Survive

----------------------------------------

William's Perspective

The cavern echoed with the horrific screams of thousands of undead monsters. Dread crept into me; the hideous snarling sent chills down my spine. My worries grew as the fire began to flicker, allowing more encroaching darkness to seep into the cavern.

Stepping back, my heart plunged deeper into my chest as I turned to Azrael. "Get his ass up!" I yelled with concern in my voice.

"Yes," Azrael stuttered. "Right."

Turning around, I took a look at Thomas' dead body, particularly at his armor. Beggars can't be choosers as I ran towards him. I can hear Azrael's breathing growing more frantic while her acquaintance Sanguine groans in confusion. "Where are we? What's happening?" Sanguine asked. I didn't give a damn, though, as I slid next to Thomas' corpse.

"Sorry, Thomas," I said as I turned to Azrael. Azrael, do you have anything for light?" Her face told me everything; she was in turmoil, a mixture of sadness, guilt, and fear. I can't blame her. Thomas was close to her. He was her protector, and we just put him down. I put him down. Her face was going to haunt me for a while.

Like a prayer to the heavens, a bright light beamed past me as crackling ice echoed through the charm. The darkness was replaced by tiny sparks of white light, beaming down gently onto the ground.

Azrael made a pillar of ice that shone like a crystal, reflecting light around us. At the center of the pillar was Thomas' tiny fire, which he had made earlier. She must've frozen the fire entirely before it went out. I don't know how that's possible, but I don't question it. However, she looked exhausted.

My hands fumbled against Thomas's gauntlets as I struggled to fight off the shaking in my body. Was I scared? Pain shot up my left hand, and I realized my knuckles were contorted in an unnatural position.

"Broke my fucking hand!" I yelled in frustration, hissing as I cursed myself for punching Thomas in the face earlier. Soon, prying off the left gauntlet, I quickly slapped it onto my arm. I turned to look at the tunnels from which the fiends approached.

There were too many tunnels.

Turning to Azrael, I said, "Azrael, freeze some of the tunnels!" I saw Sanguine up and ready, and he apparently had a sword. I don't know where he got it, but I don't care.

Sounds of crystallization and glass echoed throughout the cavern as I tightened my new golden gauntlet. I didn't have time to put on everything, so I went straight for Thomas's boots, the greaves tight around his shins.

Quickly kicking off my brown boots, I tugged on Thomas's boots, twisting and turning his leg until I heard a loud crack. My eyes widened as I realized I had just broken a dead man's leg.

Sorry Thomas

Continuing to twist both of Thomas's legs with the sounds of more cracking and popping, I managed to free his boots. Sliding my feet down the greaves and into the boots, I quickly tightened the buckles on the straps. I hissed; the tension on my calves and boots after tautening the straps was a bit much, but I didn't have time.

Standing back up, I saw that Azrael had covered the tunnels in ice, making the light shimmer around the cavern. Thankfully, this made it easier to see. I turned back to the last remaining entrance.

Screams of horrific monsters, blood-curled howls of undead fiends. Each one sent goosebumps down my body, cold shivers grasping my back as sweat dripped from my brow. Glancing back towards Azrael, I could tell she was shaken. Her limbs were trembling, and her eyes were wide open with fear. There was a difference between fighting in the open and in a closed space surrounded by hundreds of monsters.

Looking over to Sanguine, he was more poised. His breathing was fast, but his face held hope. I could see him whispering something to Azrael, which made her nod in agreement, making her slightly more relaxed.

Readying my sword, I stared down the tunnel, bracing for the oncoming horde. Memories surfaced of Hearthglen during the Festival as I recall the mutated hound. It was the first time I had ever seen a Blight fiend, and it wasn't the last. I recall the Orderbreaker, the giant fiend, and blight riders. I remember all of them.

My heart pounded in my chest as the screams grew closer and louder each moment. Anticipation was getting to me, and I started to shake. The smell of decayed mutated flesh filled the air, churning my stomach.

Soon, the first fiend entered the cavern. Then the second and soon the third. The whole tunnel was full of fiends charging in one after another. They all had weapons like swords, hammers, and axes alike in hand and armor on their dead flesh. I couldn't hope to count the number of disgusting faces as my heart sank.

My mind reeled as I tried to process what was happening. It was as if the legends of thousands of fiends running as a horde in a city, all moving in waves. God, even the smell was disgusting as I almost vomited on the spot, but I pushed that feeling down.

Azrael is still recovering, and Sanguine, a noble, is helpless here. I can only think of one thing.

I ran straight at the horde, screaming at the top of my lungs, sword in hand. I can already hear Azrael and Sanguine yelling at me.

It doesn't matter. If I can buy some time, Azrael could seal this last tunnel, make a dome, and pretend to hide. Maybe build a staircase back to the top or something. Anything really would work at this point.

But that would mean to take the blunt of the attack.

Channeling as much magic into my limbs, I dashed towards the horde, swinging my sword wide and cutting down the first few fiends. Quickly pivoting, I gripped both hands on my sword and spun around for another wide slash. I barely felt any resistance as each fiend that got in my way was cut down.

Looking up, a fiend leaped at me as I started to get swarmed off the bat. My heart sank into my chest while I channeled magic throughout my body. I quickly lifted my leg up and slammed my foot into the first fiend's chest. I could almost hear its bones snapping as it fell back. Bringing my foot back in time to support my footing, I blocked a sword strike.

The air grew cold as I heard Azrael's ice magic striking the cavern walls as a few fiends, most likely caught in the attack. I can even see the ground starting to freeze over. I didn't get to see them, but from the sound of it, Sanguine and Azrael were fine for now. However, luck wasn't on my side, as multiple fiends attacked simultaneously.

My sword clashed with each attack I blocked. I was stuck on the defensive, ducking and sliding past each monstrosity. Grime and dirt flew everywhere as I managed to take a leg off a fiend. It growled violently as I kicked another one back, only to spin around to take the crawling corpse's head off.

Keeping my guard up didn't help much as another fiend tackled me to the ground. I could feel its soft, grotesque flesh pushing against my clothes and armor as my back slammed onto the ground. The moment came painless. The fiend climbed onto me, making me respond with a quick punch to its face. My eyes widened as the it's unhinged jaw opened wide to latch onto my arm. Thankfully, my new gauntlet took the hit while the fiend's yellowed teeth bit into the armor.

Trying to throw the fiend off of me, the sound of growling caught my attention as a canine-looking fiend bite down onto my legs. "Shit!" I yelled out, my voice lagged as I got dragged across the floor. The fiend on top of me fell off as I got tossed around. My head spun while I tried to keep my eyes open. I tried to keep track of where I was while dragged around like a dog's chew toy. The cold, rough ground tore up my back. Gritting my teeth, I clenched my sword in my hand and kicked the disgusting snort of the canine. Its jaw came undone as I leaned to finish it with my sword.

Fear crept in as a fiend leapt onto my back. I felt its leather glove grab my head, pulling my hair with a stinging pain. I tried to reach back, but it bit down onto my neck before I could throw it off. Pain ached as I yelled, flailing my arms around to keep the other fiends away. Its disgusting teeth sank into my neck, pain radiating as adrenaline started to pump into my body.

Before I could make my escape, another fiend tackled us. We tumbled across the ground, my sword flying out of my hand, but luckily, the fiend on my back was thrown off me. Quickly recovering myself, I saw one of the fiends, the one that bit me, was getting up. I didn't have my sword, so I ran up to punch it, surprisingly taking its unhinged jaw off. More fiends approached me as I grabbed the fiend that tackled me. Its pale eyes glared at me as it tried to grab me beside my arms.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Tossing the fiend into another, I quickly looked for my sword, diving towards it. Before getting swarmed, I quickly channeled my magic as before, dashed towards another group of fiends, and spun around to swing my sword. I continued to spin in circles with each step, taking each fiend's head until I finally stopped. My head spun from spinning in circles. The world tilted as I heard gunshots, feeling sudden sharp pains like tiny rocks were thrown at me. Covering my face with my arm and sword, I quickly glanced up to spot the fiend in the far back. There were a few fiends with rifles in the back.

Fatigue set in as dizziness slowly faded. A wave of sickness spread from my neck to the rest of my body as the barrage of bullets came at me. I gritted my teeth and fought against this sickening feeling, pushing my way forward. Cutting and slicing through the horde, I finally reached the fiends shooting at me. Grabbing the barrel, I lifted the gun up away from me as I cut straight through the monstrosity, making my way over to the others.

They didn't last. As I started to laugh, the horde began to thin out. Excitement flooded me, and I felt that I was going to survive. That feeling left me as I saw a giant spider-looking monstrosity approaching me. It was about five feet tall and scuttled across the floor with its long, hairy, slender legs, hissing loudly with dripping black saliva.

I fucking hate spiders.

Fear crept in, my body shivering from the eerie appearance. I could hear its tapping feet making their way to me. It leaped into the air at me, legs wide open and ready to latch onto me. I saw its sharp mandibles stretching wide with saliva dripping down, wanting to devour me. Refusing to give into fear, I slammed my sword into its mouth, watching its body halt as I caught it.

Regret sinks in as my body is struck by jolts of electricity. Like an untouched itch, tearing at my nerves like invisible needles, making it difficult to refuse as my body spasms against my will. Trying to force my body to brace it, holding the weight of the disgusting mutated spider. Its short, disgusting, pointy hairs poke at me, sending shivers down my back as I fight to control my body.

Vision fading, I growled, fighting off a sudden coldness that mixed into the jolting sensation. My arm spasmed like it was fighting to stay still, and my ears rang loudly as another spider lept at me.

Unable to move, I was helpless while the spider landed beside me, lunging at me. I felt its hairy, prickly legs grab hold of me while its sharp mandibles punctured into my back and stomach as I cried out. I couldn't move; all I could do was cry out as I felt my insides start to turn to jelly. I felt my body weakening, fatigue slamming into me as my mind began to waver. My vision tunneled as I howled out, feeling more fiends latch onto me.

I could faintly hear Azrael calling out to me.

I can't go out like this. I have so much I need to do.

My life flashed before me as I recalled moments with my father when we hunted. We would stop for a moment to appreciate the food we ate, the food made from the monsters we hunted. We would sit down at the poor-looking table. He would train me with the sword. He would tell me about my mother.

"Mom," I whimpered, feeling my body jerk rapidly as I noticed black tendrils start to form in my arm.

I remembered the photo of my mother. Was it still in my pocket? I want to see her. I want to know the person who would've raised me. That would've been there for me. The person who would've cared for me. That was taken from me. Taken from my father. From me. The life I would've had.

"Not yet," I mumbled, my teeth clenched as I tried to fight off. Anger building up, keeping me conscious.

Hearthglen came into my mind, where I would run across the street with Bide, talking about being Dragon Knights one day. The life I wanted to have so I could take from the Blight what it took from me. I remember how Bide and I would argue over childish things or when we played with swords. He would usually beat me. Then Aunt Sifle would come and scold us for being reckless.

Barren came into my mind. And Lady Elrid. Unlike most dragons and their riders, they would play with me when I was younger. I could still feel Lady Elrid's smooth scales as if I was still touching them. I remember how Barren always said I would make a good Dragon Knight one day and when Lord Dimmal spoke about me. It made me happy.

I'm right there. Just a few more steps away from being one. I just needed to be approved as a rider, gain the power of a Dragon Knight, then the Academy, and graduate.

I wanted Barren to see how far I'd come.

I wanted my mom to see how strong I had become.

I wanted to make sure what happened never happened again—to me and anyone else.

I started to feel myself drool, tears forming, my body spasming from everything. A sudden pain rises in me as my body twitches; the electricity that runs through me makes it impossible to resist. I started to feel something like a knife poking at my heart. The fiends, even the spider, tugging at my flesh as what I could assume was the warm feeling going down my back and stomach as my own blood.

The fading sensation in my mind diminished, replaced by a strong tugging feeling. It was as if something was pulling me away. I could feel it. I felt its cruelty, trying to force me to feel everything I had lost. To see me lose my life.

I felt helpless. Pathetic. Weak. Powerless.

I hate it.

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

Like that day in Hearthglen when I couldn't help the soldiers. When I couldn't stay to help the evacuees get to safety. How I couldn't save more people. Like that elderly woman who cried out for her child. Who died in my arms.

I was too weak. Helpless. Powerless.

Not yet…

With all my strength, I clenched my teeth, my hand turning into a fist. "Not! yet!" I cried out desperately. Groans left me as I channeled everything I had into my body. I forced all the magic into me as I felt my life leaving me, and I suddenly heard thousands upon thousands of voices ringing in my head.

Ignoring it all, I felt my body tensing even more. I could almost feel my bones and muscles start to break. I could feel the jolts of electricity in detail, the jagged, spiky, contorted, yet wavy lines coursing through me. They stemmed from the mouths of the spiders to every point in my body. I could feel them in such detail that I could touch them.

This must be the reason why all of this is happening.

I focused everything on that feeling. Channeling my magic around the electric currents, each moment, I could feel it even more: the smooth yet jolting texture, the spiky and jagged lines that contorted everywhere and split up into a network like webbing, similar to how glass or ice would look when cracked. My magic wrapped around the current, but I didn't know what to do once it was done.

Without any guidance, I forced this sensation, this foreign electric current that spread everywhere across my body, out of me. I channeled everything, plus extra, to move this thing out of me. It protested as I felt myself about to lose control over my body. I started to scream, but I couldn't hear anymore as everything slew down. When I finally felt the sensation expelled from me, my vision was covered in a golden flash of light, blinding me.

My vision came back to me; the pain, fatigue, and everything that I felt moments ago was gone as I saw myself lying on the ground. I was confused. The scenery around me was dust and tiny, bright, golden particles.

Standing up slowly, I noticed my wounds, particularly the ones in my stomach and back, were gone. Only a hole through my shirt remained, telling me it wasn't an illusion while a scar was visible. As the dust settled, I noted that the whole cavern was littered with pillars of ice and icy terrain.

Azrael left her fiends frozen in place, and the ground slippery and sparkling with ice, almost like diamonds. I could almost swear her hair was white like snow. Her beauty took me as I realized she was staring at me in pure horror and shock, along with Sanguine.

Looking down at myself, I realized my arms were covered in black tendrils under my skin. But they were fading as I felt my magic inside me pulsate, as tiny golden sparks twinkled around me—like tiny golden lightning bolts lit around my fingers and legs. The cold that shook me earlier was replaced with a warmth I could never describe. It felt like….. "Aurum?" I mumbled.

Did I just use magic?

I chuckled loudly. I never thought I could use magic, let alone use it here. The possibilities are endless. With this, I could turn the tides of battle. I could save more lives. I could make up for my lack of power.

My eyes widened in shock as I realized all the fiends around me were gone. No corpse, no nothing but a pile of ashes. The only things left were weapons and armor. Even the blight spiders were gone.

"Did I do this?" I asked out loud. I felt uneasy as I saw the remaining fiends turn to me. They were ignoring Azrael and Sanguine.

I was confused. The fiends were targeting me. The Blight doesn't target specific things. They attack mindlessly at every living thing. They wanted me dead. They didn't care about the others anymore.

Chills went down my back as every fiend charged at me. I focused back on my hand, trying to imitate what I had done earlier but failing. "Come on, come on!" I yelled in frustration, focusing my magic on my hand. Concentrating on what I had done, I recalled wrapping my magic around the electric current in my body.

Maybe if I recreate that shape? It's better than nothing.

My heartbeat was like a drum being pounded repeatedly as I focused my magic into the shape of a lightning bolt. I recalled its smooth yet spiky texture, how it went jagged, curved, and split up into webbing. I pictured what a lightning strike would look like.

Gulping down my concerns, I bet everything I had into this as I turned to face the horde of fiends. Gritting my teeth, I prayed this worked as I threw my hand, charged up with magic, at them. My vision was immediately covered in a golden flash, making me close my eyes. The sound of thunder echoed through the cavern, making my ears ring.

Opening my eyes, I saw a good chunk of the horde was gone, turned to dust as what I assume was leftover sparks from a lightning strike. I sighed in relief and delight. This must be my dragon magic. I didn't expect it to be so potent. But then again, Dragon Magic was best against the Blight.

I was so ecstatic that I couldn't keep it in. "Fuck ya!" I yelled, thrusting my hand up into the air. "How's that undead pile of bones!" I gleefully smirked. "Bet you weren't expecting…. Urgh," I groaned as I fell onto my knees. My whole body throbbed hard. No, it wasn't aching, it was tired. I was tired. What is this?

I was breathing hard, like when I ran my first mile in five minutes. I could barely stand, but my body wasn't in pain. It was as if all the energy was sapped out of me. I thought I was lucky, but apparently, there was a drawback to using that magic attack.

Things only got worse as more fiends entered the cavern room. But this time, they were followed by a massive wyrm-like creature, and I could only guess that a Blight Rider was on top.

"Give me a break!" I yelled.