Blood covered his face as Asher finally stood up. The wind once again crashed into him, coincidentally calm. Dark fissures in space were present in the sky. The mud beneath him was wet; plain grass crunched beneath him.
"Why? Why? How dare you!" Asher screamed with a bloody cough. His eyes were bloodshot.
However, before Asher did something stupid, he slapped himself.
"Control yourself. Survive." Asher said with a sigh as he stared at the serpent in front of him.
The statues were gone, replaced by a familiar serpent.
Asher let out a small laugh as he stared at the serpent.
"The world was never by my side." Asher said in a hoarse voice. The white tachi lay firmly in his hands. The leaves rustled as Asher's became blurry.
'Left!' Asher thought as he jumped to his left. Dodging the incoming serpent barely.
The serpent had a blue-reddish hide. The one he saw all the way back in the forest. However, something was different...
Its eyes were black, just like the void.
Dust ragged Asher's clothes, and blood covered half of his face. His raven black hair had been partially stained blood-red.
With a grin, Asher added.
"Now!" Immediately, Asher went ahead for a thrust to the serpent. However, the serpent had vanished. Asher's eyes widened as he twisted his torso, swiftly bringing forward a slash to the incoming serpent.
The serpent, surprised by the sudden attack, was unable to react. Blood splattered everywhere as Asher's grin widened. Instantly, Asher rushed forward, tearing the serpent apart into two.
However, Asher's eyes widened suddenly as he twisted his torso once again. His expression became distorted as he narrowingly dodged the incoming arrow.
Before he could think anything, he suddenly sidestepped, narrowingly dodging another arrow with eyes focused on identifying the attacker. He immediately rushed towards the bushes...
Where the arrows came from.
However, before he could reach them, he suddenly took a sharp right turn, dodging a barrage of arrows. Asher gritted his teeth in fury.
'Ten... no twenty at least! Twenty people are attacking right now. And who knows how many more are coming. Curse my luck!' Asher grimaced internally as he ran to his right once again.
The arrows suddenly came right at his tail. Seemingly giving Asher no escape.
Or so they thought.
Instantly, instead of taking a turn. Asher intentionally fell down, dodging the arrows by a hair's breadth. Assuming the mysterious attacker was left bewildered. Asher instantly took his chance.
Standing up in less than a second, he rushed into the woods. He was no match against 20 archers. He was eventually going to be killed should he have decided to remain there.
The grass crunched beneath him as he ran as if his life depended on it because it did. The dirt beneath him was wet, staining his clothes. However, Asher couldn't really care much right now.
'The citadel is towards the north, right now I am going north east and the archers right now are south east to me. I better change my route.' Asher thought, taking a sharp turn towards the right swiftly.
Suddenly, he heard a vague growl from his side. His eyes widened as he gritted his teeth.
'Shit.'
Suddenly, several blood-red wolves came out, rushing toward Asher with stunning speed. Instantly, he realized his mistake. Asher took another sharp right turn, going right into the place where the evergreen conical trees were much denser.
Asher ran, dodging the branches every now and then. The world was trembling for him. Fear grasped his heart, yet he didn't show it on his face. The wolf's speed became much slower, ramming themselves into thick branches of the trees.
Asher suddenly bent himself down while running. Narrowingly dodging another branch.
'Run, run! Don't stop!' Asher screamed internally, motivating himself to keep on going despite the pain.
Much to his horrors, when Asher looked back. The wolves had already recovered and were also adapting now. Going with stunning speed, gaining on Asher at an alarming rate.
Suddenly, before Asher could do something, another wolf came in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as Asher brought forward his tachi. Stabbing the abomination in its eye.
A loud screech awakened the forest. Blood splattered everywhere as Asher ran. Leaving his tachi behind.
'That should slow it down.' Asher thought as a raging roar echoed through the forest once again. Asher gasped as he increased his speed once again.
'I will survive, I will survive.'