The Devils Bargain

Chapter 3

"It used to be called Forgotten Mount but that was before the forest elves close to the border declared war on all who followed Keial." She sighed as I listened quietly, following next to her.

"Of course, Keial defeated their King and ended the war, and then after that, it was called Valley of the King by the forest people, but Keial didn't allow anyone to call it that, so now that's why it's called Forgotten Valley."

"Pretty cool, right?" She grinned at me, as I laughed awkwardly, feeling heavy and murderous eyes digging a hole in my back as Gregor walked behind us.

"I forgot to ask, what is your name?" The girl looked up at me with shy eyes and a smile.

"I'm Zeri, but I suppose if I had to choose a nickname, it would be Zerina, because of how cool it sounds."

This girl... was weird, but harmless, she didn't think twice about telling me anything about herself, or the Forgotten Valley.

She even spoke so casually about someone as feared as the 'King' Keial, like she wouldn't be killed just for speaking his name as the rumors said.

"So... what's your name?" She asked again, her cheeks flushed red from the corner of my eye.

"Felix." I say, keeping my distance and watching where I walk.

"Fe...lix, Felix..." She mumbled quietly under her breath, as I noticed something stand out way ahead of me.

"Hey, Felix, is it okay if I call you-"

"Quiet!" Gregor pushed past me and stood in front of Zeri, his ax ready to swing as he held it firmly in his hands.

The forest had grown deathly silent now that Zeri had stopped talking, but it didn't last for long as a fierce snarl rang through the air, shaking the leaves on the trees around us.

"Fuck." Gregor snarled as we now noticed up ahead what the loud snarl belonged to.

It was my first time seeing one so close that I almost forgot that they were now surrounding us in numbers too great for just three people.

"Wolf, can you shift?"

I looked at him and shook my head, my throat now dry. "N-No, I didn't even smell them, I only became an outsider yesterday, I-"

"You're fucking useless to me then!" He snapped out, grabbing hold of my jacket and then throwing me in front of him.

"Die, and be useful!"

It took a second to figure out what he was doing, but when I moved to get back on my feet, I saw Gregor and Zeri run in the opposite direction of the now snarling, and hungry daywalkers.

"F-Felix!" Zeri cried out, as Gregor forcefully threw her over his shoulder and didn't look back.

He... he's sacrificing me, so he could escape?

"That... bastard." I could hardly contain my fear as I quickly got to my feet and began to run.

The shift of the forest began to change as I heard the daywalkers also begin to run after me, snarling and snapping their teeth like I was going to be the first meal they'd had in days.

I didn't stop, I didn't look back and I did not want to fight in my current condition, I knew the moment I slowed down by even the smallest bit then I'd be as good as dead, just like how Gregor wanted.

There was no way I was going to just stop and sacrifice myself for someone I just met, not when they had just left me to die at the hands of bloodthirsty daywalkers.

I didn't know where to go, Gregor and Zeri had vanished up ahead and left me completely alone to deal with seven daywalkers chasing after me, their hands outstretched and inches from grabbing hold of my backpack.

I didn't want to die... I already made up my mind that I'd do anything to survive.

I wasn't going to give up, not when I was this close to starting over.

"GET DOWN!" A deep shaking roar filled the air and shook my entire body as I saw something up ahead of me shine and come flying in my direction at such speed.

With nothing else to do, and all out of ideas to get out of being inches from death, I leaped forward and protected my head as I painfully landed on the forest bed, ready for what was to come next.

Then, a strong gust of wind and the sound of whistling blew past my ear by an inch as I kept my head down and prayed to the moon goddess to get me out of this alive.

A more strong gust of whistling winds flew past me as I kept my eyes tightly shut, with the sound of painful screeching filling the air, and the sound of heavy bodies hitting the ground around me.

Just when I thought I was going to die... I opened my eyes and then slowly lifted my head, and the first thing I saw was a dead daywalker's outreached hand inches from my face, lifeless on the ground with a silver spear sticking out of its chest.

It... it was dead.

I then looked around and saw that all seven of the day walkers were the same, with sharp, silver spears pierced perfectly in their chests, directly above their hearts, all of them completely stopped in their tracks and dead.

They were all... destroyed.

My legs were shaking, and my mind was still processing what had just happened. I didn't even notice the footsteps behind me and the arm reaching out to me as I stood and stared down at the lifeless monster's body.

I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, making me flinch and move back, then turn around to see who, or what it was.

I had no weapons on me, the only thing I had was my backpack, so, without thinking I took it from my shoulder and started to swing my backpack for protection at whoever was standing in front of me, for fear of my life.

Then, as my heart beat wildly in my chest, a hand reached out and roughly grabbed my backpack from me and then threw it to the ground, leaving me standing there, breathing heavily, and for the first time since my banishment, on the verge of crying.

"Is that any way to thank someone for saving your life?" A deep voice sends chills down my body.

I slowly look up and stare at the person in front of me and then I freeze once I lock eyes with him, his bright and intimidating eyes that radiated power and authority, like nothing I had ever felt before.

I knew the moment I stared into those eyes that I had to tread carefully, because, for the first time in my life, I felt like the next worth that came out of my mouth would determine my fate.

Yet, there was something more that had bothered me for a while now, ever since Gregor knocked me over the head with an Ax.

I had to go to the toilet because I couldn't hold it in any longer, and if I did, I would never live down the embarrassment of peeing myself in front of a King.

They were words I would probably come to regret, but in that moment, I was just happy to be alive.

"S-Sorry... I just... I really need to pee."

Then, just as I expected my words did determine something, and that was a sharp knock to my head, and the last thing I saw was the eyes of King Keial standing over my body and looking down at me with disappointment as I felt something warm trail down my leg.