With a cold jingle, the goliath of a man pulled the chains gripped firmly in his hands. Out of the large iron door stumbled a short woman. Dark soot and dirt matted her long black hair. She wore torn clothing that revealed the large bruises and dried blood covering her thin body.

A human sacrifice. Samuel was sure of the situation as he watched the man lead the woman up the stair to the priest.

“Ah, Gavin, Thank you.” The priest spoke. “If you wouldn’t mind laying her out for the ritual.” The priest stepped to the side and allowed the large man to approach the table.

The man’s large arms effortlessly lifted the woman by her chains. She tried to scream as the crude metal bindings bent her wrists. However, she was too weak to make a sound. Gavin cruelly slammed her onto the table. The man smiled at the woman’s pained expression but maintained focus.

He flattened her out and turned to the priest. “Everything should be ready. I drugged her, so she shouldn’t interrupt.” The man whispered to the priest with a devilish chuckle. Gavin had an excited glint as he stepped away from the table.

“What would I do without you?” The priest returned to the table with a smile then he spoke aloud to everyone. “I will now begin the final piece of the sacrament!”

Damian grabbed the ceremonial dagger and took a deep breath. He slowly opened his eyes and chanted a new verse from the book. The small silver dagger began to radiate a dim purple light, almost humming from within Damian’s grasp.

Samuel’s eyes shook as he tried to look away, only for his expression to darken. Every person in the rooms surrounding the bottom area was standing on each balcony. Everyone had menacing smiles as if they were enjoying the rising tension.

Seeing everyone’s reaction was the final straw. Samuel had finally reached his breaking point. These weren’t people but monsters. He wanted nothing more than to run and escape this hellish cave.

He mustered his last strength, wildly squirming in Morrigan’s hold. Despite her impressive strength, Samuel shook himself free from Morrigan.

Samuel blindly kicked out, kicking Morrigan hard in the shin. Her grip weakened from the surprise attack, allowing Samuel to free himself. He spun and pushed Morrigan back, causing her to fall backward.

Samuel was hyperventilating from the adrenaline. Samuel looked up from Morrigan to see her minions charging. The astonished brothers watched with confused expressions.

The skittering spider was fast and agile, quickly cutting the gap. It raised its forelegs and readied its fangs. However, Samuel was beyond fear and didn’t hesitate.

Samuel took a skip forward, kicking the spider like a kickball. A loud crack followed as a sharp pain rushed up Samuel’s leg. He winced and staggered but felt a small glimpse of hope as the spider rolled away, screeching across the room.

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With a slight limp, Samuel started running towards the exit. The slower lizard was different from the spider. It was significantly more dangerous in Samuel’s eyes. Its powerful muscles and sharp claws meant it was game over if Samuel let himself get caught.

“HHHHSSSSS” The lizard coiled its fat tail as a springboard to pounce at Samuel.

Samuel grunted from the pain in his foot but managed to dodge to the side, narrowly escaping the beast’s claws. Samuel watched as the lizard slid on the smooth stone. Its claws had trouble gripping the smooth surface, but that didn’t stop the beast aggressively pursuing Samuel.

With a rumbling clattering, the lizard snapped its jaw forwards. Samuel was unable to react this time. The sharp teeth of the lizard crunched around his thigh like a bear trap. The lizard used its weight to whip its head side to side, digging its teeth deeper.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!” Samuel screamed in pain while desperately punching at the lizard’s head, trying to get the beast to let go.

“What do we do?” Bryan belatedly asked his brother. Although he usually had a plan, Brock was speechless. He couldn’t comprehend the man named Samuel. Despite finding the cave, everything was smooth until meeting Samuel.

Becoming a necromancer was like a calling for Brock and Bryan. Brock felt a rising anger every time Samuel dismissed necromancers. Samuel’s lack of interest or desire felt like an insult to their dreams.

Brock huffed and puffed as his vision reddened with anger. He clinched both first and sprinted at Samuel. Bryan watched with disbelief as his brother tackled Samuel.

Samuel was entirely blindsided by the tackle and harshly crashed to the ground. The lizard’s teeth ripped through Samuel’s thigh as he was pulled away by Brock.

“You absolute idiots!” Morrigan roared. She had returned to her feet only to see Brock roll painfully over Samuel.

Brock had smacked his head against the ground when tackling Samuel. A thin stream of blood dripped down from his scalp as he staggered to his feet. Bryan ran to support his brother quickly.

“Samuel!” Morrigan’s voice was fierce. She stomped over and grabbed Samuel’s collar. She yanked him to his feet before pressing her face close to his. “W- “

Before she could continue, she felt a dazing blow across her face. Samuel had slapped her.

“Just let me go!” Samuel growled. He sunk a punch into Morrigan’s face, causing her to stumble back.

Although he was free from her grip, Samuel didn’t get his wish. Morrigan scowled with anger. She leaned back and planted the sole of her foot into Samuel’s chest.

Samuel coughed as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Morrigan’s powerful kick crushed Samuel’s chest and sent him bouncing harshly against the stone railing.

Samuel was too stunned to notice, but everyone else’s eyes widened. A large crack in the stone appeared after Samuel landed. The terrified Samuel was gasping for air before his vision of the room shifted.

The balustrade Samuel was leaning against collapsed, causing him to fall backward off the balcony. He was too baffled to scream as he fell several feet to the ground.

“Ha…Ha-ha” Morrigan slowly started laughing after Samuel disappeared over the edge. Her laugh echoed her bewildered expression.

“We need to go.” She nodded to herself before turning to the brothers. “Congratulations, you’re officially necromancers. Now let’s go.”

As if fleeing, Morrigan hurriedly left the room. The lizard and limping spider followed closely.

Bryan looked around aimlessly. He was scared but had to decide. His brother was too disoriented to lead, so Bryan had no choice but to lead Brock after Morrigan. In a matter of moments, the room was empty.