"Move Ian. What are you waiting for?" I whisper shouted, only for Ian to not move an inch.
It wasn't our first time, I couldn't believe he was that scared.
"I can't. This feels wrong." Ian whispered back, voice laced with worry.
"No, you're just anxious." I said, and pushed him behind me.
Pushing each other like that wasn't too easy, considering we were kneeling down inside a narrow tunnel. But, I was sure I would find something extraordinary beyond that drab looking tunnel.
Exploring scary places wasn't my hobby for nothing.
Inching forward through the muddy water, I treaded on fearlessly. The dark tunnel seemed to be endless, and our legs had cramped from squatting for too long. On top of that, there was my partner, constantly reminding me that this was wrong.
Until.... I finally saw the end. It led to an illuminating pathway, but I wasn't sure where we were. What was this pathway? And why was it lit up?
We both crawled out of our hiding place. I trembled and struggled to stand on my feet, while Ian surveyed our surroundings. There was nothing for several metres but trees. It looked like a forest, but had a thin illuminated opening in between them. It was actually quite easy to trace the path, which might lead us to something big.
We both looked at each other, and I understood Ian's expression well. But, I caught his hand and ran towards the path, determined to find something.
The only sounds I could hear in the dark night were of our bags bouncing on our backs, and the occasional flapping of birds. We must have run through at least half of that forest, and our energy was now depleting.
Suddenly, I stopped, Ian doing the same behind me. Right in the middle of the forest, was a gigantic hut made of bricks and straws. Expensive tapestries hung from the roofs, and torches were lit everywhere. What was this place?
Before we could do anything, almost twenty men came out of that hut. Strangely enough, all of them were dressed in.... medieval clothes? They were carrying old fashioned swords and clad in leather clothes and metal helmets, they looked like fighters.
The only question was, were they real fighters, or were they just cosplaying?
"They aren't who we were expecting?" A man asked his guard. He looked like someone important.
"I'm not aware of anyone else. Are they perhaps... invaders? They look just like the other humans in these otherworldly pants and shirts."
I looked at our clothes, and then theirs, and understood the problem. That was when I realized we made a big mistake.
The men slowly started to circle around us, and running was impossible. Ian quickly moved and removed a flask from his bag, handing another one to me. This would help us just a little. We stood with our backs to each other, and I whispered.
"Good luck."
Then, I charged. A man came at me with his long sword, flying over me. I quickly opened my flask and poured hot water over his face. He cried out, clutching his burning skin while I smacked his head with the metal bottle. Snatching his sword, I ran towards the second one, and our swords clashed heavily.
The sound of metal clinging resonated in the air, and I realised I couldn't handle a sword. Instead, I picked the sword with both hands, which required more balance. Using one of the pillars which held a torch as support, I flew over my opponent, and struck his back in a deadly blow.
Blood sprayed from his back, while the torch fell and fire started to spread everywhere. I ignored it and charged towards the next one, discreetly keeping an eye on Ian. He seemed to be doing worse than me, and already took a few cuts. I cursed and charged again, slashing his arm and cheek. With one last cut to his leg, I ran towards Ian.
"I'll handle them, bring me the perfume from my bag." I ordered Ian while striking another man.
We were heavily outnumbered, and this was our last chance. While I was distracted, someone knocked the sword out of my hand. Backing up against a pillar, I watched as he lifted his sword to strike me. I quickly moved and pushed the pillar with all my might. The pillar fell on top of the man, more fire spreading on the grassy ground.
Another one came flying at me, and I kicked him away, punching the tenth man in the face. At last, Ian broke the perfume bottle and flames rose towards the sky, gulping all of the men in flames.
Another blast sounded through the air, but we were long gone, safe in the forest.
