At this moment, Vox forgot how to breathe.
Every time he took a step forward, he would hear the scream of one of the mine Dwarfs behind, getting obliterated into nothing but bones.
"Oh I don't want to die... I don't want to die... Not now," he cried out, racing faster with the crowd. "I haven't known anything about this place yet, and I will die? I don't want to die a pathetic death. Just thinking of getting killed by gnomes would be the laugh of my funeral."
When hope almost seemed lost, Ahead, a Dwarf, the Cavekeeper stood on a jagged rock, pointing towards a light at the end of the Cave—the exit.
"Come on! Don't fall behind! Make sure you make it out alive! The gnomes can't leave the mountains, but you can! Run, so I can block the entrance."
Vox's eyes went wide. "I can finally leave," he muttered with a smile.
But despite the happiness, he knew he had to move with the speed of the crowd. If he moved faster or slower, he had a higher chance of getting stampeded.
Luckily, he had a headstart.
When the corrupted gnomes first attacked, he was the first to run for his life, so it became easy for him and the Dwarfs in the first row to burst out of the cave together.
That's when the breeze of fresh air touched his face. The cool of the night greeted him with a grace worth dying for. For a moment, his eyes stayed closed because of the sudden light, but the instant he stepped out, he slowly opened them.
He froze on the spot.
A gust of wind blew his hair, opening his eyes to the wonders of a world he had never seen.
Standing so high on the mountain, he could see down to a shimmering lake that ran through the green lands like a straight line. There were trees everywhere and small huts huddled around a corner. Great rocks were scattered on the ground, so large they rivaled the gigantic trees.
Then he noticed the moon. A large full moon and a smaller one beside it, lighting the starless night with its glory.
"Wow, so this is Mt. Evernight?... Home of Dwarf—"
"HELP!"
Vox snapped out of his dream as he heard a female voice from inside the Cave.
The Mine Dwarfs had all left, leaving the Cavekeeper ready to close the mouth of the Cave with rocks.
"Hey! Hey!!" Vox called out, his body moving before he even thought about it. "There is someone inside!"
The Cavekeeper yelled back from the ridge, holding a rope that would seal the opening. "There's no time! No one is willing to help, so it's the Dwarfess fate!"
"Are you actually going to allow her to die?" Vox argued.
"If I wait, the Corrupted gnomes will follow her and our village will be destroyed!" The Cavekeeper called out. "If no one goes now, She's DEAD!"
Vox stared back at the Cave, the words of the Cavekeeper already inaudible to his hearing, what concerned him was ahead...
The Dwarfess was almost at the entrance, but the gnomes were jumping at her from every direction. She was injured on one leg, and leaping was her only option left.
"If I run now... then what kind of person was I before all this?," Vox took a deep breath. "At least, if I die, I die knowing I tried to save someone..."
He cursed under his breath and raced back into the Cave, quickly pulling her onto his back.
She muttered a "Thank you," Immediately.
The gnomes hissed in annoyance, seeing someone courageously stupid enough to rush back in.
One gnome raced towards him, and, at first, Vox froze in fear—until he realized his leg had muscles and the gnome coming at him was only an inch tall.
Just before the gnome launched at him, Vox inhaled deeply, steadily,...
Then he kicked it.
He kicked the creature so hard it landed somewhere unknown in the Stary Caves. The gnomes paused, shocked.
That gave Vox the chance to run. The Corrupted gnomes angrily yelled out, "YAKAWASHA!" and resumed the chase, but it was too late.
Vox had already escaped with the girl on his back just as in time when Cavekeeper sealed the entrance.
****
Following the near-death incident, the Mine Dwarfs escaped with many casualties, and Vox successfully helped the girl—a Dwarf with wavy black hair and a brown shirt with trousers held by a tight belt. She also wore nothing but sandals.
"Thank you for saving me!" She smiled with a heart full of gratitude
.
"Yeah, it's okay," Vox said. He didn't know why she saw him as a savior instead of despising him like the others. 'Probably because I saved her?..,' He wondered.
"Please," The Dwarfess said, "Follow me back home. I can meet the healer and see my Father," she added. "By the way, I'm Buknet!"
"Okay... Hi Buknet," He said, still trying to catch his breath from the entire reasons that he was still alive, when he did, he replied, "I am Vox—"
Suddenly, the tab appeared:
[QUEST: MT. EVERNIGHT]
[COMPLETED: HELP A CHARACTER: (+20XP)]
[Lvl 0: 20/30]
Vox's eyes went wide. 'I actually forgot about the Quests! Thank goodness I helped her. I'm almost close to leveling up from this level zero.'
Buknet stared at him, her brown eyes clear under the moon. "Vox, are you okay? Did the gnome hurt you?"
Vox cleared his throat. "No. Not at all. Anyways, Buknet, Should I help you go down the mountain?"
"Yes please," she said, "but hey, it's not that I can't use my other leg!" She said, not wanting to be carried the whole way.
"Okay surely," Vox smiled, placing her hand around his shoulder as they walked down.
He looked at the double moon and thought, '..I'm sure this is a whole world of adventures.'