It was dull, dark, and gloomy — the sun hiding behind the moon as dusk made its appearance.
"Ah h-huh, what are these fuckers expecting me to do??"
He gulped.
Victor observed the medieval church that lay ten meters away from him.
"Captain, what are the chances that kid will make it?"
The mercenary group watched from a distance, clad in illustrious steel plate armor, red capes draped over their backs. The group numbered around forty.
Victor blinked and turned his head back toward the church.
I always thought knights and stuff were cool. That's why I begged to get recruited. But I didn't expect these bastards to just suit me up in armor, hand me a sword, shrug their shoulders, and say: "Good luck."
Initiation test, my ass. Sadistic fucks.
He could feel their piercing gazes digging into his back. The dull, gloomy atmosphere-mixed with the silent anticipation of his observers-weighed heavily on him. His steps echoed softly, steel boots clinking against the mismatched cobblestone path.
The church's door handle was within arm's reach. It was then that Victor's heart quickened, adrenaline and fear mixed in his body like a cauldron set ablaze ~ did he have a conversation with his inner thoughts.
So, on a scale of 1 to 10… how fucked are we?
Victor let out a quiet "Hmm" before murmuring, "Not like it matters. If I don't go in, those red caped goons will cut me down anyway. If I do go in… at least it'll be a quicker death."
'Why don't we at least open the door and bait the monster out?'
He scoffed at this thought. "I wish my life were that easy. Those thugs could easily take it out. I wouldn't even have time to run away from them."
Victor took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.
From his point of view, his right arm contracted — elbow bending inward.
A quiet dink of his metallic gauntlet rested on the hilt of the sword sheathed at his left hip, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
His left hand slowly reached for the handle... and pulled the door open.
Step — Dink — Step — Dink
Victor was inside the church, just far enough in to still reach the door behind him.
His eyes struggled to adjust to the dimly lit church, large enough to accommodate 400 people. The stench of rusty blood hit him like a wave, devouring his senses. Goosebumps crawled across his skin. Sweat trickled down his back.
His right hand still rested on the hilt. The sheath had an ignition system built into it, granting a quick burst of explosive speed and power during the unsheathing.
"I swear I'm not trying to look cool," he murmured, answering his own previous thought.
Still standing, his left leg was positioned slightly behind his right, a strange mix of a boxer's stance and a medieval swordsman's posture.
He leaned back slightly, shifting his weight to the rear leg, ready to transfer that momentum forward in a deadly lunge, synchronized with the ignition-powered sword draw. Maybe then… maybe he had a chance to kill whatever was inside.
He blinked.
A fierce, insidious gaze shot toward him from somewhere deep within the cathedral.
It was like the glare of a vicious snake-not striking, not charging, but defending its lair — playing with its food. It made no move to hide, nor to intimidate. It simply let him know: I'm here. And I'm watching.
Victor's stance remained locked. Eyes still adjusting to the gloom, he muttered internally:
If it's gonna be like that… Fuck it. Might as well shut the door behind me. Heh this bastard thinks I'm locked in here with it...
The corner of his lips curled upward.
Outside, back at the:
[Observation point]
"To answer your question, Lieutenant," the Captain muttered, "no. I'd be very surprised."
The lieutenant reached into her pocket, pulled out a pouch that jingled softly, a little melody of wealth and wager. Untying the string, she fished out ten gold coins and held them up.
"I'll bet ten gold he comes out with its head."
The Captain raised an eyebrow. The lieutenant's expression carried a carefree grin, either she was cocky, or she knew something others didn't.
"That little rat," the Captain said, almost amused, "just shut the door."
"...."
The lieutenant said nothing. Just smiled.