WOOSH

  The wind blew at great speed, enough to make one ear bleed. In the distance the explosion rang across several kilometres. Catching the attention of all the people in the noble district.

  Time passed with the moon, and the chaos from the noble district started to quiet down bit by bit. The creatures were captured for the most part, but the same can’t be said for the mercenaries. Many have been captured , but only after several casualties from the guards. Some mercenaries escaped to the slums and commoner districts, while others died.

  This day will come to be known as one of the greatest failures in Magnus history, as the rumors of the governor or one could say facts started spreading through the black market.

  Thankfully, or unfortunately no important noble died.

  THUNDER

  The rain that followed quenched the fire that remained.

  *****

  DRIP DRIP

  Water flowed from leaf to leaf dripping through the dense canopy of the trees.

  DRIP

  A droplets lands softley on a the eyelids of a boy sprawled on the ground– the eyelids of Edric Veyra.

  His body twitched.

  He blinked his eyes open, immediately met with a world of blurred green, and whites. The canopy above swayed like a painting, waving with the storm. Rain tapped against his forehead, tiny cold shocks bringing him back to the present— or whatever was left of it.

  A sharp high ringing tone rang in his ears , his mouth tasted like rocks and mud. His entire body felt dull ache, each part stubbornly refusing to move to his command.

  What the hell happened?

  He gritted his teeth, forcing his right arm to shift. Effort alone felt like dragging a stone slab. His hands were pricked by pins and needles , with the wounds already cloated.

  Focus,Focus damn it.

  The last memories he could remember was Aeris commanding him to shoot— the explosion, the bird— then followed by an explosion leaving his eyes in a blur of white light.. Or was blue light. Whatever he couldn’t remember.

  He squeezed his eyes shut, forced his minuscul strength to turn his neck to the right.

  He took a deep breath, and tried to move his legs. Pain sprung up from his thighs, making him grin his teeth. It wasn’t broken , maybe sprained, might be bruised either way it hurt like hell

  CRACK

  His neck audibly cracked with each turn of the spine. It felt like having a taser to the spine. He finally turned his head to see– two figures sprawled on the ground.

  Aeris and Kael.

  Kael was crumpled against a deep, thick root, his staff lying buried in the mud a few feet away. His cloth was torn, and blood was smeared on one side of his face. But Edric could see the slow and uneven rise of his chest. He was breathing thankfully.

  Aeries laid sprawled across him on a patch of leaves, and looked comparatively better than Kael at least on the outside. Her swords were still strapped onto her belt, her clothes were torn near the belly but not too much. Her face was oddly calm and composed , like a lone wolf sleeping in the forest.

  Good there alive.

  Relief flooded through Edric, heavy and warm. For a moment he just laid there, letting the rain wash him.

  We survived… somehow.

  But they were still in the middle of nowhere, drenched, wounded and who nows how far the city guards were from finding them. Most importantly there was still one person missing… Xantha.

  He forcefully managed to turn his head the other way. Mid turn he caught a figure few metres above him, he squinted to take a closer look. Then he gasped it was…

  Xantha.

  The frail girl hung tangled in vines from the tree above.He small frame, looked even smaller now soaked in rain. Her light hair wrapped around her cheeks, he skin covered in bruises but looked far better than him and the other two. But— she wasn’t moving. And from afar he couldn't see her breathing.

  NO NO NO—-

  Ignoring the pain, he grunted, and rolled over to the side. Draggin himself through the wet grass, he made his way inch by inch. His elbows sunk through the mud but he still didn’t stop. His hands sunk to feel a long branch hidden under the mud, using the long branch as support he lifted himself up.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  He limped one step at a time towards Xantha.

  When he reached her, he pushed his elbow onto the branch as support and reached with his other trembling hand.

  “Xantha” he croaked, his voice low and rough.

  No response.

  He touched her shoulder, feeling the mud stick to his hand— stil nothing. He proceed to shake her with the limited strength he could manage.

  “Xantha… come on, please” he pleaded. But there was still no response.

  He hovered there for a second , unsure what to do, feeling more helpless than the day he fell into this cursed world.

  Then with grim determination, he wiped the water from his eyes and shifted closer. He needed to find a way to help.

  He quietly started untangling the vines one by one, slowly loosening the girls' restraints. The world grew silent with only the white noise of rain filling in.

  Then—

  A small groan broke through the whispers of the storm.

  Edric flinched, his eyes darted down to Xantha.

  Her eyes furrowed, a pained whimper escaped from her lips as she struggled to move her limbs.

  Then slowly, stubbornly. She fluttered her eyes openen…. She was alive.

  For a second her eyes were vacant, unfocused. Then they sharpend, flashing her face with a sense of realization, and relief. She coughed weak but present, pushed her legs out of the vines and stood on her two feet.

  “Xantha.” Edric breathed, a wave of relief hit him so hard, he tripped on to the mud.

  She didn’t answer, her face clearly confused, untangled herself from the remaining vines with little force. She shifted her gaze downwards to see Edric— weak,teary and in a mess.

  “E-Edric?,” her memories slowly came back to her. “We're alive, we did it.” she slumped down and gave him a tight hug.

  “Yeah.. yeah we are. Thank god your ok… wait how are you fine.” he was truly relieved but couldn't help but ask, how was she ok. She looked bruised but not nearly as bad compared to them, no not even closed.

  Xantha, clearly confused on his question, looked behind him to see— Aeris and Kael battered up and bloodied on the floor. She finally understood him.

  “Just got lucky I guess.” she let out a small chuckle to ease the mood. “Where are we though?”

  “Don’t know. Got to check it out.” he gritted his teeth, forcefully stood up. “But first i got to help them.”

  “No, wait here. You're hurt, I will check on them.” After saying that with determination in her eyes, she went to check on Aeris and Kael.

  Leaning against a tree for a moment, he caught his breath. The cold rain helped — numbing the worst of the aches but it also soaked into his bones, making him shiver.

  He turned his head, squinting through the rain toward where the forest thinned. He limped towards the direction where the slope bent downwards. He looked up to see–

  The wall at distance of about 3-4km maybe less, the wall was enormous and in clear view. He gazed on top to see, a large chunk empty on top of the wall almost like a bite mark. From that he concluded that after the blast, they were sent flying like ragdolls to where they are now. How they survived is a mystery, but Edric didn’t have the strength to think anymore.

  He slowly gazed down , guards riding horses with lights attached to the saddle patrolled the roads. They weren't close to them but seeing them made him uneasy, the rain wasn’t comfortable either.

  He checks his belt. The guns missings, he looks around and finds it lodged in mud. He goes, with all his strength he pulls it stumbling back down on the ground. Beside the gun he founds his– longsword and pouch. He grabbed the longsword and placed it in the hilt. He grabbed the pouched, while leaning down to grab it he finds a strange crest on the ground. The crest was on of the item he stole from the broken displays, though something was diffrent about… it lost its shine. From that he drew one conclusion.

  Did this save us… Without thinking further he chuged the crest in the pouch and tied it to his belt

  He turned back Xantha washed the wounds and blood of Kael’s battered face. Using the leaves and mud as bandages she wrapped up some opened wounds. Seeing that he decides to help Aeris, he walked to her and grabs a leaf to wrap her wound. He pressed it on her hand—

  WOOSH

  Her hand instinctively grabbed his hand tight, it quickly loosened from the lack of strength.

  “Oh it’s you.” Her voice low and grumbled. “You look like a mess.”

  He scoffed. “And you look like you were hit by a truck.”

  “What’s a truck?”

  “Nevermind that,” he chuckled. “How’s the pain?” He continues to dress her wounds.

  “Absolute shit,” she gritted her teeth, mustering strength as she tried to move her legs. But nothing, the pain erupted in her causing an acute sting.

  “Easy there, I will drag you up.” He uses his full body weight to make her lean against some trees. He only wanted for her to sit, but being as stubborn she is, she stood up with her wobbling legs.

  He sighed, without responding he grabbed her arms and wrapped it around himself for support. She grinned, looking at the state of Kael. she frowned from seeing his sad state. She shifted her gaze ate Xantha.

  “How the hell is she alright?” her voice was genuinely surprised .

  “Dumb luck..”

  Xantha finishes up dressing his wounds, turns to the chatter. “Oh, why are you both standing and not resting?” she scolded with spite. Walked towards Aeris, looking up and down to check her wounds.

  “We need to get out here and get shelter somewhere. It’s too dangerous, there is no telling if the patrolling guards stumble upon us.” Edric said with caution

  Aeris nods in agreement.

  “But where ?” Xantha questioned.

  “Let’s scout the place, slowly.”

  They got in agreement , looking towards Kael who laid on the ground being the worst state .

  —-

  Several minutes passed,

  Edric and Aeris limped forward, with sticks on their hands to give support and on the other they dragged Kael in a makeshift leaf bed. In Front of the pack Xantha hunched low , peeked from bushes to check for gaurds.

  She turned her head left and right, snooped for anything harmful whether it be beasts or guards. She waved her hand when it’s clear, and so the group slowly covered the distance.

  About thirty minutes pass by, they hadn’t found any shelter yet but they did increase the distance between them and the city.

  Xantha suddenly stops, turns and mouths: “I found a place.”

  Edric and Aeris glance at each other, then follow the frail girl as she disappeared in the bushes. The slowly rustle their way through the bushes to find— a cave, wait no. Based on the pillars and rusted equipment. It is differently an abandoned mineshaft, seemed like a perfect place to rest.

  They enter the dark cave,

  CHUCK

  Xantha had already started rubbing stones, causing sparks to fly as she tried starting a fire. A moment later it was lit, it was small but plenty to warm them up.

  The group dragged Kael's body near the fire to warm him up, then they lined back without saying a word to each other. They were too exhausted to think about the future, and besides they do anything at their state now.

  Calming themselves, they slowly closed their eyes to a slumber, with a hope of a better tomorrow…

  At Least they thought.