The Cave

I awoke. It was dark, very dark. I am not sure how I ended up in this forlorn situation. Luckily, I always carry a stick and flint to prepare myself if this mess ever did occur. I would pray that it would not, but it did. The flint made a rough grating noise as I struck it against the wood. I prayed it would light. It did not. I tried again. Nothing. I tried one final time, and I heard that angelic spitting sound wood makes when it sets alight.

 I could now see the true horrors of what was around and to be honest I would have rather stayed in the dark then see this putrid image. Skeletons piled up on skeletons all still with their armour on, but the fabric had been lost to time. I had seen many dead bodies in my time, but this really shook me. It was a lump of flesh and bones which was around ten meters high, and they were all knotted together with various degrees of decay and rot.

 I looked down to check my physical condition. It was surprisingly robust. My armour had a few dents and scratches but nothing to be worried about. I felt a bit silly looking at the sun I had painted on my breastplate with its big smile and jolly face. I painted it on after the Teltow-Magdeburg Wars as a symbol of hope and clarity but now I feel like it is mocking me. Laughing at me. I must not let my mind taunt me so I must move on.

The cave seems the same as any other cave dark, damp and desolate. There was nothing special about it and the only light to guide me was the light from my torch. The only noise I heard was drips of water into small puddles. I went on for what felt like hours but to be honest it could have been ten minutes. It is hard to keep track of the time without the sun there to help guide you. I heard a noise, a human noise: it sounded like a cough in the distance. I did not call back for it could have been a wild animal. You cannot trust anything which lives solely in the dark.

I approached the noise with my sword drawn. It was a long sword which I got given when I first joined the military and has somehow has still not broken and is as sharp as the day the bladesmith forged it. I approached the noise carefully and slowly. It was coming from around the corner. I quickly jumped around the wall with my sword pointing to where I thought the noise is coming from. However, to my surprise the noise was not coming from an animal, it was from a person. They did not look in the best condition as he was on the floor using a rock as the only support for his weak and tarnished body. He was a knight as well, just like me.

“Do not fear,” the man said softly like every breath could be his last, "for I am Siegward of Heyora. It seems we have both ended up in this rotten situation,” he let out a small chuckle, the one you let out when unwelcome news has been given and you do not know how to react. “How did you get here?” I questioned him hoping he would have an answer, but he did not. He just shrugged and let out a groan. “How come you haven't tried to get out of here?” I asked.

“There is no way out that I know,” he sighed, “I have searched for what feels like days, but I have had no hope. However, if we somehow managed to get here we must manage to get out. My time has passed though, I am not sure how long I can last. My strength is gone and my hope of somehow getting out has diminished. I do warn you though, I have heard many strange and ghastly noises down here so be careful” he let out of spluttering cough, one that sounded like it was his last. “You go on” he added “you should not waste time talking to me when you can try to escape. The way I see it, our fates appear to be intertwined”. An awkward silence polluted the air. 

“I will come back for you Siegward, I promise” I exclaimed.

“Don't worry about me, just save yourself.” He sounded tired, very tired. I am not sure how much longer he had left. I had to be quick to find an exit if I wanted to save him.

I left him, making my way through the labyrinth of tunnels that occupied this cave. I had no way of knowing where I had been and where I had not, but I had to keep going. I could feel my body shutting down increasingly each step that I took. I had to think about how to lift my leg and where I placed it on the ground beneath me. I did not have long left. However, in the distance I saw a glimmer of light. It was my escape, the escape from this hellish and this desolate situation. I walked closer and closer, and the light became brighter and brighter. Approaching the light and my body tumbled towards the ground.