Marcus looked at his opponent, excitement and adrenaline flowing through his veins. His confident aura seeps off of his body. With the commander's mouth finally closed, Marcus swung his sword, aiming for the man's head. It cut through the air, the attack precise and fast, but as he blinked, the commander had vanished, appearing beneath the strike. Recovering quickly and keeping his advantage of range, Marcus changed his stance, bringing his massive greatsword above his head.
Yelling, he brought the sword down with unfathomable power. The commander, seeing the incoming attack, quickly pushed off the ground, nimbly sidestepping it. Marcus was unable to stop the momentum behind the attack, and with the sword missing its target, he watched as it plunged deep into the stone floor. Grunting as the shockwaves of hitting a solid object travelled through his sword into his body, his eyes fell upon the commander who was now within range of him.
With a quick jab, the commander struck Marcus's chestpiece, causing a loud "Clang" to ring throughout the room. Marcus, not trying to stop the older man's barrage, instead pulled at his sword, trying to free it from the ground. With a few tugs, it began to give way, but as it did, another punch struck him, and with it, his armour shattered. His blood ran cold, and his eyes expanded as he looked down. To his dismay, he saw that his steel chestplate had failed, and now a bloodied hand was stuck within.
The commander smirked as panic began to set in. Letting go, Marcus grabbed onto the commander's soldiers, kicking him back and dislodging the man's fist from his chest. "How is that possible!?" Marcus questioned.
Not responding, the commander rushed forward again. Without time to process what had happened, Marcus quickly put his two fists up, readying himself for the man's attack. A dozen punches rained down upon him in an instant, and with each one, his body and armour weakened; new creaks and cracks could be heard with each well-aimed punch.
Marcus, trying to reach for his sword, was easily stopped by another incoming punch, forcing him to bring his hands back to block. His mind raced as the punches kept coming, anger bubbling up within him.
"Impossible! Impossible!" He screamed, rage and resentment filling his voice. "I'm the strongest, I've always been the strongest, even when I was just a child!"
With another strong punch from the commander, Marcus's gauntlets shattered. The force of the attack sent the large man tumbling back. Looking down at his ruined armour, his heart dropped. But he did not have time to think as the commander hit him with a powerful uppercut, causing Marcus's vision to go black for a moment.
"Pathetic." The commander stated coldly, shattering Marcus's pride.
"You bastard!" Marcus screamed, tossing broken gauntlets to the side.
The large man threw wild punches, but each one was dodged effortlessly by the commander, causing Marcus to keep on taking steps back. With his back to the wall, Marcus roared, throwing a devastating right hook aimed for the commander's temple. With a quick movement, the commander caught the attack between his arm and body, applying pressure to the large man's elbow joint.
Raising his left hand, Marcus prepared to strike once more, but was stopped with a single movement of the commander's elbow. A loud "snap" escaped Marcus's right arm, the commander breaking the man's arm completely. Screaming out, Marcus fell to his knees in excruciating pain, his arm bent the wrong way with the bone piercing the skin. Blood dripped from the wound, and with each breath Marcus took, the sharp bone penetrated more muscle.
Holding onto the wound, laboured breaths escaped the massive man's cracked helm. "You're not going to make it in time," he coughed out. "The boss has probably already escaped with the girl. And she... She will be sold off as a slave." He laughed in delight.
The commander's face tightened, his jaw clenched. Raising his fist, he punched the man's head, slamming it violently against the wall. Marcus laughed through it all, through each agonizing blow. His helmet creaked and then shattered, revealing a hardened, bruised face, blonde hair falling across his green eyes. Continuing to punch, blood spewed from the man, his face turning into a mess of blood and tears, but through it all, he continued to laugh. His nose shattered, his face cut, his mouth bled, but he smiled.
With a grunt, the commander raised the man's head slightly before delivering a devastating headbutt that obliterated multiple of Marcus's teeth. With that final attack, the commander was painted red, the blood of the armoured man soaking his skin and clothes. Letting go of the man, his body crumpled to the ground, small ragged breaths still escaping his mouth. With Marcus down, the commander rushed towards the room where Luna had been taken.
Barging through the door, he saw his four companions tearing apart a small room. In this room were bookshelves filled with a small library's amount of books. At the center was a fairly large wooden desk, on top of it a bottle of ink, which sat next to a bear piece of paper. Other than that, the room was empty.
"Where is she?" The commander questioned the four of them. But the look on each of their faces said all that he needed to hear. "Damn it!" He yelled, kicking the wooden desk, leaving a footprint and causing it to slide across the floor.
Luna, after entering the room, was dragged behind the man. I can't use my skills! If I do, they will find out what I am! The room was filled with shelves holding items she did not recognize. The robbed man approached one of these shelves, pulling out an item halfway before sliding it back in, then approached another and did the same. With the second item slid back into the shelf, a deep rumbling shook the room. To her surprise, another shelf began to slide, revealing a hallway hidden behind it.
With a violent tug, the robbed man dragged Luna into the hallway, the shelf closing behind them. Luna, being dragged behind the man, shouted in dismay. Tugging at the collar, she tried to force him to stop, but his strength was unbelievable for someone his size. With another tug, Luna tumbled to the ground, scraping her hands and knees on the cold stone floor. Looking up, she made eye contact with the man, his face flooded with annoyance.
"Hurry up!" He shouted, tugging at her. On her knees, she looked up at him, spitefully, snarling at him. "I said hurry!" he shouted, pulling on her harder.
Luna stood back up on her feet, observing the hallway that they were in. Dark, cold, deep. The stone walls were covered in moss, and wooden beams appeared every few meters, with mould infiltrating deep within them. Drops of muddy water dripped from the cracks in the roof, falling upon her head, causing her to shiver slightly. Her sensitive ears perked as they caught the scurrying of rats and the pattering of spiders as they searched for their next prey. Her red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, falling upon the man's chest as it rose and fell, laboured breaths escaping his mouth.
Taking a slow but purposeful step, she followed the man, heading deeper into the darkness. It seemed as if the tunnel kept descending into the earth, like they were walking down a ramp. The darkness enveloped both of them, the only source of light being the red glow that escaped from Luna's eyes. The sound of feet echoing through the tunnel mixed with the pair's breathing. The darkness had completely blinded the man, but for Luna, it was as if it were still daytime.
"Is that your skill, glowing eyes?" The man asked hesitantly. "It's freaky... But at least I'll know where you are."
Luna, not responding, continued walking. The man scoffed, tugging on her leash and kept walking as well. After a few minutes, the man cursed as a loud "splash" came from in front of him. His foot had fallen into water, and the man took another step, feeling himself sink deeper in. After another step, he was waist deep, tugging at Luna, and she followed him into the water.
"It must have flooded after that storm, but I've travelled down this tunnel a few times; it will start elevating soon." He said. Taking another step into the water.
Luna followed along, feeling as her linen cloths began to stick to her body. With each step, she submerged deeper and deeper into the water. In front of her, the water reached the man's chest, but to her, it was up to her neck. Her pearl-white hair lay upon the top of the water, her mouth now becoming fully submerged. As she breathed through her nose, she remembered the blood ocean and how she stayed submerged for what felt like an eternity. Taking a deep breath, her head went fully under the water, her hair sinking below the surface as well.
Her feet touched the bottom, and she observed the man from below, allowing her Earthen Sense to adjust for a moment before a tug directed her forward. With a few more steps, she felt the ground begin to elevate; she could now almost stand and break through the top of the water. With a smile, she shut her eyes.
The man, feeling the tunnel begin to rise, walked slightly faster, splashing through the water until he was once again only chest-deep in the liquid. A smile appeared on his face as he knew that the exit was near. He looked back, trying to spot Luna's crimson eyes, but to his surprise, she had not emerged, and the glow had completely vanished. With a powerful tug of the leash, the water ripped, but she did not appear. Tugging the leash again, his eyes widened as he fell back. The collar flew into his face; half of it missing, as if it had dissolved within the water.
"No!" He screeched, panic flooding his face.
Tossing the leash into the water, he quickly ran back into it, reaching the deepest part where the liquid reached his neck. His hands flailed in the water searching for the red-eyed girl, but to his dismay, he could not find her. The swing of his arms caused small ripples to spread across the surface. The hall was too dark, and he could not see anything, but fear clouded his judgement. Taking a deep breath, he dived under the water searching for anything, but it was in vain as she had seamlessly vanished.
Gasping, he removed his head from the liquid. Cursing, he punched the wall, causing it to crack slightly. His knuckles bled, dripping directly into the water. Turning away, he began to walk slowly, forcing his way through the water and towards the exit. Reaching chest height in the water once again, he was about to take another step until he felt something move behind him in the water.
Turning quickly, he reached out, but he found nothing but water. Sighing, he turned once again, taking another step, but as he did, he heard the sound of scratching against the wall. His eyes darted back, but in the darkness, he could not see what had made the sound. As he took a step back deeper into the water to investigate, the noise disappeared.
He reached out slowly once again, his body tense and his breathing shaky. But once again, the only thing he felt was water. Fear gripped the man's soul as the eerie silence of the tunnel began to eat away at his sanity. His eyes darted around in search, but he found nothing in the abyss. With a final kick, he turned around once again, almost ready to start running to the exit.
Sighing, he tried to calm himself, the drum in his head begging to fade. Taking a step forward, he laughed. "What a terrible day."
Walking forward, he examined the dark walls, observing all their small cracks and crevices. The darkness seemed to brighten along the water slightly as he moved, but instead of normal light, it glowed red... Quickly, his head snapped back to see two red dots floating under the water, back where the water was the deepest. His eyes widened, and his heart began to race once again, but with excitement instead of fear. A smile forming, his lips quivering.
Slowly, he stepped back into the water once again, following the light like he was drawn to it. As he approached, he saw the red dots begin to float up, then halted as they did. The light illuminated the small area above the water, and as he stood staring blankly, he saw a pearl-white hair emerge from the water, shrouding the surface in its messy beauty. The hair raised even more, the two glowing eyes escaping the liquid in pursuit. Then, as they did the progress halted, the hallway seeming to darken slightly as the hair fell in front of the eyes.
Through the hair, his eyes met Luna's, and as they did, he felt his body freeze; the murderous intent they were exuding sent shivers up his spine. His body felt like it had been drained of all warmth, but after watching her float there silently for a few moments, an evil grin appeared on his face.
"I've recovered for long enough, girl." He said, looking into her eyes.
Her hair seemed to spread across the surface even more as he spoke.
"Now come here, and follow me," He said calmly.
With the words, the glowing pair of eyes slowly moved towards him, her hair floating creepily above the water. With a loud laugh, he prepared to reach out towards her. With his hand beginning to move, he was once again forcefully shrouded in darkness. Luna vanished instantly while making no noise, descending back into the water.
"It didn't work!?" he yelled!
Dashing deeper into the water, he reached out fast, grabbing at the spot where she had just been. Feeling something, he tugged at it violently, and emerging from the water was the broken leash that he had thrown into the liquid earlier. Fear and surprise masked his face, but as he looked back into the water in the same spot right in front of him, right near his knees, a pair of glowing red eyes looked up at him through the water.
His eyes widened as he tried to back away. A terrified scream escaped his mouth but was completely muffled as he was pulled under. Any trace of him and the red glow vanished deep within the flooded hall. A small ripple traversed the surface, leaving the dark abyss in deafening silence.