Patch 1.15

To my best vision… best guess, there seemed to be hundreds of individual torches. Each lit their own section of the dungeon. And when I turned my head towards the back… 

"Shit…" I growled.

"Shit indeed." Celeste echoed.

Our back was blocked by endless darkness. And even with both our eyes scouring the entrance there was nowhere for us to go but forward.

I tensed, hidden under the bangs of my hair was a sheen of sweat. It poured down my face like some sort of river. My instincts, no… that was wrong. It wasn't my instincts that screamed at me. But the skill I had obtained.

That oddly named [Precision]

It spoke to me with words and feelings only I could understand. With concepts and warnings whose contents were wholly unstatable. I couldn't even echo those warnings to my hurried companion.

And so we charged forth. With hurried feet and a hole in my pocket that seemed to grow hotter and hotter. A flame that would not settle.

"Are we sure…"

"Sure of what…?" I echoed back. She had startled, her lips brushed against each other as if some nascent fear had touched her neck.

"Sure that this is the right way. I- I-"

"Yes. This is the only exit. I have scoured the whole land… and this… this is the only way."

"Then let us prepare for death."

She seemed so serious, so utterly enthralled in that fear of hers that she only startled when I let out a snort of raucous laughter.

"Maybe you~ But not I."

I dashed, the bullet that would have pierced my feet only rebounded and extinguished the flame to my right. 

"Luck… no… that can't." Celeste muttered. But I paid her no mind. Instead dashing with a certain purpose. My feet burned with effort, and my lungs filled with stale air.

But I left her to follow. My path was clear, and if Celeste was of great stock… then there would be no issue.

"You!" She growled. Mirth left forgotten at the edge of this cave.

But she complained no more. Merely following the same path that I had carved for her. Using instincts and sheer power of will to struggle through the endless paths and the widening darkness that came with each and every gust of wind that signaled another trap parting.

"Me~" I sang back. My heart pounded and adrenaline sang in my ears. I couldn't even tell if I had laughed out loud, or if it was within my heart. Such was the power and utter enthrallment I felt under the guise of adrenaline packed excitement.

"Gabriel…" Celeste growled. Her teeth bared and her hands reaching for my side. I laughed and stepped to the side. Her grab had been half-hearted anyway.

"Why didn't you warn me?"

A saddened tone? Why?

"I thought I did."

I shrugged my shoulders and swiveled my head towards the wall that blocked our path. Celeste seethed at my side but did nothing more. 

"Such a whiner…" I muttered.

"What did you say!" She took my shirt in my hand, with power and speed I had not seen of her yet.

"You whine too much. This is a game after all. It was meant to be dangerous?"

I shrugged and she let me down. Taking calming breaths.

"I… yes… maybe I overreacted. I apologize."

She took another breath before examining the wall before me too.

It was filled with pictograms of differing scenes. A knight house that seemed to conquer the sun, then they came down to the earth - though planet would be more appropriate seeing as this was ano- a different planet - and gave their arms to another knight house.

"That symbol…"

I ignored Celeste's questioning look and took the crest I had been given.

"Ouch" It burned my palm. Enough for me to drop it.

Only that when I had expected it to bump into the ground. It didn't. Instead - as if pulled by some invisible force - it was pulled into that same symbol and overlapped.

The wall creaked and turned to reveal a door that we pushed open.

And the room lit with brilliant light. 

"Welcome."

A girl?

I couldn't quite tell. The voice was too… ambiguous to tell. But… I stepped forward into the brilliant light - covering my eyes all the while - and soon found myself staring face to face with what looked to be an ancient queen.

Her arms were filled with golden ringlets that shone in the light. Her ears, nose, even mouth were pierced with even more gold. But that was not what stunned me. What did was her beauty. It was almost ethereal… no it was.

She stood from her throne, her hand reached beside her - and like the mural - she took a golden staff. A language I couldn't understand on her tongue.

Only for it to change as it reached my ear.

"You must be of the ****" The last word was muffled under infinite static. She must have noticed too as she placed a seducing finger on her lip and shrugged. And laughed.

A heavenly laugh as balls of pure energy circled around her. They merged into a circle filled with unknown runes and power.

And it was only by instinct that I was able to dodge out of the way. 

Ethereal blue swords - clashed with the golden theme - zoomed towards me. I dodged to the right and let them fly past my side. They dissipated soon after.

But she moved.

And I was greeted with brown eyes that stared deep into mine. Those same circles left in her wake as I greeted the staff with my own weapon.

For my effort I was pushed into the wall. Flames burned my back and I cried out in pain. But she was not done. Swords pierced my stomach, disappearing soon after.

If I had to thank something, then it would be the ethereal nature of those swords. If they had been real, material, then I would have been pinned to the wall. At the mercy of her machinations.