by Phoenix Grey
As if recognizing him as well, the goblin flattened its ears against its head and avoided his gaze, turning its attention to the pot of slop it was tending. A smaller goblin—what Azure could only assume was a child—came running from the hut behind the cook. He turned and snarled at it, quickly sending it back inside.
Oddly, Azure didn't see any female goblins. What he did see, however, which was even more disturbing, was a large cage with three naked women inside. Their hair was matted, and their bodies were emaciated and covered in dirt and grime. All of them appeared to be pregnant.
Azure did his best to keep his gaze to the floor as he passed by them, but they threw themselves at the bars of the cage, their eyes wide and wild, reaching out to him as they beckoned to be saved. Apparently, they didn't realize that he was in much the same boat—now a captive. It broke his heart to ignore them, and he silently vowed that if he were able to escape, he would rescue them as well.
He was led into an empty hut and made to sit on the floor. The goblins had stripped him of his weapons in the forest. Now helpless, all Azure could do was wait and see what they planned to do with him.
His escorts exited the hut, leaving him to be guarded by two sentries armed with spears standing outside. The inside of the hut was illuminated by two small tallow candles, one near the entrance and another near the back. Animal hides covered the bowed wood that made up the structure.
Since his captors wouldn't speak to him at all, Azure could only assume that they hadn't killed him on sight because they either planned to torture him for what he and his companions had done to their comrades or use him as a human sacrifice. Neither option seemed appealing. With a minuscule probability of being rescued, it was finally time for Azure to think on his own and figure out how to escape.
While time was probably of the essence, surviving a daytime escape didn't seem very likely. There were far too many goblins around, not just the weak ones residing in the village but also scouts on the outskirts. Azure had seen them walking around guarding the settlement when they had entered. All of those had understandably been higher level. You wouldn't want a bunch of weaklings guarding your village. Not even goblins were that stupid.
Intentional or not, Uden had left him with one good piece of advice. Although the goblins had patted him down for weapons and taken most of what he had, they had missed the dagger in his boot. Azure didn't feel entirely comfortable with his close-range skills with such a small blade, but it would have to do. Hopefully, he could avoid a fight entirely.
Before attempting to formulate his escape plan, Azure waited to see how often the guards came in to check on him. It was literally over an hour before one even poked his head inside to make sure that Azure was still there. Not very good guarding, he thought. Then again, with his hands bound behind his back, they probably weren't too worried about him getting free, especially since he was a lower level than both of them. If he had to face them in hand-to-hand combat, he would undoubtedly lose.
Once it was established that his guards were pretty comfortable with the idea of him not being brave enough to try to escape, Azure began working to get his dagger out of his boot. It was...comical, to say the least. Now more than ever, he wished he would have gone to a few of those stupid yoga classes that Shiela had begged him to attend with her. Would that real-life skill even roll over into the game? He wondered. He seemed to have brought most of his real-life proficiencies with him, so he didn't see why not.
Whatever the case, he had opted to huff pizza and beer with his friends instead of going the healthy route, so now he didn't have the flexibility to kick his legs all the way behind his back. Just trying gave him a horrible cramp and made him curse himself.
“Well, that's not going to work,” he mumbled before stubbornly giving it a few more tries, instantly straightening when he heard the flap at the entrance move for one of the guards to check on him.
With a long sigh, he turned his attention to the only other option, an option he had hoped he wouldn't have to resort to. The candle at the back of the room.
“Fuck my life,” he muttered, knowing that there was likely no way to accomplish burning the rope away without injuring himself. Oh well. It was this or die. The choice wasn't that difficult.
Azure had begun scooting back towards the candle when the flap to the entrance flew open. What came through the door had the blood in his veins freezing solid. Fear drowned out every other emotion in his body, for this was truly a creature from his nightmares.
Humanoid, the figure stood slightly taller than that of a man, around seven feet tall. It was covered in weathered ashen gray skin that had deep black cracks in it, more like scars than the oozing type. Its face was crisscrossed with them, looking almost more like a mask than actual skin with its deep-set eyes that were perfectly round beads of glowing red. Two horns protruded from its forehead. There was a slightly red hue to them, but Azure couldn't really tell if that was their actual color or a reflection from the creatures eyes or maybe even the candlelight around them. Atop its head seemed to be frozen brain matter...or a hard skull in the shape of a brain. Wisps of black hair dotted the sides and back of its head but didn't cover it. Its mouth had no lips, just two rows of jagged, uneven teeth, all of which were at least half an inch long. Drool hung from its chin in thick elastic droplets. Though no larger than a humans, its ears were angular and pinched. The rest of its body seemed humanoid, though a bit elongated with thin features and limbs. Its fingers were unusually protracted, each tipped with a long black nail that came to a wicked point. The only recognizably animal part of the creature was its legs, which seemed to suggest it was an unguligrade, walking on broad black cloven hooves to support its weight.
There was a low groan in its throat as it approached, and Azure instinctively crawled backward, wanting to put as much space between himself and the creature as possible. Two goblins filed in behind it, but they kept a respectable distance. Though he hadn't put any time into analyzing goblin expressions, he could tell that they were nervous. The creature radiated pure dark energy. Just seeing it set his nerves on edge—evoked an irrational sense of fear within him. He could imagine how it ate its victims with those insanely pointy teeth—pictured the slaver on its chin swirled with blood.
“What are you?” he dared to ask, trying to sound brave in the face of such overwhelming evil.
The creature didn't deign to answer him. It merely swiped its creepily long tongue across its bottom teeth, then turned to leave. Azure swore he saw one of the goblins shudder as it followed the creature out of the hut. Then like that, he was alone again.
It took several moments for Azure to process what had just happened. The fear inside of him was dissipating slowly. He wasn't even sure why it had been so intense in the first place. Maybe he had subconsciously thought that the creature was going to eat him, and he realized that he was still very much defenseless. One thing was for certain, seeing it made him a lot less afraid of being burnt by the fire. He wasn't about to let that...thing...get a hold of him.
Wasting no more time, Azure continued scooting back towards the candle. As expected from not being able to see what he was doing, the flames licked his skin a fair amount, causing him to wince and his health bar to drop, though not significantly. Even worse, as he struggled, he wasn't even sure if he was burning the rope at all. The intense acrid odor of the goblin settlement and the mustiness of the hut confused his senses. He tried to keep his pained hisses at a minimum as he fought against the rope and the flame, each injuring him in their own way.
As if anticipating that he would immediately try to escape once he saw the creature, the flap to the hut flew open again. Thankfully, only the goblins entered. Also thankfully, since he had scooted back to get away from the dark creature, it wasn't so suspicious for them to find him by the candle.
“What's going on?” he questioned as the two came and hoisted him off of the floor. This couldn't possibly be good, Azure realized. He hadn't even managed to burn thro
ugh his bonds yet. More than likely, he was about to die in some horrible manner.
They pushed him outside where the terrifying creature waited. Even though there was a campfire nearby and the moon shining overhead, it was barely discernible in the night. Almost like it was Stealthed, though it definitely wasn't. Azure could picture that hideous face slowly creeping out of the darkness like something from a horror movie.
“You go,” one of the goblins grunted at him. Was that a hint of sympathy that Azure detected in its voice? He felt like fear was surrounding him, lingering in the air, hanging over the goblin settlement like a thick fog. Azure could detect that all of the goblins were inwardly cowering to the creature.
Without having to ask any more questions, Azure knew that he was meant to follow the creature. He also had guessed that this was The Dark One they had spoken about, for nothing could be darker than what this thing was. Definitely not a mage. Azure had no clue what the creature was, but using his Analyze skill on it showed it as red, so there was no way he would be beating it on his own. From what Uden had explained to him about the color system, it was very capable of killing him in one strike.
The creature waited for him, its eyes boring a hole into his soul. Reluctantly, he stepped towards it, stopping a few feet short, his gaze roving over it, scanning for weaknesses. Perhaps the cracks in its skin were good entry points for a blade, not that he should even attempt an assault. His number one priority was escaping by whatever means necessary.
The creature began walking away. Azure glanced at the goblin that had spoken to him. It nodded its head for him to follow The Dark One, and so he did.
Much like with the goblins when he was in the hut, The Dark One didn't seem to have any fear of him trying to escape. It didn't even look back to check if he was still following, which made Azure wonder if it could sense his presence there. Since it hadn't spoken and didn't seem to express any emotion, Azure couldn't gauge its intelligence. Maybe it was every bit as dense as the goblins. He hoped. It bothered him that he didn't know.
“What are you?” he asked again once they had left the goblin settlement. They were following the curve of the cliff down, but Azure couldn't make out what was below. When the goblins had taken him to their settlement, he hadn't gotten a chance to peer over the edge. In the dark of night, it was near impossible to see, though Azure was sure he heard rushing water the closer to the bottom that they got.
Clearly not one for conversation, the creature ignored him again. Azure didn't remember it speaking to the goblins either. Perhaps it couldn't talk at all. It had no lips to sound out hard consonants, after all.
They traveled quietly through the night. Azure tested The Dark One by slowing his pace several times. When he would lag too far behind, it would stop, turning to him and growling. Every time it growled, the light in its eyes would glow a bit brighter, and Azure would feel that irrational fear that he didn't quite understand. Whatever the case, it was enough to get him moving—almost as if the creature had some kind of psychological hold on him.
They reached the bottom of the ravine where Azure discovered that there was definitely running water. He used the sound to drown out his struggle with his bindings. For as much as he had burned himself, the rope didn't seem anywhere near singed enough. In fact, he must have fought against it for a good fifteen minutes before he finally felt it starting to give. By that time, his wrists were bloody from rope burn, but it was a small price to pay for his survival.
The glimmer of hope faded when they came upon a cavern entrance in the side of the cliff. Azure knew without a doubt that once he stepped inside, it would spell the end for him. As black as the demon before him, there was no light illuminating the cave. He'd be both blind and defenseless if he entered.
Azure stopped dead in his tracks. Panic was starting to overtake him. He was quickly running out of options. Even worse, there was no time to make a rational decision as to what he should do.
Giving one last fruitless tug on the rope, Azure made the only choice he thought would give him the best chance for survival. Before the creature had a chance to detect his apprehensive distance, Azure made a run for the river, knowing very well that there was a high probability that The Dark One would either catch him or smite him down before he reached it. Dying outside in the clean air next to a river sounded much better than being eaten, possibly while still alive, inside of a dank, dark cave where he couldn't see it coming.
The river was about fifty yards away. By most standards, it wasn't a long run. In this particular situation though, it seemed like miles. There was desperation in every footfall, and having his arms bound behind his back impeded his balance to some degree.
Somehow, the water kept getting closer. Azure felt hope returning. He was going to make it!
At least, that's what he had thought until—like a blur—The Dark One appeared right in front of him to block off his escape route. Remembering a lesson that Uden had taught him about dodging, Azure dove to the side and rolled towards the water. The creature swiped at him with a clawed hand, raking its nails across his shoulder, which sent a searing pain through Azure unlike anything he had felt before. For all he knew, his arm could have just come clean off, but he didn't take the time to look.
He rolled a few more times before his body fell into the river. The impact was hard, and the water was rushing so quickly that it immediately pulled him under. Without the use of his arms to help him stay afloat, both of which were luckily still attached, every glimpse of the water's surface was a blessing. He gasped for air, thankful when he saw The Dark One on the riverbank getting further and further away. It wasn't even attempting to give chase. That would have been more of a relief if Azure wasn't still in great peril.
His feet couldn't reach the bottom, and his body wouldn't stay afloat. There was no way to orient himself toward the riverbank and nothing to cling to. Trying to pose as much of a monster as The Dark One, the river dunked him beneath a blanket of violent ripples again and again. Unable to hold his breath any longer, his lungs gave way, and he began to drown. He was already so close to death that there was no room to be terrified when he caught a glimpse of the waterfall up ahead.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE REALM – Day 19
You have died.
Azure sucked in a lungful of air and immediately choked on it. Water gushed from his mouth as he puked his brains out. It felt like he was drowning all over again, except this was completely different. He was drowning on his desperation for oxygen.
He rolled over onto his back, feeling every rock that he'd hit on the way down the waterfall. Somehow, he had washed up on the riverbank, though the likelihood of that happening naturally seemed almost implausible to him. Then again, he had washed up face first, stuck in the mud. How he had even been able to breathe past it was beyond him.
What was also implausible was the fact that the rope binding him had somehow come unfastened. It still clung to him, but he was able to pull himself free of it easily enough, though his raw swollen wrists were a painful reminder of his struggles. His health bar was also dangerously low. So low that it was blinking dark red at the bottom corner of his vision—the same color as that creature's eyes, he thought briefly with a shiver.
He was too weak to stand. Too broken. Had he really just died? The prompt had come to him in a dream. Azure wasn't even sure if it had been real or not. To revive him with such low health seemed like a douchebag move on the game's part. A rabbit could probably hop on his head right now and kill him again. He was definitely a sitting duck for any predator that might wander by. Which reminded him that The Dark One could easily track him if he simply moved downstream. That thought sent panic racing through Azure. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to have to get up. The question was, was he even capable. He had never felt weaker in his entire life.
He coughed a few more times before trying to force himself into a seated position. Every bone in his body felt brittle, like he could snap in half at a
ny moment. Standing was a challenge. In fact, he stumbled several times before he was able to get it right, wobbling around like a toddler. His vision was fuzzy, like there was a film over his eyes. The disorientation had him leaning against a nearby tree for support.
Maybe I should just lie here and die, he thought, though he knew he didn't mean it. Existence was pain. Why did everything hurt so bad if this wasn't real? It didn't seem fair.
He might have leaned against the tree forever had he not spotted some mushrooms on the ground to the right of another tree up ahead. It took everything in Azure to will himself towards them, knowing that eating them would make him feel better, if only a little. The effort was almost pathetic with him shambling unsteadily like a zombie. As soon as he was a few feet away from the mushrooms, he collapsed to his knees, ripping all three of them from the ground and shoving them in his maw without even bothering to dust the dirt from their stems. They tasted like earth, but they healed him for thirty points. The only effect he received was a slight increase in energy. Everything still hurt.
I don't even know where I am, he realized. With no map to guide him, he felt lost. Before heading into the forest, Azure took a few minutes to orient himself.
There were a few things that he knew. If he followed the river upstream, he would find The Dark One's cave again. He would also probably run into The Dark One, which was the complete opposite of what he was trying to achieve. Also in that direction was the ravine, and somewhere above that was the goblin settlement. That still told him nothing about where he was now, but he figured that if he moved away from the river, he would be headed somewhat in Cragbell's direction.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been passed out, but it was now daytime. Depending on how far the river had carried him, The Dark One could arrive at any moment. It was a disconcerting thought, especially in his severely weakened state.
