User blog:SinisterFog/A Path to Redemption Ch. 1

= #1: Fallen =

"Falling down is how we grow, Staying down is how we die"
Redmond’s Pov

Drifting...I could feel myself drifting. I saw nothing but the infinity of pitch black, I heard nothing but my own hollow breaths. “Where am I? Did I actually manage to...?”

At first, I couldn’t remember what had happened, then it all came back to me. Within small flashes I remembered it all, the things I had done, the lies I believed, the utter betrayal I felt.

Each memory mocked me, reminding me of a past that I could only blame myself for. I deserved this, to be left alone and spend the rest of eternity within this void. But then something happened, a bright light suddenly tore through the darkness, nearly blinding me. I used my arm to cover my eyes as I felt myself being dragged towards the light. The last thing I remember was seeing something on the other side of the light before I suddenly fainted, plunging me into darkness once again...

'''“Remember this Redmond, in order to be strong, you must take from the weak. Should you forget this, you are prey. But, if you let these words guide you, you will always be...a predator...”'''

I slowly opened my eyes, only to be met with a familiar bright light. It took a few minutes before my vision finally adjusted. “Wait,” I thought to myself, “I’m not drifting anymore.”

I quickly sat up, grunting in surprise, my head darted in several different directions. I could see a bright blue sky, I was surrounded by sand and water, I could hear the waves hitting the shore.

“Quid infernum? Where am I?” I mumbled. It was clear that I was on a beach, but in what world, which realm?

I stood up and felt the water seep out of my armor and into the sand beneath my feet, I was completely soaked. I washed up here, did I land in the ocean? If so, how long was I out?

It doesn't matter now, what matters is that I keep moving, I couldn’t escape them for long.

I looked around, the beach was completely empty, devoid of any life except for a few trees and the crabs digging in the sand. I saw that my sword has washed up a good few feet away from me, “At least I still have this.”

After going to pick it up, I took off my helmet to assess the current condition of my armor. Aside from being wet and covered in sand, there were a few scuffs, burns, dents, and tears, as well as a noticeable hole in my coat and chainmail. “That must have been where the crossbow struck…” I muttered under my breath.

The wound still stung, but it wasn’t anything serious, I have felt worse pain. With a sigh, I put my helmet back on and my sword back into its scabbard. Standing here wasn’t going to do me any good, I needed to find higher ground, get a layout of this world’s geography. Maybe if I use my...then a thought hit me, no, I don’t need them, not anymore. If I’m going to survive here, I have to leave everything behind.

With that, I began to survey the surrounding area, aside from the ocean reaching as far as the eye can see, I was left with little options on where to go. I could see trees and vegetation in the distance, perhaps there is a river nearby? After a while of assessing my situation, I decided to just go in the direction of the trees, there has to be a way out somewhere.

One of my bigger questions was the thought of intelligent life in this world, is there civilization here? For now, it doesn’t matter, I need to find out where I am, but I should hurry.

Judging from the sun’s current position, I had at least a few hours before nightfall. Whether that would be a benefit or a risk, I would soon find out...

Soon after that, Redmond had begun his journey through the woods. Having no particular destination planned, he would go as far as the day lasted. He would walk in a single direction, not seeming interested in changing his course for any reason. He made sure to keep track of his surroundings and resources, marking every possible refuge, vantage point, and other necessities. Should he ever need anything, he’d know where to find it.

After an hour or so, the daylight in the woods seemed to dim, but not yet dark. This meant that Redmond had to find a place to rest soon, otherwise he’d be out in the open.

As he walked, Redmond heard a strange sound in the distance. It didn’t sound like a living creature or animal, it sounded like...water. When Redmond looked ahead and saw a clearing just beyond the trees, he quickened his pace.

When Redmond emerged from the other side of the trees, his mouth went slightly agape and his eyes widened. A large waterfall had waited for him on the other side, presenting him with a sight he has never seen before. Looking around, he could see a long river underneath the waterfall, it's clear water reflected the sky. The trees and plants were a vibrant green, far beyond that of the trees in the woods. Finally, he spotted a large opening in the earth and stone, just next to falling water.

“Sanctum...hoc est...wow,” Redmond muttered, “Looks like I’m resting here tonight.”

Redmond made his way around the water, going in the direction of the opening. When he made it, he had seen that the inside cavern was completely dark.

“Damnant, well...I don’t have any other options,” he thought. He began to focus, he could feel the now awakened energy coursing through his veins, his right arm began to shine with a crimson glow.

A pure red flame began to form on his palm, it’s light began to reveal the once darkened walls of the cave. The cavern seemed to stretch out pretty deep as Redmond had yet to see an end. Noticing this, Redmond began to enter the cavern, not worried about what may or may not be waiting for him inside…

Redmond’s Pov

As I entered the caverns, I noticed a few things. First, I took notice of the walls, they had claw marks and scratches. They weren’t exactly high up but judging from the visibility and depth, they were fairly recent. Second, I noticed the water and puddles riddled across the cave floor. This would seem normal seeing as how I was under a waterfall, but there were also streaks and drag marks.

Finally, what set me on edge was the occasional skeletons of fish. This was when I knew that something was in here before, and they are either gone or deeper in the cavern. I would have drawn my sword but I wouldn’t be able to swing it within the tight spaces of the stone walls. So, I drew a dagger instead, sure it wasn’t as effective but would provide me with a form of self-defense nonetheless. I proceeded further into the cavern.

I eventually entered a part of the cave where I could see strange structures coming from the ceiling and ground. I could see some...pillars and other strange shapes made from stone, some of these shapes were cone-like and hanging from the stone ceiling. “Quid in duodecimo infernum?” I mumbled.

I was mesmerized but was quickly shaken out of my thoughts when I heard a shuffle to my left. My head quickly shot in the direction of the sound as I gripped my dagger.

After a few long minutes of staring, I slowly crept towards the source of the sound. I put my right hand out in front of me to light the area, the shadows of the strange pillar-like structures began to dance on the wall. At first, I let my guard down for a few seconds but tensed up again as soon as I heard the breathing.

“I know you’re hiding over there, come on out, now.”

My eyes peered through my helmet as I heard a similar-sounding shuffle coming from behind one of the pillars, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next.

Out from behind one of the pillars, I saw a white furry paw with black claws at its fingertips. Then I saw the head of a little girl with the same white fur and dark grey skin peek from behind the same pillar. Her luminescent yellow eyes looked at me with terror, I was...completely shocked. The little girl then spoke in a soft voice, “Please, don’t hurt me...” She spoke with a small terrified stutter.

I immediately sheathed my dagger and calmed down, I got on one knee and spoke to the girl. “Oh, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” I said to her.

The little girl then began to cower behind the pillar again and said back to me, “Are you going to hurt me?”

I shook my head at her, “No, I am just...looking for a place to stay.”

I tried to slowly move towards her in an attempt to get a better look at her, this caused her to cower behind the pillar even more.

What was she doing here, where are her parents?

“What happened to your mother and father, what are you doing here?” I asked her.

It took a few seconds for the girl to reply, “Mother and father were being hurt by the metal men, father told me to run and I ended up...here.”

So she and her family were attacked by some “metal men.” I began to think about that statement, “metal men,” then my breath began to quicken, could they already be here?

I calmed down after a few seconds, I directed my attention back towards the girl.

“Alright, look, I’m not going to hurt you. And I am certainly not like those metal men you speak of, look.”

I then proceeded to remove my helmet with my left hand, allowing her to see my face.

“See? I’m normal, now why don’t you come on out, I’m not going to hurt you.” I say, putting my hands in a surrendering motion.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then began to move away from the pillar.

Getting a better look, it was obvious that this girl wasn’t human. She had dark grey skin and pale yellow eyes, her body was lined with white fur. She had paws in place of hands, but the strangest part was that she had a serpent-like lower body, it was entirely covered with the same white fur. “O mi...quae est illa?” I thought to myself.

The girl slithered in front of me and sat down, she still seemed to be on edge.

I then saw her direct her attention towards my right hand, my palm still alit with the red flame. She looked at it with a subtle hint of fear and bewilderment, I slightly chuckled. “Wanna see a magic trick?” I ask her.

She looked back at me and tilted her head in curiosity. “Watch,” I simply say, my arm then began to glow crimson again and with a flick of my wrist, I lit another red fire on the ground next to us, the girl slightly jumped in surprise.

The space around us was now even more visible, the girl looked somewhat in awe at my little performance. “See? Pretty enticing huh?” I tell her with a smile. The girl slightly smiled and looked off to the side, she seemed to have calmed down, just a little bit.

“So, what's your name little one?” I inquired.

The girl looked back up at me and hesitated before giving a reply, “Cici, my parents call me Cici.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Cici, my name is Redmond.”

As I offered my hand to her, she backed away in fear. She was still a little threatened by me, I understood that, it's not every day you see a man wearing armor holding fire in his hand, let alone start one with a simple hand gesture. Cici was trying to avoid looking at me, her head was down, she was still so tense.

“Look, Cici, I just want you to understand that I have no intentions of hurting you, I promise,” I say to her, trying to give off the gentlest smile I could muster.

She simply looked at me and slowly started to relax, her lower body slowly began to coil.

“So Cici,” I began, “How long have you been here?”

She looked as though she were in thought, after another few seconds she replied, “I do not know. I think it was for a week? Maybe two or more…”

Dear lords, this girl, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her, but it wasn’t only because she had been here away from her parents. I felt this way for...personal reasons.

“Cici...how old are you?”

Cici looked down, “I turned ten before I came here, before the metal men...”

This girl was ten years old and survived in this cave for maybe a couple of weeks? I sighed, this was an awful situation, for both her and her parents, they must be worried sick. I looked up at Cici, her head was down again, her expression was that of sadness, in response to this, I did the only thing I could do.

I leaned towards her and embraced her in a gentle hug, she seemed to jump slightly at this but eased into it after a while. Her fur was...incredibly soft, I felt so comfortable.

“Cici, I am so, so sorry that this has happened to you.”

I wanted to help her, but due to my current situation, I couldn’t even trust myself, yet something compelled me to say something.

“Cici,” I started, “After tonight if you would like, you could come with me. Maybe, just maybe, I could help you find your parents.”

She then looked at me with a slight hint of hope in her eye, “Really?”

I hesitated, I didn’t want to make a promise that I had a low chance of keeping, but I wasn’t about to let this girl be left alone again.

“Yes...really,” I replied. Cici began to smile as her eyes began to water, she then hugged me, burying her face into my chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

The rest of the night was somewhat silent with the occasional small talk between Redmond and Cici, they spoke about nothing in particular. Soon after that, they had begun to rest, lying down near the fire Redmond had created. Redmond sat with his back to the wall while Cici laid down with her head in her arms. Redmond turned to look towards Cici, her face contorted into one of discomfort, she was struggling to sleep. In response to this, Redmond removed his coat, revealing the chainmail underneath, he then placed it under her head as a makeshift pillow.

“This girl has been through so much in so little time.”

He looked back towards Cici, her sleeping face had a small, peaceful smirk, Redmond couldn’t help but smile. However, something had stirred him, another awful memory had begun to taunt him.

“No, not this time.” Redmond thought, pushing the memory away. He then laid down next to Cici, resting his arms on his chest, he gave one final look towards Cici.

“...I just made another promise...am I going to be able to keep this one?”

And with that, Redmond finally closed his eyes, letting the embrace of sleep take him over…

To be continued