Tunnel of Horrors
With
the sun waning in the sky a shadow was cast over the entrance to the tunnel. It
was far too round and uniform to have been naturally formed, even though
several centuries had passed since it was first opened. The ground around it
didn’t appear to be heavily trafficked but if more than a cursory glance was
given tracks could be seen. With her sword out Crono was the first to step through
the entrance and almost immediately found herself in pitch-black darkness. She
was soon joined by Lucca, who was carrying a torch, and could see the old,
tool-hewn walls of the cave. The light didn’t stretch very far, maybe only a
few meters, but it was enough to prevent Crono from running into any of the
walls.
The
three made their way through the cool, damp tunnel. Occasionally water would
drip down on them, interrupting the regular sound of drops hitting the hard
ground. After a few minutes the tunnel opened up into a small chamber and while
the torch light could just barely touch the far side of the cave it highlighted
the three other figures standing in the room. They were most definitely not
human, having pale yellow skin and a wide, frog-like smile. Their squat bodies
were thick but protected by a set of old, rusty armor. Their exposed arms
bulged with muscle but also had a greasy sheen to them. Each of them was
glaring at Crono and the one in the middle pointed in the redhead’s direction.
“Death to the humans!”
They
charged, headlong at the swordswoman but their clanking gear slowed their
movement. Crono was able to jump out of the way of the first two but the third
slammed into her side, sending her sprawling on the ground. The redhead found
herself straddled by one of the goons and tried to deflect the heavy blows that
flew at her head but a few made contact. Fighting through the stars that were
dancing in her vision, Crono made a weak slash and cut into the unprotected arm
of her attacker. The damage was only superficial and soon her weapon was
wrested from her grasp and thrown to the side. The creature reeled back for an
attack that was meant for her head but a bolt shot through the thing’s neck,
spraying blood over the redhead’s face. It clutched at its throat, falling to the
side while a pool of dark fluid began to spread out beneath it.
Crono
managed to pull herself together and get to a knee, seeing the other two
chasing her friends around the room. One of them managed to trip Marle and jump
on her. With no time to find her sword Crono summoned the magic she had just
been gifted with and held out both hands at the creature, shooting a blast of
lightning into its body. The amphibian seized up, spasming uncontrollably
before falling onto its back with smoke rising from several black patches on
its armor. The energy it required took everything Crono had left to give and
she keeled over. She watched helplessly from the ground as Marle and Lucca were
able to take advantage of their favorable numbers and eventually kill the final
creature.
Once
they were sure they had won the two rushed over to the redhead to check on her.
Marle used one of the tricks of her magic to infuse Crono with energy, allowing
the swordswoman to recover far faster than she would have on her own. They
collected what they thought they could use and continued on into the depths. It
wasn’t long before the passage began to slope down as it made its way under the
sea. The air grew colder while the walls sweated. Everything, including the
three travelers, seemed to have a layer of water coating it. Crono wiped the
fluid from her face while she tried to peer through the increasing darkness
that was caused by the torch waning in the damp conditions.
It
wasn’t long before they reached the next cavern, which appeared to be a much
more natural phenomenon. The ground was smooth but uneven and dotted with
stalagmites. The cool air was silent but for the sound of their footsteps. The
flickering light gave Crono a small field of vision but she just managed to see
the brief flash from the torch reflecting off something. The redhead paused for
a second; waiting for an attack, but after none came immediately she inched
closer to the source. With her friends staying close behind the swordswoman drew
near what she thought was a ball of some kind but the closer she came the more Crono
could see that it was an ornate vase.
It
was a bit incongruous to see such a symbol of civilization deep in a savage
cavern. Marle thought for a moment that it would look nice back at the castle
but jumped back when she saw the thing shake. Crono’s shuffle backwards was
hindered a bit by Lucca’s slow movement so all the redhead could do was swing
feebly at the pink blur that shot out of the top of the jug. She turned to
follow its path as it landed behind her, but immediately regretted her reflex
when she felt something thick and slimy wrap around her wrist. With both hands
gripping her sword Crono pulled away from the bottle with all of her might and
immediately slipped to the ground. The combination of the wet stone and the
lack of any resistance to her movement caused her to lose her balance and she was
soon sprawled on the ground with another pink creature grappling her.
After
stepping away from the swordswoman and watching her friend fall to the floor
soon after, Lucca’s attention was drawn back to the vase when a third creature
crawled out of it. Aside from the bright pink color the creature looked eerily
similar to one of the mutants that had attacked them 1,300 years from now (she
hoped she had gotten those tenses right). It had the same bulbous head, the
same stubby tentacles and the same menacing eyes. Lucca recalled the battle and
how badly it had gone the last time, but that was before she could cast spells.
Lucca eyed the thing carefully and began to summon a ball of fire in her hand.
The flame grew until it fit comfortably in her palm before she threw it at the
creature in one swift motion. The orb exploded on contact, blocking her sight
of the creature for a moment but when it cleared a moment later Lucca couldn’t
see any difference with the creature. Puzzled by the lack of reaction, Lucca
was caught off guard when the thing expanded quickly and shot a ball of its own
flame back at Lucca through the circular opening that made up its mouth. The
genius threw up her hands to protect against the attack and was thrown back
when it burst against her arms.
