Narrow Escape

'It's over here!"

Turning his head abruptly, Mathew's eyes widened as he laid his gaze upon a familiar sight that had send a wave of fear run through his bones. In the distance, at the end of the corridor, Mathew saw two glazed, yellowish eyes staring at him. In that instant, his heart raced. Pounding in his chest like a war drum.

His instincts creamed at him, telling him to run. And for once, he listened. Swiveling on his heel, he turned to their original path and took a step forward. But before he could get far, at the end of the corridor, he saw another pair of glazed, yellowish eyes staring at him. Stopping in his tracks, Mathew's became flustered at the sight.

The fresh memory of his encounter with one was already enough. But now he was faced with not one, but two of those same reptilian abominations. His breath hitched and the walls of the corridor felt like they were closing.

'What did i do to deserve this?'

He could feel the predatory gazes of the beasts. fixed on him. Soon they began inching closer. Their massive bodies scraped against the walls and roof, echoing in the pitch black chamber. Behind him, the woman was beginning to lose her composure, praying to whatever god it was she believed in. Mathew dragged his gaze away from her and took a deep, calming breath.

'Stay calm, Mathew.'

He raised the lantern in his hand and using nothing but his thoughts, commanded the light to brighten. Soon, the entire corridor was illuminated and the scaly, reptilian beasts were in full view.

'Damn it! How did they get in here? I thought that woman said they were afraid of something...'

In that instant, a realization dawned on him. They were afraid of something. That something was probably a creature, or being that dwelled within the darkness that had engulfed the pathway. A being like the Unknown's avatar that he had slain.

'Shit! Fuck! Fuck it all!'

Mathew struggled to hold back a sinister chuckle. He had found It quite ironic that after defeating a being like the avatar, even if buy nothing but pure luck, he was about to become a meal for two lesser creatures. It was quite finny really. 

His chuckle grew into a quiet laugh the more e thought about it. But even at that, his mind still scoured its content for anything at all he could use to survive this precarious situation. Suddenly, he remembered that he had heard the voice of the codex after killing the Avatar. What was it saying at the time?

Quickly summoning the runes, he searched the clusters for anything new.

{Relics: Lantern of Avarice, Soul Stone, Eitri's key.]

Mathew raised a brow.

"Eitri's key?"

Without wasting another second he summoned the runes describing his new relic. When he did, a window appeared with the image of a jade-obsidian key. Below it, the cluster of runes read.

[Eitri 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.] 

'A key? How the hell can a key...'

Before he could finish that thought, Mathew turned to the arch and ran his hand through the grooves of the inscriptions. Ever since he first saw them, the inscriptions looked strange. Why would there be an archway in the middle of a passageway? It just didn't make any sense to him. The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt. But he could not prove his worry, and had no choice but to go on with his deciphering. 

He frantically ran his fingers through each one searching desperately for his path to safety. The woman saw him, and wanted to ask what it was he was doing. But was too occupied by fear to even move. 

If he was right, between one of those grooves he was going o find... A grin appeared on his face.

"Bingo!"

Wasting no more time, he summoned the key and inserted it into a small crevice between the grooves of the inscriptions. In the next moment, the wall shook violently as the cobblestone within began to shift. Behind him, the woman gasped as she watched the stone almost vanish before her eyes. It folded onto itself bit by bit, revealing a hidden passageway.

The beautiful woman was snapped from back to reality at the sight. With a trembling voice, she said.

"How did you..."

"There's no time for questions."

Mathew grabbed he hand and through her into the lightless chamber. In the next moment, he grabbed and pulled out the key. As he did, the door began sealing itself once more. Quickly turning back, he dismissed the lantern of avarice, plunging the surrounding area into darkness once more.

In that same moment, the two colossal beasts let out bone chilling roars that reverberated through the walls and himself. A primal fear ignited within him, sparking his next actions. With no hesitation and almost no care for the state of his body, he dashed forward at the quickly closing pathway. It was only seconds away from being re-sealed.

Planting his foot down hard, Mathew braced himself, and using all the strength he could muster, he lunged forward. His body flew through the air, heading straight for the gap n the pathway. His gaze drifted to the beast on is left, the monster reached out one of its limbs ending in sword like claws, desperate to grab and throw hi into its salivating maw. 

His eyes were fixed forward, but unbeknownst to him, the beast behind him was doing the exact same thing. Time almost seemed to slow for Mathew.

His eyes widened as the beasts crept ever closer. 

'Is this it? Is this how I die?'

Everything around him seemed to blur. The sound of the beasts growls, the whistling wind, and his own heartbeat all mixed together. His body sailed through the narrow gap, as he watched the beasts collide behind him and the gap close.