A yelp of terror escapes my maw as my fingers slip off its hold against the cliff face.
I hang there, teetering on the verge of a fall- one that I wouldn't survive.
Leveraging my weight, I lean against my foot holds and the left arm, getting a better grip with the loose hand.
I could feel them slipping- the tense situation made my palms sweat- further aggravating the already volatile situation.
A Cold wind blows, sending pebbles of rocks tumbling and soundly clanking against the cliff as they plunged into the horrid depths down below.
I regret- internally cursing at my explorative spirit.
What was I doing here in the first place?!!
Steadily, I descend one hold after the other...
The moment I feel my feet kiss the solid ground, a weary exhale escapes my mouth- I'll get to see another day!
[Hold that thought!]
My figure tenses, instincts blaring alarms of imminent danger.
Something is prowling- lying in wait, bidding its time for an opening.
I frantically look around, my eyes struggling to acclimatize to the pitch darkness of this vile abyss.
A silhouette darts at the edge of my vision.
Too fast for my eyes to discern its outline.
Shiiing!!
My daggers unsheath, my grip firm- fingers trembling.
I brace for impact, a lunge , anything-
It never comes.
My hands lower, fingers relaxing my grip on the daggers.
A mistake I barely had time to register!
Skreeech!!!
The silhouette lunges, slashing at my neck!
A quick slide saved me from certain death.
The claw tearing across my shoulder instead,
A squirm of pain erupts from my throat.
A very big mistake- it aggravates my situation as pairs of green eyes flicker, lighting up, one after the other.
My heart skips a beat!
I take a step back, my spine pressed against the face of the cliff.
I'm conered!
A quick glance at the towering cliff wall had me sweating.
Will I manage to climb, fast enough to avoid the prowling beasts?
The answer was certainly not!
I wouldn't make it.
And so, I make my last stand.
The snarls draw closer,
It is then that I see the horror before me,
Vermin the size of mutts, snarling, their maws dripping with foaming saliva.
Razors of fangs jutting out of their maws.
What have I plunged myself into?
As if on cue, they lunge
Aiming to tear me to bits,
My muscles tense, coiling and uncoiling, springing me out of the way of incoming maws.
I was not so lucky!
Lucky enough to avoid all but one!
A nerve-wracking scream tears out from my throat as I feel the creature's fangs sink into the flesh of my shoulder.
I lash out with a devastating dagger strike to its neck,
Sending it screeching as it thrashed, spewing jets of scarlet blood into the air.
With no regard for their squirming kin, the horde of vermin pounce,
Slashing at my exposed limbs.
I vault over their claws, striking out those unfortunate in the way of my dagger.
Squeals of pain rend the air,
The hoarde finally pause, reassessing my threat.
Their pause gives me precious time to gather my composure,
Not for long though,
The appeal of tearing my flesh was too strong to refrain.
And so, their survival instincts gets drowned with the hunger for my flesh.
With the little semblance of sense they retained, they plot a pincer maneuver.
Attacking from two sides.
Ahh!
I scream, flinching from the gash torn across my thigh.
At this rate I won't survive.
The odds are stacked against me.
The more I stalled the worse my situation is going to get.
I regard my surroundings, twisting and dodging incoming claw strikes.
There!
I discern a faint outline at the periphery of my vision.
Trees maybe?
I'm not certain.
They will offer defense nonetheless, shielding from directly facing the hoarde's attacks.
And so, I dart, making for them- but not before being punished for the slip in focus.
I feel a sharp pain tearing across my turned back.
I grunt, committed to reaching the tree line.
My figure cuts across the land, the horde hot on my heels in pursuit.
The tree line?
Not a treeline, but rather a forest of towering mushrooms.
I dive into its embrace with reckless disregard.
Finally!
I exhale glancing back.
Did the horde just halt in their tracks?
Why stop?
I question, running deeper into the forest of towering mushrooms.
I don't have the time nor the mental capacity to analyze the horde's behaviour.
There are more urgent matters.
Like stopping the bleeding from the gnarly injuries I had racked throughout the exchange with the vermin horde.
My back rests against a mushroom stem.
Sounds of fabric tears rent the weirdly silent atmosphere.
The rags will have to do in stemming the bleeding, for now.
My breaths slow down, calming down now that I am out of immediate danger.
A peaceful and euphoric feeling washes over my weary and beaten body.
The allure of a rest sounding more and more enticing.
I shrug off the thought, this was not the time nor place to rest.
Fatigued or not!
~Raaaiiin, sleeeep~
A whisper sounds.
Wait!
That's my own voice!
I look around, my eyes darting to every shadow or silhouette.
The peaceful and ethereal sense of safety and freedom washes through me.
Becoming more suffocating and forceful, contrasting with its earlier subtle suggestion.
A startled yelp escapes my lips.
I look around- appalled!
Just then, I notice bodies upon bodies of vermin, all in peaceful slumber- patches of mycelium growing out of their rotting, yet alive bodies.
I have to leave, Now!
My feet erupt into a flurry of steps, my mind fighting to stay lucid.
My figure darts across the forest and back into the horde of vermin lying in wait.
I cut across their figures, ignoring their claw slashes- despite the pain that screamed at me to stop and defend.
I will not stop, not until I am out of this horrid abyss.
One more minute in this horrid place and I'll be dead!