The gate opened inward with a soft creak, revealing a well-lit chamber—and within it, a monstrous creature. Its massive form, at least twelve meters tall, loomed like a nightmare given flesh, or rather, stripped of it. It crouched with its back turned, its sinewy body hunched over something that it gnawed with wet, sickening sounds.
Its right arm was small, ending in a sharp, bony spear-like protrusion, while the left arm was grotesquely oversized, a bludgeoning mass of bone and muscle that looked more like a spiked mace. Muscles and tendons glistened in the light, twisted and exposed, stretching across a body that seemed barely held together. Then, as if sensing their presence, it twisted its skinless head toward them. Its grotesque face was a macabre, with the blue bulging remnants of a single eye glaring in their direction, while the other socket was empty, a dark abyss in its skeletal face. Blood and saliva dripped from a mouth full of misaligned, broken teeth as it let out a chilling, guttural howl, a sound that reverberated through the chamber and into their bones.
Incognita and Alex exchanged a glance, and in a wordless pact, dashed in opposite directions, forcing the creature to split its attention. Incognita felt a rush of power, the vampiric strength from Alex’s blood surging through her. Every muscle felt taut, like a spring ready to snap.
'I feel so much faster.' Incognita thought, her mental voice almost giddy with newfound speed.
'Faster than me?' Alex’s voice replied, a hint of challenge in his tone.
Incognita smirked as they moved with blinding speed, a surge of confidence firing through her.
The creature, enraged, hurled itself toward them, its massive arm scraping against the stone floor, leaving jagged gashes as it barreled forward. When it slammed into the gate they’d entered from, the entire chamber shook. But the door held.
With a snarl, it swung its bony spear arm toward Incognita. From her perspective, the world seemed to slow as she watched the massive spear descend like a deadly avalanche. She sidestepped it with a graceful twist, feeling the spear smash into the stone floor just behind her, cracking it on impact. Without hesitating, she sprinted up the creature’s spear-like arm, moving like a shadow, her agility heightened to an almost supernatural level.
Reaching a high vantage point on its arm, she leapt, pulling out her crossbow mid-air, dark shadows curling around her and her weapon. With deadly precision, she fired, the bolt streaking through the air like a black comet and embedding itself deep into the creature’s remaining eye.
The creature screamed, a sound of primal agony and fury that made the very stones around them tremble. It clutched at its ruined eye, staggering back as dark blood poured from the wound. But it wasn’t done yet—it shook its head violently, its sightless face scanning the room, blind yet deadly, relying on a twisted, feral instinct.
Incognita landed and readied herself, as the creature’s rage now turned fully toward her.
The creature staggered, raising its massive, spiked arm high above its head. The bone club scraped the chamber ceiling, sending bits of stone crumbling down. Its torso twisted as it balanced precariously on one crooked leg, preparing to unleash a blow that would crush anything in its path.
Incognita’s eyes darted down to its legs, her sharp gaze catching sight of Alex—a blur of movement as he charged the creature’s weak spot. Alex’s limbs were grotesque, dark flesh and tendons ending in metallic talons, bluish-red and glinting with malice. With swift, blinding slashes, he sliced clean through the creature’s leg. Muscle and bone parted under his claws, and the leg fell to the ground with a sickening thud, severed before the creature could complete its deadly attack.
A howl tore through the creature’s mangled mouth, a raw, guttural wail of pain. But even with a missing leg, it wasn’t done yet. Forced off balance, it dropped onto its back with an eerie agility, flinging itself toward Alex with murderous intent.
Incognita’s heart leapt to her throat as she saw the creature’s bony spear arm raised high, ready to skewer him.
“Dodge!” she shouted, her voice cracking with urgency. She braced herself, expecting Alex to leap aside—but instead, he held his ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief as he raised his hands, catching the creature’s spear-like arm with a defiant grip. The floor beneath him cracked, dust rising as the ground buckled under the sheer force of the impact, but Alex stood firm, his face calm and unstrained, as if holding back the strike of a mere child.
Her jaw dropped, but what happened next shattered her ability to even comprehend what she was seeing.
With a mighty twist, Alex began to spin the creature around, still holding its arm in a vice grip. The beast, a mountain of sinew and bone, swung helplessly in the air, its massive form flung like a ragdoll in his hands. It must have weighed tons, but Alex’s strength was unyielding. The creature let out a strangled snarl, its limbs flailing in panic as it whirled faster and faster.
And then, with a powerful heave, he released it.
The creature sailed across the chamber, its body smashing into the far wall with a deafening crash. Stone and dust exploded around it, cracks spider-webbing up the wall as it slumped to the ground.
Alex turned back to Incognita, brushing dust from his shoulder with casual ease, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Close your mouth before something crawls inside,” he said, his voice warm with playful humor, as if they hadn’t just tossed a monstrous abomination across the room.
Incognita snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks flushed. She barely had a moment to recover before her gaze locked onto the creature across the chamber.
It was rising again, even after the tremendous impact that should have shattered bone and ruptured sinew. The cracks along its body pulsed with a hellish, fiery light, veins now glowing as if molten metal flowed beneath its flesh. Its eye socket glowed red like a malevolent beacon. A low, guttural rumble echoed from its chest—a sound that radiated pure, animalistic rage. The creature was evolving, awakening to something darker and more powerful, driven by the realization that it was facing a true threat.
With a savage roar, it flung itself forward, faster than either of them had seen before. The floor quaked with each step, cracks spider-webbing out from where its arm slammed down. The smaller, spear-like arm that Alex had once held now looked sharper, more defined, as if reshaped by the blazing energy coursing through its veins. The bony mace on its other arm glowed with the same fiery intensity, radiating a heat that made the air waver around it like the shimmer of a mirage.
Alex and Incognita barely had time to react before the creature lunged forward, its massive mace arm swinging in a deadly arc aimed straight at Alex. He sidestepped with lightning speed, feeling the heat radiate off the weapon as it whistled past him, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash. The impact shattered the floor, sending a shockwave through the chamber that almost knocked Incognita off balance. Shards of stone and debris flew in all directions as the creature tore its arm free, letting out another guttural snarl.
Incognita wasted no time. She circled around, shadows curling around her form as she drew her crossbow once more, aiming for the beast’s glowing eye socket , hoping to destroy its brain. She fired, and the bolt shot forward, cloaked in darkness. But this time, the creature anticipated her attack. It jerked its head at the last second, the bolt skimming past its temple, leaving a dark, shallow gouge in the skinless bone. It turned its focus on her, the creature’s locking onto her with an almost sentient rage.
It charged with terrifying speed, the weight of its monstrous frame bearing down on her like an avalanche. She darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the spear-arm that jabbed at her with precision far greater than before. Each time it struck, the ground splintered beneath its blows, forcing her to keep moving, to stay one step ahead of the deadly thrusts that seemed to close in from every direction.
Alex leapt back into the fray, his arm now morphed into a sword. With a fierce battle cry, he slashed at the creature’s back, his blade cutting deep. But instead of weakening, the beast seemed to grow angrier. It whipped around, its mace-arm swinging at him with blistering speed. Alex’s arm morphed into a black shield, intercepting the creature’s furious blow. The impact sent a jolt through his body and despite the intense force, he held his ground. The power behind that blow was unlike anything he had felt—each strike seemed to draw strength from some where, growing stronger and faster the more the creature was injured, like a berserker.
In the midst of the chaos, Incognita spotted a vulnerability. The fiery veins running along its exposed musculature seemed to converge at its chest, pulsing in time with each surge of energy. She called out to Alex, “The chest! Aim for its core!”
Understanding instantly, Alex dodged another brutal swing and darted forward. His right arm quickly shifted, transforming into a metallic spine. With a fierce motion, he swung his whipfist back and then brought it forward with precision. The bladed tip of his shifted arm flew through the air, aimed directly at the creature’s heart. But the beast seemed to sense his intent; its massive spear arm intercepted the attack with a bone-rattling clang. It bared its fangs in a silent snarl, the glow in its chest intensifying. Alex could feel the unnatural heat radiating off it, the air thick with the smell of sulfur and burning flesh.
Incognita didn’t waste the opportunity. With a fierce focus, she ran forward, her crossbow discarded as she unsheathed her dagger, its blade glinting with dark energy. She lunged at the creature from behind, driving the dagger into its exposed spine. The beast reared back in pain, its movements faltering for just a moment, enough for Alex to press his advantage.
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He swung his whipfist again, this time plunging it into the creature’s chest. The impact was explosive. Fiery red energy flared around the wound as the creature let out a soundless scream, its body convulsing violently and the light in its veins began to flicker erratically,
But even with the wound, it wasn’t finished.
With one final, desperate act, the creature’s mace-arm came crashing down, catching Alex off guard and slamming him into the ground with earth-shattering force. Incognita cried out, rushing to his side, but the creature blocked her path, its face turned to her , filled with hatred and hunger.
Just as it raised its spear-arm to strike her down, Alex pushed himself up from the rubble. His gaze was fierce, unwavering, like a storm barely contained.
From the ground, a massive dark spike rose, piercing right through the creature's chest with a sickening crunch and coming through its back before retracting back into the stone floor. The effect was immediate. The creature’s body convulsed violently, its skin and muscle collapsing in on themselves as if an invisible force was crushing it from the inside. The fiery veins that once pulsed with menacing light dimmed, the fire within them snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
It let out a final, silent scream, a look of fear flickering in its glowing socket. That light dimmed and went out, and the creature crumpled to the ground, shaking the whole chamber as it fell. Dust and debris rained down from above, the remnants of the battle settling in the eerie silence that followed.
The chamber was littered with debris, shadows cast by the dimming lights.
Incognita let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her muscles finally relaxing as she looked at Alex, her face filled with a mix of awe and curiosity. He was powerful, more so than any mortal she had encountered. She couldn’t shake the thought, the wonder gnawing at her.
"Are you…" she started, her voice softer, hesitant. "Are you the Morninglord’s avatar?"
Alex paused, a faint, almost amused smile flickering across his face. He glanced upwards, as if Lathander himself might be watching from some unseen realm. For a heartbeat, his expression softened.
"We’re… friends," he said, the words weighted with meaning. There was a quiet humility in his tone, as if he bore the blessing of something divine but saw himself as a simple instrument, not a being of absolute power.
Incognita’s eyebrows rose slightly, her expression caught between disbelief and admiration. "Friend with the Morninglord," she murmured, the words lingering as if she was trying to fully grasp the weight of what that meant.
But her curiosity got the better of her, her eyes narrowing as she tried to read his face. "So, are you a god, then?" she asked, her voice carrying a tremor of excitement and wonder.
Alex shook his head, chuckling softly. “No, not a god,” he replied, his voice low but steady. Then, his gaze shifted to the creature’s lifeless form, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of intrigue and caution. He approached the corpse, noting the strange, oozing fluid leaking from the gaping wound in its chest.
Kneeling down, Alex dipped his finger into the puddle, the liquid clinging to his skin like tar.
'This thing had an infernal engine, just like Karlach.' he thought . 'Whoever had crafted this abomination was no ordinary sorcerer or warlock; they possessed knowledge and connections that reached into the darkest realms.'
As he stood, he glanced at Incognita, who was watching him intently, her eyes reflecting a quiet admiration but also a hint of something else—perhaps an unspoken question.
Together, they turned and began their walk back toward the main chamber.
The path back was lined with remnants of their battle, fragments of shattered stone and scorched earth. Yet, despite the destruction, a sense of calm settled over them, a silent pact formed through shared struggle and trust.
When they stopped before the middle gate, Alex looked over at Incognita, his gaze softening. “One last gate,” he murmured, his voice filled with quiet determination.
She nodded, and for the first time, he noticed a spark of excitement in her eyes, a warrior’s fire that had been ignited. "Whatever awaits us," she replied, "we face it together."
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The gate creaked open, revealing a vast laboratory bathed in a sickly pale light. Glass vats lined the walls, each filled with a viscous liquid and housing creatures that defied nature’s laws. These were not like the monsters from the upper levels; they were in constant flux, twisting and reshaping, their forms unable to settle, as though trapped in an endless nightmare of mutation. Limbs dissolved and reappeared as teeth; eyes blinked from within pulsating flesh before retreating back into darkness. The air was thick with a chemical stench, tinged with something sour and rotting. It clawed at their nostrils, a physical manifestation of the madness that had taken root in this place.
Alex could feel Incognita tense beside him, her fingers twitching as her eyes darted over the twisted forms that floated and shifted in the vats. A creature with three legs staggered within one tank, covered in hooks and fangs, its face a fractured mess of bent eyes and a nose hooked grotesquely three times. Another monstrosity, little more than a pulsating mass of vermilion-tipped tentacles, slithered in its vat, tendrils writhing like living ropes seeking escape. Dozens of vestigial wings flapped feebly around a bulging, insect-like creature, incapable of flight yet desperate for release. One creature, more pathetic than terrifying, had stumpy feet that only allowed it to shuffle, its hands shaped like crab’s claws, its face pocked with empty eye sockets that seemed to weep invisible tears.
Each creation was a testament to horror.
At the end of the chamber stood a figure cloaked in white, their back turned, seemingly absorbed in contemplation of the most hideous specimen yet—a monstrous creature trapped within a massive glass vat. This particular abomination was a tar-like mass of undulating tentacles, each dotted with spines and ending in wicked claws. It had sacs filled with murky fluid, bulging eyes staring out from every surface, and somewhere amidst the writhing mess, a humanoid skull sat embedded in its primary tentacle, held aloft like a grotesque trophy.
The robed figure turned, revealing the dark opening of a hood where a face should have been. Instead, pale, wrinkled tentacles slithered out from within, their tips cracked and dry as if drained of life. For a moment, there was nothing but silence, a stillness that felt heavier than the madness that permeated the air. Then, a pressure tugged at Alex’s mind—a psychic force, probing, testing, trying to worm its way into his consciousness. He clenched his jaw, meeting the mental force head-on, refusing to yield. He felt Incognita beside him, her face unreadable, unaware of the silent battle that was taking place.
Then, with a surge of defiance, Alex allowed the voice in, but only on his terms.
'The thing in white wants to speak with us.' he thought to Incognita, who gave a tight nod, her eyes never leaving the robed figure. She was on edge, her gaze flicking between the cloaked being and the nightmare creations around them.
A voice slithered into their minds, rich with disdain and a strange, condescending amusement. 'Peculiar.' it mused, the word stretching unnaturally, as if tasting it. 'A strong mind, to resist the maddening effects saturating this room.'
Incognita’s eyes met Alex’s, a flicker of confusion in her gaze. She hadn’t felt the madness creeping into her thoughts; it was only by Alex’s presence that her mind had remained untouched, shielded by the strength of his will.
'And you even defeated the Spirit Eater and the Behemoth without a scratch.' The robed figure continued, its voice curling around the words like smoke. There was a hint of irritation buried beneath the admiration, as if it resented their survival.
Alex’s gaze hardened as he took a step forward, his voice a low growl that echoed in the alhoon’s mind. 'An alhoon. So, you’re the master of this wretched facility?'
Incognita’s confusion pulsed through their mental link, sharp and urgent. Sensing her need for clarity, Alex opened his mind to her, letting his thoughts flow freely, shaping words within their psychic bond.
'An alhoon—a mind flayer that defied its own society, ' he explained, his tone carrying the weight of ancient lore. 'These creatures abandon the control of the elder brains, craving a twisted form of immortality. They tread the dark path to lichdom, transcending death itself in pursuit of power. This one… it’s more than a mind flayer. It’s an outcast mage, an illithilich, driven by intellect and dark ambition.'
The weight of his words settled over Incognita, her expression shifting from shock to a grim resolve. Her ruby-red eyes blazed with a fierce, smoldering light as she took in the magnitude of their foe.
The figure inclined its head in a small nod, a gesture that felt almost mocking.
When it spoke again, its voice was dripping with cold indifference.
'So, you understand the nature of your opposition,' it mused, its voice slithering into their minds like a poisonous fog. "But do you comprehend the futility?
Incognita’s fists trembled, but her resolve only seemed to solidify. "And yet,” she spoke with resolve, her eyes never leaving the alhoon, “even a creature like you had to hide in the shadows to escape the elder brain’s wrath.”
'Brave words.' the alhoon’s voice rasped, dripping with disdain.
Then its attention returned on Alex. Its tentacles twitched with barely-contained excitement, as if it were sizing Alex up, measuring him, calculating.
Through their mental connection, Alex could feel the alhoon’s interest prickling against his mind like icy fingers. 'I saw your fights, and you awaken my intrigue,' it whispered into Alex's mind, smooth and mocking. 'Fascinated by the chaos within you, by your shapeshifting nature and unpredictability. I want to test you, to see what you are capable of under the most grueling conditions. I wonder… how much chaos can you bear before you break?' The alhoon’s voice echoed in Alex's thoughts, its presence like a slimy psychic parasite.
Alex's jaw clenched, feeling a visceral revulsion at the psychic intrusion, but he forced himself to remain calm. He knew this creature was ancient and powerful, a foe not to be underestimated.
The alhoon raised a pale, spindly hand, crackling with necrotic energy. At the motion, the vats in the laboratory began to shake, the bubbling liquid within churning as the creatures suspended inside thrashed . One by one, the glass containers exploded, shards raining down as twisted, malformed beasts dropped heavily to the floor, gasping, snarling, some staggering as they found their footing in this new, terrible freedom. The air was filled with their discordant screeches, growls, and the sickly, wet sounds of flesh shifting and reforming.
But that wasn’t all. From the largest vat, the one looming ominously behind the alhoon, the abomination stirred.
'The progenitor of all the chaos beasts in this room—the Beast of Bedlam. It is a creature of pure madness, a chaotic monstrosity that pulses with violent energy, barely held together by its own ever-changing form,' the alhoon hissed into their minds, its voice laced with malevolent glee.
The creature within the vat was a horrifying sight. It writhed and twisted, its form shifting incessantly between shapes. One moment it was a mass of gnashing teeth and thrashing limbs, the next it was a swirling vortex of darkness and light. Its very existence seemed to defy the laws of nature, a pure embodiment of chaos and destruction.
The alhoon gave a low, amused laugh as it gazed upon the chaos it had unleashed. 'A trial, then,' it sneered, the words echoing in Alex’s mind with a chilling clarity. 'Let’s see if the chaos within you can tame the chaos around you.'
Alex and Incognita felt a surge of anger and determination rise within them. This creature, this Beast of Bedlam, was unlike anything they had ever faced. It was a living nightmare, a test of their strength, their resolve, and their very sanity.
And with that, the alhoon dissolved into thin air, its white robes vanishing as if it had been nothing more than an apparition, leaving Alex and Incognita alone in the chamber, surrounded by a horde of mind-bending monstrosities.
"Alex..." Incognita’s voice was steady, but he could hear the undercurrent of fear as her eyes darted from one horrific creature to the next, calculating their chances. "This… might be a bit more than we can handle."
Alex smirked, the thrill of the challenge lighting his eyes. "Just means we’re going to have to get creative." He shifted his stance, the energy within himself stirred, as though the Beast of Bedlam was somehow calling to that same wildness inside him.
The creatures surged forward, a writhing, snarling wave of claws, fangs, and flailing limbs. Alex took a deep breath, feeling the chaotic potential bubbling up inside him, his form shifting, as his own body reshaped to match the beasts’ aggression.