THE DUNGEONS CURSE

Gothic Narrative by Norman DeRamos

Per 1 Shelton

Part 1.
Ive fought many monsters in this land. Each with their own unique abilities, and as their
numbers grow, they attacks become more elusive, and concentrated. But in some cases, when an
enemys occurrence is so rare, it overpowers all those that I have faced thus far. Those rarities
come in great sizes, with immense strength, and with the slaying of those tremendous beasts
come effects that whole change the world over. In this particular tale, came an event that
changed the way I see certain souls, and taught me that there is light in this slowly-corrupting
world.
After successfully facing and defeating the monsters of the forest, the corrupted lands,
and hell itself, a new challenge has arisen. The local Guide, who has since served as a valuable
asset in my adventures with his vast knowledge, has informed me of a nearby Dungeon, filled
with many great treasures that would be of good use, if not good value. But first, he tells me that
I must defeat the beast that lurks within the nearby jungle, if I were to seek even greater
treasures.
And so I ventured forth, and defeated the ravenous rafflesia that dwelled within the trees
of the dense, obscured jungle. Then suddenly, upon the creatures defeat, a harsh, elongated cry
assaulted my ears. It was sharp and spine chilling, and it seemed to emanate from the Eastern
direction. East is the direction of which the Dungeon is located, which must mean that it must
have come from there. The screams mustve signified that something has awakened within the
Dungeon, harboring those vast treasures. So without hesitation, I stride on, grinning with both
fear and anticipation of whats to come.
Part 2.
THE DUNGEONS CURSE
Gothic Narrative by Norman DeRamos
Per 1 Shelton

The entrance to the Dungeon has always stopped me in my tracks, with its ominous dark-
blue structure. Who knows what horrors lies in there? I thought to myself. But regardless, I
stepped forward, and down into what seemed like a never-ending abyss of blackness. This
place It doesnt feel right. Its confusing, and Im nearly out of torches
The Dungeon really was a confusing web of intersecting hallways and large, empty
rooms full of traps. The light from the outside never reached more than a hundred feet down, and
the only light sources that were available to me were a scarce supply of torches, which I needed
to place down readily as a guide back to the surface, and the soft, unsettling blue light of the
candles placed all around the rooms. Yes, the lights grew ever dimmer and scarcer as I continued
to venture downward. Eventually, Id have nothing but my adaptive eyes to guide me through the
pitch-blackness.
After wasting several torches on empty rooms and dead ends, the light seemed farther
than ever. I was completely out of torches, but was able to see a faint light-blue glow in the
distance, so it my curiosity lead me to follow it. With weapons drawn, I cautiously stepped
forward, but I then noticed something unusual. The light it it moved. It seemed almost alive,
like a wisp. But as I stepped closer, its luminous glow never grew. My pacing has decreased in
speed, yet my curiosity did not. I was readying myself for anything. Creeping ever closer, I
spotted a shadowed figure beneath the faint light. What I could conclude was that the light was
indeed alive in some way, but it had to have been following that figure. I held my weapon
outstretched, preparing to strike if necessary. But then in a quick, sudden movement, the figured
turned, and the light with it. It revealed itself, as the wisp got in between both me and it.
Part 3.
THE DUNGEONS CURSE
Gothic Narrative by Norman DeRamos
Per 1 Shelton

Under the faint, light-blue glow of the wisp, the figure was revealed as an armor-
clad warrior, brandishing a mighty hammer and an impressive shield. But there was something
more notable about it. It did not don a helm of any kind, and actually revealed a face. The
figures face revealed its identity as a male, with nearly pupil-less eyes, but a somewhat managed
hairstyle. He looked as though he was not dead, but not alive either. Could this be? No human
has ever explored this Dungeon before my coming, so it was quite surprising to see a soul in
such a place devoid of life.
In the timespan that only a few seconds of our seeing each other, both of us were frozen
in our tracks. I, in fear, dropped my weapons, but remained absolutely still as to not provoke
him. He on the other hand, kept his weapon held high, poised to strike, yet his eyes were focused
not on me, but on the wisp floating above and between us, as if he was more distracted than
anything else. He then slowly turned his gaze towards me, and the sudden feeling of needles
spearing their way into my spine was invoked, yet I did my best to remain still. We stared into
each others eyes for about a minute, though it seemed to have lasted for eons, if not forever. Our
breaths were slow, and heated, and tension ever rising between each passing second of stillness.
It appears that his is about as surprised as I was, starting to slowly lower his weapon and guard,
but I dared not make a single move out of risk of provoking him.
Even more time of absolute stillness has passed, only managing out to be a minute or so.
What could he being seeing in me? Why are we both still? It was time to break this pseudo-
silence, so I dared to speak softly. Who Who are you? I asked hesitantly. He remained
silent, and solemnly lowered his head and gaze towards the ground, only to return his gaze
towards me with a soft, woeful response. I I dont know he replied. The once spine-
chilling feeling that had previously engulfed my body slowly started to fade from this persons
THE DUNGEONS CURSE
Gothic Narrative by Norman DeRamos
Per 1 Shelton

melancholic aura that seemed to emanate from him. I took a step closer, but still kept my
distance, and asked one more question. Why dont you know?