So, this place may actually be haunted, after all.
James was not one to give in to superstition and baseless fears, but he couldn’t help automatically doing the cross sign. He might not be a devout Christian, but some things were never really forgotten.
“Yeaaah, I really don’t like this place.” Lauren murmured, clutching her daggers tightly. “James, what the fuck was that?”
As much as he would have liked to answer, he couldn’t. Nothing stood up to his senses beyond a few more insect monsters scurrying around, primarily concentrated in the basement, and a small but fierce beast in the master bedroom. The whole dungeon had a weird atmosphere, and while he knew it could be a simple suggestion, James thought, for just a moment, that there might be something to the old lady’s theories.
“The only things I can feel are regular monsters. Mostly big ass cockroaches in the basement.” He answered, sounding as concerned as she was.
“Then we should go investigate those.” Daniel interjected, a bastion of calm. In the weeks they had known each other, James had still to see anything truly shock him, which he could appreciate even more now. Having someone keep their heads in the game was very important inside a dungeon.
Shaking off his fears, James refocused “You are right. If something is in here, we’ll find it. We just need to keep clearing the rooms.”
So decided, they all started moving towards the stairs that led below, where the darkness pooled. Even under the light of their torches, only a few feet were visible, the rest remaining swallowed by the unnatural shadows.
Still, James trusted his senses enough. Even his regular ones told him that about a dozen monsters were scurrying in the dark, preparing to attack anything that might enter their territory.
Taking point, since he was the only one who knew where they could come from, he stepped on the creaky staircase.
This really would be easier if it didn’t look so much like a horror movie. Why do dungeons have to be always so dramatic? How about a nice open field with nothing to ambush you? What happened to fighting with honor, looking at your opponent in the face?
Having successfully managed to distract himself enough to stop being afraid, James walked off the last step. As soon as his foot touched the floor, a screech resounded through the basement, and several presences converged on him.
Long, black antennae of at least four feet emerged in the low light of his torch, quickly followed by a massive body. The carapace alone had to be six feet, and it was only made more intimidating by the blood-red markings painted on it. Beady eyes showed no mercy as the cockroach charged him, scuttling forward with an open maw, ready to make a meal out of him.
James did what any sane, rational person in such a situation should do and kicked the thing with as much force as possible while yelling obscenities.
He pumped enough mana in his leg to give off a small explosion the moment he touched it. The cockroach, blasted by the concussive force of James’ kick, went flying backward, colliding into its kin that were pouring forth from the dark recesses of the basement. The other creatures hissed and reeled, momentarily disoriented by the sudden violence that had been visited upon their peer.
James increased his torch’s power, illuminating the vast space and revealing more chitinous bodies scuttling about. The reddish-black hue of their shells glistened ominously under the struggling torchlight, creating an eerie scene.
Lauren, appearing as if a ghost, darted forward, her daggers slicing into the carapace of another advancing creature with a viciousness that betrayed her current feelings. Greenish ichor spilled from the wound, pooling on the concrete below as the creature’s legs twitched, its death throes a grotesque dance.
“Ez, stay behind and prepare to debuff them when you get the chance.” Daniel called, stepping forward, his shield raised and glowing, placing himself between the oncoming swarm and the two mages.
Maria, however, had other plans. A fireball, hotter than her usual ones as she concentrated its power to prevent an explosion that could send the whole house crashing on their heads, soared above them, hitting the vanguard of the swarm and immediately killing them, melting their heads in a gory display.
“Can’t really be more disgusting than it already is, anyway.” James commented to himself, even as he stepped forward, intercepting another of the monsters.
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The basement had transformed into a chaotic battlefield, with each step forward met by the clashing of steel on chitin and the squelching of punctured exoskeletons.
The overwhelming, metallic scent of the cockroach ichor mingled with the acrid stench of burnt carapace, filling the room with an almost choking atmosphere. The torchlight, combined with the shadows cast by the scuttling swarm, made it look like the walls were alive, the darkness pulsating with malevolent intent.
Daniel, with his shield now glowing brighter with an ethereal white hue, swung mightily, bashing one of the creatures and sending it spiraling into its kin.
However, in a surprising maneuver, a few cockroaches took flight, their wings whirring menacingly.
The basement ceiling wasn’t high enough to grant them much maneuverability, but the surprise element allowed them to avoid another fireball.
Just as the biggest of the swarm was starting to glow an ominous red, its markings lighting up as it prepared to do something, a thrown dagger penetrated its skull, ending its flight unceremoniously.
“Let’s get this shit over with.” Lauren muttered, jumping high to slash at the last remaining cockroach in the air. It screeched, opening its maw to try and take a chunk out of her, but before they could clash, another of the monsters was thrown at it, sending it tumbling down.
“Sorry, the wings were kind of freaking me out.” James commented, fists dripping green.
“Get down!” Maria yelled. Her hands glowed with a fierce orange-red, her eyes intense with concentration. Casting a wide arc of flame that singed the remaining few, careful to keep the heat and force controlled to avoid damage to the house's structure, she managed to push them all together.
Taking advantage of the enemy being so clustered, James jumped in, fists charged with a large amount of mana. A wave of power left him as he punched through the closest one, pulping the remaining three in one hit.
He grunted with the effort but unlike the last few times, he managed to retain his strength. Even though it wasn’t a proper skill, more like the bastardization of one, this kind of explosive punch was becoming increasingly useful, as it expanded his arsenal to have a mid-range option he severely lacked.
The last roach, which had been far enough not to get swept up in the flames, was quickly ended by Lauren, who threw her remaining dagger into its mouth, punching through its brain.
“Anything else in here?” Daniel asked, shield still up and ready to block any incoming attack.
“Not that I can tell.” James answered. He had learned to rely upon Thakinetic Awareness, and if it said nothing was within the basement, he’d trust it. The upper floors were a different thing, as the weird atmosphere of the house seemed to conspire to confuse him, but he was confident they had gotten everything down here.
They still gave one last cursory sweep, as the regulations dictated in an enclosed dungeon, to make sure nothing had escaped their notice, but beyond a lot more disgusting muck and dirt, they found nothing alive.
“So it’s only the upper floor that’s left. Still nothing about what made those sounds?” Ezekiel asked, sounding worried.
So far, nothing they had encountered could be a serious danger to them, but the creepy feeling of the house, coupled with the tragic story the old lady told them, made it seem scarier than it should.
“Just some more insects. I think there might also be a cat, but it’s a normal-sized one. Doesn’t seem to have been enlarged by mana.” James answered after having turned his senses above them. It was still fuzzier than he was used to, but at least he was getting something.
“There is only one question left, then.” Maria interjected, standing over the roaches’ corpses. “Who did this?” A red residue that looked like dried paint on her finger, which she had just swiped on one of the monsters’ carapaces.
“It’s not their natural color?” Daniel’s voice was surprised for the first time. It seemed even he could not maintain his aplomb when confronted with the evidence that something with at least a modicum of intelligence was in the dungeon.
“It’s not. It can’t have happened too long ago either, because the cockroaches mutated when the Sink started. Something or, more likely, someone has been here.” The redhead replied, sounding grim.
In unison, they all turned to look up. Weird sounds had been coming from the upper floor for a while, and while they could attribute them to the creatures James could feel scuttling above them, this kind of action required some intelligence.
“If there is someone in here, it would explain why the photographs and the portrait were scratched. That’s not the kind of thing murderers usually do. Certainly not for drug-related causes.” Lauren added, lips pressed tightly together.
James cocked his head, quickly understanding where she was going. “So you think someone related to the family that lived here still haunts this place? If there is a Spirit, we need to leave immediately.”
The girl shook her head. “No, not a Spirit. They are not interested in stealth despite being incorporeal beings. You’d feel it if there was one. I just think it’s someone.”
“But someone able to spoof James’ skill is not a person we can take on by ourselves. They’d need to be a high ranker!” Ezekiel countered.
It was true that so far only very powerful people had been able to avoid his detection, but just like he could bypass most stealth skills thanks to his unique Talent, others could likely do the same to him. He said as much “We can’t discount there is a person. They might be using a spatial skill, and if they are technically not here, I can’t feel them.”
Grimly, they all decided to explore further, but with increased caution. So far, all signs pointed to a skilled stealth user being in the dungeon with them, but since they hadn’t shown themselves, they could only assume they’d be hostile.
Walking up the stairs and back onto the ground floor, James kept his senses peeled for any movement. The house kept creaking and groaning, and the scuttling above continued uninterrupted, but nothing to show a person’s presence.
However, when they got to the living room, they found incontrovertible proof that, indeed, there was someone else with them.
The table, which had laid broken in the middle of the room, was now beside the centipedes’ corpses. The broken glass had been swept away, and the chairs that blocked the entrance to the upper floor had been stacked together.
“Fucking hell. Alright, whoever you are, you better come out now!” Lauren yelled.
No response came, save for the creaking of broken things.
“I don’t like having to play this kind of game.” Ezekiel complained, clutching his dagger tightly. Having the least directly offensive options, he was the most vulnerable of the group. And by now, James knew him enough to know of his desperate fear of jump scares.
Yeah, I can’t deny that this is exactly the kind of place you’d expect a big, ugly ghost to haunt. Maybe a demon? Seems a bit cliche, to be honest.
Despite his internal monologue, James couldn’t deny being a bit unsettled. It was the second time in a row, inside a dungeon, that his most prized skill was not working as intended. He could only hope it wasn’t anything like the Arachne that was waiting for them.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with.” He said, moving towards the staircase.
An ominous wail from above answered.