As the group continued their exploration of the abandoned city, the place was really starting to get to them.
"Man, this is seriously creepy," Frank muttered, nervously glancing around. "Who built it like this, no windows, no ornaments, no nothing?"
Mia furrowed her brow as she studied the architecture up close. It was unlike anything she had seen before. "I have no idea. Whoever they were, they're long gone now. Everything is rotten, rusted and falling apart."
"Perhaps they just left?" suggested Hector, his voice carrying an unnerving echo through the empty streets.
"Or maybe they were wiped out," Diana chimed in, "We've seen what kind of power exists in this world."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, each of them trying to puzzle out who could have built such a a large city and then abandon it.
"Whatever happened here," Mia said, breaking the silence, "we need to find our way home. That's our only priority."
The going over the rubble was tiring. Their footsteps echoed softly in the empty streets, interrupted only by the occasional distant shrieks of the creatures. Mia's mind insisted on recalling how the monsters looked like in way too much detail.
Mia wiped the sweat from her brow as she led the group through the city. Her thoughts went to the fruity drink she had at the party, she would kill to get her hands on it now.
"Ugh," Frank grumbled, his face pale and drawn. He stumbled over a piece of broken masonry, barely catching himself before he fell. "I'm getting really tired of tripping over things."
"Careful, Frank," Hector warned, keeping a watchful eye on him. "We need to stay alert."
"Stay alert? I don't think I've been this tired since finals week back in college," Frank retorted, rubbing his eyes wearily. To Mia his humor felt strained and brittle, like he was trying too hard.
"Same here," Diana agreed, her shoulders slumped with fatigue.
"How long have we been here, it feels like hours and it's still dusk" Frank said.
"Yeah it's weird but let's just... keep moving, " Mia sighed, her voice heavy with exhaustion. As much as she wanted to rest, she knew they couldn't afford to stop now, not before they found a something that at least resembled safety.
They navigated the empty streets slowly, each new corner brought about a fresh wave of anxiety, as they scanned the area for any signs of monsters.
"Wait," Frank said abruptly, halting the group in their tracks. "Look at that" he pointed to a collection of scratches on a wall of one of the buildings. It looked like writing, a set of symbols and markings, some of which seemed oddly familiar.
"Does anyone else recognize these?" Frank asked, his voice tinged with hope.
"Maybe," Mia replied, studying the wall closely. "It reminds me of something I've seen before, but I can't quite place it."
"I sense some weak magic from it. " Diana said, her brow furrowed. "No idea what kind though."
"Guys, I think... I think we need to check this building out," Frank said.
"Are you sure?" Hector asked skeptically. "It could be a warning."
"Maybe," Frank admitted, "but it's not like we have any other options. Everything else is just more of the same."
"Frank's right," Mia decided, standing there didn't get them anything. "We're tired and we need a place to rest, or at least some water."
"Alright," Hector agreed, nodding solemnly, looking at the building with the scratches, it was a bit taller than the ones around it. "Let's not waste any more time then."
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Mia's scanned the corridor, the light runes casting shadows on the crumbling walls. The group pressed on, their legs trembling with fatigue as they moved past empty doorways and corridors that stared back at them like hollow eyes. Frank stumbled yet again, his face pale and drawn.
"Guys," Diana whispered, her voice taut. "Over there."
Mia followed Diana's gaze, seeing a heavy double door, the first of its kind that they saw. They approached cautiously, finding one of the heavy stone wings partially ajar.
"Look at this place," Hector murmured, nudging the door open with his boot. Inside, the room was spacious, with high ceilings and walls in good shape. There were only two entrances: the main door and a narrow passageway at the rear that led to another exit. The room's air was thick with ancient dust, and it felt like noone was there for a really long time.
"Looks like some sort of a grand hall. Should we hole up here for now?" Frank asked, his voice barely audible to Mia as she glanced around the room. She could see the others eyeing the space with similar thoughts, their bodies slumped and yearning for rest.
"I don't think we should stay here for too long," Mia said nervously, rubbing her hands together as he surveyed the room. "I mean, it's a good place to rest, but we really need to find a way home."
"Mia, we're all exhausted," Hector shot back, his voice strained from fatigue. "We can't keep going on like this. We need to rest."
"Of course, but what if something finds us while we're resting?" Frank chimed in, his eyes darting between the two exits.
"This room seems defensible enough," Hector countered, considering the room. "We can block this entrance and check the one in the back then I could keep watch and make sure nothing sneaks up on us."
Mia considered their words, weighing the risks and benefits in her mind. She knew they couldn't keep pushing themselves like this, but she also couldn't shake the nagging fear that something was lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to let their guard down.
"Alright," she decided at last, her voice firm. "Check the other entrance and we will make a choice then. If we stay we will keep watches in shifts, it won't be only you Hector." She shook her head, she knew that Hector would actually try to keep watch alone.
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The group went to the other entrance. It led to a set of rooms with no other exit other than a hole in the floor in the first room. The drop was significant but doable in case of an emergency escape.
"This place is perfect, but we need to get this place a bit more usable before we go to rest," Diana said. "Wait, what is that?" Her gaze settled on a peculiar mechanism embedded into the wall beside the doors—a set of intricate runes etched into a metallic plate. Diana carefully examined the runes. "What do you guys think? Doorbell, closing mechanism, alarm or a trap?"
"Maybe a light switch," Frank said.
Diana just shrugged and put her hand on the plate. It started to glow and the double doors closed silently. When they finished there was a glow along the vertical crack of the door. A small stone cube extended from the wall.
"Why did you do that? You said yourself it could have been a trap" Mia asked angrily.
"It wasn't," Diana responded in her usual calm manner. She picked up the small stone from the wall and threw it to Hector who caught it. "Hector, Frank, try to open the doors now". The guys nodded and got to trying, no matter how they strained their muscles the door didn't bulge. Hector even tried his Power Strike, it didn't even make a sound, the door somehow consuming the energy. "Last experiment, that cube seems to be the key, Hector go ahead and touch the plate, we will see if you can operate it. Should be safe and the door should open."
Hector used to follow Diana's suggestions, touched the plate and the door did indeed open. Then he tried without the key and the mechanism didn’t activate. They tried it a couple of times and everything seemed okay. Frank went out of the room and said there is a similar mechanism outside.
"This is a huge advantage, we should make this... grand hall our home base." Diana said.
Mia looked at Frank and Hector who were all too happy for a place to rest. She just wanted to find a way home sooner but she understood the dangers of going around tired.
They began to arrange themselves in the defensible room, their bodies protesting every movement. Mia leaned against a crumbling wall, her legs trembling beneath her. She watched as Hector went through some debris in the room, looking for something, sweat dripping from his brow. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Fine," he grunted, his breaths heavy. "Just need to... make sure we're... safe."
"Let me help," Mia insisted, pushing herself away from the wall and towards Hector. Together, they looked through the rest of the debris seeing no other holes or entrances. As they stood there resting, Frank approached them with a proposal.
"I’ve checked down the hole. It seems that there is a similar level to this one underground. I saw a ramp leading back to the level we’re on but turned back. Shame you missed my acrobatics performance going back up. Anyway, considering our situation," Frank began, rubbing the back of his neck, "I think it's best if we set up a guard rotation while we rest." Mia was impressed at his sudden initiative, maybe there was more to him than the stupid jokes?
"Agreed," Diana chimed in, her eyes scanning the room warily. "The last thing we need is to be caught off guard by some... whatever might be out there."
"Alright," Mia nodded, her exhaustion evident in the slump of her shoulders. "How do we want to do this?"
"Since I'm the most experienced at keeping watch," Diana offered, her posture straightening, "I'll take the first shift."
"Okay," Mia agreed, trying to muster a smile. "I'll take the second, then. Hector, can you handle the third?"
"Sure thing," he replied, puffing out his chest. "Just wake me up when it's my turn."
"Frank, that leaves you with the fourth shift," said Mia, turning to him.
"Sounds good to me," he replied, forcing a light-hearted chuckle. "I always was a morning person. Even if there are no mornings in this place."
With the rotations decided, Diana moved to a vantage point near the doorway, her eyes already scanning the darkness beyond. The escape route through the hole remained unobstructed, allowing them to flee if necessary.
Mia, Frank and Hector scoured the area for anything that could serve as bedding, finding only a few tattered rags large enough to fashion cots from them. Though far from ideal, they provided some protection from the cold stone floor.
"I really hope we find some food soon," Frank muttered, his stomach rumbling loudly enough to draw concerned glances from the others. "I'm starving."
"Me too," Mia agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But there's nothing edible here. We'll have to keep searching once we've rested."
As they settled down, the silence of the room was broken only by their quiet shuffling. Mia's stomach rumbled.
"Hey," Mia whispered, her voice cracking with emotion as she spoke to Frank. "No matter what happens, we'll stick together, alright? We're going to find our way home." Mia cringed inwardly at sounding like a moron but saying this really did make her feel better. Lying on the hard cold floor wrapped in a couple of rags and Hector's jacket she really needed that.
"Of course," Frank replied, to Mia he was trying to sound confident but the tremor in his voice gave him away. "We've made it this far, haven't we?"
"Right," Hector agreed. "But we should find some source of food and water soon. I don't know how long we can last without it."
"We will find some tomorrow," Frank interjected, attempting to lighten the mood. "Or else we might have to start hunting those creepy creatures for food."
A shudder ran through Mia at the thought, but a small laugh escaped her anyway. "This is so fucking absurd." They shared a round of chuckles, the others apparently agreeing with her.
"Listen," Mia said, her voice soft. "We're going to find a way out of here, and we're going to do it together. We just need to keep pushing forward."
"Here's to making it through this hellhole," Hector added, raising an imaginary toast that the others mimicked with wry grins.
"Cheers," Frank whispered, his smile bittersweet as he met Mia's gaze.
As the others drifted off to sleep, Mia lay there, her thoughts raced with fears for their survival and the uncertainty of their future. She glanced at her friends, her biggest fear was for them. Seeing Hector hurt before drove the reality of their situation in. Even with Diana's magic healing they could die here. She scoffed at the idea of magic healing being part of her world now.
"Get some rest, Mia," Hector whispered softly, his brown eyes meeting hers before closing. "We'll need our strength for tomorrow."
"Thanks, Hector," she replied, allowing herself a small, tired smile. "You too."
With that reassurance, she finally managed to find sleep, finding some measure of solace in the safety of their hideout and the closeness of her friends. But even as she drifted off, her dreams were filled with shuffling of many legs chasing her while she looked for a way back.
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Hector's eyes fluttered open as he felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder. He blinked groggily, trying to focus on the figure standing above him. Mia's voice cut through the fog of sleep, her words coming out in a hushed whisper.
"Your turn for guard duty, Hector."
"Right," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and forcing himself into a sitting position. The coldness of the floor seeped into his bones, making him shiver.
"Did you see anything while you were on watch?" he asked, scratching at his short, dark hair.
"Nothing so far," Mia replied, her eyes darting back to the dimly lit entrance as if expecting danger to materialize at any moment. "But I think I heard some distant sounds earlier. Hard to tell what they might be, though."
"Okay," Hector said, nodding. His muscles protested as he stood, but he willed himself to ignore the ache. This wasn't just about him; his friends were depending on him. "Try to get some sleep, Mia."
"Thanks," she whispered with an appreciative smile before settling back into her makeshift bed.
As Mia closed her eyes, Hector took up his post near the middle of the room, focusing on the hole, scanning the darkness beyond. The abandoned city seemed to echo with the ghosts of its former inhabitants – their laughter, their cries, their dreams. It sent a chill down Hector's spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
"Stay awake, stay alert," he told himself, shaking off the encroaching drowsiness.
He leaned against the wall, focusing on the sounds and trying to pierce the shadows with his eyes. His tiredness bore down on him, and he fought to maintain his vigilance. "We'll find our way home," he thought, trying to reassure himself. "We have to."
But as the minutes dragged on, Hector's exhaustion crept back in, wrapping around him like an insidious blanket. His eyelids grew heavy, and despite his best efforts, they dropped closed for just a moment. That brief surrender was enough; sleep claimed him, dragging him into its dark embrace as he slumped against the wall, his guard duty forgotten.