The Tale of the Twilight Warriors, Another tale.

The land of Cruor

Through the room at the edge of the long walk lay another door, crimson red eyes painted across it the walls seemed to have a metallic stench and a crimson layer though the lighting was incredibly dim.

Through the door and the lighting increased tenfold, the ceiling was dripping in blood, a crystal hung from the ceiling emitting light but it appeared to be bleeding everywhere, tendrils extended from it wrapping around the pillars and walls all the way to the floor.

"what in the name of.." Shadow looked at the crystal.

"Shh..." Gabriel said as he snuck forward towards center of the room, a bow lay on the table.

He looked up after grasping the bow, an eye in the crystal opened and it seemed the teeth of the crystal surrounded the iris of the crystal, every time it blinked it bled violently, it howled as Gabriel shot the arrow through it. The crystal plummeted downwards into the alter and shattered every where. The door opened on the other side of the room, on the other side of the crystal glob that fell from the ceiling lay an almost coagulated glob of blood on the center, it still drained blood violently onto the floor as well.

"Lets just... get out of here, this is starting to bug me" Shadow said as he carefully stepped over the creature.

As they got to the next door the sound of slick tendrils moving around started, they didn't have to turn around to know the creature wasn't dead and as they took a mad dash forward the sound of a steam of blood followed behind them.

They saw at the end of the hallway a jump to the center platform and a they leaped they looked over their shoulders, blood flooded the hallway and poured violently filling the ground around the now stranded circular platform that stood tall. In the center of the platform, a cube of blood larger than Shadow and Gabriel combined rested, coagulated and stuck to the center of the platform.

"Oh god what's this" Shadow chuckled. 

"No clue, but it might kill us" Gabriel laughed back.

After the blood stopped pouring the room seemed to heat up an extensive amount, it seemed it boiled around them.

"man.. this is miserable, we're stuck in a room with boiling blood waiting for something to happen." Shadow looked up towards their exit, it seemed the platform could rise more if there where more blood.

"Gabriel" Shadow said as he pointed it out.

The area they stood, perfectly cylindrical almost as if it where made just to have this platform raise by water or to look at the worst, the blood of sacrifice. Crystals surrounded the area, they appeared to grow due to the blood that dripped from the ceiling and at the top, another large red crystal.

Gabriel shot towards one of the crystals, and another, several arrows later blood rushed from the walls. Only the top crystal remained  and when Gabriel drew his bow back, nothing could have been timed more poorly, the coagulated cube started vigorously morphing into something new.

When the violent morphing blob exploded outwards all that remained was a floating demon like creature whom held a scythe backwards and appeared to cross one of it's legs while it floated by gently flapping it's wings.

"Oh and you are?" Shadow looked at the creature.

"I'd suppose our next challenge" Gabriel glared at it.

"I'm the head hunter, reaper of blood, and I'm here to take you as sacrifice for our queen Cruor."

Before either of them had time to return their statements the creature threw several swoops with his scythe the blood seemed to boil hotter and hotter with every swing, and every time he swung it the blood almost leaped from the area below to touch the scythe.

Shadow grabbed the scythes handle when the headhunter moved in too close and held it tightly, it seemed to burn hot enough to cauterize his wound.

"Gabriel, Take the shot." Shadow cried out as his hand burnt violently.

Gabriel shot the bow straight up towards the crystal, Shadow let go and was knocked almost off the platform, the crystal began to fall downwards with an extensively loud screaming noise paired with the headhunter crying out in agony.

"I'm sorry my queen.."

The crystal plummeted downwards killing him.

The platform seemed to rise just enough for them to hop across, and as they did the blood erupted straight upwards to where the crystal once lay.

"Run" they shouted at each other, they once again throttled ahead as quickly as possible, the area around them shook extensively almost as if everything was collapsing around them. One final room, and the room had a centered ring like the last however it was far far different, not solid in the center just a ring, the outside and center where gone.

One again the blood poured in and sent them higher and higher into the sky, and from the center when it stopped raising a crystal appeared on top of a large coagulated mess.

"This is disgusting" Gabriel looked down.

"This must be the queen.." Shadow grunted

"Just kill it" he shouted.

"I don't understand why we have to deal with this" Gabriel grunted.

He pierced the crystal and from it nothing came, the crystal shattered yet.. in a brilliant gleaming flash poured out from the crystal and from the inside came a beautiful woman yet she was a phantasm much like the last.

"Welcome.." She sounded so calming.

"You may wonder.. what you're doing here, you've just completed the trials here... you are the first to free me from my prison..."

"This is..." She almost sounded as if she was in pain.

"You've passed Knil..." she groaned.

"these are the ruins of a once great realm.." she grunted.

"pass Ross... and sephyr and you'll be ready..."

the spirit faded as did the bow, and the next trial awaited. 

"I'm so confused..." Shadow looked down.

"I am too, but we have to keep moving" Gabriel hopped over to the other side.

Shadow followed still confounded as to what had just occurred, it was such a short challenge but it was truly disturbing especially after the last scenario, they wandered down the hall for a bit and went down a 180 degree spiral staircase and towards a door clad in white. 

What lay in wait for them behind the door, why was everything happening like this? What even occurred in the last area, all they'd done was run and cleared rooms, nothing seemed to add up.