The mine was dark and eerie with a low howl of wind that traveled through the tunnels, wafting in a strong pungent stench.

"Wait a minute…" Lugo said. "...if the door was closed, how are the greer’s inhabiting the mines? I mean, how do they get food to eat?"

All the adventurers chuckled.

"This isn't the only entrance." Max replied. "How else do you think there's a draft? Now, if we get split up, you keep going until you've reached a dead end or you've reached another exit. At that point, you can return. We will rendezvous back here every night. So try not to get lost or you'll be spending the night in there."

The adventures lit torches and began entering the mines one by one. Aylin and Maki gleefully skip behind Max like a pair of school girls skipping after a crush. The amount of excitement they showed made Tsugi shift uncomfortably. She was concerned they may be a little overconfident.

Tsugi, Lugo and Ellie glanced at each other warily before following behind them. Ruzo's nose went crazy as they entered the mines, searching for anything that could be lurking. On top of that, the mines had many different smells that Tsugi was sure Ruzo had found interestingly mouthwatering. In fact, she was positive, seeing as there was a long drool that hung from Ruzo's lips, drooping so low that it touched her shoulder.

The draft continued to carry with it the smell of death that hit them in waves. Aylin pinched her nose and only breathed through her mouth, but it didn’t help much as she kept turning over to gag and heave on the side.

“Gods I can taste it!” She spat and hurled again, surprising everyone at how much could come out of such a little person.

“Did you want to turn back?” Maki held Aylin’s hair and rubbed her back. Aylin couldn’t answer, but she shook her head. “We’ll never make it anywhere, if you keep throwing up.”

Aylin spat. “It’s okay. My stomach will soon empty and I will be fine.” She groaned. “Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten right before this.”

“You think?” Maki chuckled.

Placing her hands on her hips, Aylin took a deep breath through her mouth. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Tsugi was glad that they seemed to be more relaxed and not traumatized from the past events. With the way they talked, joked and laughed, no one would’ve known anything had ever occurred.

Just like Lugo suspected, the mine split into three different directions. The adventurers split up on their own and went their own ways, without so much as a word. Their lack of communication irked Lugo, but there was little he could do about it. Ending up taking the middle path, they followed Max, Pike and a group of ten other men.

The path eventually opened up into a big empty den that echoed with every little noise from them: their steps; clanking weapons; whispers and even the roar of the flame from the torches as they waved them back and forth to look around.

The smell of rot was extremely potent from this room.

Ruzo’s sniffs were loud as he huffed and puffed through the air.

A gasp from the other end of the room, sent scurries of footsteps running over. Aylin was standing in front of a pile of bones and rotten meat, covered with flies and maggots that wriggled out of the holes in the grotesque half eaten meat. She quickly ran over to the edge of the wall and hurled as if she had anything else to empty.

“Were they eating each other?” Maki said as she tended to Aylin. “Those are greer bones – aren’t they?”

“Yes.” Max knelt down by the pile of rotting meat and scrutinized it. His nose scrunched as he sniffed. “I don’t know why they would be eating each other though. Unless the entrances have been blocked and they couldn’t escape.”

“These don’t look like bite marks from greer’s.” Lugo peered at the rotting meat. “They are usually pretty neat and I doubt they would waste this much meat, if they were in fact starving. Besides, would they kill this many of their own pack, just to take a few bites?”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Well, whatever it is, be careful. If it’s done our job for us, we just need to kill it.” Max says, crouching down to inspect the carcasses.

“More like, them.” Lugo says, arching a brow at Max.

Max gazes at Lugo and stands to his feet. “We should keep moving. Let’s not linger in one place for too long.”

“Over here!” One of the adventurers shouted from deeper in the mines. As they made their way over, they could see human bones, abandoned carts, shovels and pickaxes lying around. Even a few weapons and shields were scattered about.

Reaching the adventurers in a dimly lit area, a pair of giant stone doors stood in front of them. The adventurers gaped as they looked up at the massive intricate blue designs and the ancient looking frames.

“What exactly were they trying to find in this mine?” Tsugi asked.

“We need to leave.” Lugo said sternly. Tsugi looked up at him. Lugo’s eyes were wide with trepidation as he gazed upon the intricate designs on the door. “From the looks of the bodies and weapons on the ground, I’m guessing they opened the door. We need to leave now.”

“Why the hurry?” A man with deep red hair and stubble said with a thick accent. “It’s a fookin door. There could be treasure inside.” He advanced toward the door as the other men followed behind him.

“Don’t open it!” Lugo yelled.

“Why not? If it’s already been opened, why does it matter if we open it or not? C’mon men!” They all gathered around it, prying their fingers into the crack, grunting and pulling as hard as they could.

“They can do whatever the hell they want.” Lugo said and turned to Tsugi. “We need to go – now!” He tugs on her arm.

She turns and pulls on the sleeve of Ellie’s shirt. {Lugo said, it’s dangerous and we need to leave now.}

The three of them, including Ruzo, turned to leave as the doors creaked open.

“Those fucken idiots are going to get themselves killed. Experienced my ass.” Lugo muttered angrily.

Tsugi gaped at him in shock. She had never seen Lugo get so angry let alone swear before. Lugo must've known something about that door, but now wasn’t the time to ask him about it. They had to get somewhere safe first. Ruzo followed them, but he continued to turn around and look behind them, warily as though he sensed something. Little growls could be heard from under his breath.

As soon as they got out of sight, Lugo knelt to the ground to summon the door, but Ruzo crouches, letting out a low defensive growl as screams erupted from back down the mines.

Tsugi quickly darted back, but Lugo grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving any further. “Leave them! They won’t make it!” He barked, his eyes blazed with anger and apprehension.

“I didn’t become a healer to leave people to die! Not even idiots like them! Aylin and Maki are still back there too! I’m not leaving them!” She glared at him.

He held his stare, determined to not let her go. When he saw the determination in Tsugi’s eyes, he knew he wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise.

“Damn it!” He yelled. With much reluctance, he let go of Tsugi’s arm and the four of them went darting back.

Their blood rushed past their eardrums, pounding loudly as they rounded the corner. The giant blue doors were cracked open but there wasn’t any noise from inside. They quickly rushed through the doors and entered a room filled with darkness.

An arm was quickly thrown up in front of them, halting them in their place. “Don’t move any further.” Max muttered.

Deep inside the room was a treasure chest that was lit by some light emanating from the ceiling.

Maki stood next to them and closed her eyes, setting a fire alight in her hands.

Tsugi flinched, closing her eyes and tilting her neck as if to get rid of a kink in her neck. Lugo placed a hand on Tsugi’s shoulder as though he were holding her to the ground before she could get swept away, allowing her to return to earth and breathe like she had been holding her breath.

Maki flicked her hands and the torches that lined around the room lit up one by one until they encircled the room and lit every corner of it.

In front of them were three of the adventurers. Their bodies were in chunks. They had been cleanly severed at the knees, waist and necks. Some of them were also missing their hands and tips of their fingers. Blood pooled around their flesh and guts that were splattered on the ground. The man with the red hair and everyone else stood just outside of the circled pattern, outlined on the stone floor. Everyone was quiet and their mouths gaped open in shock, as they still tried to process what had just occurred.

“What the hell happened?” Tsugi asked.

Max walked back and picked up an old human bone, lying in the corner. It was so white, almost powdered-like as though it had been there for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. Returning, he tossed it beyond the circled outline on the stone floor. Lightning fast blades emerged from the walls and sliced through the air, just shy of the boundary.

“At least it was fast.” Lugo shrugged. They all turned and gaped at him. “What? I warned them. Now – we should get out of here before things get worse. And trust me, they will.”

“What do you know that you’re not sharing?” Pike took a threatening step toward Lugo.

“It’s a dungeon. Inscriptions on the door, say:

‘Ye who be greedy

Shall be met with a force, times thirty

Run now and you may live

Too slow and your soul you will give.’