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Chapter 36: Crimson Descent

The blood moon hung like a curse over their heads, casting its unholy glow across the crumbling fortress. Nathan, Angel, and King had barely escaped the nightmare lurking in the abyss below. The creature's tentacles still haunted their minds, but there was no time to stop, no moment to rest. The fortress loomed ahead, its twisted, gothic architecture standing like a monument to despair.

"What now?" Angel whispered, her voice hoarse. Her eyes were wide with fear, but there was a flicker of determination in them. She hadn't come this far to give up.

Nathan stared at the fortress gate, its iron doors rusted and half-broken. They creaked eerily in the wind. "We go inside," he said, gripping the hilt of his blade tighter. His hands were still trembling from their encounter with the abyssal creature, but he wouldn't let fear paralyze him. "We find the way out. There has to be something in there."

King stood behind them, his jaw clenched. His silence spoke volumes—he was ready to fight, but he knew that whatever waited for them in that fortress would be worse than anything they'd faced before.

They approached the gate, the air around them growing colder with every step. Nathan pushed the door open, the rusted hinges screeching in protest. The sound echoed into the darkness beyond.

The inside of the fortress was worse than they'd imagined. The floor was slick with some kind of dark, viscous substance that seemed to pulse with life, and the walls were covered in strange, eldritch markings that glowed faintly in the blood moon's light. Whispers filled the air, but they couldn't tell if the voices were coming from the fortress itself or from inside their own heads.

Angel shuddered as she stepped inside, her breath catching in her throat. "What... what is this place?"

Nathan's heart pounded in his chest, and he forced himself to stay calm. "We keep moving. No matter what we see, we keep going."

They walked deeper into the fortress, their footsteps echoing in the vast, empty halls. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. It was as if the very walls were alive, watching them, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled, and a distant, thunderous sound reverberated through the halls. Nathan's heart skipped a beat, and he turned toward the noise.

"Something's coming," King said, his voice low and tense.

Nathan nodded, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Stay close. Don't split up."

They moved faster now, their steps quicker, more urgent. The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder, and soon, a shadow appeared at the end of the corridor. It was massive, hulking, its shape obscured by the darkness.

Nathan's stomach churned. Whatever this thing was, it was far worse than the creatures they'd encountered before. It moved slowly, deliberately, as if savoring the hunt.

"Go, now!" Nathan shouted, and the three of them sprinted down the hall, desperate to escape the looming terror behind them.

The creature roared, its voice a guttural growl that shook the very walls. Nathan glanced back and saw it more clearly—its body was a grotesque fusion of flesh and metal, with glowing red eyes that pierced through the dark. Its arms were lined with blades, and its mouth was filled with jagged teeth, dripping with a black, tar-like substance.

They ran through the twisting corridors of the fortress, but the creature was gaining on them. Every step it took shook the ground, and Nathan could feel the air growing colder, as if the creature's presence was draining the very life from the world around them.

"There!" King shouted, pointing to a door up ahead. "We can lose it in there!"

They burst through the door and slammed it shut behind them, but the creature was right on their heels. The door shook violently as it rammed against it, and Nathan knew it wouldn't hold for long.

"We need to find another way out," Angel gasped, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "That thing is going to tear this door down."

Nathan looked around the room they were in—it was some kind of ritual chamber, with strange symbols etched into the stone floor and walls. In the center of the room stood an altar, covered in ancient, bloodstained cloth.

"Look, there's something under the altar," King said, pointing to a trapdoor hidden beneath the cloth. "Maybe we can escape through there."

Nathan nodded. "It's our only chance. Help me move this."

They hurried to the altar, pulling the heavy cloth aside and revealing the trapdoor. It was old and rusted, but it seemed sturdy enough. Nathan pulled it open, and the stench of decay wafted up from below.

"Go, go," Nathan urged, and they quickly descended into the darkness.

The moment they were through, the creature crashed through the door behind them, its enraged roar echoing through the chamber. Nathan slammed the trapdoor shut just as the creature lunged at them, its bladed arms slicing through the air where they had just been standing.

They were safe—for now.

The tunnel they had escaped into was narrow and suffocating, the walls slick with moisture and the stench of rot overwhelming. Nathan could barely see anything in the pitch-black darkness, but they had no choice but to move forward.

"We have to keep going," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "That thing might be able to follow us down here."

Angel nodded, though Nathan could hear the fear in her breathing. "Do you think there's an exit somewhere?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Nathan admitted. "But we can't stay here. We have to keep moving."

They pressed on through the narrow tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Every sound seemed amplified, and Nathan couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows.

After what felt like hours of walking, the tunnel finally opened up into a larger chamber. It was a grotesque sight—bodies were strewn across the floor, some long-dead and decayed, others still fresh, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.

"What... what is this place?" Angel whispered, her eyes wide with horror.

King crouched down, examining one of the fresher bodies. "Looks like they didn't make it out."

Nathan swallowed hard, trying to keep the bile from rising in his throat. "We need to keep moving. If we stop here, we'll end up like them."

As they moved through the chamber, they noticed something strange—one of the bodies was still moving, its hand twitching slightly.

"It's alive," King said, his voice grim.

Nathan approached cautiously, his heart pounding. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside the figure.

The figure stirred, its eyes flickering open. It was a young man, his face pale and gaunt, his clothes torn and bloodstained. He looked up at Nathan with hollow, sunken eyes.

"You... you have to leave this place," the man rasped, his voice barely audible. "The blood moon... it's coming..."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked, his heart racing. "What's coming?"

The man's eyes widened in terror, and he grabbed Nathan's arm with surprising strength. "The blood moon... it will take you... just like it took us. You have to run... before it's too late."

Nathan pulled away, his mind racing. The blood moon had been hanging over them since they entered this cursed realm, but he hadn't realized just how dangerous it truly was.

"We need to go," he said, turning to Angel and King. "Now."

They hurried toward the exit of the chamber, but as they did, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. A low, rumbling sound filled the air, and Nathan could feel the oppressive weight of the blood moon's power pressing down on them.

"Run!" he shouted, and they sprinted toward the exit, the sound of the man's dying screams echoing behind them.

As they burst out into the open air, Nathan looked up at the sky—and his heart sank.

The blood moon was larger than ever, its crimson glow casting an ominous light over the land. The whispers in the air grew louder, and Nathan could feel the darkness closing in around them.

They were running out of time.