Hallucinations

Tabbris and his warriors slowly moved through the underground tunnels.

With one side already fully explored, all that was left was the road where Gerald broke the ceiling and flew out.

The expedition this time was quite tranquil as they met no living beings on the road. But the quiet stone halls didn't give them any respite, quite the opposite. The air was heavy and cold, accompanied by a certain feeling of dread that every man there felt.

"Be alert, we don't know if any more beasts are hiding in the shadows," Tabbris quietly warned.

The tunnel gradually expanded, and they started hearing quiet sounds of running water. It was an underground river. The ceiling was quite high, and it was cracked in some places, letting the light of day shine through.

The group came across more stone prison cells, however, they were empty. Only patches of blood remained dried on the floor. Many warriors audibly gulped, with the strain on their psyche gradually increasing.

"What is that?" one guy pointed to the front. The tunnel expanded even further, already turning into a grand hall with naturally formed stone pillars supporting the ceiling.

"Is this… an arena?!"

The group became warry and gripped their weapons tightly. The arena, and its surroundings, were covered with blood and bones, as well as torn human clothes and broken weapons. It was quite easy to imagine what happened.

"Bastards! These animals know no self-restraint!"

"Leave the curses for later, we need to see if there are any remaining survivors first. Let's go!"

"Yes, sir!"

They walked along the underground riverbank with their leader, Tabbris Northendark, at the front.

He focused all of his attention on the darkness in front of him and listened for any suspicious sounds that might come his way. However, due to the roaring water beside them, it was quite difficult to do so.

Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through his head, and screams of horror rang out behind him.

A dreadful feeling gripped his heart, and he turned around as fast as lightning. What he saw made his eyes bulge out in terror.

Where his men once were, now two dozen grotesque Orcs stood, covered in blood and grinning at him. At their feet was what was left of his friends and teammates, torn and chopped apart like rotten vegetables.

A powerful smell assaulted his nose, making him feel sick. As his body spasmed uncontrollably, blood filled the capillaries in his eyes, making them look like the crimson orbs of a mad animal.

An inhuman scream escaped his throat as he launched himself forward with sword in hand, determined to slaughter every single Orc, even at the cost of his own life.

***

'Get him!'

'Chop him to piecessssss!'

'Devour the human, hehehe…'

'Break his Soul, break his Soul!'

"Shut up…"

'Stupid humaaaaaan, hee-hee!'

'Claw his eyesssss…'

'Twist his neck!'

'Break his ssssspine!'

'Break, break, break…'

"Shut the FUCK UP!" Gerald roared and swung his spear towards the annoying pests that were dancing around him and attacking his face.

Woosh!

The Toothpick went straight through them, as they weren't real. That's because they weren't. It was all in his head.

He was listening to these pricks for a few days already, and he was nearing his limit. The Goblins and Hobgoblins acted like little naughty children, while the Orcs tried to strategically attack him from all sides.

It was giving him a damn headache!

"I swear to god, if I ever get my hands on you…" Gerald hissed through gritted teeth.

'Hehe, stupid human!'

'We are already dead!'

'Heeheehee…'

'You can't hurt us anymore….stupid!'

"Grrrr," he growled, but continued walking forward in a bad mood. The voices in his head continued taunting him without end, but he couldn't do a thing about it.

He was now deep underground, far deeper than last time. He had already gone past the place with the arena.

Suddenly the sounds of battle traveled to his ears. They were accompanied by human screams and shouts and gave him a sense of urgency.

"Tsk, what now?! They fell into a trap again?" Gerald hurried along the underground river until the corridor expanded into a cavern.

"I'm here!" he shouted. "What's happen-" The words remained stuck in his throat, and his eyes suddenly bulged out in shock.

With his gaze glued to the battle, he could say only one thing.

"What the fuck!"