Labyrinth

Landing hard on the floor he rolled across the floor till he came to a painful stop. Slamming his back against a wall. Turning back swiftly, he saw the opening in the arch slam shut. In the next moment, he heard a loud crash, and through his hands on the ground, felt the vibrations.

On the other side of the wall, the hungry beasts were slamming their bodies against the wall separating them. Mathew relaxed, leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Their frustrated roars shook the air as they continued to slam their bodies against the wall to no avail.

He stared at the wall, and thought.

'I-I survived.'

This was his fourth brush with death. The first being the Gila he sent plummeting to its death, the second the encounter with one of those monstrous reptiles. The third, was more of his own making. The soul stone he obtained was most likely something he was never meant to receive.

At least, that was what he thought. The fourth brush was the closest. In fact, it it wasn't for his encounter during his third brush with death, he would likely be dead, and his flesh sitting in the belly's of the two monsters now slamming their bodies against the wall in front of him.

He looked around, behind him the beautiful woman was rising to her feet, and brushing off the dust from her body. Her eyes were open wide as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that yet again, she was only a few moments away from death. 

Glancing back at the wall, and coming back to his senses Mathew groaned as he pushed himself up. The silence that filled the room was loud and remise of the darkness of the dark pathways, but were devoid of the sinister presence. In other words, it was welcome. 

Soon, the cacophony of noise coming from the wall halted. 

Straining to catch his breath, Mathew thought.

'Are they gone?'

A few seconds passed, and as if answering his question, the loud silence remained. Raising his hand, Mathew stared at the obsidian key that had saved his life, then summoned the runes .

[Relic Description: Eitri key was a paranoid being who feared his belongings being stolen. After creating an unbreakable lock, used a single universal key for every one he created.] 

Now that he had some time to himself, 

'Who, or what is Eitri? Does he have something to do with this place?'

Brushing off the last remnants of dust from her already tattered clothes, the woman approached Mathew. Her expression and mood had somewhat calmed, but he could still see a remnant of fear in her eyes. 

"What did you just do? And what is this lace?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Mathew glanced at her, then quickly tucked his hand behind him. Soon, the key dissipated into streams of light and flowed into him.

"Do what princess?"

The woman raised a brow.

"How did you open the path?"

"I don't know what you mean."

She stared at him with intent. But after a few moments, took a deep breath, exhaled and accepted his words. She knew Mathew was hiding something, but was just thankful to still be alive. Looking round the chamber, she strolled forward.

"Where are we?"

Mathew shrugged.

"Again, I don't know."

Then he followed her and moved deeper into the chamber. The silence that filled the room was loud and welcome. The cacophony of noise that echoed from the other side of the wall halted.

The young cynic's gaze darted to the woman. And finally regaining his composure, he contemplated the next steps to take.

He summoned the Lantern of avarice and strolled around for a while. The chamber was as dead silent as cobblestone halls he had been roaming for days now. Only broken by the sound of their footsteps. As Mathew and the woman made their way through, their eyes darted to every shadow that shifted along the walls, watching for the slightest sign of movement.

The chamber turned out to be much larger than they had thought. Its sheer size swallowed the minuscule amount of light that Mathew allowed to illuminate their surroundings, leaving much of the space shrouded in shadow. But what was visible, a beautiful sight that not many would ever see took their breath away.

Along the walls, on the floor, and embedded into the ceiling, beautiful formations of obsidian lined the rock surroundings. Like jagged teeth, Stalactites hung above them, their surfaces glistening faintly with moisture that dripped rhythmically into shallow pools below.

Caught in a moment of awe, Mathew's gaze shifted to the beautiful woman, her expression unlike his, wasn't one of shock. Neither was it awe. He couldn't quite describe it no matter how hard he tried. The aura around her had shifted, and now she felt more like a person on a mission, than a proud, spoiled brat.

But what that mission was, he did not know.

After a few moments in which all Mathew did was stare, Mathew finally gave in to his curiosity, broke the silence.

'Where are we?'

"We're in a cave."

Mathew sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, thank you. Truly. I never would have guessed this dark, damp, echoey place was a cave without your expert analysis."

"Well, you're welcome then."

"Enough with the jokes princess. Where are we."

"Do you ever stop asking questions?"

"Not when my life depends on it, no. So, are you going to answer, or not?"

She frowned and shaped to retort. But her defiance quickly melted into something more subdued. After taking a long, deep breath, her gaze flickered briefly to the ominous darkness stretching ahead then back to Mathew.

"We're... This place.. it's what we call a labyrinth."

"Care to elaborate?" 

"It's a..."

Suddenly interrupting her, a faint, growl echoed from a distance, low but menacing. Mathew's heart skipped a beat as the growl reverberated through the chamber. Instinctively, he turned his head towards the back of the chamber and raised the lantern, but saw nothing.

"Did you hear that?"