He made a sharp turn towards the arch.
'Shit, please a little more. I know it hurts but please.'
The sound of paws crashing on the ground can be heard clearly a few feet behind him. The deer's shadow overlapped with Qi Li's shadow.
'Don't look back. DON'T LOOK BACK.'
Qi Li ran while looking down. Unwilling to see the distance between him and the arch.
Like they say, ignorance is bliss.
'Just a bit more, just a bit more'
And soon enough, the shadow of the arch is seen below him. Qi Li threw himself past the shadow and landed, scraping His body on the ground.
BOOM
The once familiar Arch shaped shadow has crumbled and turned into a rocky hill of rubble.
A glance back at the rubble confirmed his prediction. The deer has its full body but its head is buried under the destroyed arch. Yet despite that, it seems to be able to move and struggle. Removing the pile little by little.
A young bloodied man stood up with the pale broken white moon shining upon his back. Leaving the front view devoid of any light. As if a creature of pure darkness stood there.
The deer looked to see the creature of darkness with a maddening face of wrath lifting a rock up high.
The rock fell. Seemingly getting closer and closer towards the middle of its eyes.
There was a sharp pain.
Then, there was darkness.
BANG, BANG, BANG
Qi Li Looked upon the bloodied rock that had landed on the crushed deer's head. Still concussed over what had happened.
"Fuck you."
He muttered under his breath. As if the corpse might hear him.
He gagged a little.
Gasp, gasp
'Will this continue on until I leave this place?'
Getting up, he tries to steel Himself. He knows that this is reality, but he struggles to accept it. After all, who would accept that reality is lying down in your room then waking up just to get bloodied like this.
Qi Li took a peek at the deer once again.
This time he couldn't take it.
His body curved a little, a hot gush of bile flowed out of his mouth landing on the floor splattered all over. After the last retch, he went over to another side and slumped on the floor. The soft breeze of the night cooling him.
Throughout his entire life, Qi Li was never a squeamish person. Yet he could never imagine himself taking the life of another creature like this or even humans.
Soon, Qi Li was distracted by something.
Black smoke or similar seems to arise from where the area of destruction is.
The Shattering phenomenon was happening to the carcass. The bloodied thing disappeared like the rest of them. Except this time a black smoke rose from the cracks formed and coagulated into a ball or some sorts.
The coagulated ball of black crack like a shell. And just like a shell it revealed something inside.
A ball, except it was dull.
The dull looking ball flew towards the chest of Qi Li and phased into it.
'What the?'
He waited for a sharp pain to arrive. Even though an extra one wouldn't make such a difference considering the injury he sustained.
Surprisingly, nothing seemed to happen. Except for the fact he felt lighter.
Bloodied and battered, He stood up and dragged his legs across the floor. Walking away from the temple he started from.
Grunt, grunt
He walked on one of the stone walkways, heading onto another building. One that still looked intact despite long years of neglect.
stepping into the building without much thought, he looked around and noticed he was in a hall. At the end of it situated a huge circle embrasure, with the light of the moon shining upon a man made pool in front of the embrasure.
For the roof, it was the type seen in old gothic Churches. with the same patterns seen at the wall of the allure.
Qi Li walks into another hallway, desperate to find rest in a room with a soft bed.
'If I don't find a room with something to lie on, I will be sleeping on this hard marble, no joke.'
Finally, a door came into his blurry vision .
Opening it, he scanned around for a soft place to rest. Being so tunneled vision he couldn't care less about anything else and walked straight To a bed he saw.
He fell upon it, and slumbered.
....
Qi Li was walking towards the rubble to check again on the carcass of the deer.
The rubble was still, and peaceful.
Sigh
He breathed out a sigh of relief.
He turned around again to continue his recuperation in the building he was slumbering in.
Rumble, rumble
The rubble rolled away revealing the mangled carcass of the deer standing up. Its crushed head hanging off its neck.
The deer threw him onto the ground.
And before he could react he saw his lower and upper body disconnected from each other. His guts flowing out.
He tried to scream but to no avail. No sound came out of his mouth.
He looked up and saw the towering deer above him. Its head, unrecognizable and claws grasping Qi Li's head.
Crush
Qi Li got up in a cold sweat.
A lady is seated at a desk by the bed, writing in a book with a pen. A crude pen that is carved out of wood with a sharp end and dipped in ink.
"Huh? Huh!"
"Oh! I am so sorry for being here, I will leave now!"
The lady oblivious to him, continued her
Writing.
Qi Li stared at her for a while then remembered.
"Oh yeah you can't see me"
"…"
Qi Li continued to stare at her.
'I know staring is rude, but that aside she's starting to look familiar.'
Hair that reached her shoulders, a pair of sharp yet delicate deep Auburn eyes, a sharp jawline but not one like a man, a face that exuded the beauty of a fierce fighter. She wore a button up shirt with a pair of long pants that were not too baggy and not too tight so that it would not affect her combat.
"Oh it's you! Miss fighter."
"Miss fighter" placed down her pen, and looked at the book she was writing in. As if in deep thought.
Curious, Qi Li got closer to have a look at the book.
'I wonder how the language and writing looks like in this world'
A glance at the book turned his mouth agape and his face scrunched in confusion.
"This is…"
"Isn't this just English? But with a bit of tweaks here and there."
This wasn't just similar it was English, twisted like a half-remembered dream. Had this world stolen his language, or had he stolen theirs?
2nd lunation 40th day 200D
Arival at ther temple, thaere happend a mishap to our transport.
'Arrival at the temple, there happened a mishap to our transport'
'This has got to be English'
A shatter started to occur, but Qi Li wanted to know more about this World and books were a source of knowledge.
'Goodness oh no, no time to waste'
So he grabbed the book to try and skim quickly through it.
The lady and everything else shattered and disappeared.
But the book was still there.
"huh?"
He wanted to know why the book was still here. But hey, he wanted some knowledge and it's right in his hands. 'Well I guess that settles it, no need to rush through a book now'
Grumble…
'Oof, I'm hungry? Well shit, I don't think there's gonna be food from the heavens dropping down might as well move myself and start finding something.'
While getting to the door he realized he wasn't aching and hurting anymore.
'I'm healed already? Goodness I don't think I was injured that lightly.'
Grumble
'Who cares, answers later.'
Out of the room, with a book in hand. Qi Li walked back into the hall with the circle embrasure at the end of it.
'Wow, I would thoroughly enjoy the sunlight shining into this place if only I am not at the risk of dying of hunger'
'Never got a good look at this place at that time. But it seems that this is the main hall'
The main hall had other hallways that lead to different areas. Four hallways were situated on the right and on the left of it.
The bedroom was located at the first hallway on the right facing into the main hallway.
Qi Li had seven choices now.
After a while of pondering, he chose the third hallway at the left side.
'Maybe there'll be a garden around here, with edible things to eat. Or maybe a canteen but who knows whether the food will be rotten from four hundred years ago or longer.'
'Just maybe Lord you'd give me food from heaven. Just like you said, don't worry about what you need to eat or wear.'
chatter chatter chatter
He walked towards the open Door way and caught a glimpse of people in flowy garments seated at a table full of food.
The men had a white flowy, airy shirt with sarouel leggings accompanied with a white cowl or scarf. while the women had a longer shirt that goes down to their knees. And everything else similar to the men's.
He continued on through the hallway, passing the open doorway.
....
Hold on.
He ran back to double check the room which contained the crowd of people by a long table.
There was food.
A lot of food.
'Ask and you shall receive, I guess.'
He got closer to the crowd and outstretched his hand on the closest bread on the table he could grab. Yet the river of people did not spare a glance at the young man and continued their chatter.
Chomp
'How exactly am I eating? If all these disappear will I go hungry again?'
'Well might as well Enjoy while it lasts.'
He devoured the bread, half-expecting it to turn to ash in his mouth. But the warmth stayed. Real. For now.
The chatters were obvious and loud so the only other way to quench his boredom when eating was.
Eavesdropping.
But all he could hear was chatters in a language close to English yet so far.
'Gosh this better not sound like ancient English because that is completely incomprehensible'
Isolating two people's voices from the rest he could finally hear what was being said.
"My Heard, a number of storm-fleers cometh to take refuge in this temple"
The second man asked.
"Why? Is that a problem fer you's? Temple's got loads of halls for these hall seekers."
Answering the second man. The first man said.
"Well, yeah but solution's only fer a handwhile"
He sighed.
"But what can we's does but act accordingly to what happened."
"Under no moon or sun, we turn a blind eye to a being in a predicament"
"Under no moon or sun, we turn a blind eye to a being in a predicament"
The second man repeated
An aura of a warm calm sea washed over the entire feast hall.
A man in his 30s to 40s walked in, hair tied in a pony tail like a stereotypical martial Artist In Wu Xia story's, slanted green eyes that gave a hint of laziness and aloofness, and a casual warm smile.
The man was wearing a garment with not many differences to the ones the others are wearing in the hall.
Yet with a closer look, you can tell the man is a person who deserves a degree of respect like a rabbi. The man did not wear a cowl or scarf like the rest of them but a cloak that reached his knees. A cloak that had the same pattern as the engravings as the wall walk.
He also had a turquoise cloth tied around his waist.
'More of those patterns huh.'
The chatter died as the man with the turquoise sash entered. The crowd rose, but he waved them off with a lazy smile.
"Honorifics is a need not, have seats taken and let We's enjoy tis mornin's gift for today."
'Well I sure am enjoying the gift.'