The heavy door creaked loudly as the young Mathew pushed with all his might, the base of the door scraped against the ground, leaving jagged splinters in its wake and soon a gap big enough for him to squeeze through opened. He frowned, gritted his teeth, and slipped through. He paused, keeled over and struggled to catch his breath and a few moments later, when he had, Mathew raised his head and stepped cautiously into the room. For some reason, though, his first steps inside felt off. His feet squelched against something, and he looked down, squinting his eyes to see that he was no longer standing on the smooth cobblestone floor, but on damp and soggy soil.
The dim light from the hallway barely illuminated the space, revealing dust motes that danced in the musky air filled with the floor's faint, earthly scent that hung around him, invading his nostrils and drawing a slight, irritated twitch.
'What the hell! Where did all this come from?'
He pinched his nostrils and pushed forward into the dark chamber. As he strode deeper, his squelching footsteps echoed eerily. The deeper he wandered, the more the damp air and darkness thickened, swallowing the faint light that trailed in from behind him. Matthew swallowed hard and pushed forward, but deep within, he wanted nothing but to turn back. Yet, the strange sensation that drew him to the door called out to him, preventing him from focusing on those thoughts.
He forced himself to ignore any other thoughts as he ran his hand along the wall and travelled deeper. Then, in the corner, he spotted a faint shimmer in the shadows. Mathew moved closer, his curiosity piqued. The closer he came, the brighter it shimmered, and soon, he found himself in front of the entrance to a cave.
'This is starting to feel a little too creepy.'
Was creepy the right word for his situation? Maybe? Whatever it was, Mathew couldn't find it, or he didn't know it. But this was certainly more than just creepy. He glanced at the inner walls, along their surface, and there was a strange viscous liquid that streamed down.
'What is this stuff?'
Mathew scowled, looked back at the entrance, then shifted his gaze deeper into the cave, and sighed. His curiosity pulled him forward, deeper and deeper into the cave. The walls grew increasingly narrow and constricting, the rhythmic sound of his squelching steps grew louder, merging with a soft whispering of a slight breeze that made his skin crawl. The glistening light at the end of the path grew brighter, and brighter until Mathew left the confines of the narrowing path and found himself in a massive chamber. A massive and damp space. Its walls were covered in the viscous liquid. Mathew strode through the damp earth and in the corner of the room, found a mound of translucent, papery fragments. Crouching closer, he reached out and picked up a piece, recognizing it to be a layer of shed skin.
They were fragments of skin from some sort of reptilian creature, maybe a lizard? But these fragments were larger than anything that he had ever seen or heard of. Whatever abomination these came from, he had no plans on finding out. He suddenly felt a presence behind him. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, fully expecting to see someone—or something—lurking in the shadows, he was left disappointed. There was only darkness.
Mathew let out a relieved sigh, then placed the shed skin back onto the pile and ventured deeper into the chamber. The air only grew heavier and warmer as he ventured further. Radiating outward like a hidden furnace at the room's heart. Now, standing at the center of the chamber, a sense of wonder enveloped him. His eyes widened in shock as before him was a large alabaster egg resting on a mound of soft earth. Its smooth, pure white surface glistened, and Mathew took an instinctive step back, a chill crawling up his spine despite the oppressive warmth. He stood frozen, but only for a moment, as his mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. None being as significant as.
'What is this thing?'
There was an ominous energy surrounding the egg that sent a wave of instinctual fear urging him to retreat. And yet, in spite of that, he felt an unnatural and undeniable pull drawing him closer. Was it that same energy he felt drawing him to the door earlier? No. While it was somewhat similar, the energy surrounding the egg was different. There was something mixed in with that energy. And that something, just felt, wrong.
It felt evil.
But that just made it even more intriguing.
What could make such a beautiful egg feel so sinister? What kind of monstrous abomination dwelt within it? Mathew reached out his hand, his trepidation raging, but he pushed it to the side. The egg was just too alluring for him to avoid. His hand brushed against the cool surface, and a jolt of warmth surged through him. Just then, the voice of the codex resonated in his mind.
[You have encountered a voidspawn: Awakened Terror's Embryo, Gila Scavenger.]
An Awakened terror! Mathew stepped back a few meters. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as his heart raced. He was barely able to process the mere thought of such a beast. He was barely able to avoid death after facing a feral Voidspawn, now he was before an Awakened one.
A monster that no matter what the young boy did, whether it was flee or fight, he would never stand a chance. At least not in his current state as a mere candidate. Mathew forced himself to focus, scanning the room for any signs of danger, but found none. It was just him and this egg that glistened softly.
Quickly regaining his composure, Mathew raised a curious brow and scratched his chin as he stared at the alabaster egg was shrouded in an evil aura. Eventually, he realised that at the end of the day, it was just an egg. There was no need to panic, at least not yet. He stepped closer, even more cautiously this time, the viscous liquid on the walls glistened in the dim light, and he could feel the warmth radiating from the egg. Suddenly, a low rumble echoed through the chamber, and the egg trembled.
Mathew jerked his hand back and grimaced as a wave of malice washed over him. He stared at the egg for a long while with a grim expression that only continued to darken as the wave of pressure increased. Then, like a warning from the divine, a single thought dominated his mind
'That thing can't be allowed to live.'
If a Voidspawn could be of the Awakened rank while being a simple embryo, the heights of power such a beast could achieve would be nothing but astounding. If he did nothing about the beast now, Mathew felt it in his very soul that he would come to regret that choice. His gaze shifted, darting across the ground.
Instinctively searching for something. His eyes landed on a jagged, weathered rock sticking out of the moist earth. He strode forward, picked up the rock, and turned back. Stood before the egg, his instincts screamed at him. Urging him on. Commanding him to destroy the seed of an abomination that was before him. With no hint of hesitation, he raised the rock, its rough edges biting into his palm. His grip tightened as the glistening egg released an ominous aura, almost daring him to act.
But that wasn't going to be enough to deter him, not from this.
With a surge of resolve, he brought it crashing down. The stone struck the egg and ricocheted off its surface, sending sparks flying and making the egg tremble violently as a web of fractures spiderweb across its pristine white surface. A sound echoed through the chamber, a mixture of crunch and splatter that churned his stomach. He repeated the motion, striking the egg several dozen times till he could no longer raise his hand. Soon, Mathew staggered back, his chest heaving, as the oppressive air seemed to lighten. He looked up at his handwork and grinned. The oppressive aura quickly dissipated, and only a few moments later, he heard the now familiar voice of the codex.
[You have slain a Greater Terror's Embryo, Gila Scavenger.]
He did it, the young cynic had killed an Awakened Terror! It was a defenceless egg, but still, it was one all the same. If he survived this hellish nightmare and made it back to the real world to tell this story, he would either be labelled as a genius for killing such a beast or a pathological liar for claiming an impossible feat.
The remnants of the shattered egg's alabaster shell lay scattered across the ground. From the puncture, a black, disturbing substance oozed. After every few breaths, it seemed to writhe and pulse. Almost as if it were alive. Soon, all motion stopped, and Mathew breathed a sigh of relief.
But what could that foreboding feeling from earlier have meant? The nagging sensation had vanished, but the memory was etched in his mind. like a dark shadow looming over his victory. Was it a Warning? What if there were more of them somewhere in this cave? He had a lot of questions. So many questions.
Interrupting his train of thought, the codex spoke once more.
[You have received a relic....]
Mathew froze.
'What? A relic!'
What indeed. His excitement while seeming excessive, was well warranted. Receiving a relic for someone like him was tantamount to winning a lottery. A relic is a magical item that holds significance and is connected to the core of the location where it was found. They could be absolutely anything, from enchanted weapons to indestructible armour, and could even be something as simple and as useless as a feather.
Unlike any old object found in the forgotten lands, they could be brought back to the real world. And one received from a void born of the greater rank was going to be nothing to scoff at.
[...received relic. Lantern of Avarice]
Quickly summoning the runes, Mathew concentrated on the word relics, and the set of runes describing them appeared, along with an image depicting it and a detailed description.
[Lantern of Avarice: a lantern infused with unknown's power which once enhanced the essence of unknown and illuminated the unknown to chase away the unknown from the unknown. The light it produces can be seen for miles.]
[Relic type: Utility]
[Rank: Awakened]
[Enchantments: Eternal light.]
Mathew raised a brow and thought to himself. 'What the hell is this piece of crap?'