This new sudden tightness lasted just long enough for Rohl to look down and see a handful of twisting spiked vines gripping around his legs. The moment Rohl rushed to lift his leg out of the thorny trap, only spelt his doom as the vines rushed further up his body until they had enough strength to yank his squirming body to the floor.

Fucking dungeons.

The harsh fall was enough to stun Rohl for a short second as his head had taken the brunt of the impact of the harsh ground below. But as soon as Rohl’s clarity returned, he raised his weapon before holding it in the air above him.

His legs were completely covered in vines with no flesh visible, if he struck too harshly, there was a high chance he would only do more damage to himself than the vines. With their thickness unknown and Rohl’s only option being to saw them off, Rohl desperately attempted to fight back against the thrashing vines so he could at least get some kind of sawing angle.

And in doing so, Rohl finally got a view of his companion.

Ell was also in the same situation as him but under far more duress, the vines had reached the upper half of her body and in mere moments would likely cover her arms and neck. The elf was fighting and struggling fiercely against the attack and yet there was nothing either of them could do to halt the plant's spread.

Its wild thrashing was enough to prevent Rohl from ever attempting to cut the tightening vines off him and his companion simply didn’t have the time left. It was a fate Ell seemed to have realised as she halted her attempt to cut off her attacker and instead aimed her sword at the vines that shot out of the ground beneath Rohl.

“Woah woah woah, you’re not going to make that throw, there has to be another way out of these things,” Rohl shouted with a panic hazy voice.

His words went either ignored or misheard by his companion who continued to try and aim up a shot before the vines took over too much of her body. The second the vines began to finally crawl around her outstretched arm, the elf threw her weapon.

It was a clean throw and one that would have likely landed true in any other situation, but with Rohl’s vines swarming and wrestling as much as they did, the elf’s blade missed the root of the vines and instead skimmed across Rohl’s upper led before narrowly missing it's the vines that were creeping further up him.

Whether it was from the spray of blood that erupted from Rohl’s leg or the fact they sensed the danger, the vines did momentarily retreat back. This lasted only a handful of seconds almost the time it took for Rohl to instinctively cover his wound with his hand, and this time the vines came with far more speed and ferocity as they wrapped around Rohl and began to drag him closer and closer to the heart.

The vines pulled him with far greater force and speed, so much so that Rohl was flipped on his front and spent the rough dragging desperately trying to prevent too much dirt from being forced into his mouth.

It was a painful experience that likely left him equal parts covered in both scars and mud. It was only by sheer will and fear that he managed to keep a hold of his sword, that was until the sudden force of his body being yanked into the air finally caused his grip to fail.

Fucking monsters. I knew it was hopeless but still, we're fucked and achieved nothing for it.

With Rohl only now feeling safe enough to open his eyes following the harsh dragging, He could truly realise the doomed situation he was in. The heart was dangling both him and Ell in the air, just high enough that his fingers could scrape along the surface of his sword but not so much that he could ever have a chance of reaching it. Without it, Rohl had no more weapons to use and nowhere near enough strength to hack off the vines that even now continued to shift and creep around him.

It's turning me around. I need to stop this now. Ell, maybe she can get out. If only I could see.

The vines had slithered around his face during his lifting and with their presence, Rohl could barely see out a quarter of his vision. If he shifted his face enough, Rohl could just about glimpse his companion, she was just slightly ahead of him in an equally hopeless position.

She’s still alive at least

Rohl was sure of that given the furious movement he could see but that was as much as he could tell and with the vines tightening across his mouth, Rohl was thankful enough that he could still breathe never mind talk.

They needed to communicate from some sort of way out but no matter how much Rohl writhed, struggled and kicked, he couldn’t free himself from the vines in the slightest, all he could do was helplessly struggle as the vines shifted his body and began to slowly stretch out his arms.

It’s going to hang me by my arms, if that happens, we are truly dead. Come on, I need a way out, I have to get out. I don’t want to die like this.

He had been so confident before, so sure that he was ready to face the dungeon and go out fighting, but now all that confidence and assurance had faded, leaving Rohl with only fear and terror for company.

Why did we come here, we weren’t ready. Was I just tired, delusional or was it another trick of the dungeon? I’m sorry, I’ve killed us.

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Whatever the monstrosity had planned for them, it certainly wasn’t a quick death. Even with Rohl’s desperate struggling, the dungeon was continuing to drag Rohl and Ell away from each other before seemingly hanging them in the air by their outstretched arms. The vines were deceptively strong and thick and didn’t seem in any way the slightest weighed down by the burden of his weight. And with them finally secure in this crucifying position, Rohl could feel the vines slowly retreat from the remainder of his body, leaving him dangling and still helpless.

Its grip is so tight, I can’t free my arms. I can’t get free. Were at its mercy.

A quick desperate glance at his companion revealed she was in the exact same situation as him and likely facing the exact same fate, with one minor change, that being a small circular bowl of vines that grew below her hanging body.

“I’m sorry,” Rohl muttered out, with everything happening to them, it was all he had the strength to say.

Please goddess, anyone, please help us.

It was very much a desperate prayer and one Rohl knew wouldn’t get answered, the gods never intervened like this and yet Rohl couldn’t help but hope. They were his only chance.

Please, I beg you, help us.

The vines were only getting tighter now and as they did Rohl’s strength simply continued to fade. At this point, all he could do was watch as a new vine grew out of the ground ahead of him and crawled its way up his body and towards his wrists. An action mimicked by the vine now climbing up Ell’s own form.

With as much power as he could muster, Rohl desperately attempted to nudge the vine away, but the power he could bring forth with only a few twitches of his shoulder were far from enough to shake off the encroaching vine. Neither could he push it off with his head or reach it with his jaw. He was hopeless to prevent it from sliding its way up his arm and using its vines to slice away at his wrist.

Given the jagged rough nature of the thrones, the slicing was not smooth, multiple painful cuts littered his wrists and with them came the slow dripping of blood. Blood that slowly fell down his skin before splatting onto the earth below.

It's bleeding us, draining us.

A painfilled glance towards his companion revealed she was suffering the same fate as him, blood was dripping freely from her wrist, through her blood-stained clothing before finally falling into the wooden bowl below.

Please, anyone.

He could feel his warm blood as it slowly flowed down his body and with every drop of it that made its way down his bruised skin, Rohl’s panic only grew. Even if he ignored the fact, that he was slowly facing his own death, the reality that it was a dungeon that was bothering to go to all this effort only worried him further. They should have been long dead to a swarm of monsters, not being slowly drained and his companion harvested of her blood, her very life force.

The dungeon definitely seemed to crave her blood over his, his fate seemed more akin to an animal being drained for butchering whilst hers seemed more ritualistic. Whatever the case they would soon meet the same doomed end with nothing to be done apart from sharing pained glances towards each other.

Every inch of Rohl not overwhelmed in pain or sadness was taken by the hatred he felt for the creature and yet there was nothing to be done. No one was coming to save them, and no god dared answer his desperate prayers for help. It was just them slowly embracing a drawn-out death where all he could do was hang limply and weakly.

There was nothing to be done for his own pain and weakness but perhaps Rohl hoped he could somewhat ease his companions. He had little practice with his power but with it, he hoped he could drown out her pain and give her a death filled not with hopelessness but righteous anger.

With enough anger and joy, she might be able to ignore the pain. Take strength from it and go out feeling proud. I can do that for her at least.

With every last drop of strength he had left, Rohl forced his blessing out into the world, every last drop of power he had went into it and with it, Rohl hoped Ell would be spared from their pain.

Let rage drown out the pain.

Its effect was immediate.

The elf’s exhausted droopiness faded away, her muscles became tighter as she thrashed against the vines and her head began to whip around violently as it searched for an opponent. Any inkling of pain or fear was long gone from her face and its stead was a more animalistic rage.

No more pain.

Deep down Rohl knew he couldn’t be sure just what effect his power had, the rage was obvious but whether it had truly ended her suffering or only increased her tolerance to the pain was unclear. But even as Ell’s wild thrashing became stronger and stronger as she thought to free herself from the vines, Rohl still felt he had made the right choice.

If there was any pain or fear left, Ell certainly wasn’t showing it, her arms constantly fought against the vines holding them and did seem to force them to move and shift as they controlled her, her face only showed bestial rage with all other emotions banished. The only sound to be heard was of her struggle and but need around in her fight for freedom.

It was an impressive attempt and one Rohl didn’t regret causing until finally, the elf earned her freedom in a show of blood and flesh. With one almighty burst of strength, the elf yanked down her hands, shredding off the upper layers of flesh around her hands and freeing her from the vines' unyielding grip.

She landed on the ground in a harsh fall that only furthered the damage to her bloody and broken hands. The fact they were still functional despite the hanging flesh and awful damage was a testament to the rage Rohl’s blessing had infused. Not that he felt pride at that, all Rohl felt after witnessing the gore-filled sight was the need to vomit and apologise for causing such harm.

“Run, go, get out of here,” Rohl’s shout was clearly audible and yet it went completely ignored by his companion who only picked herself up from the ground and charged straight forward, leaving a trail of blood as she did so.

Gods is that bone.

“Ell!”

In a glorious charge, the elf rushed forward, pulled herself free from the vines that rushed to contain her and picked up his sword in her shaky flayed fingers. With speed unmatched by all around, Ell slashed away the rushing vines before containing her charge.

Is she still affected by my blessing? I don't know how to stop this.

In her current bestial state, Rohl knew she would only die here if she continued to fight against the vines, against the dungeon, she had to get out but no matter what Rohl did, it seemed the elf was destined to do whatever she wished.

“Ell, please listen to me, get out. Get out and warn them.”

His pleas only went ignored as Ell charged forward sword drawn.

What is she doing, is she going for the vines, maybe the heart? No. No. No.

“Ell, stop.”

In a charge powered by unfiltered rage and bloodlust, the elf plunged her sword clean through his vulnerable stomach and out his back. And with his body barely slowing down the blade, Ell continued to push forward, impaling him into the dungeon heart itself.