t was strange how none of us were shocked at the events we just saw.  It was as if the reaper’s music comforted us as well.  The next man—a youngster still in his teens—stepped forward and began to divulge to us his demise.  "I was known as Adam Ragnor, I’m not sure what I’m to be called now, but my story starts when my friend and I, decided to accompany one another into a haunted crypt.  The excitement encouraged us and the thought of possibly finding something valuable tempted us.  So away we went on our little adventure.

f course we went during an evening.  We both snuck out of our homes and met up just past the small cemetery outside our village.  We met under The Hanging Tree and plotted our course using a tiny map that had the crypt on it.  We brought swords and had our armor on—we thought we were invincible.  We both had experience in fighting and even practiced with the knights for fun when they would travel through town and stay at the local inn.  We were such fools.

e were both scared and we both knew it, but would never say anything to let the the other one know.  We followed the trail that the map laid out for us and came upon the crypt.  It looked creepy enough.  We tossed rocks to see who would go in first.  I threw the shortest so I headed in with my friend Michael, right behind me.  The tomb was incredibly much darker than we had imagined.  We each brought torches and scrolls that when read aloud would summon a mystic light.  We both stepped through the cob-webs and started our descent down into the dark crypt.

e could hear strange noises coming from all around us.  Many sounded like a child’s giggle, while some were more menacing groans and I swore we could hear scratching on the walls, as well as from inside the coffins.  The scratching was enough to make your skin crawl after a short time.  Michael and I found a tomb with a small box on it.  We decided to have a look inside the box and we found a beautiful ornate golden mirror in it.  We looked in the mirror and both let out a quick scream and dropped it down.  The mirror showed our reflections, plus another.  It showed a female’s face with dark sunken eyes and snow like skin.  She was standing next to Michael and that disturbed him greatly as he didn’t really stop talking about it.

e continued, though frightened, through the winding corridors.  We kept hearing footsteps that weren’t our own and through the sides of our eyes we kept seeing shadows moving.  We debated turning back, but while discussing it, Michael screamed out "she’s here!"; I looked around and didn’t see anything.  I looked back at Michael and I did not doubt for a second that he was seeing something.  His skin was whiter than the ghoul we saw in the mirror and he was sweating heavily, while breathing rapidly too.  I tried to comfort him, but everywhere he looked, he started mumbling to himself. He sounded like a mad man--it really freaked me out.  I put my hand on his shoulder and he quickly drew a knife and cut at my arm.  I yelled at him as he warned me to stay back.  I could see how blood-shot his eyes were.  He was being attacked by things I was unable to see.

 told him as calmly as I could that we should leave.  He started crying and said my name. "Adam, help me.  We shouldn’t be here.”  I agreed with him and told him we’ll head back.  But he panicked; he started yelling that she’s getting closer.  I saw my friend quickly going mad. What a stupid idea we had to go down there.  He was terrifying me with his erratic swinging of both sword and his torch.  Finally he pulled out the scroll and uttered the words to summon the light.  Once the light showed, I could see our shadows cast on the wall, as well as an extra one that didn’t belong.  It was that of a woman, wearing a long dress.  Michael was staring towards the direction that the shadow was being cast from and the shadow’s figure was staring back at him.  I started grabbing whatever I could and threw it into random places throughout the room but that was to no avail.  The shadow slowly approached Michael as he started swinging even more violently.  

 was yelling at him loud enough to wake the dead.  But it didn’t work, eventually he dropped the torch and with adrenaline pumping, he ran as quickly as he could through the small winding tunnels.  I didn’t hesitate for a second and started running after him.  As I passed the area where he was at, I could feel a scratch gash my arm.  I didn’t care, I just wanted to find my friend.  I could hear his steps and his yelling and followed as quickly as I could.  He was running like a mad man and I was chasing like one.  He was leading me down tunnels that didn’t look at all familiar.  I could hear the crypt’s activity picking up as well.  There was groaning in the distance and laughing along with the sounds of metal hitting the stone floor.  I ran forward, focused only on what was in front of me—not taking any time to look back at all.  I came to a T-junction….  I couldn’t hear Michael anymore.  I couldn’t hear anything but the whispers that plagued the crypt.  I wanted to go home so badly.  I couldn’t believe he just left me.  "Which way should I go?"  I thought to myself.  I could not believe the situation my friend and I were in.

 took a left turn…..  which turned out to be a bad idea.  The hallway looked somewhat familiar, so I continued passing through it.  The hall lead to a chamber full of golden statues of the deities and a large alter in the middle of the room.  The room had deep cut outs in the wall where the deceased laid rest.  I carefully and quietly entered the room ensuring nothing besides me, was moving.  All seemed clear, but there was of course no way out.  I did see a beautiful ebony dagger laid out on the alter as an offering to Sithis.  The dagger was radiating a dark red glow.  Obviously it was imbued with power.  I thought to myself that the weapon could help me if the horrid entities that dwelled in that dungeon decided to attack, or that it could be worth good coin at the capital.  Next to the dagger laid a pale body of a young man with a cut placed from his neck to his groin.  Clearly this was a demonic sacrifice.  The stain of the entrails were still visible on the pale, naked body.  I slowly reached to grab the dagger and took a few steps back with it.

 demonic growl echoed through the chamber that made me freeze in my place.  I felt as if many hands were clawing at me, trying to pull me down into hell.  A black mist began to take form throughout the entirety of the chamber.  I heard a horrible, disembodied vocalization that came out from nowhere.  Its voice sent chills down my spine.  It was a hateful and horrifying sound.  It was speaking in a strange language and I was unable to make out any words.  But I could plainly hear in my own tongue, many voices warning me to leave.  As I turned around, I saw that I heeded their warnings too late.  Before me stood a monstrous demon blocking the exit with horns ripping out of its veiny face.  The evil creature raised his hand pointing behind me.

s I turned to see what he was pointing at, I saw a hideous site: the pale, dead corpse was crouched as a gargoyle at the edge of the alter with blackened eyes.  Its flesh was slowly decaying from its body and falling off.  It lunged at me knocking me down.  I tried to fight it off, but the demon inside was too strong.  It spoke curses to the many deities while tearing its claws into my body.  It broke my left arm and used its weight to hold down my right.  It then slammed its face into my neck and sank its jagged teeth in.  It was so painful.  I could feel my skin ripping away as he pulled back, tearing the side of my throat away with him.  As my head rocked from side to side, writhing from the pain and shock, I looked up and saw him take delight as my blood was squirting all over his face.  He dropped what part of me was in his mouth and rushed in again, this time biting down on the front of my throat. . .

fter a short time, the pain stopped.  I opened my eyes and I saw I was laying in a field.  I quickly grabbed my throat and all was there.  As I stood up, I could hear the soft music….  I walked toward it.”  

he reaper smiled and nodded as he continued to play gracefully the most melancholy tune I had ever heard.  He comforted the lad by telling him his friend also did not make it out alive of that crypt and he was expecting him to join the circle at anytime.  A slight grin appeared on the young man’s face.  He was happy he would see his friend again.