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

waiting.
They stood eight feet in height and were armored with thorns. Keen eyes
stared out at me focused on vengeance. They raised their claws, charging,
riding the darkness as mounts.
I'd had more than enough power to tear these creatures to smoky rags, but I
rationed my power like slivers of meat. I had no idea how many of these I
would have to face, how powerful the other guardians in this fortress could
be. My wounds knitted as quickly as they came, and my knife made quick, if
clumsy work slashing apart that insubstantial flesh.
Eventually I came across the huge clock that Deionarra spoke of. It'd
partially melted into the black stone surrounding it... but a sense of
familiarity tingled at the back of my mind. On its surface was a message
carved in with a dagger... and I recognized the demented handwriting as the
same that painted my back:
RUN - DOORS are LIES - USE Cannons - then PORTAL
The scrawl seemed panicked, as if it'd been written in some haste. Following
the message was a crude 'arrow' pointing in the opposite direction as the
long hand on the clock.
"Thanks for the advice..." I grumbled, and turned in that direction.
The ancient machine I came across looked like a forgotten war relic. Most of
the "cannon" was covered in dust, except for the strange panel with levers
at the front of it. Oddly enough, the ground around it was disturbed, broad
streaks in the dust as if someone had walked here within the past few years.
Controls were a series of gears and levers - beneath each one was a series of
scratch marks that appeared to be hastily carved there with a dagger. Some
bore no marks, others bore a single slash beneath them, and one had an 'X.'
I felt a nudge in the back of my mind, and without knowing why I was
certain that the 'X' would somehow help me leave this place.
I pulled the lever. It gave way easily beneath my grip with a hard clank, and
to my surprise, disintegrated into mist. It spread to my hand, which began to
fade, then my arm, and a dizziness overcame me. The walls began to fade
around me as I began to panic...
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