Prologue

Adrian, on a perilous quest to find a valuable artifact, finds himself deep within winding, labyrinthine caves. It's treacherous and foreboding environment that sets the stage for the adventure to co

The search for the relic had led Adrian on a perilous journey through winding, labyrinthine caves. He trudged through the depths of the earth, his wand clutched tightly in his hand, as the faint glow emanating from it provided the only source of light in the dark, foreboding caverns. Jagged rock sprouted from the ceiling and floor of the tunnels often forming a pattern reminiscent of sharp teeth. Every step he took echoed through the stone tunnels, rebounding in a way that made Adrian worry that he wasn’t alone. 

"Great, just what I needed," Adrian whispered to himself as he cautiously rounded a corner. "Another creepy, dank cave to explore." It seemed as though the deeper he delved into the subterranean network, the more bleak and dismal the surroundings became. Adrian’s shadow seemed to dance along the walls, distorted by the numerous cracks and crevices that covered them. 

As he moved forward, the glow from his wand grew brighter and brighter, beckoning him towards the prize he sought. The sound of his footsteps became louder as he kept moving, reverberating ominously through the corridors. Again, Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. His heart started to pound in his chest as he quickened his pace. The brighter the light from his wand, the more warped his shadow became. He was almost positive the shadow was no longer his. 

Panic gnawed at Adrian, fearful of what manner of beast might be stalking him and against his better judgment he decided to look back. However, he could not catch a glimpse of anything, as whatever it was seemed to be lurking just beyond the reach of his wand's light. The sound of movement, a rustling that sounded eerily like the soft scrape of claws against stone, became clear behind him. The scraping grew louder, more menacing, as if something was closing in on him with deliberate intent. 

Without thinking, Adrian broke into a sprint, determined to not find himself at the mercy of those claws. The beast following behind him matched his speed, as a low, guttural growl began growing steadily louder. It was unnerving, like the snarl of a predator closing in on its prey. 

Suddenly, the narrow corridor opened up into a massive, dimly lit chamber. Adrian skidded to a halt, his heart still racing, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He could feel the presence behind him but when he turned, there was nothing but shadows.

"Well, go on then!" he bellowed shakily. “Show me that ugly mug of yours!” The growling had stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Whatever had been chasing Adrian seemed to have vanished into the darkness.

After getting no response to his heckling, Adrian turned his attention to the chamber. The circular chamber was large with a high ceiling. Around the edges of the room stood ionic stone pillars, all in various stages of decay. Some were less worn than others, Adrian could even tell that at one point they must have been painted. Randomly sized flecks of red and white as well as some smaller faded black figures were visible in some places on the pillars.

Adrian was drawn to the center of the chamber, where an enigmatic chalice rested upon a stone pedestal. The pedestal, like the pillars, was worn and was undoubtedly more ornate in the past. All that was left was a fresco on the front of a scene that Adrian wasn't familiar with. Under different circumstances he would have wanted to examine the fresco in depth, but the chalice took all of his attention. The relic Adrian had risked so much to find seemed to be finally within his reach. He strode confidently towards the chalice, his wand held aloft. But as he approached, he heard a faint clicking sound, and his foot brushed against something on the ground. Suddenly, the floor gave way beneath him, and he tumbled downwards, landing hard on the stone floor below.

He groaned in pain and frustration as he sat up, brushing dust and debris off his clothes. "Well, that was just fantastic," he grumbled. "I guess I should have seen that coming." As he examined his surroundings, he realized that he was in a new chamber, different from any he had seen before. But something about it felt familiar, like he had been here before. Unlike the other chamber, this one was empty. The unpleasant earthy smell of mold hung in the slightly humid air. There were no decrepit pillars or old pedestals, just Adrian in a seemingly doorless room. 

Suddenly, Adrian spotted something moving quickly out of the corner of his eye. Turning quickly, he raised his wand, ready to defend himself. But there was nothing there. Just the eerie silence of the cave, broken only by his own breathing. "What is going on here?" he pondered. "This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

Adrian took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of unease. "Come on, Adrian, get it together," he said softly. "It's just stress. You haven’t lost the plot... yet." He took a step forward, and his foot suddenly slipped out from under him. He fell backward, scrambling to grab hold of something, anything, to stop his descent. Luckily his fingers caught the edge of a stone platform, and he pulled himself back up, panting. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, his heart racing. "Ok, don't panic…nothing you haven't dealt with before.." He lay on his back, his eyes closed, trying to calm his racing heart. Adrian reached for the pendant around his neck and gave it a soft squeeze. "Yep, I'm definitely gonna go mad." he chuckled to himself.

As he opened his eyes, Adrian realized that the platform was not actually attached to anything. It hung in mid-air, suspended by some sort of magic. He knew he had fallen several meters but now there was no sign of where he had fallen from. Only the platform and the pit it hovered over. Adrian was sure the floor had been solid before he slipped. Whatever sorcery was at work here was undoubtedly influencing his perspective of events.

Adrian peered over the edge of the platform into the seemingly bottomless pit below. His breath caught in his throat and hand instinctively went to his pendant. Almost paralyzed he began thinking about how far the drop might be. However, remembering what he was doing, he forced himself to look away. “Get it together Adrian!” he yelled at himself out loud. It was then that he caught sight of a glowing object floating in the air above him. A luminous chalice hovered several feet above the platform, casting a warm glow on everything around it. Adrian's eyes widened as he recognized it. This was it. The object that had driven him to risk life and limb to find. "Finally." he breathed out in relief.

Adrian got to his feet and began to look around the room for anything he could use to reach the chalice.  "Okay," he said to himself. "I need to figure out how to get to that relic. It's too high up for me to reach on my own, but maybe..." He looked around, searching for any clues or signs that might help him. Adrian just barely could make out the shape of something tucked away in a corner of the chamber. "Aha!" Adrian exclaimed, grinning in triumph. "I wager that lever is important. But how can I reach it?"

He looked around again, trying to think. An idea popped into his mind. He pointed his wand at the lever. Summoning all of his strength, he poured his energy into it, unleashing a blast of wind. The lever activated in response to the force of the air blast, lifting the platform higher to meet the chalice. 

As he drew closer, he could see the intricate patterns etched into the chalice's surface. He could almost feel the power coursing through it. "Just a little closer," Adrian said, reaching out his hand. Slowly, carefully, he inched his way towards the relic, his heart racing in his chest. And finally, he reached out and grasped it in his hand. Adrian smiled, feeling a sense of pride wash over him. "I've done it," he said, holding the relic aloft.

Unexpectedly, the platform he was standing on disappeared from under his feet, sending him hurtling downwards. "No, no, no!" he cried, flailing his arms in a vain attempt to stop his fall. Adrian screamed as he fell into the darkness, his body tumbling end over end as he plummeted. "Oh my gods, oh my gods," he screamed, his voice echoing off the walls.

The world shifted again, and Adrian found himself in a new chamber. "I'm going to be sick," he groaned, doubled over on the dry stone floor with his head spinning. Again, he grabbed at his pendant and squeezed softly. “This is starting to get annoying.” he thought trying to recollect himself. As Adrian gathered his bearings, he noticed that the chamber now resembles the original. Except the pedestal that once held the chalice was now crumbled to pieces. 

Slowly, Adrian stood up, wobbling a bit as he regained his balance. He took the chalice and put it into his side bag, then scanned the room again. As he turned, he noticed the silhouette of a creature on the far side of the room. It began growling menacingly as he took notice of it. "Oh, great," he muttered, squinting to try and make out the shape. "Are you that creature from earlier?"

Suddenly, the beast launched itself at him, but Adrian dodged just in time, feeling a sharp pain in his arm as the creature's claws grazed him. "Okay, okay," he said, trying to catch his breath. "I get it. You don't like visitors. But seriously, that was a bit much, don't you think?" Adrian readied himself for a fight, holding his wand tightly. He could smell the faint metallic odor of blood coming from where he was scratched. The creature bared its teeth and let out a vicious roar as it circled Adrian, ready to strike. He still couldn’t make out exactly what the beast looked like in the shadowy chamber. All he could see was that it was frighteningly large with shaggy hair. Its glowing yellow eyes were locked on Adrian as kept his wand trained on the beast, hurling bolts of electricity at it as it lunged at him with its razor-sharp claws.

"Is that all you've got?" Adrian taunted, his heart pounding in his chest. "Come on, I've seen scarier things at Nan’s!" He jumped to one side as the creature swiped at him, its claws slicing through the air.

Adrian retaliated, this time conjuring a ball of fire with his wand, striking the creature in the chest. It staggered backwards, letting out a pained howl. "That's more like it!" Adrian cheered, feeling a surge of adrenaline.

The beast snarled and charged again, but Adrian is ready for it this time. He dodged to one side, then spun around, blasting it with another powerful bolt of electricity. The creature let out one final shriek, then dissolved into a shadow like ink that sank into the floor.

Adrian stood there for a moment, catching his breath and trying to calm his racing heart. "Well, that was fun," he says, his voice shaking slightly. "But I think I'll pass on a rematch." Adrian checked the cuts on his arm. He could still feel the sting of the claws but other than that, the pain had gone away. Other than the bit of blood on his now ripped jacket, it seemed as though the wound had healed. It was like he had never been cut. “I know I heal fast but…” He thought to himself puzzled. 

Lost in thought, Adrian was suddenly surrounded by a bright flash of light. As the light faded, Adrian found himself outside the cavern. He stumbled for a moment as the light faded away, his eyes adjusting to the bright sunshine. He quickly looked down at the chalice in his bag, making sure he still had it and began to revel in his victory.

"I can't wait to show this to Volund," he said to himself, a smile spreading across his face. He knows his friend won't believe his story, but will enjoy hearing it regardless. “This will make a great addition to the university's collection."

Adrian started walking down the path, but as he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to explore in the caverns. But for now, he was content to head home and bask in the glory of his latest discovery.

Author's Note

I really need help deciding if I should keep going with the third person perspective. Also would like feedback on fluency. I'm a little afraid some parts don't make enough sense? Feedback on grammar also appreciated :)