The Sacred Possession

Shanti slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus on her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the pile of debris on top of her, which she quickly pushed off. As she sat up, a sharp pain throbbed in her head, causing her to instinctively touch it. "Where am I?" she exclaimed, her voice echoing in the empty space.

As she surveyed her surroundings, she noticed a faint glow coming from a torch mounted on the tunnel wall. It was almost as if it was waiting for her arrival. However, her relief was short-lived as she suddenly heard noises and crackling sounds coming from the tunnel. "Oh Jeez..." Shanti whined, feeling a sense of dread.

As the noises grew louder, she slowly stood up and turned around, only to be met with a sight that sent shivers down her spine. Thousands of skeletons, eerily lit in a green hue, were lined up behind her. Shanti took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. She took a step forward, then another, with each step producing a loud thudding sound.

Just then, rats started running towards her, causing her to jump over them in disgust. She quickly regained her composure and focused on the torch, which she knew was her only source of light. She took it off the wall and held it tightly in her hand, determined to move forward into the tunnel, despite the ominous signs.

As Shanti made her way through the tunnel, she could hear a loud snorting sound emanating from the direction of a ladder. As she approached the ladder, she realized that the snorting was actually a drunk man's snores.

Putting her hands on the ladder, Shanti looked up at the trapdoor and began to climb. However, when she tried to push the trapdoor lightly, she found that the drunk man was lying on top of it as if he were guarding it. Shanti knew what she had to do. With a quick and powerful movement, she punched upwards with a sonic boom, sending the drunk man flying. The man was so intoxicated that he didn't even wake up as he landed on the ground with a thud.

Shanti then jumped out of the rat hole and tumbled to the ground. She looked back at the drunk man, who was still sleeping soundly, completely unaware of what had just happened.

Without wasting any time, Shanti proceeded forward, passing through an alley. As she ran, she suddenly collided with a passing warden. Shanti quickly turned around and started scrambling away, but the warden shouted after her, "Hey, come back!"

As Shanti ran through the dark and deserted streets, she could hear the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. She knew she had to find a place to hide and fast. Suddenly, she saw a flickering light up ahead and recognized it as a tavern. Without hesitation, she rushed towards it and pushed open the batwing door with her shoulder. As she stumbled inside, the door swung back and hit the warden chasing her, knocking him to the ground.

Once inside the tavern, Shanti's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and she saw that the place was packed with drunk vampires. She quickly scanned the room and noticed the bar counter. As she made her way towards it, the bartender immediately recognized her.

"Shanti!? What are you doing here?" he asked with concern.

Shanti put a finger to her lips, signaling the bartender to be quiet. She then jumped over the counter and ran into the back room, hoping to find a place to hide.

Moments later, several wardens barged into the tavern through the batwing door, their eyes scanning the room for any sign of Shanti.

"Bartender! Did you see a child running in here?!" one of the wardens shouted.

The drunken vampires screeched, their eyes wide with fear, and refused to move.

"Silence! Damn you!" another warden yelled.

The bartender, who had been wiping glasses with a smile on his face, turned to face the wardens.

"You are the bartender, right?" one of the wardens asked.

The bartender's response was a mix of surprise and curiosity as he asked, "It would seem so. Tell me, what made you barge into my establishment, gentlemen?" His tone was calm and composed, but his eyes betrayed his curiosity as he continued to wipe the glasses with a clean towel. The dimly lit ambiance of the bar added an air of mystery to the scene as the patrons sat quietly frozen in place, drinking their beverages and observing the conversation. The atmosphere seemed to be charged with tension as the two gentlemen faced the bartender, waiting for his response...

suddenly an armored warden slightly kicked the batwing door to enter and replied the bartender, not letting the others who were angered answer.

The armored warden approached the bartender with an air of urgency. "We saw a young girl bashing in here, by chance do you know the way she went?" he asked with concern. The bartender, busy with his work, looked up at the warden with a blank expression and replied, "Haven't seen her I'm afraid, I wish you good luck on your search."

The warden's tone changed as he grew impatient, "Listen here, Leviot, I have no intention of playing your games, a wanted girl was running past here." He took off his helmet, revealing his face and identity.

The bartender's eyes widened as he recognized the warden, "Warden Liam!? Ha-ha! It's been a long time!" he exclaimed with a smile. "Would you gentlemen want a taste of my recent blood mix of beverage?"

Liam smiled back at the bartender, "Naturally, I couldn't bear to refuse a drink from the royal guard." He bowed respectfully, and the crowd cheered as the wardens and the bartender began chugging their beverages.

"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" The crowd roared with encouragement, and the wardens obliged, chugging their drinks with gusto. The tension from the earlier conversation dissipated, and the atmosphere became convivial as the patrons of the bar joined in the revelry.

However, one of the wardens wasn't up to drink and decided to look towards the backroom.

As Shanti looked around in the back room, her eyes caught sight of an umbrella resting on a small table nearby. However, before she could make her move, the warden pushed aside the curtain entrance, drawing her attention away from the umbrella. At that moment, Shanti quickly grabbed the umbrella and decided to make a run for it, thinking it could come in handy later. She exited the establishment, hoping that the warden wouldn't notice her. But as luck would have it, the warden saw the door close behind her and decided to follow.

Shanti immediately broke into a run, zigzagging through the streets and alleys, trying to create as much distance as possible between herself and the warden. However, as she turned a corner, she found herself in a narrow alleyway with no escape route. The warden was close behind her, and the distance between them was rapidly decreasing. Shanti's heart raced as she ran as fast as she could, her feet pounding the pavement with each step. She knew that she had to think quickly before the warden caught up to her. As she reached the end of the alleyway, she realized that she had reached a dead end. There was nowhere to run, and she was trapped.

Shanti turned around hesitantly, realizing that the warden had caught up with her and was now standing right in front of her. As the warden began to approach her, Shanti's grip on the umbrella tightened, and she felt an uneasy sensation in her stomach. Suddenly, she started laughing uncontrollably, feeling both dizzy and alive at the same time. The warden was puzzled by her behavior, unsure of what was happening. Just as the confusion was setting in, the umbrella suddenly opened, and with a sonic boom, it swiftly sliced the warden into tiny bits.

Shanti was holding onto her umbrella tightly as she stood in the deserted street. Suddenly, she stumbled and lost her grip on the umbrella, causing it to drop to the ground. As she tried to catch her breath, she fell to her knees, gasping for air and coughing up blood. Amid her struggle, she heard a faint voice saying, "Good job, you did well," and then the umbrella disintegrated into a pile of dust.

Shanti was feeling weak and helpless when she suddenly noticed a lady running towards her from a distance. The lady was dressed in a beautiful dress and seemed to be hurrying to Shanti's aid. As the lady reached her, Shanti felt a sense of relief wash over her. However, before she could say anything, Shanti passed out.

The lady who offered help quickly realized the gravity of the situation and called for assistance, shouting "Someone Help! Please Help!" She looked around frantically, hoping someone would come to their aid.

Meanwhile, at the nearby tavern, Leviot had been trying to distract the wardens. He had successfully made them drunk and was about to sneak out when he heard a desperate calling for aid from his wife. He quickly rushed out from the back to the sight of Shanti lying on the ground, unconscious. With a sense of urgency, he made his way towards her to see if he could help in any way.

Leviot had just arrived at the location when he was greeted by his wife concerned for Shanti's well-being.

"Thank god you've come, Shanti passed out cold!" - said Antia, visibly worried.

Leviot quickly kneeled beside Shanti, trying to assess her condition. "Antia, what happened?" - he asked.

"I don't know, I just arrived. But she needs treatment. We need to bring her back to our house" - answered Antia, her voice trembling.

"Certainly" - exclaimed Leviot while casting his vision magic to look at the health status of Shanti. He could see that she was in critical condition and needed immediate medical attention.

Without wasting any time, Leviot picked Shanti up and started carrying her home. 

But as they made their way through the dark alleyways, a shadowy figure began to emerge from the darkness, lurking in the shadows. Leviot could sense that something was wrong and quickly put up a shield around them. 

As they watched in awe, the mysterious shadow figure underwent a breathtaking transformation. In mere moments, he morphed into a fully armored knight, complete with a shining metal breastplate, a smile, and a glittering sword at his side. Without so much as a glance back, the knight strode away from them, his figure gradually diminishing into the distance until he was no longer visible to their eyes. The sight left them spellbound, unable to fathom the true nature of the enigmatic knight's identity and purpose.