I felt like a piece of me had died along with Will in the dungeon. I looked up at the sky, why did I feel so sad, I barely knew him for a couple of hours. I had no past relations with that guy and I had to respect his dying wish, I needed to find his sister but I had no clue where to look for for her.
Just as I was looking around to find someone to ask about this, I saw a huge crowd forming a bit further off. I walked towards them and tried to garner what the commotion was about. I saw a small group of people coming out of a large portal, it reminded me of the dungeon, I shuddered at the memory, but this portal was larger and glowed in a sharp, red colour and it also gave off eerie vibes.
The group of people coming out looked battle worn, they were coated in dust and dirt. There were 5 in all. I heard people whispering around me.
"There are only 5 this time, didn't 17 of them go in?" I heard someone say.
"Seems like they failed to clear the labyrinth yet again", I heard another say. The people fell silent as one of the person who came out raised his hand.
"Dear people of our city, I am deeply grieved to announce that we have lost 12 of our comrades and have yet again failed to clear the labyrinth, I apologize for the inconveniences we have caused and I also offer my condolences to the dead", he said. It seemed like he was the leader of the group, he had flowing blonde hair that almost reached his shoulders and crystal clear green eyes.
"YOU BASTARD, WHERE IS MY SON!" I heard a lady shout. She ran at the guy with the blonde hair.
"Sorry miss we were not able to sa-", he started.
"KEEP YOUR DAMN EXCUSES TO YOURSELF, BRING MY SON BACK!", She was on the verge of madness. The guy looked sorrowful and helpless. He looked around and indicated some of his followers to lead the old lady away. They came and tried to gently lead her away. She went away reluctantly, screaming curses at the guy.
He left with his group, I observed them as they were moving away, among them was an absolutely stunning woman. She had beautiful black hair falling almost to her waist, she had brown eyes with a slight tint of golden which gave them a soft glow. She had high cheekbones and an angular face. If the world hadn't gone mad she could have been a world famous model.
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Just then a vague feeling came to me like I had seen her somewhere, but I couldn't place her, the feeling soon vanished. By this time the group had left and the crowd had started to slowly dwindle away.
Soon I was left standing there alone, staring at the labyrinth entrance. I decided to check out what the fuss was about this labyrinth. I walked closer to the entrance, so I could observe it more carefully. The red glow surrounding the entrance was emitting a sort of magnetic pull. Before I knew it I had put a hand into the entrance and before long I was in, it was like I was in some sort of trance.
WARNING! YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED TO CLEAR THE LABYRINTH ALONE
YOU HAVE TRIGGERED A QUEST
QUEST DETAILS: CLEAR 'THE LABYRINTH'
CLEAR CONDITIONS: SURVIVE 2 HOURS OR DEFEAT THE STAGE BOSS
REWARDS: SPECIAL SKILL AND ADDITIONAL REWARDS IF YOU DEFEAT THE BOSS.
NO REWARD FOR WAITING IT OUT
SINCE YOU ARE ATTEMPTING THE LABYRINTH ALONE YOU HAVE A REDUCED PENALTY
PENALTY UPON FAILURE: DEATH
"How the hell is that a reduced penalty?!" I shook my fist at the heavens, they sure had a wrapped sense of humour.
Nevertheless, I was now caught in this death trap and had no option other than clearing this. How about camping out at the entrance till this shit blew off. But I realized there was no way this was going to be so easy. A thick, growling sound echoed through the walls of the labyrinth.
It reminded be of one of those documentaries on hungry predators which I used to watch when I was younger. Ah, the good times.
The sound appeared to get closer and closer, then it disappeared altogether. I walked cautiously holding the Excalibur in front of me for safety, it served a dual purpose as it also provided me with light, it glowed and radiated energy even though it was just a piece of metal. It was really a helpful weapon aside from the fact it could cut down monsters with sublime ease.
I walked further into the labyrinth, the absence of monsters made me a bit uneasy. This place was supposed to be crawling with monsters. I walked even further and then it hit me, the lower tiered monsters ought to be all defeated by the other people who attempted the labyrinth, leaving perhaps only the boss for me.
I again thought of waiting it out for 2 hours but the greed for the additional skill made me keep moving. Steel Heart was already overpowered, I couldn't wait to find out what the other skills did, especially the one gifted to me by the Higher Deity.
After a bit more exploration I came to an open space, it was really vast, so vast that I couldn't observe the other side of the area.
I looked around, but I didn't see anyone, but a tap-tap sound resonated in my ears.
I realized too late that it was footsteps and a cold, hard metal piece pierced my back. It emerged through my chest region, coated with my blood.
I looked around and saw a masked man standing there with an ice - cold look in his eyes.
He watched as I fell down.
The last thing I heard was the sound of my task window getting updated and the familiar cold feeling enveloped me.