free, I’ll skin him alive,” he growled through bared teeth.
A wail exploded from the main path where Mar had departed. “The Cerumal! They must have found him,” Walter blurted hoarsely. He seized the rusty cage door with both hands, panicking. He peered through the bars, attempting to catch a glance of any sign of life beyond the hidden path. Think, think – maybe they don’t know we’re here ,he thought.
“No! No! No!” he whispered hurriedly, seeing a slate helm cresting the stout trees that surrounded the hidden path to the camp. This is a living nightmare. I’m in a nightmare. I must be sleeping. It’s not possible for this to be real.
“Is this real?” asked Walter quietly. He was reassured by the pain he felt, when scanning his body, that this indeed was real and he needed to act now to survive.
“Get it together, Walt! What? What do you see?” Juzo’s voice quavered. His back faced the path and he was unable to twist his body to look.
“They’re here, they found us,” Walter said bleakly. Walter’s training took over, slowing his breath as he instinctively slipped into Warrior’s Focus. Juzo started writhing as the clang of interlocking plate armor became palpable. Juzo’s empty threats washed over Walter incoherently. The world melted away until all there was were the bars on his oxidized prison, and then only swirling shadows. Walter inhaled, filling his lungs, dropping his diaphragm for maximum volume, and prepared for a strike against the cage door that would in all likelihood break his bones. Then something was different.
Within the darkness that engulfed his mind and vision, a flaming sphere spun into existence and burst alight. He marveled at its beauty and warmth. The flames didn’t move like those of a normal fire, but undulated and wobbled as though under the influence of the sea. He gently reached open palms towards the dancing orb, intuitively knowing it would not harm him. It felt like an eternity before he made contact, cupping it in his hands. When he finally touched it, the burning orb melted and encased his hands like hot wax, covering them in molten fire. He felt pure, unadulterated joy from its perfect warmth. The pain in his body washed away like caked-on mud after a hot bath. The terror he’d felt a heartbeat ago was no more. He reveled in how incredible he felt – no pain, no anguish, no fear.
He needed to remember something, something important. It was difficult to remember in this ecstasy. The thoughts Juzo, Mar, Cerumal, Death ,flashed in his mind. I remember ,he thought. Joy became infernal rage and the flames engulfing his hands magnified in strength, glowing brighter and more chaotic, appearing to thrive on the new dominant emotion. His eyes slammed open, returning him to stark reality.
He pounded the cage door with a double punch, blowing it off its hinges and sending it tumbling into the cookfire. He climbed from his prison, eyes glowing with Dragon fire. The Cerumal had just emerged from the hidden path into the clearing. It started to charge towards him, but uncharacteristically halted in its tracks, skidding on the dirt. It froze and grunted. Walter saw the twinge of fear forming in its eyes behind its spiked helm.
Walter thrust his right arm towards the beast like a cross punch. “Die!” he roared. The orb of molten flames seen in his vision erupted from his fist like a meteor. It found its target and punched a burning hole clean through its heavy armor, and transformed into a cone of flame as long as a man through the exit wound. The creature looked down at the gaping hole in its chest, and dropped its spear, collapsing with a heavy clank. The embers dissipated from Walter’s eyes, and he looked at his hands in awe, rotating them back and forth and curling his unharmed fingers. “Incredible,” he breathed.
Chapter 7 – Running
“Long imprisoned behind bars of bone, I yearned for freedom. Cast away fear, for in death you are free.” –from
A wail exploded from the main path where Mar had departed. “The Cerumal! They must have found him,” Walter blurted hoarsely. He seized the rusty cage door with both hands, panicking. He peered through the bars, attempting to catch a glance of any sign of life beyond the hidden path. Think, think – maybe they don’t know we’re here ,he thought.
“No! No! No!” he whispered hurriedly, seeing a slate helm cresting the stout trees that surrounded the hidden path to the camp. This is a living nightmare. I’m in a nightmare. I must be sleeping. It’s not possible for this to be real.
“Is this real?” asked Walter quietly. He was reassured by the pain he felt, when scanning his body, that this indeed was real and he needed to act now to survive.
“Get it together, Walt! What? What do you see?” Juzo’s voice quavered. His back faced the path and he was unable to twist his body to look.
“They’re here, they found us,” Walter said bleakly. Walter’s training took over, slowing his breath as he instinctively slipped into Warrior’s Focus. Juzo started writhing as the clang of interlocking plate armor became palpable. Juzo’s empty threats washed over Walter incoherently. The world melted away until all there was were the bars on his oxidized prison, and then only swirling shadows. Walter inhaled, filling his lungs, dropping his diaphragm for maximum volume, and prepared for a strike against the cage door that would in all likelihood break his bones. Then something was different.
Within the darkness that engulfed his mind and vision, a flaming sphere spun into existence and burst alight. He marveled at its beauty and warmth. The flames didn’t move like those of a normal fire, but undulated and wobbled as though under the influence of the sea. He gently reached open palms towards the dancing orb, intuitively knowing it would not harm him. It felt like an eternity before he made contact, cupping it in his hands. When he finally touched it, the burning orb melted and encased his hands like hot wax, covering them in molten fire. He felt pure, unadulterated joy from its perfect warmth. The pain in his body washed away like caked-on mud after a hot bath. The terror he’d felt a heartbeat ago was no more. He reveled in how incredible he felt – no pain, no anguish, no fear.
He needed to remember something, something important. It was difficult to remember in this ecstasy. The thoughts Juzo, Mar, Cerumal, Death ,flashed in his mind. I remember ,he thought. Joy became infernal rage and the flames engulfing his hands magnified in strength, glowing brighter and more chaotic, appearing to thrive on the new dominant emotion. His eyes slammed open, returning him to stark reality.
He pounded the cage door with a double punch, blowing it off its hinges and sending it tumbling into the cookfire. He climbed from his prison, eyes glowing with Dragon fire. The Cerumal had just emerged from the hidden path into the clearing. It started to charge towards him, but uncharacteristically halted in its tracks, skidding on the dirt. It froze and grunted. Walter saw the twinge of fear forming in its eyes behind its spiked helm.
Walter thrust his right arm towards the beast like a cross punch. “Die!” he roared. The orb of molten flames seen in his vision erupted from his fist like a meteor. It found its target and punched a burning hole clean through its heavy armor, and transformed into a cone of flame as long as a man through the exit wound. The creature looked down at the gaping hole in its chest, and dropped its spear, collapsing with a heavy clank. The embers dissipated from Walter’s eyes, and he looked at his hands in awe, rotating them back and forth and curling his unharmed fingers. “Incredible,” he breathed.
Chapter 7 – Running
“Long imprisoned behind bars of bone, I yearned for freedom. Cast away fear, for in death you are free.” –from
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