The boy didn't need to turn back to know that sound was the large steel door clanking shut behind him. He checked anyway, just to be thorough.
"Well, no backing out now" with no one else present to hear the quiver of his voice, he pretended it carried the tune of resolve. Not like I was ever going to, how could I settle for life as a farmer when I could be so much more?
The way ahead was lit by the single torch resting upon the wall to his left, it's steady light throwing aside the curtains of dark. With his empty hand he plucked the torch from its bracket, the other already held his well loved gathering knife at the ready.
Crudely set tiles paved all sides of the narrow passage, empty slots and prolific cracks gave the place a shabby atmosphere. Venturing deeper there was little to note besides the loosest tiles serving as tripping hazards, each navigated with grace and dexterity excepting the first.
While still rubbing at his elbow with the back of his knife weilding hand he approached the opening ahead. It had been a straight treck of some distance from the entry and this marked the first change in scenery.
The chamber was round, ten paces across and at its centre rested a large white orb atop a pedestal of marble. At the chambers far end the reflected glimmer of the torch suggested another large steel door like the one he first entered.
He was half way to the pedestal before the sound of skittering claws registered. He spun with torch thrust before him, realised the light was only blinding himself, swept it aside and intercepted a small creature flying at him. A second critter, a blur of white fur struck his thigh and raked two deep gashes through flesh. As the creature dropped to the ground the boy came with it as his legs crumpled, knee falling upon the furry mass with a crunch and snap.
The pink and white of peeled flesh dominated his vision before vibrant red rushed to fill the chasms. Movement from out the corner of his eye broke the trance and looking up he got the first proper look of his assailants.
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Small fluffy snow white bunnies, except where fore paws should have been were instead a pair of wicked aching blades.
It sprung forth again with arms ready to scythe down upon him. Raising his own blade in defence the beast thudded onto it's end. Its blades sank through his forearm, steel clacked on bone.
His face pressed against tile now, though he didn't remember laying down. He expected to be in pain, agony even, but was only mildly numb, so that was good. He was cold, but chalked it up to the wet tile... wet?
Craning his head around he found himself splaid in the pool of blood springing from his thigh. The two punctures through his arm also bled but not nearly as seriously, likely a courtesy of the stopers still in place.
He was gentle in manoeuvring himself to a position to check over his leg as each shift of the rabbit through his arm brought him a step closer to hurling. It was hard to see a wound beneath all the blood, but if the way it gushed forth was any indication, it was bad. He slipped off the rope holding up his trousers and tightly sinched the bleeding appendage, with sick fascination he watched the bloodflow peter out.
If I don't find help quickly I'll die here, I need healing, a priest. In a dazed fret he begun to turn about looking for anything that might be his salvation. Even if I made it back to the entrance and then outside, what then? I'd be in the middle of a forest. Then his eyes met the orb. In a frantic rush he dragged himself backward across the chamber to the foot of the pedestal and clawed upward.
As his fingertips brushed the orb something appeared above him. A towering figure of shimmering steel scales, it was humanoid enough though hulking in stature. Even beneath the layer of scales a bulging muscularity was obvious.
He would have been terrified of the creature before him if he hadn't recognised it. Actually he was still terrified Dorn was a god.