The battlefield stood empty, devoid of life its atmosphere heavy with death and decay, attracting undesirables, after completing my promise to the dead days later I had left carrying her broken sword, a memento. Days turned into weeks as I trudged north to end a war, on the open road I met countless refugees, soldiers and bandits alike, their faces gaunt with hunger, their eyes-smoldering with silent determination as they traverse a war-torn land.
Horses neighed as the forest burn with a vengeance, my curiosity peaked as I witness a child escaping the blaze only to stop, indecision apparent on his face until our eyes met, forcing my hand, sighing inwardly I raced through the fire-past the child and into hell, knowing that trouble lay ahead. This was not the first incident I was forced to resolve nor would it be the last, in fact I received little or no recompense for my deed, only steely acknowledgment, and with each exchange I lose a little, eventually emptying my pocket dimension of all known valuables besides the bare necessities, which was both relieving and damning to my situation, after all-I not only saved them but I gave what little I could to help, eventually I became a destitute-traveler, avoided by all, my unsightly appearance was viewed with disgust, my previous efforts forgotten, in the end I shirked in the shadows helping those I could during my travels.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The fires crackled beside me as I made my way into the depths of hell, looking around I spotted several masked figures-surrounding a village in flames, screams could be heard as men, woman and children scampered around, with faces covered in soot as they attempted to flee, only to be corralled by the masked invaders, a few resisted only to die fighting their bodies burnt black, their demise-signaled the end of all resistance as the villagers accepted their fate. Springing from the shadows I struck, trapping one of the seven-instantly within a pocket dimension...