Hell's Glitch (initial draft)

2:11 The Black Bolt

After leaving the village, Sam explored around the valley a little more. To the east, he found that the valley ended in a steep drop into another valley down below where several streams of water could be seen. At one point the entire Stone Valley may have been filled with water which fed into the valley below. He found it all very interesting and finally had an appreciation for the rough cut beauty of the place. There wasn't much there but rocks so he went back to the cave that had caught his interest earlier.

The cave was really a tunnel that sloped deeply downwards only to rise back upwards halfway through. Sam could see it formerly being a place you'd have to swim to get through only now there was no water, only a proliferation of oversized cave bats and strange stony looking spiders. Sam didn't have to expend much effort to eliminating both, just a few swings of his Corseca for one group of pests and a hearty stomp from his boot for the other. It was all just free souls to Sam.

Besides annoying pests, Sam found the trip through the tunnel to be long. It took about an hour before he finally saw some light shining from above. He quickened his pace after that and as he neared the cave's exit, he saw another warrior up ahead, a man carrying a long spear. As Sam approached, he made out more of the man's features. He was a tall, thin man, with long limbs, and dark skin. His black hair was cut low to his head and around his forehead was what looked to be a circlet wrought in gold. The young man seemed to have a particular affinity for that particular metal as his wrist bangles, legs bangles, necklace, and finger rings were all made of it. There were even sections of his spear's handle decorated with it. Aside from the gold, the man didn't wear much, only a cloth resembling dhoti shorts around his waist, pelvis, and thighs. It revealed much of his impressive wiry frame.

He and Sam had both noticed each other at the same time and neither had taken their eyes off the other for the last few minutes. The young warrior looked calm and besides the spear that rested on his shoulder he didn't appear to be hostile. He offered Sam a smile when they were nearly face to face and Sam saw that he had two rucksacks even bigger than Sam's on either side of him.

"Hello," Sam said not returning the man's smile.

"Hello, stranger." he said in a deep yet soft tone. "My name is Banihr."

"I'm Sarem."

Banihr gave a slow nod.

"It is a surprise to see any man traversing this stone valley, but it is an even bigger wonder to see a man traveling towards the certain doom that lies ahead in that cursed fort. What folly would bring you here?"

The young warrior's posture and voice all gave him a sort of regal quality. He smiled as he eyed Sam's armaments.

"The folly of wanting to make some easy cash and getting trapped in a videogame. Is this how to get to the castle?"

"Yes, it is deep within the walls of the fortress and is not a place where a man wants to be. There are no men there, only mad spirits and impossible danger. Whatever you're seeking surely isn't worth the pain you'll find ahead."

"If there's treasure and boss fights ahead, then it'll be more than worth it. I need to get out of here and castles and boss fights sound like progress."

"You're an interesting man. I have to admit, I'm curious as to how you'll fare in the fortress."

The young warrior rubbed his chin and hummed for a few seconds before loudly clapping his hands together and looking at Sam with a wide grin on his face.

"I have an offer for you that I think you'll like."

"And what is that?"

"Like you, I too am an adventurer. I have a goal I seek to achieve deep inside of the fortress."