11 - Aberration

by SilkyNoire

Naturally, the first thing Sariel did was attempt to cas mage armor. More protective than leather, it would defend her from anything unfriendly in here. Of course, she wasn't a very good mage. She didn't know why the spell failed, why she couldn't cast invisibility, or why she couldn't summon her magical bow. It seemed all she had were her smallclothes, her dagger, and her wits.

Skulking about a forgotten ruin wasn't out of the ordinary for Sariel. However, without weapons, armour, spells, or her advenuring gear, she felt incredibly vulnerable. She felt on edge, as if something could appear from one of the damp, broken stone walls and rip her apart in an instant.

A gurgling, clicking noise caused Sariel to freeze, her head snapping in the direction she heard it. It had come from around a corner up ahead. She quietly stepped over, taking care to avoid sloshing the water of puddles on the floor. When she peeked around the corner, she saw it. An aberration with at least ten sharp, pointed legs, chitinous skin, tentacles for arms and a mouth, and black, beady eyes.

She had never seen anything like it before, and it scared her. It certainly looked like it could tear her in half. She stood behind the corner, staring at it, taking short, shallow breaths. When she thought it turned to look at her, she quickly pulled herself behind the wall. The cold, damp stone clung to her back, and she slid until she was sitting. Trapped in an undersea temple with unknowable horrors, and all she had was a small knife strapped to her thigh. She wanted to cry.

No, she told herself. If she sat there moping, that thing would find her and slaughter her. She had to keep quiet, and keep moving. Maybe there was another way around it.

She retraced her steps and tried a different path. But there were more of those creatures about, patrolling the temple. As she snuck deeper and deeper into the complex, her heart raced. Images of her being torn apart, eaten, or pulled into some dark hole flashed in her mind. She had to keep shaking her head to rid herself of them. It helped, for a time.