"CRAP, IT'S A HOWLER! RUN!" Carter shouted, urging the group back the way they came. Only to run into a wall that hadn't been there before, muttering more than a dwarf in a rage—which was impressive, since dwarfs were known for cursing when stressed.
"Well, that's just great!" Carter muttered.
"Right, back the other way!"
"Hang on, what's a howler?" Zua and Alec asked at the same time.
"An extremely dangerous and aggressive abnormal monster," Gimmel explained, more nervous than Alec had ever seen a dwarf. "It's called a howler because it screams like a rabid werewolf while hunting."
"Of course, we run into something like this!" Gimmel muttered in dwarvish as Carter led the group back toward the second floor and into the boss room.
The scene they entered was brutal—remnants of a previous battle scattered across the floor. A large dire wolf lay motionless, blood smeared along the walls and ceiling. Zoe shuddered at the sight; this wasn't just a fight—it was a massacre. Whatever the howler was, it showed no mercy, no hesitation.
Zoe felt a tug on her hand—Zua was pulling her and Alec along after Carter's party, straight toward the second-floor door. Alec glanced back and saw something far too large to be a werewolf or bear crashing into a pillar, demolishing it as it scrambled upright, claws out and teeth bared.
In a fit of anger, the creature bit down on a stone slab the size of Alec's torso. Carter led the group into a side room, and Alec slammed the door behind them, securing the bar to keep the creature at bay.
Turning to the others, Alec's stomach sank. It was a dead end, walls lined with hieroglyphs etched in intricate patterns. His instincts screamed that there had to be a way out—but the howling outside was so loud it drowned out his thoughts.
"There has to be some way out—a pitfall, something!" Galla said, scanning the floor with practiced eyes.
"Galla's right. We can't just stay here forever. Howlers don't give up on their prey," Tanna agreed.
Alec noticed a single hieroglyph glowing faintly. Confused, he looked around, and Carter noticed it too.
"Does no one else see that bright symbol?" Alec asked, pointing.
"Alec, there's nothing glowing," Zoe said, worry creasing her face.
Frowning, Alec approached the symbol and pressed it, unsure why. As it sank deeper into the wall, a click and whirring noise followed, along with the grating sound of stone moving against stone that echoed through the chamber.
The howler responded immediately. A deafening roar shook the door, followed by a heavy slam. Without hesitation, the group fled through the smaller passageway just as the heavy wooden door shattered under the howler's assault. Its glowing red eyes pierced the room before they disappeared down the corridor.
Once the last of the group had passed, the sound of wood and metal falling to the floor echoed, followed by the creature clawing at the entrance in frustration. Realizing it was futile, it roared in anger and slammed at the wall again, before the noise finally faded, likely searching for another way in.
After a few tense minutes, the passage opened into a small cavern, large enough for a small village to fit comfortably. The group paused, breathing heavily, letting their eyes adjust to the space.
Six identical passages lined the opposite end of the cavern. Alec wandered as the others set up camp, marveling at the small ecosystem thriving within the dungeon. A mini waterfall trickled from the far wall, flowing into a stream that disappeared into a distant hole. Moss and small flowering plants clung to the wet rock, hinting at the presence of sunlight from hidden sources somewhere above.
The walls and ceiling were covered with bioluminescent moss, casting a soothing green-blue light. The stream reflected the glow, creating a serene, almost magical atmosphere. The cavern felt like a secret refuge, a momentary pause from the horrors they had faced.
After finding nothing else of immediate interest, Alec approached the six passageways and stopped at the second from the right. Faint laughter, so familiar it could have been from his hometown, echoed from within, stirring memories of the night demons had attacked. His pulse quickened as nostalgia clashed with unease.
Carter's voice snapped him out of it.
"Coming!" Alec called back, returning to the campsite—but the laughter lingered, crawling along the edges of his mind.
"We'll rest here before moving out in a few hours," Gimmel said, while Zoe and Zua were already briefed and organizing their supplies. Alec had been checking their surroundings carefully, noting the stability of the cavern walls and the flow of the stream.
"I don't think the howler can follow us here; monsters can't enter safe zones," Galla said casually as she sharpened her weapon, and Carter nodded in agreement.
Dinner was simple: nutritious but bland, served in wooden bowls. Grimacing, Alec finished his food and stared into the campfire Zua had set up. The flames reflected in his eyes, stirring memories of countless battles, narrow escapes, and the faces of friends lost along the way.
"Get some rest, everyone. We move again in a few hours. Don't want trouble on our team," Carter joked, earning a few laughs. Alec, however, caught a flicker of worry in Carter's eyes, and he frowned, considering what might be on Carter's mind.
"Something wrong, Alec?" Carter asked, noticing his gaze.
"N-no, nothing at all," Alec lied, lying down on his bedroll. Sleep didn't come easily, and he tossed and turned until exhaustion finally overtook him.
Even in sleep, Alec's mind replayed the chase. The howler's red eyes, the smell of blood and wet stone, the crushing weight of its presence—it all lingered. In the quiet of the cavern, the faint laughter replayed too, echoing from the passageways like a ghost.
When Alec woke hours later, the group was stirring. Zua was already checking the stream, while Zoe and Galla were preparing their gear. Carter examined the remaining passages, his eyes sharp, noting the faint scratches and markings along the cavern walls.
"Nothing's moved," Carter said. "Safe for now. But we stay alert. This cavern feels... off."
Alec nodded, rising to his feet. He ran his hands through his hair and stepped closer to the glowing moss. Small insects, iridescent and delicate, flitted through the beams of light, brushing past the bioluminescent walls. For a brief moment, the cavern seemed alive in a peaceful, almost sentient way—then the memory of the howler returned, and the calm shattered in his mind.
"I don't like it," Tanna admitted quietly, walking past Alec. "It's too quiet. Too perfect. Something's waiting."
Her words struck him, a chill crawling down his spine. He glanced at the six passageways again. Each one was identical, each one beckoning with a promise or a threat he couldn't read. Faint echoes of the laughter seemed to pulse from within the stone, like a heartbeat, reminding him that they were not alone.
Gimmel approached Alec, his nervous energy palpable. "We should choose a passage soon. The cavern is safe, yes, but not indefinitely. Monsters, traps, or worse... something will come eventually."
Alec nodded, his gaze lingering on the second passage. The laughter from within had shifted slightly—a faint sob now interwoven with the mirth, almost imperceptible, but there. It called to him, tugging at something buried deep in his memories.
"Let's get some sleep first," Alec said, his voice firmer than he felt. "We can't move on exhausted. If we face what's next tired, we won't last."
Reluctantly, the group settled down again, though the air remained thick with unease. Alec lay on his bedroll, staring at the ceiling where the moss cast slow, shifting patterns of light. His thoughts wandered to the laughter, to the howler, and to the journey ahead. Each detail seemed connected, yet teasingly out of reach, like the faint edges of a dream he could almost grasp.
Hours passed. The cavern remained undisturbed, and for a moment, Alec allowed himself to feel safe. But the memory of red eyes, the echo of the creature's roar, and the mysterious laughter were persistent, crawling into the corners of his mind. He realized that this was only a temporary reprieve. The dungeon had many layers, and they had only just scratched the surface.
As dawn—or what passed for dawn in the depths of the cavern—approached, the group began to stir again. Their brief respite had been enough to restore their strength, but not their sense of security. Carter moved from the campfire to the passages, studying them as if trying to read the stones themselves.
"Alright," Carter said finally, voice low and steady. "We need to pick a way forward. Stay alert. Whatever's waiting beyond these passages is nothing compared to the howler. But it's still dangerous."
Alec felt the pull again, the faint tug in his chest toward the second passage. The laughter had returned, clearer now, mingled with whispers he couldn't quite understand. A shiver ran down his spine, but he knew he couldn't ignore it.
Whatever awaited them beyond, it would test them—and not just physically.
And somewhere deep within, Alec had the uneasy certainty that the laughter was calling him specifically, like a memory refusing to remain buried.