Pride - Arc 1

Prologue
December 17th, 2045

Location unknown

I sheathe my blade as I pick up my speed once more. The sound of my footsteps echoed eerily throughout the darkened halls. I was entirely highlighted by the dim green glimmering that radiated from the ceiling above me. My legs and feet were covered in what seemed to be an amalgamation of slime, muckus, cobwebs and bone white femur fragments.

"My god, the smell in this place. -So- not me." I huffed as I kept sprinting forward.

I mean, I am not used to this kind of exposure. This tainted smell pierced my nose in the most horrid ways. And then there was this bone-chilling cold, like a soft winter wind, barely there yet frigid as hell.

I came to a grinding halt as I heard the walls shift around me. The shades of green disappeared, the light flickering around me as I start dashing from side to side, trying to find an exit or another path forward.

'WHACK!'

My face slams most ungracefully into the wall in front of me, and I tumble backwards, trying to catch myself as I fall to the cold, slimey ground.

"Miserable necropolis!" I curse as I dust myself off and slowly trace my steps backwards.

I swear, I could sense something moving around me. It irked me, twitching my nerves. I hear that evil, ghastly laugh swirling around me, echoing off the interior walls. I can feel the ground rumble again as I start to clench my right hand around the hilt of my sword.

"...Your future... it lies elsewhere... intertwined with the downfall of us all..."

I perk my ears as I rear my head, taking a knee. What did this voice speak of?

I try to focus on my spellcrafting as I search the hallways around me for possible exit routes. Safe to say, the entire place was securely locked with ancient spells that countered mine. It was impossible for me to carve out a lay-out of this labyrinth in my mind. There were too many variables to begin with, and the spells guarding the halls made it too difficult to unlock the right path forward.

"...shard of the past...glance of silver...far within the abyss..."

I try to search the in-game map, but this place was scrambling my interface options. As if this entire section was never meant to be here, like some huge glitch. My eyes start catching faint yet haunting movements down the corridors around me, sillhouettes of disfigured arms reaching out towards me from within the stone of the necropolis.

"...to Meloxxramas you shall return...alone yet in company...power before pride, pride before power..."

The hands suddenly start charging for me. I let out a panicked yelp as I immediatly turn to make a run for it. My chase for the exit was accompanied by the eerie laughter of what seemed to be a million souls.

I slide around the corner, and can practically taste my freedom as I see the portal chamber ahead of myself. Within a matter of seconds, my hand is firmly placed on the translocating crystal, and I feel myself being warped out of Meloxxramas.

"...Sylvaine..."