After escaping the underground I had been pursued by a few more monsters. Each time I successfully evaded them but I could tell something was wrong with me.

First was the non-stop sweating. It got so bad that I had to rip the arm of my shirt off and tie it around my forehead to keep sweat out of my eyes. My makeshift headwrap was currently soaked and chafing my skin but I left it in place as I was currently in a precarious position trying to avoid one of the hunting monsters.

I had thought all the monsters within the city were like those that patrolled which would have made it relatively easy to sneak through undetected given careful timing. I was proven wrong not long after leaving that building I slept in. I named them hunters because they had no set path. They meandered about the city. Thankfully they appeared few and far between and did not get along with others of their kind. But they tended to be rather dogged in their pursuit. This is why I lay prone under some floorboards as they squeaked overhead.

They were dangerous but I had pretty much figured out how to outsmart the monsters by now. They weren’t intelligent and would only target noise or movement. My biggest concern was the fever and my new symptoms. I would occasionally see bright flashes of light in my peripheral vision or phantom noises. It was one of these damn phantom noises that startled me so much that I squeaked in surprise, alerting my current pursuer.

Even now I was having to try and ignore the bangs and blares of sound I was ‘hearing’ and it was only getting worse.

***

I raced down the side street with my blood-coated sword in one hand and my broken buckler attached to my other. The blood was from the monster I foolishly attacked. My mind had played tricks on me and I thought I could take it. By the time I realized I had fallen victim to the nameless voices whispering in the back of my mind, it was too late.

The creature wasn’t large, maybe the size of a dog. But after I sliced into its flank with my blade, it spun on me and latched onto my buckler with incredible strength.

If my shield hadn’t cracked in half from the pressure of the beast's bite, I would still be over there, being tossed around like a child’s doll. But I was thrown clear and made a run for it as soon as I got back up.

There was a crash from behind me and I spared a momentary glance as the creature burst through the store I used as a shortcut. Its eyes landed on me and I watched in horror as its body swelled. A stream of something dark burst from its open jaw and I turned to the side to avoid the liquid. I heard it sizzle loudly as it splashed against the stones and foilage before they ignited with putrid black smoke.

***

Day two started off with me huddled in an alcove surrounded by a small pond of brackish water. I had somehow managed to throw my pursuers off from the day before but my fever had now switched to chills that shook my entire body and made my bones ache.

Sloshing through the cool water did not help my situation in the least and I was forced to stop and wring my clothing as dry as I could before continuing through the city. At one point my teeth were chattering so bad that I was forced to stuff a rag in my mouth and bite down on it to dampen the noise.

It seemed I was heading in the right direction as the buildings were no longer the tall monuments from the central part of the city. They still dwarfed anything I had ever seen but not by more than a few floors. There also appeared to be fewer monsters patrolling this area which allowed me to make good time. The only issue with that was the hunters seemed to double in number and I barely avoided a few as I scrambled behind cover when I spotted them.

***

Day three brought on delirium and I barely had the energy to put one foot in front of the other. The voice in the back of my mind screamed at me to seek shelter and wait out the sickness. I ignored it. I couldn’t trust my mind to not betray me as it did with the hunter so I plodded down the tree choked street. I could see the wall in the distance and the opening where the Gate of Light stood. If my mind could be believed, I had only a few hours left to cross the gate or be lost to the city forever.

One foot in front of the other, my mind showing me monsters leaping out from every corner and shadow as my ears blasted me with unknown sounds or just made them ring with a high-pitched whine. I had grown numb to the auditory and visual discombobulation. But it still set my teeth on edge and I hadn’t taken the leather strap of my pack out of my mouth since the previous day.

I was also exhausted as I hadn’t slept in over thirty hours. The visions wouldn’t give me a moment's respite and they just kept growing worse and worse as it grew closer to the three-day deadline.

Something dripped from my nose and I went to wipe away what I thought was sweat only to find blood. I stared at it numbly as my head started to swim. I stumbled and fell against a tree, gripping it tightly to remain upright. My hearing had stopped ringing but everything sounded like I was underwater. When I reached up to my ear, my hand came back wet with blood from there as well.

A burst of adrenaline flooded my body, momentarily giving me clarity and I knew time was running out. I could see the opening in the wall, it was less than a twenty-minute walk from my current position. I gathered my remaining energy and started jogging forward, using the trees as leverage to remain upright.

I no longer cared about staying quiet, I only wanted to survive. I bounced off one tree, nearly falling over but managed to catch myself at the last moment. Only ten more minutes, I thought as I spotted the gate made from twisted tree branches that formed an arch. I was almost there but my vision was starting to turn red. Fear of becoming one of those monsters gave me one final burst of energy as I stumbled through the archway and collapsed to the ground, panting and exhausted beyond measure. The noises and visions vanished as soon as I crossed the threshold and I gave a tired smile as I let sleep take me.

***

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the ground face up. I could have sworn I had passed out face down. But I realized my vision had cleared and my hearing had returned. I chuckled softly. But I wasn’t expecting someone to respond.

“Pretty stupid, Kid,” a man’s voice said and I let out a startled squawk as I sat up and shoved myself backward until my back pressed against something hard.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t recommend going back that way,” he said pointing with a stick he used to stir the small fire he had going. “Not unless you want to die. Then again, anyone dumb enough to pass out before crossing the boundary stones probably not the sharpest sword out there.”

My face turned pale and I turned around. My back was indeed pressed up against a boundary stone. And I could see the arch well in the distance, well inside the boundary. Between the arch and the stones were three very large, very recognizable hunters. They were pacing back and forth in utter silence, hoping and waiting. I pushed away from the stone and back toward the fire and the unknown man.

“Smarter choice, Kid.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I willed myself to ask a question. “D- Did you pull me from the city?”

“I may have. Would be a mighty waste to leave a fellow Chosen to die so soon after he was picked. Then again, maybe you weren’t meant to be saved and the Mother found you wanting. Perhaps I should drag your useless ass back into the city and let the monsters have their way with you.” I blanched at the threat as the man stared me down, the firelight dancing in his dark eyes.

I thought about running for a moment before the man burst out in laughter. “Fuck sake, Kid, lighten up. I’m joking. I ain’t risking my hide to drag your dumb ass back in there. Bad enough I had to do it to drag you out. You owe me for that by the way.” He pointed the burned end of his stick my way and I saw the end glow cherry hot for a moment before dimming again.

Then his words finally registered in my mind. He said fellow Chosen. I managed to scramble to my feet and salute the man properly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know who you were. My name is Bakus, thank you for saving my life.”

He grumbled something under his breath that I didn’t quite catch. “Didn’t ask for your name, Kid. Gods, all you newcomers are always so prim and proper. Like you were born with a stick up your bum. Suppose I gotta test you, see if you have an ounce of skill. Hopefully, you aren’t like the last moron that survived. That dumb shit didn’t even survive two months before killing himself with his power.”

I never thought of that. Great now I would have something else to worry about. The man stood up and I realized he was slightly taller than I was. But where I was thin, he was lean and wiry. He reminded me a lot of the sword teacher that my father had hired.

“You got a sword?”

I nodded, pulling my sword from its scabbard. I winced as I saw it was still coated in blood. I would have to carefully disassemble and wash my scabbard to get the dried blood out.

“Did I tell you to pull your blade out and wave it around like a boy playing with his pecker for the first time?” I jumped at his angry tone and went to sheathe the blade again.

“Boy, you don’t follow directions for shit do you? When did I tell you to put it back?”

I stopped; my sword partially in its sheath, partially out.

“Good, now, you got a sword, do you know how to use it?” I nodded slowly.

“Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation, show me.”

I slowly pulled the sword out again and got into my form. Then I slashed the open air next to me, displaying the skills that I had acquired over the years of training.

After a minute, I heard mocking clapping coming from the man. “Very good, that air sure felt your wrath. I’m sure if we ever fight an air demon, you would beat it hands down.”

The smile that was forming on my face froze as he continued. “Too bad those don’t exist. All these fancy moves, but no brains behind them. When I said show me, I didn’t mean to attack the air. How can you expect to use a sword without attacking someone with it?”

“Um… but, I could hurt you.” The man laughed so hard he doubled over. I felt my face heat with shame as he continued laughing until he was wheezing and out of breath. “Holy shit, Kid. The fucking balls on you if you think you could ever even scratch me with the ass picker of yours. Now quit wasting my time and attack me.”

My embarrassment turned to anger and the need to prove myself to this insufferable man. He wasn’t much older than me, who the hell did he think he was. He just stood there with one arm loosely on his hip and the other holding the stick he stirred the fire with. I noticed a longer blade tucked in a soft sheath on his belt but he didn’t bother pulling it out and he had no buckler. I decided I would give him a cut across his shoulder blade to teach him to respect my skill.

Turning, I faced the man, setting my stance, low and back. It was called the bite of the viper for a reason. It was fast and hard to dodge. Then I sprang forward and put my entire body into the lunge. I saw him lightly quirk an eyebrow as my sword slashed toward his unprotected shoulder.

Then I felt his stick slam into my arm. It was accompanied by a searing sensation and I cried out and jerked to the side, completely missing my strike. Then I felt the stick slap me across the cheek, this time thankfully not followed by the searing pain of being burned. I stepped back and rubbed the burn on my arm.

The man tsked. “Useless.”