Anthony's eyes opened slowly as he stirred. His head rested on his makeshift, straw filled pillow as he stared blankly out into the magic filled ancient temple from his own little corner. He laid there for a few seconds, hoping for a descent back into sleep that would not come.
In heavy lament he shifted his weight to sit up, shoulders slumped, he watched as tears dropped onto his furry, animal hide blanket. He sighed as he wiped the water from beneath his eyes, he rubbed his face until his hand touched his lip and he let out a sudden light chuckle.
Despite his tired eyes he turned to climb from his sleeping rug that rested prominently on the worn, stone floor and walked towards his sword that rested on the wall nearest to him. He took it out of the amateurly made sheath that allowed the silver of the blade to lightly peek out the top. He held the flat of the blade up to his lip, reflecting in the well cleaned alloy Anthony could see that he had grown a bit of hair along the the top of his lip.
"Nate," Anthony called as he continued to examine the reflection of his lip on the legendary blade of the Space Dragon Khaos.
What's up?
"Do you know how long we've been here?"
I think it's around a year and one month today, Nate stated answered only by a tired laugh from Anthony. Why'd you ask?
"I just seem to have grown a bit of a stache, I didn't realize until now but I probably turned thirteen last week," Anthony said as he re-sheathed his sword, placing it against the wall once more.
Yeah, you've grown up a bit I guess, even the sword has grown with you.
"Yet we're still here," Anthony lamented. "Do you remember where I put the map?"
It's over by the fire.
"Thanks, I really should stop just leaving my shit around huh?" He responded, yawning, running his fingers through his shaggy hair that extended just beyond his chin at the longest.
You really should stop cussing so much
"You do now? Ya know, I didn't know any of these words before you."
Would you jump off a bridge if I did?
"Did you somehow figure out a way to jump off a bridge all of the sudden?" Anthony asked rhetorically, only met by silence from Nate. He grabbed the rolled up map and unfurled it in his hands. Looking at the poorly scribbled map on unevenly made paper he said aloud, "We're running out of time, we were lucky the winter is coming late this year but it's time to leave. No more just training and mapping with a place to return to everyday."
Anthony, I'm not sure you're ready.
"I am, Nate, we've figured out ways to use my magic to fight, you even said my swordsmanship is beyond what most full grown adults can do!"
I know, I know, but you remember what happened to your-
"I remember, don't worry," Anthony interjected.
I'm- just saying that the monsters in this area aren't like the others and I'm not sure if you can deal with the worst of the worst out there. Nate said, voice filled with concern.
"But we'll never know if I don't try," Anthony said, raising his voice in tired frustration. "I have stayed here. We have prepared. It is time to do something. I am tired of just laying around, not doing anything, in this safe comfy temple."
Okay, you're right, it's time to get going. Tomorrow-
"Today," Anthony said as he rerolled his map and reached for a makeshift satchel for a bit of jerky. "I'm ready, we're going south now. The sun already rose, really we need to leave now."
Alright, alright fine. Staring at nothing, chewing on his jerky, the corners of Anthony's mouth moved upwards, even if just by a little bit.
-
Two days Anthony traveled, the first day was easy just a descent down the mountain into a small valley. Wearing a self-knitted sweater, sword on his side and heavy satchel on his other, he traveled the land occasionally powdered by snow.
The first night he slept outside, fireside and poorly covered by his ill-fitting blanket that occasionally doubled as a coat. Eating jerky for each meal, except when he lucked upon a rabbit, which he killed and saved for his dinner. Unfortunately a blizzard forced him to take shelter in a cave the second night, fireside just the same, the storm still raging outside.
In the morning he woke up to a clear sky, stretching wide, covered in sunlight standing in the entrance of the cave. He wiped the tears that leaked from his eyes each morning then took off in the same manner as the days before, continuing his journey south.
"You have to think we'll find something soon right?" Anthony asked of his favorite disembodied voice.
You'd have to imagine, we've long gone past what we had mapped but if we keep following water we should find others.
"You'd think."
Anthony's journey continued as the sun continued its journey across the sky above. After only a few hours walking, something caught Anthony's eye from across the valley. Embedded in the side of a parallel mountain was a suspiciously square shaped hole.
"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, his hand raised to shield his eyes from the sun, placed like a canopy resting above his brow.
A hole in the mountain?
"Ain't no cave like that is naturally occurring. I'm gonna go check it out." He announced, decision already made as he strutted down the mountain in the direction of the square shaped opening.
Once Anthony was standing on the platform before the cave entrance it became even more apparent that the cave was not natural. The edges of the entrance were fine tuned, almost perfectly straight. Even the corners were perfect right angles.
It wasn't even a large entrance, the top at most a meter or so above his head. Yet there was something behind this mysterious hole, an unfamiliar energy seemed to lurk in the darkness before him.
You can feel that right, Nate warned as Anthony stuck out his hand to test the entrance.
"Yeah I can," Anthony said, not relinquishing his focus on his examination. His hand began to vibrate, like an invisible force was radiating out trying to keep him from passing the threshold, yet he kept pushing his hand forward.
So you should probably leave it, just to be safe.
"Why would it mean that?" Anthony mumbled in a curiosity driven trance as the resistance reached a climax and Anthony's hand finally broke the barrier. Suddenly, he was pulled through, feeling as if his surroundings spun around him, he stumbled from the momentum, struggling to stay on his feet. He looked ahead at the corridor, barely lit by curious crystals embedded in the ceiling above.
"Huh?" Anthony said, those crystals were not visible from the outside. He turned around, hoping to see sunlight, only to be met with disappointment. The corridor stretched long in either direction, darkness only barely lit by sparse crystals, no exit to be found. Anthony slumped his shoulders and sighed, fully taking in his newfound predicament, "Oh shit."