Catacombs - Part 1

Jake slowly pushed himself up, shifting into a sitting position.

The air was thick with dust and silence, the weight of the cavern pressing in from all sides.

As his breath steadied, he tried to look around, but his eyes were useless in the suffocating darkness.

Everything was pitch black—a void of emptiness, no walls, no landmarks, nothing to grasp onto.

He shifted slightly, attempting to stand—

But the ground beneath him suddenly gave way.

"Shit—!"

Jake barely had time to react before his balance slipped, and he tumbled downward, rolling over jagged terrain, colliding with rough stone as he fell down a small hill.

Thud!

He hit the ground hard, the impact sending a sharp jolt of pain through his side.

A dull ache settled in his ribs, but after a quick mental check—nothing seemed broken.

Just bruises.

For a moment, he lay still, wincing as he exhaled shakily.

As Jake's eyes struggled to adjust, he could barely make out anything—the darkness refusing to let him see.

Then—

A faint rumbling overhead.

Small stones clattered from the ceiling, tumbling into the abyss around him.

Then—a much bigger one.

CRASH!

A large chunk of rock slammed down from above, colliding against something unseen—and for the first time, light seeped in.

A small, weak glow now trickled into the cavern, giving him a glimpse of his surroundings.

His eyes widened.

The rock had landed on something… bodies.

Corpses impaled on stone spikes, shattered bones scattered in the impact.

Whatever these bodies once were, they had been here for a long time.

Jake’s breath caught in his throat.

If he had fallen just a little differently…

He would have ended up just like them.

He staggered back, instinct driving him away from the impaled corpses.

His only option was to move further inward—toward the strange, faint glow deeper in the cavern.

With no other choice, Jake turned and followed the light.

The further he walked, the colder the air became, a strange stillness settling over the cave.

After a short moment, he stepped into a chamber.

A dark room, filled with scattered bones and lifeless skeletons, stripped of any remaining flesh.

Jake hesitated, his gaze scanning the eerie scene.

But then—

His eyes locked onto something in the center of the room.

A skull.

Not just any skull—this one was different.

It had twisted, bone-carved horns curling from the top of its head, and a row of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.

Something about it felt… off.

Jake inched closer, his breath slow and steady, studying the strange skull—

Until suddenly—

Two glowing blue lights ignited in the skull’s empty eye sockets.

Jake’s heart nearly stopped.

The skull was alive.

Jake staggered backward, heart pounding, every instinct screaming at him to prepare for battle.

Despite being just a skull, anything could happen.

It could transform.

It could summon something.

Or worse—it could attack as it was.

Then—it moved.

The jaw scraped the stone, as the skull slowly lifted itself, its chin rising from the ground.

It settled into an upright position, its glowing blue eyes locking onto Jake.

Then—it spoke.

"Howdy, human!"

The voice was deep, rich with power—not sharp, not menacing, but heavy, almost commanding.

"It's been such a long time since I’ve seen another one of you!"

Jake froze.

The skull laughed—a slow, deep chuckle.

"I'm still surprised that old scumbag didn’t move the bodies from the spikes… I guess it was meant to make the fall non-lethal."

The skull tilted slightly, as if grinning.

"Doesn’t matter! Tell me, human, are you lost?"

Jake remained silent.

His mind was racing, trying to analyze the situation.

Was this a trap?

Was this some illusion?

He remembered Lucas' lesson.

How he failed to notice the shift in behavior—how he had been blinded by his own expectations.

Not this time.

This time, he would not lower his guard.

He stayed silent, but his body remained tense, his focus sharp.

Yet—something was off.

The longer he listened, the dizzier he felt.

As if… his thoughts were drifting.

The skull wasn’t moving, wasn’t casting a spell, wasn’t doing anything at all.

And yet—Jake’s mind was slipping.

The skull continued, unfazed by the lack of response.

"Where are my manners? I'm Skully—Skully the Skull!"

It let out another deep, amused laugh.

"I know, I know—what a lazy name, right? But what else would you expect?"

The glow in its eyes flickered playfully.

"I’m a skull. You think I was gonna be called Lord Bonecrusher the Third? Pfft, please."

Jake’s brows furrowed.

What was this thing?

Why was it talking like this?

And why… was it so damn hard to focus?

Skully's grin-like expression remained, watching Jake closely.

"Ahh, I get it now…"

Its voice lowered slightly, almost sympathetic.

"You fell from a high place. You woke up in a dark cave. And now you’re wandering into even darker catacombs."

It chuckled.

"Yeah… I’ve been in your shoes before."

Jake's breath hitched slightly.

"Tell you what—how about I help you?"

Jake stiffened.

"I'm lost down here too, but you? You’ve still got a way out!"

The skull’s glowing eyes pulsed faintly.

"With a little boost, you could escape! So—what do you say?"

Jake hesitated.

His instincts screamed not to trust it.

But the longer he stood there, the harder it became to focus.

Almost as if he was being… lured in.

Slowly—he stepped forward.

Skully's eye-lights burned brighter.

"Alright, then. Here’s the deal—just grab the bone spikes I summon."

Jake barely had time to react before—

Sharp, jagged bones erupted from the ground, forming two medium-sized spikes on either side of the skull.

"These will drain my magic and stamina—so don’t waste them."

Jake swallowed hard.

Was this… his only way out?

Or was he walking straight into something worse?

Jake hesitated.

Every instinct screamed at him to stop.

But his body ignored the warnings, hands moving forward—slowly reaching for the sharp bone spikes.

The moment his fingers brushed against them—

A sudden glow ignited within the skull’s hollow eyes.

A flash of blue flames erupted from its pupils, flickering wildly like an untamed inferno.

Jake's heart lurched.

Then—the bone spikes moved.

Not toward his grip.

Not as a tool to help him escape.

They shot forward like spears.

Impaling him.

"GHH—!!"

Pain—sharp, unbearable, searing through his body.

The spikes tore through his palms first, shredding through flesh and bone—

Then, they plunged into his torso, piercing through his ribs, lodging deep into his lungs.

A wet, sickening sound filled the cavern—

Followed by a sudden violent cough as blood gushed from his mouth.

Jake’s eyes widened in shock, his body trembling violently.

He had been caught.

As Jake’s vision blurred, his ears rang with a sudden, distorted scream.

"YOU—IDIOT!!"

The skull’s face twisted.

Its once smooth, grinning bone melted—deforming, warping into something monstrous.

Its jaw elongated grotesquely, cracks forming along its horns, the entire surface of its skull boiling and bubbling into a hideous mutated shape.

Its voice, once playful and teasing, was now a twisted, enraged howl.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK A BODY LIKE YOURS WOULD BE SAFE?!"

It cackled, its laugh a sickening mix of glee and fury.

"AFTER HUNDREDS OF YEARS—YOU THINK I WOULD LET THIS CHANCE SLIP AWAY?! I WOULD BE A FOOL! A DAMNED FOOL!"

Jake groaned, gasping as his body fought against the impalement, weakly struggling against the spikes that held him.

"You—what are you—?"

The skull ignored him, speaking only to itself now.

"Once I TAKE YOUR BODY… I will finally be COMPLETE! With my magic RESTORED, no longer WASTED on sustaining a form—I WILL SHOW THEM ALL… THE TRUE REBIRTH OF SKULLY!!"

Skully’s grinning, broken face loomed closer, its eyes burning brighter.

"Oh, don’t worry, kiddo!"

It chuckled, its jagged teeth rattling together.

"This will be slow~."

Jake's vision blurred.

His strength was fading.

More sharp bone spikes began emerging from the ground, rising slowly, each one aiming directly at him.

Like a ritual execution.

Like a sacrifice being prepared.

Jake groaned, barely able to move, watching helplessly as the spikes inched closer.

This was it.

This was how he died.

Until—

WHIP-CRACK!

A sharp, cracking sound echoed through the cavern—

Followed by a sudden impact.

THWACK!

Something struck the skull.

Skully’s laughter cut short.

WHIP-CRACK!

A second strike—this time, Skully tried to block it, summoning a wall of bones.

Before the third blow could land—

The skull suddenly vanished.

A blue afterimage lingered where it had once been—

Glowing sparks scattering into the air.

Jake barely processed it.

His head spun, his body weak, his blood staining the ground.

Then—the spikes holding him in place also vanished, dissolving into the same glowing blue light.

He collapsed to his knees, his entire body screaming in pain.

His breathing was ragged, every inhale agony.

That was when he saw them.

A pair of red feet stepping toward him, emerging from the darkness.

Jake weakly lifted his head.

Through the haze of pain and exhaustion, his vision finally settled on her.

A woman, standing tall, her presence unnervingly calm.

Her skin was deep red, smooth yet marked with subtle arcane patterns.

She had slight goat-like features—sharp claws, though her fingers remained graceful; her horns curled elegantly, not grotesquely like Skully’s had.

Her eyes were piercing, yet not cruel.

She wasn’t dressed like a typical succubus—not in the revealing attire meant to seduce or beguile.

Instead, she wore long ceremonial robes, woven in black and white, flowing like an ancient priestess rather than a creature of temptation.

Then—she spoke.

"Are you alright, human?"

Her voice was deep, yet smooth.

Commanding, yet gentle.

There was no flirtation, no false kindness—only concern and quiet strength.

"I apologize for what that horrible creature has done to you."

Jake gasped for air, still trying to process what had just happened.

But before he could even think—

Her arms wrapped around him, lifting him effortlessly.

Jake’s mind was fading again.

The pain was too much.

The last thing he saw—

Was the darkness swallowing them both—

As the succubus carried him away, deeper into the catacombs.