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Chapter 10 - A Comfy Hellscape
The chamber trembled; colossal fists crashed against the walls, causing chunks of ice and stone to pour down. Kyrios zigzagged through the cataclysmic earthquake, narrowly avoiding the deadly shrapnel that rained down on him. The serpents cried out in agony as the debris collided with their bodies. They were crushed instantly, shattering like dry ice.
"The golem?!" He exclaimed, barely able to hear his own voice amid the destruction. "Ah, for god sake! It's destroying this place."
The bitter cold gnawed at his extremities, numbing his fingers and toes. His clothes, already tattered and dirty, offered him little protection against the hostile environment. His lungs struggled to take in air, and his muscles throbbed with a burning sensation from within. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself against the pain and pressing on. Weaving through the narrow crevices, he vaulted over jagged ice formations, driven by a single thought: Escape.
The thunderous roars of the golem provided a grim chant to his desperate flight, stressing him of the imminent danger behind him. As he raced through the perilous chamber, glimpses of the elusive moss caught his eye, leading him onward. He trusted the ancient creature's guidance, hoping it would lead him to safety once again.
Kyrios' desperation peaked as he approached the next passageway, daring to glance back at the colossal golem. The hulking beast stomped its feet as debris and dust collected fog around the ground. Its fists burrowed into the walls to make space for its thick frame. Almost unrecognizable as a golem, it contorted under the impact of the tremors. Enormous arms swayed with menace as the golem stepped forward, ripping even the ground apart.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Kyrios cursed, tightening his chest. It seemed almost like a living mountain, one that was intent on tearing him apart. As a massive boulder hurled down toward him, he gagged in fright, diving aside and narrowly avoiding its trajectory. His body rolled across the frozen terrain, sliding on the frictionless ice. For a moment, his world spun in a dizzying blur, but he fought against the disorientation, scrambling back onto his feet.
As he regained his balance, the relentless onslaught continued. The tremors caused enormous boulders to crash down from above. Kyrios's agility and instinct kicked into high gear, allowing him to weave and dodge with hairbreadth precision to the right. He could feel the rush of wind as the projectiles whizzed past him, landing with thunderous impact mere inches from his fleeing form. The already hazardous surroundings transformed into an even more unpredictable battlefield. Ice spikes plummeted from the frozen sky, jutting into the ground like deadly spears. The howling winds blew fiercely from the chaos, and his body contorted and contended with every sense of danger.
But through the flurry of falling hazards, Kyrios' keen eyes spotted a path leading further below, beckoning him with a chance to escape. Immediately, he adjusted his footing on the slippery ice, using its slick surface to his advantage. And in a daring move, he threw himself forward, sliding down the icy slope. As he descended into the depths, he could feel a noticeable shift in temperature. The biting cold of the frozen domain gave way to a comforting warmth. It wrapped around him like a blanket.
The air grew heavy with the scent of smoldering embers, a contrast to the numbing chill he had left behind. And as he reached the lower level, Kyrios found himself standing in a vastly different environment. The space stretched out before him, seemingly endless on its horizon. It resembled a colossal stone valley, the ground undulating and curving like ancient rock formations. Lakes of lava dotted the chamber, their fiery glow casting a flickering shadow across the area. They seethed and simmered, radiating intense heat that permeated the air.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Kyrios glanced around in bewilderment, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He battled to steady the erratic beating of his heart, hoping for a shred of clarity in this disorienting moment.
"What is this place?" He murmured. His eyes swept across the chamber.
From the cavernous ceiling hung stalactites reminiscent of fangs or horns. Gazing up, he could see the glow of the lava illuminating the rocky crevices. The molten rivers were suspended in midair, almost like a mirage. And beyond that was a direct sight of the icy contrast above, rumbling with the force of the golem's wrath.
[https://i.imgur.com/eCdTwB9.png]
The heat of the chamber radiated through him, soothing his freezing limbs. The stench of smoke and ash tickled his nose, and his eyes stung at the bitterness of it. Despite the scorching temperatures, he felt oddly comfortable here. Or at least if he kept his distance from the molten burbling lakes. He rubbed his arms, eyes skimming left and right for predators. His skin was still prickling with the lingering effects of the cold, but the goosebumps slowly surrendered to the warmth.
"Maybe I can stay here for a while," he mused, observing the spectacle before him.
Tiny whispering footsteps echoed about, and he noticed a sleek, obsidian lizard. It had a few patches of scales and began basking in the molten lake's gloss. The lizard's body was covered in a thick hide, and its sinuous tail swayed back and forth. Whether it was aware of Kyrios' presence or not, its eyes remained shut, relishing in the comforting warmth of the dancing flames.
Treading cautiously, Kyrios closed in. He sought out the less scorching spots underfoot, and his shoes couldn't insulate the heat. With his blades held at the ready, he approached the lizard, aware of the need to defend himself should the need arise. It lay coiled in a tight ball, with its soft snout protruding from its curled form.
"You look peaceful," he murmured, crouching down beside it. Intrigued, he tapped on it twice with the tip of the blade, prompting its eyes to snap open. "Hey there, lizard. How's it going?"
The lizard stared at him with its reptilian eyes, betraying no discernible emotion. With an almost comical gait, the lizard walked away, raising both limbs on one side before repeating the motion on the other side. Its derpy shuffle added a touch of whimsy to the encounter.
"Hahaha, cute." Kyrios scratched his chin, watching the lizard as it continued to saunter away. "Oh well, maybe it's better this way."
He followed the creature, enjoying the view of the majestic cavern as he moved along. A distant rumbling filled the chamber, accompanied by a series of echoing cracks. The air thrummed with the promise of something monumental; something grand was about to happen. His gaze lifted toward the cavern's ceiling, catching sight of the golem emerging from the depths of the colossal chamber. The behemoth's stone-like form emerged, dominating the landscape with its towering presence.
Yet, something seemed amiss. The golem's movements seemed erratic. Its steps were faltering as it struggled to maintain stability, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Still, Kyrios felt safe in the depths of the infernal cavern. It was as if it acted as a shield of the upper floor's wrath. And eventually, the golem succumbed to its own instability, collapsing into a heap of rubble and debris. The tremors sent shockwaves across the chamber, rippling through the terrain. A cloud of dust billowed outward, shrouding the area in a dreamy, misty-blue haze. The cavern ceiling, once a hidden canvas, now became an ethereal tapestry veiled by the swirling aftermath particles.
"Well, that's... something."
With his gaze fixed back on the lizard, he decided to trail it to observe its behavior. Whether learning more about the creatures here would help him in the future or not didn't matter; he was curious. The lizard led him deeper into the cavern, pausing in front of an ominous crack that almost reached the ceiling. It stared at the crevice for a moment before finally proceeding on its merry way.
He took a cautious step toward the behemoth of a crevice, studying it carefully. It seemed as if it had been caused by an intense quake, though the ceiling seemed fine. But his home, Nordengaard, was far from any tectonic plates. How could there be a tremor powerful enough to cause such damage? Thoughts raced through his mind as he considered alternative explanations. Could it be the result of subterranean pressures exerted by restless magma or trapped gases? Then how come there's only a single crack? Perhaps freeze-thaw cycles were to blame, but that theory faltered, too. The icy depths above were inaccessible, making it impossible for the ice to reach these levels.
He had already thought of something, whether it was simply his lack of geographical knowledge or not. To him, the most plausible explanation boiled down to a living entity being responsible for this occurrence. A truly horrifying one at that.