It was an old world, ancient even. Alone, on the edge of the galaxy away from the prying eyes of Empires and Republics who fought unending wars of expansion and hatred. It had for a time centered itself near the action, turning its' great stone conglomerations to weapons and destroying entire civilizations that attempted to stand in its' path. It had grown tired of this, tired of fighting and tired of pain, that of which it brought and received at the hands of so many. Yes it was ancient, and more so than that is was alive, sentient even. Sentient and cruel as ever, continuously exploiting the weak minds of lesser mortals.
It had a certain game it liked to play, it turned its' great stone skin too resemble a maze, a labyrinth even. Then it waited, or during times of great lull transmitted false legends to explorers, telling of rich rewards and a paradise for those who could escape the labyrinth. Eventually beings would come, searching for wealth and fortune and finding naught. For once a being enters a labyrinth he may not leave, only find the center and reap his reward there. Except the world offered no reward, no escape, no paradise, and no wealth. It's one reward for those that survived the maze, was a slow and antagonizing death via torture.
But of course the legends of wealth persisted, for dead men tell no tales.
Ulum ran endlessly, winding through the stone corridors and away from the darkness personified in the massive stone golem behind him. He was nearly there, he could feel it, the silent beating of a drum he could not see drawing him closer and closer to the center of the maze. Just a few more meters, and he'd finally have it all, money, power, women, all things he desired as a mortal being and more. He just had to keep moving, putting one foot in front of the other and staying ahead of the stone warrior that chased him endlessly. And then he fell, as if in slow motion, his fate now sealed as golem loomed above him.
He scrambled backwards, attempting to crawl away from the massive stone man and then in an instant being snatched off the ground. The golem stared at him directly in the eyes, emotionless and without feeling he bored deep into the helpless Uthani's conscious. And then he smiled, a jagged broken series of rocks representing the horror-creatures teeth. In an instant Ulum was plunged into the beasts "mouth" screaming as the jagged teeth ground against his flesh and bone. Shattering him into bone meal until there was naught but a last scream that escaped from the bowls of the stone golem.
Several meters behind the brutal feast, in perpetual horror and shock. Another Uthani, a Fervaian face-shifter, turned to run as her comrade was engulfed into the belly of the stone golem. Racing away from the scene of horror she twisted and winded, losing herself in the seemingly identical walls of the labyrinth. Behind her the ominous awakenings of stone beasts behind her stirred, eventually turning in tune to chase her like a horde of jackals after a wounded deer. She turned corner after corner, hearing the abominations growing closer behind her but not daring to look back for fear of falling or possible dead end.
When at last it seemed the beasts would be upon her, in a fit of adrenaline induced speed she burst through what appeared to be an obsidian arch way. At once the stone beasts fell silent, howling blood curdling screams to her as they sat restricted behind the arch way. In front of the Uthani, a lone statue of the Uthani God Horbath presiding over what appeared to be a tunnel of unknown depth led down into the inner workings of the labyrinth. With hesitation, she inched forward, gazing down into the thick darkness before her, turning in disappointment she was all at once gripped by some unimaginable force and pulled into the chasm.
Here she fell, for what seemed like hours but was really only minutes stretched on by fear and all-enveloping darkness. At last an ominous light loomed below her, and her descent was felled before she struck the stone floor. Hovering for a moment above the floor, she dropped hard onto her face and lay motionless for a moment, then began to struggle to her feet. All around her, darkness with naught but a single form of illumination. A dark ruby, glowing a reddish-black hue that seemed that filled the small area around her. The treasure, this had to be the treasure she had been promised on the expedition, in an instant she reached forward for it. Stopped by some unseen force and then greeted by a booming voice.
"You have done well to make it this far young one, be proud for you are the first of your kind to reach the heart of Horinkar." The Uthani, immobilized from the neck down let out a blood curdling scream, before the unknown force silenced her again. "I would have thought your people would have warned you away from this place, have they forgotten their patron God's imprisonment of Horbath and the scattering of his son's across the universe? Or are you one of those brave souls that don't believe in the Ulmar Gods?" The unseen being let out a booming laugh as he released the Uthani girl from his hold.
In an instant the girl sprung forward, unsheathing it and bring the blade down through the air towards the ruby that set levitating in the red glow. Just as the blade began to touch the stone, she froze, immobilized again as stone began to creep up from the ground and envelop her in a unrelenting grip. She screamed in vain, terrified as the forces began to slowly cover his entire being in stone finally reaching her face and covering her eyes before the unknown force halted the horrific process as if to relish the terrified screams that came from the girl's uncovered mouth.
And then nothing, the stone shot forward covering the girl's mouth before pulling her into the dark floor that was the inner sanctum of Horinkar. Her petrified form would later reappear within the labyrinth, another servant to hunt those that dare enter the realm of Horinkar. Who now slept, and began to grow bored as no suitable game came to appease his lust for entertainment. And so yet again messages were sent out across the Milky Way Galaxy, telling of glory, jewels, and all trappings a mortal man could want in his life.
The process had begun again, and the being-planet allotted itself a dark booming laugh that seemed to echo for days in the empty corridors of the maze as it prepared for those that would come to seek non-existent fortunes.
