Lost under the Mother Mountain

CW! Solitude, being hunted down, suffering

Day 187

Day 187 since we arrived at the Kingdom Under the Mother Mountain. Now I, Khummur, am the last survivor of our band. My companions have all fallen victim to the machinations of that ancient evil we unwittingly awakened in our foolish search for the secret treasure left by our ancestors. Now the Evil in the Shadows and its minions are behind me, ever near. I must find the stairs that will lead me out, but I have no idea where they are. I still have water and rations for a few days. I hope I can make it.

Day 188

I can't open the damned torch, its like something keeps closing it as soon as I manage to open it. Walking in the dark is horrifying. I keep hearing the skittering of creatures around me, whispering of languages I can't even recognize, scared with each step taken as it might end in a trap, or other terrible things the darkness might hide.

At some point I crossed a bridge. Of course I couldn't see the bottom, darkness still surrounded me, but I had a feeling I wouldn't see the bottom even with some light. Half way crossing it (or maybe I was almost at the end?) it started collapsing, so I ran as quick as I could and, as I felt the stones beneath my feet break, did a jump of faith. Luckily, I managed to reach the other side with only a few scratches.

In a room, I saw (barely) a mosaic, beautiful if I may say even though it was very hard to see without light as the damned torches still won't open. Explained the origin of the dwarves, well, one of the teories, specifically the religious one of the Mother Mountain giving life to stone statues which endeded up being who we are nowadays. While I was distracted with it, I heard the room's door close. There were no other exit and let me tell you, I spend SO long finding how to get out. The level wasn't even well hidden, it just was unnecessarily hard because the lack of light, bless Mother Mountain for giving us a little of dark vision (not enough to move around comfortably but I wouldn't have reached so far without it because the DAMNED TORCHES WON'T LIT UP).

I started feeling sleepy, Mother Mountain only knows how much time I've been awake by now. I searched a hidden corner, covered with stones I can hide behind. I found such place, altogether with an ancient helmet. For some reason I put it on, made me feel like I was one of the ancient famous warriors, and with this fake confidence, I slept for a bit.

Day 189

The day started amazingly! My torches finally lighted up and I found a set of staircases that went up a level! Of course it was only one level of who knows how many more, but that is progress and I choose to see the positive part of it. Hope is the only thing left I have... plus some food and water. The staircases ended up in a corridor. I started crossing it and my mind started playing tricks, from the corner of my eyes I could see doors, staircases, and when I turned to them, they weren't there anymore. Is... Is it my mind or influences of the Evil in the Shadows? I don't know which one I would rather.

The corridor ended at some point and in one of the rooms I entered afterwards I found one of my fallen companion's diaries. In a start, I didn't want to read it, don't know if I tried to still give them privacity or just was scared to know what happened to them. They simply vanished in the middle of one of the past nights. In the end, curiosity won and I read the diary. I don't understand... The last entry of the diary is from when he was with his family, over a month ago, but I swear I saw them writing in the diary... I left the diary behind...

A vision crossed my mind as I stopped to rest. In it, a priest of the Mother Mountain drew a rune to protect themselves from the Evil in the Shadows, and chanted some words. I can't for the life of me remember the words, but I felt a bit safer. That was until I opened my eyes and saw that my hands had drawn the rune all over my body. I need to get out of here.

In another room, I found a set of statues. One of them strangely resembled me. Way too much. It scared me, how can that be? Is it another play of the Evil in the Shadows? Have I been dead and roaming these mines for a millenia? No... That can't be, I remember a life outside of here, the travel to get here... My family must miss me so much... I miss them so much...

I pardon my handwriting from now one (even though I start to doubt anyone will read this) but a wall fell down and my dominant hand got trapped under it, had to cut it to get out as I heard the Evil in the Shadows minions approach. I tried my best to cauterize the wound and clean it and all that bullshit but lets be honest, this place is as dirt as an orc dinner table after dinner. How much will I have to deal with? How long until I find a way out? Either by dead or a tunnel leaving the mountain...

Day 190

I don't really remember when I went to sleep. I do know that my waterskin has disappeared in my sleep and that my throat feels like I've drank sand. I also woke up to my hand wound inflamed, it hurts a lot, and I feel like I'm in the forges. I can't stop to do anything about any of that as I start hearing the drumming of the many feet from the horde commanded by the Evil in the Shadow approach fast. Too fast. I start running. And I ran for what it seemed an eternity, until my body couldn't more and I fell to the floor.

I hear thousands of steps around me, but haven't done anything else. My body can't stand up. Is this my end? It must be.

After some hours (or minutes?), my fever lowered a bit. The thousands of steps I heard where from many insects in the walls of the room. Where they always here? Are they part of my halucinations? Is the Evil in the Shadow playing with me?

Day 191

I didn't do much other than lay down on the floor and wait for death. I could only remember how one of my companions sacrificed himself so that I could escape from the claws of the horde. I bet he would be so disappointed to see me laying down on the floor, doing nothing, caring about nothing...

Day 192

Why do I even write down the number of the day? I'm not even sure if it's been days or hours or just minutes! On other news, remembering my family, how my companions died in hopes some of us wouold survive, it has given my a thin string of hope. I hope I don't lose it with the first thing I do.

Oh Mother Mountain, you've blessed me! I've found one of the room our leader was searching for, it was supposed to be filled with riches but it's filled with water! This is the most valuose thing I could find right now, its been two (probably) days since I lost my waterskin!

I had new hopes. That was until I saw the horde. It was there, so near but so far, lurking, holding on for the Evil in the Shadow to give them the order to finish me. Or so I thought. What they did was in reality send me to a crypt, filled with hundreds of remains of soldiers, which they all rised and started following me.

At some point I managed to leave them behind. Somehow. I'm not even going to doubt it, just accept it as a temporal win. Now, I have the horde and an army of undead soldiers going after me... Why am I not dead? Why didn't I let the soldiers kill me? Why do I have to keep suffering?

Instinctively, I started chanting a passage of perseverance. I read it somewhere in this deadly mines. I was about to write its words, but its been a few hours (?) since then and the words all left my mind. Im just... Im just going to sleep. Maybe Mother Mountain will be finally mercy and kill me in my sleep...

Day 193

Woke up cuz I felt like someone or something was suffocating me, yet, I was alone on the room. I walked around, trying to get away from it or them or whatever. Saw an inscription on the wall, talking about how something something will cause the people on the room suffocate. I... I can't remember exactly why it caused that or who even caused the cause, but I just took my shit and ran away. Again. When do I get to rest?

Good news tho, found another set of stairs going up. Only unknown sets left.

Day 194

First room I found is a memorial about the old kings. I can name a few of them, the most recent, but I really really can't care at this point. These old dead won't point me to the exit, at the very least, they will awake and pursue me like the rest.

I found another statue. This time ain't a king or a solider, but I have the feeling I've seen it a couple of days ago... Which can't be possible as I've been going upstairs... Right? I start hearing voices after seeing it. They tell me that they will kill me quickly if I surrender, that all will be over soon if I do so... I am very tempted. Very. But I've been dealing with the horde for way too long to fall in this lie. They ain't merciful.

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. I have been a long, long time following a corridor. Too long. And I've now realized this lead deeper into the mountain. I am back to where I was before me and my companions found the Evil in the Shadow and its horde. As I go back to the long corridor, I keep hearing their laughs, their jokes, the happiness we all had weeks ago. I might have broken down and stopped to cry at some point. I miss them...

Day 195

Woke up with inflamated eyes. Shouldn't have fallen asleep while crying. I still feel like crying, I miss them, and my family, but missing them will do nothing if I don't move to get out of this horrible place.

I entered a room today and got scared by a creature that jumped towards me and then ran away. I can't remember how it looked, it all went too fast, I do remember how the wall fell down on my leg. This time I didn't have to cut it, luckily, but I am now slower with this damned limp.

Found a set of stairs going up behind the fallen wall, so I guess its not to bad? I've had worse days in here, that for sure.

Day 196

I am hiding. There is only darkness surrounding me, and the only thing protecting me from it are the lights of my torches. Unfortunately, I am on my last torch. This. This is truly my...