In the next area, they faced a colossal vertical shaft that disappeared into the dark above them. A narrow ledge spiraled along its circumference, crumbling in places to reveal the ancient stonework beneath. The only illumination came from a bubbling pool of viscous pink liquid at the bottom that hissed and popped, casting eerie magenta shadows that danced across the damp walls.

  "Stay on my forward shoulder and warn me if anything starts to come loose,” Ben whispered, inching sideways along the path. When he reached the first gap, he tensed his legs and leapt across. Thorn, perched precariously on his shoulder, slipped with a squeal and dug needle-sharp claws into Ben's back to avoid plummeting.

  "Son of a—!" Ben wobbled dangerously at the edge, arms pinwheeling.

  “I need wings, human. Do something about that please.”

  As they ascended the spiral, glistening scarabs squeezed out through a crevice. One lunged at Ben's fingers. Thorn snatched it mid-air, bit its head off with a satisfying crunch, and continued munching contentedly as they edged their way upward.

  They squeezed through the doorway at the top, shoulders scraping against the rough-hewn stone. The passage narrowed to a claustrophobic tunnel, darkness pressing in like a physical weight.

  Reluctantly, he activated his headache power again.

  Through the solid rock wall to his right, he detected a humanoid figure radiating energy, seated motionless inside an enormous chamber. As they inched forward, his fingers traced the wall until they caught on something soft—a heavy velvet drape, its fabric thick with dust that tickled his nose. He parted it carefully; Thorn perched tensely on his shoulder. The room beyond stole Ben's breath—a cavernous throne room with tall reaching stalagmites. Upon a throne carved from a single massive rock, sat a figure draped in silver-tipped wolf pelts, and feet encased in boots of some scaled hide. Where a head should be rested the bleached skull of a deer-like creature, its eye sockets hollow and watchful, its elongated snout pointing accusingly forward. Massive antlers branch upward like gnarled fingers, scraping towards the dark ceiling. The figure's hands—too long, too thin—gripped an ebony staff of ironwood, crowned with two pulsing yellow crystals. Between them, a perfectly matched impression, to the crystal now burning against Ben's thigh through his pocket.

  The skull pivoted toward them, empty sockets somehow finding Ben and Thorn at the threshold. Its jaw hinged open, releasing words that seemed to emanate from the very walls around them."How long these corridors have been absent of living flesh. Come closer, mortal. Feel the honor of being my first meal in centuries."

  Ben quickly glanced at the compass. The needle quivered before locking onto the throne that dominated the far wall. Thorn, Ben sent mentally, his breath fogging in the chill air, “is the portal behind that monstrosity or is the throne itself the gateway?"

  Apologies, Thorn's voice echoed inside his skull, tinged with genuine regret, but I possess no certainty. Both scenarios necessitate the guardian's demise.

  Before Ben could respond, a blinding golden beam erupted from the head of the staff, searing through the tattered velvet drapes that had concealed their presence.

  Diving headlong into the chamber, Ben slid and then rolled behind one of the massive pillars. His spine collided with the cold rock, knocking the wind from his lungs.

  Yeah, sure, just kill it. Got any tactical advice, oh wise one?

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Don't die please. It took me forever to find you.

  A second blast punched through the pillar, raining down more debris. If Ben hadn't been crouched, his head would be gone.

  Thorn, cloak and go left. I'll go right.

  What's your plan?

  Just do it! Ben took off to the side, drew his pistol and fired rapidly. Bullets peppered the empty throne. Wait, empty?

  A scraping sound from the darkness above reached his ears. Before Ben could look up, the guardian landed, and in one fluid motion bounded after him, claws wide. He knew he wasn't going to make it, but he had to try.

  Just then Benjamin felt something tug down in his chest and he dropped, barely escaping the attack. Turning the drop into a roll, Ben bounced to his feet and kept running around the throne room. Slenderman Deer Carnage hot on his heels. Whatever that meant.

  Not missing a stride, Ben pushed in his last clip. No more till he charged them up. Not that he thought he would live to do it.

  “Excellent! Yes! Run little man!” the horror crowed.

  Ben's fleeting hope that it might release him for sport vanished as cold, dirty fingers constricted around his throat.

  Dangling above the ground, Ben thrashed wildly as his lungs screamed for oxygen. The creature's grip constricted around his throat while its other hand drove razor claws deep into his abdomen. Pain exploded through him like shattered glass, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision. With a desperate surge of strength, Ben pressed his pistol against the monster's torso and pulled the trigger until the chamber clicked empty.

  The beast let out a rumbling laugh that shook loose pebbles from the ceiling. "Foolish human. Your magic is like throwing water at the ocean. I am magic incarnate in this domain, pure mana—you might as well try to drown a fish." Its jagged teeth gleamed as its lips curled into a contemptuous smile.

  Pure mana?? Thorn can I…

  YES! BENJAMIN, NOW!

  Ben reached inside himself and threw open his null gate. His vision fractured. His center of being screamed at the strain of cosmic power.

  He felt all of this simultaneously when something inside him snapped, and a black wave of force erupted out of him. A sphere that burst outward and over Ben and the monster. The walls seemed to bend, and the air itself thickened. The entire throne room vibrated, threatening to collapse.

  Primordial shrieks sliced through his mind, and Ben couldn't move, struggling to breathe once more. The guardian’s face began to crack, and when the rest of the body turned to ash, Ben fell gracefully to the floor and onto his face.

  Gasping for air and trying to ignore his broken nose, he held his gut.

  “Master! You're injured!” Thorn exclaimed, bounding over.

  “Yeah…I…know…”

  Gasping for breath, Ben's fingers scrambled across the floor until they found the fallen staff. He extracted the large crystal he'd discovered earlier and carefully positioned it between the two smaller ones. The crystal leapt from his grasp as if alive, locking into place with a resonant click. Light erupted from all three stones, flooding the throne room with brilliance that forced Ben to shield his eyes. As the radiance subsided, he lowered his arm to find the crystals had fused into a single sphere, its surface rippling liquid gold.

  Holding the staff sent waves of serenity washing over Ben. The orb captivated him, its golden depths threatening to pull his consciousness under like a tide. Without warning, light erupted from the entire length, yanking itself from his grip. Before his eyes, the staff contracted, shrinking until only a twenty-centimeter ebony wand remained. Delicate gold filigree spiraled along its length, catching light against the polished darkness. When Ben's fingers closed around it, the wand pulsed with energy, as though it had been crafted specifically for his palm.

  “What the fuck is this?” Ben wearily asked his little guide.

  Thorn scurried to Ben's side with eyes fixed on the wand. "It's bonded to your soul now. But we need to move—you're bleeding out. Test it if you must, then we go!"Ben attempted to stand but managed only to prop himself up on one elbow. The stomach wound screamed in protest as he aimed the wand at the throne and flicked his wrist. A blinding orb of white mana—no larger than his fist—shot forth.The throne disintegrated on impact.Debris rained down, clouding the chamber in dust and fragments. As the air cleared, a swirling vortex the size of a doorway materialized where the throne had been.Ben dragged himself toward the portal, each movement leaving a crimson trail behind him. His strength ebbed with each inch gained, vision tunneling until darkness swallowed him whole.