The dense trees of the forest made the average human blind to the area around him, making him a threat to various creatures.
The moon reflected the sun's light rays all over the land to lead the lost and save the people in the dark.
A young man kept slashing and cutting his way through the bushes and vines until the way in front of him was clear and straight.
When the path ahead was finally clear, moonlight hit the face of the young man, revealing a medium height, short brown hair man wearing a gray tunic with black breeches, and had a visible scar on his left eye. His eyes were dark green and had about average facial features.
"What the hell... is that" He exclaimed, in front of him was an ancient looking entrance, its pillars barely stable and are about to destruct any second. The design of the entrance looked like it was straight out of a novel, the air and breeze coming from the inside reaching some of the lowest temperatures he's ever felt.
He slowly approached the entrance, examining the area around him while keeping his guard up with his weapon in his pocket and his hand on its handle.
He slowly made his way through the entrance and ventured into the dark alley inside. He quickly lit up a matchstick so he could continue venturing inside as the light of the moon was losing its effect inside the dungeon-looking structure.
As he stepped forward, each step was followed by a strange object, the sound of a strong pull.. as if he was being sucked by the source of this sound.
When he least expected it, he felt his right foot sink into the floor as if he had pressed something, that's when an arrow was shot and almost penetrated his abdomen, leaving a small wound on his oblique.
He quickly cut off a piece of his clothing to cover the small wound. He kneeled down to treat it and then stood back up and continued walking through the path.
After minutes of venturing inside, he was met with a brick wall.
"So.. that path ends here?"
He was extremely disappointed with the truth that lay in front of him. Out of frustration, he sat down and started chugging on water and punching the walls.
"YOU LIARS! What's a fancy entrance doing there if there's NOTHING!"
After punching a brick in the wall one more time, it moved. Brick by brick, the wall broke down and revealed a secret entrance.
That's when he saw in front of his very eyes a strange looking box in the middle of a cubic room on an altar. He had his suspicions but took the risk and stepped forward to take it.
After a few steps, he felt it. He felt the wrong and unusual feeling. As if something had been watching him since the very moment he entered this dungeon through the entrance.
He turned around, and the path he took until this point was gone out of existence. He questioned whether this was an illusion or he was going insane but doubted the latter.
The moment he turned around to face the object once again, two large green skinned creatures emerged from the walls.
In a moment of shock, he quickly grabbed onto his dagger just like he always trained. He always knew a moment like this would come but not in a place like this.
"I need to knock out at least one of them." He thought as he waited for the two creatures to approach him.
The two orc-looking creatures dashed towards him, moments before they crashed into him he quickly dashed to the left to dodge their attack, and in a swift moment grabbed his dagger and went for one of the orc's back of the neck for a chance to paralyze it.
He ran towards the orc's back and stabbed the back of its neck with his dagger unleashing the orc's rage, making it start to helplessly punch its back, trying to stop the rising pain.
Before he could react, the second orc landed a fist with its giant hand on the son's body, making him fall off the first orc's back and flying off into a wall shattering it. He felt as if every rib and bones in his body was shattered and smashed to pieces as he yelled from the pain and terror.
The two orcs slowly approached him till their eyes made direct contact with his. Staring into his soul, ready to squeeze out what life he has left in his body.
One of the orcs held a fist around him, crushing him in it, and started walking towards the wall with the other orc following him.
The ancient concrete wall rose up to form a giant dark tunnel inside it. They went inside of it, the light coming from the previous room getting dim by the second.
"Is this.. how I die?.." Are the last thoughts that came to his mind before passing out because of the extreme and unbearable pain.
Torches on the walls began lighting up as a room finally became visible to the eyes of mortals.
The orc threw him inside of it, making him lay dead-like on the ground, and then they left.
Seconds, minutes, and what could be hours passed when he was unconscious. After what felt like an eternity, his eyes slowly opened.
"Filthy orcs." An unknown male voice was heard by the young dude as he saw what seemed to be a light beam penetrate through the orcs torso, leaving behind only the dead bodies of the orcs and a lake of blood soaking and covering the ground.
A tall, mysterious man wearing a dark purple cloak approached the young dude from before, each step filling him up with terror. He tried crawling away helplessly from the man, but his very own body failed him.
The man took the cloak off of his head revealing his face, the man had long dark hair and a very intimidating and overpowering gaze, his eyes were dark brown and his mouth was in a horrendous state that looked inhuman. His voice was deep but smooth to the ear.
Under the cloak, he wore a strange black oversized tunic and brown linen pants and some boots.
The man sat on his knees.
"You-- get out of here." the man said before putting his hand on the young dude's torso.
"Your body is in shambles. How did you even get in here?"
"I- I just walked through the entrance and followed the light..."
"Entrance? There is no entrance, and what light?"
"What is this kid talking about.." the man thought to himself.
"T-the glowing thing o-over there!" The young dude struggled to form a sentence while pointing at the previous room all the way through the tunnel.
The man picked up the young dude on his shoulder and started walking towards the room that withheld the altar. حجب
After finally reaching the altar, the man looked at what seemed to be a rock.
"It's just a rock? Are you out of your mind, ki-? " the man said before being interrupted by the rock's sudden golden glowing.
"Woah.. what is that?.." He said before picking it up in his hand.
The young dude struggled to properly watch what was going on as he mumbled random words that came to his mind.
Suddenly, he watched as a large orc emerged from the wall while holding an axe as it approached them.
"M-MOVE!" He yelled before the orc landed a blow on both of them, sending the man flying off into a wall and the young dude on the floor.
"Ugh!- What is that?" In front of the son's eyes was the glowing rock. For his last effort of survival, he forced his way crawling to finally hold the rock.
The young dude panted and groaned in pain as he held the rock tightly in his hand.
"P-please.. do something.. I beg of you.."
"I-I can't die here.. I still.. I still need to get there- get to the royal palace.." he said as he coughed up blood and tears filling his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry.. Mom.. I promised you I'd make you proud.."
On the verge of death, a flashing light expanded by the second from his hand.
He felt the rock penetrating through his hand, his skin being burned and swallowed. He yelled and screamed at the horrifying pain that he was feeling. The rock was torturing him till death. But after a few moments, the pain suddenly stopped. He looked into his hand and saw the rock strangely united with his palm.
Surprisingly, he felt as if every bone in his body had recovered, and every torn muscle had healed. He instantly realized it was definitely because of it.
He stood up only to see the man from before fighting the giant orc, his sword clashing with the orc's axe, each clash creating a spark of fire.
"Maybe this rock can do something.. let me try what I saw that guy doing before" he thought to himself, as he copied what he saw the man doing earlier when he fired a light beam penerating the enemy.
"So like this.. and maybe.." he threw a fist into the air and then opened it.
The man and the orc kept exchanging slashes and hits until the man finally wounded the orc's right eye and took the chance to take him down.
"Maybe if I focus on my han-" he said as he clenched his hand's muscles while pointing towards the orc's direction. A bright but small light beam penerated through the air into the orc's stomach, the orc fell on its knees and finally on its head.
In a moment of hysteria, the young dude started quietly laughing as he watched the orc's lake of blood fill the ground and its organs burn to ashes.
He turned his head to face the mysterious man only to find him rapidly approaching him. In a moment of shock, he steps away and tries to run away, but the man grabs him by his hand.
"How did you do that?!" The man yelled at the young dude, the latter tried explaining himself but instead started mumbling and stuttering each word that came out of his mouth.
The man grabbed onto the young dude's hand to investigate it only to find the rock fused with his palm. He reached out his finger to touch it, but a burning sensation quickly made him reflex his hand away from the rock.
"Weird.. I've never seen something like this.."
"I have no idea what happened, I- I just held onto it, and it kind of just started fusing with my skin. It felt like my hand was being soaked in lava."
"That technique.. it's a technique of my people.. only people born and raised in the Vahara Clan can even try to perform it..."
"Va.. hara?"
"Never mind that, we need to get out of here and check whatever you have over here.. What is your name, kid?"
"Me? My name is.."
The young dude stuttered for a few moments and added:
"My name is Flugel."
"That's.. such a bizzare name, my name is Willinham. Nice to meet you. "
"Nice to meet you too, so you said you're from a clan called Vahara?"
"Yeah, but it's not that important, it's just a bunch of old geezers walking around trying to pass on their useless techniques to the next generations because of the so called 'Upcoming Doom' but i know for a fact they've just lost it."
"Weird.."
"Where are you from, kid?"
"I'm from a village nearby called Gandara Village."
"Gandara? Wait a minute.."
Willinham reached out to his pocket and wipes out a map.
"Th-that village is like 5 kilometers away?! Why are you here?!"
"Ahahaaha- I got lost.."
"But anyways, we have to check this thing out."
"Oh, my hand? Yeah, you're right.."
Flugel opens his hand and looks at the rock, only to find himself getting dizzier by the second.
"I.. I feel tired.."
Flugel almost fell to the ground but Willinham picked him up in time, it looked like Flugel's energy was absolutely sucked out by that technique he used earlier, the only destination and goal Willinham had in mind was taking the kid home safe and sound.
"Tsk, don't die on me. We've just met."
"But just what is that thing.."
Willinham picked up Flugel on his shoulder and walked out of the dungeon, avoiding traps in the way. By the time he got out of the entrance, the sun was already rising and birds were heard chirping.
Willinham heard the sound of cart wheels nearby. He quickly ran to the source of the sound and found a person who looked like a merchant riding a horse cart.
Willinham yelled and ran after the cart, leading it to stop.
"Hello? excuse me, sir. "
"Well, hello, young man.. are you lost by chan-"
Before the merchant could finish his words, he saw Flugel on Willinham's shoulder.
"I-is that Flugel?!"
"Yes?.. Do you know him?"
"That's my neighbor's son.. what happened to him?!"
"It's a long story bu-"
"Just get him in the cart. we're going to the village!"
"Alright alright! He's okay. You don't have to worry and yell."
Willinham put Flugel in the back of the cart and signaled the merchant to start moving.
"And you?"
"What?"
"Aren't you coming?"
"...I have other business to attend to"
"But you know, this kid was missing since yesterday. His mother would be more than pleased to thank you in person."
"Yeah, I don't.. I fear I can not meet her in person."
"As you wish, man.. but can I ask you some questions?"
".. go ahead?"
Willinham started getting suspicious.
"What is with that weird cloak around your neck? It feels.. strange."
"Oh, that?.. it's a gift from someone."
"Kid, I have learned VLV control back in my youth, and I know a damn thing or two that that cloak is no-"
Before the merchant could finish his words, Willinham grabbed him by his throat, choking him.
"Enough questions."
"Y-yes yes!"
He lets go.
"Get going before you regret it."
"YESSIR!"
The merchant quickly signaled the horse to start moving. The cart started moving as well and disappeared into the horizon by the second.