By now, Ian was numb to all sensations as the mental toll tired out his mind. But after the worm dragon roared at him, it was as if all the human emotions came alive to scream at Ian that he was in grave danger.
Yet he couldn't move from his position, it was as if fear planted his feet there. Ian knew that he had to move but his body wouldn't listen as it shook uncontrollably from the unsightly monster in front of him.
The massive worm dragon made its move as it slowly stomp its way towards him.
Every step shook the very earth underneath him.
'Move...move....MOVE DAMN IT!!!'
Ian was practically shouting in his mind to move yet his body still refuse to listen. Then like a miracle, Ian felt sensation on his left hand then his entire left arm. He moved his left arm around as if the rest of his body would listen too. It was working, but the action itself was too slow as the massive worm dragon was closing in on him.
The stomps seemed to have quicken a bit as if the dragon was fully awake now. It was reaching too close to Ian now.
Desperately, Ian reached for his dagger on his belt and drew the small blade out. He had no time to think as he then stab his left leg, doing his best to avoid any arteries or hitting his bone.
The worm dragon was now preparing to crush Ian with one of its forearms.
Meanwhile, the sharp sting in his left leg restored feeling to the rest of his body prompting Ian to jump with his good leg towards the right barely dodging the slam itself.
Sadly though, Ian's small victory was cut short as the dragon did a 180 degree turn as it prepared to swing its tail at him. He couldn't dodge this time as the tail was too tall for him to leap over and factoring in his injured left leg, Ian's mobility was further reduced.
Ian could only stare at his oncoming doom in his final moments.
Swish
But then a cutting sound echoed a loud as the tail was severed in motion causing the severed tip to veer off course and crash into a nearby burning building. At first the tail kept its shape but soon after it dispersed into a bunch of smaller worms slowly catching fire. The fire spread much slower compared to the other times Ian encountered the worm zombies. It was as if the worm dragon adapted against the fire itself at some point.
Meanwhile the worm dragon was writhing from the pain of losing its tail as if the collective mind could feel the loss. Then the vile creature started regenerating its lost limb. Ian didn't want to know how it was regenerating but he had a faint idea.
Ignoring the burning tail and the recovering dragon, Ian looked at the source of the tail cutter only to find an armored blonde woman standing there. She was facing away from Ian, choosing to pay attention only to the worm dragon in front of them. Her armor was different from the other soldiers as it protected her better along with shiny gems attached here and there plus she wore a now torn red cloak to complement her red and gold armor. Overall her appearance from what Ian could tell, made her look regal.
Yet Ian can faintly hear the sound of wheezing suggesting she was injured from either the battle from before or inhaling the black smoke for who knows how long.
Before Ian could voice out his thanks, she spoke.
"Go soldier. Your war is over. May you escape and find peace from this hellscape. Perhaps even spread the tales of the last days of the once mighty Melborne Empire."
Her voice was ragged but it still carried authority despite the regal woman hungrily gasping for fresh air.
Ian could only nod in return and walked away towards the only direction that he has constantly stuck by. He wasn't sure why he didn't say thanks out loud towards her but he felt that a nod was enough. As if she could see through the back of her head because she sighed in relief that Ian easily complied to her request.
Then Ian knew why he couldn't verbally thank her. He wasn't one of her own. The woman was sacrificing herself to save a foreigner from another world. A grotesque feeling bloomed in his heart as if he was tricking the brave woman.
Yet Ian could only shut his eyes momentarily and...
'Sorry lady. I'll make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain'
...move on with renewed vigor.
Then the woman spoke one last time to Ian.
"Forgive me for being selfish, but could you spread the tales of Princess Malorie's final moments too?"
Her voice was unwavering, but to Ian. It almost sounded like a plea. A plea to not be forgotten in the passage of time. As if begging Ian to remember that a Malorie who was a princess of the Melborne Empire once existed and she lived and died proudly.
The thought immediately erased the icky feeling in Ian's heart as he gave his reply.
"Yes...princess"
Then Ian continued onward away from the upcoming battle. He had no time to look because the dragon roar from before might have attracted some braver monsters to check this area out and....Ian didn't want to get caught in the crossfire between the princess and the worm dragon.
Then Ian heard a shout behind him.
"HEAR ME VILE DRAGON, I, PRINCESS MALORIE LAXON MELBORNE, LAST DAUGHTER OF THE PROUD MELBORNE EMPIRE WILL NEVER YIELD UNTIL YOU DRAW YOUR LAST BREATH! AHHHHH!!!!"
Ian quickly itched her full name into his memory as despite never really meeting, she saved his foolish life. He grew frustrated at himself for awakening the monster but maybe the dragon will be defeated by Princess Malorie this time as before she was unconscious and slowly dying from inhaling the fiery smoke.
The small thought only doused a bit of his inner frustration but Ian could only trudge on.
***
Minutes felt like hours as every minute Ian was in the fiery district, his breathing became more and more ragged. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe through the smoke. Yet that same smoke provided protection from any monsters at the edge of this district as Ian stopped encountering any of them. There were a few worm zombies here and there but Ian mainly avoided them now. He couldn't afford to waste precious minutes and even seconds on them. Ian could faintly see a large wall through the cloudy smoke suggesting he was near the edge of the city.
So Ian made sure he was on the main road leading to hopefully the exit. He started limping not too long ago as the self-injury to his left leg worsen. Unfortunately, Ian had no time to stop and could only keep moving forward. The searing pain caused Ian to grimace as he continued marching forward.
Until finally...
He reached the exit.
Except the gate was crushed into pieces producing a makeshift barricade that also caught on fire.
Ian had finally reached his goal only for his hope to be shattered at the last moment.
He closed his eyes and...
...laugh...
All the pent-up frustration turned into laughter at this very moment.
His body and mind was tired plus taking into account his injured left leg, even if he was to somehow go another way, Ian couldn't run away like he did before or even hide because he was bleeding.
He was damn sure that those nightmarish creatures can smell his blood like a shark in water.
Then Ian stopped laughing as he heard heavy steps on dirt from behind him. He had a faint idea of what was behind him before-
"Mmmmmiiiiiiinnnnneeeeee..."
-the hissing word confirmed his thought as Ian's world went dark.