Floor ??? — Labyrinth of the Deadly Embrace
The air in the labyrinth was thick with the stench of decay, a foul miasma that clung to Adonis's skin like a second layer of grime. His wounds had nearly healed, but the memory of pain still lingered, a dull reminder of the dangers lurking in this accursed place. As he pressed forward, the dim, flickering torchlight cast long shadows against the jagged stone walls, distorting the already twisted passageways into something even more sinister.
Then, he saw them.
Bodies.
Strewn across the cold floor like discarded puppets, their lifeless eyes frozen in terror. Their weapons lay beside them, useless against whatever horror had claimed them. But it wasn't just the sight of death that made Adonis's blood run cold—it was the grotesque mutilations. Huge chunks of flesh had been torn from their forms, as if something had taken bites straight from their limbs and torsos. The wounds were jagged, brutal, the work of something that fed not out of hunger, but of sheer, monstrous instinct.
A sense of dread coiled in Adonis's gut, tightening with every step. He forced himself to move, his grip tightening on his weapon. Then—
*Crunch.*
The sound was unmistakable. Bones snapping, flesh rending. Something was feeding.
Adonis froze, his breath catching in his throat. Slowly, ever so slowly, he peered around the corner.
And there it was.
A towering humanoid figure, at least seven feet tall, its bald head slick with something dark and wet. Its face was a nightmare—disfigured, twisted, with sunken eyes that glowed faintly in the gloom. Pale, stretched skin clung to its malnourished frame, as though it had starved for years. Its fingers were long and skeletal, ending in jagged nails that scraped against the stone as it moved. But the worst part was its feet—or rather, what should have been feet. Instead, they tapered into sharp, stake-like points, leaving grotesque punctures in the ground with every step.
The monster hunched over a corpse, its maw dripping with gore as it tore into the flesh with sickening relish. Adonis's stomach churned. He had seen horrors before, but this—this was something else.
Carefully, he began to retreat, his boots whispering against the stone. If he could just find another path, another way around—
*Clink.*
The sound was small, almost insignificant. A loose stone, dislodged by his heel.
But in the silence of the labyrinth, it might as well have been a thunderclap.
The monster's head snapped up. Its milky eyes locked onto Adonis.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then, with a guttural screech, the creature lunged.
Adonis barely had time to react. He raised his weapon just as the monster's claws slashed downward, the impact sending a shockwave through his arms. The force knocked him back, but he managed to keep his footing, skidding across the blood-slicked floor.
The creature hissed, its jagged teeth glistening.
Adonis tightened his grip, his pulse roaring in his ears.
There would be no running now.