Chapter 7: The Common Theme of Disaster (3).

The sound of moist earth crunching under his feet brought him out of his reverie.

’Oh… That’s right.’

He looked up towards the sky. The leaves blocked the heavens, so his eyes couldn’t gaze upon them. In turn, the evil in those skies couldn’t see him either. The Grey Crows didn’t have the best of eyesight.

However, none of that was at the forefront of his mind.

He had run.

With his dying breath, Peter had told him to run.

Although he always tried to seem positive, Declan had told him to run as well.

He had known him for some time so regardless of the show he always tried to put on, he could tell that Declan was tired.

Tired of living in this dark, wicked world.

His mother had died a few years back. Only bits and pieces of her were found on the outskirts of town.

Things like that happened all the time.

The whispers of the mad spirits lurking in the shadows beckon the unassuming into their only depths.

There, they would be torn apart and devoured by these malevolent creatures that had existed for as long as the earth was old.

Nero sighed.

With every step he took, the smell of the humid morning air vanished and was replaced with a subtle breeze laced with a sweet, metallic fragrance.

It was blood.

He unwittingly hastened his steps.

’I’m running.’

Indeed. He was running.

He had to run.

Otherwise, it would all be for nothing.

’I can’t die.’

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. He drew his blade and pointed it at his throat.

His eyes were red and widened in rage.

Rage at everything. Rage at everyone. At himself in particular.

“Damn it all.” He hissed through gritted teeth.

The tip of the blade but into his skin, drawing a fresh line of red that dripped down and into his undergarment.

However, that was all the attempt ever amounted to.

Wiping the tears off his eyes, he breathed out a deep sigh and then sheathed his blade.

Once he was done, he broke into a light jog.

***

Nero was deeply pragmatic in nature.

He saw things as they were and didn’t care for deluding himself. Such things could waste precious time.

Although he was put off by the most recent events, it wasn’t going to change who he was.

He had already begun planning a course of action.

’It’s a good thing my house is located rather far away from the town proper. I have maybe a few minutes to run.’

The sight of his weathered old door let the tension brewing in his chest ease up a bit.

He rushed past the door and began packing the essentials.

Flipping his bed over, he pulled out a small satchel containing a few bronze and silver coins. He recklessly threw it onto the table and reached even deeper. There, a small hidden stash was revealed;

A portion of cured, dried meats, as well as a pound of dried poor man’s bread.

Nero didn’t hesitate to pack them all.

They were going to be essential for his survival after all.

Laying all he had gathered on the table, he took another glance at the items.

Besides his weapon and armor which were already on him, he had gathered a few clothes, the rations he had kept up until now, the satchel with coins, and of course, the old, worn book given to him by his mother.

Nero’s gaze held onto the book for a moment.

’Should I get rid of it?’

He paused.

Then he shook his head.

He stuffed the book into the satchel with the coins.

After neatly packing all the other items together in a larger cloth, he tied it up and sling it across his shoulder and began walking for the door.

Before he pushed it open, he froze.

The Town of Gor was rather far from the capital, as it was at the very edge of the Empire. To reach the next town, he would have to traverse through kilometers of wilderness.

In the past, travel between towns were organized by Peter and the Priest. The ores that were mined and the locally produced goods that were sold by merchants had to be protected as tmthe wilderness was infested with Abominations.

’To get to the capital, ’ll have to reach the next town first. And even then, it might not be there when I arrive.’

Nero shivered. Something told him the disaster unfolding in the Town of Gor was not limited to just the town.

He sucked in a deep breath,

’I can worry about that later. For now, I just need to get to safety. Maybe then, I can plan the next move.’

He slowly pushed open his door.

He froze.

True terror had a flavor that far exceeds what a human can truly understand. Nero dropped the items he held and unsheathed his sword.

Standing right in front of him, was the thing that had killed Peter.

From the edge of its curved bill, he could see something hanging.

It was something familiar.

With a face pale and devoid of color, he could still make out the familiar features as well as the distinct hair color.

The reality of their world was death.

Nero knew that leaving Declan there meant he was going to die. But he had not expected that the creature would walk up to him and dangle its catch right in his face.

Nero’s eyes narrowed. His thoughts became frigid and frightening.

Right now, the only thought in his mind, was how he was going to kill this abominable wretch!

Even though it had killed Peter. Even though Declan hung from its jaws.

He didn’t care about that anymore.

All he wanted was to tear the damned thing apart!

A guttural scream tore through his throat as he charged forward.

’A straight pierce through the throat will kill it.’ His eyes were wide open and his mind was so focused, his surroundings seemed to slow down.

The four-winged abomination lunged at him, raking at his torso with its wicked claws.

Nero bent his body and relaxed the tension in his muscles.

His body contracted as he placed his sword to the side, allowing the blow to glance right off.

With just that move, he had shifted right into the space of the damned thing.

His eyes widened.

The tip of his blade was just inches away.

If he could just—

Nero felt all the wind in his lungs, and all the power he had gathered up vanish in an instant.

There was a sickening crunch. Several bones of his were shattered as he was sent flying through the sky.

Blood pouring from his parted lips as he drew a bloody line through the sky, Nero couldn’t help but feel unresigned.

He was not even given a chance.

The pain didn’t persist long.

The feeling the wind gushing past his ears seemed to fade away as well.

As his sight vanished, he gazed into the sky once last time.

’If there is a god…’

He fell back towards the earth.

’I hope you are taking a real good look at this.’

SPLASH!

His body fell right into the lake with a loud splash.

Silence…

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