THE FORSAKEN LAIR OF SOULS

DUNGEON LEVEL 10

It kept blinking in front of Max. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as the sound of footsteps grew louder. The darkness of the dungeon seemed to surround them even more, but the blue torchlight helped them to scare the darkness away. Piggy stood beside Boorg, snorting, not worried about the approaching danger.

“Stay close to Boorg, Piggy,” Max said, gripping his wand tighter. “And don’t do anything stupid!”

The first wave of monsters emerged from the shadows - a group of goblins, their eyes shining with redness like they just woke up from a deep slumber. They were armed with swords, they didn’t hesitate to attack. Max counted at least ten of them, and he knew more would follow.

Max looked at Boorg, his eyes were shining in the dark, a wide smile on his face. “Boorg ready! Monsters no stand chance!”

With a thunderous battle cry, Boorg charged forward, swinging his massive axe recklessly. The first goblin barely had time to react before it was cleaved in two, its blood splattering the walls. The others hesitated, stunned by the brutal attack.

Max took advantage of the pause, casting a spell.

“Fireball!” Max shouted, launching a ball of lame at the group. It exploded on impact, setting several goblins in flames. Their screams echoed through the dungeon, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Max’s spine.

Boorg continued attacking, his axe cutting through goblins like they were made of butter. Despite his size, he moved with amazing speed and agility, dodging attacks and delivering hard blows. Max could see the sheer joy in Boorg’s eyes as he fought as if he was born for just fighting.

“Boorg! Behind you!” Max warned, spotting a goblin trying to sneak up on the giant warrior.

Piggy jumped at the goblin hitting it with its head, making the goblin sit on the floor. Boorg spun around, smashing the goblin into the ground with a single swing. “Thank you friends! Boorg owe you one!”

Max nodded, his eyes scanning the darkness for more threats. “Just keep an eye out. We’re not done yet.”

The dungeon walls were made of rough, cold stone, and the air was unpleasant with a musty smell. The blue flames of the torches flickered, and shadows danced on the walls. It was hard to tell where the dungeon ended and the darkness began; the entire place seemed to swallow light and any hope for adventurers to come out alive.

The Forsaken Lair of Souls, as the dungeon was known, had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous dungeons in the region. According to rumors, it was filled with traps, powerful monsters, and relics from a bygone era. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes, with each level bringing new horrors to face.

The layout of the dungeon was like a labyrinth, with twisting corridors, dead ends, and hidden chambers.

Piggy snorted, leading the way with surprising confidence. Max couldn’t help but be impressed by the pig’s bravery. He didn’t know if the pig was smart, brave or just dumb.

As they moved deeper into the dungeon, the path widened into a larger chamber. The ceiling arched high above them, hidden in the shadows, and the floor was uneven, with moss and small pools of water. The air was colder, and Max shivered.

In the center of the chamber stood a large stone altar, covered in more of the strange symbols. Chains moved from the ceiling, some still holding skeletal remains that swayed gently in a breeze.

“Looks like some sort of sacrificial chamber,” Max said. “We should be careful. There might be traps.”

As if he summoned it, the ground beneath them suddenly began to tremble. The symbols on the altar glowed brighter. Max’s heart dropped, as he realized what was happening.

“Boorg! Piggy! Get back!” he shouted, running back.

Just as they moved, the floor in front of the altar split open with a loud crack, revealing a pit filled with see-through, shadowy figures. They reached up with skeletal hands, grasping for anything they could pull into the abyss.

“Those are… souls. Trapped souls.”

“Boorg no like this. Bad magic here.”

“Oink!”

“There!” Max noticed to the left a narrow passage that seemed to lead away from the altar. It was partially hidden behind a collapsed section of a wall. “We can try to go there.”

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Boorg nodded, and they carefully made their way around the pit, keeping a safe distance from the grasping hands. The passage was tight, and they had to move one by one, with Boorg taking the lead. The walls closed in, making the air feel heavy, and Max’s breathing got faster as the claustrophobic space pressed around him.

The passage eventually opened into another corridor, lined with more torches burning with the unnatural blue flame. The floor was covered with broken weapons, banners, and what looked like remains of armor, long abandoned.

“This must have been a battle site,” Max said, picking up a rusty sword and examining it. “But what were they fighting?”

“Maybe they fight each other?” Boorg suggested, looking around. “Or maybe they fight monsters like we do!”

Max nodded. “Either way, they are dead, so we should be careful.”

Two doors awaited them at the end of the corridor. In front of the doors, two skeletons in rusty armor, one sword in the right hand and a shield in the other hand looked at them as they approached. Max looked at them carefully, prepared to run if they attacked.

“One of us speaks nothing but the truth, the other nothing but lies. You have to pass through the right door if you want to survive!”

“Okay, I know this we have to ask - “ Max began to think aloud.

Boorg takes his axe and kills the first skeleton, breaking him into pieces.

“What the fuck?!” Max looked shocked by Boorg’s actions.

Boorg took the other skeleton by his neck and pointed at the remains of the skeleton he just destroyed.

“Is he dead?” Boorg asked.

The skeleton looked carefully at Boorg, then at the scattered bones on the floor, then back at Boorg.

“No,” the skeleton answered.

Boorg pointed his finger now at the skeleton in his hand. “This one liar.”

“I-I’m impressed,” Max said.

“Is this the good door?” Boorg asked the skeleton, pointing his finger at the right door.

“No,” the skeleton answered once again.

Boorg threw the skeleton at the dungeon wall. “We go!”

Behind the door, a large, open chamber welcomed them. Two stone statues of fearsome, winged beasts stood in the center of the room. The statues’ eyes seemed to follow their every move, and Max couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

“Looks like a boss room,” Max said, preparing his wand.

“Boos room?” Boorg’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Boorg like big fights!”

Let’s hope we don’t have to fight those statues,” Max said, looking at the statues in the center of the room. “They don’t look too friendly.”

Max’s hand began to burn even more now, and a rumbling growl echoed through the chamber. From the shadows emerged a massive creature, its body covered in thick fur. It stood on all fours, big, sharp teeth clearly visible, and its claws were long and razor-sharp. The creature let out a loud roar, shaking everything inside the dungeon.

“It seems I was right!” Max said.

Boorg readied his axe. “Boorh smash big monster! No problem!”

“Be careful,” Max warned him.

The creature dashed at them, moving very fast for its size. Max quickly cast a shield spell, creating a barrier around himself. The monster’s claws scraped against the shield, sending sparks flying.

“Fireball!” Max shouted, sending a ball of fire at the monster. The monster was close enough that even Max couldn’t miss it, but the creature didn’t look like it was very hurt by it.

“Boorg, now!” Max yelled.

Boorg charged forward, his axe held high. With a mighty swing, he made contact with the monster, it roared in pain and hit Boorg sending him to the closest pillar.

It turned away from Boorg, looking at Max, his curse doing its thing. Piggy darted forward and hit the creature’s leg. The monster didn’t care, it didn’t even feel the attack, it kept looking at Max.

“Boorg!” Max called the big warrior, but he didn’t respond. His axe lay next to him, not moving just like him, blood went slowly down his face.

“Fuck, it’s me against you I guess,” Max spoke to the monster.

Piggy saw Boorg on the floor and now it ran towards him, looking at him and trying to wake him up.

“What should I do?” Max thought, trying to figure out a way to beat the monster. “Running away isn’t really an option, unfortunately, I would rather do that.”

The monster attacked Max once again, Max cast a shield again, but this time it didn’t help much. On contact, it sent him flying across the chamber, the shield thankfully helped him when he hit the wall.

“You seem to be angrier than before,” Max somehow uttered to the beast.

The beast growled at him, slowly approaching, playing with him.

“I guess this is how I die, couldn’t make it one day without Snickers,” Max laughed, unable to move.

Boorg grabbed the giant sword strapped to his back, the one he rarely used. Max, struggling to get back on his feet, saw Boorg rise. The monster, now just a few feet away from Max, snarled, preparing for a finishing blow.

Boorg swung the massive sword in a wide arc, the blade gleamed in the dim light as it cut through the air, sparks covering it, meeting the beast’s neck with a big, loud, crunch. The creature’s roar turned into a gurgle, as the sword cut its head off, the monster’s body collapsing to the ground.

Max watched in shock as Boorg stood over the slain monster, breathing heavily but steadily. There was something different about him at that moment when he met his eyes, it felt like another person was standing there.

“Max, are you alright?” Boorg asked.

Max blinked. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to you. That was…Wow!”

Boorg nodded, putting his sword back on his back. “We need to move fast, this place is still filled with dark magic.”

“Boorg, you’re… different. What’s going on?” But Boorg didn’t respond. “Boorg?” Max looked at him. “Did you hit your head or something?”

Boorg scratched his head, looking a bit confused. “Boorg smash monster good, yes?”

“Yeah, you did great,” Max nodded, hiding his concern.

Piggy ran over to Max, snorting happily. Max patted the pig, trying not to ruin the nice flower on its head. He didn’t understand what had just happened, but it seemed as if the pig did. But now wasn’t the time, they were deep in the dungeon, and there was no telling if something even scarier would appear.

“We should move on,” Max said, standing up and healing himself. “There might be more monsters and traps ahead, and I’m low on mana.”

Boorg nodded. “Boorg ready!!! Boorg always ready for more fight!!”

Max cast a final glance at Boorg, question after question appeared in his mind. What had triggered Boorg’s sudden clarity? Who was that person? Did he just hit his head too hard? What the fuck is going on? And is the exit to the dungeon near?

“I need to pee,” Max murmured as they slowly continued to explore the dungeon.