'It's literally just a pit.'
Thrown into a dirty hole, on the side of the camp, Ray was quite astounded.
Although he didn't expect a jail to the standards of a modern person,
after the ominous mention of 'The Pit' from the women, he thought it was going to be some magical, kilometer wide, gorge with a dragon as their warden.
Imprisoning people in a hole with some wood, cut in a grid, put over it, was an insult to any serious criminal.
The Pit wasn't even particularly deep, maybe two meters, but climbing out of it would be a death sentence, so Ray stayed put.
Looking at his side, Sarah was still unconscious, and Lisa almost instantly fell asleep, a slight snoring coming from her. To him, it was both a wonder and an alarming sight at the same time. Sleeping in these circumstances and that fast on top of it didn't speak for a healthy state of mind, even if she was tired. Max wasn't put in the same pit as them, possibly to receive medical treatment, as he couldn't hold on much longer without it.
'Still, this day was way too turbulent.'
The sequence of events, leading up to their imprisonment, was in no way logical. But after he met the Nobles, even the last shred of doubt vanished from Ray's mind.
'Another world, huh. Aren't we supposed to go through some magical closet and be greeted by a giant lion or an evil witch? Instead, we get two dirty old men and no dinner...This world is shit.'
Having such rude thoughts, he drifted into sleep.
.....
"AAArrggghh!"
"DIE!"
"Urgh"
Slowly opening his eyes, Ray lazily sat up, yawning and stretching.
'Ah right, we were thrown into this damn hole.
But why is it so loud outside, isn't still in the middle of the night?'
From his position in the pit, he couldn't see much except a few people running around, but he very well perceived the constant screams, the clashes of metal and the crackling of fire.
Trying to figure out what was going on, he grabbed onto the edge of the pit, peeking beyond his place of confinement, although he instantly wished he had never done so.
The camp resembled hell. Bodies stretched, wherever one looked. Fire consumed the tents, with occasional people running out of them, burning.
Cavalry ran rampant across the grounds, piercing soldiers with their spears and discarding them like dirt after their death.
Even the Nobles, who were so high and mighty just a few hours ago, had to fight for their survival. The Baron was leading a few dozen soldiers in resisting the invaders, trying to preserve what was left of the camp.
Count Selwin directed another batch, securing important facilities and strategical positions.
And only the young miss was arguing with her guard about something, not participating in the battle.
Appalled as he was watching these scenes, he didn't notice a stray arrow flying straight in his direction. The arrow landed right in front of his eyes, scaring him into falling back into the Pit.
'I have to wake the others up... We have to run away. This is our only chance!'
Recovering somewhat, Ray scrambled to the girls, shaking and pushing to rouse them from sleep.
After both had arisen, he told them about the attack and the need for them to run away immediately.
Lisa gained control of herself very quickly, determination filling her eyes, and even Sarah put on a brave front, not showing her shivering hands.
He, once again, grabbed onto the edge of the pit and pulled the arrow inside. Cutting through the ropes proved to be a lot more difficult than he thought it would be but in midst such an intense battle no one bothered looking after or stopping them.
Having freed themselves after a while, Ray pushed the wood over the Pit away, climbing out of it. He helped the other two get out and observed the battle around them.
As they didn't have any weapons nor any experience in fighting, their only choice was to search for a safe passage and slip away undetected. Getting caught up in the battle would, most likely, mean death.
'We have to hide as we go.'
Looking around Ray mapped a route within his mind that appeared to be safe. The valley, they were in, only had two entrances, one in the south and one in the north. Going by the direction they were running in, the enemies most likely came from the southern side, pushing north, so they had to go in the same direction.
As he rushed between broken tents and pushed over carts, Ray could witness the true bloodiness of war. Every step he took was painted with carnage and slaughter. He couldn't even count how many separated body parts he had seen on the way. For an average person of the 21st century, this was a scene they would never encounter, except in gory horror movies and lousy web novels.
Keeping his urge to vomit down, he assessed the situation. They were almost at the northern exit and would only need to sprint the last dozen or so meters to get out of the camp.
The soldiers and invaders were busy butchering each other and didn't notice their escape yet, but it was only a question of time until someone would discover them.
"We have to run straight through for the last bit. Can you keep up?"
Feeling the necessity to protect them, Ray made sure to walk at a pace the two could follow. Although it may be unnecessary, finding some kind of purpose, apart from keeping himself alive, was what kept him sane at the moment, so he held onto it.
But looking over his shoulders, there were not two figures quietly running after him. Instead, he found, Sarah who was caught by an invader, his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't scream, slowly dragging her somewhere. Lisa, on the other side, was nowhere to be seen. She must have taken another route or gone somewhere else altogether.
Still, no matter the reason, he had to first solve the problem in front of him before looking for her.
Getting out of his hideout, Ray dashed for the invader holding Sarah. Even without a weapon or knowledge of martial arts, he could at least tackle him, free Sarah and run away afterward.
"Argh"
A few meters in, he heard someone shout out in pain. His eyes flashing to the right, he caught sight of a wounded cavalryman, who didn't have his horse under control, charging into his direction.
Quickly evading the galloping horse by jumping back he lost his footing, almost falling over.
The cavalryman collapsed as he rushed past him, crashing right into Ray and making both of them hit the ground.
He could only watch as the invader abducted Sarah further into the camp.
'F*UCK! I have to catch up fast, or she'll be lost too!'
Trying to push the body, that lied on top of him away, he noticed that the guy was still alive, though seriously injured. Eventually, he would regain consciousness, and whether he is an invader or a defending soldier, both wouldn't spell anything good for him.
'What do I do!? What do I do!?'
After racking his brain and frantically searching left and right for a few seconds, Ray fixed his gaze on a half broken sword lying just a bit away from him. His eyes becoming bloodshot, he slowly reached for it.
He had never killed someone before. Not even a serious fight had he experienced, yet he had to choose between letting this unknown guy live and risk his own safety or end his life, securing his in the process.
He had no time to think properly. The man could wake up any second and Sarah was still being dragged away, her state unknown. Wrapping his hands around the handle, Ray's mind was in chaos. Never would he have thought, that one day this decision waited for him, but reality was cruel, and time waited for no one.
"Urgh"
Feeling the man on top of him budge, Ray brandished the fragmented sword and blood splattered.
He had stabbed it right into the man's neck, and after a few twitches, he stopped moving, never to take a breath again.
At that moment, Ray's head went completely blank. He didn't even register what he had done and only snapped out of his trance after the blood on his face dripped on the ground. Trembling he raised the hand, that held the blade, staring at it with confusion and disbelief.
'I...I did that?'
The situation didn't seem to make any sense, as anything that happened to him lately.
'I'm sorry...'
His whole body still shivering, Ray got out from beneath the still warm corpse, sluggishly taking steps backward.
He turned around, not seeing or hearing anything except his own clattering teeth. The initial slow steps gradually becoming faster, eventually changing into a full-fledged sprint.
'I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'M SORRY!'
With only a single thought occupying his mind, he bolted out of the camp into the mountainous region, not even remembering Sarah who he wanted to save.
...
After a while of running, the hard ground and sharp peaks became soft brown soil and ancient trees.
Coming this far Ray's lungs gave out, and he collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath.
He was steadily recovering his psyche, only now thinking of the others he left behind.
'I have to go back...Sarah and the others are still there...
But...if I get caught again...
Did I even have a choice other than running away?...'
Kneeling within the silent forest, Ray pondered over his choice.
Killing for the first time definitely left a mental scar on him, but did that justify abandoning his companions when he knew what would await them? Couldn't he have done something for them, and...was it even necessary to murder that soldier?
Bearing guilt and regret, Ray tried to calm his mind and sighed. What was done was already done. He couldn't spend forever lamenting over his decisions. He had to move on.
Standing up, he wanted to determine his location, when he heard a rustling up front.
Slowly a small figure came into sight. It was only as big as an elementary schooler and had strangely androgynous features. Except for a few branches and leaves, nothing covered its body, not even shoes. It's glowing silver hair, and pure white eyes radiated a charm that was hard to resist, yet difficult to approach, capturing anyone's gaze nearby.
"Hooh, a Hume who comes into the forest on his own volition, how rare, how rare, hihihi."
Sizing Ray up with a playful gaze, the creature monologued while snickering under its breath.
"What...are you? And where am I?"
"Oh! Hume, are you perhaps confused? Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding? Can I watch if you are dying?"
Tilting its head, it rapid fired questions, but didn't wait for Ray to answer any of them and jumped on a rock spreading its arms.
"This one is the Spirit of Wilted Flowers!
Welcome to the Forest of Alquorai!"