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The Demon's Labyrinth

Laying on her back with only a patch of straw to call a bed, Allison stared up into the darkness, the brick ceiling or her prison cell blocking and hopes of seeing the night sky. Though only a few nights back she had had a bed to call her own, now she slept with her back in dirt, and only a small blanket to offer her comfort. Twisting and turning, Allison struggled to fall asleep, her mind reflecting on the circumstances that lead her to this pitiful situation. A small, breath of wind swept through the bars at the window, causing Allison to shiver as she reminisced on the events of the past few years.

Two years ago, her life had been given to a wealthy man by the name of Gerald. Still young and full of hope, Allison had thought she was marrying the perfect gentleman. Allison's father, a traditional man, had decided to arrange his daughter's marriage for the mutual benefit of both families involved. Though originally against the idea, the more she learned about Gerald, the more Allison was willing to try. Gerald was very rich, living on a rather large estate located just outside the palace walls. His house featured a beautiful garden, furnished mahogany rooms, and numerous guards in shining armour around every corner. In his spare time it was rumoured, Gerald liked to hunt, courageously trapping and killing some of the most dangerous animals in the land. Other then expensive furnishings, Gerald's house contained a number of luscious carpets made from exotic animals, and even a trophy room that contained the heads of boars, bears, a drake and even a unicorn! The arrangement benefited both families, as Gerald had wealth and power, and Allison's father was a well-liked politician with numerous connections. Hoping to expand his influence into political circles, Allison's new husband had accepted her hand graciously. Allison, mesmerized by his wealth, had been all too willing to start her new life with him.

Allison thought she would have no trouble loving the man with all his money and possessions; however, the long hours she spent with him only granted her contempt. The loving nature her husband displayed in public was merely mask; in private, the man was as foul as any of the ferocious beasts roaming the countryside. Inside his estate, Gerald viewed Allison as a piece of property more then someone he could love, and was no stranger to violence to get his point across. Though she was the lady of the house, Allison's activities within the estate were very limited unless she was with him, and the many guards positioned around the house watched her every move, standing as silent sentinels to ensure her good behaviour. Occasionally Gerald would parade her around on his arm or allow her greater freedom if they had guests over, but such privileges rarely occurred, and the guards were always watching.

The hunting trips, it seemed, were merely a hobby that Gerald used to channel his urge to commit violence on other living things. Originally, Allison had thought his expeditions into the wilderness as heroic or brave; however, as she learned the truth about the man, Allison found that Gerald was a complete monster to the animals he captured. Often venturing out with a large party of ten or more guards dressed in the appropriate gear, Gerald would wait until his men found some sort of beast and subdued it. When the beast was lying down, either beaten until near death or trapped under a net, Gerald would kill it himself, often ramming a spear through different parts of the animals body until it bled out. He never stabbed the face though: he needed the heads for his wall.

At night, a time Allison would always dread, Gerald would come into her chambers and have his way with her. Sometimes he would be drunk, or dirty from a hunting trip, but it was her duty to obey. Gerald would only beat her if she refused, so she always submitted lest she leave the ordeal with bruises or other injuries that could've been avoided. Whether through some blessing of the Gods, or merely or own willpower, Gerald never gave her a child. Allison would've brought death upon herself before bringing her own baby into such a hateful world.

On one particularly horrible night, Gerald came for Allison in her bedchambers, a wicked countenance of anger etched across his face. Drunk, furious, and tired of Allison's constant skittishness around him, Gerald brought Allison down into the basement, a place she had never been permitted to go with or without his accompaniment. Terrified of what was going to happen, Allison tried to pull away from him but his grip dug into her wrist, dragging her along against her will. When they reach the bottom, Gerald took her to a well lit corner in the vast expanse of the cold, stone room. There, Allison saw that Gerald had caught and trapped a Griffon. The Griffon was covered in grey feathers, stretching from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. Its underside and the backs of its legs on the other hand were a radiant white, a color that shone brightly even in the dim light of the torches that surrounded room. Laying on its side, chained to wall with a collar around its neck, the magnificent beast lay on its side, breathing heavily after enduring Gerald's brutality. The Griffon looked up at Allison as she approached, pain in its eyes.

Gerald made Allison stare for a silent moment. After a few seconds he motioned to the guards on each side of him, who stepped forwards to hold Allison in their arms while Gerald approached the Griffon, gripping a long spear off the wall as he approached.

Allison would never forget what she saw him do that night. Being forced to witness Gerald's killing of the helpless animal had wounded her deep inside. It was to "make her strong," Gerald had said. "To witness a kill, to see the blood of an animal flow, makes anybody feel like a God." Crying, Allison was dragged from the cellar back to her room. Back in her bed, Allison wept tears of sorrow, the pain in her heart and the vision of the Griffon looking at her preventing her from falling asleep. She felt immense regret at having been unable to save the creature, and her own sorrow soon turned to anger at the man who killed it.

Gerald was right: it did make her strong, though not in the way he intended.

Now, at the age of twenty-four, Allison had managed to escape Gerald's clutches, permanently. When her husband had come for her several hours ago, she had stabbed him in the neck with a steak-knife she had grabbed from the kitchens. Such an act was unthinkable to her before, but upon witnessing what Gerald was capable of, Allison knew that this man, this monster, had to be put down. Unable to cry out in alarm, Gerald fell off the bed onto the floor, gasping for breath and clutching as the knife in his neck. Collecting herself, Allison passed silently from the room, trying to brush past the guards as quickly and casually as she could. They grabbed her however, not trusting her when Gerald wasn't around, and when they discovered what she had done, they beat her, and threw her in a cell. The unfamiliar noises of the night frightened her, and though she was far from her husband's clutches, her mind kept imagining Gerald appearing beside her, his hand holding a large kitchen knife while blood streamed from his neck.

Exhausted and dirty, Allison tried her best to drift off to sleep. She would need her energy for the morrow: perhaps she could try to escape. Rolling over once again, Allison took a few deep breaths, and tried to relax, banishing all thoughts from her mind and focusing on the soft hay underneath her. It took a while longer, but eventually she drifted off.

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As soon as Allison awoke, she knew something was wrong. The light of the rising sun tickled her face as it peaked over the top of the trees that surrounded her, causing Allison to blink open her eyes and yawn. As soon as she did however, she bolted upright in shock. Trees!

Rather then the alley see had slept in, she found herself lying on a large platform of beige, stone brick surrounded by seemingly endless forest in either direction. From where she was sitting, she couldn't see any trace of the city she had been in, or any landmarks at all. Still wearing the tattered nightclothes she had been imprisoned in, Allison craned her head around and studied her new environment. As she took in her surroundings, Allison noticed the expanse of brick she sat on lead up to the entrance of a large, intimidating structure. The entirety of the structure itself was located at the base of a large hill, almost a mountain, that rose unnaturally up from the earth. Made of the same stone as the platform, the door of the structure loomed over Allison in a giant arch, and lead into a long, dark hallway that seemed to lead endlessly into its depths of the hill behind it. Walls about as tall as the doorway and lined with iron spikes stretched to each side of the building's opening that were about thirty feet long, before they turned, and disappeared into the hill as well. Although she couldn't understand why, Allison felt a sense of dread laying in the shadow of the walls in front of her, and an unwarranted chill crept up the base of her spine.

It wasn't until she started getting up that Allison noticed she wasn't alone. Behind her, Allison saw two other sleeping figures: both were male, one being slightly larger then average, while the other was quite small and thin. The larger one, as far as Allison could tell was quite muscular, and was sleeping under a wool blanket, his head resting on a pillow. He was bald, and his face contained a number of scars and vicious looking marks that suggested a life accustomed to violence. The smaller one was simply lying on the concrete, his head on a pillow, and completely naked save for the breeches that covered his privates. This man had short, black hair, and a thin beard across his lower face of the same color. He was a smiling as he slept, lost somewhere in a pleasant dream.

As Allison studied them, the smaller one yawned, opening his eyes to stare at her. After a brief moment of confusion flashed across his face, the smaller one gave a surprised yell and shot to his feet, retreating backwards a few feet only to trip and fall onto his back once again.

The shout had startled the larger one, who also bolted upright in alarm, throwing off his blanket and twisting around in a panic, quickly grasping under his pillow for a weapon that wasn't there. Allison was glad to see that this one had some clothes on, noting the rough, hewn pants that covered his legs. Each of them seemed to be as surprised as Allison was at their new surroundings.

Starting to his feet, the smaller one eyed them both in surprise, panting heavily. "Where am I? Who are you? What have you done to me!?" He cried out in alarm, looking around for something to shield himself with.

Scanning the area around him, the larger one threw the blanket off of him and stood up, still shaken but obviously calmer then the other; "some sort of fucking witchcraft," he mumbled, brushing himself off. He looked over to Allison with suspision, "Do you have any idea what's going on?" He said, his tone dangerous.

Unsure of herself in the presence of these men, and slightly intimidated by the man's scars, Allison looked down at her feet and only managed to stutter, "I... I don't know, s-s-sir."

At this the man smiled at her and shrugged his large frame. "Sir huh? Ha! Nobody's called me that before," he chuckled, looking over to the man at his left. The smaller man had now picked up his pillow, holding it as a shield as if to defend himself and staring blankly around in confusion and fear. "I guess we're all plucking the same string then," the larger one said, grabbing his wool blanket off the stone ground and beginning to fold it.

The smaller man just stared at the other man, completely dumbfounded. "Plucking the same string! THAT'S all you can say? Our predicament is a little more dire then that I assure you," he stammered, eyeing his companions suspiciously. "I was asleep in my own bed, and now I'm...who knows where! How can you be so calm? You must've done it! Tell us where we are dammit!"

Finishing with his blanket, the larger man looked up with annoyance. "Whatever you're suggesting I 'did,' I assure you I didn't," he said. "It would be best to calm yourself you shrill little man, panicking never helped anybody." Straightening his back, and crossing his arms, the larger one looked at his two companions. "Why don't we start with names? That would help immensely. I'm Seth," he exclaimed, taking a short bow. "What's your name miss?"

Allison once again, looked at her feet, "I'm... I'm Allison," she said.

Seth grinned. "I'm up here ya know, not down there." When Allison failed to look at him, Seth gave another shrug, and turned to the other man. "And how about you?"

The smaller man twisted his face into a sarcastic smile, mocking the cheerfulness Seth displayed. "I'm Marvo, nice to meet you," he whined, "now will someone please tell me what's going on?! You're both hiding something I know it!"

Seth folded his arms. "I've told you already," he said, "neither of us have a clue. Right my dear?"

This time, Allison looked up. "Yes, I was..." she swallowed, "somewhere else, but when I woke up...I was here."

"See?" Seth said. "Nobody know anything Marvo, we don't know who or what brought us here."

"O as if I'm going to believe you! You look don't exactly seem to radiate with honest intentions you...you thug! Just stay away from me!" Marvo said, holding up his pillow as if to strike. The action made Seth chuckle under his breath.

In the small silence that followed, Allison heard footsteps behind her, coming out of the dark tunnels of the structure behind her. It didn't sound like any footsteps she had ever heard however: it sounded more like hooves were clopping on the stone blocks, getting closer and closer with each step. Marvo looked behind her, and Allison saw his face turn white. Seth looked as well, the sure composure of the man melting away as his face turned into a mask of uncertainty. Her breath catching in her chest, Allison turned to see what was approaching and froze with fear.

The creature that walked toward her was a man, or mostly a man, though his skin was unnaturally smooth and colored a pale, sickly red. His upper body was human enough, giving exception to the fact that two large horns protruded from his forehead, his teeth were exceptionally long and pointy, and his fingers were decorated with razor-sharp claws. His lower half was anything but human, but rather that of a beast. The creature's legs were covered with thick, black fur, and ended in pointy, split hooves, much like that of a goat. His backside featured a slim, pointed black tail that swirled as he walked towards the small group.

Grinning widely, displaying his pointy teeth, the creature stopped about five feet from the stunned onlookers. His voice was gleeful, yet raspy and deep as he hissed, "Well, I brought you here of course." A forked tongue whipping in and out of his mouth as he spoke.

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Crossing his legs and taking a deep bow right in front of Allison, the creature continued to talk. "Mordinith at your service," he rasped, "high demon of the underworld, and owner of this magnificent piece of architecture you see behind me." Coming out of his bow and standing straight up, the demon eyed the three humans in front of him.

The demon said nothing for a while, allowing the silence to stretch on. Allison fidgeted with her fingers, too scared to move and keeping her gaze pointed downwards as if to hide from the demon's piercing stare. Marvo, upon hearing the new arrival announce himself as a demon, seemed to lose even more color in his face, if that were even possible.

Seth was the first to try and talk, "So... I guess...Why are we here?"

The demon whipped his head around and glared at Seth, who timidly stepped back a few paces, fearing he had done something wrong. Twisting his anger into a grin of extreme happiness, the demon practically jumped for joy as he gleefully shouted, "An excellent question!"

Spinning, the demon pointed at the entrance to the structure behind him. "You're all here for one reason!" He exclaimed, "to pass through this...or, ahem...my own... wonderfully deadly labyrinth!"

Staring into the tunnel ahead, Marvo gulped audibly. "Deadly?" He said, his voice practically a squeak.

"O certainly," Mordinith said. "You didn't think a man with sins like yours would be able to just trot thought a field of daisies and be done with it did you! Ha ha! No sir!"

"Sins like ours," Allison almost whispered. The demon looked at her, his face expressionless. "What?" She said.

"Speak up when you talk girl, nobody can hear you," the demon hissed, "This is just a little test I made for pathetic individuals such as yourselves. To test the truth of you character and determine whether you should be forgiven."

The demon smiled, "I really like it when I don't have to forgive."

Seth raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, are we dead? Is that why we're all here? To pay for our crimes?"

Letting his shoulders drop, the demon sighed and twisted his head to glare at Seth. "Of course not! What gave you that idea!?" Mordinith said, shaking his fists in Seth's direction. The demon continued his disappointed look in Seth's direction before his face broke into a smile. "Well, not dead yet anyway. I've brought you all here because you all have something in common: you've all killed somebody!"

The demon cackled, throwing his hand up into the air, his feet clomping on the stone platform as he danced and spun about. Stopping quickly, Mordinith looked back at the humans and said, "each of you deals with your terrible crimes in a different way: more violence, anger, stealing, or even...regret." As he finished, the demon gave a low glare in Allison's direction.

Looking away, Allison was immensely trouble by the demon's words. Could he know? She thought. How?

"But anyhow," the demon continued, "you all must pass through this labyrinth. Why, you might ask? Because I said so."

Marvo, who had been standing silently for the most part, suddenly turned and began running towards the cover of the woods, his feet frantically plodding along the brick platform. Mordinith simply watched him go for about three seconds before he snapped his fingers. Though nothing physical appeared that Allison could see, Marvo seemed to hit an invisible wall, causing him to yelp in pain and fall backwards onto his rump. The demon then stretched his hand out towards Marvo's position on the ground, curled his hand into a fist, and slowly drew his fist into towards his body. Allison's eyes widened as she witnessed Marvo slide swiftly across the platform, and invisible force tugging at his body, until he came to a rest at the demon's hoofed feet.

Looking down, all glee had vanished from the demon's voice, which now left him in a ragged hiss. "You will go through," Mordinith growled, crouching low over Marvo's whimpering form, "or you will die."

Marvo seemed to shrink in fear under the demon's evil gaze, grasping the pillow at his chest with a frightened whine. Smiling, the demon stuck his forked tongue out, dragging it across Marvo's cheek and leaving a thin trail of slime over his skin.

Stepping over Marvo, his face now impassive and using the pillow to wipe the saliva from his cheek, Mordinith faced Seth and Allison. "You are all here for a reason," the demon said, raising his voice so they could hear him clearly. " You have all committed atrocious acts in your miserable little lives, and now, you're going to pay for them." Turning to Marvo, the demon continued. "Most go through their lives without punishment for such deeds however, you three are my lucky winners.

Turning again and stepping over Marvo, who had just begun to pick himself up off the ground, Mordinith gestured towards the entrance to the structure. "Inside you will find a great number of traps and creatures waiting to...welcome you, "the demon said, eyes shining with fire, "if the Gods show you favor, you might make it out alive. Though such an accomplishment is difficult, others have prevailed in the past, so fear not."

"Should you fall however," the demon said, pausing for effect, "it will be interesting to see how you die."

Everyone stood silent. Allison held her breath, the air seeming to still around them. Seth's face remained impassive, staring into the depths of the tunnel in front of him. Marvo, who was now standing, started shaking. "Please don't make me go in there!" He pleaded with Mordinith, "I won't do it!"

The demon stared back at Marvo with disgust, flicking his forked tongue in annoyance. "There are only two rules," Mordinith said, dismissing Marvo and looking towards Allison and Seth, "anything you find inside: weapons or tools can be taken and used to combat the trials within; any riches however, must be left alone." Upon hearing the mention of riches, Marvo's face briefly perked up. "And secondly," the demon said, face narrowing into a grimace of hatred, "only one of you pathetic humans is getting out alive." With a little skip, Mordinith raised his hand into the air. "Have fun!" He gleefully cackled, snapping his fingers and disappearing in a cloud of smoke, leaving the three humans in stunned silence.

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Part 1 - Marvo's Tale.

After a few moments of stillness, Marvo was the first to make a move. As the cloud dissipated, he fearfully backed up, away from Allison and Seth, towards the entrance of the Labyrinth. "You two stay away from me!" Marvo said, his voice squeaking once again, "if only one of us can make it then its going to be me!"

Marvo watched as Allison took a quick few steps to her left away from Seth, who had his arms crossed and a stern look on his rugged face. Allison stopped when she was a good distance away, watching both Seth and Marvo for any sign that they might harm her.

Seth sighed. "We shouldn't be handling the problem like this," he said, "working together would be far more beneficial."

Marvo shook his head, saying "O no, I'm not trusting either of you. We're all here because we've done horrible things, THAT'S what the demon said! If you're anything like me, you'll both betray me in a heartbeat!" He continued to back up until he was almost in the tunnel. Turning, Marvo looked into the depths of the tunnel, stretching onwards into the darkness like a giant maw, ready to engulf him.

With a nervous swallow, Marvo turned to Seth and Allison one last time. "I'm not about to risk my neck with you two behind me every step of the way," he growled, "stay away from me in there, I'm warning you both!" With that, Marvo dropped the pillow and turned, running into the tunnel, his footsteps echoing around him as he disappeared into the darkness. __________________________________________________________________

The wide, brick tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly as Marvo made his way inside. Slowing his pace slightly and remaining alert, he walked as silently as he could. Though the odd torch lit the way, the entire tunnel was bare of any decoration, and silent save for Marvo's own breathing.

Marvo knew exactly why he was here. The demon had mentioned they were selected to "atone" for their sins, whatever he meant by that, and a thief didn't exactly live a life of honesty. At night, Marvo would usually scale the rooftops of the city, avoiding the prying eyes of people or the city watch, as he looked for good places to rob. He never robbed homes no, at nights the best places to steal from were the shops. Sometimes a place he chose would have a guard or two, or at the very least a padlocked door, but nothing he couldn't handle with ease. Stabbing a guard silently in the dark or picking a lock came naturally to Marvo, and he never felt guilt for his actions. Marvo had been doing this for as long as he could remember, never being caught or noticed by anyone, only stealing in moderation to avoid detection and sate his incredible lust for wealth. He knew it wasn't right but Marvo didn't care.

The demon must've somehow discovered him.

After a few minutes, Marvo came to a stop in front of several different passageways, each branching off into what seemed to be another long, dark walk down a tunnel. There were five directions in total: two directly to his left or right, one straight ahead, or two angling diagonally to each side. There were no indications of which direction was correct, or if there even was a good choice at all.

Marvo pursed his lips, staring at the corridors lined up in front of him. His companions might be catching up to him soon: he could waste no time if he wanted to be the winner. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned and walked down the passageway directly to his right.

As soon as he had walked a good five paces in, a wall of brick slammed down behind him, effectively blocking his way back. The loud, unexpected noise caused him to spin around in shock with a surprised yell, tripping over his own feet as he did. Falling to the ground, Marvo stared, breathless at the wall that had entrapped him. Allowing a few seconds to collect himself, he picked himself up off the floor and continued his walk further into the maze. Once again he found himself walking down a tunnel, identical to the first one in every way. After about twenty paces, the corridor turned left and ended in a set of stairs which descended deeper into the structure. Still shivering with fright, Marvo carefully made his way down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, rather then another tunnel, he found himself staring into a void of empty space. The ground ahead of him was simply gone, a black nothingness stretching onwards. Creeping up to the edge and looking down, Marvo could see nothing but darkness.

Just as he was thinking of turning around and looking for another way he might've missed, another stone wall slammed down behind him. Though he credited himself for not jumping as badly as last time, he was trapped.

As he was considering what to do, the light of a doorway appeared in the distance to his right a good one-hundred meters off. The light from the opening cast itself on a small stone bridge that had been unnoticeable before; but at only one foot wide, it was really more of a balancing beam.

Realizing what the labyrinth wanted him to do, Marvo fiddled nervously, unsure of how to proceed. Though he wanted to walk across to the other side, the mysterious depths of the chasm seemed to contain an unnatural darkness, one that was alive, waiting to consume anything it touched. It frightened Marvo into stillness.

After a few moments, Marvo felt his heart drop in his chest as Mordinith's voice echoed around the blackness of the chamber, seeming to come from all directions at once. "Cowards really are the most boring contestants to watch you know," the demon hissed, "o yes, its all really scary boo hoo, but we're on a bit of a schedule here so why don't you HURRY UP!"

As Mordinith finished shouting at him, Marvo gasped in alarm as the platform he was standing on started to move, disappearing slowly into the wall.

Giggling, Mordinith's voice echoed once again, saying "Step lively now, wouldn't want to fall now would we?"

Terror forcing him into action, Marvo walked quickly to the end of the platform near the small bridge. With a sharp intake of breath, Marvo stepped onto the bridge. Letting out a sigh, Marvo turned his head and watched as the platform behind him finished moving into the wall, sliding into place with a loud "thunk," leaving him stranded on the tiny beam of stone. Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and trying to imagine that he was on a rooftop again, making his annual heists, Marvo began to inch his way across the beam.

Staring straight ahead at where he was going, Marvo stepped along the thin, stone expanse, face twisted in concentration. "This is just like home," he assured himself, "just balancing on a narrow roof, that's all." Despite such assertions, Marvo had a difficult time keeping his mind off of the void directly beneath him, which still seemed eager to engulf him. "Perhaps it's just my imagination," he thought.

After what seemed like hours, Marvo finally reach the other side of the beam without incident. Sighing with relief, he hurried into the lit doorway, eager to be away from the chasm behind him. Just thinking about it made him shiver.

Heading through the doorway, Marvo found himself inside a room, its walls identical to the sandy bricks that made up the tunnels. The room was filled with rough, wooden benches and tables piled around the center, some tipped over on their side while others remained upright. As he looked around, his jaw nearly hit the floor as he stared in amazement. On top of the tables and piled in the corners of the room, were piles of gold. Coins were in abundance but their were also cups, tiaras, small statues and other small figurines made completely out of solid gold.

Practically drooling, Marvo forgot about his previous fears and floated into the room, running his hands along the wooden tables, knocking coins and jewellery onto the floor. Grinning with delight, he grabbed a handful of gold coins, wishing he had a bag or more clothes with him so he could stuff them with as much as he could carry.

As he toyed with the massive riches around him, Marvo stopped, remembering what Mordinith had said about the riches being off-limits. Normally he wouldn't be one to follow the rules, but the demon HAD dragged him across the ground with a simple hand gesture. The demon had powers that Marvo couldn't begin to understand, and it was best not to test them.

Looking over to the other side of the room, Marvo noticed another doorway leading deeper into the labyrinth. As he began walking towards it, Marvo turned, his eyes filled with lust. Shrugging, he picked up a golden medallion sitting on the table next to him and slid it into his briefs. He doubted anyone would want to look there.

Everything in moderation, he chuckled to himself, walking out of the room.

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Part 1 - Chapter 2: Marvo and the Dragon.

Walking silently once again, but with higher spirits, Marvo walked swiftly into the next hallway. The medallion in his underwear felt cold on the skin of his waist, but it was only a small discomfort, and didn't hamper his movements at all. If he was going to endure this horrible maze, he might as well get paid for it.

Turning a corner, Marvo suddenly halted. The hallway in front of him travelled for about ten feet before stopping at a dead end. Curious, he walked up the wall, wondering if there was something he was missing. Running his hands along the wall, Marvo pressed and felt for any sort of pressure block or something that might open a hidden entryway. Lots of Labyrinths had those didn't they?

Marvo continued his search along the wall until an unfamiliar noise reached his ears. Turning his head back towards the way he came, Marvo's breath caught in his chest as he heard the noise getting closer, and more distinct. They were footfalls, of that Marvo was sure, but there was an odd clicking sound that accompanied the soft impact of feet on the stone ground. Possibly claws?

Turning back to the wall, Marvo began frantically searching for an exit, running his hands along the wall in quick, panicked movements. He HAD to get away! He kept searching until a rough voice from behind him made him freeze. "A little lost are we?" It growled. Turning, Marvo found himself staring into the eyes of a werewolf.

The wolf grinned at him, displaying a fearsome row of white, gleaming teeth. The creature towered over Marvo, standing at about nine feet tall, the tips of his pointed ears just brushing the bottom of the torch he was standing under. The fur that covered his muscular body was thick and grey, with black stripes running along his forearms and back, broken only a few scars that stretched across his chest and muzzle. Wearing and carrying nothing, the wolf leaned up against the wall underneath the torch, his thick tail swishing back and forth as he studied the human in front of him, yellow eyes glowing with hunger in the dim light.

Startled at the werewolf's appearance, Marvo could do nothing but stare, his own fear freezing him in place.

Letting out a rumbling growl that seemed to be a chuckle, the wolf said, "Scared of me human? You should be...I am the hunter of this Labyrinth, and you...are nothing but prey."

Knowing he could never hope to best this wolf in a fight, Marvo slid down to his knees. "Please," he whimpered, "please...let me go... don't hurt me...

Unfolding his massive arms and standing, the wolf turned his head inquisitively. "You are pathetic, human," he sniffed, "not even putting up a fight? Pathetic. But you have nothing to fear from me, at least not yet: my needs have already been sated by...someone else." The wolf's eyes stared off into the distance, lost in a pleasant memory.

Collapsing onto his hand and knees, Marvo breathed a sigh of relief.

Narrowing his eyes, the wolf squinted, sniffing the air as he studied Marvo more intently in his position on the floor. "What is that in your cloth?" The wolf asked.

Quickly standing and turning his hip away from the wolf, Marvo stammered, "Um, nothing, just my waist, I've fallen quite a bit it started to swell," giving the wolf a weak smile.

Understanding flashed across the wolf's features. "So you couldn't help yourself could you," the wolf whispered, "he'll be happy to hear that."

"Who, what, the demon!" Marvo cried, "no don't tell him please I'll give it back!"

"O no not him," the wolf replied, giving a wolfish smile and placing his hand on the torch above him. "You'll find out who soon enough."

With a vicious yank, the wolf pulled the torch above him to the side. As he did, the stone underneath Marvo dropped away. With a shrill scream, Marvo felling into the blackness below.

_________________________________________________________________ Marvo fell through the air for about five seconds, screaming and flailing wildly until he landed on a rather large pile of straw, his body impacting it with a heavy thump. Feeling his breath leave his lungs, Marvo lay there for a few moments to collect himself before pulling himself up to look around.

The room he was in was larger then the others, with a ceiling stretching about twenty feet high, while the four walls that enclosed him on every side were a good one-hundred meters away. Torches lined each side of the room, lighting up the majority of the stone around him; however, they stopped at the other end of the room, leaving the side opposite to Marvo covered in darkness. The inky blackness on the other side of the room unnerved Marvo, who was just about to start looking for a way out when a large, booming voice came at him out of the dark.

"Well, what have we here?" The voiced rumbled.

From the dark came a large rustling sound, and into the light stepped a massive dragon. Now in the light of the torches, Marvo could see the full size of this monster. The dragon was covered in thick, smooth scales that were colored dark green on his back, with a lighter green on his belly and underside. The dragon's head was about the size of a wagon, his snout long and wide. The top of his head sprouted a row of vicious looking black spines that scrape the ceiling of the room as he slowly walked foreward, his glowing green eyes watching Marvo the whole way. His long claws clicked against the stone floor and his tail swished from side to side as his massive form made his way across the room to Marvo, who could do nothing but stare in a mix of awe and extreme fear.

Stopping about ten feet from the human, the dragon sat down, resting his haunches on the ground, his gigantic body taking up all of Marvo's vision. A deep growl erupted from the dragon's chest as he craned his head downwards, studying and sniffing the new intruder. Marvo stood in stark terror at the large mouth right in front of him. It was so large, it could easily snap him up in one go! After a few moments, the dragon brought his head back up, gave a little nod and said, "welcome to my chamber, human. My name is Mhyrdal, one of the many protectors of this Labyrinth."

Surprised that the dragon could talk, Marvo stuttered in response, "O, um yes, well hi! I'm Marvo, um...pleased to meet you?" He said, his tone rising as if asking a question.

Mhyrdal turned his head to the side, saying "you don't sound pleased, human."

Shaking, Marvo backed away from the huge beast, "please, get away from me! Don't hurt me!"

Chuckling, the dragon looked down at Marvo, hunger radiating from his stare. "I am the one who is to decide your fate, human," the Mhyrdal said, "it would be within your best interests to be more polite and perhaps a little more cooperative." Catching himself, Marvo stopped back up and returned to his spot on the floor.

"Good," the dragon growled, "it is my job to be your judge. Only with my approval can you continue onwards." Craning his head down again to look at Marvo with a giant green eye. Studying him, the eye crept up and down the length of his body, pausing on the briefs at Marvo's waist. "Take them off," the dragon said.

Standing in mock confusion, Marvo said "Um, take these off? Please, I'll be naked! I don't want to."

Growling, Mhyrdal snaked out a clawed hand, and faster then Marvo could react, snipped the briefs at his waist, scratching the skin on his side. The human gave a little yelp as his underwear slid to the floor, exposing his privates to the cold air and allowing the gold medallion he took to clatter to the floor.

Mhyrdal gave a sigh of relief. "Once a thief, always a thief," the dragon said, talking to himself as his mouth spread into a smile.

Struggling to pick up the medallion, Marvo looked up in confusion. "What?"

Looking down at Marvo, his mouth gaping slightly open, the dragon chuckled. "O nothing I'm just happy," Mhyrdal said, drool dripping down the side of his jaw as he dipped his maw closer to Marvo. "All this time I thought nobody would be stupid enough to take anything from the chamber above me, that I would be letting you pass through this maze with an empty belly; after all, that chamber was the demon's test for you."

Marvo shrunk down onto the floor, his rump hitting the cold stone floor as he watched the approaching maw with fear. The inside of Mhyrdal's mouth was a fleshy pink color, with a thick forked tongue that slid around the corners of his mouth in anticipation. Drool dripped from the roof of the giant maw, which quivered in anticipation. As the mouth got closer, Marvo felt the heavy lathe of dragon saliva overwhelm his senses, making his eyes water, the hot, moist air coming from the dragon's throat hitting him in large gusts.

"Were you to pass through the room without taking anything I was to let you go," being a protector of this labyrinth I have to obey its rules. But now that you've failed human," Mhyrdal said, licking his scaly lips, falling into a crouch and raising his backside into the air as if to pounce, "you are mine."

With a yell, Marvo turned to the side, trying to sprint away but the dragon was too fast. Mhyrdal's eyes widened with delight as he opened his maw and whipped out his tongue, coiling it around the human's leg. Kicking widely, Marvo struggled uselessly as the tongue dragged him into the fleshy expanse of the dragon's maw, which closed shut around his waist, trapping his legs inside.

The dragon didn't use his teeth, to Marvo's amazment, but simply held him there, tasting the human's legs with his rough tongue. Beating the dragon's snout with his fists, Marvo did his best to escape. His hands bounced uselessly off the scaled snout of the dragon, and Marvo felt a warm gust of air hit his face as Mhyrdal snorted in amusement. Letting his haunches sit back down into a comfortable position and lifting his head up into the air, the dragon slightly opened his massive jaws, allowing Marvo to slide downwards into their fleshy expanse. Marvo let out a quick scream of terror before the mouth closed shut around his body. Dropping his head back down, the dragon began to taste the human's flesh.

Inside, Marvo felt himself encased in the warm, moist flesh of the dragon's mouth. The air around him was warm and heavy with the smell of the beast's foul breath. The thick tongue underneath him pushed Marvo around the mouth, coating him in slime as the flesh around him tasted his naked, terrified form. Barely breathing, Marvo struggled against the tongue that slid against him, trying to gain purchase as the hot breath of the dragon washed over him in excited pants.

Outside, the dragon rumbled with delight as he played with the human in his mouth. Eyes narrowed in a mixture of concentration and pleasure, the dragon stood perfectly still in his sitting position, chest rising and falling as he calmly breathed in and out, his jaw slightly rotating and moving from side to side as he savoured his meal, and small drops of thick drool sliding out of the corners of his mouth and onto the floor. He slid his tongue back across the smooth skin of the prey in his mouth, savouring that familiar, pleasantly salty taste filling his mouth as the dragon continued to suckle happily.

The dragon then tilted his head upwards, letting the human fall to the back of his throat. He didn't plan on letting the meal end quite yet: he only wanted to taste his prey on a new area of his tongue. Mhyrdal's crop expanded to accept the human's thin form, soft gulping and slurping noises punctuated by the odd muffled yell coming from between his lips as the dragon continued to work the human in his mouth. Closing his eyes, the dragon suckled the human with a renewed enthusiasm, allowing heavy, white globs of saliva to drip out of the corners of his mouth, which now collected on the floor in a small puddle.

Marvo panicked and yelled at the back of the dragon's throat, his screams muted by the fleshy walls that surrounded him, pressing him tightly in their thick, wet folds. He tried punching or pushing against them, but that only made the dragon rumble in delight, the flesh pulsing and pushing him with renewed energy. He could barely breath as his entire body was covered in the heavy slime of the dragon's mouth, making him slip against the soft folds of muscle at the back of Mhyrdal's throat. Marvo's feet were resting in the dragon's gullet, which softly sucked at the end of his toes, involuntarily craving more. Marvo knew that once the dragon decided to swallow him, he couldn't stop it: his hands and body were too slippery to make a reliable grip. The squishy sounds of the throat surrounded him as the fleshy prison continued to press against him, sucking him deeper in the dragon's body. He heard a loud groan and rumble underneath him as the dragon let out a little burp, the large throat vibrating as Marvo felt the hot, acidic air reach his nostrils. It wouldn't long now.

Feeling his stomach grumble, the dragon decided that he had savoured his meal long enough. Titling his head into the air, the dragon swallowed as hard as he could, making a loud gulping sound and squinting with the effort of pushing his meal down his neck. The first swallow didn't do the job, his throat only enveloping the human up to his shoulders. Letting his maw crack open, tongue flicking outwards while curling in with strain, the dragon swallowed one more time, another loud, wet gulp echoing across the room, and the bulge in the dragon's crop passed into his neck, sliding slowly downwards into his body.

Experiencing these motions from the inside, Marvo yelped as the throat of the dragon opened up underneath him, the black expanse of Mhyrdal's gullet appearing and welcoming him in. The sound of the dragon's swallow vibrated all around him as Marvo slipped down into the dragon's muscular neck, the soft folds of flesh pushing him downwards towards the beast's belly. Marvo helplessly slid downwards, only stopping when the folds of the throat closed once again, pinning him inside the fleshy interior. The muscles of the dragon's neck squished his legs together, pulsing against his naked lower half. Looking upwards, Marvo watched as the dragon slightly opened his great maw, fresh, cool air hitting his face, and light streaming in from the gaps in-between his teeth. The tongue moved underneath him, sliding over Marvo's chest as it slid outwards, curling with effort. As he watched, Marvo felt flesh holding him open up, his view of the outside world fading as he fell into a warm, wet tube. Marvo tried to scream but his mouth was filled with the flesh of the large reptile, which squished his body together as it pulled him deep into its body.

Outside, the dragon sighed deeply, satisfaction radiating from his scaly face, his forked tongue lolling out to the side of his mouth. His muscular neck expanded as the human made his way down its long length, the bulge of the human's form travelling at a sensuously slow pace as Mhyrdal's gullet squeezed his food. Looking down, Mhyrdal watched as the bulge in his scaled neck finally met his chest. The dragon slightly winced as he felt the bones in his ribcage part slightly to let the human pass, but once again rumbled in delight as the swell vanished into his body, the soft, yet thicker scales of his belly expanding slightly with the weight of his meal. The dragon relaxed and shuddered with pleasure, his entire body shivering with ecstasy as he felt the human in his stomach begin his feeble struggles. Drool continued to drip out of his maw as Mhyrdal's head sunk downwards, eyes closed and maw slightly agape. He ran his tongue along his scale lips, remembering the taste of his prey.

Marvo felt his journey end as he slid out of the tube into the acrid environment of the dragon's stomach. The flashy walls of the belly encased him, pushing against him and pressing him together as it gurgled around him. He could feel the acids of the stomach tickling his skin as it began to digest him. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the muffled sound of a loud burp, a satisfied growl that made the walls of his prison vibrate, and the loud, steady thump of the dragon's heartbeat...

Feeling a rumble coming from his stomach, the dragon opened his mouth a let out a wet, gurgling belch. Turning around and beginning his walk to the darkened side of the room, the dragon growled contentedly, his tail moving from side to side as he waddled across. He hadn't felt this full in days!

Knowing it would take a while to digest his meal, the dragon settled down in the corner once again, curling his tail around him to go back to sleep. The demon knew better then to bother him when he had just finished gobbling up one of his contestants. Besides, the dragon knew the demon had probably seen the entire event, and enjoyed every second of his little show.

Yawning, the dragon stretched his giant maw, now hidden in the dark corner of the room. Resting his head on the floor, the dragon would wait until the next sinful human wandered into his lair. He would always have more humans to eat, for after all, they just couldn't resist their inner desires.

Just like me, Mhyrdal thought, smiling in his sleep.

End of Part 1.