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The heavy stone doors opened, and the run began. Zedaph grabbed the compass sitting on the cold floor and crossed the threshold. A shiver ran down his spine as he heard the doors close behind him. The only way for him to get out was to find the artefact, or die. And based on what he had experienced during the previous runs, it would most likely be the second option.
He sneaked over the edge of the platform, looking around for any imminent threats, but there weren’t any. He carefully made his way down and checked the compass he held in his shaky hand. The needle was pointing left; it barely moved as he took his first steps, so it meant that the artefact was far away from him. He was still sneaking; he didn’t want to trigger any unnecessary clank, although he was sure he would flee away loudly the second he saw a ravager around the corner.
He grabbed two berries from the bush near the entrance. It wasn’t much, but it gave him a false sense of progress, which he sorely needed. The last few runs had gone terribly wrong. Tango had asked him to open the doors to level two before actually searching for his artefact, but luck wasn’t on his side. He hadn’t seen any keys for a long time, and he knew that a few metres away there were two very angry ravagers that had already killed him, at least twice.
As he circled the pillar next to the dripstone and the berries, he heard that one skulk sensor went off nearby. somewhere above him, Tango was saying something about a stuck ravage, but he didn’t pay much attention. He had unsneaked, and his foot stepped a bit too loud on the cold ice. In just a matter of seconds, he heard the throbbing sound of the heartbeat go off. Oh God, he hated it. Everything felt much more real, as if every pulse meant that something hazardous was approaching him. To be fair, it probably was, but Zedaph was not a huge fan of the remainder. He thoroughly enjoyed horror movies; which was the main reason he agreed to be Tango’s test dummy, but it was a very different feeling when he was the one running from scary monsters.
He turned left and continued walking into the maze until he found himself in front of the river. His eyes darted around the cave; he was certain that Tango had said something important about this place.
“The bridge!” he exclaimed once he saw the iron trapdoors on both sides of the ravine walls.
“There you g—” Tango burst out laughing when he saw Zed jump and sink into the water either way.
Zedaph could still hear his laughter as he resurfaced. The freezing water had soaked into his clothes and made it harder to move.
“I can’t believe that just happened!”
He saw a ravager in the corner of his eyes and immediately raced in the opposite direction. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. This was the last run of the day, and he really wanted to leave through the exit door with an artefact in hand. He let out a strangled noise when the passage closed behind him. All of his stability cards had been played, and hazard was clearly making its job. He was running out of time. He ate a few berries to make sure his hunger was high enough to run if he needed it. As he walked forward a few steps, the compass needle changed direction. He was close. So close. He looked straight down trying to find the exact spot.
“C’mon… It must be here somewhere.”
He was trembling. He held the compass with both hands trying to obtain an accurate location. His breath hitched when he heard a ravage behind the wall, he could hear it clomp just around the corner. Right when he thought he wasn’t going to make it, the needle spun 360 degrees. He was in the right place; he threw the compass on the ice and the artefact popped out of the ground right next to him. He grabbed it before dashing out of the room through the small exit. He ran past the stinking animal towards the exit. He heard it move its head up right as we passed next to it, ready to attack, but Zedaph was fast enough to avoid the hit. He felt the beast right behind him. Panting, he turned left at an intersection when he saw two other ravagers waiting for him. He sped up when he saw the campfire; he was nearly there. His feet stepped the pressure plates, and he walked through the doors, which closed shut right behind his back, leaving everything behind. He had done it.
His eyes teared up when he saw Tango standing right in front of him, arms high in the air. He threw himself in the welcoming arms of the other hermit, hugging him tightly. He hadn’t realised he was on the verge of tears until he felt them running down his cheeks and onto the other’s black coat. Arms tightened around his back.
“You’re okay now, Zed,” Tango whispered in his ear.
Zedaph calmed down enough to look up into the other’s now blue eyes. If he looked close enough, he could see the usual red peaking through. Zed gave him a tired smile, holding the mysterious artefact he had just recovered. He proudly held the axe of the screamin’ void in his hand. “I did it.”
Tango wrapped a soft towel around his shoulders. He was still dripping from when he fell into the water. “You’ve been of great help testing the game. But now let me take care of you, okay?”
Zedaph nodded, a fond smile plastered on his face as Tango rubbed the towel over his hair to dry it. He helped him to change into more comfortable clothes before leading him to his base. He had assumed that the imposing big black towers was just a façade to make the game entrance scarier, but he was glad to see Tango had built himself a habitable area inside the citadel. They had just gone inside when they heard a knock on the front door.
“Come in!” Tango exclaimed, making his way into the small kitchen. The door opened, and Zedaph was surprised to see Xisuma and Etho holding already cooked meals in their hands.
“Hello,” said Etho while Xisuma set the food down on the counter next to Zed.
“We supposed you would be hungry after all that running, so we brought some food.”
“Thank you, guys.” Tango grabbed some dishes from a nearby chest. “Are you staying for dinner?”
Etho shook his head. “No, it’s getting late. And Zed must be exhausted. We’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, they were gone.
Zedaph was glad they came by; he wanted to go to bed as soon as possible, and having a warm meal right away was really nice. Despite how sore and tired he was, Tango and he ate calmly, discussing their opinions on the runs, the things that went wrong, and suggestions to improve the game. However, he was relieved when Tango held his hand and led them to the half demon’s bedroom. Zedaph threw himself into the mattress without a second thought, although he felt a bit bashful when Tango tugged the black sheets under him and covered them both.
“Can I do anything else for you?” he asked, wrapping his arms around Zed.
“No, it’s okay.” He shook his head, burying his it on the other’s chest; he melted into his embrace, finally able to relax. “Just hold me till I fall asleep.” Zedaph asked, and Tango complied, like he always did.