I step over the occasional pile of bones, weaving past the jittery mannequins. My eyes burn as I glance around the pit. There were many entrances, some sealed by rocks, others blocked off by the corpse of the monstrosity. Like greedy ants, pieces of its corpse got dragged away into the darkness.
“Definitely shouldn’t go down there”
I tell myself, peeking downward into the darkness.
Come over here…
A hush voice calls out from one of the dark tunnels around the pit. My ears perk up. Where have I heard this voice before? Shaking off this sense of unease, I cautiously wobble towards that entrance. It was quite a narrow entrance, hidden between a collapsed wall and a pile of debris. Climbing in, my feet reach out to a slanted corridor. Luckily, my shoes had enough traction. Stumbling ahead, I listen closely in the surrounding darkness.
Whirr…Tick!* Tick!* Whirr…*
The sounds of machinery sang in the distant darkness. Pressing against the dusty wall, my hands brush up against metal bars. I flinch in disgust as the heavy scent of iron pokes at my nostrils. Suddenly, an arm sticks out from the bars. It’s rusted fingers grasping at the air.
“Let…me… out…!”
Its jarring voice bounces down the corridor. A sharp clang rings out as its voice echoes away into the darkness.
Clang* Clang*
I hurry past the rest of the cages, keeping my eyes to myself. Up ahead, A frail mannequin paced back and forth. It dragged a heavy object on the ground. From the metallic noises, it must have been a weapon of some sort.
“Better not confront that.”
I whisper to myself as I wait for the mannequin to leave. However, each heavy step grew louder and louder. Its silhouette slowly creeped out of the distant shadows. Carefully lowering myself to the ground, I held my breath as its elongated form went by. In its hand, it dragged a ridiculous slab of metal, scaled with flaking rust.
Clank* Clank*
My body tenses as a metallic scent fills the air. It felt like an eternity before I felt safe to move. Rushing away, I shutter at the sudden Bang* echoing behind me.
Up ahead, the corridor split down the middle. A faint light radiated on the right path. Hugging the wall, I walked down the right path. An odd figure sat down on a purple carpet, displaying items on the ground. My eyes glance at limbs sticking out of his backpack. It was quite the jarring sight.
“Hello, weary traveller, anything might be of interest?”
Words push past his lips as beady eyes glint off the lamp light. An oddly familiar spear sat on the wall.
"That spear seems familiar."
I ask as the hooded figure lets out a chuckle.
"The real question is, can you pay for it? 3 limbs, no more no less"
I step back in disgust as the man laughs hideously,
"Not your limbs. I want mannequin limbs, idiot."
His beady eyes glance up as he takes a look at my face. With a eerie grin, he hands me the spear,
"I heard there''s a settlement up ahead. However, it''s guarded by quite a few mannequins. Take the spear, will you dear. And come back to me with some limbs. It''ll be worthwhile, I promise!"
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His words dig into my ears. Did he see something in me? Taking the spear from his hands, I turn around to leave.
"We''ll definitely meet again!"
The peddler lets out an obnoxious laugh as I walk away into the darkness.
My eyes look up to light in the distance. Three mannequins sat by a wreckage of a wooden gate, staring off into a campfire. Eerie whispers leak out of their painted faces as they tilt their head towards me. I clutch my spear tight as one of the figures approaches me with open arms. However, no words were exchanged.
Without warning, the mannequin quickdraws a dagger and slashes through the air, cutting the fabric of my cloak. Quickly hopping away, I point the spear towards the mannequins. My eyes furrow as the other two figures let out a grotesque chuckle. With a fancy dagger trick, the front figure points the dagger towards me, gesturing me to make a move.
“Come at me”
A nostalgic voice bounces in my mind. Shaking off this unease, I go in for a thrust. The air wobbles as the figure leans to the side and goes for a stab. Taking three steps back, I twirl the spear around and take a different stance.
“Hmm, I have a better chance at swings.”
I crouch down slightly and step in with a strong vertical strike. Swinging at the air, I twist the spear mid-swing and catch the mannequin off guard. With a swift thrust of the spear’s butt, I sent it stumbling back.
A slight smirk curled my lips as I await the mannequin’s movement. Furrowing my brow, my expression stiffens as the rest of the figures move forward. To the left, a lanky, slender mannequin wields a sword. To the right, a thick mannequin wields a mace. Darting my eyes back and forth, I take a deep breath. Suddenly, a mace flies by my face. Flinching back, the sharp tapping of footsteps echo on the cobblestone. Without a moment to breathe, my eyes lock onto the thick mannequin in front of my face.
“Ugh!”
The weight of its fist slams into my chest as its force knocks me back. Anchoring myself, I crawl up my spear and glance up. The mannequin leaps into the air, winding up for a kick. Raising my spear, I brace myself against its heavy roundhouse. The force of the kick rattles my arms. Stumbling back I bit, I inhaled sharply and ran in. A swing and a miss, followed by another few misses, I spin my momentum around and sweep the spear wildly.
Clang
The swing smashes into the Mannequin’s guard as my eyes catch the glint of a slender blade. Swish, I tumble to the ground as the blade clatters against the cobblestone. Rolling upwards, I look around and catch my breath. My arms burn while holding the spear up as the three mannequins grouped together.
I close my eyes and feel a fire burning in my chest. With a restrained exhale, my quivering hand traces a circle. Suddenly, a brilliant blue flame emerges from the darkness. Its wispy form snapping at the stale air. My vision narrows as I lock onto a mannequin. My body lightens as I stride forward.
One step becomes three steps as I close the gap in an instant. The spear shaft slides along my side as the soul flame snakes towards the speartip. Stomping in for the thrust, a blue flower blossoms as the spear pierces its target. With a forceful sweep, the rest of the mannequins leap away as fiery petals flutter into the air.
“Huff… puff…”
My breath escapes me as I gasp for air. With a thud and a clatter, I glance down at the sword mannequin on the ground.
“That’s one.”
The other two mannequins look at each other as I hold my ground. With swift movements, a dagger soars through the air. Leaning to the side, I dart towards the mannequin who threw the dagger. With a wind-up strike, I overswing and I graze its body. Furrowing my brow, I go in for a stab. My face pales as it catches my spear in its arm. Pulling me in, the mannequin steps into a palm strike, knocking me away.
Pah!
My grip loosens as it tosses the spear aside.With a smug head tilt, the mannequin stands with open arms. Stumbling back, the pounding of footsteps echo off the ground. Swiftly turning around, my eyes glance up to the other mannequin winding in the air.
Wham! The kick slams into my body, knocking the wind out of me. Rolling on the ground, I instinctively curl into a ball and gasp for air. My arms scramble on the ground as I attempt to crawl away. Luckily, my hands grasp at the mace on the ground. Glancing up, I glare at the approaching mannequin and catch my breath.
Clank, clank, clank
Its footsteps get closer and closer as I shift my posture around. Pushing my way to a crouch, I keep my eyes locked on.
“Now!”
The voice in my head shouts out as I leap towards the mannequin, raising the mace in the air for a swing. The weapon’s weight tugs at my forearms as the mannequin attempts a block. Slamming it downward, its arms splinter as the heavy mace burrows into its head.
“That’s two”
I glare at the third mannequin as I gasp for air. Unexpectedly, the mannequin turns around and runs away. Words try to escape from my mouth as my legs collapse on my weight.