(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "And... what happened?"
"Well, we went to this - this FORTRESS, and even before we land foot in this
place, we're all SPLIT up, fighting for our lives..." He shuddered. "So the first
thing I want to tell you is if you're determined to go through with this,
there's a good chance that anybody who goes through that portal is going to
end up somewhere far away from everybody else. Thing is, even split up, we
may be your only hope..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because whatever was waiting in that Fortress for you, chief, it already
defeated you once... to this day, I don't know how you managed to survive,
but if you fall again, you're going to need someone there to pull you out of
that Fortress..."
Annah shifted uncomfortably, but her eyes were steeled with resolve.
Grace's hands were folded before her, the picture of serenity.
"Morte, I need you to tell me everything you can about the Fortress... it's
important."
"This 'Fortress of Regrets'... it stretches on for LEAGUES, chief. It's a Fortress,
but it feels more like a PLANE in itself, all stone, all darkness, and shadows -
everywhere, shadows. We go there, and... we better be prepared."
"What happened when we first went there?"
"Chief, I don't know what happened to YOU, but I know what happened to
ME... I spent my time running from vault to vault, those shadows crawling all
over me, trying to bring me down... then, I just... suddenly, we were 'out,'
like someone had pulled us back..."
My eyes flicked over to meet Dak'kon's. "Know that I have walked your path
many times." Dak'kon spoke slowly, as if measuring each word; his blade
had become a misty gray, as if Dak'kon's mind had drifted. "A portion of
your path is known to me. Five walked the path to the Fortress. Each died
their own death."
"But... who were they? How did they die?" even as the words left my lips,
shadows of names and faces flicked over my memory.
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