Herald of death

Sulphur rushes into Ethan's nose and lungs before the light leaves his sight. Winds push him to the side. He lowers his balance, crushing something under his right foot in the process. He sees again; it was a human skull amongst an ochre mountainous ground. Ethan raises his gaze to see a well made of floating rocks bound to each other by gargantuan chains. At the bottom lays a vortex of blood-red mist, seemingly about to swallow the world around him. Above, an island stands amongst the rest, large like a city, and bearing a golden tower reaching above dark clouds.

Staircases made of floating rocks web the islands together, often crossing over the void. A figure treads one of them, leaping from one rock to another, bringing them down and then up as if they were spring loaded.

"Russ!" Ethan yells, his heart thumping. Using his mind to communicate wouldn't give Russ knowledge of Ethan's location. But the rational part of his mind regrets the loudness; what kind of monsters lurk here?

A howl comes, carried by the winds and originating from below. Ethan looks down and jumps, aiming for the nearest descending island. His legs absorb the fall, bending fluidly before he breaks into a run to the next edge. The howling grows louder, and Ethan leaps again. He sees him, sitting in the center of an island with his eyes closed, howling like a wolf.

The thud startles Russ, and he looks at Ethan. He rushes forward and jumps on his hind legs to place his paws on Ethan's chest. "I'm back; I missed you too," Ethan says as he shakes Russ' ears;

A step echoes on the island, crushing the ochre sand covering the ground against it. A man wearing a crimson jacket over a golden vest stands there, aware of the noise he just made. Holes and tears dot his attire, as if beasts had clawed through them. He looks from his foot to Ethan and Russ. "Friends," he says in a sugar-coated tone.

"You are rushing a few steps here," Ethan retorts, locking eyes with the man. He's carrying a guitar on his back, a flute in his jacket, and a sheathed dagger behind his waist. 'Prescience.'

"Pretty eyes, what do they do? I hope they'll tell you I'm not a threat," the man says. He has an accent, betraying an Australian or New Zealand descent. His voice comes hoarse and weak. He raises both hands above his shoulders. "There are enough things wanting us dead down here already."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asks. He glances left to right, searching for other dangers. He sees a few phantomatic spots in the distance, foresights of other people on distant islands.

"I saw the light above, so I'll assume you just arrived," the man begins. "Monsters live here; they hide, but when night comes, they emerge by the thousand."

"Thousands?" Ethan asks. "How is it you live to tell the tale?"

The man scoffs, "Oh, I've died plenty of times already." Ethan questions his hearing. Did that man just say he’s died, not once but several times? The man goes on, "This place isn’t meant to kill you; it’s meant to make you suffer. And each time you die, you'll lose a point in every characteristic."

'What would happen if someone reached zero in one of those? I saw monsters with no charisma, but would zero in strength mean you can't move or even breathe?' Ethan ponders. This person shares a lot; what are the chances he's a servant of the labyrinth? 'Insight.'

Rowan Oakhart

Lv.12 (Bard) Human

Strength: 8 (11) Charisma: 21 (24)

Dexterity: 8 (11) Perception: 9 (12)

Constitution: 8 (11) Willpower: 14 (17)

Intelligence: 11 (14)

Titles

Dungeon conqueror (E)

Dungeon conqueror (F)

Abilities

Bardic rift (D)

Dissonance (E)

Inspiration (D)

Alteration

Purgatory shackles (3)

"Satisfied?" Rowan asks.

"It's a miracle you made it this far in the labyrinth," Ethan comments. "You died three times, didn't you?"

"Three times indeed," the man confirms. "Every night since I was cast down to this hellish realm."

"Three nights? How did you reach the castle so fast? Wait, it hasn't been three nights yet," Ethan says.

"It took us two days to reach its doors," Rowan answers. "I left for the labyrinth the moment it invited me. It seemed a timely exit door at the time."

"You only had a fifteen-hour advance," Ethan thinks aloud. 'There is no difference in time flow between the worlds, but could it be that there is one here? Why? That would explain why Russ' yelps were sharper.'

A rock falls down from a higher platform, startling the man and Russ. Looking up, Ethan sees the archer who attacked the lord before the game. He's too far for him to hear them.

"You know him?" the Bard asks as he approaches. Russ growls at him, and he stops, leaving ten meters between them.

"I saw him in the lord's game," Ethan answers. He looks up to the largest island. "Are we supposed to climb to that tower? It seems important."

"I don't know. When you reappear, it's on a random island, high or low. I've seen people appear one away from the tower island, and many at the very bottom," Rowan says.

Ethan summons and throws a water bottle at the man. "Thanks for the information," he adds. Ethan scans the levitating bridges and maps out the shortest path leading to the top.

Barely catching the bottle, Rowan unscrews its lid and gulps half of it in seconds. He gasps for air, his voice returning. "Thank you. You can't imagine how badly I needed some water."

"Good luck," Ethan says. He motions for Russ to jump on his back, and with his furry backpack, he jumps to a floating rock. It dives under their weight but soon returns to its original height.

Ethan leaps from one rock to another, each time taking gigantic, inhuman steps. He can't drive the spikes of adrenaline from his mind, each dive igniting his heart and scaring Russ. Ethan notices Rowan following at a distance; he's order of magnitudes slower and seems to gauge each jump.

With a final leap, Ethan lands on another island, slightly more elevated than the previous one. It is flat, except for a rock at its center. Russ jumps down and barks and whines at Ethan; he hated crossing that bridge and makes it known.

"Shush," Ethan commands softly. He wants him to calm down, but his complaint is understandable. How will he react at the next bridge? And at the tenth? Ethan knows he will obey, but not without whining about it.

Ethan looks back and sees Rowan crossing the halfway point. He struggles, his muscles slowly giving up. "Wait!" he yells, the word only reaching Ethan through predator's sight.

'Just how many tagalongs will I get here?' Ethan internally laments. A wave parkours the Ether from the center of the island. Ethan turns back towards it.

The rock breaks and rises, standing up as a compact beast of ochre skin with fire drooling out of its toothy maw. Dust cascade down from the humanoid, packed body. Ethan steps back as Russ barks at the thing.

It roars, propelling fire in molten drops along a ground shaking grinder's noise, and breaks into a run. Something so big shouldn't move this fast; it charges at the speed of a car, each step webbing the ground below.

Ethan summons Skysong; with Strengthening, he throws the spear at the beast's leg and pierces its skin. The wound is shallow, yet blue blood seeps out, dripping onto the ground as Skysong falls off.

It thrashes at Ethan and Russ, its hand spreading into four stone talons. Ethan grabs Russ' collar and dashes to the side. The beast stabs the ground, shaking the island as its fingers dig up to its palm.

Ethan lifts his hand and releases tendrils of darkness that grab the creature. The debilitating hex brings it to the ground, the creature now unable to lift itself. 'Insight,' he thinks.

Purgatory Golem

Lv.20/20 (Purgatory Golem) Purgatory Golem

Strength: 15 (25) Charisma: 0

Dexterity: 5 Perception: 5

Constitution: 35 (30) Willpower: 10

Intelligence: 1

Abilities

Fire breath (D)

Toughness (D)

Alteration

Constitution boost +5

Strength penalty -10

Servant of the Labyrinth of Death

'Minus ten… . I should have used a monster to thoroughly test the hex. Can I see how much strength I gain with Strengthening?' Ethan thinks. He glances to the side where Rowan is approaching and decides not to open his own status. He summons Phantom Reaver and cuts down the creature's neck; the blade slices through, ending the monster.

"What the fuck?" Rowan gasps. He jumps from the last rock, landing on the island and falling to his knees. "I wanted to tell you there was one here. But I never imagined someone could kill them. I've seen people burned alive by them; no one even hurt one."

"It wasn't strong," Ethan comments. He unsummons his blade and nudges Russ off the corpse as he bites down on its leg. Russ doesn't let go, but the thing melts into black dust and vanishes into the ground. It leaves a pair of gauntlets behind. Ethan lifts them off the ground and observes the black plate edged by crimson accents. A topaz is embedded into the back of each hand, a fire burning inside of them. 'Identification.'

Purgatory's hands

Those gauntlets burst into flame when feed Ether. While they burn others, they protect their wearer against fire.

This weapon has been enchanted with [Heat resistance (D)], and [Durability (E)].

'Not the best I found,' Ethan thinks. He stashes them into his Inventory and glances back at Rowan. The man struggles to catch his breath. "Is there anything else I should know about this place?"

"There is something on the top island. I don't know what, but I heard it moving and people screaming when it did," Rowan says. He stands up and dusts himself. "That's all I know. But please, if you're going to climb, let me come with you; I can't survive on my own, but you might be strong enough."

Ethan grinds his teeth, the demand frustrating him. He can hardly explain it, but the people who leech on others annoy him deeply. How could this man be anything but a burden?

Light dims around them. The red swirls below darken, turning a dark shade of purple that emits little light. Rowan steps back, shaking. Claws climb along the edges, their owners soon appearing from them. The dark creatures of unique, grotesque shapes, with dagger-like fangs and crooked claws, snarl at them.

"I hope we meet tomorrow," Rowan stammers. He unsheathes his dagger, the blade shaking in his unsteady hand.

"Russ, guard," Ethan says while motioning towards the frightened man. It's more to incite him not to rush the beasts, making it easier for Ethan to protect Russ. He circles Rowan, his growls switching between the monsters and the man.