Lucius could see it: the dread within his uneasy cohorts. He saw it in the quivering of their eyes, the dry gulps, the stiff hair on the back of their necks. Every second their sanity was being eroded away, replaced by an ever-growing bout of fear.
They were not supposed to be here. It was a new feeling, a curious one for the good Lucius. He had visited many places over the course of his life: exciting trips to those both safe and perilous, the glamorous hotspots of the wealthy and the run-down hovels of the poor, yet no matter the locale Lucius perused, he had never once thought that he wasn’t welcomed. Or rather, that humanity wasn’t welcomed. The earth was their home, and whether one be in forest or desert, prairie or marsh, by sea or mountain or hillside, it changed not the fact that they were all organisms born to roam and settle and thrive as children of the world.
But that was not the case here. This ominous realm, on a fundamental level, did not accept them. It was as if the halls were alive: the brick, oozing of malice, distorted like wriggling sinew, and plaguing the musty air was a harsh, metallic odor—the gastric stench of an indescribable being, one Lucius’s party was stuck in the belly of.
“I—I can’t…” Mili began to hyperventilate, breath choking on the putrid fumes, but she was not alone in her condition. Jack and Marco both clenched their stomachs and tried their best not to hurl. They failed.
Lucius of course was similarly nauseated, but a gentleman had to always remain elegant. He so very abhorred looking unsightly.
“Let us take a brief rest,” he said. Lucius rounded his fellows up and diligently attended to them, wiping their mouths and patting their backs like one would a babe. Whatever pride the full-grown adults once had mattered not in the face of such alien environment.
Fortunately, humans had a peculiar quality that surpassed all other (known) creatures, and that was their adaptability. Indeed, even this nightmare of a domain lost its charm after a good minute, and eventually Lucius’s party was well enough to wobble onto their feet.
“Sorry for troublin’ you, Lucius,” Marco said, his face blushing with red.
“Think nothing of it, my friend. We all have our moments of weakness.” All except for Lucius, of course. The man was simply perfect—everywhere, anytime, at every conceivable moment.
Once they got their composures resettled, the party took a tense step forward and descended into the impermeable dark.
They marched for some time: eyes up front. Ears on edge whilst awaiting for the slightest of sounds. But, there was nothing, a silence so dense that it could be cut with a knife. Soon, the brain began to fill the gaps. It heard creaks where there were none, saw shadows slithering out of sight. It pumped blood and caused the heart to pound in preparation for some thing, some manner of creature or horror, to suddenly jump out.
It never came.
Time passed on. Their nerves only grew more frayed. During the times they actually spoke to one another, they did so in hushed tones, for the message window’s warning still remained fresh in their minds.
Eventually, the group came across something different from their monotonous routine: a fork in the path. Left, right, or center? It seemed an insignificant choice at first, but Jack thought otherwise.
“Right!” he said. The others turned towards him, perplexed by his enthusiasm. “Uh, I mean, why not? Right is always right after all… haha…”
Mili eyed him suspiciously. Clearly the young Jack knew something they didn’t, but whatever that was he kept to himself for now. “If you say so, Jack-o.”
They took a sharp right and continued their jaunt. Their journey was cut short, however, by a dead end.
“Right is always right, huh…”This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
But Jack was undeterred. “Hold on, let me try something real quick.” He began to knock on the wall, groping and fiddling with the surface until finally… one of bricks gave way. And a hidden room opened up before them.
“How’d ya know about that?” Marco said.
“Just had a feeling. Pretty lucky, right?”
“Yeah. Real lucky.”
Jack rushed into the room before anyone could question him. The others followed soon after, and what they were met with was quite the surprise. Inside was the same red interior, but at the center was an ornate ring seated upon a pedestal. The party had also come across their first sign of life, for growing from the ceiling’s cracks were the most darling gathering of flowers. They hung upside down like lanterns, petals colored in hues of white and orange and pink. To find such growth here was nothing short of a miracle.
His fellows were much more interested in the ring, however. A shame. A little glance at something beautiful would be good for them, although Lucius supposed they didn’t really need it since he was already among them.
“This is great!” Jack said, holding the ring up in a triumphant pose. “Plus two to all physical stats! If we keep finding treasure like this, we’ll all be overpowered in no time.”
Marco walked over and gave him a celebratory pat on the back. “Good, I was worried about lettin’ a skinny fella like you get into danger. This should give some oomph into those muscles.”
The old mobster meant well, but something seemed to be on Jack’s mind. He lowered his head and peered at the others with a hesitant look. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean to hog it all for myself. We should distribute it to whoever needs it most. Mili’s probably lacking in physical stats so we could give it to her, or maybe Lucius since he doesn’t have any offensive skills. Marco’s our main tank so it’d be good for him too.”
It appeared to pain him very, very greatly to part with the ring, but nonetheless he swallowed his greed and offered it to his companions. To Jack’s surprise, none of them accepted.
“Nah dude, I don’t need it,” Mili said, waving him off. “Most of my skills rely on my magic stat or whatever it’s called so it wouldn’t be that useful.”
Marco agreed with her. “I’d be a right bastard if I took that for myself. You found it, so it’s yours to keep. Don’t worry about me.”
Lucius didn’t care all that much. The gentleman was much more occupied with admiring the flowers. “I appreciate the thought, Mister Thames, but there is no need. These lovely little blooms are all I require.”
“… The flowers?” Jack asked, his confusion all too evident. “I don’t see anything special about them.”
To that, Lucius jumped back, aghast, and wagged his finger. “Dear me, Mister Thames! Is their beauty not special enough for you? This is a rare species I’ll have you know: Brugmansia Suaveolens, or better known as the ‘Angel’s Trumpet’. These flowers only grow in tropical regions such as South America. To discover them here of all places… how did they survive? Has the environment changed their structure? Oh, I simply must take one with me!”
Without another word, Lucius donned a pair of black gloves and very gently plucked one of the Angel’s Trumpets before nestling it within his handkerchief. He made sure to touch only the stem - to not lay even a single finger on the petals lest he be subjected to a nasty surprise.
“You really do love that job of yours, huh?” Marco said with a chuckle. “A man’s gotta respect another’s passion. Glad even at times like these we can find somethin’ to be happy about.”
“To love is to be human, Mister Bernardi. I’m simply a man who understands his desires quite well.”
Jack offered Lucius the ring one last time, but the gentleman’s answer did not change.
“Well, I mean if nobody wants it…” Jack, without a moment to lose, practically rammed the ring onto his finger and then daintily skipped towards the exit. “Come on! Let’s go huntin’ for some more treasure.”
Their fortunate encounter worked wonders to improve the mood amongst the party. They departed with thoughts of wonder and anticipation, eager to locate their next batch of loot.
Their celebration was soon cut short.
Lucius reached out and pulled back the two up front. They tried to speak in protest, but the gentleman brought his finger to his mouth and motioned for them to stay silent.
When all was quiet, when their footsteps echoed through the hall no longer, they heard it: a sound. Not a delusion. No, it was real.
Something was approaching them.
It slid across the floor in a squeamish, almost oily, lurch, producing a terrible noise Lucius could only describe as if one were to plunge their hand and wriggle around in a batch of raw, slimy meat.
When the party looked out into the distance, they saw an oozing, gushing, moving growth. It didn’t resemble a man, or an animal, or any being Lucius knew of. It was merely a large blob, pulsating and writhing, with exposed bits of sinew and fat and vein all bared on the outside.
It should have been impossible for this horrid thing to exist, yet here it was. A mound of shambling flesh.