Cracks cut into the tall shape, and moss grew on every part of the rocky structure. An old castle. Abandoned houses were one thing, and common, but you didn't see this every day. This building definitely contained something of value, if it hadn't all been taken already.
As he walked towards the building’s bulky main doors, he saw that moving them wasn't exactly possible. Luckily, that wasn’t necessary. They weren’t completely closed shut. The tiny opening between them was barely big enough for the average person to get into. Pressing his body in between the two frigid stone doors, he managed to squeeze himself through.
It was dark. Very dark. The way his footsteps echoed throughout the room informed him of its significant size. All he had visually was the weak orange sunlight coming from the tall windows that lined the walls on either side of him.
The plants and overgrowth that he saw on the outside were reaching in here as well. Such bright greenery. It even glittered in the rare few spots the sunlight hit, contrasting the suffocating darkness that enveloped every other part of the castle’s entrance.
And other than the faraway ceilings that he couldn't honestly imagine were even there, massive amounts of debris lay strewn across the floor.
It was silent. Almost.
In the dark corners of what was likely a foyer came constant dry and raspy sounds.
But not only that, there was also a noise akin to crinkling paper.
In what was meant to be a place devoid of life, such uncommon sounds were even more unsettling. But, of course, his curiosity was not something that could be easily dismissed.
It wasn’t clear where to go though, since the sound came from the whole castle, not one single corner. All he could do was walk forward.
The sun could only guide him so much, as it lit up a few of its surrounding silhouettes. Slowly making it through the echoey entrance hall, Blaine had to hold his hand out to avoid bumping into anything.
He stopped when his hand suddenly made contact with a rocky texture. Feeling around the cylindrical object, it was easy enough to imagine it was a form of pillar that kept the castle standing.
The noises were louder here. And if he wasn't mistaken, a quiet hiss came from above him, sounding much closer than he was comfortable with.
His throat closed up, as something soft and thin slid over his fingers.
With widened eyes, he quickly pulled his hand back. Many worst-case scenarios were already running through his mind, even though he knew it was probably just a snake.
It could be a lethal one though. And what if …
Red. Glistening crimson beads stared back at him. The dark spots in the middle of them made it clear that they were eyes, but it still didn't explain the unnatural color and shine.
Shaken by such sudden contact with an animal, he shuddered as he stepped back.
Blaine wasn't staying there any longer, that much had already been decided. But as he searched around in the darkness, all he got was more pillars.
Eventually, the tip of his boot bumped into something on the ground. A step? Walking onto whatever it was, another one appeared shortly after. Stairs.
He moved his hand through the air, hoping to find its railing.
There it was… oh. Oh no. What he touched swiftly scuttled away from his fingers. Not just snakes seemed to inhabit these halls. Feeling around on the railing more, sticky webs clung to his skin.
It was too much, he had to pull his hand away. Spiders.
As he rubbed the silky gauze off himself, he kept walking upwards, until a noise interrupted him once again.
Was that a screech?
Following the creaky sound came the flapping of tiny wings. Something swept through the air right next to him, forcing him to grab the railing again to avoid falling. But… further up on it, he couldn't feel any spider webs. Instead, he touched what could only be described as a huge claw. It was tapping the wooden railing as if an impatient teacher was waiting for his next move.
A presence. Standing right in front of him.
How had he not noticed until its supposed hand was touching his?
When Blaine looked up toward the ceiling—as far as he could—he was met with the shiniest red pupils he had ever seen.
Oh. That’s how.
Much brighter and bigger than the snake's, but also further away. Whatever this was, it was tall and the only thing that would have warned him of it was too high to notice at first glance.
It lowered its head, as the large claw hooked around Blaine's finger. The bloodlust coming from the creature was palpable. Its hiss could almost pierce one's ears.
Blaine needed to break out of his frozen state if he didn't want to get devoured. Which would probably only take a single bite.
Wresting himself out of its hand, he heard it grasp the railing so hard that it most likely left deep cuts in its wooden surface.
Yeah, this thing could crush someone in minutes. There was no need to deliberate any further on that.
It didn’t matter where he went right now, as long as it was anywhere but here. He sprinted past the monster he still had no actual visual of.
Walls crumbled behind him, as his pursuer let everything fall around them. Just how destructive was this thing?
In his rush, he almost skimmed what looked like a doorway. A soft orange glow came from it. If there was any place he'd have even a single chance of surviving, it would be somewhere the light actually reached. And by the looks of it, there was quite a lot in whatever room the open door led to. Easily making up his mind, Blaine hurried inside.
The slithering sound was getting closer, but he still stopped moving when he saw where he was. The throne room.
Behind the throne, an imposing window lit up his surroundings with a soft orange light. The sun was finally back in full force. Or, at least as much as it could be while floating down below the horizon. Ornate casings lined the roughed-up carpet that led to the throne. Most of them were destroyed—except for one.
As he ran over to the window, he saw what looked like… a human? He was chained up next to that oh-so-beautiful light source, but hidden from it; kept just where the light didn’t reach. Blaine had to squint when he noticed the tiny horns that grew out of his head and the feeble flapping of short wings coming from his back. He looked so confused. So broken. Many conflicting emotions were mixed into one in those dazed eyes of his. Those… red eyes.
Blaine didn't get a second longer to worry about that. He wasn’t able to react in time, when a flash of green appeared on his right for a split second, roughly slamming him against the wall. Glancing around in panic, he staggered to his feet. It wasn't exactly hard to find the culprit. As he thought, that was an intimidating size alright. A snake and human hybrid glared down at him, as its hiss echoed all the way to the top of the vaulted ceiling. Most of the creature appeared to be a snake, except for the torso which resembled that of a man. It even had arms. However, its whole body was covered in scales. Two other notable features that didn't have anything to do with the animal was what it had in common with its captive; except, much bigger. The man's horns and wings looked absolutely minuscule in comparison.
This thing could crush him in seconds if it wanted to. But he couldn't identify its intentions. Not behind those glassy red optics or wide-open serpent mouth.
At least now, since the side of it was lit up, he would be warned of the creature's next attack.
When its body reeled back in preparation, Blaine bounded for the throne. The scythe-like claws that formed its hands crashed right into the spot he had just left, marking the stone floor with deep gashes. What a grating sound that made. Not wanting to imagine what would have happened had he stayed there a moment longer, Blaine shook his head and leaped for the only casing that was still standing. Below the glass cover lay a beautiful ornate sword. Finally, something actually useful in this forsaken place.
Blaine promptly opened it, yanking the sword out of the sickeningly expensive-looking box it slept in. Without a moment to admire it …someone… had already recovered. The tip of its tail caught Blaine off guard, as the scaly appendage slithered around his waist. His arms were still free, but its pressure on his stomach was rapidly squeezing all the air out of him. Twisting in its grasp, he tried slicing into the tail that constricted him. But it didn't leave a dent.
With a desperate sigh, Blaine looked up at the creature's slowly approaching, scrunched-up face. It didn't seem too pleased with his attempts to escape.
Was this it?
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