The Key Seeker
Artboard 8.png

VIII

The road to the badlands was arduous and our hero was exhausted from travel. The last drop of water from his water bottle hit the forest floor. Siphter had to get water soon or he wouldn’t last much longer. It hadn’t rained in weeks and he could feel his mouth getting dry. Up ahead was a steep canyon off in the distance. Siphter trekked to the opening of the large hole and at its center was a cavern. He reached out his hands and felt the stone around him. It was wet to the touch. As he looked closer he could see that the rocks closest to the cavern’s opening were growing moss.

Siphter found a stick and lit it on fire with the flint from his pack. He held his torch ahead of him and entered the cave. It was deep, dark, and infested with bats. The stalactites dripped cave water onto Siphter’s head. Siphter opened his mouth and caught a few drops before beginning to fill his water bottle. After capturing some good drinking water, he continued onward. The cave walls got narrower as he went deeper. Then he saw it: light was pouring in from outside the cave. He ran to the small opening and saw multiple lakes housed inside the cavern. Crystal clear pools separated by purple rock formations. Siphter tossed his pack and weapon aside and leapt into the beautiful cool water. He dove under water and drank to his heart’s content. He filled his water bottle, laid on the edge of the cavern lake and rested for a while. At the very end of the cavern Siphter could see something shining with his torch. Maybe it was a gem of some kind. Siphter knew he could sell it back at the market for a pretty penny. The idea of potentially restocking his supplies was enough motivation. He walked on deeper to the end of the tunnel. Bat screeches echoed through the cavern sending chills up Siphter’s spine. He wove the torch over the object and saw it was the second key shining at his feet. He placed the miraculous looking object in his pack with its lost relative. Siphter turned and began to leave the key’s hiding place before seeing another interesting object. On the cavern floor, a blood red skull sat staring up at him. He removed the blade from his satchel and pushed the eerie skull off of his path. He couldn’t believe it, he had found the second temple key that easily. Siphter looked back at the decomposing skull one more time. It was slowly disappearing before him. In a red flash, over thirty dead warriors appeared around the skull and began running after him. Skeletons that died long ago. Decomposing corpses others with flesh still attached to their faces. Both varieties of warrior carrying large sharp weapons pointed for Siphter’s head.

Siphter ran back to where he entered the cavern. He heard something large scraping in the distance. It was the opening of the cavern. There was a large stone door slowly closing ahead. The trap was about to be set. He had to hurry before it closed and locked him and these dead warriors inside. Siphter ran as fast his he could with the skeleton warriors closing in behind him. The sounds of their bones creaked. Their blood red stained hands were swiping. He approached the door and in a flash three warriors had appeared before him. Siphter fell to his knees, when he looked up he saw he was surrounded. The decomposing warriors approached Siphter with their large iron weapons drawn. The evil creatures were closing in and forming a circle around him. Siphter placed his hand in his jacket pocket and felt the yellow marbles rolling around in his pocket. “Pikel’s gift,” he thought to himself. He removed the smoke bombs from his jacket pocket and threw them on the cavern floor. A burst of thick yellow smoke filled the cave, making it almost impossible to see. The warriors bumped into one another, hitting each other with their weapons almost comically. Siphter was now on the ground crawling, maneuvering through the legs of his opponents. The stone rock door was moments from closing right before Siphter rolled under it. “Thanks Pikel,” Siphter thought. Our hero now had two of three keys. He had risked his life numerous times over but it all had proven fruitful. The faint sound of the skeleton hands scratching the stone wall between them reached Siphter. He picked himself up, and was off in an instant.
 

 
8. Red & Undead .gif

Chapter VIII

The road to the badlands was arduous and our hero was exhausted from travel. The last drop of water from his canteen hit the forest floor. Siphter had to get to a body of water soon or he wouldn’t last much longer. It hadn’t rained in weeks and he could feel his mouth getting dry. Up ahead was a steep canyon. Siphter trekked to the opening of the large hole and at its center was a cavern. He reached out his hands and felt the stone around him. It was wet to the touch. As he looked closer he could see that the rocks closest to the cavern’s opening were growing moss. 

Siphter found a stick and lit it on fire with the flint from his pack. He held his torch ahead of him and entered the cave. It was infested with bats. The stalactites dripped cave water onto Siphter’s head. Siphter opened his mouth and caught a few drops before beginning to fill his canteen. After capturing some good drinking water, he continued onward. The cave walls got narrower as he went deeper. The cavern walls were dark and purple. Then he saw it: light was pouring in from the top of the cave. He ran to the small opening and saw multiple lakes housed inside the cavern. Crystal clear pools separated by purple rock formations and small waterfalls. Siphter tossed his pack and weapon aside and leapt into the beautiful cool water. He dove under and drank to his heart’s content. He filled his canteen, laid on the edge of the cavern lake and rested for a while. He played in the waterfalls and was finally beginning to enjoy himself on his great hunt. At the very end of the cavern he could see something catching light. Maybe it was a gem of some kind? Siphter knew he could sell it back at the market for a pretty penny. The idea of potentially restocking his supplies was enough motivation. He walked on deeper to the end of the tunnel waving his torch. Bat screeches echoed through the cavern sending chills up Siphter’s spine. He wove the torch over the object and saw it was the second key shining at his feet. He placed the miraculous looking object in his pack with its lost relative. Siphter turned and began to leave the key’s hiding place before seeing another interesting object. On the cavern floor, a blood red skull sat staring up at him. He removed the blade from his sheath and pushed the eerie object off of his path. He couldn’t believe it, he had found the second temple key that easily. Siphter looked down at the decomposing skull. It was slowly disappearing before him. In a red flash, over thirty dead warriors appeared and ran for Sipther. Warriors from ages ago. Decomposing boney corpses, others still with flesh attached to their faces. Both varieties of warrior carrying large sharp weapons pointed for our hero's head.

Siphter ran back to where he entered the cavern. He heard something large scraping in the distance. It was the opening of the cave. There was a large stone door slowly closing ahead. The trap was about to be set. He had to hurry before it closed and locked him and these dead warriors inside. Siphter ran for the door with the skeleton warriors closing in behind him. The sounds of their bones creaked. Their blood red stained hands were swiping for Siphter. He approached the door and in another red flash three warriors appeared before him. Siphter fell to his knees, when he looked up he saw he was surrounded. The decomposing warriors approached Siphter with their large iron weapons drawn. The evil creatures were closing in and forming a circle around him. Siphter placed his hand in his jacket pocket and felt the yellow marbles rolling around in his pocket. “Pikel’s gift.” he thought to himself. He removed the smoke bombs from his jacket pocket and threw them on the cavern floor. A burst of thick yellow smoke filled the cave, making it almost impossible to see. The warriors bumped into one another, hitting each other with their weapons. Siphter was now on the ground crawling, maneuvering through the legs of the undead army. The stone rock door was moments from closing right before Siphter rolled under it. “Thanks Pikel,” Siphter thought. He could hear the faint sound of the skeleton hands scratching the stone wall between them. Sipther was off in an instant.