The molten plains were a small portion of the mirage expanse, a desert known for its dangerous illusions. From the air, it looked as though an enormous fireball had struck the land, melting part of it. The glass surface, almost blinding during the day, reflected the unforgiving light of the sun.
The molten plains were a complete deathtrap—barely anything could survive here for long, and travellers had to endure the burning sun during the day and freezing winds at night.
Although the area was not particularly large, there was nothing Nathan could use to find his exact location. He would simply have to start walking and hope to eventually make his way out of this hell scape.
He pulled off his shirt, tying it around his face, before setting off, hoping for the best. Barely a few minutes had passed before the terrain began to wear Nathan down—the soles of his boots grew hotter and hotter, while sweat streamed down his body. Nathan pressed on, though the hours dragged by with increasing slowness.
After hours of wandering through the desert, exhaustion and dehydration blurred Nathan’s mind, turning the endless monotony of walking into a dreamlike haze where time slipped away unnoticed.
By the time Nathan snapped out of this state, night had already fallen, and he noticed his whole body shivering, the heat being sucked out of him by the harsh cold. He realized he had bumped into a wall, the ancient and crumbled stone out of place on the expanse of glass.
Nathan stretched out his hand, letting it glide over the stone, the texture smooth after years of exposure to the elements. “It's real, not an illusion,” Nathan said, his voice scratchy.
The wall was partly broken, and parts of it were melted, with what seemed like drops of stone now hardened on its surface. Nathan rounded the structure, searching for an entrance while the wind picked up, sending a shudder through his whole body.
Finally, he found what must have once been an entrance, its shape unclear from the rubble piled up before it. Nathan started clearing away the broken stones until the hole was large enough for him to squeeze through, entering the structure as soon as possible.
Immediately, the absence of wind and the protection from the cold made him feel better, but he soon noticed something else. The environment in the ruin was flooded with energy, Nathan's whole body tingling as he sensed it.
There's a dungeon in here, he concluded. I might find water and food in there.
Spear held out before him, he made his way further into the dark structure, with barely any starlight shining through the cracks in the ceiling. Suddenly, Nathan's foot slipped, and he barely managed to keep his balance, shock flooding his body and lifting the fog of exhaustion from his mind. He took a step back and crouched down, peering into a dark hole he had almost fallen into.
Blindly grabbing around him, he palmed a stone, dropping it into the pit and waiting for it to hit the ground. Only his enhanced perception allowed him to hear the soft noise it made soon after, revealing the drop was only a few meters deep. The stone landed on sand, but the ground should be glass much further down than this hole leads, Nathan thought. This must lead into the dungeon.
He positioned himself carefully at the edge of the pit, taking a deep breath before letting himself fall into it, absorbing the impact with his knees.
Down here, the concentration of energy was much higher, almost allowing Nathan to sense his surroundings despite the all-encompassing darkness. He fumbled around for a while, building a mental map of his surroundings by feeling the walls.
Walls surrounded Nathan on three sides, forcing him to walk forward. Before doing so, he ducked down, took a handful of sand, and let it run through his fingers. Normal sand as far as I can tell. This dungeon might be set in a normal desert environment instead of a glassed one.
He started walking, stepping carefully as he could see almost nothing in the darkness. However, the further Nathan walked, the higher the energy concentration in the air became, while the darkness seemed to recede.
After a few minutes, Nathan was sure he could see a light in the distance, its shape becoming clearer with every step. Finally close enough to recognise what was casting the light, Nathan saw a door frame formed of glowing runes, a concentration of pure nothingness set in it.
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Looking at the portal caused a strain on Nathan's mind, a dull ache growing behind his eyes before he turned away, inspecting the runes surrounding it. The runes were worn and old, some of them splintered while others flickered weakly.
It's a portal to a dungeon; the actual place must be located somewhere nearby. Judging from the sand down here, clearing that dungeon should deposit me somewhere in the desert. Seems like I found a way out of the molten plains.
Steeling himself for the discomfort he knew was coming, Nathan closed his eyes tight and held his breath before stepping into the swirling mass of nothingness.
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Congratulations, Nathan Andrews
You have entered the Veiled Pyramid dungeon
The first thing Nathan did was take stock of his surroundings, inspecting the room he had appeared in. It was made of sandstone, the walls painted with hieroglyphs and pictures. Torches were anchored in heavy iron brackets on the wall casting dim blue light while flickering.
A fountain stood at the edge of the room, the gurgling of water filling his ears. Nathan's gaze was drawn to the water, greed and caution warring in his eyes.
He dipped his finger in the liquid, tasting it to ensure it was safe. After a few minutes passed with no signs of poisoning, he cautiously took a sip, again waiting a while before finally quenching his thirst.
After that, he let the water run over his head, thoroughly enjoying the cool sensation after the oppressive heat of the desert. Lastly, he filled up his water skin before getting ready to leave the room. The portal must have deliberately led to this room, he realized. While this seems entirely safe so far, that will probably change once I leave.
Nonetheless, Nathan soon stood before the exit, ready to face whatever foes populated this dungeon. He stepped out into a hallway, its branching paths leading to three other rooms that seemed entirely dark from his current position.
Turning around, he noticed that the room he had just left was no longer visible, the hallway stretching out behind him as far as he could see.
Just as the room, the hallway was built of sandstone. Nathan spent a while inspecting the hieroglyphs that adorned the walls, but no matter how much he focussed they escaped his mind once he looked away.
Shrugging his shoulders, Nathan chose to enter the right room, making sure to grip his spear securely before stepping in.
All at once, the torches burst to life, revealing the room's near emptiness. Two sarcophagi were placed on either side in its middle, while a marble statue holding a book and a knife stood next to the exit.
Nathan advanced slowly, his spear held ready, while keeping an eye on the sarcophagi, their existence lending an oppressive atmosphere to the whole room.
He suddenly heard a hissing sound, jerking back entirely on instinct as something impacted the wall next to him. Taking a look, he noticed a dart stuck in the wall. The small projectile had penetrated the stone deeply, only it's end sticking out.
After making sure he was unhurt, Nathan immediately returned his focus to the sarcophagi, certain that they represented a hidden danger.
Something had changed while he had looked away. Everything looked the same as before, but something seemed off to Nathan. He took half a step back, scrutinizing the entire room for any detail that might have triggered his unease, noticing a shadow stretching on where none should be. When looking closely, it almost formed a human figure it was entirely unremarkable.
Relaxing, Nathan stared in fascination at the unusual phenomenon.
It had come out of the sarcophagus. There is clearly nothing there that could cast a shadow. It's coming for me. It must be my imagination. I should just keep looking at the shadow; there is no reason to look away.
Something about that thought sent a sense of wrongness down Nathan's spine, and that feeling intensified as the shadow moved from the open sarcophagus towards him posed no danger whatsoever. That observation too felt off, as if he was missing some detail, but the unnatural pressure on his mind made thinking difficult.
He retreated once more, ripping his eyes from the shadow with an effort of will.
I have to fight this. I should clearly relax right now, he found himself thinking. There couldn't possibly be any danger here. Just keep looking at that shadow; everything will be alright then.
But his gut told a different story, and Nathan had learned to trust his gut. Closing his eyes to block out the strange urge to stare at the shadow for no discernable reason, he focused entirely on his hearing and energy sense, trusting his enhanced perception to warn him of any threat.
Something about the energy here is strange, he noticed, the training performed in the third eye's trial finally showing results.
It's almost as if the energy is avoiding a certain spot, keeping something hidden from me. Nathan intensified his effort, pain starting to blossom between his eyes. He refused to give up, feeling as if he were hammering against a barrier in his mind, as the creature reached him and raised its claw.
His thoughts became scrambled, different voices fighting in his head, as Nathan felt blood running from his nose and from the wound the shadow had ripped into his arm until he suddenly felt the sensation of a bubble bursting in his mind, the experience of the last seconds becoming clear to him all at once.