The door led us onto a street. At first glance, it was obvious that the third floor had more life than the previous two. The paving was made of golden coloured stone held together by a cream coloured cement.

The buildings around us were of a similar material granted a different structure. On their surfaces grew vivid and saturated green and red creepers with rainbow coloured fruits.

Tables with umbrellas pixelated into existence, flanking both sides of the street. In the distance appeared a sky scraping golden castle. To its left was a golden dish-like structure.

Behind the stands appeared...blue people? The creatures who's goods (cloth, fruit, pottery) pixelated before them looked like a cross between some water dweller and a person.

The skin on their arms and chests was cerulean blue and lightened in shade going up, settling into baby blue faces. On the sides of their necks were three diagonal slits that stretched and puffed with each breath they took. On their faces they had light purple lips and large eyes. After a longer look, I realized that their eyes were like large black shiny marbles. No pupils whatsoever.

The merchants hustled and bustled. Some arguing with customers, others thanking them. Then they noticed us. There was a silence, a heavy stillness that thickened the world...

"Outworlders!"

Yelled one of them while pointing at us.

The whole market went into a frenzy.

Other blue people popped their heads out the windows of the large buildings and joined in the finger pointing and hollering.

A large force hit me from behind, forcing my face to collide with the golden coloured stone. A sour metallic taste filled my mouth, nearly all the air exited my lungs.

In front of me I saw that Kap and Tyler had also been pinned to ground. Our attackers were clad in ridged and serated golden armor. Their eyes were shielded by a vented helm with several diagonal openings. On their waists were golden machetes and handcuffs.

Tears and blood streamed from Tyler's face as he made a futile attempt to escape.

I felt the cold bite of handcuffs as they were dug into my wrists. Soon after, I felt a blunt force vibrate through my skull before I was plunged into complete darkness.

***
"And adultery is the greatest sin I tell you dear people!"

"Amen!"

"When one commits adultery, they not only taint their temple but their very souls!"

The voice came from speakers erected on the walls of small blue room.

Before me was a sea of towering people who were blocking my view. The air was hot and thick with sweat and the sweet aroma of incense. I felt a soft hand on my little shoulder.

"Are you okay little birdie?"

The woman smiling down at me had fair yellow skin and large brown eyes. She was extremely beautiful, in a natural way with no augmentations, blessed at birth. But even though I was aware of that, I had a very deep love for that was not in the least sexual.

"I can't see" I heard myself say in a child's tiny voice

"Then up we go on the nest!"

The women lifted me up from the floor and placed me on her shoulders.

Infront of a sea of flamboyant colored hats and heads was a portly man. He had a mic tightly gripped in his hand as he bellowed the word of God. He paused to wipe his brow as the choir led the rest of the congregation in song.

He looked in our direction but his gaze was fixed on the women who's shoulders I was on. It passed in a second, but I saw something in his eyes as he looked at the woman. Something that should've been alien in the eyes of a preacher.

***

When I came to, the first thing I noticed was a damp stench. Droplets plopped into a pool somewhere. The next thing was the cacophony of hollers, hoots and yells.

We were forced at some point to sit back-to-back on a rickety cart. Two of the golden armor-clad assaulters helped each other to drag the contraption. We were moving down a narrow coiling path.

Barred cells brimming with blue people in poorly stitched together rags of varying colors grabbed onto the rusty metal bars as they jabbed at us and made a ruckus. I realized that the prison like cells were placed in levels within a hollow basin-like structure.

At the bottom of the building was a large pool with sky blue water. At its edges, inching towards its banks were saturated red and blue flowers with army green leaves and white thorns.

After being used as exhibitions, we finally arrived to a cell with only one humanoid. One of our attackers removed the large bunch of golden keys from his waist and used one of them to unlock the cell.

They picked us up one by one, like overgrown babies and threw us into the partially lit room. When inside I realized that the cells were not actually built or constructed, but hollowed out into the structure much like a hornet's nest.

One of the guards locked the cell.

"The Warden is going to love this" he said, "It's been a while since we had Outworlders"

The two chuckled and left.

The blue creature, a female judging by her bust and her curved lower body, sat down on circular shaped patch of light coloured stone. She rested her arms on her knees.

"You better rest up," she said, "You're gonna need all the energy you can get tomorrow"

"What is this place?" asked Veronica.

"This?" began the woman, "This is the Pit, the largest prison in the land of Oshin"

"Oshin..." I said

"Yes Outworlder," she said, "You must be very frightened to see an Oshinite for the first time. But I assure you, besides our blue skin and biological make up we are identical"

The Oshinite extended her hand. It felt just it looked, slimy and cold.

"I'm Savan by the way"

Everyone introduced themselves in turn. Everyone besides Jordan who had isolated himself from the group, choosing to stare out the cell bars instead. The activity in the pit trickled down into murmurs, then a still silence.

"You said this is a prison" said Kap,

"So you're criminals"

"More like slaves," said Savan, "The land of Oshin is ruled by king Aruziya. The tyrant and his court gain the power of immortality through a substance known as Essence. And we, the Oshinite peasants, mine for it"

The sound of metal clanged throughout the Pit. It grew louder and louder, approaching our cell. Soon, a large Oshinite man stood before us.

Just like the guards that flanked him, the Oshinite had a thick golden plated armor. However, his was engraved with swirls and symbols that I couldn't begin to deduce the meaning of. He didn't have a mask on his face, revealing a lazy eyed gaze and long flowing white hair that glowed brilliantly in the partial sunlight that invaded the prison. On his back was long golden bar with a similar design to his armor. It had a large curved and serrated blade. The head of the scythe had blue crystals embedded in it making it look like a skeletal beast. From the way his hands were placed behind his back, I could tell that he was someone important.

"My, my"

The white-haired Oshinite bent down. Jordan let go of the bars, joining the rest of us in the back of the cell.
He analyzed us with his obsidian eyes.

"Interesting indeed," he said, "Be sure to equip them for diving tomorrow"

"Yes Warden!" said the two guards in unison

The group of three disappeared, their exit signified by the fading metal sound of the Warden's boots against the stone path.

"That was the Warden" said Savan,

"He basically runs the Pit"

My panel appeared,

WELCOME TO OSHIN
(FLOOR 3)
OBEJECTIVES:
DEFEAT THE WARDEN AND ESCAPE THE PIT
REWARDS:
OSHINITE BREATH
WARDEN'S ROT-SCYTHE
850 GOLD
HINT:
DON'T DIE! 🤘👐✊

NOTE FROM AUTHOR:
THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR READER FOR STICKING AROUND. PLEASE VOTE AND LEAVE ANY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IF POSSIBLE.

-EMOLYON