Kier catches himself mid-air and slams the shackles on a group of monsters, killing them whilst freeing his hands and feet, before landing on the ground. The former general was surrounded.
"Shit…"
The area was dark, covered by trees. Faint traces of light can be seen through the leaves. The monsters surrounded Kier, eyeing him like their next prey. The bodies of other humans who crossed the barrier lay beneath. It was like a rotten battlefield. Corpses were eaten till they became just bones. A faint silver glint caught Kier's eyes. The metal was engraved with the initials Z.G, followed by a black mark, which he always bragged about his sword only having.
"Zylan..I'm sorry."
Kier's expression was filled with regret and sorrow as he picked up the blade. Among the knights, one thing that was mutually agreed upon by most is that the blade is a warrior's soul. The leather on the blade felt rough and premium. Something Zylan bragged about trading 3 gold pieces to get it from Odaya. "The elves knew what they were doing, but man, was this thing pricey", he used to say.
Kier drew a breath as the air that filled his lungs calmed him down. He felt calmer about the situation. The dire situation he was in.
"...please lend me your strength..once more…Zylan."
Kier waited for the first monster to strike.
*splatter*
The monster's head rolled over to the side, under a tree.
Then the rest came. All at once, the monsters charged towards Kier. Kier remained calm and steady. He'd been in these situations before.
One by one, the monsters' heads were flying off somewhere onto the ground below, but the more heads that were on the ground, the less energy Kier would have, and the more damage he'd sustain. Eventually, after 30 minutes, Kier decided to clear a path, running straight through the crowd, killing or damaging anyone that was in his way. Zylan's blade had become duller, more duller than it was before. If he had any chance at survival, recuperating his energy would be wise.
The monsters immediately ran after him. Kier knew this was risky, but he took it anyway. He spotted a small cave-like structure with a boulder on top. This was his chance at survival. In one swift motion, he cut the rope holding the boulder which sealed off the cave and went in.
The cave was big on the inside. Kier leaned against a wall, sighing. A stark contrast to the screeching of dead creatures just moments before. The tension was lifted.
"Zylan…thank you,"
Inside the cave drew deeper. Kier can see some light through the cave, intriguing him. The light provided warmth, warmth that warmed Kier's body. The yellow light revealed a path that lay beyond. His curiosity wanted to check out what lay beyond, but his body had other ideas. It wouldn't move. The fatigue and injuries sustained required many hours of rest. Kier didn't have that. Sooner or later, he'd be hungry, and he was already thirsty. He forced himself to move, each step harder than the last. His body trembled, the pain immense, but not the worst. The glimmer of hope that something, anything, food, water, anything that'd help him survive would be in this light. He followed the lit path, the walls covered in what looked like ancient ruins. This wasn't any ordinary cave.
Kier continued. His body was giving up more and more as he reached a pedestal. As he inched closer, his vision was blurry, the aching pain taking over as Kier fell onto the cold, hard ground of the cave. The pedestal loomed over, as his vision became black.