Leon and Ricardo froze in place, their breath caught in their throats. Before them stood an entire army of three-headed hellhounds, their flaming eyes locked onto the intruders. The dungeon walls flickered with the eerie glow of their burning bodies, and the sheer heat of their presence made the air suffocating.
Leon swallowed hard. "Uh... Ricardo?"
"I see them," Ricardo muttered, gripping his sword tightly. "And I don't like our odds."
The pack of monstrous beasts growled in unison, their razor-sharp teeth gleaming as they slowly advanced. There were at least a dozen of them—far more than the single hound they had barely managed to kill earlier.
Leon took a cautious step back. "Yeah, okay. Fighting? Not an option. Running? Very good option."
Ricardo didn't need convincing. "Move!" he barked, grabbing Leon's arm as they bolted in the opposite direction.
The moment they turned, the hellhounds charged, their thunderous footsteps shaking the dungeon floor. Flames erupted from their maws, lighting up the dark corridors as they pursued their prey.
Leon and Ricardo sprinted through the maze-like dungeon, twisting and turning through the endless stone halls. But no matter which path they took, the beasts were right behind them.
"This is bad, this is bad, THIS IS REALLY BAD!" Leon shouted, dodging a burst of fire that nearly fried him.
Ricardo winced as a burning claw slashed across his back, tearing into his armor. "We need a way out—NOW!"
Leon's mind raced. They were outnumbered, outmatched, and out of options. If they didn't find an escape route immediately, they would be torn apart.
Then, just as all hope seemed lost—
Leon's eyes locked onto a massive metal grate on the far wall. Behind it, a tunnel sloped upward, leading somewhere—anywhere but here.
"There! The grate!" Leon yelled.
Ricardo didn't hesitate. He lunged at the iron bars, gripping them tightly and pulling with all his strength. "It's stuck!"
Leon turned, eyes widening as the hellhounds closed in. Their fiery jaws snapped inches away, the heat scorching his skin.
With no time to think, Leon unleashed a bolt of lightning, supercharging Ricardo's strength.
"Try now!" Leon yelled.
Ricardo gritted his teeth, muscles surging with newfound power. With a final roar, he ripped the grate off the wall, tossing it aside.
"GO!"
The two of them leapt into the tunnel just as the hellhounds lunged, their flaming jaws snapping shut mere inches behind them.
They tumbled downward, rolling through the dark passageway. The walls blurred around them, and before they could even comprehend what was happening—
SPLASH!
They crashed into freezing water, plunging deep into a hidden underground river.
Leon surfaced, gasping for breath. "I hate dungeons," he coughed.
Ricardo emerged beside him, shaking his head. "Not the worst place we've been."
Leon shot him a glare. "We were almost hellhound food! What could possibly be worse than that?"
Ricardo smirked. "Give it a minute."
Leon opened his mouth to argue—
And then, something moved beneath the water.
His eyes widened. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me."
What new nightmare awaited them now?