Chapter 6: Into the Lion's Den
Determined to fulfil the task Hawk Moth had given him, Brutus went down the hole, knowing that once inside, he would need all his wits, and all his strength to get past the numerous traps that laid between him and the vault, where the Urn of Ahmet was kept. As he went down the hole, the smell of stale, dead things filled his nostrils. Whatever was waiting in there was anything but good, and that smell was a warning. A warning he ignored, knowing his master had given him an order, and he had to carry it out.
"Maybe I should've asked the master to bring Reptile with me. He would've been a good help in this task." -Brutus thought to himself. –"No. If the master tasked me alone, then it's because he believes I can handle this task alone. Asking him to bring someone alone, would've been disrespectful, to say the least." -he thought, as he reached the bottom of the hole.
The stench in the air was positively horrid. The nauseating smell of rotting dead things was stronger than ever. Brutus' was forced to hold his breath, so he would not throw up what little food he had in his stomach. Withdrawing the talisman from inside his armour once more, he used it to illuminate his surroundings. He saw that he was in a small cave. It looked like a regular cave, except for the ground. The ground gave the impression that it was moving. And it only took him a second to realize that it was not just an impression. The ground really was moving. Tendrils shot from it and stuck to Brutus's feet and legs.
"T-The first t-trap!" -Brutus yelled, as he tried to free his feet from that black sticky mass, which was slowly climbing up his legs, wanting to consume him whole.
Pulling a dagger from his abdomen, he swiftly cut the tendrils that continued to latch on to him, while looking for a way to stop that trap, before it consumed him. Hawk Moth had not given him details on what kind of traps awaited him, because it was not him who came up with them, but rather some of the higher-ranking members of his cult. But he had wanted him of how to disable them. And to disable that one, he had to find a groove, where to place the talisman, in order to eliminate the threat.
"I-I need… to f-find that groove!" -Brutus thought, as his eyes scoured the cave looking for said groove, while trying not to panic, as that goo kept swallowing him. –"Where is it?! W-Where is it?!" -he yelled.
With only the talisman's light to illuminate his surroundings, it was hard for him to find anything on the cave walls. And to make matters worse, that goo had already covered Brutus up to his waist, and he was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable; like that thing was beginning to digest his armor, which it was.
"Where is that thing?! I can't see it!" -Brutus shouted, as his eyes continued to look for the place where the talisman had to go. –"Where is it? Where… there!" -he shouted.
The groove where the talisman went was not on the walls, but on the ceiling. Immediately, he cursed the fact that he had not thought of looking for it in the ceiling earlier. Pulling a sword from his chest, he jabbed it into the wall and tried to pull himself up, to then use it as a stepping stone. This proved harder than expected, as the goo kept trying to cover him. Using his bare hands, Brutus pulled himself up, with the goo pulling him back down. Still, even with that happening, he managed to get on top of the sword.
"M-Must hurry. I can feel that this thing is eating through my armour." -Brutus thought to himself.
From where he was, he was not able to reach the groove. He would have to aim the talisman and shoot it into the groove on the ceiling. Focusing, he visualized the shot and threw it. Following the talisman, as it travelled through the air, time seemed to slow down between the moment Brutus threw it, and the moment it hit the groove. When this happened, a purple wave of energy spread over the cave's ceiling, running down the walls and the ground. As the energy passed by the goo, this one began to retract. Slowly, but steadily, it left Brutus alone, diminishing in size, being sucked into the ground, revealing an unpleasant surprise. Numerous human skeletons. Jumping down, he landed just in time to catch the talisman, which got loose from the grove, after fulfilling its purpose. Looking at the skeletons, Brutus immediately assumed one thing.
"Bones. No doubt proof of some unfortunate soul who was thrown here, or that tried to access the vault." -Brutus said, as he grabbed one of the skulls and then tossed it aside, upon which this one shattered into pieces, when hitting the ground.
Sighing, Brutus wondered what would the next trap be. That first one was decidedly created to prevent anyone from even reaching the second one. So, the following ones would be easier to deal with, or they would be even harder. Whatever the case, it would not prevent him from reaching his goal.
"Better get moving." –Brutus said, as he used the talisman's light to illuminate the way.
The only way out of that cave was a small tunnel that was carved into the stone. Because this one was not very tall, Brutus was forced to lower his head, and in some places, he was even forced to kneel to continue. As he made his way through the tunnel, one of his thoughts was that whoever had dug it had made it so, to make it difficult to go through. Another thing that made it hard for him to advance were thick cobwebs spun by spiders over the centuries. But there was one good thing about all that. The stench of dead and decaying things grew weaker the farther he went.
"At least the stench is gone." -Brutus thought, as he teared another cobweb with his left hand. –"Darn spiders!" -he shouted, when a huge spider fell on his face, and he quickly grabbed it and squished it with his right hand.
This went on for a while longer, at which point the tunnel began to the tunnel began to widen, allowing him to get to his feet. Shortly afterwards, he ended up in another cave. This one was different from the one he'd been in before. While the previous one was a cave that had formed naturally, this one had been excavated, just like the tunnel he came through. The walls had been hollowed out and carved to look like a temple. Numerous life-size statues adorned the cave. Statues of Hawk Moth, the biggest of which was at the back of the cave, surrounded by a sort of altar.
"Incredible. A place of worship, no doubt." -Brutus thought to himself. –"I don't see a way out of this one, and according to the master, the talisman is useless here. I must find a way out, without setting whatever traps are in this cave." -he mused about, when he noticed there was not a door.
Looking around, he tried to see how he was going to get out of there. Pointing the talisman, he wondered if any of the statues would have a switch that once activated, would reveal the exit. It was then that torches on the walls lit, illuminating the whole room, which revealed just how large it truly was. No longer needing the talisman to light up his way, he slipped it inside his armour, and went back to finding a way out of there.
Suddenly, Brutus' eyes were drawn to the ground, where he noticed there was a large rectangular mosaic made out of tiles. Approaching it, he knelt down to take a better look at them. He noticed that each of them had an animal engraved on it. Touching one of them, he heard a mechanical whisper, after which, a volley of arrows shot from the wall behind him. Hearing them hissing in his direction, he barely had the time to lay down on the floor to escape them.
"That was close." -Brutus said, when he noticed one of the statues' eyes glowing, before firing lasers from them, and nearly hitting him. –"It looks like there must be an additional trap that is sound activated. I must try and be as silent as possible." -he thought to himself, as he continued to look at the tiles. –"Let's see. Those arrows were fired, when I pressed that tile. But maybe some of them won't fire arrows, when pressed. There must be a pattern here. What do all these animals have in common?"
Looking at them, he saw that even though each tile there was one different animal, there were laid down in a pattern. Lions, bears, tigers, panthers, among others. All of them animals that were known for being ferocious and dangerous. And then, he saw there was one animal in the tiles that did not match the others.
"That's it! All the animals in the tiles are predators... all of them, except... butterflies." -Brutus thought, when he noticed there were various tiles where a sheep was depicted. –"Maybe if I step on the tiles that have a butterfly, it won't activate the traps." -he thought.
Taking a few more seconds to ponder about that line of thought, Brutus decided to risk it. Placing his left foot on the nearest tile that had a butterfly, he waited to see if another volley of arrows was fired. Nothing happened, and swiftly assumed he was right about the tiles with the butterflies. But this assumption was quickly proven wrong, when the whole place began to tremble. And then, then Hell broke loose.
"Move!" -Brutus' inner voice warned him.
Listening to it, he quickly took a step back, just as the huge mosaic collapsed in front of him, showing that beneath him was a huge pit covered in sharp spikes. Looking at them, he realized that if it had taken him an extra second to jump backwards, he would have been turned. With everything around, him shaking, Brutus decided to start jumping from one side to the other, at the same time looking for a way to get out of there, or at least to stop the tremors that were getting stronger and stronger.
"This can't be good." -Brutus spoke, activating the laser eyes from all the statues, which fired against him.
Dodging the lasers, which scorched the walls behind him, Brutus knew that if he did not find a way out of there, that cave would become his tomb, until the end of days. Turning back was not an option, and there was not a way to move forward that he could see. With each passing second, cracks appeared on the stone, turning the cave unstable. It did not take long for most of the statues of Hawk Moth to begin to crumble like a deck of cards. Next, pieces of the ceiling began to fall, forcing Brutus to continue to move like a grasshopper. He had barely touched the ground, he was already jumping to another place, so he did not end up squashed by the debris.
The noise of rock cracking was making it hard for Brutus to hear his own thoughts, and combined with the need to constantly move around, to not end up flattened like a pancake, along with the torches that were going out one by one, it was getting harder and harder to find a way out of that predicament. And then, when the altar began to collapse, with the huge statue of Hawk Moth being the first to crumble down, revealing what seemed to be a secret tunnel.
"Hands and feet, don't fail me now!" -Brutus thought to himself, as he realized what he had to do.
Pulling a templar sword from his chest, and changing his left armlet into a kite shield, Brutus charged towards what was left of the altar, jumping over the shaft where the mosaic had been before, and the rest of the debris that kept falling on the ground. As he did this, time seemed to slow down to almost a halt, only to speed up to regular speed, as if it was trying to catch up. Debris fell on top of Brutus, but his shield protected him, while using the sword as an improvised pole, to propel himself over a mound of debris. Landing on the floor, he sprinted as fast as he could, with the eye set on the prize. But just as he was about to reach the exit, he saw a large piece of debris falling, forcing him to come to a halt, preventing him to be flattened like a pancake. The large piece of debris was blocking most of the exit. This one was still within Brutus' reach, but it was now a tight fit. Holding his breath, and without wasting time, he took two steps back, and ran towards the exit, throwing himself down, at the same time as a second piece of rubble fell down, about to land on the previous one. For milliseconds, Brutus was not buried alive. Falling face first onto the ground, he heard the rest of the cave collapse. Lying there, he then looked to the right, to see the makeshift exit he had come from, being blocked by debris, thus making it impossible to turn around; not that he had intentions of doing that.
"T-That was too close… I-I wonder, if that trap didn't have a solution, and it was just a decoy for the real way to get out of there? Either way, doesn't really matter." -Brutus grunted, as he got up. –"Like a true soldier, I improvised and managed to survive… and that's all that matters." -he declared, as he shook the dust from his armour, before once more retrieving Hawk Moth's talisman from the armour, to light his way.
More determined, than ever before, Brutus went down the tunnel, where this time one could see a light at the end of it. After that brush with death, he wondered what else awaited him at the end of that tunnel. It was clear to him now that the traps laid there had been made to keep anyone who did not have Hawk Moth's talisman, as well as knowledge of how to get pass them, from reaching the vault where the urn was being kept. He had already seen the remains of people who had either tried to get to the vault, or had been thrown inside, and was wondering if he had what it took to reach the end.
"You must stop wondering if you'll be able to reach the end. You were chosen by the master for this task, as well as to serve him until the end of your days, by always being by his side; especially when he becomes the ruler of this world." -Brutus thought to himself. –"Whatever else is protecting that urn, you'll be able to handle it. After all, a soldier never backs out of a mission." -he declared, as he closed in on the end of the tunnel.
Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, Brutus quickly discovered why there was a light at the end of it. The cavern he was in was littered with milk-white crystals of all shapes and sizes, which glowed almost as brightly as Hawk Moth's talisman. Some were the size of a pebble, while others were taller than the tallest human. And they were not just in the walls. The ceiling was also littered with them, and all of them were as pointy and sharp as the teeth in shark's mouth. Looking around, he wondered what kind of trap was there to prevent him from continuing.
"Could perhaps the crystals have been cursed or something? Or maybe if I move too fast, they'll be triggered to fire?" -Brutus wondered, not risk talking, so as to not trigger any sound-activated traps.
But he quickly reached the conclusion that there were no sound-activated traps in that cave, when a shattering sound began to be heard, echoing on the cave's walls. And it took him even less time to figure that he was not alone. The crystals around the cave began to change colour, going from milky-white to blazing-red in the blink of an eye. The shattering sound became louder, as Brutus wondered what was going on. Scouring the cave, he saw that the largest crystals began to change shape, acquiring a new form.
"What is going on?" -Brutus asked himself, as he watched what was happening to the crystals.
In a matter of seconds, the transformation was complete. The crystals had assumed the form of large dogs. If one were to categorize whatever breed they were, it would probably say either Doberman Pinscher or Rottweilers. Either way, they looked big, mean, and had sharp teeth. Breaking free from the crystals they had sprouted from, they landed on ground, and exchanged looks with Brutus, at which point, they began to growl at him.
"Guard dogs…. Crystal guard dogs." -Brutus said, as he looked at the hellish crystal canines, and pulled two Viking axes from his sides. –"Well, come on! I don't have all day! Come at me!" -he shouted at the creatures.
Attacking like a pack of hungry wild dogs, the crystal canines were determined to tear Brutus to pieces. But Brutus was as determined to defeat them as they were to make him their dinner. The sound of the two blades merged with the growling of the beasts, echoing throughout the cave.
"Is that all you, got?!" -Brutus yelled, as he shattered the leg of one of the dogs.
With a broken limb, the crystal dog fell to the ground, giving Brutus a reason to gloat about. But this feeling lasted for about two seconds, when he saw the creature's limb regenerating. Instantly, he understood that that battle had just begun.
"This won't be as easy as I thought." -Brutus thought to himself.
As he dodged another attack, Brutus began to assess the situation, and see what was those creatures' weak spot, or if they had one. From experience, he knew that no matter how strong, fast, agile or robust an enemy was, it would have a weakness that could be exploited. The problem was often discovering it and knowing if it would be enough to stop it. Landing yet another series of blows, he managed to break the legs of two of his attackers. Watching them, he didn't notice anything that might indicate a weakness. Breaking their legs seemed like a waste of time, at least as far as finding possible weakness was concerned. Throwing the axe in his left hand, he hit the nearest dog in the head, shattering it into pieces. But in doing so, he left his defense open, which allowed one of the dogs to attack him, locking its jaws around his right arm.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! L-Let go of me, y-you beast!" -Brutus yelled in pain, as he chopped off the crystal dog's neck with his axe.
But even breaking it, the creature's mandibles did not open, and remained locked around Brutus' arm, forcing him to use the axe one more time, to break the head, which shattered into pieces. His armour had had protected him, from a serious injury, but the creature's teeth still managed to pierce it and sink into his flesh.
"I need to find a way to take down these beasts. If their teeth are powerful enough to pierce my armour, then the magic it was used to create them, is quite powerful." –Brutus thought to himself, as he pulled an Egyptian Khopesh from his chest, to replace the axe he had lost earlier.
After that last attack, the dogs' attacks became even more vicious. A less experienced fighter would have already been killed. But Brutus was holding up pretty well, despite some injuries. His armour protected him. Still, he knew that even it would not be able to protect him from the creatures' teeth forever. He needed an attack plan. But it was not going to be easy to formulate one, as one of the crystal dogs attacked him again, forcing him to use both hands to keep it from tearing his face apart with its teeth. Throwing it to the ground, Brutus gave it no time to retaliate, as the moment it fell to the ground, he used the Khopesh to tear it into pieces. Doing this, he exposed what could be described as a small yellow sphere, embedded into one of the pieces of crystal that composed the dog's body. Guided by instinct, he used the khopesh's pommel to smash it, and when he did it, this one shattered before his eyes, and the rest of crystal dog's body turned crystal white, remaining motionless.
"So that's it." -Brutus thought, after realizing he had "killed" the crystal dog. –"I must hit the small yellow spheres inside them and shatter them, to keep them from coming back to life." -he thought, as he began to formulate a plan in his mind.
With that knowledge in hand, Hawk Moth's faithful lieutenant did not lose time in preparing for what he believed was going to be the end of that fight. Dropping his weapons, he charged against the crystal dogs, as he pulled a war-hammer from his chest and began to swing it in the air. He figured that if he was able to expose the spheres, he would be able to destroy them.
"Sorry, but this fight is mine!" -Brutus exclaimed, as he swung the war-hammer.
Hitting one of the dogs, this one flew a couple of meters, before shattering into pieces, upon hitting cave's walls. Repeating the process, Brutus managed to expose the small spheres where the dogs' magic essence that controlled them was. Quickly, he dropped the hammer, which turned to dust as it landed on the ground and pulled several spears from his chest. Aiming them at the spheres, Brutus made sure that he would not miss any of them. Whooshing through the air, all the spears hit their designated targets; all, except for one, which missed its target, that regenerated faster than the others.
"If you think you're not sharing the same fate as the others, you're sorrowfully mistaken, creature." -Brutus declared, as he charged against it.
Believing the crystal dog possessed some form of intelligence, that would make it see what Brutus had done to its siblings, and anticipate his moves, he decided to change his approach. Pulling out another spear from his chest, he threw it at the creature, as he charged against it. Just as he expected, his opponent dodged the spear, and when doing it, it gave him the time he needed to create another weapon. This time, he pulled a gladius from his abdomen, and just as the dog was about to bite him, he used it to sever its head. But that was just the beginning of what awaited the crystal canine. Using the gladius, Brutus began to chop it into large pieces, only to turn those pieces into smaller ones, looking for the yellow sphere that allowed it and its companions to come back to life.
"There you are!" -Brutus exclaimed, as he located the last sphere.
Shattering it, the crystal dog became inanimate like the others. It was then that something happened. The pieces of the yellow spheres dissolved into dust, and this one came to life, spinning in the air and heading towards the bottom of the cave. Then, it penetrated the crystal studded wall, and made an exit appear out of the blue.
"I believe that's my ticket out of this place" -Brutus smirked, as he placed his foot on top of one of the dog's heads, shattering it.
It had been a tough battle, but he came out victorious. But Brutus knew that was not the last trap. There was still one more, and just like the two previous traps, the talisman would not be of any use to him. The only way to reach the safe, was to activate the trap and survive it. And in his gut, he knew it would not be easy, just like the other previous trials. As he walked down the corridor carved into the rock, he wondered how much more would he need to descend, until reaching where the safe and the last trap were located. In that darkness, with only the light from Hawk Moth's talisman to illuminate the way, it was hard for him to know just how much he had descended.
"Master Hawk Moth stated the last trap can't be bypassed using the talisman either. I must trigger it and face whatever attacks me." -Brutus thought to himself. –"No matter what awaits me at the end of this tunnel, I will face it and defeat it." -he thought.
Eventually, the corridor ended in a small room, where there were spiral stairs that went down. Without any other option, Brutus continued to go down, wondering once more how much more would he have to descend.
"At this rate, I'll end up at the gates of Hell." -Brutus thought, as he continued to go down the stairs. –"Which wouldn't be a bad place to keep that urn locked down, I must admit." -he mused about.
Fatigue was beginning to set in, and Brutus' body told him he needed to slow down, but he ignored it. He was in the final stretch, and needed to finish what he started. When he finally got to the end of the stairs, a small corridor led him to the fourth and final room. Upon entering, torches lit up as if by magic, their flames were purple, and illuminated the room. This last room, like the second one and the corridor he had used to get there, had been excavated in the rock. This one was round; the walls had been polished. But unlike the second one, there were no statues of Hawk Moth, nor mosaics on the floor. The only thing there was a round stone that looked like a safe door.
"Is this it?" -Brutus asked. –"I don't see any kind of traps, or evidence that this place has any. It looks just like a regular room, when compared with the others." -he wondered.
It truly looked like a plain and regular room. If not for the illumination, no one would think twice, before calling that room what it looked like. But Brutus knew that appearances can be deceiving. If the urn was indeed in that room, then there had to be some kind of trap protecting it.
"The urn is just behind that round rock. So, where is the trap protecting it?" -Brutus asked himself, as he looked around for anything that indicate the presence of said trap.
Continuing to look at the walls and the ceiling, for a trap that he knew existed beforehand, Brutus did not realize that a dense mist began to be spewed from the cracks on the ground, which quickly covered his feet and legs, up to the height of his knees. His concentration was such that Brutus did not notice that the mist began to swirl, creating small spirals in the air, as if it had a mind of its own.
"You're weak." -a voice was heard. It was barely a whisper. One could not tell if it was man's voice, or a woman's voice.
"Who said that?" -Brutus asked, as he looked around.
"You're weak." -the voice was heard once again. This time louder.
It was only when Brutus heard that voice, and looked for where it came from, he noticed the mysterious mist that covered the ground as well as his feet and his legs up to his knees. Immediately, he figured that was part of the trap to catch any who tried to reach the urn. Looking at the mist, he saw it continue to create swirls, which promptly began to circle around him.
"What is the meaning of this?! Who's talking?! What kind of trap is this?" -Brutus practically barked, demanding an answer.
It was the kind of trap that was going to affect him both physically and mentally, as Brutus was about to discover. To most, what was covering the ground was just mist. But in reality, it was more than just mist. It was something more. It was a magical mist called "Breath of Arawn", which had been sealed in an ancient relic that belonged to the now destroyed collection of magical objects and relics that once belonged to Hawk Moth. The "breath" had been used by his followers to create that trap, and was named after the Celtic god of Death. It served only one purpose, besides preventing anyone from getting their hands on the urn. To trap those caught by it in an endless nightmare of lies and doubtful words, from where only those under its spell could free themselves.
"Admit it. Admit that you're nothing but a crippled. Admit that you're worthless. That the only thing you're good for, is as meat for the grinder." -the voice whispered to his ear.
"Meat grinder?! What do you take me for?!" –Brutus yelled, as he pulled a sword form his chest.
"We take you for what you truly are." -the voice whispered
These statements continued to be repeated by that voice, over and over. A voice that was neither male, nor female. And they were beginning to get on Brutus' nerves, which was not an easy thing to accomplish.
"Face me! I will not allow this act of cowardice to go unpunished! Show your face and fight me!" -Brutus exclaimed. –"Where is this foe? There's only one way into this room, so it's impossible for it to enter it, without me seeing it." -he thought.
Brutus had not realized that there was no physical adversary. It was the mist that was taunting him. It had a mind of its own, and fed on the anger, fear and doubts in a person's head, which is what was happening to him. It did not take long for the mist to start spiraling again, this time elevating itself and wrapping itself around Brutus, who was caught out of guard.
"W-What?!" -Brutus yelled.
Spiralling at an incredible speed, the mist made Brutus rise a few centimeters off the ground, at the same time spinning him as if he were a top. The first thought he had as this happened, was that the next few seconds would be vital to his survival. He did not know what was going to happen, but he knew it could not be good.
When the world finally stopped spinning, Brutus found himself in what could be described as a well without boundaries; infinite in all directions. It was pitch black, but at the same time, there was enough light for him to see the floor.
"You lost your purpose. So, you turned to alcohol. One bottle after another, you were desperate to find the solution for your problems in the bottom of each bottle." -the voice accused him. –"That makes you weak." -it whispered.
Next the mist enveloped Brutus and changed his appearance. He now looked like before Hawk Moth turned him into his lieutenant. And he was feeling like he did, every day since he lost his leg, to the point when he abandoned his previous identity and began to use the one given to him by Hawk Moth. Bitter, betrayed, useless and defective.
"You're weak… You're weak… You're worthless… worthless…" -the voice went on
"No! I'm not worthless, and I'm no longer a cripple! My master has given me a new leg and a new purpose!" -Brutus shouted, as he tried to make sense of who, or what was telling him that, and how it was possible for his appearance to have reverted to his old self.
Then, a mirror showed up in front of him, and he saw himself, as he was, before becoming one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants. He looked at his own reflection and felt disgusted and repulsed by what he saw. There was no two ways about it. He had reverted to who he was before.
"This is not me! This is the old me! And I'll never be like this again!" -Brutus yelled, as he tripped and fell on the ground. –"This cannot be! I'm no longer this poor excuse for a man!" -he yelled again, this time from the top of his lungs, as he tried to get back up with only one leg.
The mist was beginning to get to Brutus, and if it continued to do it, he would be a goner. From all the traps Hawk Moth's cult had laid down, to prevent anyone to reach the vault, that was the most dangerous one. The "Breath of Arawn" played with its victims, as if they were puppets, making them believe that what they were seeing was real, before moving in for the killing.
"T-This is not real! This is not real!" -Brutus yelled, furious; so furious that he lost his balance and landed on his face. –"I'm not like this, a-and this isn't real!"
"It is real. You know it is real." -the voice sang.
"Shut up! I refuse to believe this is real!" -Brutus yelled once more, as he managed to get back up on his feet, by making use of the crutch.
Suddenly, numerous mirrors sprouted from the ground, and each of them showed a twisted version of Brutus' image. One more horrible than the other. And in all of them, he was still the drunkard one-legged cripple he was, before Hawk Moth showed up and turned him into his lieutenant.
"That's not me! Not anymore!" -Brutus shouted.
"This is the real you." -the voice told him.
"I am not like that husk of a man, anymore!" -Brutus shouted the words even louder than before.
"Yes, you are!" -the voice declared, shouting with a thunderous voice. –"Deep down, you know it is the truth." -it said, this time whispering at him. –"You are worthless. You serve no purpose the way you look…. Accept it."
As the seconds went by, it was hard for Brutus to ignore that voice and its commentaries. The mirrors broke, the reflections jumped out of them, coming to life, and attacked Brutus, who promptly defended himself. Even without a leg, and with a crutch as a weapon, he did not surrender. Trying to remain calm, while doing everything he could not to fall, he attacked his own reflections, hitting them in the head and chest, tearing them into pieces.
"You can do all you want. But that won't change the fact that deep down you're worthless." -the voice declared.
Brutus tried to ignore everything that was being spoken to him, as he did his best to fight the living twisted reflections. But it was not easy. He was not one to lose his temper, but with everything that was happening to him, it was hard for him to control his emotions Every time he managed to shatter one of the reflections, let out a scream, which sounded more like the angry roar of a ferocious tiger. One by one, they were all destroyed, though one or two put up a good fight, until there was only one left.
"I am not worthless. I've proven… my valour in battle, over and over!" -Brutus yelled from the top of his lungs. –"And I won't be a victim to you, or your words or actions! Whoever, or whatever you are, you will not make me fail my mission!" -he shouted, as he used his crutch to attack the last of his reflections.
Drilling the crutch into his own reflection, as hard as his seemingly frail arms allowed him, this one yelled in agony, before shattering into pieces, along with the rest of the illusion it had created. He too had returned to normal, and no longer looked like the mist had turned him into.
The purple flames that illuminated the place became green in the blink of an eye, signifying the end of that trial. The last obstacle in his quest had been vanquished, and the only thing standing between him and his prize, was the vault's door, to which he had the key.
"It… It… It is o-over." -Brutus panted. –"In the face of danger… a soldier should never show any fear, even if his heart isn't strong enough… to conceal it." -he sighed, repeating some of the words he learned from his old drill sergeant, as he tried to catch his breath. –"Always remember that."
And with that, Brutus was able to defeat the last trap. His whole body ached, and his mind was in no better shape than it. Standing up, he staggered a little. Thinking of all that happened, he realized why Hawk Moth had chosen him, and not one of the other lieutenants for that task. It had to be someone with a will of iron, and a mind alike. Anyone who did not possess those traits, would most likely become insane, or worst.
"It was a worthy trap. Having a person experience its worst fears and battle them, alongside its demons, or otherwise, they will destroy the person, us a very effective way to get rid of someone." -Brutus said, as he felt his heart beating like a ticker.
Taking deep long breaths, Brutus tried to slowdown his heartrate, while giving himself the chance to enjoy what he felt was a victory, in more than one way. Once his heartrate returned to normal, and he felt calmer, he decided it was time to end that quest that been given to him. but as he was about to walk to the safe, he noticed something on the ground, shining. It looked like a marble, but it was actually a glass bead, with something inside it. Grabbing it, he inspected it in the light of the purple flames, and saw that it was moving.
"It looks like a piece of that magical mist." -Brutus declared, as he looked at the glass bead and saw the mist inside it moving. –"Perhaps I'll take this with me. The master may have some use to whatever this thing is." -he thought.
Placing the glass bead with the Breath of Arawn inside his armour, he then took the talisman out and placed it against the round rock. As he did it, this one glowed just as bright as when he placed the talisman over the tomb's lid. Then, a circle of purple light appeared on the rock, after which, the rock rolled to the side, opening the vault. Inside was the Urn of Ahmet, looking exactly as the image Hawk Moth had projected. Just from looking at it, Brutus could feel the immense power that was contained inside the stone urn.
"Here it is." -Brutus smiled, as he grabbed the urn with both hands. –"The prize at the end of the line. The Urn of Ahmet." -he said, before contacting his master via telepathy. –"Master, I have found it."
Hey everyone.
So before I get into what happened with the writing of this particular chapter, I must take a moment to thank all of you, who took the time to send me your best wishes and a speedy recovery, after my mental meltdown, which sent me on a one way ticket to the shrink. I'm already feeling better, but I'm still at the start of a very long way to get rid of my depression. The next step is to find a psychologist, while I also get completely used to the meds, which have been making it hard for me to focus on my writing. It's been a month and half since the last update, and I'm hoping that it won't take me as long as it did now to update this fic. And I know that you all have told me that it was okay for me to take as long as I need to take care of my mental health, but truth be told, I don't feel good when I can't write, and that just proves that writing is part of a good therapy, which I so desperately need.
Regarding this chapter, there's not much to say about it, other than it was an excuse to write a chapter focused on one of Hawk Moth's lieutenants; this time it was Brutus. It's been a long time since I had a chapter only focused on one of the bad guys, so it felt good to write another one. It also provided me with an excuse to pay homage to adventure movies, where the heroes have to find their way out of a dangerous trap that stands between them and the treasure they're looking for. I wonder if you will be able to find out the traps that inspired the four traps that Brutus faced to get to the Urn of Ahmet?
As always, feel free to comment, favourite and leave your suggestions to improve this fic and/or future ones. Regarding when the next chapter will come, let's hope it will be faster than this one, hopefully.