Ch 24
As Matt fell, the back of his head quickly became the part of him closest to the ground, and panic threatened to take over. Still, if there was one thing he had learned from living in isolation, it was self-reliance, and panic had no place in his life. So, he suppressed it as he searched for anything that could save him while he plummeted in what felt like slow motion. This allowed him to notice the chandelier hanging lower than the bar he had slipped off, its intricate glasswork glinting ominously as it approached. The only problem was that he was completely out of position, and all he could think to do was attempt to kick up with his foot and hope for the best.
The result was that Matt’s right foot hooked into the lower level of the two-tiered chandelier, which swung precariously with his momentum. Thankfully, his left foot managed to shoot up so that it was on the outside of the ring, while his right foot was on the inner ring, creating a vice-like grip—albeit a weaker one than Matt would have preferred. Still, Matt smiled nervously as he hung upside down like a bat, looking down at the floor and letting out a relieved chuckle at having averted disaster. Yet, this relief was short-lived, as he watched another massive chandelier get tossed into the staircase leading back down.
Fearing that the chandelier he was hanging from would be next, Matt glanced to both sides. Sure enough, two goblin women were grinning menacingly on each side as they began undoing the chains from the fasteners in the walls. A quick look revealed the tiny goblin women smirking at him, not far from where he would land when the chandelier came crashing down. Once more, Matt’s mind raced frantically as he tried to devise a plan to save himself, inevitable resorting to swinging his body back and forth in desperation.
This had the intended effect of making the chandelier swing once more, and Matt smiled as he saw the goblin women hesitate in their efforts to release the chains. This pause allowed him to bring his left foot down as his body swung upward, and just as the chandelier hit the ceiling, his right foot was also freed. Once more, he was headed towards the metal bar that he had failed to grasp before. However, this time he managed to actually hold on, pulling himself up onto it. This allowed him to position his body awkwardly—and admittedly unstably—horizontally on top of the bar, trying to give his weary muscles a brief rest.
Upon seeing this, the tiny goblin woman threw up her hands in exasperation and stomped off towards the area where the armored goblins had been driven back. Matt wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt like the fight was still ongoing in that direction. However, it quickly heading towards an ending as, by this point, the goblin women had gained a clear advantage. Regardless, he felt that his timeline was bound to be tight, as he considered his options. It was then that he noticed a crawl space hidden in the shadows, just above the level of the pole he was currently on, rimmed around the room.
Seeing this as his best chance to avoid the worst-case scenario, Matt started to shimmy along the pole slowly. Thankfully, there was nothing to distract him from focusing entirely on this task, and he was able to safely reach the edge, where he discovered that the path was only a foot and a half tall and three feet wide. This made it clear that the space wasn’t intended for regular use. Suddenly grateful for his experience with low crawling during his short stint in the army, Matt quickly decided to head towards the side of the room where the fighting had taken place.
Dragging himself along was a slow and irritating process, yet Matt found that the mere feeling of making progress lifted his spirits. This feeling doubled when he discovered a loose block that could slide inward, bringing him halfway to his goal. He pushed it in until it fell away, revealing a dark space beyond. Knowing it was not a far drop—since he had heard the block fall just a foot or two—Matt moved into the opening. As his eyes adjusted, he realized it was just an old storage room filled with decrepit crates and fabrics. Though, he was only able make out general shapes from the limited light filtering in through the opening from the other room.
While this meant Matt couldn’t discern much about his surroundings, it did have one benefit: it made the slight gap under the exit stand out, illuminated by the light streaming through it. The best part was that the light seemed to match daylight, and he carefully made his way toward it without tripping over any unseen obstacles. However, as he tried to open the door cautiously, he found it was either locked or stuck. The handle would turn, but the door wouldn’t budge, no matter if he pushed or pulled. So, Matt shifted to feeling around its edges.
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The first thing he confirmed was that the door swung inward, having found the hinges at the top and bottom of what was the right side to him. Next, he discovered a keyhole which was unusually large by today's standards. Matt realized it was reminiscent of medieval times when keys and locks were crafted by hand, as machines for such tasks didn’t exist. This also meant that if he had any knowledge of lock picking, he would have been thrilled at how easy this style of lock would have made the task.
Instead, it was the narrow gap between the door and the wall—the precise spot where the lock was meant to engage—that gave him hope. With his knife in hand, he carefully chipped away at the wall until he fashioned a notch that fit perfectly into the gap. Next, he focused on maneuvering the lock; he tried sweeping it up and down to no avail, realizing he would need to coax it back into the door. This task involved a lot of delicate, meticulous wiggling of his knife while intermittently applying pressure to what he hoped was the lock mechanism. Finally, a satisfying click echoed, and when he tried the handle again, the door swung open, revealing a hallway framed by open windows.
Without hesitation, Matt dashed toward one of the open windows and discovered that he was on the ground level of what appeared to be a poorly maintained mansion. What must once have been exquisite paths and lush gardens were now waging a losing battle against nature’s relentless advance. This sight sparked even more questions for Matt, leaving him unsure of his next move. Although he had reached the surface, he had no idea where he was, and it was only a matter of time before he was found. Yet, he also felt that a hasty dash into the woods would likely end disastrously, drawing unwanted attention from lurking monsters.
“Any advice would be great here,” Matt muttered, his voice barely rising above the ambient rustle, hoping Tempormr would offer some guidance.
When no response came, Matt retraced his steps back to the room he had just left, in search of any useful items. At first glance, he was hopeful that he could salvage some of the decaying cloths scattered about, believing they might serve as valuable materials for other purposes. However, it soon became clear that the fabric had truly rotted, disintegrating in his hands with even the gentlest touch. On the other hand, opening a few intact crates required little effort, and before long, Matt was examining a wide assortment of decorative items. Most pieces weren’t worth the trouble of carrying them out, but a large silver bowl immediately caught his eye. Along with this, he quickly set aside a complete silver place setting—comprising four goblets, plates, spoons, dinner knives, and two forks each—certain that these items could prove useful later on.
Fortunately, the bowl was large enough to hold all the remaining silver dining utensils, and Matt had managed to find a few pieces of intact linen in the crates as well. He swiftly wrapped everything in the linen, tying the bundle into a makeshift sack that he tossed over his shoulders. Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to make it out safely if he searched further, Matt decided to take the risk and escape while he could. He hurried into the overgrown garden and made his way toward a distant wall. Nature had nearly reclaimed the wall, leaving only sections where the crumbling stone offered an easy passage.
Before stepping into the woods, Matt made a point of climbing atop the wall, using a nearby pile of debris as a makeshift ladder. Once up high, he studied the sun’s position in the sky, using its light as a clue to orient himself. Feeling fairly sure he was headed in the right direction to locate the river, he carefully descended and began moving through the woods. Unlike before, each encounter a pursuing monster appeared he quickly killed it granting him an additional 510 experience points, leaving only 132 points needed to reach level 4 before the sun set just three hours later.
As twilight descended, his latest attempt to find his bearings by climbing a tree finally paid off—a fleeting glimpse of a riverbed appeared on the horizon. However, when he reached it, he discovered that this was not the familiar stretch he had seen earlier but rather a completely different section of the riverbed.
Still, trusting his instincts, he began walking downstream, convinced that he had arrived above the camp where the women were staying. This time, Matt didn’t stop to confront any creatures that trailed him; instead, he allowed them to accumulate behind him. After all, if the women were waiting, he might as well risk bringing them some dinner. It wasn’t long before a boar started following him, and even if a few smaller nuisances joined the chase, Matt felt confident that he could handle them if it turned out he was heading in the wrong direction.
Rounding a bend, Matt smiled as he spotted signs of recent activity—a hint that the women might have ventured further up that day. However, five minutes of frantic running later, he found a makeshift camp occupied not by familiar faces but by a group of twelve strangers. When they saw Matt barreling toward them with monsters at his heels, they panicked and shouted for him to stop. It was clear they wanted him to halt, but Matt couldn’t afford to pause; for all he knew, this group might attack as soon as he turned to face the monsters. Left with only two choices in his mind—to keep running toward them and risk involving the group in the fight, or veer off to the side, engaging the monsters while keeping them between himself and the strangers—Matt was forced to make a split-second decision.
