Luck, I was lucky, yet also not. Gazing ahead I could easily see what counted for a moment of luck, albeit an untimely moment for it, but still very much so appreciated. And what, pray tell, am I talking about? That, my friends, is a giant wall looming ahead of me. Something I had no clue was in the direction that was inevitably the course I had to flee in.
But oh boy was my soul cheering at the sight of it, for a wall meant humans, and humans means sanctuary! Of course, my inward happiness also led to a bit of wariness. People? Everyone knows that humans can be conniving, evil, and very distrustful. So, I had to be cautious with whoever I encountered - that is if I ever DID encounter anyone.
What if, by some happenstance, I do make it to the wall, but it's abandoned? What if someone sees me in trouble, but they ignore me and leave me to fend for myself? That's something that left a dark blotch of cold realization in my heart and mind. If I didn't receive any help, I would most certainly die, the bitter truth was a hard pill to swallow.
Luckily, my prayers would be answered. Even if I was still running for my life...
"SOMEBODY HELP ME, DAMN IT!"
I roared out, more of a croaking yell due to my mouth having been so utterly parched. Running for so long without anything to drink was leaving me truly thirsty and a bit dizzy. Hopefully I would be offered some water if someone does come to be my savior.
And before I could yell for some more help, I heard a "Get down!" and had to instinctively duck, right as a blade slashed where my neck would have been, only to hear a roar of pain as I rolled to the ground, letting out a yelp of pain and out of being startled by the almost unseen flash of a blade.
Which, I was indeed thankful for the warning but irritated with how I almost lost my head. Was my savior trying to kill me or save me? What type of hero tries decapitating the one their trying to save!?
So, as I turned to look at my so called 'hero' I forgot to breath for a moment, captivated by what I saw. A figure of decent height, adorned in ARMOR, actual literal armor while also wielding a terrifying sword that gave me the chills. This...this was not what I expected!
And so, realizing I was staring, he seemed to catch on, almost as if completely ignoring the beast he just took down in one swing, with many more stood before him. "Kid, what the HELL are you doing out beyond the safety of the walls? What the FUCK were you thinking being out here on your own?" 'Berrated the older man, snarling in fury, but a flash of humor danced through his hazel eyes.'
Such words caused me to recoil for a moment, not expecting such a harsh rebuke, for something that wasn't even my fault!' "What?! I'm not even from here!" 'Such a response made the older man falter, blinking in mild surprise, before a subtle dawning realization danced across his face.'
"Ah, you're a stranded, make's sense then with your haggard appearance..." 'Mused the man, his eye's roaming over my form to take in my condition, and for some reason I felt as if he were checking me out. Not sure if I should feel flattered or a bit concerned...?'
Alas, before I could say something else, the man seemed to realize we weren't alone. Ducking under the swing of one of creature's claws, only to swiftly decapitate its head from its body with a swift stroke of his blade.' "Kid, run to the wall! I'll keep them busy! Don't worry about me, let this skilled swordman take care of these pests!"
Such words made it sound as if he were being cocky, and I could tell he was, but I could tell with how easily he dispatched that beast that I knew I could trust him. So, with a small underlying amount of hesitation I bolted to the wall, wanting to just get this day over with already. Maybe I'd be offered an actual meal by the time I'm through with this mess...and hopefully still alive! Can't eat a meal if I'm dead, now can I?
Artillery sounded out through the expansive landscape. The ground shaking as explosion's rocked the very foundations beneath anyone who stood near to watch such destruction and power. Heavy explosive round's creating deep craters in the ground upon contact, limbs of Nightmare Creature's flying in all directions.
Carnage, that's all there was. Guts, blood and limbs of all sort's in various shapes and sizes. Too many differentiating features to tell what came from what. Being torn asunder from such force that any remaining bits and pieces were indescribable. The sight alone from such firepower seemed almost comical and unnecessary - but for such monsters, it was more than acceptable.
Anyone who watched such destruction from the sidelines could only smile in glee. Glad to see their most hated enemy being ripped apart.
Humanity has lost to much from such monstrosities, so it's only fair they return the favor tenfold. The day humanity came into contact with such abomination's - was the day most considered hell real. There was almost no warning, only signs of something strange occurring within the world's society.
Reoccurring symptoms of fatigue that couldn't be broken. No matter how much coffee, energy drinks - or any other sorts of means to helping one stay awake was consumed, it all proved to be a pointless endeavor. Hundreds of millions being affected by this unknown phenomenon. Many questioning why it was happening.
Of course, it was too late to stop it. People began to fall asleep - then dying in their sleep. Though the dead truly didn't stay dead. Transforming into twisted versions of monster's that could only be described from horror stories.
This was only the start of it all. First were people showing symptoms of fatigue, then it was falling asleep. Next came people dying in their sleep and coming back as horrible creature's that only brought death and destruction. Some people came back completely normal - as if nothing had happened. Then came the worst of it all.
Entire countries, cities, towns, states all being completely overrun. Million's dying by the second. It was the world's worst disaster to ever grace humanities history. Loved one's dying by those they held dear; other's being killed by foul demon's running out of odd portals appearing out of thin air.
It was all like a horror movie come to light. People tried to fight back, they truly did. It slowly worked but not fast enough. Tanks, attack helicopters - they used anything and everything at their disposal. Nations joined together to help alleviate the constant threat that was always on the rise. Such efforts would have been considered exemplary, sadly such efforts barely worked.
Hope was vanishing for everyone, slowly disappearing from everyone's heart. Many believed it to be the end of days, but they were wrong - oh so wrong.
Those people who fell asleep from the odd symptoms? They came back with abnormal abilities granting them powers beyond human imagination. Alas that wasn't all they received. People gained extraordinary weapons and armor as well as monstrous companions called Echo's to fight alongside them. It was the turning point that humanity needed to gain a solid foothold to push their oppressors back.
Even with such a good turning point, it was still barely enough. Yet barely needing anything was something humans could work with. Adapt and overcome, constantly beating the odds that seemed entirely laughable. Those who could overcome what was seemed as impossible were considered the elite of the elite when it came down to what was happening.
People considered the greatest of humanities hope's doing the impossible and bringing in a new burning star of strength and endurance. The strength to keep fighting the toughest of battles - and endurance to tank the most painful of hits. Only the strongest of human's came out on top, proving to be the greatest of asset's to keeping humanities flickering flame alight.
Those who were considered elites were barely within the dozens. Yet it was just enough to allow humanity the reprieve to build great sanctuaries and bastions to keep out everyone's worst nightmares.
Sadly, it was still never enough. The economy had taken a major hit - to astronomical to even gauge. Same could be said for everything else besides just the economy, agricultural, industrial, everything. Everyone was struggling to keep things together.
But...humanity has always bounced back, so why would anyone ever consider giving up?
~~~
"Whoever that kid was better be thankful I saved them..."
Even fighting at such a high speed, he didn't feel the slightest bit winded. Just the generous perks of being practically inhuman. So, talking while fighting was a thing he could breeze through without having to worry about wasting his breath.
Speaking of wasting breath - how exhausting was this fight going to be? That got Carter to start thinking on how he should deal with this fight.
Someone's life was on the line, so he had to be fast and kill as many as he could, not letting any pass. He did want to stay and fight just to loosen up some tense muscles, but sadly he couldn't with having someone's life on the line. He'll gladly stick around to slay a few Nightmare Creatures. One less Nightmare Creature is a blessing for everyone who hates them, alas he couldn't stay forever.
His hand's clenched tightly as his mind seethed at the thought of Nightmare Creatures. They were a blight to his and everyone else's life. Blights on the world that should have never been considered possible to exist. So much pain and despair being brought from such evil beings.
It was all so clear as to why they existed. To cause mayhem and destruction. Killing for sport, for fun - or just all of the above. Most of these creature's weren't sentient, but who's to say they aren't just as bad as the sentient ones? All of them are garbage in his eyes, needing to be disposed of as soon as possible.
Sentient one's that could speak were a rarity - one's that many feared encountering. Those that could talk were considered powerful, far too powerful to deal with. Even if one turns out to be weak, it doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Even the lowest tiered Nightmare Creature can be a pain in the ass if one's not too careful. Nightmare Creature's just packed too many lethal surprises, even the easiest one's to kill could be a hazard to one's life and health.
Carter fumed at the thought. One too many friends dying from such devious tricks or dangerous aspects of said creatures. From toxic gases to lethal poisons to unprecedented speed's that one's own eyes can hardly track. Even as a veteran Master he wasn't truly capable of facing every challenge he meets. He's no fool to believe he's capable of winning every fight - some fights just can't be won, so retreating is an option most tend to favor when one's outmatched and outclassed.
He'd be damned to let that kid die. He could tell from just a glance that the young lad had been running for a while, with the way his cloths stuck to his body. And speaking of running...
His eyes subtly turned to the side, watching the young boy run further and further away. The kid was pretty fast, even for one at such a young age. Not many adults with athletic and healthy bodies could match that speed. Of course, being fast was a truly helpful skill to have, make's living a bit easier in his eyes. Hopefully, the kid would go far, of course he didn't know what would happen next in that mysterious kid's life, but he was a bit excited to find out.
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