He recoiled, a mix of disgust and horror welling up in his throat. His eyes swam as he took in the creature's appearance, blind to anything else around him. He clung to the archway, trying to support himself as he felt his good leg growing weak.
The moment seemed to stretch into an eternity as Rowan stood, thoughts racing through his mind faster than he could pause to consider them. One thing, however, remained clear throughout the turmoil, and it was what left Rowan frozen, unable to turn away from the blood staining the creature's jaw and torso.
A second figure moved in the background on all fours, similar tufts of fur adorning its body.
'They're dead. Avery… Nadia… These things killed them. Ate them'
He felt it was as sure as fact, with Aoife standing to the side, afraid to fight these things, then what chance had Avery and Nadia stood? Avery had long been injured, and Nadia had only grown more averse to fighting as their time in the Hell had continued.
His endless train of thought was interrupted by the door slamming closed, pulled shut by Aoife, who had appeared next to him at some point. She draped his arm over her shoulder and supported him to where he had seen her before.
"He's gone. We just have to keep fighting. There's nothing else we can do. For now, we need to splint your leg. We have his old spear, sit down."
Complying, Rowan felt his eyes meeting Nadia's, which were filled with fear and unmistakably, sorrow. He felt a surge of relief that she had lived, followed by a sharp pang of guilt in his heart. How could he rejoice at only one friend's death? Avery had taught him to care for his weapons, had been so joyful in the Hell that he had eased everyone's minds…
The vision of the blood-soaked beat resurfaced, and his stomach roiled, buried feelings and memories remembered at the worst possible time. He remembered his sister, Fiona, and the weeks following her disappearance into the Hell. The agony he had felt, trapped in the complex, as he could do nothing but wait for her return. And the despair when she had not.
Rowan remembered being in the confines of their shared room, when she had read him stories at night, as tears began to flow. Blinking them away, he stared at the ceiling and walls, the familiar dread rising in his gut as he remembered how trapped he had felt. Imprisoned in his own home, the concrete walls tight around him.
And with a bark of a laugh, as Aoife and Nadia finished the splint around his leg, Rowan realised what it was that had eluded the group. And as the system flashed in front of Nadia and Aoife, understanding dawned on their faces as well.
--------------------
The Caves of Ossory
You have discerned the core of the Caves of Ossory.
The fear of tight spaces and dark corridors has failed to consume you in the man-wolves' cave, leaving you victorious.
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Aoife was the first to react, frustration written on her face at the obvious realisation.
"It's Claustrophobia! Of course it is, that's why the walls were getting tighter, and it was so dark inside the tunnels. It also explains the-"
Her voice cut off as the rumbling continued anew, louder than it had been moments ago. Rowan pursed his lips in contemplation. Yes, they had discovered the core, but the beasts in the base still had to be dealt with, and they were quickly running out of time.
"We have to go. We can't let our backs end up against the wall."
Gritting his teeth, he applied slight pressure to his injured leg as he attempted to stand through the pain. Surprisingly, he was able. Avery's spear held against his shin, keeping his leg stable as he rose.
'We'll avenge you.'
Rowan had not known Avery for long, the time being little over two weeks, and yet the rage he felt was not insignificant. One of the first friends he had made. Someone who had offered up his weapon unprompted. Someone who had taught him, with no expectation of anything in return.
His resolve burned with anger at the creatures that had taken that away. At the beasts that had killed and eaten his friend. The anger diminished the pain as he took the steps to the base door, staring up at the work the group had done to keep themselves safe.
The now trio glanced amongst each other, before readying their weapons. They lowered their shoulders to the door, and rather than shifting it open as they normally would, they pushed against it with all of their strength.
The shoddy construction played in their favour, as the enormous wall fell backwards, revealing the inside of their once safe base. What they saw made their breath hitch, before it shifted to fury once more.
The beasts had continued to devour their friend, and now snarled next to it, fresh blood dripping from their maws. They looked different than they had when Rowan had first seen them, with no remaining fur adorning their bodies.
And the group could only stare in horror as they realised one had donned Avery's armour, and the other swung his sword in a seemingly practiced matter, still sharpened canines bared.
"I'll take the one with his sword! You two take the armoured one!"
Aoife's voice cut through to Nadia and Rowan, and the pair turned their attention to the bloodied creature, and stepped over the collapsed doorway. The dim light reflected Rowan's mood as he stared down the beast, hardly a thought in his mind beyond his desire to kill the foul beast.
The beast in question lunged first, briefly skittering across the ground on all four limbs before it leapt, clawed fingers outstretched for Rowan's face.
Seemingly undaunted, Rowan stepped forward and raised his sword high, ready to crash down upon the closing beast.