Leaning against a tree not far from the main road, Eduard bit into a stick as he tied up his broken ankle. Perspiration dripped from his brow as he finished the daunting painful task, without high rank light magic, if it wasn't set right it might heal wrong. Standing and dusting himself off he tested the sturdiness of the stick he tied his leg to. Seeing it held well enough Eduard cracked a sly smile the first one since this day started.
"It's already getting dark" he mumbled to himself while looking towards the sun setting over the nearby woods.
I need to find water, make camp, and find a fucking town. Eduard thought walking towards the forest up ahead, first water I guess I will have to degrade myself and drink out of a stream. While walking further on his unsteady feet, Eduard heard the promising sound of water gurgling. Picking up the speed of his limp he soon pushed through the green laden forest and made it to a small gurgling stream water calmly slowing over stones. The moon was almost completely obstructed by the clouds Eduard stumbled over stones that he could not see towards the stream.
Crouching down on his knees he reached out and took a mouthful of crystal clear water letting it slide into his haggard body. A soft sigh escaping his lips he started to relax before, he suddenly heard the leaves lightly move behind him he stood unsteadily and turned, looking right into the eyes of a hungry wolf. Eduard froze cold sweat dripping down his back, the hairs on his arm standing Eduard turned and ran away from the wolf pushing through briers nicking his flesh through weeds and vines running further and further into the dark woods.
Eduard stumbled the stick tying his leg breaking sending shooting pain up his leg slowing his pace, the wolf fresh on his tail was closing the distance fast.
A sickening crunching noise was heard as the bone broke all the way, a yelp escaping Eduards lips. Falling to the ground on what appeared to be hard stone the wolf thrusted at his neck. Turning to face it his natural fighting reflexes drilled into him while he was young took over. Eduard thrust his arm forward to defend his neck. Extreme pain flooded him as a chunk of his arm was ripped free by hungry jaws, blood soaking the strange patterned floor below.
Eduard, desperate to survive, reached out with his one good hand grabbing a sharp rock. The wolf jaws still on his left arm did not see the stone crushing towards its head till the last moment, it's head burst open under the persuasion of the rock blood and brain tissue spraying out splattering on Eduard. Eduard lay dizzy from blood loss resting trying to come to terms with what just happened and thinking about how to get out of the woods alive, heard a metallic click and before he could think he fell through the floor which had an opening below him.
Hitting shallow water not far below, he laid dazed, as his blood turned the water a murky reddish brown. Slumping in the water, He looked around, darkness and slick cut stone walls no for as far as he could see sighing He thought of his life, how short it had been, never getting his revenge against his accursed family, never making anything of himself, never feeling love. Tears dripped down his eyes not sad tears angry tears, not because of the pain he was feeling but the hatred for the world around him.
As life started to slip from him he heard a voice in his head, gravely evil dangerous, CoMe to Me...
Crawl to mE…. Eduard thought he was going insane in his near death state but still, something told him he should listen, something deep inside him like his blood itself. So he crawled, leaving a bloody trail as he went, dying the water red.
Exiting the water Eduard still crawled following his instincts, towards a dark dias.
As he approached the pain lessened and he grew stronger, His bleeding slowed and he stood stumbling towards this platform blood falling in his wake, finally collapsing on it, he heard the voice once again, but this time more clearly
"rest my child when you reawaken your blood will have awakened and you will be born anew, then we shall speak."
With the end of the voice everything grew darker and Eduard fell into deep sleep.