“Let’s be honest. This is fun.”

The slightly distorted voice came from the mass of pale heavily wrinkled flesh hanging from an improvised carrier made of her jacket, hanging over her back.

Pludor.

He followed up his statement with a raspberry.

“It’s necessary and dangerous, Plu. Terrifying, even.” Jayne forced out through gritted teeth, struggling to be heard over the howling wind as she carefully and deliberately dragged herself up another foot. The surface of the mountain had surpassed treacherous and was downright diabolical, all sharp jutting obsidian rock and winds that greedily grabbed at her.

“But it’s fun. Right?” Pludor insisted, and she could almost see his innocent one-eyed blink, despite the fact he was behind her.

Jayne sighed. “If you insist.”

There was a momentary lull in the wind, and she grabbed the opportunity, speedily making her way upwards with slightly less regard for safety. She ignored the blisters and cuts covering her hands and forearms, glancing down between her legs at the individual a few meters below her.

Karyon.

He wore a thick coat with a fur-lined hood and goggles covered his eyes from the stinging cold. He visibly struggled with the ascent, barely able to pull himself any higher.

She winced as his grip slipped from a rock patch he held on to, nearly dropping him to the bottom of the mountain. A large and heavy armored hand grabbed him by the shoulder in time to save him from death’s call.

The owner, a large giantkin clad almost entirely in shining bonesteel armor, let out a chuckle that somehow carried over the howling winds, easily supporting himself with a single hand.

Finneus.

“You have to be the clumsiest rogue to have been born.” He boomed, releasing Karyon when he had a more reliable grasp of the mountain side.

“Scold him when we get to the top,” Came a harsh voice to their side. “This is a dangerous place.”

Samael.

The only other female in their band, she was dressed in colorful light armor, her ghostwood staff strapped to her back. She was an extremely striking golden-haired eld, a tall humanlike race with pointed ears and refined senses. Jayne still did not understand the male name, but she’d resigned herself to not asking. The last time had almost started an… incident. The fatal kind.

“This is the best place to scold him.” Finneus answered, climbing upward with ease only one of his kind could replicate. “This way, the lesson sticks.”

“I’d think you a father, Finneus, if I didn’t know you better.”

Argus.

The last in their band, he was a former human priest, one who had abandoned his duties to his god, the Monarch of War. He refused to give up the accompanying lifestyle, including wearing his garish orange and yellow robes and eating no meat. The most amusing part was the fact that he almost religiously kept his head shaved.

“Gusgus.” Finneus stretched the name, which always irritated the priest. “I’m touched that you think you know me, but what makes you think I can’t settle down? You think I can’t find a good lass, bed her and start a family?”

“I never said that.” Argus’s said very diplomatically. “I said I don’t see you being a father.”

“I can raise a brat.” Finneus said, voice very calm and not at all offended.

“Finneus, what’s your idea of a good lesson to teach your children?” Argus asked, his voice as soothing as ever.

“Hunting.” Finneus answered immediately, brimming with pride. “My family have been hunting dreadbeasts as far back as we can remember as a tradition.”

“You’ll teach your child to hunt. As a toddler?” Samael asked, curious despite herself.

“The earlier the better.” Finneus agreed enthusiastically.

“The poor bastard.” Karyon muttered.

“It’s what my mother did.” Finneus added.

“You poor bastard.” Karyon winced, shaking his head.

“We’re here!” Jayne called their attention, spotting a break in the wall of stone a few meters above her, revealing the cloudy sky. They all became silent, putting the last of their energy to getting to the top.

Karyon managed to nearly fall to his death again, but they all got up mostly uninjured minutes later.

The sun at the top was harsher, the wind far more violent, but all of that was natural and expected. Jayne mostly took in the features that weren’t.

The top of the obsidian mountain was perfectly and unnaturally flat, like a god had taken the sword to it and shaved the top off. A nondescript, unmarked temple stood in the very center, hundreds of meters from the edge in all directions. No statues surrounded it, and it was devoid of plant life. Or any kind of life.

Despite its plainness, it was clearly no ordinary temple. The size alone was proof of that. Dozens of meters to the top, it would take many stacked Finneus’s to match it. No human constructions compared.

“So. We’re here.” Finneus said, turning his gaze from the temple to her. In fact, she noted they were all staring at her. The companionship from just moments before was absent as they waited for her instructions. The bond between themselves was of a kind, and their connection with her was of a different kind.

She pretended she didn’t care, kept her gaze on the temple and remained as impassive as before.

“Finneus, you’re in front. Argus, left flank, Karyon, right.” She gave instructions, pulling her shortsword out of its sheath on her belt and beginning an unhesitant advance on the temple. “Samael follow immediately behind Finneus. Weapons ready. And make as little noise as possible.”

“Are we expecting enemies?” Argus asked, revealing his twin sabers from where they had been hidden underneath his robes. Beside him, Finneus held out his hand and a ghostlike hammer appeared in his grasp out of thin air, phantom smoke swirling around the massive weapon. Samael retrieved her staff from its straps and Karyon unsheathed poisoned blades.

“It’s more than likely.” Jayne answered.

“So… any chance you tell us what we’re doing here?” Samael asked. “I may be oathbound to follow you but I would still appreciate knowing what I’m walking into.”

“No.” Jayne answered simply.

She was not obligated to tell them anything more than they needed to know, and she liked keeping her plans close to her chest. The only creature who knew anything of her thoughts was the wrinkled ball of flesh on her back.

And she intended to keep it that way.

The group slowed as they reached the entrance of the temple. The massive doors were wide open and they climbed up the stairs and entered the darkened space, eyes straining to pick out details among the shadows.

The doors, large enough that Finneus couldn’t possibly hope to close of his own power, began to close of their own accord, creaking ominously. The team turned around to stare at them as they slowly cut them off from the light of the day.

“Any chance we’re getting out while we can?” Karyon asked quietly, his voice tense with fear.

Jayne stared at the doors, watching with a hard look on her face. “No.”

Not even the threat of no return could change her course.

A moment later, they were swallowed by absolute darkness as the doors finished closing with a deep resounding ‘boom’. They could see nothing, until a harsh bluish-white light flared into existence as Samael muttered an incantation and the top of her staff began to glow.

The group turned back to continue their journey, burying their fear and unease. They took a step forward… and immediately froze.

Where, before them there had been nothing but shadows, there was now a small creature that just managed to reach up to Jayne’s hip. It was, at first glance, a very young cow.

A second glance would disabuse anyone of the notion. It had, instead of the usual two horns, six that jutted out of its skull at odd, grotesque angles. There was the faintest glint of fangs protruding out the corner of its mouth. Instead of hooves, it had the paws of some indescribable monster, and the tail… the tail was a long whip that moved with a mind of its own, pointing at the ground, then at them, then at the distant, unseen ceiling.

They had met the first denizen of the temple.

“What in Midworld is that?” Finneus groaned in disgust, dropping the head of his hammer to touch the stone floor. Argus and Karyon beside him both shuddered as they watched the still animal.

Samael aimed her staff at the monstrous creature, face twisted in distaste. “That tail is–”

“Alive.” Jayne finished, watching as the tip of the tail opened to reveal fangs and a forked tongue. Its tongue darted out to taste the air, flickering as it caught their scent. It let out an inhuman screech and every one of them nearly dropped to their knees clutching their heads as the magical noise drilled into their skulls, seeking a way inside like a violent worm.

Jayne threw off the mental attack like she had with any other attack, but the sound itself had a dissonant quality that hurt to listen to.

The screech cut off a moment later, but the damage was already done. The temple filled up with the sound of scuttling and rustling, and more of the twisted cow-snake hybrids began appearing at the edge of the light, surrounding them on all sides.

The cows stared at them for a long moment, bodies weaving around each other in mesmerizing patterns as they slavered in hunger, intently watching their prey.

“Do you think they’re tamed? Like real cows.” Finneus gulped, already knowing the answer to his question. He held the haft of his hammer in both hands, shifting it to a battle-ready position.

“I seriously doubt these things have anything in common with real cows.” Argus replied, examining their opponents.

In answer, every snake tail pointed in their direction and opened their jaws. Their screams filled the temple a moment later.

This time, every one of them fell to the ground, clutching their hands to the sides of their heads to block out the attack.

And while they writhed on the stone floor… the monsters pounced.

~Hi! So I managed to write enough for the first threshold, even though I was so busy I took my first look at the prompts five days before the deadline and I was swimming in exams. Miracles happen. I'll try to keep up. Do tell me if it looks like my story is losing coherence.
On that note, if you enjoyed the story, tap the gray star to let me know, and if you want to express your opinions with words, well then...comment.
Ps. Good luck to other ONCer's~ Kevin :)