Brian had decided that the left path was the correct one. Well that's what he concluded after seeing a metric-ton of dead bodies strewn along the right. The cobblestone was stained with blood and stunk of rot and filth. Taking his first nervous steps forward into the dungeon. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up and, the prickling sensation and the feeling of frozen fingers crawled down his back as he marched forward.

       The ground crunched underneath his hardened leather boots with each step. Brian could feel his heart pumping and thumping, never ending. He felt the gagging feeling and the butterflies in his stomach holding him back. His guts screamed to run. Yet there was no indication any danger. Only the sound of water droplets smacking against the stone and the echoes of his steps and breath.

       Soon the cobblestone blackened, a light breeze picked up, carrying with it the smell of charcoal and black dust; warmth touched his fingertips. Then Brian realized something. This was too easy. He turned around with the intent of taking the right path. Quickly retracing his steps, he found his way back to the entrance. Soon the gagging feeling was back from the smell of rotten corpses invaded his senses.

       Scanning the area, he concluded that the bodies ended right after a dozen yards or so. In addition, he could see loose chunks of stone revealing the spears that extended and impaled the corpses. The question was, do the traps reset? Only one way to find out. Brian's brows furrowed as he worked his brain. How could the trap reset in the first place?

       The bodies were stuck on the spears. Judging from the fact that the spears seemed to vary in length depending on the position of the body, meant that the trap stopped when it meant resistance. So, the answer was a pleasant "no". Brian inched forward bit by bit, careful to not set anything that would send him to meet his maker.

       Before making any form of significant progress, Brian heard the snotty voice of a young adventurer. "Are you stupid?" He turned around and set his eyes on a teenage boy clad in a bronze chestplate. The boy's blond hair swished around as he moved towards Brian.

       "No it's just my gut telling me to go this way," Brian replied to the teenager. Turning around he continued forward only to be stopped by a hand sqeezing his leather shoulder pads. 

       "Clearly, you are," the boy said. "Look at all those bodies. You want to join them?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

       "Not really but I feel like the other way is worse," Brian replied as he strained to keep his cool. The child didn't have his experience. Nor did the child have his sense of adventure and need for challenge. "You're welcome to take the other path if you want," he said with a slight hope that the child would depart from his presence. 

       "I'm just trying to help you know," the young one said. Brian removed the child's hand in response. 

       "I appreaciate it, I assure you but, this is the road I will take. If it's wrong, then I shall accept my fate," Brian said.

       The child did as he expected and left with his final words, "If you say so stranger." The adventurer then retreated and left. The echoes of his footsteps slowly diseappearing.

       "Finally," Brian breathed. He quickly busied himself with working out the innerworkings of the traps, weaving his way between the spears. His sword at the ready destroy any spears that seem a little to dangerous. From what he could gather, the spears were only as long as the hallway was wide, which was only about seven feet. Picking some spears up, Brian tested the sharpness of the spears on some armor he found. To his surprise they were rather dull. That meant the speed of the trap was fast once activated. Fast enough to pierce armor. Or just about anyways. Some of the spears didn't travel through the other side of the armor leaving no exit wound.

       One final piece he needed to figure out was the way the traps were activated. There were a couple of obvious ones such as tripwire and pressure plates. Then the less obvious like motion sensing. Gathering some pieces of armor, Brian started to throw them, making sure he his any parts that looked raised or depressed. Raising his arm, he tossed a gauntlet across. He already crossed out the less obvious choices, as well as tripwire due to the fact that the age of the spears were old enough to be showing signs of being degraded by moisture. If the spears were that old then the wire would have already snapped from the pressure it was holding. Unless...

       Brian almost missed it. Just before the gauntlet hit the ground he heard a snap, and the sudden burst of spikes that appeared before him slammed against the opposite side of the passage snapping the spears. Spider silk, the creators of the trap used spider silk. By weaving spider silk and using it as the mechanism to trigger the spear traps, the tripwire would be completely invisible under the darkness. Also, the silk when woven would be able to stand the test of time. He smirked and stepped forward. Only one spider could produce such silk. The Immortal Spider. It was widly famous for its silk that would never degrade. The chills were gone and the butterflies digested. Brian felt confidence creep up on him. The better the trap the better the loot. That's his motto and will always be his motto.

       Moving a few feet towards his goal, Brian suddenly heard a scream. Spinning on the spot, Brian sprinted down back to the entrance of the dungeon and turned right taking the left path. His eyes widened. Hellfire flooded the passageway. Right in the middle, was the child writhing in agony. Burning to death.