Civilization

"GET UP! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN REST?!" - ???

"I THOUGHT YOU WANT TO BECOME STRONGER?" - ???

"I guess you were wrong." - ???

"NO! He has it in him." - ???

A thick warm liquid fills my mouth. Coughing, clutching my stomach, I roll to the side, letting it droll out of my mouth. I feel the ground rocking side to side. My bones scrape against each other as I try to move them, the rattling sound echoes in my head.

I try to lift my body up, pushing off the ground with my hand, but I feel weaker than a goblin. Flopping back down onto my chest with dirt entering my mouth, I violently cough sending waves of pain throughout my body. My head hurts. My chest hurts. It hurts everywhere. The world around me flashes past my hazy eyes as I feel the butt of a spear penetrate my side, lifting me up and sending me crashing into a boulder.

Rolling out of the wreckage, I see a clear blue sky above me. So bright and blue. White clouds drift along the sky wandering the world and watching over everything. However, within seconds, it all turns black.

"Why did you hit him?" - ???

"Bored. Don't worry, he will get up." - ???

"Hrmp, useless." - ???

..........

Slowly I open my eyes to a dark cylindrical room, with a single rectangular window high above, casting a ray of orange light into the middle of the room. On one side there was a brown wooden door and on the other a small bucket and stool. Wincing at the pain as I lift my upper body, I glance around. My lips were chapped, and my throat hurts as I breathe. I'm back here again…

A soft bed made up of animal skins and this white cloud-like material. I pull my legs over the bedside slowly, taking care to not hurt my body any more than it already is. I do my best to stand only for my legs to not move. Falling back down to the bed like a stone dropping into a river. Reaching out to the wall, I grab onto the protruding cold stone bricks.

Gritting my teeth, I hold onto the bricks, pulling myself towards them, slowly lifting my body up and leaning against the wall. My body shivers from the cold touch of the bricks. I pull myself across the room, following the curve until I get to the other side. My breathing becomes ragged, and I collapse on a wooden stool, placed in front of a bucket of water.

Resting my head against the wall, I roll it slowly to the side, catching a glimpse of my reflection in the wall. Cuts, scratches, and bruises litter my face. It wasn't only there though, my arms, my legs, and my whole body, were riddled with cuts and bruises.

I cup some water with my right hand and watch the clear water become murky with blood, but nonetheless, I bring that same water closer to my mouth. I let it drip in, licking at the droplets on the side of my palm before repeating the same steps again. How many times have I done this? How long have I been here?

All sense of time escapes me. Days and nights blend together. Only fighting and battles exist.

Feeling some strength recovered, I grab the side of the bucket, lifting it and dunking it over my head. The bloody water washes over me. Dropping the bucket, I lean against the wall once again, slowly pushing and pulling myself towards the bed. However, before I could even make it halfway, someone aggressively pushes open the door. It shatters against the stone wall as it flings all the way around, becoming a pile of wooden planks and splinters.

"The master wants you. Get up." - ???

I look at the guest who burst through my door and into my cozy room. A cat demi-human taller than myself by 2 or 3 heads with yellow fur and black spots all around him. Sporting a dirty shiny metal vest, with leather pants and two small daggers at his waist. Looking at me with disgust, it spits at the ground in front of me before turning around and leaving.

My eyes naturally follow the spit as it lands in the only spot that nurtured light in this room. Knowing that I would only get beat up more if I was late, I try to hurry. My left leg doesn't seem to want to move no matter how much I try to move it, instead, I drag it along the ground, pushing forward with my right leg in tow.

I scrape my left foot against the cold hard surface but do not complain about the pain. I grab onto the door frame, pulling myself forward and out of that room. Looking left and right, I only see darkness.

"Hurry up, or the master will be upset." - ???

Turning my head towards the voice, I proceed to the right. Pulling myself along the wall and creating a small trail of blood as my right arm and sides scrape against the protruding stone bricks. I follow the corridor until I reach some steps downwards, where I sit on the ground and lift my left leg on top of my right. Pushing off the ground with my hands, I was slowly moving down, I traverse the stairs until I reach the bottom.

The demi-human's cold red eyes illuminate in the darkness ahead.

"How many times do I have to say it? HURRY UP!" - ???

My voice couldn't even escape my mouth. I only nod and silently push my body faster, skipping on my right leg to move quicker. Each skip sends waves of pain throughout my body, but I don't complain. I can't. Not now, not ever. I know the consequences.

With my skipping forward, I reach a larger corridor in no time. Pillars stabilize the roof, with gargoyles sitting at the top. Their yellow eyes glare at me the moment I enter the corridor. Looking to the left, I see a large blood-red door with a golden frame. The demi-human kneels before the door and I quickly limp my body towards him, kneeling down behind.

"Master." - ???

"Open the door and leave." - ???

"Yes, master." - ???

The demi-human stands up promptly, pushing the door forward so that there was just enough space for someone to enter.

"Go inside. Do not let the master wait any longer." - ???

Leaving as quickly as he came, the demi-human disappears without a trace. I get up as quickly as I can, doing my best to not limp or show any signs of weakness. My heart pounds against my chest faster than ever before. I've seen the master twice before and each time was more terrifying than the last.

Walking past the doors, I keep my head hung low, not daring to look up. The door closes behind me with a loud bang and blue flames light up the interior. The familiar sound of crunching bones echoes in the room but all I do is stare at the blood-red stones on the ground.

"It seems you have not grown that much stronger since the last time I saw you." - ???

"I-I-I-" - ???

"SILENCE! I am speaking." - ???

I quickly close my mouth and eyes, praying that this conversation will pass by quickly.

"It seems being beaten down over and over again isn't the best way to make you grow. In fact, it seems like you have grown weaker. So, I have a new plan for you. Something is about to happen tonight. I can feel it. You will go North. There you will kill EVERYTHING you see." - ???

"Master shall I go with him?" - ???

"Yes, you need to make sure he comes back alive. The moment he taps into his true potential will be the moment I can savor his power the best." - ???

"Understood master." - ???

​ If the second person didn't speak, I wouldn't have even noticed him. My body is non-stop trembling with each time the mater speaks.

"Now, GO! BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT!" - ???

Without being able to say anything, I feel my whole body being picked up. The wind brushes through my hair but stabs into every cut on my body. I clench my fists and bite down on my lips at the pain. Lasting no more than a couple of minutes, I feel my body drop. Opening my eyes, I see the world upside down, right before I land on the ground.

Dirt enters my mouth and I cough it out, doing my best to breathe in the fresh air. I do my best to get my bearings, looking left and right but only to see grass, trees and rocks. The sun had set and night had fallen across the land.

"W-W-Where-" - ???

"Do not talk. Wait. Listen. Watch. It's about to happen." - ???

I gulp down what little saliva I had left in my mouth as I gaze into the horizon. The moment when the sun is completely below the horizon, it begins. Pillars of light bursting through the ground and shooting into the sky start appearing one by one. I fall onto the ground on my butt as I witness the rising pillars of light.

"Looks like it is your turn. What are you waiting for?" - ???

I slowly get up, putting all my weight on my right leg. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. The wind gets knocked out of me the moment I relaxed.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A PICNIC? HURRY UP!" - ???

I feel tears roll down the side of my cheek and without opening my eyes, I stand up and breathed in deeply.

"Golden Ascension." - ???