《Tales From The White Gold Desert》Chapter 25
Advertisement
Ben kneeled by the torch, hands around it, trying to coax some life into it. His hands felt stiff in the iron cuffs. He could have asked Pritchett to use the sword and break the chain but swinging a sword in the dark would more likely end with Ben missing an arm instead of cuffs. Plus, all the noise might attract undue attention.
"That's not going to work," said Pritchett, standing by, arms wrapped around himself, shivering in the cold night. "Also I question the intelligence of lighting a fire while we're hiding."
"There's a risk to anything," said Ben. "Without light, we don't know where we're going and we're freezing. On the other hand, with it, we might get seen. Anyway, it doesn't matter, if they found out I escaped, they would have sounded an alarm by now."
"Plus, you can't light that thing. Forget it, let's just go."
"Yeah, alright." Ben picked up the torch and shoved it in his belt. They had decided to split the guard's weapons, with Ben getting the sword, due to inexperience with firearms. It didn't feel fair as he could hardly swing anything, manacles greatly inhibiting his movement. As for the guard, they ripped up a sleeve of the man's jacket, tied his hands behind his back, gagged him, and dumped him behind the nearest tree. It turned out more complicated than it seemed, operating almost blind in the dark.
"I still think we should've slit his throat," said Pritchett. "He might wake up and give the alarm."
"He might wake up and wiggle about until morning when there's a change of guard," said Ben. "Let's not take life when we don't have to."
"You are the worst soldier," Pritchett whispered. "And no more talk, I don't want to go get found out."
Although agreeing with that sentiment, Ben felt wrong for not vocalizing a retort. "I got threatened with death if I didn't join your little merry band."
On they went, stumbling through the dark, feeling their way around the trees, always alert at the sound of animals or mistakingly stepping over some mercenary in their sleeping bag. Mostly, they tripped over the tree roots and clumps of grass.
Advertisement
When they heard voices or any noise, they lay flat on the ground and waited for the peril to pass. They spent hours doing this, hearts pounding rapidly in their chests, awaiting capture with any second that passed.
By Ben's estimation, they must have been kept on the outskirts of the compound. While they may not be making very good progress, having to drop and hide every few feet, they should have been in the clear by now.
Although Pritchett was not complaining, Ben knew he had to be suffering from a lack of water and food just as he was. They had to escape soon. It was a small miracle that the alarm had not been sounded by now. And with that cursed thought, a trumpet blew in the distance behind them.
Just then, they noticed lights breaking the dark ahead of them. Pritchett's first instinct was to run westward, or since it was the middle of the night, where he thought west lay, but Ben grabbed him and dragged him down.
"You want to just lay down and die, Everett? Let me go." Pritchett spat out.
"Calm down," said Ben, a phrase infamous for inducing rage. "Look at the light ahead of us. That's not fire. It's much too strong, much too sharp. It's something else."
"Maybe it's lamplight," said Pritchett.
"I don't think so," Ben responded, pulling up the sleeves on his jacket, to show the blue writing glowing, with the wrapping twisting softly around his arms. "It's gotta be related. They only started doing anything major after we fought that monster hound. Only after I got that golden liquid thing on my arms when I stabbed it. And it's now reacting to whatever's ahead. I think it's a sign."
"I don't believe in signs and I hate magic. I'd rather make it on my own," said Pritchett but at that moment, the trumpets blasted again much closer this time, the sound bouncing on the trees, scaring the birds from their nighttime sleep. Accompanied by the flapping of winds and the annoyed screeches of birds, Pritchett grimaced and looked at Ben, nodding. "Might as well."
Advertisement
They followed the light, which turned out to be a bright yellow rune etched into the ground. It flashed, accompanied by a buzzing noise with each flash.
Barks and shouts were heard in the vicinity. The two men looked at each other, lit only the strange magical rune.
"I told you, magic is the worst," said Pritchett.
"Shut up and help me dig," said Ben, getting on the ground and clawing at the rune. "Look, it's giving way."
"You're just spreading dirt. We're going to die and you're spreading dirt around." Pritchett pointed the pistol every which way, the howling of the dogs and the shouts coming from everywhere around them. He stepped out of the small patch of light to get his eyes readjusted to the dark.
Closer and closer, Pritchett could now see them, shapes moving in the dark, their little blue eyes staring straight at him as they went. Next, he saw the torches and lamps of the mercenaries and he knew the game was up. Rifles boomed and he fell to the ground, praying that none of the bullets found him. They broke and scatted the ground around him.
Ben saw how close to death they were and began digging faster, the now broken rune flashing steadily, almost in a mocking manner. Ben stood and began kicking at the rune, yelling and cursing the magical writing.
"Waste of damn time," he said, emphasizing each kick with each word. "Come on, do something you blinking asshole. Do something, Pritchett, shoot back!" But Pritchett was on his back, eyes closed and hands covering his ears. Ben could hear him praying to his strange gods.
The dogs moved so fast it looked as if they flew above the ground, legs working like pistons in their efficiency. Ben's cuffed hands made it hard to be much help, but he grabbed Pritchett by an elbow and began dragging him away, seeing the furious wave of fangs and claws, and knowing the carnage that would follow. They were not far, now, not far at all, but Ben would try until his time was up.
With mere seconds to spare, Ben felt something had shifted. He looked around, desperate for salvation, and then he saw it.
The rune had stopped blinking but was now emanating a strong beam of light, running up into the heavens, or more accurately, a bit above the tree line. The ground itself began to dissolve around the magic writing, twisting and shifting into a spiral, defending the two men from their attackers. Then, with a sudden violent crack, the earth broke, and they fell through.
They fell down a slide of some sort, smooth enough to not harm them as they sped down towards an unknown purpose. Ben landed in a heap, with Pritchett not far behind. Again, the blinking rune appeared, this time splayed over an ashen grey stone door. The buzzing noise it made each time it appeared began to make Ben's ears ring.
Ben stood up, not wasting time, not knowing if his pursuers were only moments away, about to land on his head as they slid down. He stumbled and pressed his hand against the rune.
The door began to shake, the rune melting off its surface and dripping onto the floor, where it began to contort. It rolled into itself, growing pincers and a small outer shell, eventually shedding the golden color and taking the shape of a fiery red crab.
Ben stared at this display, flabbergasted. The door opened and the little crab ran through it, chattering as it went.
Without hesitation, Ben followed it, stepping across the threshold.
Advertisement
- In Serial429 Chapters
A New World, an immersive game experience
A full dive VR game has been released, A New World. While it is not the only VR game in the world, this one has one advantage over others. Being able to play it even while sleeping.
8 1140 - In Serial6 Chapters
STAR WARS: THE TRANSMIGRATOR
Suddenly finding himself In a unknow place, he discovered that he is now living in the universe of Star Wars, thankfully the gods decided to help him by giving him a System and using it to the best of his abilities, he will one day stand at the peak, with power comparable to if not greater than that of those beings he always admired on the Star Wars legends! Accompany the adventure of Garrod Seafair as he travels the galaxy and makes his way through all the mess the Jedi caused over the course of the years! -------------------------------------------------- This is a just for fun project that I'm doing to pass some time, I was inspired to do it after reading a really good fanfiction that someone started to write in another platform, I basically used his same idea of initial settings, that being the Jedi temple, and I used part of his System but with some modifications. Read his fanfiction as well if you can, its name is "Force user supplementary system", he published it in webnovel. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
8 175 - In Serial7 Chapters
Hell University: A Devilish LitRPG
As if being murdered in the bathroom at work isn’t bad enough, Emma Goodworth wakes up in the only place arguably worse than her corporate office job: Hell itself.Join Emma as she faces off against nightmarish beasts, ascends ranks, mingles with the crime underworld, plays politics with the Council, keeps up with her studies, and learns more about the complicated and impossible history of Aporia and her strange powers as she fights her way to the throne of Hell.Updated (most) Tuesdays and Fridays.
8 127 - In Serial29 Chapters
Knight-Merchant: Reincarnated into a Fantasy World. (LitRPG)
Reincarnated into a fantasy world, Jeremiah, an old soldier turned successful engineer of a futuristic universe, must become something he never was and live another life in the strange world of Arden. LitRPG. Full Blurb: Dying while trying to save a young girl's life during a store robbery, Jeremiah, a middle-aged former soldier who fought hard to find peace and happiness in the wake of the aftermath of a bloody and universal-scale war, finds himself the victim of a suspect paperwork mix up in the afterlife. Told that he won't be able to be reunited with his wife and daughters even after death, at least until the issue is resolved, he is given the chance to enter the litRPG world of Arden to pass his time. Having found solace in the full-dive reality games of the future, Jeremiah reluctantly agrees, but he soon finds that this world is no game. Born with a low Luck stat, our hero is thrust into the middle of the reality spanning machinations of an outer god-like entity known only as The Corruptor. As the bleak truth of the new and harsh world sets in, he will have to fight for every inch of ground he's given, but if there's one thing an old soldier knows how to do... it's to close with and destroy the enemy. Determined to find the same peace he once did in his birth universe, Jeremiah and his family, both newly given as he's born into Arden and freely chosen as he fights his way through it, will struggle against dragons, demons, and Fate herself--along with much worse entities--to claim a lasting happiness of their own.
8 245 - In Serial50 Chapters
Unforgivable ✔️
Sage has been haunted by her past for years. She has been able to run away from it for a long time but not anymore. When Sage crosses Night Shade's territory there is no getting out of it. The one thing Sage fears is being taken back to confront her past. What Sage didn't expect was finding her mate, the Alpha of Night Shade. Shayne is connected to Sage's past and she'll soon find out exactly how. Sage will cause ties to be broken between families, and fights that will end any truce between two strong packs.
8 132 - In Serial9 Chapters
Whodunnit? A Manor Of Mystery
13 everyday guests checked into Rue Manor. They, however, were not informed they would be playing a game of life and death. The twist! The killer is among them! Each day they will solve a murder, and each day another one of the guests die. Bringing each resident closer to the 1,000,000 dollar prize!
8 247