Before he was able to move again, [Flood] hit him straight on, bringing his health down to a bit over a thousand points. Not wanting to wait any longer, the queen sent forth a bolt of lightning that slammed into Pooky, paralysing him for five seconds and causing 117 damage. The bear roared in pain and dropped his hammer. Multiple flame and ice arrows flew into the apparition, but she evaded all but two arrows. Her health dropped to a mere three quarters.
The skeleton looked at the shade and laughed. His health was already dangerously low, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. A loud crack reverberated in the cold night as the ice surrounding his shoulder exploded, ripping the skeleton in half. Instead of dying, it lay there with only one health point remaining.
"Thank you for releasing me from this eternal prison. The result would have been the same even if we had dragged this on trying to fight more seriously. You would have killed us in the end anyway, that's how everything is set up," the king spoke. The queen floated just above him, contemplating on how to proceed with the situation. In the end, she used her magic to put her king back together and help him stand.
"What do you mean?" Kaden asked, out of breath. He himself needed some help to stand steadily on his feet. The Skeleton King laughed heartily before replying with a sad voice.
"We will give you one warning. Keep the artifacts away from him at all costs, even if it means your life. They are the only thing he cannot influence, or get his filthy hands on without the help of people like us… and you. He cannot take it from you by force, keep that in mind." The skeleton paused for a moment as his head turned slightly towards the shade. She looked back and slid down next to him.
"It's time my love, for us to find peace, one way or the other," she said, tracing her nonexistent hands over his bony face. "I will not fight you as that's the will of my king. I wish you all the luck in this hellish place, dear enemy. Now, make it quick, if you don’t mind."
The shade rose into the air and floated there, her eyes still lingering on her lover. She was ready to die, and even wanted to.
"Wait just a damn minute. What are you talking about?" Laney snapped, running up to them. "You can’t just give us a riddle, make us feel bad and then tell us to kill you!" she yelled, the pain obvious in her strained voice.
"You will see for yourself if death doesn’t find you first. Bardos is a demon. He enjoys other people’s pain, their suffering. He makes everyone do his dirty work for him, but that much you should have figured out by now," the queen replied. "Now, do us the courtesy and let us rest. We have been suffering for ages. Let us save some dignity, at least for the end."
With practiced ease, a pillar of fire and a flood wave hit the king and queen at the same time, ending their existence.
Kaden dropped to his knees and wept openly for the two souls that had just died. They had been victims of Bardos, just like him and his small group of friends. He cried and he screamed until two hands embraced him from behind, and another voice joined his. Eliana and Pooky walked off, leaving the two to themselves.
"Why does it have to be this way?" Kaden asked, barely audible from his stuttering. "Why is he doing this to us? Just how many of the things that we have killed were sentient as well?"
"I know," Laney whispered in his ear, hugging him even tighter. Something within him broke, as he understood that both him and Laney, his friends and the villagers were nothing to Bardos but mere insects. They were pawns to be used in a game where there was only one outcome, death. Would it be sooner or later, he had no idea, but he would keep fighting if he could help it.
"We will make it right one day, I promise. Say, do you remember what the king asked us to do for him?" Kaden’s head shot up, remembering the king’s words. Banished at dusk, returned at dawn.
"He will pay, Laney, even if it's the last thing I do. Not just for these two, but for who knows how many souls he has taken." Kaden said with a sad, but strong voice. His tears never stopped flowing, but the weeping changed into a wicked grin. "Bardos will get what is coming for him."
Chapter 19
The overall mood of the group was very poor. Looting the dead monsters was going at a very slow pace, and it was more of a tedious task than gathering the spoils of war. Bones, spectral fluid, and more disgusting things had shown up as items, so they gathered everything in a heap.
Both the king and queen had dropped loot, but neither had anything of real value to speak of except the halberd, but they had no one who could use it. Besides, it needed to be repaired first before anyone was able to wield it.
As he dropped the weapon on the pile, Kaden sighed and looked up at the dark sky. The stars shone bright, making him think of his previous life.
"Time to tackle this thing, and then enjoy doing nothing for a while. Hope we're done in time for breakfast, because I sure would like to eat more of your cooking, Laney," Kaden said with a faint smile.
She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'll cook whatever we have available, I promise."
He turned towards her and leaned in close to whisper. "After we finish this and have a good night's sleep, I would like to talk to you about us, about this world and our future here."
She smiled and winked, giving him another hug. "We will talk about everything when this is over and we are back safely in our village," she whispered, her lips caressing his cheek.
Kaden closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, then walked over towards the pile of items, and opened the bag for Pooky to throw everything inside. The bear took it and fastened the bag to his belt. The ballista was fastened to his back, encumbering him, but being the biggest and strongest amongst them, he was the logical choice. They walked over towards the crypt and stopped in front of it.
"Whatever may happen inside of the dungeon, I want all of you to know that I'm very happy to have met you," Kaden said with an ache in his voice.
"Do you think us so weak we will die inside?" Eliana asked, her large ears hanging down her head. Her smile was replaced with an expression he hadn’t seen on her face before.
"No, I don't. But we don’t know what will happen inside—"
"How about you shut it, and we enter this thing already," Pooky interrupted him, his face flushed red.
"He sure has grown to like you," Razor said. Kaden chuckled inwardly.
"Seems so, my friend. It’s probably a good thing too, considering how massive those paws are."
"Kaden?" Laney asked, prodding him with a finger.
"Huh? Yeah sorry, I was caught up in a thought. Alright then, shall I do the honors?" Without even thinking, he stepped through the swirl that covered the doorway. Something tugged at him to turn back, but just then, Bardos’ face appeared in front of him. Closing his eyes, Kaden strode into the maelstrom that would probably lead him to his death.
His body felt like it had been shredded into tiny pieces, and put back together again upon entering the dungeon. The darkness was absolute, the stench gut-wrenching. All around him, death was evident. Maggots squashed beneath his feet, squirming and dying, and the air was stale and heavy.
"Laney? Eliana? Pooky? Anyone here? Why aren’t you answering me!" Kaden pleaded to the darkness, but no reply came. A sudden fear crept up his spine, paralysing him. Without anyone else to draw upon, he would die like a coward, alone in this hellhole.
After a minute passed with him still being alive, his breathing became steadier and less forced. The stench was all-powerful, but his heart had stopped beating up in his throat.
"Guys? Anyone here?" No one answered him for the second time, dashing his hope that they would enter any moment. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, and his legs started to shake as he closed his eyelids as hard as possible. "Why is this happening to me? Why do I have to die like this, alone in this hell hole?" he thought.
"You aren’t alone in here, mortal. Welcome to the Black Widow’s dungeon," a voice whispered seductively. It reeked of danger, and the way it said the word mortal made him want to get out of there as fast as possible.
"What friends? You are here all by yourself, human." He froze, not able to move or breathe. Panic set in, far worse than when he had arrived inside of the dungeon minutes ago. Now he had confirmation that his friends had remained outside.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. They weren’t tears of pain or fear, but of sadness at the fact that he would never see Laney again. His heart constricted, forcing him to curl up in a ball.
"You will not take him as well, you cursed witch!" a voice boomed as something slammed into Kaden like a freight train. All the air left his lungs as he heard and felt his ribs snap. He sailed through the air, his body colliding with something very hard.
"Here, drink this," the booming voice spoke again, the source still invisible in the darkness. The liquid that went down Kaden’s throat tasted like cow manure and piss. He coughed and threw up, trying to get rid of the liquid before it went down his throat.
To Kaden’s surprise, his ribs snapped into place again amidst terrible pain, growing within the flesh and becoming whole once more. Light replaced darkness, just enough for his eyes to be able to make out a vague shape in front of him. A very large and furry-looking creature stood in front of him. It was obvious he wasn’t human, and that his body was all muscle and fur.
He cringed and freaked out, trying to back away from the monstrosity that had almost killed, and then saved him.. How could he have given me a potion, or whatever it was, with those hands? Kaden thought as he observed the large claws.
"Are you sure it was a potion?" Razor asked. He was nowhere to be seen, sending Kaden into a renewed panic. "Don’t worry. I’m inside of you," Razor added. Sighing in relief, he got up and looked up to the creature's head. Two large, blood red eyes stared back at him through the darkness, as a rotten smell filled his nose.
"Who and what are you?" Kaden asked, trying to regain his composure but failed miserably.
"My name is Kain," the creature replied with a deep, rumbling voice. "I’m a wolfman, if you insist. Bardos trapped me in here a thousand years ago. In all this time, you are the only one that managed to survive before I could find them."
"And for that I thank you, big… Wolfman? I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to disrespect you, but what the hell did you pour down my throat? And why did you have to kick me so hard!" Just then, he realised that it would have been smarter to stay quiet, but he could only take so much before he started doing and asking stupid things.
"Hmm. I honestly don’t know if I should eat you, or just kill you for being so ungrateful. But alright. You were in a trance-like state. Only blunt force damage could bring you out of it," the wolfman growled. "We’re talking about a monstrous black widow spider here, she’s not to be taken lightly. Oh, and regarding the potion, what did you mean by that? I took a leak on your face because of my species’ self-healing properties."
"You… did what on me? You pissed on my face?"
"What are you so upset about? Would have rather died, huh?" Kain asked, crossing his arms firmly. The muscles on his arms bulged outward, giving him another good scare.
"Fuck no, but how can you go around pissing on people? That’s not cool at all!" An uncomfortable silence followed as the two stared at each other, before the weaker being gave up first. "How big is she?" Kaden asked.
"A few times my size, at least," the wolf creature replied. "And yes, I'm a sub-species of a Werewolf. There is a big difference, however. I can’t change back and forth, so he called me Wolfman. Werewolves supposedly are able to change back and forth."
"I see. Damn, this sure is a lot to take in. I have just arrived here, and so many things have already happened." Kaden sighed and shook his head, then looked up at the wolf again. He saw him for what he was now, and his face looked like it was smiling. "Are you always so happy when in a dire situation?" Kaden asked, not quite understanding where his happy-go-lucky attitude came from.
"What dire situation? I’m immortal, my lad. You would really have to do your best to hurt me. To kill me, you would have to drop a mountain on top of my head, and then some."
Kaden gasped. "Drop a mountain on top of your head? Are you for real?"
"Why yes, I'm. She tried everything she could think of without burying us both within this maze. And given my regenerative abilities, I doubt that would've been enough to kill me.’ His tone had changed to a more serious one. "I need that little something which will tip the scales of balance in my favour, and I hope you're that little something."
"So you and I are to fight that… spider creature?"
"Why yes! You have nothing to fear with me around. I truly am godly."
"Right. Say, how come you are trapped in here if you are godly?"
"I didn’t say that I was literally a god, but rather, godly. You know, hard to damage and stuff," he chuckled.
Kaden stood there and looked at the wolfman, mouth wide open. This guy was freaking insane, it seemed. He was an abomination, even among what would pass for abominations. And what was even worse, he had no idea if he should be fearing the Wolfman, or be happy he was acting all friendly.
"To tell you the truth, you are mighty lucky. Today, I’d been fighting the widow’s creatures all over the place when I smelled you. A few hours difference, and I wouldn’t have been here. You might have died an eternal death," Kain explained.
Another chill ran down Kaden’s spine as he took in the truth. "What was it that she did to me anyway? I couldn’t breathe, everything was black. I felt like was dying, slowly but surely."
"You were under mind control. Morgana had placed several higher level spells on you. She basically blinded, poisoned and disoriented you.”
The wolf suddenly ran off. "The name is Kaden!" he yelled. Sighing, Kaden hurried after him. With every step, the sound of squishing maggots and other carrion insects could be heard, and it slowly killed his soul from the inside. Their pain was being transformed into his own through a debuff that appeared over his head. As he ran and killed more of the things, the pain became worse. At one point he couldn’t take it anymore, and dropped into the crawling filth.
They seemed to be looking back at him, right into his eyes. The white pus flowed from millions of mouths. The tiny pupils bore into his, and therein he saw his death as the dungeon swallowed him whole. A big claw picked him up, slamming his body into the wall. Kaden came back to his senses, eyes focused on Kain’s.
"You really are easy to play magic on, little man. Get your act together, or you won’t be of any help to me, even if we manage to find Morgana." Kaden stared at him for a moment and nodded his head, trying to think about anything else but the pain.
"I'll do my best, but I ain’t a wizard. I’m just a low-level Ice Mage. Why do you expect so much from me?"
"So much?" Kain bellowed. "Boy, I do not expect anything from you, except to maybe draw her attention. Maybe then I will finally solve this long feud."
Frowning, Kaden looked at the big Wolfman. "What happened anyway? How come you can not exit this dungeon, or defeat this Morgana? And what is it with all these maggots and this stench of death?"
Kain looked hurt, and glanced away as if the question was a personal one.
"She… was my wife, in the distant past," he said weakly. "We were cursed to never be together again, thus she was transformed into a giant spider, and I into a wolfman. I pray for the moment I get my hands on that god's neck, and squeeze so tight his eyes pop out. I want to taste his blood, his internal organs, I want to rip him apart," Kain bellowed again as his eyes blazed.
"Was it Bardos?" Kaden asked after an uncomfortable silence.
Kain sighed and his rage subsided, at least for the moment. He nodded and turned away again, walking into the opposite direction. "We have a long way ahead of us, Kaden. Let us exit this floor and search the sixth for now. The seventh seems empty anyway, as it doesn’t go any further down than this."
He followed the Wolfman silently, trying to
keep up with his pace. His mind was all over the place, he thought about the dungeon, the story Kain had told him and Laney. Would they ever leave this cursed place?
The stairs seemed to go on forever, as did the winding corridors and rooms. The stench never lessened, nor did the darkness become any lighter. It seemed as if days had gone by, when Kaden collapsed from exhaustion. Kain’s stare met his eyes with disapproval, as if he had expected more of him.
"I’m going to scout ahead. Don’t die until I’m back."
"Right, you do that… as I rest for a bit," Kaden murmured. Just as Kain disappeared, a new voice spoke into Kaden’s mind, a sweet voice he had heard earlier. "Hello there, mortal."
"M-Morgana?" Kaden replied, as if afraid of speaking her name. A harsh laughter echoed within his mind. He didn’t quite understand what was so funny, but decided to stay quiet nonetheless, as the black widow could probably just wish him dead if she had wanted.
"Yes, my boy. I see he already spoke to you about me. How flattering," she said with a laugh. "Now, would you like to leave here alive?"
"I’ll leave here alive, is that right?"
"It all depends on what you do from here on out. Your chances are far better with me than with that mut. He will just get you killed; I would let you free if you help me against him. Not that I need your help, but maybe you'll be the factor that will change the balance between us."
"How about you explain in a bit more detail? You two sure sound alike, your balance and all.’ Dealing with a spider would leave him dead in the end, so Kaden didn’t really intend to work with her anyway, especially since she had already tried to kill him. It never hurt to get some more information out of his enemies though if possible.
"He is quite busy, if that's what you are playing at. The wolf is fighting my minions up ahead, well out of earshot."
A cold sweat ran down his brow as the situation had gone from bad to worse in one sentence. "Do you mind if I check things out?" Kaden pleaded.
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