Chapter 3: Trail By Death
The hand on my shoulder spun me around. My eyes met his, and there stood the old man, sweat dripping from his forehead, a look of concern and fear etched on his face. He cast a quick glance around the temple before his eyes found mine again.
"Chiyoko, we must depart immediately. The aura of this place, the scent it emits, speaks of malevolent intent. The sheer magnitude of the evil that dwells beyond those doors is something I have never encountered in my long life," the old man explained.
As the old man described the contents of the temple, an overwhelming sense of curiosity filled within me, as if I were being drawn to it. The old man let go of my shoulder and started to pace, similarly consumed by a sense of curiosity.
"Open the door, begin the trial. Open the door, begin the trial. Open the door, begin the trial," echoes a voice in my mind, but this time, it is that of a woman.
"Old man, did you hear that?" I called out, raising my voice over the silence. "A voice urged me to open the door and begin the trial." He kept walking, the echo of my words hanging in the air.
The old man turned to face me, shaking his head to indicate he hadn't heard what I had. I approached the grand golden door, which gleamed and glittered in the sunlight. Looking left and right, I saw no sign of the old man. Turning my attention back to the door, I laid my hand upon it. The moment my palm touched the surface, darkness enveloped everything.
"Hello? HELLO?" I shouted into the pitch-black room, when suddenly lanterns flickered to life, revealing a small chamber with a long hallway stretching out on either side. "This is my labyrinth and your trial," a voice, feminine in tone, declared. "Endure as long as possible; the longer you withstand, the greater your reward will be."
Suddenly, a sword materialized from nowhere, striking the ground with a clang. I approached the sword, my legs trembling and hands quivering as I took hold of it. "Five, four, three, two, one," a voice echoed, counting down. As it reached one, a brief hush fell over the room, soon shattered by the cacophony of goblin shrieks and the clatter of bones echoing down the hallway.
To my horror, I saw a small army of goblins sprinting down the hallway, closing in, and on the other side, a small army of skeletons slowly advanced towards the center room. I decided to take my chances and charged at the skeleton army with my sword raised high, noting that the monsters were unarmed.
I entered into the skeleton's hallway, bypassing another corridor on the left and soon after, one on my right. Turning, I hurried down the right path with skeletons hot on my heels. They followed me into the corridor as I ran on, stepping unwittingly onto what appeared to be a pressure plate. Glancing forward, I saw a volley of arrows hurtling towards me. I dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding the arrows that whizzed overhead, striking the skeletons and the goblins that had also entered the hallway.
Some skeletons and goblins lay lifeless on the ground before turning into black dust and vanishing into the air. As the remaining goblins and skeletons resumed their hunt, I quickly got to my feet and started running again, thinking to myself, "Traps are the least of my worries." I glanced back at the monsters before a female voice echoed in my head, "Wave 2 commences in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1," followed by the sound of howling and groaning.
Looking around for the source of the noises, I turned down another hallway and continued running until I reached a dead end. Overwhelmed with fear as snarling sounds approached from behind, I found myself trapped and cornered by what appeared to be a pack of wolves.
With no escape but to fight, I gripped my short sword tightly and charged at them. The first wolf leaped towards me, attempting to bite, but I raised my sword and, with a fluid motion, decapitated it. Its head rolled away as the other wolves howled and charged. I let out a yell, not of words but a cry of anger and desperation, as I braced for the end.
The battle lasted a full two minutes. I walked past the lifeless wolves, their bodies beginning to vanish. Blood was coughed up, and as I looked down, clutching my side, bite and claw marks adorned my body, making the blood resemble paint. I continued to limp down the next hallway, still clutching the side where a wolf had torn a large chunk of skin away.
"The bonus round commences in 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1," announced a voice. A loud roar sent shivers down my spine, and as I observed my weakened state, panic started to cloud my mind. With adrenaline surging, I began to run again, ignoring the pain. My blood, like a trail, spewed out, leading whatever was in here straight to me.
"ROAR!" The sound grew closer and closer, my stamina and strength ebbing away as I clung to life, feeling it start to slip away. In a frantic effort, I took every path to gain distance from the monster, until, to my dismay, I found myself back in the room where it all began. A sense of helplessness washed over me as a beast with the body of a human and the head of a bull, wielding a large battle axe, charged towards me, swinging the axe down, intending to end my life.
I tried to dodge, but in my weakened state, the monster anticipated my move and struck me with the flat side of its axe, sending me crashing into a nearby wall. Blood erupted from my mouth as it charged at me again, and I realized this might be my end. I stood up, bracing myself as it swung its axe down once more. This time, I dodged effectively and thrust my sword upward into its neck. The blade pierced through, lodging deeply; the monster bellowed in agony and rage, then yanked the sword out, causing a deluge of blood to gush onto the ground.
It collapsed in front of me, dropping its hefty axe, gasping rapidly as it too knew death was imminent. I sat beside the dying beast, my vision blurring and breath fading. I gazed at the creature I had slain as it began to disintegrate and vanish.
Looking at my own blood-soaked form, tears welled in my eyes, realizing I would perish alone in this foreign place. I rested my head against the wall, my vision dimming, the pain dissipating, and I drifted into an endless void, where after what felt like eons, a familiar sound reached my ears.
"You did well, my champion. You have the potential to achieve more in this world than I ever could. Your journey will be fraught with hardships and sorrow, but you must remain strong; this is your destiny," the same female voice declared.
Then, a bright light appeared within the black void, and I began to be pulled towards it, its warmth enveloping my entire body. A sensation filled me; I felt life and power coursing into me, transforming me. When I awoke, I was in the center of a throne room. I looked around until my gaze settled on a petite elf girl with blonde hair and crimson red eyes.
"Now, my champion, how do you like the changes I made to your body?" the girl inquired, rising from her throne and approaching me. Her white and gold-trimmed robe swayed behind her with each step, stopping before me and extending her hand down to mine.
Taking her hand, I realized my scars hadn't vanished. The girl, noticing my troubled expression, pulled me to my feet and began to explain, "You completed my labyrinth, so I granted you my gift. However, since you perished at the hands of my minotaur, this was the most I could do." Her words left me bewildered, unsure of her meaning.
With a snap of her fingers, a large mirror materialized before me. Peering into it, I noticed changes in my physique. A sense of power radiated from me as I scrutinized my reflection, yet no visible difference caught my eye. She gestured towards my hair, prompting me to sweep it behind my ears. It was then I discovered my ears had elongated and sharpened. The girl's laughter rang out as she observed my shock; touching my ear confirmed its new form was real, not an illusion.
"Now, my champion, there is much to explain and teach you and so little time," she urged. "Come quickly, let me unveil the truth of it all."