'What do I do!?' Xander thought, his mind racing.
He looked at the man, no, the warrior charging toward him.
[Human - G-rank - Mid]
Xander quickly shook his head, knowing his chances in a fight were close to zero. He glanced to his right at the path he was supposed to take.
'Can I outrun him?' He shrugged his shoulders and took off down the path.
He sprinted as fast as he could, leaning forward, letting gravity assist him down the mountain slope.
"You coward!" the warrior yelled, chasing after him. The Church of Everlasting Fire never let a marked man escape alive.
Xander continued to run at full throttle but quickly realized the warrior was going to catch up with him soon.
'I have to fight!' he thought to himself, knowing his only shot was to fight before he got too tired.
So he planted his feet, turned around, summoned his sacrificial knife, catching the warrior off guard, and swiped down with his right arm.
But the warrior, even while being caught off guard, was experienced enough to block the knife with his bracer. Then, using his momentum, he charged up and punched Xander in the face, then tackled him to the ground.
Xander's world flipped when the punch cracked his nose. He blacked out as the warrior tackled him but woke again just in time to feel his stomach crunch between the warrior's shoulder and the mountain's hard rock, knocking him out once more.
Rolling down the mountain, the warrior kept landing punches on Xander's face. As they began to slow, the warrior summoned his spear, ready to plunge it into Xander's chest.
Before he could strike, his eyes widened. He looked left, then straight down.
They were right at the edge of the mountain. The path that had been straight had now taken a hard turn.
Xander, drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, locked eyes with the warrior. They both understood their fate.
"Dammit!" they yelled in unison.
The warrior unsummoned his spear. In a swift motion, both he and Xander grabbed each other, hoping the other would break their fall.
As Xander fell over the edge, he closed his eyes and prayed. Then darkness consumed him.
***
Xander's eyes struggled to open as he lay there on his back, every breath a sharp reminder of the pain.
"What...?" he muttered, squinting up at the starry sky. "What happened?"
He closed his eyes, trying to remember. It came back in flashes. The fall. He had fallen off the mountain, expecting death, yet here he was.
Sitting up, he winced as pain flared around his side. Looking down, he saw it—a tree branch jutting from his body just below the ribcage.
"Dammit," he whispered under his breath.
He glanced to his right, noting the mountain slope they had just tumbled down. The broken branches and crushed shrubs marked their wild descent.
Shifting his gaze to his left, he saw the warrior sprawled face down beside a large tree, his armor dented from the impact.
The warrior's labored breaths filled the silence, prompting Xander to rise slowly.
He summoned his knife, holding it steady in his right hand while his left pressed the small tree branch against his wound, trying not to aggravate it further. Step by step, he advanced, eyes fixed on the struggling figure before him.
Reaching the warrior who lay gasping his final breaths, Xander grabbed his arm and yanked him up, staring into his eyes.
"Any last words?" he asked. Though his tone sounded harsh, Xander meant it kindly, aware the warrior despised the group he unwillingly served, not his true self.
The warrior's face remained unfazed by fear or pain, only pure rage. "Not for the Order of Death," he snarled, spitting at Xander's feet. "Just kill me and send me to your pathetic lord already."
Xander didn't know what to think, but he could tell by the amount of blood loss the warrior had that he didn't have much longer to live. So, to put him out of his misery, he bent down to kill him, and that's when the warrior saw his opportunity.
He summoned his spear and with all his strength pierced it right at Xander's throat. But Xander had never let his guard down. Growing up in the outskirts, you had to learn real quick not to trust anyone, so he was quick to dodge to the side and plant his knife right in the man's chest, killing him instantly.
As the man died, Xander collapsed to the ground, the spear tumbling beside him, mingling with his blood. The connection with the weapon flared to life, binding it to him.
He unsummoned both the knife and the spear, putting them in his spatial ring, and laid back in pain. He stared at the sky, wondering how he had ended up here.
***
"Austin, have you ever had to kill someone in the Tower?" Xander asked the day Austin made it back home after exiting the Tower.
Austin sighed and looked at his younger brother. "Of course. The Tower of Fate pits your survival against everyone else's. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to if you want to live. Promise me, Xander, if you ever get sent to the Tower, you won't hesitate to do what's necessary. I don't want you to die because you're too scared to kill."
Xander thought about it then nodded his head.
"Say it," Austin demanded.
Xander looked up at his older brother, eyes wide with determination. "I promise, if I get sent to the Tower, I'll do whatever it takes."
Austin smiled, relief softening his features. "Good. Now, let's get some food." He turned and headed towards the canteen, Xander following close behind.
***
"GRRRRRR!!"
Xander was abruptly awoken from his thoughts as he immediately stood up and spun around, now face to face with a ferocious beast.
[Elite Grimclaw - G-rank - Mid]
Xander quickly summoned his spear, positioning the tip between himself and the Grimclaw that loomed ten yards away. The beast, a four-legged terror, crouched low, ready to strike. Its growl was a deep rumble that echoed through the mountain, sending chills down Xander's spine.
The creature's head resembled a twisted, grotesque mountain lion, covered in dark green scales. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and its mouth displayed jagged teeth. A long, whip-like tail with a barbed stinger swayed behind it, promising venomous danger.
As the Grimclaw slowly advanced, moving to the right, Xander stood frozen in fear. He had never felt such terror as he did at that moment.