Underworld
Sharp jagged stalactites of all sizes hung from an infinite ceiling, while stalagmites below them crept with skinny veiny fingers the rest of the way up to meet them. The smell of sulfur and ash filled your nostrils, causing you to bellow as the fear and anxiety began to grip you once more. Jumping to your feet suddenly, the weight of the realization of your transformation hits you like a train. Your appearance had resembled a horse-headed centaur; your eyes crossed to see the thick muzzle sticking out from the center of your face. The thin fur which covered your entire body felt coarse to the touch as you ran your fingertips along your sleeves, and down your stomach, examining your new and muscular frame. Further down your eyes trailed to your waistline, leading down to a pair of lean legs. Knobby knees connected your modified leg joints to resemble that of horse forelegs. In surprise, you do a quick turn. Your hooves scraped audibly against the hard bedrock beneath you. You stumbled uncoordinated in a tight circle to view your muscular posterior. Your neck was adorned with a long pure white mane.
The knobby joints of your back legs stuck tight to your skin as you examined the veins pushing out hard around your bones.
The long hairs on your tail whipped gently against your flank as you took your first steps forward, leading into a trot, then a hardy cantor, before breaking out into a full trot, your hooves flying skillfully over the dark land. You could feel your hardened feet rip up roots, break apart stones, and trample twigs, as you walked towards a towering structure, which almost seemed to appear in front of you.
“Was that there before?” You remark to yourself, recalling your spin from earlier. The idea made you nervous, but you knew that you needed to ask someone of your whereabouts.
As you creep closer to the tower above you, you spotted the black gilded double doors, split down the middle with a beautiful pale yellow-gold hue; unsaturated and flaking from the wooden frame as the centuries weathered its structural integrity. A headpiece jutted far from the center of both thick wooden door panel, resembling a muscular young bull, a nose ring adorned its face, acting as st the edge of the deserted clearing. The fear overtook your body sent your equine legs carrying you clumsily through the overgrown brush. Though you have ran for hours, it feels as if you would never get anything, but something had compelled you to continue running. You had never stopped running, the curse of the underworld had completely overtaken your mind the moment you turned away from the Hades’s door. Ultimately, your decision had sealed the deal, proving you didn’t have what it took to win this game. an opulent knocker for the immaculate front door.
Your fingers danced across the deep crevices in the wood, following the intricate patterns all the way to the knocker, before wrapping your hand sturdily around the cold round steel. One, two, three, knocks ring out into the void, before you give it a moment, waiting patiently once more for what’s to come.
Suddenly, a loud bang rang out for miles across the vast expanse. The heavy wooden door was flung in an instant by a strong gust of wind from within the building, nearly knocking the doors from their hinges.
Written by Driftingdragon on 19 April 2020