Chapter 376 - House of Horrors (Patreon)

Sasha collapsed to the ground, her breaths coming in shallow, quick pants. But she had made it, which was all that mattered. After the eel-infested waters, she’d been forced to drag Pudge through a long, winding tunnel that eventually terminated in what seemed like a jail. It had been a difficult journey fraught with tension, but at least they hadn’t been attacked by any additional monsters. If they had, Sasha was sure that they would have died.

Not for the first time, she cursed her life choices that had put her on the path of the sorceress. She loved the creativity involved in the spellwork, but the class she had chosen simply wasn’t meant for fast-paced combat. Back in Kabalith where she’d grown up, not only had she always had the benefit of a group meant to protect her, but she’d also had the freedom to pick and choose her battles.

No longer was that the case.

Away from the protective embrace of the Pale Moon Territory, every step could bring a new and sudden threat to her life. And with the nature of her skills, any rapid response she could bring to bear was far weaker than her levels and stats would usually indicate. Certainly, if given enough time, she could do some wondrous things.

“A lot of good that does me now,” she muttered to herself, looking down at Pudge. He was still breathing, and as far as she could tell, his recovery was well in hand. However, with every minute he remained unconscious, Sasha’s doubts grew stronger.

What if he never awoke?

A shudder of fear went up her spine at the mere thought. For one, there was no way Ezekiel would take that news well. And given how unstable he seemed, there was every reason to suspect that he’d take his frustrations out on her. Pudge trusted the man he referred to as his brother – and so did Sasha, after a fashion. The man had proven time and time again that he’d do what was necessary to protect his people.

But he was balanced on a knife’s edge of unrepentant violence. It was all he knew, and as such, battle was his response to every problem. So, how would he respond when the situation called for a different solution? What would he do when there was no enemy to fight? It didn’t take much of an intuitive leap to imagine a scenario where he lashed out at anyone he might deem responsible for Pudge’s condition.

And Sasha knew she couldn’t stand up to him.

As far as she could see, nobody could. He was a force of nature that reminded her of Heron, albeit without the beastkin elder’s experience and restraint. Or sense of morality.

The worst of it was that Sasha felt that she’d only seen a fraction of what Ezekiel could do. There were secrets there. A hint of something even more dangerous than what she’d seen so far. He was meant for great and terrible things, she was certain. And if he had his way, he would drag Pudge along with him.

No – that wasn’t fair. Pudge went where Pudge wanted to go. Nobody could force him to do anything he didn’t want to do. And besides, Ezekiel was his family. It didn’t matter that they were different species. They would support one another regardless of what else happened.

Sasha could respect that, even if she didn’t altogether trust Ezekiel.

For a while, she just sat there, staring at Pudge’s prone form and wishing she had some way to help him. When she had set out from Kabalith, she’d taken plenty of healing potions with her. However, the journey had proven to be far more difficult than she could’ve expected, and as a result, her satchel was entirely empty, save for a few emergency rations.

So, all she could do was wait and hope that Pudge managed to recover.

The odds were in his favor, especially after so long, but pessimism had already reared its ugly head. And with every passing minute, it became more powerful.

Though they contributed, the biggest problem wasn’t the wounds he’d sustained. Given a little time, a few bits would heal easily enough. No – the real issue was that the eels had used some sort of vitality leeching ability that had drained almost the entirety of Pudge’s life force. Normally, it would recover quickly enough, but the combination of the odd dungeon and the degree to which Pudge had been drained had come together to create a very dangerous situation.

Sighing, she leaned back against the wall and continued to wait. As she did so, she thought back to her family. Her father was almost assuredly fine. He was a survivor who was well-equipped to combat any dangers that might come his way. However, she still worried about her siblings. Not that they were in any danger within Kabalith. The city was as well protected as any place Sasha had ever seen. But who was taking care of them when their father was out on one of his scouting expeditions? They had neighbors aplenty who had probably fallen all over themselves to take up the slack created by Sasha’s departure, but still – she couldn’t help but worry.

Of course, worrying would do no good. She’d made her decision to leave, and she would stick by it. Hopefully, she would eventually return to Kabalilth and…

Well, she didn’t know what she wanted to do.

The entire journey had been an attempt to get out from under her father’s watchful eye and experience what the world had to offer. She wanted to learn and grow and see magnificent cities while meeting interesting people. More importantly, she’d set out to learn more about her path as a sorceress.

But so far, all she’d seen was just how dangerous things could be.

Then again, that wasn’t necessarily true. She had met some interesting people. She’d even made a friend in Kianma. And certainly, she had been witness to some amazing sights, like the Crimson Tower. She had grown, too, gaining a few levels as well as more insight into her path. As a result, she was miles ahead of the person she’d been when she had left Kabalith.

Even so, she sometimes wished she’d never left. The Pale Moon Territory might have been safe, but it still offered at least some opportunity for growth. Slow, steady, and safe. That was the mantra.

Likely, Yoree and Tagar had gained a couple of levels as well.

But was it real growth? She’d wagered her life on the idea that true progression was the result of danger and novelty. Nobody ever became great by going on scouting missions where the worst danger they might face was a pack of caprisects. Sasha was certain of that much, even if she sometimes doubted her path.

Those thoughts, as well as worry for Pudge, occupied her mind as she leaned against the wall. Thankfully, nothing attacked them because, aside from casting a few weak lightning bolts, her other spells were large-scale and slow-casting.

Eventually, though, Pudge’s eyes fluttered open. Immediately, he started to struggle as he tried to rise. His body hadn’t recovered, so all he did was flop around a little, and the second she saw that he was awake, Sasha darted to his side and laid her hand on his chest. They locked eyes, and a moment later, he relaxed.

“How long?” he croaked.

“A few hours. Maybe longer,” she answered. “I don’t know. It’s hard to gauge time down here.”

“Where are we?” he asked, turning his head. There really wasn’t much to see. Upon exiting the tunnel, Sasha had neither the strength nor the desire to explore. Instead, she’d resolved to leave that for after Pudge recovered.

“It seems like some kind of…I don’t know…a dungeon, maybe,” she said. His eyes narrowed, and she elaborated, “Not like the overall dungeon. A jail, I guess. I wonder if anybody ever thought that referring to these little pocket realms as dungeons would get confusing. I would’ve used a different name. Like pocket realm, I guess. But that doesn’t have much of a ring to it, does it? I think…”

She trailed off when she saw that Pudge was smiling. It was a weak expression, largely due to how little energy he had, and most others might interpret it as a snarl. But she knew him well enough to recognize it for what it was.

“What are you smiling at?” she demanded, feeling a little annoyed.

“You babble when you’re nervous,” he said. “It is…cute.”

“I’m not nervous,” she lied.

“Okay.”

She rolled her eyes and huffed, “You don’t have to look so smug, okay? I don’t –”

“Thank you,” Pudge interrupted.

“Huh? For what?”

“You saved me,” he said.

“It wasn’t a big deal. All I did was drag you down like a mile of tunnel,” she said, her own lips curving into a smile. “I mean, I’m not even focused on strength, either. I think it went kind of uphill, too. No big deal, though. Just part of a day’s work.”

Pudge laughed, but that soon turned into a cough. Sasha leaned over him, her hand still on his chest as she said, “Just try not to move too much, okay? Those eels almost drained you completely dry.”

“I know. I can feel it.”

Sasha pushed a lock of hair out of her face, then said, “You saved me, too, you know. So I suppose I ought to thank you as well.”

“No you don’t,” Pudge said. “I will always be there.”

“You don’t have to be,” was her quiet response. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know. But you don’t have to,” he stated. “We are a team.  We take care of each other.”

Sasha shook her head. That was how it was always meant to be with her friends back in Kabalith. However, what was supposed to happen and what actually occurred were two very different things. Once they’d lost Christopher, the other two had gone down a different path.

“I guess so,” Sasha said.

After that, neither of them spoke for a while. And when they did break the silence, they said nothing of note. Instead, Pudge focused on his recovery while Sasha kept an eye out for any threats. Like that, the next few hours passed until, at last, Pudge managed to sit up. It was a small gesture, but to Sasha, it felt like a momentous event that called for celebration.

A few hours after that, he pushed himself to his feet. He was still unsteady, but he spent the rest of that day remedying that situation. So it happened that, almost a full day – as far as Sasha could tell – after she’d dragged Pudge out of the tunnel, they found themselves once again on the move.

And Sasha’s initial characterization of the area proved accurate. Not only were there dozens of cells filled with skeletons and debris, but there were also implements that were clearly intended for torture. They passed iron maidens, torture racks, and other, less identifiable apparatuses that were stained with blood. Altogether, it was one of the more unpleasant settings Sasha had ever experienced.

“At least it’s not the swamp,” she muttered to herself.

Pudge grunted his agreement as he turned down a hall lined with jail cells. The further they went, the fresher the corpses became. At first, the cells’ occupants were barely recognizable skeletons, but after an hour or two in the dungeon, there was flesh on those skeletons. And an hour after that, the bodies looked as if they’d died only the day before.

Finally, the sound of screaming reached Sasha’s ears. She stopped, grabbing Pudge’s arm, but he just said, “I heard it.”

“Should we keep going?”

“No other way,” he said.

Indeed, there hadn’t been a single alternate route they could have taken. So, if they wanted to get out of the dungeon, they only had one choice. Still, Sasha wasn’t happy about it.

They continued on, gradually getting closer to the screams with every step. Soon, the sound of something slapping against flesh joined the screams, and after that, the murmur of voices added to the macabre chorus.

Finally, Pudge turned a corner and stopped in his tracks. Sasha did as well, though she crept forward so she could see whatever had brought him up short. And what she saw was even more disturbing than anything she’d seen back in the swamps.

Bodies.

Hundreds of them, all hanging from hooks that had been jammed into their torsos. Humans, beastkin, demons – there were dozens of different species represented. And most disturbing, they were all still alive and screaming in agony as they hung a few feet above the blood-soaked floor.

Below them stood the largest goblin Sasha had ever seen. It was abnormal enough that she immediately used her inspection ability to identify it:

Hobgoblin Jailer – Level 57

She grabbed Pudge’s forearm and dug her fingernails into his hide.  He flinched, and even that slight movement caught the hobgoblin’s attention. It whipped around to face them, showing a scarred face that was missing huge chunks of flesh.

Sasha took a step back when she saw its rail-thin body. Like was the case with all goblins, its arms seemed far too long for its body, and its legs a good deal too short. However, it was at least twice the height of any goblin she’d ever beheld. But more concerning was the fact that it had wicked and gaping wounds all over its body.

“Oh, new friends for the party!” it cackled. “I have a hook for each of you!”

It looked up, scrunched up its nose, then grabbed a pair of tortured humans. A second later, it ripped them down. The hooks cut through their bodies with ease, splattering more blood on the ground. The hobgoblin tossed the two corpses aside, adding, “A pair of vacancies have just opened up. Come, come! The party is just getting started!”

A moment later, a giant bone hand erupted from the ceiling. Pudge tackled Sasha as he dove aside, narrowly avoiding the grisly cage as it clamped down on the spot they had just vacated.

He rolled, wrapping his arms around Sasha to protect her, and when they came to a stop, he leaped to his feet. That gave her a good look at the slowly retracting hand. It wasn’t just bone. Rather, there still bits of ragged flesh, rotted and still bleeding, hanging from the fingers.

“I take it back,” she said. “This is worse than the swamp.”