Pitch black darkness awaited him in the Hell. A dank, musky smell enveloped him as he stumbled, the uneven ground below him shifting as loose rocks and stones moved under his weight. Rowan blinked his eyes rapidly, but the darkness refused to lighten.
As he whipped his head around frantically, he saw a light appear in front of his eyes. A small holographic display had appeared, pale grey with edges that faded away into the darkness.
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The Caves of Ossory
Long after the descendants of Laignech Fáelad disappeared from the surface, they have been found once more.
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As abruptly as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving no trace that it had existed in the first place. However, even without Lenny's advice, Rowan knew what this was.
"the system..."
Everyone knew what that was, the thing of fantasy that guided the awakened. Sadly, until he escaped his first Hell, he could make no use of it. Breathing deep, he decided it was most important to focus on the present and work out where he was.
Groping blindly as he crept forward, Rowan relaxed slightly as he found a wall, a point of reference in the unending darkness. The echoing sounds of the loose rocks shifting bounced around him.
Keeping the wall to the left, he slung his spear across his back and pulled out a dagger Aoife had recommended swapping with his shield. He had gone with the same equipment as the combat test, as with no other experience, the spear was still the best choice. Only now it wasn't blunted, meaning it could do some serious damage.
Steadying himself, he belatedly realised that the others weren't here with him. Calling out softly, it seemed they had somehow gotten separated, and were likely in different parts of the Hell.
Steeling his resolve, Rowan followed the wall slowly, trying his best not to lose his sense of direction as the wall veered to the left and right. Occasionally, he would brush against the other wall, and faint feelings of claustrophobia would envelop him in those moments. The echoes kept him guessing, wondering if a monster had finally found him, and was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Yet as his anxiety grew, nothing happened. He continued forward unabated, yet he tightened the grip on his dagger to the point his knuckles grew white and his hand hurt. After an unknown amount of time, likely only a few minutes, a soft light came from a bend in the tunnel ahead.
Relief flooded his heart as he moved faster, now able to faintly see the ground beneath him, and subsequently move without sliding in the gravel. As his movements grew quicker, the light grew brighter, and seconds later, an open area appeared. Crystals gleamed along the walls, an innate light refracting through their interiors.
Quickly scanning the room, Rowan saw that it seemed to be square, extending approximately 5 metres in length and width. Nothing aside the crystals were inside the small area, and so Rowan decided to use this opportunity to try and catch his breath, as well as think about what he should do next.
Leaning against the wall, Rowan sighed. Getting separated wasn't something he had been prepared for, and with no means of contacting the group, he was alone for the foreseeable future. There was no telling how large the Hell was, and in the darkness, there was little way to leave signs for each other about where they might be.
At this moment, Rowan heard a sound approaching from the same tunnel he had come out of. Gripping his spear, walked close to the wall so as to create a blind spot. Straining his ears, He could hear what appeared to be footsteps coming from the tunnel.
Rowan's mind spun as he considered the possibilities of what it could be. Obviously, it was either an ally or a monster, but until he saw it, there was no way of telling what kind of monster would lurk in these twisting tunnels.Holding his breath, Rowan pressed himself against the wall and waited. Seconds passed as the careful thumps grew closer, as his lungs strained to stay steady. His stamina was pitiful, and Rowan already knew he'd misjudged how long it would take for the unknown being to be visible.
Lungs burning, Rowan tensed as a shadow began to creep over the floor. 'Shit. I have to fight after holding my breath. What a stupid idea that was.'Indeed, the shadow began to gain its form as Rowan watched. A head that got narrower at the front appeared first, followed by a long body. He assumed the beast was quadrapedal, as it was too long for it to be walking on two legs. Rowan gripped his spear tighter as the beast drew closer, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
The nose appeared first, followed by the snarling muzzle filled with sharp teeth, saliva dripping as it padded by. The rest of its head appeared next, and without waiting another second longer, Rowan lunged forward. He felt the weight as the spear connected with the beast, a brief resistance before it sunk in deeper. As he pressed forward, Rowan felt the spear catch on something inside, and tightened his grip as he pushed harder against it.
A sickening crunch filled the room as Rowan's spear punctured through the wolf's throat, appearing out the other side. A faint gurgling could be heard, as the beast's eyes twitched, before collapsing onto the ground.
Breathing heavily, Rowan released his grip on the spear, leaving it stuck in the wolf's neck as he fumbled to pull his dagger out of its sheath by his side. Holding it in front of him with both hands, he kicked the beast's skull, trying to provoke a reaction if it was pretending.
'It definitely looks dead, I suppose. I guess I just didn't think it would be that easy. Huh.'
Rowan sat down with his head in his hands, still trying to catch his breath as the wolf's blood seeped into the gravel. When he finally caught his breath, he raised his head and caught sight of the bloody corpse.
'Shit, I need to find some way to dispose of that thing, or get a move on. With the light mostly gone, the wolves here can likely smell and hear better, so they'll come running once they catch this scent.'
He knew that his safest choice was to move, yet he couldn't muster the courage to pass through the dark tunnels, now that he knew what monsters were hunting him. This was their territory; it was undoubted they knew it better than he did, and could easily kill him while he was blind.
'I'm only moderately safe in this room with the crystals. Without them, I'd still be wandering helplessly, with a wolf trailing my steps.'
Rowan sat and thought for a minute, unsure of what to do. He knew he couldn't wait forever, but he was terrified to keep moving. Until he had an idea which he should have considered sooner.
Grabbing his dagger, he moved to one of the smaller crystals and smashed the part connecting to the wall. To his dismay, the light in the crystal immediately dimmed, turning into a plain-looking mineral not long after it hit the ground. He stared at it with pursed lips knowing that had been his best opportunity at traversing the darkness, but it had failed.
Sighing, he looked at the corpse of the wolf before realisation struck him. Monsters weren't the only peril in Hells; there were also the needs of food, water, and shelter, otherwise he was more likely to die of a monster attack than any regular injury.
He had to move.
He had no idea how long clearing this Hell would take, it's size was fit for four people, and it was uncertain if the others were even alive. Rowan groaned in exasperation, knowing he would have to go through the tunnels once more, and struggled to pick a direction. The new path, which could be anything? Or the old path, where the wolf had come from?
He decided to gamble. Not moving was worse than crossing off an option, so he headed to the new tunnel and braced himself as the light began to fade. With furrowed eyebrows and a tense jaw, he once again followed the left wall into the darkness.
The ground was softer, here. Where the old tunnel had been loose rocks, and the room had been gravel, the floor beneath his feet felt like sand, crunching under his feet with each step. This time, he kept the spear in his hand, using it as a cane, the way a blind person might. He slowly grew more confident in the darkness, his feet falling softer, making less noise.
He didn't move any faster, however. Instead taking the time to check for sounds that might signal the approach of another wolf, trying his best not to be caught unawares. After another indiscernible amount of time walking, a piercing howl cut through the silence, raising the hairs on the back of Rowan's neck.
It wasn't in his immediate vicinity, but it was close enough that he knew what the wolf had likely found.