When Lucas emerged from the portal, the first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was cold. Very cold. He quickly realized that he had materialized deep within a cave. It was eerily quiet. If not for the vortex behind him emitting a brilliant glow, the area would have been in total darkness. Lucas, shivering, took a few steps away from the portal and looked around. He was in a wide open space, completely covered in ice crystals. Large stalactites and stalagmites nearly obstructed his view of a tunnel leading out of the room. Carefully, he made his way to the passage.
He encountered a problem as he walked down the icy corridor. The farther he got, the harder it became to see. Soon, he could see nothing at all. Dammit! How am I supposed to get out of here when I can’t even see an inch in front of my face?! Despite this, he stretched his arms out in front of him and slowly made his way farther. The slippery ice floor made it difficult for him to keep his balance. He took each step forward with great caution.
On three separate occasions, Lucas’s lack of vision caused him to nearly walk directly into a wall. Fortunately, his outstretched arms detected the threat before this occurred. The small stalagmites scattered throughout the passage proved to be another issue. Several times during his expedition, he was met with surprise when his foot randomly bumped into them. However, his careful pacing prevented him from tripping. Gradually, he found his way around each of the obstacles.
All he could think about was getting home. He had no idea how long it had been since he had left his house. Grandpa is going to start worrying soon. Lucas stopped walking. Maybe I should go back to the In Between. At least I could see there. I might be able to find another one of those portals. He was about to turn around but stopped himself. No, I need to keep going. At least I know that if I make it out of this cave, I’ll be somewhere in Aria. If I go back to that place, I could end up just as lost as I am now. It’s not worth the risk. I’ve already come this far.
The lack of light wasn’t the only problem Lucas was experiencing. The more he crept through the tunnel, the more unbearable the cold air became. Still he continued to push himself, focusing on each individual step as the bitter chill cut into his skin like millions of microscopic icicles. Then, at last, he saw a faint, distant light. The exit! Excitedly, he walked faster.
He soon emerged from the mouth of the cave into a snow blanketed forest. That’s when it hit him. I must be hundreds of miles away from home. I’ll never make it back, even if I knew which direction to go in. After some contemplation, he ultimately decided to walk straight forward.
Lucas journeyed through the cold forest as the snow fell softly around him. Although it was a peaceful trek, the piercing air and spinning anxiety made him miserable. I would give anything for a coat right now. It seemed that there was no end in sight.
He began to feel completely hopeless when, without warning, something thin, cold, and slimy wrapped tightly around his ankle. Suddenly, he found himself hanging upside-down. Before he could comprehend what had just taken place, he was slung through the air with great force into a tree. He screamed from the overwhelming pain as his body lay helpless.
Looking up, he saw an eight-foot-tall blue hominoid creature with piercing yellow eyes sitting in a tree from high above where he had been flung. Its thorax and abdomen were completely covered in a thick, armor-like shell. Two narrow spikes stuck out of its elbows while six long, slimy blue tentacles slithered from its back.
Suddenly, the lower two tentacles extended outward, wrapping around the branch the bizarre beast sat upon. Bending its knees, it leaped off of the branch and dangled. Lengthening its tentacles as needed, it began to lower itself to the ground. It did this in the same way a spider lowers itself on a line of web.
The moment he spotted the being, Lucas used every ounce of strength he had to hoist himself onto his feet. Without a second thought, he took off running. It’s huge! Even if I were in good shape right now, there’s no way I’d be able to defeat it. Each step worsened the ache of his injuries. Behind him, the monster let out a grisly scream as it continued its descent.
As soon as the creature hit the ground, it began its pursuit. Lucas could hear its footsteps in the snow, gaining on him at an alarming rate. It wasn’t long before his body finally reached its limit and he plummeted to the ground.
That’s when he felt the slimy blue tentacle grip his ankle once again. He quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced it off of his leg. The beast screamed loudly in pain as Lucas tried with all of his might to get back to his feet but before he could, the monster hastily grabbed his ankle with another one of its bizarre appendages and he was forcefully snatched into the air.
Lucas attempted to decapitate the blue brute as it dangled him upside-down, examining him momentarily. Unfortunately, it held him at just enough distance from its face that Lucas’s wild swings were completely ineffective. Without warning, it threw him to the ground. The pain of the impact was far too intense for him to endure, causing him to drop his sword. Barely conscious and in total mental and physical agony, Lucas closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable.
He heard the terrifying sound of crunching snow as the beast approached him. This is it. I’m going to die here. Then, something strange happened. Lucas felt a flash of intense heat as the creature suddenly let out a loud shriek. He opened his eyes, slowly turning his head to see what was happening.
Through his blurry vision, Lucas saw the creature writhing in agony, producing another loud screech as it was hit with a speeding orb of fire. “Ignis orbis!” he heard from the distance. Again the beast was assaulted with a quick moving fireball. Unable to remain conscious any longer, Lucas collapsed.