APOCALYPSE DUNGEON

FLOOR 1

The first trial was for Velma, Lira and Verra.

They had landed on black and white tiles stretching into infinity like a cosmic chessboard. The moment Lira stood on a black tile, it flared red, a column of fire roared up at her.

FWOOSH

Velma compressed the air around her, dragging her backward just in time.

Another step, another trap — a pair of massive black horns speared upward from a different tile, missing Verra’s legs by inches before she blasted them to ash with a burst of flame.

“Stay on the white!” Velma barked already blocking another attack.

The air shook with a large growl.

From the far end of the board a hulking figure stepped into view — a Minotaur plated in bone, dragging a stone hammer so huge it cracked tiles with every step. Its horns broke from its skin, growing longer with each stomp.

“Why isn’t it triggering the tiles?” Lira asked aiming an air arrow.

“No idea,” Verra snarled, eyes locked on the monster.

Velma squinted then suddenly sprinted directly onto a black tile. A grinding sound was hear as the tile opened into a pit, but she vaulted clean over it, landing lightly on a white tile with a grin.

“Interesting,” she muttered.

“It’s coming fast!” Verra shouted. “What’s the plan?”

The Minotaur was nearly upon them now, hammer raised.

Velma planted her right foot forward, then moved again, leaping across the white tiles like stepping stones, going faster and faster until she flipped over the beast and landed on its shoulders. She hooked her legs around its neck, twisted and wrenched one of its horns until it howled in pain.

“Sorry,” Velma said almost gently, “but we don’t have time for you.”

She hooked both hands on the horns and flung her entire body forward, dragging the Minotaur toward a black tile. She stepped on it slightly and jumped while the beast fell through the pit swallowing it to the waist. She spun midair and dropped down stretching her leg and smashing the back of the beast’s skull.

BOOM.

The Minotaur’s head burst into black ichor that sprayed across the tiles, then its body dissolved into smoke.

An archway door appeared at the far edge of the grid where the Minotaur had come from.

“What the fuck!” Lira mouthed glancing at Verra.

Velma wiped blood from her cheek and pointed. “There’s our way forward. Stay on the white.”

FLOOR 2 

Ariyanna and Rhennmar found themselves standing in a hall lined with endless mirrors, every surface reflecting them back.

Their reflections stepped forward.

Ariyanna performed a rush of hand signs, one of her runes appeared on the floor. When one of the reflections stepped on it, she turned the rune throwing it backwards.

“Watch out!” Ariyanna shouted.

Rhennmar’s jaw clenched as the reflection hit her face. Lightning erupted from her arms and she crushed the reflection into shards.

“Don’t you have basic understanding of awareness?” she growled.

“Sorry, I don’t” Ariyanna said, deadpan before throwing another of her reflections toward Rhennmar.

“That’s it!” Rhennmar yelled charging her lightning and exploding, blasting apart all the reflections in a rage.

They all fell raining like glass rain.

Then Rhennmar turned — slowly — to face Ariyanna.

“Woah, woah,” Ariyanna said, hands up. “Truce?”

Rhennmar’s lips curved in a grin that wasn’t friendly. “I don’t know Truce.”

FLOOR 3

I hit the floor hard rolling until my pack flew off and landed somewhere in the dark. Surprisingly it didn’t even hurt but I chalked that off to adrenaline boost.islodged from my back.

Even though Velma had shoved me clear, I wasn’t anywhere near where we were. Somehow, I’d ended up on another floor entirely.

The walls looked sticky like someone had vomited on them. I took one step forward searching for the pack but it had disappeared. Not only that, there was a huge wall ahead that instantly bent left, then right, then split into four. Each passage was barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through and all of them whispered faintly with some weird sounds — dripping blood, or maybe something chewing.

Alright. Which path would not kill me first?

Before I made my choice, Callen shouted for me to move. I spun just as the wall behind me exploded and a creature made entire of frozen mist crawled through. The air suddenly got chilly.

The beast’s body was made up of scales of ice, crowned with crystalline horns each dripping frost, turning the floor to blue glass.

Yeah. Nope.

I went down the middle path, every few touches of the walls, marking them with quick scratches from the sword.

“Smart. Do not engage unless its necessary,” Callen said. 

The path unfortunately ended and I was blocked in. I followed the trail back I’d made when I heard another growl again. This time there were two tinier creatures.

They came from opposite walls, opening their jaws too side. I rolled forward letting them crush into each other before spinning and cutting both across the spine.

I kept running, my breathing fogging when I ran into another wall. Another path opened to my then right, then five more in a row, as if the dungeon was taunting me.

“We’re in a Labyrinth Ash. Keep your head on a swivel.”

The frost was spreading faster now, coating the floor until gunk on the walls were slick as ice. My sword felt heavier and with every step my fingers going numb.

Then the first attack from above came — a cluster of icicles slamming into the floor where I’d been a heartbeat ago. One grazed my arm, burning my skin with cold.

“Okay,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “nope, nope, nope....”

Then I heard it — VRRABBOOOOOM.

Something big, something alive, moving to my left.

“Break the wall!”

Callen’s voice was urgent now.

I swung my sword in an X-cut, then stabbed through the center just like I’d seen him do a hundred times. The wall split and crumbled.

The entire floor was now fully frozen, frost spreading toward me like a cold breath.

And then,  I saw a bright orange light.

It grew larger as it came close until I realized — it was fire.

A figure charged through the gap, dragging heat with him.

“Keiji?” I breathed, stunned.

He didn’t stop running. He barrelled into me, grabbed my shoulder with his free hand and yanked me back just as another ice attack burst from the ceiling.

“Move!” he barked.

We dove together sliding down the floor, another body falling on top of me before I knew it. When I pulled hit off, Keiji was already back up, firing flames with his hands pushing the beast back.

He came rushing back and for the first time I saw him clearly.

“You look like hell,” I said panting.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?” he rebuttled.

“Nice come back." I chuckled.  

"Who the hell is that?” I asked nodding toward the man that was shivering on the floor.

Keiji quickly took off his robe, remaining with a shirt underneath. He covered the robe on the man and plopped him on the shoulder.

“We have a lot to talk about, Ash.”