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This venom had been in me before. I recognized the pain. Not just physical, but mentally. I dont know wether my vision was skewed by just the venom or my head getting blunt force from the ground, either way i let it take me into sleep.

it had to of been at least a decade since it happened the first time.

unconscious, i could feel frigid moisture on the back of my neck and running down my spine. White spheres, dancing around my eyes until it takes over my whole vision. When i could look into them i could see they were the past of the first time i got a dose of this venom, resting on a bed with multiple people around me trying to care for me while i lie down miserably and try to recover. It wasnt lethal, they knew that, but they still treated me as if i had some life long curse, which didnt feel to far off from my whole life. The venom was just one of many cases that made me feel alienated amongst my own race.

This time when i started to regain consciousness i was still alone in a cave, not a cushy bed with caregivers around me. No more white circles around me, just the blackness of my eyelids. I hesitate to open my eyes or move in fear of someone being around me, so first i try to listen to whats around me. Drip... Drip... Drip...

Nothing besides Water falling onto rocks. No distinct smells besides cave sulfur. i decide its safe to sit up and look around.

Just a plain old cave from where i am, the light was gone and the hole where i jumped in was dark too, no sense of time for real this time, no sun or direction.

i still couldn't move my leg and there was a trail of blood from each fang hole.It wont need healing right away but i'll need to be careful not to get it infected. I cant heal it myself because it involves a venom. After inspecting the wound i stood up wobbily on the one leg. One sword half hanging out the sheath and the other on the ground to the side of me. I dont try to call to Daeva uneasy as to if there are people in the cave.

My uneasyness paid off because i hear voiced echo throughout the cave, and i hadn't spoken a word.

Wobbling over to the voices, the light from before starts glowing again. The closer i get, the more sounds i can hear. Growling, chirping, talking, scratching, and more i cant describe.

When i peeked around a corner to see the noises it was a full hallway lined with cages, some shoddy with wood and string, others made with full tempered metal. What makes it worse to see is some of them stained with blood and most the cages were filled.

The voices had come from 3 people at the end of the carved corridor. One as big as Daeva and the others just above average. From what i can see, none of them seem to be Tulka.

Tulka or not i need to find a way past them or through them. I had no plan when dropping down like i should have. Now im forced to either sneak or hope they are weaker then they look. But im not taking a risk when im already injured so i needed to go back into kitsune. The cages were rattling, from the top of them i saw all the animals surrounding the room staring at me, some making noises and some silently watching. some of the creatures i had never seen before. "quiet down beasts, your in there for a reason" one of the men said as he kicked the cage, causing more noise. I hated it. This situation just makes me thankful to be able to be human and animal. I still didnt have a plan beyond needing to get out. I sit atop the lines of cages contemplating where to go or what to do. Only one door makes it hard. I cant go back to where i fell in. The only other entrance has guards, 3 of them might i add.

Think. Think. Think.

I'll treat the humans like animals.

In the village they only ever taught me light magic, its all i know. So i have to use it. i bring forth a beam of light, not harmful, just light, just enough heat to be annoying and be seen by others. Right on one of their foreheads, like a cat laser. They were brutes, they didn't know any better then to just attack the circle of light as if it were hostile.

A little dot of light. thats all it took. Once one of them had pointed it out all of them started staring at it and poking it. The one they were poking at started yelling at them and telling them it burns but they kept going, ignoring his pleas. I had made the light stay in place while i jumped down from the cages, i had no idea how long the light would stay in place without me holding it in position.

From here my only real option to get past them is to open the cages.

Wyverns? Amphisbaena?Crocotta? Peryton?

I had no time to decide which one to open, nor the magic to keep the guards entertained. The closest one would have to do. I cant tell if luck was in my favor with it being a creature from the Shadow realm, Cerberus.

Light magic isn't as diverse as a lot of people think, its not adapted for combat except for a select few runes. Doing what i can with it, i use it to heat one of my blades. by the time i was finished the light i had kept near the guards was fading and my sword was unusable until repair.

I often hear the term 'like a hot knife through butter' when talking about sharp things, but i had to put this to the extreme. The lock was the butter, and my sword was the knife.

Black smoke was searing from the blade. Metal crackling and popping like it was still being forged. The smoke didnt smell like campfire smoke however, it smelled of an oil fire.

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The blade running across the steel lock made a noise like boiling water. The animal inside at the far side of the cage, as far away as possible from me. I only had to cut through one peice of metal since the lock was similar to that of a padlock, but harder to lockpick.

Door ready to open, I didn't want to take chances now that im down here already and injured but i couldn't do much else. I met eyes with the tri headed beast in the cage, it gazed into me with the only light being a sliver of white in its eyes. If it meant to attack me it would have by now.

I inched the cage open. Were both technically canines but theres no sure way for me to know what it does once the cage is open. I could feel the light slipping away. With the light being nearly gone i had to move faster, the next minute could be death by a 3 headed dog or another group of total beasts. The dog was just watching me still, cage barely open it had stayed at the back of it. The cage was creaking open louder and louder the slower i went. by the time there was just barely and opening big enough for a person to fit through i heard footsteps going away from the light and towards myself. Not just one pair, three. All three of the burly men running towards me, an animal fully capable of killing me.

I was launched back by the cage door opening.

On the ground again i had to readjust to what happened. After i could see clearly again after only a few seconds, i could see what happened. cerberus had burst through the cage into the threats behind me and was now trying to fend them off with all 3 heads.

I tried to stand but was still unstable from the bite, and the dog blasting through me did not help. The men fighting the dog just grunted as they heaved their weapons back at the animal.

When they have distance between eachother one of the heads look back at me, but i dont know what its trying to convey to me. I try to unsheath my swords but the one i used to melt the lock is nearly ruined beyond repair and my other was cracked down the spine and the tip was chipped. My heart sank. These swords has carried me through years of my life and they were both broken. Not beyond repair, but they wont ever be to how they were forged. More importantly, in the present i need them more then ever. I cant rely on my little magic skills, i cant rely on two broken swords, but the broken swords i can still do something with even if they arn't reliable.

I jumped into the fight next to the dog with my one chipped blade that was still somewhat swingable. This is the one time i had to have some kind of hope for myself, or hope for someone else rather. I have a heavy heart for the dog beside me, i freed it from a cage only for it to walk into death rather then freedom. To think ive gone from being by my lonesome for years to betting my life on a 3 headed hound. My father had told me animals and creatures are what shape our world more then humans ever could and i think im seeing it in action right now.

I closed my eyes, held my breath, and hoped for the best.

After seconds of bracing myself i hear shuffling in front of me. When i open my eyes again all the men had moved back away from us.

The sword had been fixed. Better then fixed. it was longer and sharper then before. where the cracks once lay there was now pure blissful light. The light caressing the blade made a low hum the closer you got to it. If my opponent suddenly enhanced their blade like this i would step back too. I had noticed the cerberus next to me also stepped back, and was bearing fangs at it like i was an enemy now.

I pushed towards the real threats to try and show the dog i hadn't changed.

The more i moved forward the more they moved backward. Until they were back at the door. They may be mindless brutes but they have the brains to not mess with dangerous things they dont know about. Despite them backing off the fight was still not in our favor, a small lightshow isn't enough to make them yield.

The fight was at a stalemate until one of us moved. Using magic jogs my memory. The dog looks at me with one head again. I keep the sword in one hand and start casting in the other.

The light kept growing in my hand until i couldnt expand it anymore. The three of them looked at it with wary eyes, not fear, but worry. I took a deep breath in and out.

I released the light from my control. Blinding everything in the room temporarily. As soon as i was sure they couldnt see i lunged forward with my one leg at full strength.

I only made it half way between where i started and where they stood before i was stopped. I could see in the light that the sword had gone through the one i was aiming for already. No, not the sword. The light repairing the sword had extended forward into him.

Through the light you could spot streaks of blood coming from him. The others were still blinded and couldn't see what had happened.

With the blade extended out to at least 4 feet now i could kill the last two with one motion, but since i was suddenly in the situation to choose, i chose not to.

Watching the last two men sqiurm while being blinded and losing fingers was unsettling. The dog was stumbling around trying to see again, I tried to help it with magic but i couldn't do much without touching it.

I'm able to knock out the last two with the pommel of my sword. I did end up giving them cut's inbetween their finger's to the point they wont be able to use their sword's for awhile.

Just one of the many scenarios i wish i had magic other then light magic. I was always told light magic is the only true magic, that all other magic dwarfs light magic in comparison. If i had fire frost or toxin magic i could cut the rest of the cages open now.

It didn't sound like anyone was trying to enter or was coming toward the room so i sat down against the cage that held the cerberus. I let out a long sigh wiping my face. The dog looks at me and sits down in front of me. Now to find out of this cave and back to Daeva, easier said then done....