A Stroll Around the World

8. Demons can Appear Anywhere

It was exam week last week so I couldn't upload. Well, here's a double chapter for you guys! ^^

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Guang ran for his life.

The sound of monstrous footsteps running behind him was clear.  Smack. It wasn't wearing any shoes, but it sounded as if it was. The skin on its feet was so thick Guang was certain hitting the floor didn't even hurt.

 Crash. Lunge. He felt the distance between them lengthen a little, but then panicked as, well, it wasn't. He was getting tired. He was slowing down.

Please, monster, slow down, please... he prayed, but it seemed to have no effect. He didn't dare look back, but he was sure it was there. The ruckus it made was unimaginable, and with it's several wolf heads and human bodies at least five times bigger than him, taller than him, he was pretty sure it had the ability to kill him easily.

"Squeak!"

"Not... now..." Guang shut up. He couldn't afford to speak. Every single breath was important. Ariel didn't seem alarmed. She didn't even scurry away. Or Guang thought it was a 'she'. He wasn't sure.

The monster's breath swept past his ears.

Who cared, 'he or she'! Guang mentally screamed. He was going to die. And the dungeon was so damned long...

Guang dived forward, hurling himself onto the boss room gates. The monster screeched. The doors were closing. Guang closed his eyes, praying he'll make it. He would make it.

Or he could be stuck between the two gates. Maybe they would crush him.

He shuddered at the very thought. Think positive, think positive...

He was going to die, he was going to die...

He wasn't going to make it.

Then it happened. He felt one of the monster's long talons screech against his skin. Guang cried out. The talon dug into his skin and left a long, painful, bloody gash on his back.

The pressure from his back sent him flying, almost unconscious, between the thin gap of the gates. He pressed his teeth together firmly to stop himself from fainting, but it was easier said than done. His lips tasted of metal.

The monster's claws had been painful, so painful Guang couldn't even properly speak. He moaned in pain. His head was spinning, and he closed his eyes. His hands were bloody.

He made it. His back hurt like crazy, but Guang made himself pretend it wasn't there. The pain wasn't there. The doors closed firmly behind him. Guang let out a sigh.

The monster's footsteps quietened. He was safe. He very guardedly gazed at the wooden doors but they didn't open, sturdily locking the giant beast in place.

He guessed it had been a 'knock-back' skill or something. Real life physics didn't work like that. At least it saved his life.

The cave walls shuddered and moved, but Guang felt a lot safer.

Until he turned around.

Dozens of tiny monster eyes stared back. He felt as if he could faint. Blood rushed to his forehead. And they attacked.

Guang dived to the ground, submerging himself in the countless monster carcasses around him. Every single spike, claw, stiff hair on a corpse dug into his already injured back, making him want to scream.

The monsters pawing at him made it worse. They added pressure onto his back. He wished they would just leave him alone.

It took some while before the monsters, disgusted with the scent of rotting meat of their own, left him to his own devices. Guang was left panting, wishing for some clean cloth for his back or something. He had an uneasy feeling. He wasn't sure if it was safe to be stuck in corpses with a half-broken back, but he felt it was at least safer than letting countless monsters chew at him.