The Meal

The boy with the body of a lion, Rock, sat next to me and began to meditate in silence. After a while, he spoke in a calm voice.

"You are from a very ancient family in this valley," he said. "But I heard that there is a big plan against your family. This is your return for helping us with our predicament."

I did not respond to him.

Rock stood up and took his followers with him, passing through the iron door to the third floor.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. There were only dead orc corpses. But then my eyes caught something shining beneath the corpse of the last orc I had killed.

I quickly stood up and approached the body. It was a small black gem.

I picked up the gem and examined it closely. It was smooth and cold to the touch. I felt a strange energy emanating from it.

I didn't know what the gem was for, but I knew that it was important. I put it in my pocket

I wondered what Rock meant by his warning. What was this big plan against my family?

I took a deep breath and stepped through the iron door to the third floor.

The third floor was a vast and open space, with a high ceiling and walls made of smooth, polished stone. The floor was covered in a thick layer of grass, and there were trees and flowers growing all around.

I entered the third floor and was greeted by a delicious smell of food. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since the day before.

I followed the smell to a group of animals sitting around a campfire, cooking meat over the embers. They all had cat heads, and one of them noticed me and waved.

"I think you're hungry, my friend," he said. "Come and enjoy the food with us."

I approached cautiously and thanked him. I sat down and began to eat hungrily.

"You look like you're from the rabbit house, right?" he asked.

 nodded, still focused on my food.

"What branch of the family are you from?"

"The main branch," I said calmly.

A smile spread across his catlike face. There were three boys and one girl in the group.

I finished my food quickly, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had a bad feeling about these animals.

I stood up and thanked them for the food.

"You're welcome," the boy said. "Come back and visit us again sometime."

I nodded and turned to leave. But as I walked away, I couldn't help but glance back over my shoulder. The animals were watching me, their eyes filled with strange malice.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, my limbs growing heavy as lead. I staggered to a halt, my vision blurring. The world around me seemed to slow to a crawl, as if I were trapped in a thick, viscous fog.

Through the haze, I saw the cat-headed animals approaching, their feline faces twisted with malice. I tried to move, but my body refused to obey. I was trapped.

"The plan worked," one of the cats purred.

Then, darkness enveloped me.

I don't know how long I was unconscious. When I awoke, I was lying on the same cold, hard ground. The cat-headed animals were gone, but their presence still lingered in the air, like a foul stench.

I reached into my pocket, but the black gem was gone. I cursed under my breath. What did they want with it?

I rose to my feet and brushed the dust from my clothes, my weary body aching with every step. I continued on my journey, following the path into the unknown.

I saw a group of ghouls lying lifeless on the ground, their pale skin taut over their skeletal frames.

The group of cats must have been quite powerful to kill all the monsters on the third floor, especially considering that the monsters on each floor become increasingly powerful as you ascend the tower. I approached the door, 

I paused to collect my thoughts, then headed towards the door. What I knew about the tower now was that each floor had multiple dimensions, superimposed upon one another. This meant that it was possible to cross paths with one of the animals on one floor, but there was no guarantee that you would stay together when you entered the next floor. To open the door to the next floor, you had to fulfill a condition, which could vary depending on the floor. On the third floor, the condition was to kill all the monsters. I didn't know if there would be other conditions on future floors, but I suspected that they would only become more difficult.

I took a deep breath and stepped through the door, ready for whatever challenges awaited me. I knew that the tower was dangerous, but I was determined to reach the top and find my friends.

I entered the fourth floor and found myself in a long, dark tunnel. The only light came from a few flickering torches scattered along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced and writhed in the gloom.

The air was thick with the smell of decay and something else, something foul and unnatural.

I realized that I wouldn't be able to use my jumping ability in this confined space. If a large group of monsters attacked, I would be completely surrounded. And if those strange cat-like creatures appeared again, I had to be careful not to trust them.

As I was contemplating all of this, I felt a blow to the back of my head and blacked out.

" Damn it "