Rex explored the rest of the building.

I think it's a church… or maybe a temple of some kind. Well, I can already confirm that something close to a goddess exists. So, it makes sense for religion to be a main focus in this world.

Instead of white marbling, the walls and structuring were built with an unknown black material. It gave the whole building a glossy onyx black shade. He couldn't explore much of the other rooms, since it was still dark out and he didn't have a single light source.

These structures are built for living beings and there are clothes that are made for something that resembles a human.

Will I even meet another human here? Or is it going to just be aliens. What about their language? I don't think I can read the strange hieroglyphics scattered around.

He exited the section - which he now realized where the priest's lodgings - and entered the main area, the prayer hall.

Rex was awed at its beauty.

Rows of built menacing columns lined the main naive of the congregation hall. Various carvings of demonic humanoid creatures stood on either side and hieroglyphics were marked as inscriptions. The hall was massive and dimly lit through silver tinted windows. Rows of torches lined the walls with strange glowing red crystals.

Since 'she' had put me here, I had assumed this was her 'church'. But… maybe I've just been assuming the fact that she was a goddess.

She could just be a powerful entity that has some personal vendetta against the fallen…

Rex grabbed one of the torches and took slow steps down the spacious hall, his footsteps echoing.

The Main entrance of the temple was a pylon gateway hosted on an elevated platform. The floor gradually declining towards the other end, the seating becoming more spacious and luxurious. Rex headed towards the lower end of the hall, descending deeper into the earth.

I'm starting to think this is a cult.

It eventually ended in an ancient wall, the original mosaics and stonework were now cracked and falling apart. Stained glass decorated the upper wall.

Using the light of his torch, he could barely make out figures with strange appearances. There were pharaohs and kings all worshiping the same two people. A woman with a long headdress and long flowing robes and someone that was standing next to her, but he or she was scratched out forcefully. Like some furious non-believer did his best to tarnish the image of this person.

Before the wall was a large circular well with no bucket or pulley system. Well-crafted ashy white bricks encircled the perimeter of the well rising to his knee. Surrounding it were four distinctive platforms spaced about in diagonal directions. It had raised stands with large thick books resting on it. The flooring was sunken into the earth and were caged completely with high railings.

This is probably where the priests gave their sermons. If they could even be called priests.

Rex imagined the whole hall being filled with hundreds of devotees all chanting strange hymns and raising their hands in devotion. Four higher ranking members of the church surrounding the well and directing the worship of the masses.

But now it's empty… completely abandoned.

Did 'She' really have to drop me here of all places? I would have appreciated a village, with a friendly and cheerful guide.

Ancient waterways that were systematically connected through the whole place, snaking throughout where the believers would be. They all seemed to end at the well, gathering something. The brownish stains on the sides, showed that some kind of liquid was gathered and collected into the well.

Rex passed between two of the platforms and walked towards the edge of the white well. He looked inside, only the moonlight shining through the stained glass of the wall illuminated the dark interior.

He felt chills crawl down his spine.

Inside was the horrifying statue of a half-naked woman with her legs submerged in a pool of blood. White markings cascaded down from her eyes, which made the ghastly woman look like she was crying. Impaled in her chest, was a long spear. It's sharp end forcefully shoved into her chest, the cracks spreading towards the whole body.

Her stone like hair seemed to float on the glistening pool of blood, spreading out unevenly. The statue seemed all too real, it's blackish material seemingly sucking out the light itself and contrasting heavily with the pale white material of the well.

Her left arm was slightly raised above the pool, holding a strange white scarab. Her other arm held up a canopic jar that was slightly open, the hole was too dark to properly see much of anything.

A single light source from a window on the roof, fell perfectly on her wretched face. The woman was looking up - towards me - her red gemstone like eyes, seemingly looking down on me and weeping at the same time.

Rex stumbled back, terrified. He almost dropped his torch and his body leaned against the railing for support.

What the hell was that?

A Demon? Or maybe the statue of some kind of evil deity?

The figure and other symbols like the white scarab matched some of the carvings depicted into the stonework.

Rex tried to calm himself.

There's no point working yourself up over a metallic statue. It's not like it's going to jump at you.

Just because the goddess mentioned monsters, it doesn't mean every little thing I stumble across is going to be one.

Speaking of monsters. Rex glanced inside the hole again, this time ignoring the eyes of the statue. He studied the weapon conveniently placed inside the statue. The spear still seemed robust, not withered at all due to the passage of time. Its sharp edge seemed to glint with a polished sharpness.

I do really need a weapon.

***

The well was twenty feet deep, with ridges and uneven structuring on the white inner walls that made for decent footholds. Rex put the torch in his mouth and lowered himself onto the edge of the well.

He climbed down, slowly. Making his way down, one foot at a time. He had to be careful not to slip or drop the torch. The worshipers must have had another way to get down there, assuming they did regular maintenance.

But how the hell do you maintain a pool of blood anyway. And why hasn't it dried up, like the blood on the waterways. Is there a magical property to the structure itself?

Maybe the statue itself imbues the liquid with a holy property? Like holy water or… holy blood.

Rex wondered if he should pocket a sample, just in case. But dismissed the thought, he shouldn't mess with things he didn't know. He tried his at most not to look at the foul statue, keeping his full attention on trying not to fall.

I can't turn back now. I still haven't seen any people and the forest outside looks like the perfect breeding ground for monsters.

Just don't think about the really creepy black statue crying white tears in an ancient pool of blood. Easy… enough.

Rex's heart started beating louder and louder as he approached the last foothold.

Wait. Can I even stand inside the pool?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Rex had assumed the blood would only reach up to his knees, but it could be that the base of the statue extended further down than expected.

He tentatively extended a foot down, trying to gauge the depth.

That's deeper than expected.

He used one hand to hand on a ledge as he fully sank his body into the pool, the blood rising to his thighs. He found a sconce on the side of the wall and placed his torch there.

So, people did come down here. Rex thought as he moved towards the statue.

He had to wade through the pool, the thick consistency of the blood impeding his every movement. His trench coat was sticking to his body, as was his trousers. It was cold and nasty.

Bah. Rex gagged at the pungent smell; he carefully brought his finger wet with blood to his nose.

It's not coming from the blood.

It surprisingly only had a faint metallic smell. The actual source of the smell - Rex realized - was the canopic jar held by the statue. The foul thing had wrapped her right hand around and was hugging it to the side of her body. It was still looking upwards towards the moonlight. The white markings that indicated tears actually streamed down the body, flowing through the statue's torso and around the shaft of the spear.

He moved towards it; his movements slow. He was unusually afraid that the ripples of blood hitting the statue, would somehow wake it up.

The statue was a bit taller than him at six foot three, its midnight black color was darker than the night. Its appearance unnerved him. But Rex mustered his courage and got close to it.

Come on, it's just a statue. It's not some kind of Gargoyle or something… I hope.

The smell was even worse now, like rotting flesh. The lid of the jar was slightly open, and he moved his head closer to sneak a look.

What was inside truly disturbed Rex.

It was an exotic assortment of revolting delicacies.

A blue beating heart with throbbing pale white veins contracting with a drumming rhythm. A decaying liver with crawling centipedes and red sand peppered all over it. And a dull black spinal cord with branching veins.

*Blegh*

Rex staggered and vomited the contents of his stomach. A stench of bile stinging his nose.

How is it still alive? And why would there just be dismembered body parts just lying around?

He forced himself to look away and think about something else. But the grotesque image refused to leave his mind. Rex didn't think he would be able to eat anything today.

He hated this world already. Decaying live organs, a creepy crying statue and an ancient pool of blood. It was all just way too much for a normal teenager like him.

It isn't alive. Nothing will hurt you. Stay calm. He repeated to himself, trying to placate his growing anxiety.

To prove his point, he reached out his hand to try and touch the statue. His index finger extended; he slowly prodded the side of the statue.

…nothing. It was perfectly still and cold to the touch.

Bolstering his courage, he felt about the statue - grasping its sides and feeling the hard metallic skin of its body. He was careful not to touch the sword for now.

He traced the shape of the statue with his hands and felt the cracks in the hard material. He grasped its cold neck and tightly squeezed it, then let go. Her rigid face was facing upwards with a devastatingly sad expression. He prodded at its pointy eyes, felt at its pursed mouth and pinched its sharp ears.

While its chest was bare and penetrated by the spear, the rest of the body was covered by a flowing robe that almost looked real. He felt them too, reminding himself that they were metallic and not the monster he kept dreading in his mind.

Why fear a ghost, if you just took a piss on it a minute ago?

Well, his bladder was currently empty, so molesting the statue would do for now.

Now to get on with business. Rex thought finally.

He wrapped his hands around the stone spear and steadied his posture. With a forceful tug, he tried his best to get the thing lose. The rough texture of the spear made his skin burn.

Dammit. I should have looked for some gloves.

He expected the cracks in the statue to widen and the spear to slide back at least an inch. But nothing happened.

Do I need to pull harder?

As Rex kept pulling on the spear. He thought he saw some kind of black miasma spreading out from the cracks around the chest, but he ignored them thinking that the dim light was playing some kind of trick on him. It was only when the black miasma thickened and snuffed out the torch on the wall, that he started panicking.

I can't see anything. Is the spear getting lose? How do I climb back out without the torch?

Rex tugged with all his might; the blood pool made it hard to get a decent footing. But he dug his feet into the hard ground and put his back into it.

Pop!

The spear came lose with a satisfying clink and he almost fell on his butt.

Alright, I'll try to find the torch somehow. Maybe it hasn't actually gone out and the miasma is just making things harder to see.

He held the spear close to his chest as if it was some precious heirloom.

But as he laboriously moved his feet up and down in the pool of blood, he realized that he was slowly sinking. The blood kept rising until it reached his belly button.

No. I have to reach the wall. Why, I didn't do anything. Was It because I took the spear out?

He kept struggling, but the blood acted like quicksand. Pulling him further down, the more he struggled.

Dammit! Not like this… I only just got revived.

The blood was rising to his chest level, he grasped his spear with one arm and tried to stab the air in front of him.

Maybe, I could latch onto the wall.

But it didn't work. He held his breath as his whole body was submerged, he couldn't reach the ground now. It was as if the floor kept sinking further and further away from him.

He kept struggling, trying to swim to the other side. But the pull was too strong, and it took a lot of effort to just not accidentally inhale it all.

There has to be something I can do. What about my traits, what if I can get some skill like 'Drowning resistance' - if that even exists.

Eventually his vision started fading as dark spots appeared in his periphery. His lungs burned and he had no breath left to exhale. The blood filled his lungs suffocating him. It had an acidic metallic taste that also strangely tasted like vintage wine.

As his consciousness faded, the last thing he felt was a strange vibrating hum coming from his spear.

***

Rex woke up.

The bustling leaves of strange trees whistled as the wind caressed them. They looked like a mix between chestnut and spruce trees with a blue leaves and dark brown wood.

*Groan*

This is the third time I've just been randomly teleported somewhere. At least last time they dropped me on a decent bed.

Rex was inwardly thankful that he didn't actually die.

I have no idea where I am though, it isn't under the church since I can see the sun out. Looks like I'm in some kind of forest… not the same one I saw outside the church but different. Also, the blue leaves are really messing with my brain. It's like I suddenly turned on a filter and I don't know how to turn it off.

Rex slowly gathered his bearings and got up, he was lying on the floor with leaves stuck in his hair and his trench coat splattered with a bit of dirt. The spear was implanted in the ground next to him, it was at a 75 degree to the ground and pointing towards him.

Well at least I have my new trusty spear.

He pulled out the spear with relative ease, the sharp end glistening in the sunlight.

It must be older than my great grandfather's bones, but it still looks sharp and deadly.

Its long slender shaft was made of dark burgundy red wood and the blade at the tip was a sooty black. Two smaller blades protruded from its base, that served as an offensive guard.

Gonna be really damn painful if I stick this in somebody, not that I really know how to use a spear.

Rex didn't have a strap to carry the spear on his back so just held it in his dominant right hand. The spear was really light, but its length made it a bit awkward to carry around.

He moved in one direction, hoping to reach some new area. Maybe, he could find his way back to the church.

Wait, do I even need to head back to the church. This could be a blessing in disguise, I might be able to find some humans or other intelligent life here.

But, even after what felt like two hours, all Rex saw was one blue leaf tree after another. Impatient, he sprinted in the same direction. He wanted to at least find some other kind of landmark or type of tree at least. No matter how much he ran; all he saw was the same forest he saw when he woke up. Even when the sun finally set and hunger and thirst started creeping in, he still couldn't find a way out of the forest.

I'm stuck here. Rex finally realized.

He slammed his spear into the ground in frustration, the fallen leaves scattering.

Dammit! Damn it all to hell.

*Rustle*

Rex swiveled his head to the right. There was movement in the bushes, like some animal was lurking. It had to have been spying on Rex, facing him now when he was disarmed and with his guard down.

Rex slowly reached for the spear, but before he could do anything…

Bam!

All he saw was a fast-moving blur before a massive weight crashed into him. It caused him to collapse on the ground with a resounding thud. The unknown creature was sitting on top of him, using its full body weight to pin him down.

Gah! What the hell was that?

Rex instinctively closed his eyes as he saw the incoming projectile. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was heavy and much stronger than him.

I need my weapon. Where is it?

He felt something slimy stick to his face and in fast paced movements lathered him with some kind of unknown sticky liquid.

Rex struggled against it and slowly opened his eyes to see…

A large dog licking him with passionate fervor. It's harmless looking face with big soft ears and a large snout, dispersed all the violent thoughts that might have visited Rex's head.

Aww.