The majesty of the place left them in a slight stupor. A beacon of life in a hostile jungle was sure to attract many creatures that would leave them terrified for their life should the time for their meeting come, but, for now, they were going to explore the oasis.
“Let's look around before we get ahead of ourselves.” The scuttle suckers had long since been devoured and the bottles were empty. The long walk through the jungle had worn out the duo with Drew doing all the walking and Nurgle being relatively motionless up to this point. The sand helped remove much of the mud that had caked onto his bare feet during the journey and the new sensation brought his attention to this issue.
The lack of shoes had been an afterthought in his mind, but, now that he had been walking through an unknown jungle for hours, new fears came to him. Will gangrene set in if he wasn’t careful? What causes gangrene? Why weren’t there spare shoes anywhere? Why was he brought to the planet completely naked?
All questions without any answers and the fear of injury was the only thing that kept his mind from wandering. Amazonian tribes didn’t traditionally wear shoes and they have survived there for thousands of years. His hope was that he would get used to the feeling of mud in his toes but how long that would take was a toss up .
The pair followed the bank while glancing between the water and the forest. The slow but steady pace to the waterfall brought them higher up and gave them a progressively more bird’s eye view of the lake.
What was once more of a pond than a lake turned out to just be a smaller offshoot of a much more massive body of water that went on further than the eye could see as the fog rose above the water. Deciding to compartmentalize the vast world they found themselves in, Drew continued up the path that slowly became more and more steep while the light misting of the waterfall endangered the climb.
The odd tree broke the direct spray of water and allowed them to reach the side of the waterfall. The perch they stood on gave them a lay of the land that would have otherwise required them to climb a tree. Unseen dangers in the form of crocodile-like creatures floated along the surface of the pond while large leggy turtles stood on the opposing bank looking like bushes from the side, but angry bastards from above.
The tumbling water to their right shrouded part of the pond and forest from their view, so they continued up the path behind the waterfall. The stone wall that backed the torrential downpour offered many nooks and crannies for things to hide inside, yet nothing seemed to want to take up residence.
The path almost looked purposefully carved out of the cliff to allow for travel. Drew and Nurgle zig zagged across the cliff, ever expanding their view of the vast forest. Many feet up the cliff, they finally reach the ending. A large platform greeted them that offered a perfect view of the land over all but the tallest of trees. The expansive water body that could be seen from the gap revealed itself in its full glory as the sun started setting over its surface.
The fog had cleared itself from the lake and had been replaced by a cloud of insects and their predators. Random splashes of water would shoot up and send ripples cascading across the mirror reflection of the sun. Green and blue played off each other as the sun slowly crept past the horizon. Ending the day in front of their eyes
“This made the rocky walk up here all worth it, eh Nurgle? Guess we’re staying here.” The small creature leapt down from where Drew had sat down and positioned himself beside him, mirroring him just as the sun was reflected off the lake. Drew leaned back to recline against the rocks and, instead of hitting the back wall, passed straight through what should have been solid stone, landing on his back with his eyes staring at the ceiling of a hidden corridor.
Welcome to the Dungeon Hidden Behind the Falls!
Have fun and claim victory.
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Remaining unmoving due to the sheer shock of what just occurred, Nurgle startled him from his state as he clopped into the room by passing through the fake stone wall as casually as the little creature could.
“Did you know this thing was here?” Shrugging his shoulders, the little guy turned away from him and stared farther down past his summoner. Finally deciding to move, he sat up and looked behind him at the now very solid looking wall and reached out to feel the jagged surface only to pass right through. “ I guess I shouldn't be surprised because of the doorways, but this just feels cheap. How was I supposed to know this was here? I’m not some sort of wizard.”
Drew walked through the intangible wall and back into the dungeon where Nurgle awaited him patiently. Sleep or adventure weighed on his mind and the excitement of getting closer to returning home encouraged his decision to continue ahead towards the unknown.
The smooth floor soothed his feet as they hit the cool stone of the dungeons path ahead. The way was funneled into a set of stairs that appeared as an optical illusion. They appeared to go up and down at the same time and were covered in a fine layer of dust that came with no use.
https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FS2hBFin.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/S2hBFin.jpg]
“It’s do or die Nurgle. Are you ready?” He turned back to the little creature only to see him gone from where he was standing and rapidly darting through his legs . Before he could say anything, the creature was on the stairs with Drew chasing after him in fear of the suicidal creature expiring prematurely. “ Hold up psycho!”
Floor 1 Find and beat the boss to advance ahead or return to the entrance.
“Oh come on.” Having gone from one bloodthirsty predator to another, the beautiful landscape offered what Drew thought was momentary peace, but was just more pain hidden under the guise of tranquility. “How are we going to fight a boss, Nurgle? It’s just me and you. I’m going back to get the stick.”
The stairs they had just taken to enter the dungeon had disappeared and were replaced by a smooth black rock.
“Great, I don’t even have a weapon now. Hey, give me your stick, Nurgle.” The possessive creature tucked the little club behind his back and inched away from Drew in clear defiance of his command.
“Really dude, I am a grown man and you are a shin tall plushy. Do you really think you should be the one with the weapon?” He reluctantly handed over his beating stick which was only large enough to poke out of the top of Drew’s hand. “Fine, you can keep it.”
Nugle shook the club over his head in triumph and gave a few intimidating swings to prove his fighting acumen. They inspected the rest of the room they were now stuck in. It was devoid of features just like the building he had awoken in, but, instead of overhead lights, the walls were adorned with small torches.
The ambiance took on a much more medieval dungeon feel that was common in video games he would play back home. Wind blew in from the hall that sat before them and they both focused their gazes down the well lit path. The quiet environment with the faint whistling wind gave Drew a sense of security he had yet to find in this world, very much unlike the dead silence of the room they awoke in. A wall to his back and only one source of danger was much more freeing than he thought possible.
Nurgle crept forward to the hallway, eager but nervous to start their imminent struggle in the dungeon. A shuffling noise farther down the corridor startled the little creature so much it jumped in the air and ran behind Drew’s legs to stare into the relative darkness in safety.
Drew walked over to the torch on the wall and successfully pulled it from the holder it was mounted on. With the new weapon secured, his confidence was boosted immensely and they took up their new place of fortification around the corner of the wall. The shuffling noise was coming closer and closer with each passing second and new noises could be heard amongst the cacophony of sound. Clanging of metal on stone and the rattling of bones became more prevalent.
The corridor was 15 feet long then a bend blocked their vision from piercing any farther. The suspense left butterflies in Drew’s stomach and adrenaline started to course through his veins in anticipation. Hot breaths hit the back of his leg as Nurgle started to get fired up as well.
Closer and closer, the noises assaulted their ears.
He could almost make out the thing stumbling every few steps it would take. The sound of boots scraping with every step confused him with each passing second. Finally, the enemy rounded the corner and came into full view of the duo.