Eryndor.
Blood Reaping Contest, Level 1.
"Run!"
That was all Ben could muster. His lungs burned as they sprinted through the crumbling walls of the corridor towards the exit.
Massive stone walls were closing in on both sides as they ran and the floor cracked just beneath their feet with every step. Behind them, were sounds of vicious creatures closing in.
They had fought off many of them but now they had to abort and escape before the entire cave collapsed.
Ezra grabbed Ben's arm and yanked him forward just as a blade shot out from the wall where his head had been a second ago.
"Oh my god!" Ben gasped. "That was close."
"Keep moving!" Ezra shouted. " and don't look back!"
Ben didn't need to be told twice.
They slid under a descending door together, Ben's shoulder scraping the ground as the iron gate slammed shut behind them.
Baam!
But there was no time to catch their breath because the creatures were already clawing at the door, bending the metal and even pulling themselves through, arms first.
Ezra pulled him up and they ran again, turning corner after corner until they hit a dead end.
Ben's heart sank, "Fuck! No!" but Ezra was already looking up and pointing at something.
"It's not over yet, Ben. We can still get out. Look!"
Ben followed his gaze to see a jagged opening at the top of the wall that would lead them out of the cave. He flinched as the sounds behind them grew louder and closer.
Ezra didn't hesitate, he cupped his hands and crouched, "Let's go, hurry!" and Ben stepped into his palms.
Ezra launched him upward with a grunt, Ben leaped. His fingers caught the edge of the opening and he pulled himself up halfway.
He looked down to see Ezra already climbing the wall below him, grinning despite everything, "Ez, we're gonna make it. Haha!"
Ezra laughed breathlessly, "Told ya. Now pull me up, I'm starving."
Ben cracked and reached down to grab his hand. Their fingers were almost touching. Almost.
Shkkk!
Something grabbed Ezra from behind. It was a massive clawed hand wrapping around his waist and yanking him backward.
"Ben!" Ezra screamed. His eyes wide and his voice cracking with terror as he fell backward, hands reaching out for Ben's.
Ben gasped.
"Ezra!"
Seven days earlier…..
Earth 001.
Ben.
Ben!
Teresa walked up to his bed and smacked his head.
"Ben, wake the fuck up! It's 10am and you're still sleeping in? Are you nuts?" She yelled.
"Ow!" he pulled the blanket over his head and turned to face the other side to avoid her gaze. "Give me five more minutes." He whined.
There was no response. She was gone. Ben exhaled slowly. "Thank goodness,"
If she had stayed longer, she would have been late for work and given his situation currently, it wasn't worth the trouble.
He had drunk himself stupid last night. Why? Because Ben lost a big bet. Few hours later, he got fired from his job for a wrong investment he swore would do extremely well on the same day.
The bank withdrew all the money in his account to clear up the loan he took on his company's behalf. He watched as his entire savings went from $100,000 to $0.
And of course, his relationship of five months with his girlfriend, Ciara also ended on that same day. He had never felt more frustrated and confused in his life.
He stared blankly at the Ceiling. Tears gathering in his eyes. "What if I just ended it all?" he thought to himself. They was no hope to get another job because his company was filing for theft and he'd get labeled everywhere as a scammer. His friends also didn't help because he lost a bet with their money.
Sigh.
Deep down, he knew he could just pick up the broken pieces of his life and start rebuilding again. As a financial advisor of five who fought hard and worked his way to the top only at age twenty-five, he was quite aware that every situation had a solution and all that was needed was to put one's head down and figure it out.
But not now and not here. He had ran out of options. He was too depressed too think of anything positive. Imagine losing not just your entire life in one day but the trust of everyone important in your life.
He hadn't told his sister anything before sleeping in last night. She would have been on that list too. She would be heartbroken if he told her the bad news. And that's what he feared most because she was his only family. His parents had died long ago.
"Life is cruel man," he sighed, still deep in thoughts when suddenly something appeared above his face.
Ping!
< Finally, >
Ben flinched and sat up immediately, staring in confusion and fear. Before his face was an almost translucent grey screen floating mid air. He ran his hand through it and it went through effortlessly. He gasped.
"What is this?" Before he could lean forward to give it a clear look, it vanished. "Oh my God!" His heart almost dropped.
"I-is this....Witchcraft?" He thought.
Ping!
The sound came again and the grey translucent screen appeared.
< Ben, we need your help >
Ben almost lost it.
"Y-you need my help? What the fuck does that mean and who the fuck are you?"
< Ben, I'm being nice >
< You're being rude >
Holy crap!
Whatever this shit was, it's got some nerve and Ben was not having it, at all. But before he could respond, the world lurched.
< Don't say I didn't warn you >
Was the last thing he saw on the screen before it disappeared again. Suddenly he felt it.
"W-waaaait!" He yelled.
His body yanked forward like someone grabbed him by the chest and pulled really hard. Ben was pulled right through his bed and for a moment, all he could see was…. nothing. Just darkness.
He couldn't see, hear or smell anything. He couldn't even see his hands and feet. He felt as if he was either floating or falling. But somehow, he was still.
"Where I'm I?" he asked. His voice strangely echoing in the void of darkness.
No response. He tried turning around to get a good view but it was all dark.
"W-what's happening? Where are you taking me!" he demanded.
Finally the system responded.
Ping!
< To a place >
< A place where your real life is about to begin >
"What are you talking about?"
< If you succeed and win, everything you've ever lost would be recovered >
< By one hundred fold >
< But if you fail, >
It stopped. Ben gasped.
"If I fail? If I fail, what will happen to me? What aren't you saying anything?"
Silence.
"Hey! What will happpppeeeen!" mid sentence, he was yanked again. Downwards this time. And he was falling. Really fast.
Heavy wind screamed past his ears. He could feel his stomach and his throat hurt as he defied gravity with an unexplainable force.
He tried to scream but the air was sucked right out of his lungs and it was painful. The darkness blurred around him, and then....there was light.
Slam!
He crashed hard onto solid bare ground. His back took the hit first and pain exploded up his spine.
He groaned, wheezing and rolled onto his side for balance as his ribs screamed in protest.
"What the fuck," He cursed. " What the actual fuck?"
He pushed himself up, with his hands and knees, blinking against the sudden brightness. The light was strangely brighter than the normal Sun and it stung his eyes. He shielded them with one arm as he looked around.
Everywhere was noisy. Too noisy infact. There was screaming, roaring and the sounds of metals clicking together. And the smell of blood hung in the air.
He looked around. He didn't know where he was exactly but it looked strangely inhuman. Like an open dome or an arena. It was massive with stone walls stretching up as high as he could see. The sky itself was red, sunny and bright.
And all Ben could see in this 'arena' were bodies. Some were still moving. Some were not.
"What the hell is this?" He asked.
< Welcome to the Annual Blood Reaping Contest >
"I'm sorry, what?!"
< You are a participant >
< Participants are from all Seven Realms of Eryndor >
< Only ten can proceed into the next level out a thousand >
< If you die here, you die in the real world >
Ben's heart stopped. 'Contest?' He didn't sign up for any contest. He was on his bed just this morning.
He was just trying to sleep off the worst day of his life and now he was here. Wherever 'here' was, and he was surrounded by things that were definitely not human.
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.
< Ben, you'll figure it out >
< Good luck >