THUD.
Astrael hit the cold, damp ground. For a moment, he lay there stunned, cheek pressed against the moss, smelling wet earth and decay.
He pushed himself up onto an elbow, wincing. Every muscle in his body protested. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to see darkness.
The swirling light of the purple-black vortex that had swallowed him was gone.
"Where am I?" he whispered, remembering getting sucked in to the vortex, the chaotic scream of people, Elara's desperate shriek.
His eyes strained, desperately seeking any sliver of light.
"Luminous."
A small mass of light brightened, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
He looked around, finding himself in what appeared to be a vast cave. A narrow passageway loomed ahead.
"Appraise". Astrael commanded.
[Dungeon: Sundered Crypt]
[Rank: UNKNOWN]
[Status: ACTIVE]
[Threat Level: EXTREME]
'What goddamn shit luck I have.' Astrael thought. 'What are the chances that right after learning about dungeons, I had get sucked into one? And stuck?
He might not have been an intelligent or particularly astute man, but he was no fool. Seeing the obvious coincidence made him pause.
'I will figure that out later. First, get out of here. Otherwise, Mother will get worried.' He reckoned.
"The only way to leave this place is to defeat the dungeon boss or to get rescued from outside." He muttered.
Normally, it wasn't possible to leave a dungeon without clearing it. The gate automatically sealed after the required number of people entered, reopening only upon completion or when all entrants died.
But there was another way to open the dungeon gate.
It is an artifact called Riftstone. It was built by the alliance scientists to cope with the unexpected situation in the dungeon.
It required massive amounts of spatial mana. Higher-tier dungeons demanded higher-grade stones.
F-ranked Rifstone could only open F F-ranked dungeon. E ranked for E ranked gungeon. Like this, SSS ranked for the SSS-ranked dungeon.
"Probably, someone could rescue me. The rank of this dungeon is unknown." Astrael sighed.
CREAK!
"Hmm...What's this?" Confused, he looked down.
"A skull?"
He moved the light ball, revealing the cave floor littered with bones.
"Wha-". Terrified, Astrael stepped back only to trip down.
His hand instinctively flew to his hip. The sword was still there. He drew the blade. Gripping the sword in his small hand offered slight relief against the rising tide of fear.
'Okay. Okay. Breathe.' He forced himself to calm down.
SKITTER-SKITTER.
The sound froze his blood. It came from the darkness down the tunnel in front of him, then stopped abruptly
He immediately snuffed out the light.
Astrael held his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow as his hands clenched the sword hilt.
Skitter. Scratch...skitter...
Closer this time. Much closer. The echoes seemed to come from every direction.
Skitter. HISS!
Something small and fast darted from the shadows near the wall, a blur of greenish brown skin, lunging for his leg!
Astrael's instinct screamed, and he jerked back, slashing wildly with his sword. The blade whistled through empty air as the creature, a rat.
The rat was the size of a small cat, but with disturbingly intelligent, beady red eyes. It scrambled away, chittering angrily before vanishing into a crevice.
He sagged against the wall, heart pounding.
'Just a big nasty rat'
But the fear didn't subside. Staying here felt like death.
"I should focus on making my way out of here," he whispered, studying the environment.
He pushed himself away from the wall, sword in his hand. He took the tentative steps towards the tunnel, then another, his boot squelching in the damp.
Water dripped from the ceiling, amplifying the eeriness.
He had covered perhaps twenty feet when he heard. Not the skittering this time.
But a low, wet snuffling,followed by a grunt.
Panic surged again.
'Hide!' His eyes darted. A moss-covered large rock near the wall. It was the only option. He scrambled behind them, pressing himself against the cold stone, trying to make himself as small as possible.
He clamped a hand over his mouth, while the other on the hilt of the sword.
The snuffling sound grew louder, accompanied by heavy footsteps.
Thump... drag...
Thump... drag...
A shadow of some small creature came into his view on the walls near the passage. Astrael's blood turned cold.
Finally, the creature that stood there defined itself better.
It stood four feet tall, hunched with long, wiry arms that ended in wickedly clawed hands. Its skin was sickly green. Pointed, bat-like ears twitched above his big, bald, bulbous head. And a wet, crooked, large, nasty nose that sniffed the air constantly. Two beady yellow eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness.
It wore ragged scraps of leather. In one hand, It clutched a crude club. Goblin?
[Target: Goblin Scout]
[Rank: F]
[Threat: Low-Moderate]
[Status: Alert, Hungry]
[Note: Poor eyesight, keen smell, easily startled but vicious in packs]
Low moderate? This doesn't offer any comfort. Astrael is only five years old, alone and terrified.And to the goblin, he was the prey.
The goblin stopped. It sniffed the air again, deeply. Its nostrils flared, and it took a step forward towards Astrael's hiding spot.
'No, no, no,' Astrael thought, his mind screaming. He pressed harder against the rock, wishing he could melt into it. His hand trembled while gripping the sword. His head was sweating a bucket.
The goblin's yellow eyes narrowed towards the rock where Astrael was hiding. A low growl rumbled. It raised its club, taking another deliberate step towards the rocks.
'What to do? What to do?' Astreal's mind was screaming.
'Flight or fight?'. But the goblin was bigger, stronger, and armed. Running deeper into the dark tunnel seemed suicidal.
The goblin lunged at the rock. It scrambled over the smaller rocks with surprising agility, raising its club high, a screech ripping from its throat, only to find nothing.
"Grr?" Confused, it scanned the area before moving away.
'Phew..,' Astrael's chest beating frantically. At the last moment, he had slipped behind the wall for cover.
CREAK!
Suddenly, a small stone fell from the wall where Astrael was hiding.
The goblin, eyes narrowed and a disturbing smile with a row of sharp teeth, turns his head, where Astrael was hiding.
Astrael's whole body was sweating a bucket.
***
🌟 Hey, fellow traveler of tales and treasures! 🧭 Your presence here is a journey filled with surprises, like uncovering hidden gems 💎. Isn't it fascinating how a little GOLDEN ✨ something can change everything? 💛