The Folter[III]

Snatching the pant that was floating towards him with his leg while balancing the huge mace was kind of hard, but he gently laid the pant down and took off his jumpsuit and spread it on the rocky ground, ready to make some adjustments.

The jumpsuit was cut at the waist by the spear end of the mace before being divided again through the middle vertically, effectively creating an open shirt. Locke balled up and threw away the torn jumpsuit pants before slipping into the open shirt and slightly rough but well-fitting pants.

To be honest, it wasn't the best look, what with the mismatch of flaming orange and dull light brown, but at least he wasn't butt naked. With all of that over, Locke took a thorough look around, finally taking in his new surroundings.

Moss clung to the rocks overhead as Locke could hear the water trickle over the sharp earth while he toured around his immediate area, the wet rocky floor slightly digging into his soles. Torches lit with flickering fire hung far above his reach, nailed to the walls as they provided circles of light. Locke's face contorted as he tasted the musty air and smelt the onion stink of sweat.

He spotted a passage about 5 meters wide to the north from where he was standing. The uneven walls were enveloped with intertwining vines as they crawled up to the ceiling wrought with stalactites. He slowly made his way over, jumping over green-filled puddles with the huge mace leaning over his shoulder.

On the way, Locke struck up a conversation with the demon, "Hey uh, what is this world anyway? And you said something about stacks? Why didn't I die when I jumped off the roof?"

There was a pause before the demon replied, {As I said before, this is the world of Pangaia, one of the... tha-that is not for me to say. If this was an ordinary world and if you were not a mere mortal who has not even attuned himself to Creatrix energy, I could do something... no. Even then, you'd have to be insanely strong to bear the weight... but enough about that. As for the reason you survived, there exists a prophecy. That is all}.

"Huh?! Prophecy? Creat-what energy? What does that do!?" Excited would be an understatement. Locke was literally hopping around in ecstasy before the demon calmed him down. "{CREATRIX energy. The primordial energy thought to move through the entire universe}.

"Woahh, so when do I uh attune myself to this energy?"

{Hmph. Survive this trial first, and you might live to witness its wonders. Also, that human from earlier, he has already familiarized himself with the energy}.

"Uhh, is it that common in this world?" Locke asked dubiously, there was this energy that could do something beyond mortal comprehension, and the first person he had somewhat of a proper conversation with could use it? He was not dumb enough to underestimate this energy but still had his misgiving about it.

{Are you that retarded? Of course, there will be people who can properly use it, and you should be grateful he's not one of the viler ones. The optimum time to start cultivating is at fourteen. You're one year late and haven't even started on the path. Get this over with, and I'll start with the basics. Do not call for me until you have cleared these trials}.

"Damn. Guess I know why he's called the Demon King or something." Muttering to no one in particular, Locke started whistling randomly as he stared at the massive pathway in front of him. He couldn't notice this from afar, but the ceiling reached at least 7 meters in height, the whole place giving off an archaic feeling. He half expected a boss monster to show up once he made his way through this.

He entered and slowly reached a curve in the passage through which he couldn't see so, he leaned his back against the wall, readied his weapon, and slowly tip-toed forward. Then, taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, he burst out, his mace already above him in mid-swing, ready to crush anything in his path.

Locke awkwardly paused in that position, his eyes widened, and his heart pounding ever so faster as his throat felt dry. He... was in a forest all of a sudden. He staggered back, and his surroundings reverted back to the dark and massive corridor through which he was traversing.

He was again at the corner, and he still couldn't see past it for some reason. He shook his head and took the step, once again in a forest. Still flabbergasted, he forced down his questions before swinging his mace at a tree near him.

A loud noise confirmed reality for him as the tree trunk had somewhat deep scars in the middle, courtesy of the spikes around the mace. Locke audibly gulped as he looked around, now highly on alert.

A low growl alerted him as near him lay an open space surrounded by trees, a gigantic lion prowling around while glaring at him with a predatory look in its eyes.

The lion was huge for its species as it towered over him by at least a meter, its luminous golden mane hugging its neck. Locke slowly made his way over to the open area, reaffirming his grip on the mace before taking a stance. He held his weapon in front of him, slightly tilted, as he spaced his legs and placed his left leg behind the right one.

The lion at this point was drooling, looking at its delicious meal, full of meat, before pouncing at Locke, reaching almost 3 meters into the air. Locke ducked and ran forward, the lion still over him as he swung his mace at the hind legs, grazing past it while tearing off its skin. The lion landed on its feet, slightly limping as it turned around, giving off a loud roar before it dashed at him.

He immersed himself in the heat of the battle as he forgot everything else. Excitement overtook nervousness. Instincts overtook his body as he swung over and over. A savage grin materialized on his face as he felt it. This. This was what he wanted to feel. In the heat of battle, everything else was forgotten.

What he sought was a... temporary escape.

His weapon clashed against the lion's claws, its canines piercing into his flesh as the battle went on and on. He tried to control them, but they groaned out in agony every time he swung. Finally, he grimaced as he needed something to end this fight in one move! Locke soon realized that a war of attrition wouldn't work and that he was still a mortal; he could feel his muscles start to fail him.

As he thought that, Locke's vision blurred for a second. His tiredness was getting the best of him in the end. But, unfortunately, the lion wasn't stupid and leaped right at its prey, who was in a very fragile state. Locke shook his head and deflected the lion's claws before dodging the bite that followed.

'He's physically stronger than me, but my weapon is enough for me to kill it as long as I can get a good hit in.' He cleared his mind as he dashed at the lion with newfound determination and hope. He dodged the lion's swipe before twirling his mace and dragging it over the beast's back, leaving a deep gash as a reminder.

Locke took a deep breath before readying himself and, like throwing a two-handed axe, hurled it at the beast. The lion being fast enough, even though injured, quickly moved to the side by a bit and dodged it as the mace landed on the ground with a loud thud.

By the time it looked at the human again, he was already within a meter's range of the beast and quickly ducked under the swipe of its claws before grabbing the mace and throwing an overarching swing at the beast from the top, the heavy weapon directly crushing the lion's skull and ending its life.

Locke lay there on the ground, his chest heaving as he gulped in huge amounts of air as he let go of the mace. His muscles were in unimagineable agony, but he was in too much of a high to notice it for now. After all, he had just fucking killed a lion! And a huge one at that.

Locke looked around as his surroundings changed into a familiar dark place, but a silhouette blocked his vision. He licked his dry and cracked lips as he looked up, spotting the familiar face of the older man who gave him his weapon.

The man smirked maliciously as he squinted his eyes at Locke, "That was a lie. I wanted to see the face of hopelessness on their faces once they realize that this place doesn't give them their freedom. But you're boring. No matter what you say, you seem to keep trudging on. I wonder, what makes you tick?" The man cocked his head to the side, still with that snide smirk on his old face.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I guess I am getting a tad bit old." He chuckled as he stroked his goatee before spreading his arms as if to make a grand announcement.

" *Ahem* Welcome... to Hell, mortal. Welcome... to The Folter..." His voice turning guttural as he uttered the last words.