Chapter 4: It’s Like a Real Story, or Something

Deep within the catacombs of an ancient city, a single point of yellow light illuminated the space in front of a cautious explorer. He drew the light left and right, sending crazy shadows dancing along the path and walls, unintentionally giving his companion a fright with every sweep.

He glanced back at her with an eyebrow raised in amusement. She caught his look and tightened her expression, but it was clear she was having limited success in conveying confidence. The girl held a tightly-bound leather tome in a death-grip, her whole body screaming ‘tense!’, and was peering with eyes that scoured the walls. She looked like she was waiting for one of the dusty remains sequestered in the dirt-composed shelves to come to life.

She absolutely thought they would.

Which was entirely possible, mind you, the undead did tend to gather in subterranean cemeteries like this one.

“Relax, lass,” he told her in a gruff tone, pointing at the unmoving corpses flagrantly, “there hasn’t been anything or anyone here in centuries. This whole place is clear… well, at least this area.”

“Y-You’re right, but… but I don’t know much about this place.”

“Neither do I, lass, but the undead are a big deal, you know? They usually don’t come to life without good reason. Highly skilled necromancers, enormous amounts of dark energy, specific traps and curses are usually the cause of an outbreak, but as long as you’re careful, nothing would happen. Even if it did happen, a local guild would issue a formal request to handle it. Got it?”

“Right, right, it’s just… super creepy.”

“That’s why you brought me, right?” the explorer’s rough and ready voice echoed in the narrow tunnel, forming an eerie backdrop to the already disturbing atmosphere.

“Y-Yes, I needed an expert for this expedition…” she replied, tapping the book in her hands. “This is the one chance I have to prove my theories and then I can be recognised. Thank you, Mr. Hager.”

The rough man showed a full set of block teeth in a wide smile. “Nothing to it, Ms. Selene. That’s why you hired me… but isn’t this a little beyond the scope of your studies?”

“I need to be able to see it with my own eyes. The Committee wouldn’t be swayed without proof. That’s why I needed someone who could help me underground, which is why I asked for a dwarf.”

“Rather thorough, aren’t you?” the man replied with a sigh. “But you know the stereotypes aren’t always true, right? Dwarves aren’t always experts in geology, just like how not all pixies can fly.”

The last statement hit hard for her. Standing next to the dwarf, they looked like an odd pair, but from her perspective, they almost seemed like they were matched in size.

Selene’s wings fluttered nervously as she replied, “Well, that’s true… I didn’t intend to…”

Booming laughter filled the corridor. “Ah, don’t mind it, lass. I’m just having a dig at you. Most dwarves would know how to read the walls at least.”

Selene’s cheeks flamed red. “Well… I can’t fly.”

“What’s that?”

“I can’t fly.”

Hager put a hand to the back of his head. He winced, spotting her wings. “…Ah, now it’s my turn to feel woeful. My sincerest about that, lass… I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, I don’t need to fly,” Selene replied lightly, her wings fluttered slightly. “Ultimate freedom lies in the pursuit of knowledge anyway.”

“Well, a scholar like you would say that. My freedom is exploring and fighting and a lot of folks feel the same way too! That’s why you can find a guild for us in every corner of the land.”

Selene cocked her head in thought. “But don’t you do it for gold?”

“Do you study for gold? I’d imagine there are plenty of paths where you could earn a sum and live quite happily without ever stepping foot from your chamber. Some adventurers do it for money, but they don’t last long. Take it from me, if they’re at my level, they have true passion behind them, just like you do yours.”

Selene nodded, sharing a smile with Hager.

“So what are you trying for, lass?”

“Magister.”

Hager let out a low whistle as Selene’s cheeks bloomed red with his reaction.

“Hard, I’d say,” he commented with a wink. “But I see now why you’re on this lonely duo expedition.”

“I’m really grateful—”

“Save them gratitudes and platitudes for when we get back alive,” Hager interrupted with a dry chuckle.

“W-We’ll be alright, right? Hager? Wait up!”

Both of them stopped as they arrived at an opening.

“Wow,” the pixie whispered breathily. “It’s huge.”

“You’re telling me.” The dwarf blinked at the view. “I ain’t seen anything like it. You were right. This isn’t a cleared place at all.”

Both of them stood on a platform that extended into a void of inky blackness. The cavern was massive, extending easily the length of a farmer’s field. On the other end stood another paved platform with abandoned and rickety stalls lined up to the entrance of a crumbling castle drawbridge set right into the wall of the mountain.

There was a moment’s silence, which was pierced by a sigh.

“I guess we have to go back,” Selene mumbled in a dejected tone.

Hager regarded Selene with a thoughtful expression. Clapping his hands together, he seemed to have come to a decision.

“None of that sulking, missy, there could be something in there.” He drew out a scroll from one of his many pockets sewn into his leather armour.

Selene’s mouth flopped open. “Is that…?”

“A scroll of flight? Yes it is. Two time use only. It’ll cost a mountain of silver but I think it’s worth it for this expedition, don’t you?”

“Erm, won’t it only carry one of us?”

“Usually, but I have an elven friend that helped me out. She’s a bit of a strange one, but the lass is good at magic.”

“That… doesn’t really fill me with confidence.”

“Ah, stop with the jabber, hold on, and keep your wings out.”

“Hey, wait, oh—!”

With surprising swiftness Hager grabbed her by the waist and belted off the platform, yelling the activation chant as they fell in midair.

“Oh, dear Mother Goddess!” Selene yelled.

“—aligma salvon emit!” Hager grunted. “Hold on!”

Suddenly she felt a jerk as the dwarf arrested her fall and flew across the chasm to the other side. They soared for no more than maybe ten or twenty seconds, but it felt like hours to her frazzled mind.

As they touched the ground on the other side, Selene collapsed with tears in her eyes. “By the Mother Goddess, I wasn’t ready!”

“Ah, you’ll be fine, lass,” Hager replied calmly. “Keep scooting up, this part of the platform might not be stable.”

Selene scrambled to the other side, all the while trying not to contemplate the feeling of falling again. Her breath came back ragged as she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. She stumbled forward unsteadily and spotted some wooden pallets.

Feeling relieved, she slumped against one of the wooden pallets.

Snap.

Selene disappeared underneath a pile of brittle wood.

Hearing raucous laughter, she hopped up with a angry grimace, bursting off the Goddess-knew-how-old wood off herself.

“It’s not that funny!” she growled at Hager.

“Not from where I am standing.”

“Oh fumbles and fibbles! Let’s go.”

“No longer Mr. Hager, eh?”

“Whatever,” she replied curtly, “let’s go find out what these ruins hold.”

“As you wish, lass.”

“Just call me Selene.”

“Alright, lass.”

Her eyebrow twitched.

Selene kept a close eye on the ruins and touched the walls. “The passageways… look at the size.”

“Elven?” Hager offered.

“Possibly… but something tells me the architecture is different. Elves usually build things with smoothness and flowing forms in mind. I was told that it reminds them of nature. The blocks here are much more rough and polygonal with regular shapes. Maybe dwarven? It’s quite interesting.”

Hager grunted. “Something about these ruins don’t feel dwarven to me, but I figure it’s the size and the shape like you say.” He peered at the walls with a suspicious eye. “I’m no expert, but these look too big to be comfortable for our stature.”

Selene smiled whilst scratching her head. “Indeed, but here’s the thing that’s also been tugging at me… Look at the walls.”

Hager squinted at the walls with a dumbfounded expression. “Something’s off. I don’t know what, but it’s missin’ something.”

Selene pounded a fist into her hand in excitement and waved a hand above. “If you look at the crenellation on the outside walls you can’t see regular slots for archers or mages! Likewise, everything here seems a little too ostentatious. So it’s likely not for defensive purposes as it seems.”

Hager’s eyebrows shot up as it dawned on him. “Are you saying that they made a castle, walls and stalls… just for looks?”

“Yes, aesthetics do seem to be the goal.”

“Insane!” Hager’s eyes glinted. “But there may be gold.”

Selene let out a horrified gasp. “Wait, are you going to loot this precious historic thousand year old site for treasure? There could be ancient cultural artefacts we could learn from or archaeological coins which would give insight to their economics—”

Hager rolled his eyes. “I like ya, Selene, but not enough to spend gold without return. Remember that scroll I used back there? Costs a mite few pretty silver pennies. You can study a few coins, but I have to make a profit somehow.”

“I thought you weren’t concerned about gold…”

“Heh, I lied—nay, don’t look at me like that, lass. I’m joking. I still have to make a living.” He raised a thick eyebrow. “Unless you want to reimburse me for the scroll?”

Selene fidgeted with a pained expression. “No… I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to stop you from taking what you wanted anyway.”

“Ah, don’t look at me like I’m a monster. Stop that, will you? Ah, I ain’t going to budge just cause you eye me like— urk. Bah! Women will be the downfall of me yet. Fine! I won’t touch a thing unless you agree to let me keep it, sound fair?”

Selene brightened up. “Okay! Thank you, Mr. Hager.”

“Oh it’s Mr. Hager when it’s important to you, is it?”

Selene blushed. “It’s not like that.”

“I’m just jerking your drawers.” Hager let out a rumbling self-deprecating laugh. Then rolled his shoulders and gave her a steady look. “Better get going, that place isn’t going to explore itself.”

“What’s that for?” Selene spotted Hager picking up some of the loose wood.

“You’ll see,” Hager answered cryptically.

Selene stared at him for a few moments and then shrugged. Then her face lit up as she noticed a shadow in the wall. “Hey, look, there’s a gap.”

Hager glanced at the gap in the wall and pursed his lips. “It looks like someone may have been here before us.”

Selene peered closer at the gap. “You’re right, there are tool marks on the wall.”

Hager smiled. “It’s nice to have someone who knows a thing or two. Yeah, you’ve got it right. Judging by how smooth these marks are, I’d say they were here long before us. We might not find anything, after all.”

Selene started forward, but Hager held her back with a meaty hand.

“Best be letting me go first.”

“Why?”

“There could be traps.”

Traps.

As soon as he said that, a chill went down her spine and raised the fine hairs on her forearms. She hadn’t considered the existence of traps and his words brought home the lethal reality of the situation. Without Hager’s warning she could have blithely stepped on a trap and lost her life without even knowing how. Meekly, Selene nodded gratefully and let Hager scout ahead of her.

The stalwart dwarf mumbled to himself as he peered at the walls with a suspicious eye before edging closer into the gap. He drew out a torch from his rucksack and spent a few moments with a flint to light it. Inside, the chamber glowed with the orange light cast by the torch, throwing wild shadows that danced along the smooth grey walls.

“Fascinating!” Selene exclaimed, staring at the walls in wonder. “It’s so smooth and uniform, it would have taken significant effort to polish them to this shine. Even after all these years, they’re still in fantastic condition and so hard, it’s hard to tell what material it’s made from…” She tapped one of the walls. “It doesn’t seem to be painted or made of wood, that would have rotted ages ago. This is some kind of stone that’s been mined out and polished… or even set. Although I don’t know much about construction… it doesn’t match anything I’ve read.”

Selene’s wandering finger stopped as Hager caught her wrist in a firm grip. “Careful, the walls here might be barren and featureless, but sometimes touch-activated magic may be embedded on the surface. With hard surfaces like these, trap circles can be etched into the walls with only the thickness of a fingernail. So you might not see it immediately and they could activate by touch or some magical sense.”

Once he made his point, he let her go. Selene drew back from the wall hastily. Her head cocked, recalling the tool marks on the wall. “Wait, if someone went in before us, wouldn’t they trip the traps?”

Hager shook his head. “Some traps may not have been activated the first time, or there could be traps that have multiple activations like moving walls or spike mechanisms. If intruders are skilful enough, the traps might not have been activated at all.”

Selene deflated. “Oh.”

Hager grinned. “So best be letting—”

“—you do all the exploring. I get it, Hager.”

Too excited to let Hager’s warnings dampen her mood, Selene drew out some parchment from her bag and started writing.

Curious, Hager drew closer. “What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a stylus. A Remnant Artefact that’s essential for scholars.”

With a shocked hiss, Hager drew back and grabbed at his axe.

Selene froze momentarily, then realised what she said. She hurriedly threw out her hands in placatory gesture.

“W-Woah! Sorry, sorry! I-I meant it’s completely harmless! Even though it’s a Remnant Artefact, it doesn’t have any ill effects! Honest, really!”

Peering at her with accusatory eyes, Hager gruffly removed his hand from the axe handle. “Don’t surprise me like that, lass. If you didn’t tell me you were training to be a Magister, I’d have cut you in half.” In truth, it was only her harmless demeanour the last couple of days that served to stay his hand. “You best explain yourself real quick.”

Selene shook her head doggedly. “Sorry! I wasn’t thinking. My father left me this! I swear on my life that it is safe!”

Hager glared at the stylus. “You can’t trust a Remnant Artefact… although I’ve never seen one so small and inert.” He peered doubtfully at it and partly at her. “How can you be sure it isn’t dangerous?”

“My father left a note with how to use it and what to expect. I don’t think my father would have left me anything dangerous.” Selene paused briefly here, then shook her head. “Anyway, I’ve tried studying it, but it didn’t seem to have many of the hallmarks of an Artefact.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, only that it was immune to magic, which all Artefacts are.” She shrugged. “It seems safe enough and it’s hugely convenient.”

Hager raised an eyebrow. “What does it do?”

“Interested?” Selene lifted an eyebrow with a teasing half-cocked smile as Hager grunted reluctantly. “Watch this.”

Selene started writing on the parchment as Hager watched in amazement. Her writing wasn’t anything special, but the ink didn’t run, flick, bleed and formed perfect characters on the parchment.

“That’s not even the best part,” Selene continued with excitement. She inverted the stylus and began drawing the tip of the stylus the other way. As the tip made contact with the writing, the letters began disappearing from the parchment as if they were being wicked back into the stylus. The longer it made its way across the page, the wider Hager’s eyes got.

“A scholar’s best tool!” Selene remarked with a beaming smile.

“Incredible,” Hager whispered, “this could sell for a lot.”

Selene hugged the stylus close to her chest. “Ah, wait, no! Anything but that!”

“Har har, I wouldn’t steal from you, missy. I was just wondering if I could take it to my friend of mine and get it deconstructed so we could make a few more of these. Seems mighty useful if you ask me. Though convincing someone to buy something sourced from a Remnant Artefact… bah methinks there will still be a buyer. What do you say?”

“Well… I agree, but I can’t give away this particular pen…”

Hager spotted the clouded look in Selene’s eyes and gently dropped the proposal. “Never mind that, let’s move forward. There must be something down here worth risking our lives.”

Selene pursed her lips. “You really know how to dampen the mood. I was getting excited with these Progenitor ruins.”

“You know anything about these Progenitors? Seems like an old wives’ tale if you ask me.”

“I’ve been studying them for years.” The pixie started sketching the ruins around her as if it were second nature to her. The stylus was silent as it glided along the surface of the parchment. A quill would usually make a scratching sound instead. It was a sound that Hager thought he wouldn’t miss, the odd absence of noise made it somewhat discomforting.

“You’ll get used to it,” Selene said, spotting the look on his face. “Besides, from the way it works, it’s clearly not dangerous, right?”

Hager merely grunted. “Alright, lass, but you really think these are Progenitor ruins?”

“I can’t be sure, I mean I’ve seen some of these designs in the drawings. Some say they house immensely powerful and mythical beasts.”

“Mythical beasts?” The dwarf chuckled. “What kinds? I’ve seen nearly all beasts of supposed ‘myth and legend’.”

The pixie gave the dwarf a sly smile that somehow chilled him for a scant second. “Well, Hager, have you ever heard of humans?”

Hager burst into laughter, but cut it short when he realised that Selene wasn’t laughing with him. “What? You’re serious?”

Selene nodded with a somewhat playful expression. “Progenitor ruins show that there was an age before our own. When Remnant Artefacts were abundant and easily controlled. When magic was free and unlimited. When mythical beasts like horses, bears and dogs freely roamed the world. When you could find the ultimate fantastical creature…”

Selene paused dramatically as Hager stared at her intently. He waited a second longer before it dawned on him.

“A human,” he finished for her.

Selene smiled at his expression. “They say a touch would cure you of all illness, a lock of hair will grant everlasting luck and their blood… their blood will grant you immortality.”

“But that’s all hearsay, I’ve never seen a human or even a shred of proof that a human ever existed.” Hager waved a free hand dismissively. “I would bet my axe that a human is merely legend. ‘Sides lass, doesn’t it seem convenient that a human looks so similar to us? Just bigger and with rounded ears? Sounds like lazy myth-creating to me.”

But Selene’s eyes held a sparkle that didn’t dim despite his cynicism. “My father believed they existed. There are so many records and references to them all over the globe. It is as common and central to every mythology that there are humans.”

Hager raised an eyebrow. “So do you believe they exist?”

“Oh by the Mother Goddess, no, no, no! But you have to admit, they make a pretty good story to hook someone into reading a dry thesis, wouldn’t you agree?”

Hager chuckled. “Right you are, lass. So why go looking for humans, then?”

“Well,” Selene’s voice dropped low, “within mythology and folklore there could be a kernel of truth. I want to know what that kernel is… and expose it. Besides, although humans might not exist, what they’re based on might certainly be. Even if they aren’t, these ruins are real and there are countless artefacts and history of value here, right?”

“The truth, huh? Interesting, lass, but—careful!”

He froze in position, flinging a hand back to stop Selene who almost careened forward. She stumbled a few steps back instead.

“Wha—” she started, but Hager pointed to a stone in front of him.

“This one is not coloured like the rest.”

“Really? Interesting!”

Hager rolled his eyes impatiently at the curious scholar as he lightly rapped her on the head. “It could be a trap. Notice how there’s nothing in the hallways here that was remotely coloured like this flagstone? But now suddenly there’s this one.”

He sidestepped the stone.

“Better safe than sorry, lass.”

Selene regained her composure and nodded, gingerly edging around the off-coloured flagstone.

“Normally, I’d stay back, prepare a few defences and try and trip the trap, but I can’t see anything off about it.” Hager sighed. “I’d usually get a sense about these traps but it looks like it’s the troublesome type.”

“Troublesome type?”

“Yeah, most traps would have some sort of magic or whatnot to keep it fresh. You can detect the faint residues through the floors with this tool.” He waved an oddly glowing stick. As it approached her body it started glowing a bit red. “See? The only thing it can’t detect is purely mechanical objects, or Remnant Artefacts.”

“Incredible, where did you find that stick?”

Hager’s eyebrows drew down as a complicated expression crossed his face. “It’s a long story.”

“Does it have something to do with your mage friend?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem to be very confident…”

“No, well, she’s a proper mage! It’s just that… never mind.”

Selene was curious, but decided not to pry.

“So any way, these traps are purely mechanical, which means that the creators had mages in mind.” He sighed. “Though most mechanical traps are rendered useless with time, there is always a chance that they could be activated, which makes them very, very dangerous and troublesome.”

Selene understood. “So that means we have to treat every trap as if it’s live and there’s no way we can have advance warning with your mage friend’s stick.”

The corridor bent a few times and they successfully skirted multiple traps. As they continued, Hager’s brow drew lower and lower until he sported a ferocious scowl.

Hesitant, but burning with the need to know, Selene finally asked the question.

“What’s wrong?”

“This might be bad,” he reluctantly replied. “There are discarded wood shavings here and there but none of the traps were triggered. It’s old, so the previous explorers were here a long time ago using lighting. They successfully avoided all the traps and made it this far.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

“I don’t see anything that indicates they came back this way.”

“So that means…”

“Either there’s another exit and they took it,” Hager gave her a poignant look, “or they never made it back out alive.”

Selene gulped audibly. “Erm… maybe we should turn back.”

Hager nodded. “Much as I’d like to explore further and recoup my costs, my life is more important. We should head back.”

“What?” he asked gruffly at Selene’s sidelong gaze.

“No, I thought you might have wanted to push further.”

“I’m brave,” he said with a grunt, “but not reckless. We need much more equipment and personnel to tackle a project this big. Don’t you worry, lass, your name will be etched in the books. This is the find of the century.”

Just as they were turning around, Hager cocked his head and suddenly turned back. In a very low voice just above a whisper, he mumbled, “Wait, I thought I heard something.”

Carefully, as though he was in a crystal shop, he gently guided Selene back into an alcove that barely contained their silhouettes.

Selene blinked and though she was curious and instinctively wanted to ask what it was, a sudden frisson of fear crept down her spine when a chilling voice swept the passages. She froze, imitating Hager as he also stood stock still.

“Hmm, mmmm, ahhh…”

The mumbling voice echoed eerily. Selene felt like the sound was pressing around her ears and pushing down on her head.

It was oppressive.

Dark.

Dangerous.

Dressed in faded rags that couldn’t conceal the splendour it once represented, grim and ghastly, the figure resolved itself as an emaciated corpse.

With no flesh, it could only be a—

Skeleton!

Selene couldn’t stop herself from swallowing audibly.

In a heart-stopping moment of terror, the skeleton suddenly stopped, its joints creaked as it crept down the passage towards them. Selene’s eyes met Hager’s. With agonising slowness he shook his head.

“Aaaaah, heeeelp…”

Selene’s pointed ears shivered slightly when she heard the skeleton’s hideous moan.

The skeleton paused slightly again, as if it sensed something. Dim flickering lights pulsed blue in its otherwise empty eye sockets as it searched the space they were standing in. Then the unholy being eerily sighed once more and turned away, once more heading down the passageway.

After a couple more minutes of tense silence, Hager let out a cautious breath.

“The restless undead. A skeleton guard. Or rather, servant.” He clutched his axe tightly. “We can’t deal with that right now.”

Selene felt her galloping heart slow down a couple of notches. If Hager hadn’t been right next to her, she might have screamed.

When she finally found the courage to speak again, Hager was already scanning the passage with keen eyes.

“A skeleton guard…” Selene whispered in a meek voice, “but I thought these ruins wouldn’t have any?”

Hager’s brows furrowed. “Neither did I, lass. Abandoned ruins within the Church’s bounds would’ve been cleansed. Unless…” Hager’s eyes widened. “We have to go back. I have to tell the guild and have them issue a request.”

“What?”

“Come, lass. We don’t have much time.”

They started to carefully backtrack through the passageways.

Selene desperately wanted to note down the strange carvings etched onto the walls, but clamped down on that impulse, surviving was more important.

Hager paused midstep and for the first time, swore. It must’ve been in Dwarvish because Selene couldn’t understand it, but judging from the tone, it was definitely a curse.

“Something’s happening. The ground is shaking slightly.”

Selene groaned. What now? This expedition had been a total mess!

Unlike before, Hager no longer proceeded as cautiously as he did before. He took Selene skilfully through the various routes and avoided the suspicious grooves and uneven flagstones with unerring ease.

“Come! Come on lass! Don’t trip or we’re both dead!”

“What’s happening?!”

“I don’t know! Something’s been triggered in these ruins, we have to—”

Suddenly, Hager pushed Selene aside, shoving something into her hands at the same time as he launched himself forward. Skeletons were in the passage and were rushing at them!

“No, no, no, kract gathan!” Hager yelled, pulling out his axe that was now glowing bright orange. “You go down that side passage and find another way out!”

“What about you?!” Selene screamed back.

Hager grinned at her touch of sincerity. “I’ll be fine lass. Now scram, I’ll hold them back.”

Selene tore herself away from the sight of Hager countering a blow from two skeletons lunging at him and ran as fast as she could. Her eyes keenly swept the walls and features trying to spot what would look odd. If anything looked even the slightest bit out of place, she would avoid it.

As Selene shot down the passageway she saw a crack just large enough that she could fit through. Overjoyed, she burst forward, but slammed back as a shivering moan and creaking sound emanated from the crack. It was another skeleton, she couldn’t go that way!

Hesitating slightly, she turned back and saw skeletons creeping down the passageway. Horror bled into her face, pulling it into a fearful grimace as she abruptly turned right and headed further into the ruins.

Darting from side passage to side passage, she realised in dismay that she was heading further back from where she came from. Despite her best efforts she could hear the skeletons gaining on her. She realised in dismay that running away was quickly becoming futile. Maybe this was the grisly fate that had befallen the earlier explorers?

Turning into yet another side passage, she came across more and more ornate carvings in the walls. At any other time she would have been fascinated, and would obsessively sketch the priceless relics of the past ages, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to get out, out, out!

Strangely enough there was a door peeling off to the side of the hall as she barrelled through it to… a dead end!

Inside was a simple-looking room with sparse furnishings.

She slammed the door behind her shut and tried the best she could to shift rotten and broken furniture against the door. Nothing was going to hold them long!

Hoarse moans filled the passageways and leaked through the door.

Her mind was wound up. Wait, a door here? Why was a functioning door still here? It wasn’t even iron, how could it last—

Bang!

Skeletons were pounding on the door, shifting the furniture slightly with every push. Finally, unable to hold up against the repeated efforts of the skeletons, the door gave in and the skeletons flooded in.

Selene backed up, a sense of rising despair threatening to knock her from her feet. Shaking uncontrollably, she crept backwards clamping a hand across her mouth. Maybe, just like in the hallways they wouldn’t hear her?

But the skeletons were not the same as the guard she saw earlier.

They came marching into the room, eyes glowing menacingly as they spotted her immediately and charged forward.

She stepped back once more.

Click.

Dread shot down her spine.

A trap!