The Dungeon

An odd sensation of falling brought alertness to Kantan through the dulled slumber, quickly to be replaced with pain in his head and wrist. He blearily opened his eyes to a darkened stone room, oddly bright without any lights present. Slowly rolling over, taking care to not utilize his left arm. Just the movement of righting himself made all of his nerves fire intense signals of pain, no part of his body exempt from the burning sensation. It took a few moments of stop and go movement before he sat back against the cave all, sweat beating down his forehead.

His whole body was on fire from the inside, each small movement agitating a wound he couldn't see. "Stay awake Kantan, if you fall asleep again you may not wake up." Speaking the words was painful, but he had always found talking to himself comforting when his anxiety spiked. Seeing that he was at least stable, and that he didn't have any immediately life threatening injuries, he took a moment to analyze his surroundings.

The room that he was in was a decent size stone dome with a single exit to his right. He noted that the stone was smooth and seamless, as if it were magically hallowed out instead of built. The floor was entirely flat and connected with the wall as one piece of stone. A shrill cry emanated from the hallway connected to the room, its pitch both deep and ear piercingly high.

Kantan's heart began to beat rapidly, his instincts screaming at him that danger was approaching. A surge of adrenaline dulled the pain within him as he moved unsteadily into the fighting stance his grandfather had taught him. He kept his left hand close to his body, turning so that his right side faced the hallway. It would keep his injuries from getting in the way and limit his profile in the case that the demon had a ranged attack.

An agonizing amount of time later the demon rounded the corner at the end of the hall. It was a slug like creature that seemed to be made of skin that undulated to move. He immediately recognized it as an Erthi, the weakest of all demons. Each demon started as an Erthi, evolving into another type of demon as it obtained more demonic essence. The demon was incredibly slow, but was deceptively strong.

He could see that this one was the length of his shin, meaning that it was not close to evolution currently. Erthi would double in size before they evolved into their more deadly brethren. As the creature locked its eyes onto him, it began to pulse faster, increasing its speed noticeably. Kantan could see dark pulses shimmer from the demon's head to its tail, indicating that it was using its stored demonic chi to speed itself up. Kantan wracked his brain for information on how he was supposed to fight the Erthi, the adrenaline making it hard to concentrate. The room was about 15 feet in diameter, giving him ample space to move around, even if he had to fight.

Just as the demon crested the entryway of the domed room an idea struck Kantan. If he could move faster than the demon, he could circle the room until it ran out of chi. A memory flitted past his consciousness, his days in school reminding him of the weakness of the Erthi.

Zho always spoke in a matter of fact manner, his attempt at teaching more akin to reciting long since memorized information. Kantan had always wondered why the elder bothered teaching if he was so dispassionate about it. "Erthi are incredibly slow bottom feeders in the demon hierarchy. They primarily focus on collecting ambient demonic essence in the hopes of undergoing demonic metamorphosis. Erthi transform into one of multiple base forms dependent on the other primary chi types they absorb. Their intelligence is almost non-existent and they typically chase after weak prey recklessly, so it is best to bide your time and control your surroundings."

"Their ability to store chi is lackluster compared to a human at the base rank of cultivation, but they require far less in order to achieve their next form. Should you encounter one, it is best to draw the fight out if you are not able to slay it outright. The Erthi's meager reserves burn up quickly, leaving them primarily defenseless for a small period of time. With chi they are able to manipulate any part of their bodies to attack, without chi, they are completely unable to move. They are akin to a chrysalis in nature."

Kantan steadily began to back up into the far side of the dome, his legs beginning to grow more stable as he adjusted to the adrenaline and fatigue. He had a clear goal, outlast the Erthi until it ran out of chi, and then take it out while it grew dormant. It wasn't a brave way of fighting, but it was what would keep him alive. The creature had increased its speed, but it still moved at Kantan's walking pace, making him wonder how these things ever managed to evolve to a higher form in the first place.

Slowly he began to work his way along the wall of the dome, checking the hallway as he passed it to ensure that he was not going to be surprised. He continued around the dome for three full cycles before the creature wailed pitifully and crawled to a stop. Kantan released a breath he didn't know he had been holding before relaxing slightly. Bracing himself once again he moved toward the Erthi and prepared to stomp his foot down on the demon. As soon as he raised his foot, a pulse of black chi pulsed down the Erthi and it launched itself at the leg he was standing on. The speed of it and the mass it carried pushed him to the ground, the demonic slug biting down onto his thigh.

Kantan screamed in pain as the teeth penetrated his skin, only his training keeping him in control. With a swift movement he twisted his upper body and punched the bulbous head of the creature, feeling its teeth pull on his flesh with the impact. The demon let go, but a dulling sensation began to crawl up his leg. Something began to pulse in time with the fire underneath his skin, each wave making him nauseous. The creature's wail reminded him that he wasn't safe yet, only just managing to fend off another bite from the Erthi with a kick from his uninjured leg.

He was lacking the leverage he needed to do any real damage, but it did seem to daze the demon. Kantan the opportunity to scoot away, and collect himself enough to preapare for the creature's next attack. The next attack never came though, as he found the creature completely still, its eyes glazed over. It was breathing shallowly, a small amount of dark essence beginning to collect around the Erthi. Recognizing that it was trying to regenerate its chi, Kantan quickly limped forward before slamming his fist into the head of the creature in a half fall. A limp wail escaped the demon's mouth, but it did not thrash or flail. It took a few more adrenaline fueled hits before the demon stopped breathing, it skull caved beneath his bleeding knuckles.

His heart was pounding, a numb sensation continuing to climb up his left leg. He checked the passageway quickly to ensure he wasn't being snuck up on before pulling the Erthi out of view of the opening. By the time he got out of view, his leg was getting to be a serious burden. Any attempt at putting weight on it led to him collapsing against the hard stone floor. If he didn't have an injured wrist it would be much more manageable, but pressure there gave him a distinctly bad feeling. By the time he sat next to the slain Erthi on the side of the dome, the numbness was becoming a serious problem.

Kantan knew basic first aid, one of the first skills taught to members of the clan. There were occasionally skirmishes between clans that would leave wounded needing attending. The Astaire clan ensured anyone could handle basic injuries to lessen the load on dedicated healers. He hurriedly began to rip open his pant leg with his functioning hand starting from the rips around the wound. It was painful, but with a few hard pulls he opened it enough for him to check for any severe wounds. The Erthi utilized their demonic Chi to incapacitate their victims, its chaotic and destructive nature disrupting a person's internal functions.

He assumed it was the tainted chi that was numbing him, meaning it would eventually lose strength without a source to replenish it. The teeth had penetrated his skin, but the wound was mostly superficial and failed to reach any major arteries. A few minutes later he managed to tear enough of the pant leg to get a basic medical wrap that would help to slow the bleeding. Once he had taken care of his most pressing wound, he checked the rest of his body, noting that aside from the fire coursing through his veins that he was structurally stable. Well, mostly that is. His wrist was completely unresponsive to his commands, and attempting to move it caused a sharp stinging pain that brought tears to his eyes instantly.

Setting aside his wrist, Kantan tried to locate the source of the fire he felt internally. After a few movements of his body, he felt secure in the assumption that it was likely his chi channels. The pain radiated out of where his core was supposed to be, sending tendrils of slow but consistent pain through to the rest of his body. Thankfully the fire was lessened by the numbing demonic chi, its effects soothing his leg and lower left side. Another glance at his leg showed him dark blood with a spiderweb of black veins spreading from the wound.

When a few more minutes went by with no immediate threat, Kantan reflected on what the Stone Soul had said to him before he blacked out. Somehow the man had found him on his way to the northern part of town. It had been to much of a coincidence that he would walk into the one man who had been turned down by his best friend. Not only had the guy been angry at something Kantan had no control over, but he had attacked him. His body was bruised where the man had struck, surprised that nothing else had been broken.

Then the rest of the confrontation collided with him, the words that would have the largest impact on his life even if he managed to escape through the exit portal. The bastard had broken his core, something Kantan didn't even know could happen. Anger flooded his mind as he considered the effects of it all. He had spent his entire life practicing, training, hoping to become a grand Soul Warrior. If he could become strong enough he could have sought out the demon responsible for his parents deaths.

Kantan slammed his unbroken hand against the ground in frustration, "That bastard stole my future!" Anger flared in his mind, his thoughts streaming toward the side of him that he liked not to indulge in. His youth had been rockier than most, the death of his parents led to him causing his grandfather a lot of trouble. Fights had been commonplace when he was younger, unable to control his emotions as fluidly as he could now. Once he had realized that his actions affected those he cared about, specifically his grandfather, Kantan had gone out of his way to be mindful of his interactions with other people.

Kindness had earned him a best friend in the form of Lyra, which he was grateful for. The thought of Lyra brought him back to the Stone Soul who had broken his core out of petty jealousy. Kindness had also brought him the second worst thing that had ever happened to him. He payed his respects to those who were more powerful, and it had only brought him to his current situation. Broken, alone, and fighting for his life. The dullness in his left leg pulsed ever so slightly, making him wonder if he had even felt the disturbance in the first place. When it didn't happen again Kantan shrugged and prodded at his numb leg.

He was beginning to get feeling back as he did so, bringing with it the slow dull burn of his broken chi channels. "See Kantan, things are looking better by the minute." As soon as he said it, another Erthi wail echoed out of the opening into the dome. Moving as swiftly as he could, Kantan rose to his feet and began to move farther from the opening. The demon appeared less than two seconds later, spotting him and releasing another bone rattling scream. Kantan was using the wall to support himself, only able to put a minuscule amount of weight on his numbed leg.

Adrenaline kicked in and Kantan found himself leading the creature around until it stopped moving, having run out of its chi. It had surprised him by going limp multiple times, the first of which he had been prepared for. When it stopped the second and third time he had managed to keep away from its teeth, but had received bruises in their place. After he finally saw its eyes glaze over, he was sure that he would be able to determine its behavior in the future. The way that its breathing changed when it was truly spent shifted, likely to some innate form of cultivation.

That and a few seconds after it truly stopped, ash like particles of demonic essence would begin to flock toward the demon as it began to regenerate. While it had been able to trick him once or twice by playing dead, he was confident that it couldn't fake cultivate the demonic essence in the room. The process was supposed to be very complicated, requiring significant mental focus. Without chi, it was immobile. Unable to do anything other than try to recover as fast as possible, the Erthi was completely defenseless.

After he brained the demon and threw its body on top of the second one, he collapsed next to the pile exhausted. In the time it had taken to kill the second Erthi, his leg had cleaned itself of most of the demonic chi. While the feeling and control of his leg was much better the pain had returned, though at a distinctly less intense level.

It wasn't long before Kantan felt his exhaustion begin to close in on his awareness. He realized that he had fallen asleep when he awoke to an Erthi screech from only a few feet away. He cursed and rolled away as the creature launched itself at him, only to land against the wall with a meaty thwack. His heart was beating rapidly as the sleep cleared from his mind, his only goal getting away from the demon. Kantan reached the other side of the dome quicker than he expected, his left leg hold his weight much better than when he was last awake.

It surprised him, but he didn't have time to contemplate the fact as the demon continued its assault. This fight went much smoother now that he understood how the Erthi hunted their prey. He dispatched the demon after only needing to bait its feint once, noticing the telltale glaze shortly after. It struck him that this Erthi was significantly smaller than the previous two had been, almost half their size. He was halfway across the room when he recognized that his leg felt almost normal, aside from the simmer of flame of course.

Kantan threw the demon's corpse next to the pile of his previous kills and tested his leg. It moved a little sluggishly, and it wouldn't hold his weight completely on its own very well. A smile spread across his face despite his situation, with his leg mostly stable his chances of survival would drastically increase. He took a few laps around the domed room to test himself, feeling more accustomed to the pain as he moved. Fatigue began to climb its way into his mind as he exerted himself though, forcing him to sit back against the wall to recover.

The cuts on his knuckles had scabbed over, small black veins slithering away from the wounds. Each Erthi he had to beat to death was coated in demonic chi, and he was finding it impossible to avoid the stuff. It seemed to cling and flow toward him during the fights as the Erthi littered its resources into the air. He was thankful that it atleast seemed to numb his wounds, though the amount of his body covered in deep black veins made him nervous. "If I can recover just a bit more without having to fight again, maybe I can start exploring the dungeon more."

As he sat there with the last of his adrenaline filtering out of his blood, Kantan's stomach rumbled loudly.