At the present hour, the sun would be rising, were they in a less forsaken place. The corridor stretched as far as the eye could see. The stone ceiling hung oppressively low. Several doors dotted the hallway, though few of them led anywhere, Marrrr presumed. The warrior, wearing only his undergarments, led the way with a sword and torch in hand. Although they were far underground, the heat of the cave was for some reason, almost unbearable.

“I think I remember a way we can get out,” said Tragathar.
The youngest and most promising magician of the three looked about nervously, though there was little to see.

“Nonsense, brother. We’ve come so far, it would be only cowardly to turn back. We’ll just see what awaits us at the end of this corridor,” answered Leroy, with his staff resting across his shoulders. How is he so unshaken by our recent encounters? wondered Tragathar. If Leroy were worried at all by their run-in with the labryinth’s large Balrog, he was doing a fantastic job of hiding it.

Tragathar tried to shake off his wonder at his elder brother as they passed through the narrow hallway. At the end of it, they came to an ancient door. Heavy though it was, its makers had left it unlocked, and disturbingly easy to open. They entered the vault, whose smooth walls they could tell were marred by strange lumps and odd, twisted shadows. The room was too large and empty to be free of surprises. Tragathar cast one of his newer spells, illuminating the black vault. Instantly the lumps drew their vines to them, and myriad black eyes looked and pondered them, soullessly.

Marrrr had scarcely noticed the monsters that now shuffled toward them in their limping gait. As he started to run from his comrades, Leroy’s shouts fell upon deaf ears, for Marrrr’s entire world had come to consist of the large chest that lay along the room’s far wall.
“Marrrr! Wait! Not until the room’s clear!” shouted Leroy, as the creatures began to fling their tentacles. The callused limbs were swinging wildly, groping for the intruders. The wizard muttered an archaic string of words, and a narrow gust of wind spewed from his staff, billowing into a veritable wall of air, holding the creatures at bay.

Tragathar mustered his focus. He allowed all of his fear, pain, and fury to come to the forefront of his being, as his brother had taught him, and his palms began to glow. With an desparate shout, Tragathar hurled the fireballs at the creatures. They found their mark, exploding as they struck one creature’s face. The fiend made no sound, save for a dusty thud as it fell lifeless on the floor. The flash caused five of the smaller creatures to seek refuge in the darkness.
Leroy had abandoned his wind shield and had begun to lash out with his staff. Thunderclaps echoed through the room as the staff made contact, sending a bolt of lightning coursing through the creatures’ veins with each strike. Though this action exhausted him greatly, he was strong enough to dispatch a score of them.

This all transpired in a moment, during which Marrrr had made a mad dash to the chest. He lowered his shoulder and charged the largest of the creatures, which was standing in his way. It had no visible mouth, but these creatures were sure to have some nasty tricks to survive down here. Marrrr rammed it, and the beast was sent reeling. The tentacles sought Marrrr’s head angrily, yet whatever they intended to do was precluded by a swing of Marrrr’s blade. He had no time to marvel at the total lack of blood, for he was almost at his goal.

Marrrr fended off the creatures with a series of vicious kicks, while he fumbled with the chest’s lock. Having no more patience, he cleaved the lock in two with his sword. Marrrr reached down into the chest, ignoring the meager pile of diamonds, instead grabbing the dagger’s exposed hilt. As his fingers wrapped around the ancient leather, the magic Marrrr had sought for so many years was now within his grasp.

Marrrr’s world now expanded to include his forgotten companions, but as he turned to help them, he was almost incredulous; surely his eyes were deceiving him. Ten of the creatures remained, but they scarcely mattered now, scurrying into the darkness. Leroy had risen to stand, his staff held high, facing the great approaching evil. Already exhausted, Leroy waved his hand, and his unconscious younger brother faded from vision; maybe now he could escape the coming wrath.

“Never. Never open it before the room is clear,” Leroy said ruefully. The heat was already scorching the tears from his face, as fire began to pour into the room. With a final, sorrowful glance at his legacy, he turned to face the source of the fire; though Leroy would surely perish as well, this beast would know who had vanquished it. As the dragon roared, so did the man.

“Leeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrroooooooooooyyyyyyy...”


And such was the last thing Marrrr witnessed in that world, as he dragged the dagger across his palm. In a flash, Marrrr was in a forest. Lightning tore through the sky, as the rain found its way through his clothes and to his vulnerable skin. Nearby, across a small pasture, he saw the light of a farmhouse. The cold was beginning to take its toll, as he approached the humble building. Odd, thought Marrrr, only a rich man would have such an exotic carriage, made of metal, nonetheless! Yet he lives on such a tiny farm… Marrrr’s curiosity at the house’s lack of extravagance was soon to be forgotten. Presently, he needed food and someone to answer his questions. He already had many, and surely more would soon arise in this new world he had come to.