Snippet #2738813

Cedric made his way cautiously down the hall. The lights flickered, some were completely off. It was lined with doors, cages, some looked open. A specimen hall. He approached the first opening.

Torn open. "Damn." Cedric leaned in, the walls were stained with dried blood, but no remains. "What ever is down here was hungry. This happened years ago. What the hell is keeping this place running, and fed?" he turned back down the hall and a flash caught his eye, something moved around the corner. "We got company."

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He didn't even need to reach out with mana, he felt it instinctively. Rubbing his hands together quickly, like he was trying to warm them, he ignited a fire that floated an inch above his palm. Holding his arm out stretched he approached the corner slowly.

As he turned the corner he was met with a blackness the light from his flame didn't penetrate. "Shit." Cedric threw the flame forward and twisted to his left, by sheer luck avoiding the stinger coming out of the dark. The massive paw that followed spun him around and backwards. Pitch darkness pulled back, slowly revealing a huge lion, from the top of its head two massive horns spiraled down around its ears like a big horned sheep. The massive front paws of the lion were followed by a grotesque rear, sharp pincer like legs and a long scorpion tail. A sick sound came from the creatures gut and grew into something like the sound of a roar, a hiss, and a garbage disposal all in one.

"Fuck you too." Cedric quipped and slapped the creature. This stunned the manticore for a moment, which Cedric used as a window to put space between himself and the creature, backing down the opposite hall, hoping to draw the creature in and give Sora and Zeebee the chance to get behind it. He wasn't sure if this plan backfired or not, because a purring sound emitted from the creature and the blackness engulfed the hall and rushed around him.

He quickly ignited another flame but was disappointed to see, or rather, not see it in his hand. The blackness was complete, he literally couldn't see his hand in front of his face and it was on fire. "Well that's a fun trick."