Mia and her friends stood huddled together in the dilapidated building. The air was thick with dust, making it difficult to breathe, and the distant howling of the wind outside sent shivers down her back.
"We need to find some weapons if we're going to have any chance of getting out of here alive." Mia began, trying to shake off the creeping unease. "I’d feel much safer with something to defend us against those bugs." She tried to sound firm but her voice cracked as she remembered the monsters.
Mia's eyes scanned the faces of her companions. She needed them to understand that they needed to act.
"Agreed," Diana said . "But where do we even start looking? This place looks like it hasn't been touched in centuries."
Mia bit her lip, considering their options. "I saw no difference between the buildings so it doesn't matter where we start. Maybe we can try searching the rooms off this hallway?" she pointed to the corridor right outside of the room they were in. "There might be something useful hidden among all the rubble. Anything is better than nothing. Which is what we have now."
"Sounds like a plan," Frank chimed in.
As they cautiously moved down the dark corridor, Mia tried to take control of the shaking of her hands. She knew that she couldn't afford to let fear consume her. Her friends were counting on her, and she'd be damned if she let them down. She couldn't break down like last time. She couldn't afford any mistakes.
Navigating through the dark using the light rune on a small stone, Mia thought back to their encounter with the monsters. Back then, she fucked up royally, confusing reality with fantasy. She needed to make it right.
"Guys," Mia said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I just want you all to know that no matter what happens, I'll do everything in my power to keep us safe and get us back home."
Her friends exchanged glances, their expressions amused.
"Thanks, Mia," Frank replied dryly. "Real good pep talk, not pompous or anything."
"Fuck you too Frank" Mia said noticing Diana rolling her eyes. The exchange made her feel better, normal even. They continued their search.
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"This way is too slow. Frank, why don't you scout ahead?" Diana suggested, her blue eyes scanning the hallway before them. "You can move way faster than we do and you have that hiding skill.”
"Right," Frank replied, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "Because I'd just love to end up as monster chow." He cracked a nervous grin. "At least you guys'll know where not to go when you find my dead body later, huh?"
"Come on, Frank," Mia said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're counting on you. Just be careful, and if you run into anything dangerous, get back here as fast as you can." Mia felt awful sending Frank off this way, but it was the best idea.
"Alright, alright," Frank sighed, forcing a smile. "I'll go scout ahead. But if I die, I'm totally haunting you guys." He tried to joke, but his fear was evident in his trembling hands and hesitant steps.
"Be careful, Frank," Mia called after him, her voice genuinely concerned.
"Always am!" he replied, attempting to sound more confident than he felt. He started using Shadow Dance and disappeared. As he ventured deeper into the building, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, and he couldn't shake the sensation of being watched.
As Frank cautiously moved deeper into the building, his mind raced with thoughts about what could be lurking in the shadows. He knew that he had to stay alert and focused, but it was difficult not to let his imagination run wild. What if there were more of those horrifying monsters waiting for him around every corner? What if they were right behind him, watching his every move?
Every louder step, every rustling whisper of wind sent shivers down his spine, and he found himself gripping the only weapon he'd found up till now, a sharp stone.
"Okay, Frank," he muttered under his breath, trying to muster up some courage. "You got this. Just keep moving, and don't let your fears get the best of you."
His footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, the only sound breaking the silence. As he rounded a corner, he caught a glimpse of something that made his heart skip a beat. For a moment, he thought he'd stumbled upon one of the monsters, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a discarded pile of broken furniture and debris.
"Phew," Frank sighed with relief, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Just my overactive imagination acting up again." He knew that he couldn't get back without finding something.
"Alright, gang," Frank whispered, steeling himself as he went deeper into the darkness. "Let's see what other surprises this place has in store for us."
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The building groaned under the weight of its own decay. Crumbling plaster and flaking paint adorned the walls, while the debris strewn around made noise beneath each step Frank took. The empty rooms and corridors echoing in strange ways. It was as if the very structure was warning him against going further.
"Focus, Frank," he muttered to himself, looking for any potential threats or anything useful. "Find something that could help the others, and get back safe."
At first Frank spent a lot of time in each room but soon realized that most held a similar mix of uselessness. What he assumed was wooden furniture, rotten beyond his capacity to recognize how the it looked in the first place. Stone debris strewn everywhere, mostly from the crumbling walls. There were small pieces of metal here and there, he collected those, maybe they could sharpen them or something.
Frank couldn't come up with the intended purpose for these rooms, there were just no clues other than the wood and stone. He also couldn't see any pattern to the layout, everything was placed without rhyme or reason. Who needed a set of 16 square rooms with doorways on all four sides and about 5 feet across each? Other than someone who wanted to scare the shit out of Frank with the weird acoustics.
"Who's there?" Frank whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he thought he heard laughter. But they turned out to be nothing more than echoes of his own racing mind.
"Get a grip, man," he scolded himself, shaking his head. "You're letting your nerves get to you." The building seemed to have a life of its own, its unfamiliar sounds making Frank freeze his movements from time to time and just listen.
"Frank, keep your eyes open," he reminded himself, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.
But it was difficult, every room seemed the same, he couldn't find anything useful and the sounds were really getting to him.
"Hey, Frank," he said, attempting to divert his attention from his growing unease with casual conversation. "You know how the joker character isn't the first one to die? Usually."
"Fuck off?" he grumbled back to himself, shaking his head. "They usually die in some ironic and painful way." He paused for a moment, remembering the wound on Hectors side. "Well, at least no one died... yet."
"Ugh, don't even joke about that," he chastised himself, shivering involuntarily. "You've got enough to worry about without adding that to the mix."
"Right, right," Frank agreed, taking another deep breath and forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. He scanned the corridor, and continued his search for anything that they could use.
"Come on, Frank," he whispered, willing himself to keep moving forward. "You can do this. Stay strong, stay focused, and most importantly, stay alive."
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Frank tiptoed deeper into the building, listening intently to every creak and groan that echoed around him. Dust swirled in the air, illuminated by the shafts of light that pierced through his fingers as he partially covered the light rune.
A sudden scuttling sound caught his attention, and Frank froze mid-step, barely allowing himself to breathe. He slowly covered the light rune, drowning the corridor in darkness. He strained his ears, but the noise didn't repeat itself. With a small sigh of relief, he resumed his search, mentally cataloging each room he passed: room, empty room, weird shape room...
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"Nothing useful so far," Frank thought, biting his lip. "Come on, there has to be something we can use in this dump."
As he turned a corner, a growl reverberated through the hallway – the monsters from before. Panic gripped Frank's chest as he dashed into the nearest room, quietly shutting the stone door behind him. He pressed his back against the cold stone, his heart pounding frantically against his ribcage.
"Please don't find me, please don't find me," he whispered like a mantra, sweat trickling down his face. The monstrous growls grew louder, accompanied by heavy footsteps that shook the floor beneath him.
"Hey, Frank," he whispered to himself, trying to keep his voice steady. "Remember the time you managed to sneak past those security guards at the mall? You can do this."
"Except they weren't monsters," his inner voice shot back, filled with terror. "And they couldn't tear me limb from limb if they found me."
"Shut up," Frank hissed, forcing himself to take deep, calming breaths. "Quiet."
The footsteps drew nearer, and Frank's heart threatened to burst from his chest as he held his breath. The door rattled suddenly, causing him to jump back in fright. But the monsters didn't enter, their guttural sounds continuing down the hallway instead.
His body trembling uncontrollably and his sweaty hands pushed against the door "How i hate this place."
The silence that followed the passing of the monsters was deafening. Frank's heart raced, a wild drumbeat in his ears, drowning out any trace of rational thought. He knew he had to leave the room eventually, but fear anchored him in place, his back pressed firmly against the cold wall.
"Move," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. But his legs refused to obey, remaining locked in place, as if the floor had transformed into quicksand. "Come on, damn it, move!"
"Frank, buddy, you've got this," he muttered, trying to muster up some courage from within. "You're the joker. The resourceful one. You can't let them find your dead body later, right?"
He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and forced his trembling legs to take a step forward. The door creaked open slightly, revealing an empty corridor bathed in darkness. With each hesitant step, Frank felt the icy grip of fear loosen its hold on him.
"Okay, just keep moving," he told himself, his eyes darting around for any signs of danger. "Find something useful and get back to the others."
"Come on, Frank," he muttered, pushing aside debris and scanning every nook and cranny. "Don't let Mia and the others down."
Frank found his treasure cove soon after, behind a closed door, he stumbled upon a room filled with wood that was actually usable, and scraps of metal that were strewn haphazardly across the floor. A glimmer of hope sparked within him, and he grinned.
"Jackpot!" he whispered excitedly, his fear momentarily forgotten. His mind raced with possibilities, as he quickly cataloged the makeshift weapons they could fashion from the debris.
"Alright, Frank," he said to himself, his heart swelling with hope. "Time to be the hero."
He picked a different route to avoid the monsters, cautiously making his way back to the room where Mia and the others were waiting. As he entered, he could see the worry on their faces, but he tried to maintain a confident facade.
"Guys, you won't believe what I found," Frank announced, doing his best to inject some enthusiasm into his voice. “I think we might have just hit the jackpot."
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"Alright, let's see what you've found," Mia said, her voice full of anticipation. The party followed Frank down the dark corridor, their footsteps echoing far better than they should.
“Anyone noticed the weird effect these walls have on sound?” Mia asked her friends.
“It's the lack of windows and the angles of the walls and ceiling, sound carries really far here” Diana answered. "Quiet now, we don't want to lure anything." The party kept quiet after that exchange, until they reached their goal.
As they entered the room, Mia's eyes widened at the sight before her. Pieces of wood and metal littered the floor, creating an atmosphere that felt both chaotic and filled with untapped potential. She could feel her pulse quicken as she scanned the debris, searching for anything that would be useful to them.
"Wow, Frank," Diana murmured, her gaze darting around the room. "I really expected something better. A Medieval armory or something, not this trash pile."
"Well you know what they say, " Frank quipped, unperturbed by Diana's mocking. "one man's trash is another man's treasure, right?"
Mia couldn't help but wonder at his optimism; this was life or death, if they fucked up there was no second try. "Let's just hope we can find something that'll actually help us," she replied, they needed to use whatever they had. She began sifting through the scattered items.
As Mia continued her search, she felt disappointment welling up inside her. She wanted was a bow – something she could use, something that would give her a sense of control in this alien world. But there was no way to find or create one from this trash.
"Guess I'm out of luck, huh?" she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the sting of frustration. Her eyes flickered over the room one last time, as if willing a bow to magically appear before her.
"Hey," Frank said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll make do with what we have, alright? We're resourceful – we'll find a way to turn this junk into something useful."
Mia nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You're right," she agreed, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"We're lucky," Frank grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Now, let's see what we can create from this mess."
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Mia's fingers traced the jagged edges of a broken piece of wood, taking note of its length and weight. "This could work as a club," she said, her voice infused with doubt. "But i think i want something with more range"
"Good idea," Diana agreed, her eyes scanning the room for anything else they could use. She picked up a metal pipe, testing its heft in her hands. "And this could be a decent staff."
She glanced over at Frank, who was now focused on sharpening two pieces of scrap, each about a foot long by running them along the floor. He then meticulously wrapped the rags they found around the pieces of jagged metal, fashioning makeshift handles that he secured with strips he made of the same rags.
"See you found your daggers, Frank" Mia said " Think you could help me with this?" She held up a long straight piece of wood and a small piece of metal that could work for a tip.
"You want a spear right?" Frank asked. "Let me finish my daggers and I'll get you your spear."
Working by the light of Diana's magic, Frank took the wooden shaft and the piece of metal, securing them together with strips of rag. It was far from a work of art, but it was a functional spear. Frank inspected his creation with a nod, happy with how the weapon turned out. In this dangerous place, every advantage counted, and Frank's spear was just one such advantage. With a somewhat satisfied grunt, he handed the spear back to Mia.
"Are you sure that'll hold?" she asked, concern furrowing her brow.
"Positive," Frank replied, flashing her a confident smile. "I used to help my dad with repairs back home. Trust me, this will hold up in a fight."
Hector's gaze fell upon a rusted and twisted piece of metal discarded in a corner. It was far from an impressive weapon, but it would have to do. He hefted the corroded metal, feeling its weight and testing its balance. The piece was more rust than metal but it was the best he had. He had found his mace.
Thinking about defense, Hector searched the pieces of metal scattered nearby. He couldn't find one large enough for a shield or armor.
"Guys, do you see this?" Diana asked, motioning toward the blue display hanging in the air before her.
"Is that... Did you identify the weapon?" Frank asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Seems like it," Diana agreed, studying the text with interest.
RUSTED STEEL PIPE
ATTACK: 8-12
DURABILITY: 15/20
RANGE: 2 METERS
RARITY: COMMON
"Let's see the other ones," Diana said, looking at Hector's mace. As if on cue, another System popup appeared before her, detailing the specifications of the mace:
RUST MACE
ATTACK: 10-15
DURABILITY: 15/30
RANGE: 1 METER
RARITY: COMMON
"Nice," Hector grinned, hefting the mace with a newfound appreciation for its power. "I guess i will have some warning before it brakes."
"Alright, my turn," Frank chimed in, lifting his daggers. The System popup materialized before him, revealing the attributes of his makeshift weapon:
SCRAP DAGGER
ATTACK: 9-13
DURABILITY: 25/25
RANGE: 0.5 METERS
RARITY: COMMON"
"Hey, not bad!" he exclaimed, the fear that had plagued him earlier now replaced with excitement. "We might actually stand a chance against whatever's out there!"
"Let's hope so," Mia said, her grip tightening on her spear. "We can't afford to be caught off guard again." She looked at her spear.
MAKESHIFT SPEAR
ATTACK: 10-15
DURABILITY: 25/25
RANGE: 2 METERS
RARITY: COMMON
"Diane, can you enchant these?" Frank asked hopefully.
"Yes, but it will take time, let's find somewhere safe first." Everyone agreed and they moved out.