The Halls Of Illusions: Emergence of the Disciplined

11 White Bones and Hell's Kitchen

The three entered a very narrow stairway. Hip and leg bones made the stairs. The walls were a tightly knit of ribs that widened and circled from the backbone laced ceiling, wide enough just for Marcus to walk through without turning sideways. Marcus and Sam had to duck slightly at the waist to keep from cracking their heads on the rough bones protruding from the center of the backbone ceiling. "Oh, this is much better." Makira scoffed. Marcus turned around to see her, and in turn hit his head hard on a bleached bone. "Shit these hurt." They could see the flicker of lights in the room ahead of them. "Get up there and take a look." Sam ordered Marcus from the back. "Hold your horses this isn't exactly, Damn my head, easy you know." Marcus again smacked his head as he spoke and started cussing under his breath about the women having it out for him. Looking up over the top step the floor seemed to be made of well-paved stones. The whole room was made of different bones from every type of creature imaginable. Torches made from arms and hands holding large balls of hair were fastened to the walls. Marcus yelled back, "Looks clear so far." "Good get up there and find a door." Sam ordered. "Damn woman have some patients." "I want out of here now." "We all do Sam." Makira added in trying to calm the two before an argument ensued.

Popping through the narrow stairwell Marcus found himself in a small room, with two adjoining rooms to the sides. The stones cracked and popped under his feet. Marcus looked down at the ground. Horror filled his eyes as he realizied what he was walking on. Grey from dust they had appeared to be stone. Now he could see the seams at their top being directly over them through the layer of dust. He was walking on skulls. "Easy ladies, this isn't going to be pleasant." He said back to the two as they begin to come through the small hole. "You may want to watch your step." "I don't see a door anywhere." Makira said looking around. "No but I think that arm bone in there might be a lever." He said as he pointed to a bone sticking up from the wall in the smaller adjoining room. Sam looked behind them and seen another in the other room.

"Ok lets split up here incase it's a trap." She said. "Makira you go with Marcus and I'll head over here." The three went to their separate rooms. "Oh Damn it!" the two heard from Sam as they were almost to their target. They turned around. "Are you ok?" "Yeah one of these skulls just cut through my boot and into my foot. Careful these things are sharp when they break." They reached their levers and Marcus pulled first. Cracking could be throughout the room as something slid away. Makira peeked around the corner and seen the room had grew in length on Sam's side. She seen something else too that caused her to worry; movement.

Bone moved out from behind where the wall had been, skeletons walked out and searched for who had freed them. Some wore plate armor, some wore helms, and some were simply bare bones. All six bore weapons short swords, claymores, and maces. "Heads up; we have company." She hollered to the other two. They pulled their weapons and moved in. Sam bumped her lever as she walked out and another wall slid up. "This isn't good." She said as another portion of wall revealed four more guests. Two more rooms appeared behind where the walls had been separated by an angular wide wall splitting them from being one large room.

Sam and Marcus rushed for the largest group trying to eliminate the threat as quick as possible. Their swords did minimum damage. Makira pulled out the cleavers she had borrowed from the last room and tossed them to the two. "Bone's crack, use something with weight." A large claymore slammed down into the skulls before Makira as a skeleton wearing a helmet and plate armor stood before her. She rolled and kicked its legs. They gave way and snapped but the torso kept crawling after her. Running around it, she jumped on its back as she felt the cold claws of bony hands clash her arms and pull her forward. She grabbed the helmet and turned it over slamming it against the skull until it busted through releasing a cloud of dust into the air that choked Makira with a musty nauseous taste.