Into the Abyss

The room before them was a cavernous space with walls lined in glinting racks, each holding weapons that seemed to hum with latent energy. These were not ordinary tools; every blade, every staff, every spear was infused with magic of its own, powers that aligned with elements or concepts—fire, ice, shadows, even illusions. Each weapon resonated with an enchantment so strong it almost vibrated, waiting to be wielded.

As Li Wei moved forward, his experienced eyes quickly picked out his usual arsenal. He reached for a pair of short swords, their obsidian-black blades etched with runes that pulsed in time with his own heartbeat. These were the Whisper Blades, capable of shrouding the user in shadow and muffling sound—a necessity in the many rooms where silence was the only way to survive. Alongside them, he took his long dagger, Phantom’s Edge, a weapon that could phase in and out of existence, slipping past any defense. He slid two small throwing knives into his belt, each embedded with a minor lightning spell that would paralyze an opponent upon contact.

Xia Ren watched him with an eyebrow raised, clearly impressed. “Nice collection you’ve got there.”

Li Wei ignored him, heading to the final rack where he claimed his Shade Cloak, a woven garment embedded with nightstone that allowed him to merge with darkness itself. With his weapons secured, he turned, watching Xia Ren pick up a longsword, inspecting it with a thoughtful frown.

Xia Ren’s chosen weapon, the Inferno Blade, was wrapped in red flames that flared with every movement. He hefted it, testing its weight, and grinned. “Perfect.”

Beside it, he selected a short spear known as Scorching Wind, enchanted to create powerful gusts of hot air with each strike. Xia Ren twirled the spear, flames licking up the metal with every move.

Li Wei watched him critically, still baffled that Xia Ren had signed up for the escape rooms willingly. “If you’re done,” he said flatly, “let’s keep moving.”

Xia Ren sheathed his weapons, though the flames around his sword dimmed, a faint glow still burning within the hilt as they moved through the arched corridor.

---

The corridor opened up into the first level—a dark, cavernous chamber where shadowed columns loomed overhead, their heights vanishing into the darkness above. The stillness was broken only by a low, ominous hum, and the faint scrape of something clawed moving in the depths of the room.

As Li Wei cast a faint, purple-tinged glow over his hand, he whispered, “Whisper Blades, meld me to shadow.” The shadows around him deepened, embracing him and dimming the soft glow of his magic.

“Silent,” Li Wei murmured to Xia Ren. “Or the creature will be on us in seconds.”

Xia Ren nodded, gripping his Inferno Blade and following Li Wei in silence. It wasn’t long before the creature emerged—a massive, sinewy form with limbs twisted like gnarled tree roots, its skin almost translucent, covered in pale veins. The creature sniffed the air, its clawed fingers trailing along the stone floor as it moved with eerie precision, nearly sightless but hyper-sensitive to sound.

They moved in perfect silence, Li Wei guiding Xia Ren in a slow, soundless path along the edges of the room. Every few steps, Xia Ren glanced over, eyes wide with something between wonder and tension. The creature roamed, restless but unaware, circling as if it could sense their presence but not pinpoint them. Just when they reached the far side, the creature froze, its head snapping toward them.

Li Wei barely had time to react before he murmured, “Shroud.” The shadows around them thickened, and they slipped past the creature, who clawed at the air, confused. When they crossed the threshold into the next corridor, Xia Ren exhaled with a shaky grin.

“You weren’t kidding about being quiet,” he whispered, adjusting his grip on the Inferno Blade, though the glow of flames had dimmed. “First room, and they’re already tossing us to the wolves.”

Li Wei just shook his head. “They want us rattled. The further in we go, the worse it’ll get. Get used to it.”

Xia Ren shot him a grin, though Li Wei could see the edge in his eyes. “Fine by me.”

---

The next room forced them to think fast. It was a latticework of raised tiles, each carved with an ancient symbol that radiated magic. Li Wei’s experience told him immediately what this was—a trap that triggered at the slightest misstep. Each tile had to be stepped on in the correct order to avoid a deadly backlash.

As they began, Li Wei stepped first, whispering a binding spell over his Whisper Blades. Each step they took, the floor reacted, shimmering under his feet as he moved precisely along the path. Xia Ren’s Inferno Blade was sheathed, but he moved swiftly, careful to step in sync with Li Wei.

Halfway across, the symbols began to shift beneath their feet, rotating in complex patterns. Xia Ren swore under his breath, his steps wavering.

“Stay focused,” Li Wei muttered. “Follow my movements exactly. No hesitation.”

They moved forward, the floor trembling beneath them as the trap reset, causing the tiles to rumble and shift in a final, dangerous rotation. Just as they reached the end, the floor collapsed behind them, tiles dropping into an endless void as the door shut with a heavy thud.

Xia Ren whistled softly, eyeing the place where the floor had vanished. “I’ll give it to them—they’re not subtle.”

Li Wei only grunted, already moving on. “And that was just level one.”

---

When they reached the third level, Xia Ren seemed almost impressed by the escape rooms’ relentless design. They entered a chamber split by a deep crevasse that spanned the entire width, disappearing into a sea of flames far below. A thick rope bridge hung above the gap, old and fraying, swinging gently from the force of hot winds rising from the lava below.

Xia Ren smirked, raising an eyebrow. “What? Too easy?”

“Not quite,” Li Wei replied, his voice tense as he spotted several pairs of red eyes in the shadows. “There are creatures in the dark that hunt anyone crossing.”

With his Whisper Blades ready, Li Wei stepped cautiously onto the bridge, gripping the ropes as the creatures—their forms like a cross between shadow and flame—crept from the walls. He murmured another spell, cloaking himself in shadow, while Xia Ren stepped behind him, casting a faint protective flame over the bridge with his Inferno Blade.

As they inched across, the creatures lunged, fiery claws slashing through the air. Li Wei sidestepped, his blades flashing as he parried, each strike slicing cleanly as the shadows bent to his will. Xia Ren joined in, his spear sending bursts of flame toward the creatures, the Scorching Wind amplifying each strike into a searing gust.

One creature leaped at them, claws poised, and Li Wei reacted instinctively, casting a dark shroud around Xia Ren. The creature passed through the illusion, confused, and in that split-second, Xia Ren struck with a powerful sweep of his spear, knocking it off the bridge and into the flames below.

They reached the other side, breathing heavily, the faint glow of their weapons illuminating the otherwise pitch-black space. Xia Ren looked at Li Wei with newfound respect, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Nice teamwork,” he said, his usual bravado softened by a hint of awe. “You’ve done this alone every time?”

Li Wei only nodded, though he allowed himself a small, tired smile. “Yeah. But it wasn’t this bad, the first time around.”

They continued on, moving through increasingly complex levels. Some rooms forced them to think, deciphering riddles carved into stone, while others pushed them into battles with deadly, enchanted creatures. Level seven had them racing against walls closing in, each blow they dealt buying them precious seconds. At level ten, they faced a vast cavern with a monstrous creature of metal and shadow that roared with rage, nearly pinning Li Wei against the wall before they defeated it in a flurry of flame and shadow strikes.

---

After hours of relentless challenges, they finally entered a quiet chamber—a resting room. In these rooms, they could let down their guard, recuperate, and take whatever respite they could before moving on. Li Wei collapsed onto a low cot, his weapons resting by his side. Xia Ren joined him, lying back and staring at the stone ceiling with a tired grin.

After a few moments of silence, Xia Ren spoke up, his voice soft. “You know, this is my first time in one of these. Figured it’d be interesting, but…” He trailed off, glancing over at Li Wei.

Li Wei looked back, an edge of curiosity in his tired gaze. “Why did you volunteer? You can’t have known what you were walking into.”

Xia Ren shrugged, running a hand through his red hair. “Maybe not, but it’s the only place I could think of to… test myself.” He laughed, though it was tinged with something darker. “People have been throwing me into one fight after another my whole life. I figured if there was a way to prove myself, it’d be here.”

Li Wei nodded, understanding a piece of that darkness. “Then this place is perfect for you,” he said dryly. “But don’t underestimate it. It has ways of digging deeper than you think.”

For a moment, Xia Ren’s cocky demeanor faltered

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