The cave was bathed in golden light, cascading the layers, the end of it you could hear slush sounds of water hitting either side, looking ahead, there was a rope bridge I made a step forward towards the anchorage to get a better view. What the heck? Theirs a rope bridge on each layer of the cave set in a diagonal formation, linked from one end to the other, this is the only bridge that goes straight across to the next side where four new entrances appeared. I made a groan, sigh.
The sound of the drums I heard before are singing a tune, footsteps were approaching. I took a step back and bumped into Mr. Masquerade. I turned to look at him but he wasn't paying me any mind, more like he was scanning the area himself, well at least he ain't useless.
"Well?" I asked him
Without looking at me he replied, "Well what?"
Seriously? but hearing his voice for the first time, it was husky like rusty steel but deep and smooth like my knives. The other two were mocking his behavior, "well, do you sense anything strange or see anything out of the ordinary?"
He had the nerve to ignore me, "the only thing that's strange is us not going across that bridge within the next 30seconds..." 30 seconds? Why did he give it a time? The fact that were already in Emulen Forrest is enough to expect the unexpected, this is a magical place after all.
I returned the favor and ignored him, my head snapped back to the bridge, 30 seconds? More like 27 left, I turned back to him and to my surprise he was looking at me, "why did you say 30 seconds?" I have a hunch, but I need confirmation but the only response I got were his eyes moving towards the bridge. On the next blink we dashed for the bridge, running as fast as we could across it, reaching half....
*DONG!!! ,*Click
The bridges shifted and swung to the opposite direction, we jerked with it kneeling on the steps waiting for it to stop.
Behind me, masquerade man was shouting something to me through the wind, "As soon as it stops we need to run as fast as we can, each time you hear that sound, the seconds reduces and the bridge change in direction increases until it resets again!!" how does he know this?, I turned my head to look back at him, "what kind of cave is this!? And how do you know that!?" Before he could answer the bridge gave us another jerk, sending us halfway in the air and landing us right on our backs. Ugh! Dammit!
"ZIET LÄUFER!", Of course he answered the first and not the second.
*Click, the bridge stopped, "MOVE YOUR ASSESS NOW!!!" jumping to my feet we ran towards the exit, the jerk we got upright shifted us back slightly, the three behind me were a bit farther away but hey they were catching up, almost there!!
*DONG!, *Click , SHIT!!
The bridge moved again faster than before, I gripped it's rope for steadiness *swoosh!, it was meeting another end, ah shit, I got separated from the other men! Turning and forcing myself up on my feet, I found my balance and started running, I need get off this bridge. Looking down I saw another section of a bridge going to meet the next half that would lead to an entrance, I stopped and timed it 4,3,2,1! I jumped!
Oof!! Damn that hurt! Regaining my composure, I got up *CLICK and MOVED, running, catching my breath, heaving, almost there! Almost theeere! *DONG, NO! This time before it shifted, I used all my muscles and jumped off the bridge, "AAARGH!" THUD! Oof!!, my shoulders and back is by no means pleased with these activities today; breathing heavily I looked up and around me, my back was finally on the hard surface of the cave again, I turned my head to the right, glad to see the entrance some feet's away from me, sigh am going to need a hot bath after this.
At this point my entire body was aching, but this wasn't the time to hear it complaining. I gathered my wits, my legs, my arms and slowly got up onto my feet. Steading my breathing, focused back at the task at hand, the sound of drums beating resonated within. Am coming to get you Pops so please hang on.
I brushed off my clothes and marched further inside the entrance...
* Somewhere above***
"Sir, we got separated from the little MS, you don't think she's dead, do you?
"Who, That little dragoness? I doubt it, she isn't the type to give up and if my instincts are right, I say she's already gone looking for that 'Pop's' fellow so let's move"
"Yes Sir!!" Both men replied in unison
"But umm sir, why are we following her again?"
Mulberry eyes darkened," because she's very delightful, and those fiery eyes for some reason, makes me hot, thirsty for insatiable water"
******
Unlike the entrance, this pathway was dark. The ground was covered again in pebbles and the atmosphere was bathed in stiff fine dust, I had to cover my nose with my forearm. This thing could suffocate me if am not careful. Moving along the path, droplets of water echoed inside, using my hand as a guide against the wall I stopped as the wall was no more, and it would seem I was before an intersection. Dammit, which one to choose? hmmm. Standing straight, I steadied my breathing and closed my eyes... listening...from the left, I felt soft breeze tickling my skin, the right side was the same but there was something faint there like...*thud, * thud, could it be the sound of the drums? Only one way to find out. I continued the right path.
Even though I can feel the air it was thick and clogging, I need to get to an opening fast. I picked up my pace, moving as fast as I could. My throat felt heavy, and the air around me became thin and frosty? I stopped and looked ahead, theirs a dim light. I tried breathing again, more clearly you could see the flakes capturing my breath. Now that I've stopped walking...I feel cold, my skin feels prickly and hard. This isn't good, the climates changing but how? Back at the intersection it was warm, don't tell me that each side of the cave has different climates, SHIT! I was about to move when......I COULDN'T, I CAN'T MOVE MY LEGS. Crap, my legs got frozen, I moved my arms and my head before the same thing happened to them. I started to twist my upper body trying to break my legs from its state of frozenness, damn it's a lot of work.
"You're here my child", slowing down I blinked, who was that?
"I am here my child", okaaay, either my brains malfunctioning from the cold or theirs a spirit here, "umm hello? Who's here?", OW! I shouldn't have talked I forgot about the cold.
"Oh my darling, it would seem you're in a pickle", no shit, if you can read my mind lady, do you mind helping out?
"What is it that you seek here?", an old man...ehem I meant an old man by the name of 'Pops', have you seen him?....... huh where'd she go? Maybe she left to check. Aight back to breaking my legs while am on hold.
I twist and twist and twist. ..... Yes finally! enough time was wasted. Without a second thought I dashed forward, making my strides long and fast. As I got closer to the exit the sound of drums became clear, a dark rhythmic tune echoing within the air. Let him be alive please, let him! My chest was hurting from the cold air, my throat was covered in shards of ice, piercing the warm flesh on the inside.
BUM DUM !! Almost there, come on Levi you got this! With a few more steps I crossed the exist, heaving and coughing, catching some of the hot air that greeted me ...
Hot air? It was freezing a minute ago, I turned back to look inside the path and placed my hand over the threshold again......it's - it's cold. I was right, each part of the cave has different climates but wait a minute the drumming stopped, dropping my hand I slowly turned around," Well, well, well what do we have here? It would seem a rabbit lost its way", black sharp eyes locked on me and to his left was.... Pops! They tied him to what looked like a stone table, with sacred patterns and symbols baring the side panels and columns decoratively. From what I can make out his eyes were closed, "Something fancy you here, my dear? " My eyes snapped back to the man in black and a smirk on his face, " Yea, the old man you have tied up, am going to need him with no returns", black eyes became darkness, and furry cracked the ground when he made a step forward.
YOU ARE READING
UnMask Me
Fantasy" Don't be deterred by the past, even if you don't understand, the meaning is there, it's simply buried only- needing to be shoveled up and be rediscovered." Is her name really Levi or is she someone else.Torn between herself and her forgotten pas...
