The first thing I noticed was the rancid smell. Though I didn’t want to, I had no choice but to continue moving forward. The stench assaulted my nose in waves as I approached the next room. So that’s where the smell was coming from. The room was connected to the sewers, which had overflown. In a corner of the room was another hollow. He sat down staring at a wall, paying no attention to the sewer water that came to his neck. I burned this image into my head. This could be me in the future.

I exited the room and climbed up a ladder, entering a large courtyard. I looked up. There it is again, the sky. The gray clouds block the sun, giving off a sense a dreariness, but I like it. It’s a fitting atmosphere for this broken world. There’s a sword stuck in a dead bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. I approached the bonfire attempting to pull the sword out, but as soon as my hand neared the hilt, the bonfire lit, giving off a warm aura. I sat down at the bonfire and a sense of vigor washed over me. The aura is rejuvenating. There is fire but I don’t feel heat. This bonfire doesn’t fill you with warmth, it fills you with hope. But sometimes those two things are the same in this cold world.

I stood up. This bonfire had given me enough energy to move on. I decided not to try to remove the sword. With the properties of the bonfire, it’s most likely a magic weapon, and I don’t know if there would be repercussions if I attempted to remove it. I walked up the steps to large double doors. They were made of a combination of wood and iron, making it difficult to open. I stood in the doorway, assessing the room before entering. Astuteness is an important trait to have if one wants to stay alive, or in my case, sane. It was a large room, comparable to the size of the courtyard. The middle of the room was empty, but the sides were filled with urns. The empty portion was also extremely uneven, and I noticed that some of the floor was cracked. A lot of pressure must have been exerted on it. I spotted two exits. There was one exit on the left surrounded by torches that seemed to lead even deeper in the asylum. There was another set of large double doors straight across from me. The ceiling was broken, letting lig-

What the hell.

On the broken roof, was a giant demon looking down at me. It was the same demon that I had seen earlier. Wait, no. There are slight differences, such as this one holding a club instead of an axe. And I would probably have felt something if that giant monster had gotten from the basement to the top of the roof. It simply stood on the ceiling looking down at me, like a predator marking its prey. It dared me to draw near, but I didn’t like my chances. I backed up slowly into the courtyard, keeping my eyes on the demon. It didn’t look like it was going anywhere soon. I walked around the courtyard, seeing if there were any other paths. Good. There was a gate to the right of the double doors. I walked over to the gate and tried to open it. No luck. The gate seemed to open from the other side. I sighed. Looks like there’s only one way forward.

I went back to the doorway and started coming up with a plan. I’ll run towards the black double doors since they have a higher possibility of leading outside. Hopefully I can run fast enough. Hopefully I can open the doors before it kills me. Hopefully the doors aren’t locked.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

…..

At least I can’t die.

I entered the room and started running as fast I can towards the other side. Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over the floor in front of me. Damn. The demon jumped off quickly, as if it knew what I was thinking. It crashed into the floor, sending pieces of broken tile everywhere. I was momentarily stunned by the size of it. It was hard to tell how large it really was until getting close to it. Too close. I immediately abandoned the first plan and ran for the side exit. I saw the demon swing its massive club towards me out the corner of my eye. I dodge rolled, the giant weapon whistling over my head. I got through the exit, the gate closing behind me. The demon destroyed a pillar, howling in frustration. It looks like I get to keep my sanity for another day.

I went down a flight of stairs and came across small room with another bonfire. I lit it and moved on. The room was connected to the sewer which had overflown here as well. The water flowed out the doorway and into the next hallway. The ground was littered with bricks from parts of the destroyed hallway. The roof was practically missing. There was a corpse in the entrance to another room. I went over to it, and got hit in the shoulder with an arrow. That’s when I noticed the hollow with a bow at the other end of the hallway. So much for my astuteness. I dodge rolled into the room and pulled out the arrow. Interesting. I didn’t feel much pain. Is that a blessing or a curse? Since the corpse was in the doorway, I could scavenge it without going back into the hallway and getting shot. I reached over and grabbed the only item it had: a small leather shield. Perfect. I fastened the shield to my left arm and re entered the hallway. The hollow shot another arrow which pierced into the shield, leaving me unharmed. I ran towards the hollow, blocking another arrow with my shield. The hollow became scared as I drew closer and it ran away through a passage on the left. I stopped before chasing after it. There was another corpse. I put my broken sword away, reaching down and picking up a dagger. I finally have an actual weapon.

I turned into the passage and walked up stairs, my shield raised and dagger ready. I entered a small corridor. The hollow stood at the end in front of a wall of mist, as if guarding it. It loaded another arrow, drawing back the bowstring. I ran forwards, circled around it and stabbed it in the back. Blood erupted from its chest, its fragile body dying almost instantly. I put my foot on its back and removed my dagger. Its body crumpled to the ground, awaiting rebirth. I took in a small breath. It felt like some essence of the hollow had left its body and entered mine. I looked down at my body, making sure nothing was wrong. I turned around and looked at the wall of mist. It looked suspicious, but there was only one way forwards. I entered the doorway, the wall of mist dissipating behind me.