The massive stone door slammed shut, becoming an almost unremarkable part of the wall again. Jabran closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A quivering but familiar voice became audible moments later. "Is everyone out?" Jabran opened his eyes again and glanced around, finding everyone who was meant to be there. "Guess so", he mumbled in his distinct deep tone that corresponded with the Cimmerian warrior's heavy-built features. The lean young man who had asked, Risven, just nodded, probably savoring the moment and the chance to continue being alive... at least for now. An outburst of emotion, as usually, came from the only woman in the group. "WHAT in the name of Crom's shriveled balls just HAPPENED in there? Have you lost your MIND, Fennar?" The dark-haired archeress Melenn clamped her hand so hard around the grip of her bow it was a miracle the weapon did not shatter, while screaming at the fourth and last member of the group.

Fennar, a slim elder man who was skilled in magical arts, shied away. "I... I didn't mean to. That statue...", his voice faded away. Jabran took a step forward and spoke in a terrifyingly impassive tone. "That statue you better hadn't touched so it wouldn't have triggered quite about all the traps the builders of this place could ever have come up with?" Fennar took a few more steps backward until his shoulders touched the stone wall. "Eh... yes... that one." For a few moments, there was nothing but an eery silence. Then it was Risven who spoke up. "Screw that. We're alive. Could anyone please take a look at that blasted set of bolts I took for you?" Without a word but still placing a killing glance on Fennar, Melenn turned to treat Risven's still-bleeding wounds. Jabran's voice was cold as ice as he spoke up once more. "Do something like that again, old man, and you're dead." Fennar swallowed hard but nodded, slowly sinking to the ground and remaining seated with his back to the wall.

Jabran took another look around. They were in the atrium of the old fortress again. Stairways led up to other parts of the ruin, most of them in a state it made them impossible or at least too dangerous to tread. There was far more shadow than light in the vicinity, and the dust that seemed to be everywhere made it even harder to detect anything of interest. They had come here on behalf of an Aquilonian noble who had just recently gained knowledge about the location of the forgotten fortress of warlord Satruul who was meant to have been a recognizable force in the Acheronian empire a long, long time ago. Jabran was not that interested in history but much more in the kind of treasures that might be found in a place like this. Having three wives and seven children took some effort to nourish all of them and keep them happy. Sometimes he thought this whole mess should better be left behind, and walking off to another land where no-one knew him would serve him better. Maybe with that girl Melenn... she sure had that special fire in her heart. He shook his head. Leaving his life behind and already thinking about mating again? That wouldn't help much.

"Hey... Jabran?" A fragile voice broke the silence behind him. The warrior turned around to find Risven, patched up with a makeshift bandage around his shoulder. Melenn followed him but didn't say a word, though Jabran could clearly see she was still steaming with rage and would probably want nothing more than to penetrate Fennar with a dozen arrows. Risven seemed on the fence, considering what to say before he did. "There is nothing more to gain here. This place is nothing but cursed! We have the document that wretched noble wanted, and some Acheronian gold coins... let's move out before we find an unpleasant fate in here." Jabran looked up, pondering the young man's words. They sure found hardly anything in this forlorn ruin, and there weren't many corners of it they hadn't looked into. Also, their supplies were rapidly running low. He turned to face Melenn. "Do you agree with the lad?" The woman met his gaze and nodded. "Let's get out of here. I'd prefer to raze the whole structure to the ground... and leave that pitiful mage behind." Fennar winced at those words, burying his head in his lap as best he could. Jabran allowed himself a little smile. "So be it. We will leave this unwelcoming fortress behind and..." In the distance, a creaky sound appeared, slowly approaching them.

Everyone noticed it. Fennar got to his feet quicker than one would have thought him to be able to. Jabran and Risven drew their swords, while Melenn took a few steps to the side, her bow equipped with an arrow already pointing into the direction of the noise that became louder as it came closer. Fennar joined the others, expecting trouble and raising a ball of ruby-colored energy in his hands. Being the ranged weapons expert with a skilled eye for dangers in the distance, Melenn spotted them first and yelled at her companions. "Undead incoming! Prepare to fight!" Jabran charged, with Risven following suit. Just when he caught sight of the rotten flesh hanging on the walking skeletons, the whole room went completely dark. It was as if all light was drowned at once. Jabran stopped, and Risven unceremoniously crashed into his back. Thoughts raced through the warrior's mind, options and possible consequences.

A burning arrow passed him by, finding its way straight into the foremost of the undead. Then more fiery arrows followed. Melenn yelled from behind. "Attack, dammit!" And Jabran did. Guided by the flaming arrows that had met their target, he swung his two-handed blade right into the mass of foul-smelling creatures. Risven circled him, placing quick blows that decapitated some of the skeletons. A reddish shimmer surrounded a group of undead at the sides as Fennar worked his strange magic. Bones shattered. They worked their way through their unnatural foes, only to find even more of them. The sparkling sound of Fennar's arcane talents being used grew into a dizzying hum as the shimmer became a darker red and affected the whole bunch of enemies. "Get back", Fennar called with a strained voice. Jabran and Risven complied, racing back to Melenn and the mage. As soon as they had reached a safe distance from their undead foes, Fennar raised his arms, crimson energy emanating from his hands. A vigorous boom resonated throughout the atrium, covering everything in a reddish light, as a magical explosion eradicated the trapped mass of undead.

The crimson illumination of the room remained as silence set in again, but only for a few seconds. Then a rumbling noise emerged in the distance. "Not again", Melenn spat, readying herself for another wave of enemies. Jabran put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait", he said as the noise grew louder but still remained distant. "It's not in here." Risven chimed in. "Right. It's somewhere outside." The rumbling continued to approach and soon reached an all but deafening level. Fennar screamed something, but it was already too hard to understand, as the four of them covered their ears. Jabran knew what was happening anyway: An avalanche was coming down from the mountain above. The whole ruin rocked with the noise rolling over them. Stairways, balconies and fragments of the stone walls crumbled in, shaking up even more dust while the group backed away to a safer location. Then, all of a sudden, a muffled but still massive thud let the noise die away.

Jabran shook his head, coughing from stirred-up dust like the rest of the group, his ears still ringing and his whole head aching. He saw Melenn already utilizing her flint stones to spark a fire and light a torch. It illuminated their surroundings, and the sight didn't offer much hope. Whole walls had crumbled, covering all exits with rubble and massive stone chunks.

"Great", Melenn snarled, her tone betraying without any doubt that the word was inappropriate to describe their situation. "Now we will die in here after all."


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(There might be a sequel to this story at some time. Right now, I find it most intriguing to just let it end like that.
After all, a short story is actually meant to only tell a specific episode, leaving readers to contemplate about it...)