Freedom

The room overflows with dust, the rubble settling and giving way to silence...but it slowly starts to stir. A hand pushes through, clutching for any purchase available. Garrick pulls himself free after an exhausting effort, covered in dirt and dust. His wounds have all healed, but scars and the runes covering his body remain.

He scans the room briefly and discovers Jarathus' body crushed and splattered beneath the rocks. He drags himself across the rubble to the door, tired. He stumbles through the debris into the corridor before collapsing on the ground, gasping for air as the wind is knocked out of his lungs.

The dust obscures his vision as he leans against a nearby rock to assist him up. He moves slowly down the corridor, coughing and hacking as he inhales more and more dust.

He arrives at a staircase with two wooden doors blocking his path to freedom; a glimmer of light can be seen slipping through the crack between the doors. Garrick thrusts himself into the door without hesitation and, with a newfound vigour, uses his shoulder to force it open. Instead, he barrels straight through the doors, causing them to twist and ripple as he lands with a painful thud. Slowly turning over to his back, only to find a wall but no doors. He rises back up and presses his hand on the rough stones, but with a forceful push, his hand melds into the brick. Some type of disguise magic is utilised by Jarathus to keep his work secret.

Garrick observes his surroundings and investigates the room. A small bare room with a single bed, a small table and chair, two bookcases with a few books scattered on them, and a cupboard. The room appears to be mostly neglected, with cobwebs and dust that covers the furniture. Garrick lays down briefly to rest, the straw bed feeling like heaven. His eyes gently close as he drifts off to sleep.

His eyes pop open as he launches himself upright in bed, sweat pouring down his brow and his hands quivering.

Garrick takes a long breath and steadies his hands before peering out the window beside the bed and noticing it's dark outside.

"Shit, I fell asleep. I can't waste time out here; I need to hurry back to civilisation, where it's safe."

His stomach grumbles and groans, pleading for food.

"Ain't gonna make it anywhere unless I find some food first."

Garrick pushes himself to his feet and walks to the entrance. He carefully opens it and peeks out. Garrick barely makes out the famed red leaves of the Redwood Forest through the darkness.

"Redwood Forest..." I'm still close to Darow village, then. It can't be more than a few day's travel, depending on where I am."

He returns inside and shuts the door. Another wave of hunger hits him as he clutches his stomach in pain. The pain subsides after a few moments. Garrick returns his gaze to the false wall that led to the collapsed dungeon.

"That old bastard was bringing me food; if he didn't keep it up here, then it must be back down there somewhere if it's not buried under all that rubble. I might even be able to find my gear instead of using these rags if I'm lucky." Garrick says, determined.

Garrick walks towards the wall, and as he prepares to step through it, he feels an overwhelming sensation of dread, his hands trembling again, his heart pounding so hard it feels like it'll rip through.

"Just move; there's no one alive down there!" he angrily thinks.

His legs were immobilised. Realising he hasn't taken a breath since frozen with fear, he steps back and swallows in the air while crouching to his knees.

"Shit...If I can't go down there, I'll have to go out in the forest. It's better to get out of here anyway.

Garrick gathers himself and then leaves the fragile safety of the small cottage for the dark forest.

The forest lies silent, which puts Garrick in great unease, heightening his senses.

"Far too quiet out here; better stick to the bushes." He thinks to himself

Garrick skulks and shifts his way through the forest, discovering little amounts of edible berries of various colours that help stave off hunger as he goes.

The commotion of the night-time forest gradually returns as he keeps travelling south. Scurrying woodland floor critters, hooting and flapping of wings in the trees above.

Garrick notices a faint light in the distance with a cloud of smoke rising after passing through a thicket.

"Please be friendly." Garrick practically pleaded.

He moves closer toward the light and starts to make out the features of the campers. Three filthy, rough-looking individuals surround the fire.

"They appear hostile, but they could be friendly," he thinks, hopeful.

One of the men sloppily tears into a chunk of chicken from the fire, spit dripping down his cheeks. He has a broad face and an unkempt beard with pieces of chicken scattered around his mouth from his messy eating.

"Messy eaters, but that's not bad; I'd probably be worse than them in my current state," he remarks, still hopeful.

Another man seated by the fire kicks something.

"Good food you were cooking here. glad we could help you eat it." The man says with a cackle.

Garrick adjusts his gaze and notices a small hog-tied gnome on the ground close to the man.

"Shit, I just can't catch a break. I better get out of here while I can." Garrick mumbles to himself dejectedly.

The Gnome notices Garrick in the bushes, and their gazes lock—wide-eyed, Garrick darts behind the bush. The Gnome attempts to move frantically, but the nearby man kicks him.

"I thought we told you to stop moving already, gnome." "Don't have me hurt you."

Garrick's runes glow brightly on his body, illuminating him, and the thugs notice.

"What in the hell is that light?" the man yells angrily.

Garrick tries his best to cover the runes but to no avail.

"Of-fucking-course! Why do I expect anything different!" Garrick growls to himself

"These fucking runes, this fucking life!!" What did I do to deserve this?!?" Loudly shouting at this point, as if there weren't three violent thugs sitting ten feet away.

The thugs rise to their feet, swords drawn, and approach Garrick.

"Whoever is hiding behind that bush, you'd better come out now, or we'll have to get a little violent, which no one wants." A thug declares smugly.

Garrick's face turned red with rage, his hands clenched tight, the runes pulsating blue.

He screams, "Give me a fucking break!"

Garrick emits a thunderous shock wave; the thugs' bodies are hurled through the air, the sound of shattering bones as they smash against the trees, and their screams echo out over the once-quiet forest.

Garrick's body was arcing with electricity, and the top layers of skin on his back and arms were falling off. He remains silent for a few moments until the pain strikes, and he yelps in agony before gritting his teeth and bearing the pain. He struggles to his feet, then turns around, the vegetation that had before concealed him utterly gone.

Garrick makes his way towards the camp, picking up a sword dropped by one of the thugs and approaching them one by one. They scream as they clutch their bleeding eyes and ears.

"Balrin! I can't see or hear anything! Help, Balrin!" One thug cries.

Garrick places the hilt against his chest and the point against the thug, then pushes down; tired, he pulls the blade back out and kills the other two thugs.

He walks over to the Gnome, who essentially went unscathed, being further from the initial impact and kneeling beside him. He severs the rope that binds the Gnome before dropping the blade and collapsing, his body trembling from the shock setting in.

The Gnome stands up, concerned, and shakes his head slightly. He dashes inside a nearby tent, pulls out a box, opens it, and sets it next to Garrick.

"I'm not sure who you are, but thank you for saving me; now allow me to return the favour. Those are some nasty burns you got. Now, this will hurt a lot; it's alcohol to disinfect the wound," The Gnome worriedly says as he takes out a bottle and removes the cork.

"It-s f-f-f-f-i-i--" Garrick tries to say but fails terribly as his body goes through shock.

"I understand, you don't have to worry," the Gnome says.

The Gnome splashes some of the alcohol onto Garrick's wounds. He sways slightly as the Gnome tries to say something to him but cannot hear the words before collapsing unconscious.

End Chapter