!"
A lanky teenager ran to them and they held him still, "hold up lad, take a breather. What's the matter?"
"Rampage!" His bloodshot eyes trembled, "a rampage has started. The monsters are all in a frenzy."
He pushed past them and left them behind while they stood still.
"We need to go. This is way beyond us. Some maniac in there is causing this and has to be reported."
☆
Arken had in a few minutes descended to the lowest floors, something novices took years to do.
But he was also exhausted and running into bigger monsters who seemed to get more angrier and ferocious at him the more he went down.
But not able to direct their fury at him they either turned on each other or fought with such manic passion that even burning death didn't stop their onslaught.
Hordes of them rushed through the floors to get to high ground and the news began to spread. An uncontrollable rampage of monsters had started and was likely to spillover to the city.
"Rally with me adventurers, rally to me. We need to fight them here and now, this instant, lest they reach the city," Kalni had assumed a brief command of the situation and stood ij front as the adventurers gathered around her. Many of them simply fled.
"I hope Arken is alright," she said to herself worriedly before beginning to slash.
☆
"Aaa—aaa...achhooo! Sniff, bloody hell," he sniffed at the sudden sneeze and breezed onwards. Whistling.
[The Author is angry with you for the rampage caused]
His body twisted, "rampage? What rampage?"
The ground beneath him immediately began to shudder and vibrate.
"Oh you mean that? It's your stupid character who wanted to test me that she did so. Blame your writing. Not me."
But the wariness crept in and he paused. Getting to the floor, he placed his ear to it.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
Arken jumped up and scratched his head.
He hadn't thought of what he would do after making it this far.
"Hehe, um author? Help a guy out will ya?"
Silence. More rumbling.
[Extra dissolved, by author's authority]
What?! Nononono....
SCREECH!
SLAM!
Arken felt the air from his lungs escape as he drifted in the air for a second before falling hard on his back.
He winced in pain, old wounds and new ones combining their assault.
"What is that?"
The noise of flapping wings and an angry snarl came from the flying being which landed closeby, trotting to form a perimeter around its prey. Him.
[Winged Gargoyle has been encountered]
Shit, I can't use my skills can I?
[The author has taken advantage of the negation to exact influence]
"Cocksucker!" He screamed and yelped out of the way as the creature pounced forward, barely missing his back with its claws.
It had a curved beak, red eyes, furry and feather bird body, with talons that looked like giant pincers.
"Is this it then, eh Author? No more battle for control?" He tried to put a brave face but faltered.
This was a proper beast. Intelligent too by the way it paced around, as if judging his abilities.
It stiffened when it heard a low whistle from him and laughter. The kind that dead men sing in myths.
"Well what the fuck, this fantasy had to end one day. Lets go!!"
He charged at it in full speed, his body powered by sheer adrenaline and a hint of the powers he had been bestowed with in the new body.
[The Author is scrambling to avoid your purge]
"Screw that, someone's dying today."
SMACK!
He felt his face crack against the pillar of the cavernous space and fell to the ground, wheezing for breath.
He tasted copper, faint traces of his flesh and a sickly nausea from within.
The ground continued to rumble and rumble, now even debris from his recent battle jumping from the ground as the noise grew closer.
MAAW!
MAAW!
The gargoyle stiffened and stopped in its tracks as it trained its eyes on Arken's body shifting slowly to the sudden call. A shrill call of a little thing.
When it saw the ugly grin on Arken's face the moment he laid his eyes on the babies, it rushed in a panic but was hurtled with dust and the overpowering crowds of monsters clambering over the others to get away from the section.
The Gargoyle screeched in panic, wings fluttering dozens of monsters to their deaths as they smacked against the walls.
But the distraction and the divide had provided Arken ample time to reach for its nest on the other side of the clamorous traffic. The Gargoyle's screech didn't stop and it's eyes went from anxiety to horror.
☆
"What a...phtoo," he spat blood and torn flesh directly onto one of the three Gargoyle babies huddled, before picking one up by its ears, as painfully as it was for him to move an inch of his body, "a lovely little fucker."
It's eyes raged and it hissed loudly at him while also whimpering slowly towards the adult who was fluttering midair, while the dust clouds shielded its view.
[The Author is begging you to stop!]
Arken grit his teeth, nearly loosing his footing but placed the now filthy dagger to its throat, "fuck that. It wants to kill me, well I ain't going alone."
He raised his voice and coughed aloud in suffering, "hey you piece of shit, wanna still come at me? Come on then."
He looked down at the others before squeezing the ears of the one in his hand, "you got two more, so I'm sure you won't mind losing one eh?"
GNEEHHHH!
It's indecisive roar and stomping of feet only confused the rushing river of rampaging monsters more and more but soon they dwindled, as did the constant rumbling and dust clouds till it was only them left.
He tried to move but the Gargoyle immediately mirrored his movements and he shrugged, "ok then you lose this one."
The little Gargoyle in his grip was already making a fuss and gnawing at his hands but a punch in it's abdomen did two things.
One, it shut up for good, frothing at the mouth.
Two, it's guardian charged, damned be the consequences.
Oh fuck.
He grabbed another one and tried to run for a better cover but slipped, tumbling and rolling down the floor as the Gargoyle swooped down on him from above.
A split second later he closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable blinding pain but nothing came.
What did come was far more confounding than an already messy existence, furthering his suffering even more.
[Author has temporarily exiled you to a deleted chapter!!!]