Chapter 105 - Underneath Anxiety

As soon as he left the safe territory, a veil of darkness covered the exit he walked through, forcing him to move forward towards what laid ahead. It was damp and dark, stretching far and wide, with even the ceiling sitting higher than any previous room. In his approximation, the area he stood in likely reached farther than a standard football field.

Circular holes resembling sewer drains lined the walls, releasing a flow of murky water into the pools that ran along the domain. Shadows obscured what he could make out of the area, slowly stepping forward as his boots became drenched in the layer of water that ran over the floor.

The restriction on his own sight as darkness lined the room let unease settle within him--unable to make out if the shadows he saw housed holes in the domain, or if the shadows that moved were hostile entities themselves. As an amateur user of dark magic, his affinity was one of the few that granted no source of light, or the ability to dispel the very darkness he thrived in.

From what he could see, there wasn't a door that sat at the end like the other rooms he had encountered--leaving the only pathways to be the tunnels built into the walls. An aggressively rancid smell met his nose as he approached the dank circular pathway nearest to him, nearly gagging as if the stench of spoiled milk and meat was trying to coax what was in his stomach out from his throat.

Although nothing had occurred, he couldn't shake the uneasiness that sat under his skin--only listening to the sound of water flowing out from the hanging tunnels while surrounded by nothing but his own imagination.

"Here goes nothing."

Lifting himself in, Ren stepped into the tunnel--completely absent of light as darkness waited ahead of him.

The constant flow of water that travelled down the tunnel seemed to settle, eventually coming to a complete stop as only the residual liquids sat within the cylinder path. With the flow of water coming to a still, the only sound in the air were his own steps, trudging through the lukewarm liquid.

--Weird…

Ignoring it, Ren slowly continued forward as he watched his step--it was impossible to avoid the grime and unknown, putrid yellow substance that coated the metallic walls, he didn't want to fully believe it, but his best guess was that it was bile. Even so, the sheer quantity of it made the thought seem impossible, growing larger in quantity the deeper he traversed the tunnel--eventually finding that the entire surface was coated in this mysterious mile.

Just a slight whiff of it made him lurch, having to urge his own body not to heave as he quickly covered his nose. A faint light sat the end of the tunnel, a dim orange that quickened his step at the sight of it--stomping through the rancid yellow substance as it grew thicker, pulsating as if it were breathing.

--What the hell is this?!

Every bone in his body told him to begin running, taking this advice from himself as he sprinted forward--hearing behind him unnatural noises, squelching and thuds against the metal as if something had begun to follow him down the tunnel.

Ren didn't dare to look back, feeling eyes burning a hungering gaze into the back of his neck as he threw himself forward, inching closer to the light. Without so much as wasting a second to see what he was leaping into, Ren launched himself from the otherside of the tunnel upon reaching the edge, manifesting for himself a harsh landing as he rolled against the solid ground below. Driven forward by primal fear, he didn't bother to reinforce himself in regards to the landing, resulting in scraping the skin of his fingertips as blood began to leak from the peeled back skin.

"Shit...What the hell was that about?"

Standing himself up and looking back at the tunnel which now was placed a dozen meters above where he stood, he could still faintly sense the presence of whatever began chasing him--but it had halted in its pursuit as soon as he had left.

Finally setting into the environment he rashly launched himself into, the sensation of the solid flooring he stood under held a peculiar presence within it--a subtle pulse echoing against the soles of his feet. It was covered with a scarlet material that ran over the stone like veins, faintly pulsating as a translucent liquid secreted from the odd scarlet.

The same veiny ran up the walls that curved around like a silo, along these same walls ran dozens of the same tunnels he came out from--now secreting a crimson sludge and dropping onto the floor he stood on. Such a sight was something not registered into his mind, falling into the likes of which he could only imagine in a dream.

A howl had suddenly unleashed, causing the ground beneath his feet to vibrate as he looked onwards towards the gate that sat ahead, cast over with a shadow. It wasn't "beastlike", but more akin to something truly malicious--a demonic entity of sorts. That much was known as the howl that unleashed from its body ran over his body like a wave of violence.

From the gate that held back the unknown creature, more of the red sludge flowed from the ground, running through the grooves of the stone like a web of rivers.

"So, this is the "boss" of this area?"

Ren drew his blade from its scabbard, slowly circling around the territory that laid near the large iron gate, hearing a heated, heavy breath blow from behind the somber bars.

--Everywhere I go in this place, it feels like everything wants a piece of me.

The many tunnels that lined the high-reaching walls made him question what his best plan of action was in this situation. To him, the obvious choice displayed to him was that beyond the gate that the creature was locked behind, there was likely a reward or pathway of some kind.

--But, I could opt out of fighting this thing and just take one of the tunnels. Although...if they all inhabit the same type of creature that chased me before...I think I'll take my chances with what sits behind that gate.

The choice was made for him, as a thunderous impact against the enigmatic bars resounded through the blood-scented depths he stood in, caving in the bars as they nearly took out the stone that held them in place as well.

Whatever it was--malice was what it desired, huffing and puffing heavily as the unseen entity prepared for another charge. Each quake that came from under its step made Ren's heart pump that much faster, until it came into contact with the gates that sealed it once more--bursting through the bars as they rocketed outwards.

It stepped out of the shadowy depths it was caged in, walking with its massive, scale-covered fists in front of it like another set of feet. In contrast to its already large torso, the creature's arms resembled the size of tree trunks, protected by a set of sharp, scarlet scales that extended to its torso. Its head maintained a sharp shape, cutting down the middle like a blade of its own as it looked forward with its black sclera.

--I was right. This thing--it isn't anything like a "beast", it doesn't seem like an animal to me. This is truly a monster.

Raising its massive arms, it beat its hammer-like hands against its chest like an enraged gorilla as it unleashed a mighty call. A long, thick tail wrapped in the same scales as its arms whipped against the ground, cracking the stone under its unrelenting brute strength.

If he absolutely had to give it something to relate it to--it was like an unholy child born of a gorilla and a dragon. Thinking about it like that, Ren feared coming into contact with those skull-crushing fists it wielded.

Even so, fear was a conquerable concept, something Ren was becoming adept at plunging into the depths of himself, and allowing brazen to step forth into the limelight.

"--Come on, you amalgamation! I'm feeling like a winner today!"