The Venerate Order

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Strafe

When I awakened I was coughing up water.

It was as if falling through that puddle was entering some kind of portal. The cool sword I had was gone, along with the tattoos and red hair. Looking around I was wrapped in curiosity about this underground cave into which I'd washed up. It smelled like freshwater and mint and the walls glimmered in various hues of blue. Am I in New Santa Barbara? I stood at the mouth of the cave, with my feet in the turquoise water and my upper body lying on rocks. I coughed up what felt like a whole river of water, and grabbed my chest in pain.

I couldn't see much in front of me but reflected light from the waterhole illuminated much of the cave. I stood up and noticed that my left leg was pretty bruised up, and it hurt to stand. The side of my head that hit the jagged rock still ached too, oddly like it did on the battlefield. Other than that, I was completely okay. I thought about swimming back down the hole but didn't want to risk it with my bad leg. The mouth of the cave was small, with the ceiling reaching only about 15 feet. There was a thin tunnel that diverged from the water hole. I remember thinking, what the heck? Even with my wounds, I decided to walk. I knew I couldn't stay there. I would die if I did.

I could faintly hear the sound of wind blowing, so there had to be a way back to the surface. I pulled out a solar cell from my belt that I'd planned to use to signal to Yessa and Gain that I had made it across the canyon safely. Miraculously, it was intact and still had power. Before I attempted to contact them, I was distracted by strange markings I noticed on the cave walls.

There were lots of lines and swirling curves, like the ones that had been on my arms on the battlefield. I began to make my way in the direction I sensed was the way out. As I passed by, the lines would start to glow and shimmer. There were drawings of figures that looked like the creatures we were fighting on the battlefield. My light only illuminated about ten feet in front of me, so I took my time. Who knew what might be down here.

Soon, the cave opened out into what appeared to be a large cavern. There was a small, yet brilliant beam of light pouring down from the ceiling in the center, helping to illuminate the place. I put away the solar cell and looked around. This cavern looked like it could've been a tomb. The floor was decorated in gold, with accents of blue. There were incredible decorations of warriors everywhere. Upon further inspection, they looked exactly like the soldiers I was leading in that battle!

"The hell?!" I said aloud, which echoed.

The area was as wide as it was tall, maybe about three-stories. There were obvious signs of human presence, broken furniture and other debris. I saw there were intact torches on the walls with wrappings still on them. I got out my flint. I didn't even have to hit it twice before the torch lit up like the sun. When I did this, all of the other torches on the walls lit up as well, like nothing I'd ever seen before. The sight took my breath away. The room was now completely illuminated and on the other side was a wall decorated with many beautiful statues.

The cavern's walls had a golden color that was beginning to flake. Lying straight ahead of me, though, was a grand insignia behind the statues, with an ancient text like the symbols that adorned my skin when I was on the battlefield. Of all the statues, there was one statue that stood out and I made my way towards it.

The statues looked like ancient armored knights, all holding unique weapons I had never seen before. The statues were carved in a marble-like stone and the detail surpassed anything I had ever seen when I studied art in college.

The statue that stood out to me didn't carry a weapon or have extravagant armor. This statue was kneeling down with its hands out, almost as if offering what it was holding. As I got closer I could see what appeared to be a handle that was surrounded by the same marble as the statues. This looks like the weapon I was using on the battlefield...