Nexus gazed intently at the grandfather clock, his eyes catching a glimpse of a piece of paper affixed to the back of the pendulum. Curious, he carefully retrieved it and read the word "living room" written on the back.
Leaving the center of the house, Nexus made his way to the living room, adjacent to the dining room. There, he discovered another grandfather clock, but this one was missing its pendulum. He inserted the pendulum he had found earlier, and a blue dog head descended from the clock. Nexus picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.
Returning to the center room, he noticed a door leading outside. It was secured by a Cerberus statuette, but the statue was missing its three heads. Recalling a similar locking mechanism he encountered earlier, where placing the ox body had unlocked a door, he speculated that the blue dog head might be part of the solution. He placed the blue dog's head onto the statuette and heard a click, indicating part of the lock had been released. However, the door remained closed, signaling that two more dog heads were needed to unlock it completely.
(Nexus) one down two more to go let's check upstairs if there are any more of the Cerberus heads
Nexus decided to go upstairs and found himself in a hallway with two directions to choose from: left or right. Opting for the right, he soon stepped onto a balcony overlooking the outside of the house. From this vantage point, he saw a trailer parked near a giant oak tree, and Mary, holding a lantern, muttering something he couldn't quite hear.
Reaching the end of the balcony, Nexus re-entered the house, finding himself in a hallway with a staircase. Peering over the railing, he noticed that the staircase led down to the dining room hallway and was the broken staircase he had encountered earlier.
(Nexus) hey isn't that the completely broken staircase I saw in the dining room hallway? It is?! If only it was fixed could I have skipped the whole puzzle door and come up here
Nexus continues down the hallway, stopping at a door. He opens it to find a bathroom with a bathtub in the middle of the room. Entering, he immediately notices a strange, black fluid in the bathtub. An uneasy feeling washes over him, and he quickly backs away, deciding to leave it for now. He moves to another door, opens it, and finds a game room complete with a pool table, bar area, and a TV with a stereo speaker system. On the cabinet, there is a heavy book. Nexus finds it odd-why would there be a heavy book in front of the TV instead of on a bookshelf? He wonders if it's hiding something, perhaps the dog heads.
Nexus furrows his brow. "Why is this book here? It has quite a lot of pages, yet there's no title. Maybe it's a record of the house's history or deeds?" He shakes his head. "No, that would probably be in the husband's and wife's room. Could it be hiding a secret compartment?" He reaches out to examine the book more closely, looking for any signs of a hidden chest or concealed mechanism.
Nexus opens the book to find it opened in half and a white dog head in the book he grabs the head and heads out of the room
(Nexus) two down this is it I can get out of here now.. finally!
Nexus stepped out of the room, his footsteps echoing faintly as he moved cautiously down the narrow, creaking wooden stairs. The air grew colder with each step, and a sense of dread seemed to seep into his bones. At the bottom of the stairs, he found an ominous, ancient door. Its surface was marred with deep, unrecognizable symbols, and the wood looked as though it had been untouched for centuries.
He hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the rusted handle, before summoning the courage to push the door open. The door creaked loudly, as if protesting his intrusion, and he was met with a foul, musty smell that hit him like a wall.
Inside, the room was dimly lit by a flickering lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls and ceiling were covered in a strange, dark mold that seemed to pulse and shift, almost alive. Nexus could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly walked further into the room, his eyes scanning the grotesque surroundings.
As he reached out to inspect the mold, a sudden movement caught his eye. A figure began to emerge from the mold, its form grotesque and nightmarish. The creature was humanoid, but its body was made entirely of mold-its skin a patchwork of decaying organic matter, its eyes hollow and glowing with an eerie light.
Before Nexus could react, the creature lunged at him with terrifying speed. A sharp, stinging pain shot through his arm as its claw-like hand swiped across his skin, tearing through his sleeve and leaving a deep, burning scratch. He stumbled back, horrified to see a piece of his clothing now embedded in the creature's claw, as if it had absorbed it into its being.
Nexus's mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened, but the creature was already advancing on him again, its movements jerky and unnatural. He had to think fast, or he knew he wouldn't make it out of this room alive.
Nexus winced as he glanced at the wound on his arm, the burning sensation still fresh. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, "that was too close. At least it's not too deep." He reached into his pack, his hands trembling slightly as he pulled out his slingshot and began to load it with an explosive pellet. The soft click of the mechanism was almost comforting, a small measure of control in the chaos.
Just as he was about to aim the mold-covered monstrosity, a second creature lurched out from the wall, its grotesque form even more distorted than the first. Its eyes glowed with the same eerie light, and its body oozed with dark, slimy mold. Nexus cursed under his breath, realizing he was outnumbered and outmatched. With no time to waste, he abandoned his attack and turned on his heel, sprinting out of the room and away from the advancing horrors.
He dashed down a narrow, dimly lit hallway, his heart pounding in his chest, until he stumbled upon a morgue. The sterile, cold air was a stark contrast to the musty, decaying atmosphere he had just escaped. Rows of metal crypts lined the walls, their doors sealed shut. The room was silent, save for the faint hum of the fluorescent lights overhead.
On a table in the center of the room, Nexus spotted a crumpled note. His eyes quickly scanned the hastily scrawled message, his heart skipping a beat as he read: *"The dog heads are hidden. One is down in the basement, in the storage room. It's unlocked, but you'll need a key."*
He turned the note over, searching for more information, and noticed a faint, nearly invisible message on the back, written in a shaky hand: *"Don't forget-the key can only be obtained if you open each red X'ed crypt in left-to-right order."*
Nexus's mind raced as he processed the information. He knew he didn't have much time before the creatures caught up to him, but he also realized this was his only lead. Taking a deep breath, he began to scan the room, searching for the crypts marked with red X's. Each one held the key to his survival, and he would need to open them in the correct order if he wanted to escape with the dog head-and his life.
(Nexus) Damn it I don't have much time I have to do this next.
Nexus rushes to the leftmost door and swings it open. A corpse tumbles out, lifeless and cold. Undeterred, he moves swiftly to the next door, opening it to reveal another grim discovery. With a deep breath, he approaches the door on the far right, bracing himself as he pulls it open. As the corpse falls out, something catches his eye-a key resting atop the body. Nexus quickly grabs it and notices a map lying on the nearby desk. He studies it carefully, noting the details near the left edge of the table.
Nexus sprints toward the storage room, but finds the door locked. Quickly, he uses the key he found in the morgue to unlock it. As the door creaks open, his eyes lock onto a red dog head statuette inside-his ticket out of this nightmare. Just as he reaches for it, Jack suddenly appears, snatching the statuette away with a twisted grin.
Jack mocks Nexus before disappearing into a separate room.
"Damn it!" Nexus curses, frustration boiling over. "It was right in my grasp. I could've escaped this miserable place if I'd been quicker. Now, I have to get it back from Jack."
Nexus watches Jack disappear, then turns to his left, spotting a set of stairs leading down. He descends quickly, opening a door at the bottom and finding himself in a dimly lit room with a metal cage suspended above. He ascends another set of stairs, his eyes narrowing as he spots the red dog head statuette wrapped in barbed wire and suspended by a chain. Carefully, he begins to untangle the statuette from the wire and chain, but just as he frees it, Jack suddenly appears behind him.
Before Nexus can react, Jack shoves him into the metal cage. Trapped inside, Nexus quickly pulls out his slingshot and explosive pellets, firing at Jack in a desperate attempt to fight back. His first shot sends a part of Jack's body flying, but to Nexus's horror, Jack regenerates almost instantly. Jack charges toward him again, relentless and seemingly unstoppable.
Nexus, frustration boiling over, shouts, "Why the hell won't you die?!"
Jack smirks as his body fully regenerates, the wounds closing as if they never existed. Without warning, he lunges at the metal cage, his strength monstrous. With a terrifying roar, Jack rips open the cage door, metal groaning and tearing under his grip.
As Jack tears open the cage, Nexus spots a metal fence nearby, containing a hedge trimmer and a chainsaw. Seizing the moment, he dashes toward the fence and grabs the chainsaw, desperate to gain the upper hand. With a flick of his wrist, he starts the engine, the roar of the chainsaw filling the room. To buy himself time, Nexus quickly fires another explosive at Jack, momentarily delaying him as he attempts to start the hedge trimmer.
In a flash of inspiration, Nexus attaches more explosives to the chainsaw, hoping to inflict maximum damage. With a determined cry, he charges at Jack, aiming to strike him down once and for all.
But as he closes in, a sharp, searing pain pierces his abdomen. Nexus looks down in shock-he's been fatally wounded. It was already too late...
Nexus coughs up blood, his vision blurring. "This is it... I'm going to die," he mutters weakly. "God, I wish I could've gotten out of here sooner..."
Suddenly, a voice echoes in his mind.
*"Hey there, other me. Need some help?"*
Nexus, disoriented and on the brink of collapse, looks up and sees a shadowy figure standing before him. It's the same mysterious presence he encountered when he first woke up-an eerie double of himself, shrouded in darkness. Nexus stares at the figure, both confused and intrigued, as the line between reality and the unknown begins to blur.
Nexus, struggling to keep his focus, asks, "Who are you exactly, and what kind of help are you offering?"
The shadowy figure smirks. "You can call me N. I'm your shadow power given physical form. But more importantly, I can keep you alive until someone can truly help you. In return, I want to ask a favor of sorts."
"My powers?" Nexus questions, still skeptical. "Are you sure I can even use them? How would you help me?"
N steps closer, his presence almost tangible. "Leave that to me. I'll take care of everything. So, do we have a deal?"
Nexus hesitates, his mind racing. *Is this a good choice, trusting N?* After a moment of contemplation, he nods slowly. "Fine. I accept..."
In an instant, shadowy flames erupted from Nexus's body, engulfing him in dark, flickering fire. Jack's eyes widened with a twisted excitement, eager to see what would unfold. But before he could react, N moved with blinding speed, appearing behind Jack and delivering a powerful kick that sent him crashing to the ground. As Jack hit the floor, a shadow gate formed beneath him, though its size and range were limited by the lingering effects of the anti-magic barrier, which dulled N's powers.
Despite the barrier's constraints, N began to conjure a ring of fire, sending it hurtling through a series of small shadow gates, each one accelerating the flames. As the final gate opened, N aimed it directly at Jack. The fiery ring shot through, tearing a gaping hole through Jack's body and the metal cage.
Seeing the opening, N knew he couldn't afford to waste time. Jack's regenerative abilities would soon mend the damage, and the deal he had struck with Nexus weighed heavily on his mind. Without hesitation, N made a run for it, determined to escape before Jack could recover.
As N begins to run down the hallway, he glances back at Jack and smirks. "Goodbye, Jack. I hope you enjoyed toying with my other self. But now, it's time for me to leave."
N moves swiftly toward the end of the hallway, but suddenly, the shadowy flames surrounding him begin to flicker and wane. His time is almost up. As the flames finally dissipate, they leave Nexus's body, and he snaps back to consciousness, the agony of his fatal wound instantly overwhelming him.
Weak and disoriented, Nexus struggles to stay hidden as Jack nears. Desperately, he drags himself to a nearby wall, trying to escape, but his strength is fading fast. Unable to go any further, Nexus collapses against the wall, the pain too much to bear. His vision darkens, and with a final gasp, he loses consciousness.