Suicide Pact in the Depths of Oblivion

Chapter 1

The cold air blew softly as Atlas came upon the end of the expanse he travelled for the previous couple of weeks. Armed with a crossbow and a dagger he sought the place where riches, fame, and glory came from.  The Ancient Dungeon. Upon arrival from the path he aknowledged what appeared to be ruins of a castle that once stood laying atop a small hill. At the bottom of the hill a large hole surrounded by moss and rock with 3 people seemingly camping and perhaps living beside the dungeons entrance.

After walking into the camp he was greeted by a friendly voice of somebody who couldn't have been over 30.

"Hey! Hey! You there!"

Atlas tilted his head giving the friendly stranger his full attention, after eye contact and short thinking he walked over to the man. He had eyes full of wonder and curiosity, he seemed like an overgrown child who wanted to know everything about everything. He was on a desk writing on pages with ink. Beside the pages there were multiple books titled 'The Forsaken Dungeon' volumes 28 through 38. And that was excluding the pile tucked away not far from the desk. The thing that particularly caught his attention was a floating mirror but instead of a reflection it glowed grey shifting with different tones of the colour in different shapes and lines like it was alive. He got distracted by the ominious mirror and forgot to respond to the man.

"are you going into the dungeon?"

Atlas snapped back into the reality before him and responded

"Ah. Yes I am."

"You have weaponry?"

"Yes."

"Rations?"

"Yes."

"Women?"

Atlas was confused at the statement and stared at the man dumbfounded while he started bursting out laughing

"im just twisting your leg, you shouldn't need rations the dungeon tends to supply you anyways. If anything take more weaponry."

He looked at the man confused and asked

"you want me to return to my home, weeks away to get more weapons and take less rations then come back?"

"no."

"then what?"

the man pointed past Atlas towards the second resident who was certaintly an interesting figure. He was much older than the other man, maybe around 60-70 but he was better built than Atlas, muscle wise. And that was saying alot, as Atlas had been training for the dungeon for half his life. Despite being slightly intimidated and more confused then anything he walked over holding his crossbow and dagger in his boot.

"im sorry for the intrusion sir but are you in posession of extra weaponery?"

Atlas was expecting a crude and rude denial or to get cursed out but instead the man came over jolly as can be and hugged him speaking in an irish accent

"Ah well' Young Chap!"

He enthusiastically shouted

"Ye'r headin' down into that hole Aint ye'?"

Confused Atlas responded in a much more light hearted tone than how he started the conversation

"Uh. Yeah. Yeah im going into the dungeon"

The man happily grabbed and pulled off a red towel that Atlas assumed was covering up a desk. It instead revealed a box of an unknown alloy, an anvil, and a large casing of hammers and ice picks in wide and specific variations

"Gimme y'er weapon, go over talk to that lad"

the old man pointed to the third resident who sat dorment infront of a campfire directly facing the dungeons entrance. Atlas decided to oblige, dropped his crossbow, a few bolts, and his dagger and he walked over and sat down beside the third resident

"Uh. Hi?"

Atlas tried starting a conversation but the man grunted at him, he seemed angry, or atleast he seemed like he didnt want to talk. Atlas decided to sit there and watch and listen to the dungeon. He stared in and as he did he felt the abyss stare right back. Memories of past mistakes and possible futures if he persued other goals. Or even if he left at that moment, Alongside the visions he could've sworn he heard subtle whispers or even quiet screams of what he assumed to be previous victims of the the dungeon. He tried listening further and further slowly moving closer towards the dungeon until he was stopped by a familiar jolly voice shouting at him

"Ey' Young Chap, Ya' running in there without-"

he grabbed the now improved crossbow holding one bolt. The crossbow went from a bland wooden one to a bueatifully crafted masterpiece of a steel crossbow seemingly glowing ever so slightly.

he then finished his sentance with

"-This!?"

Atlas ran over and grabbed his crossbow, the old man looked at Atlas and smiled, both of them looked happy at the upgrade

"Give 'er a try"

Atlas fired into the dungeon, suddenly the bolt returned, Atlas was physically shook and almost dropped the crossbow but grabbed onto it looking at the old man who was trying to hold in a giggle

"Sometimes people escape 'at dungeon, and when 'ey do 'ey usually bring back stuff from there. We buy pots or metals 'ey find, 'Eir all magic."

Atlas looked at his dagger now 3 times the size looking like a small sword more then the dagger he arrived with. He marched to the entrance, put his dagger on his belt, and his crossbow in his hands. He stopped right at the entrance and turned back for a second to see the old man only a few meters behind

"Remember. Everythin' in that dungeon wants to kill you, or worse. Dont trust nothin'."

Atlas nodded, turned back to face the dungeon, and jumped in.