Whispers of A Dead Empire

Chapter 59

I slipped into the unknown part of the forest and sat behind a tree. My breath was heavy in my chest, and my heart was pounding. I was in an unimaginable amount of pain, and it took everything that I had to stay conscious. I glanced at my notifications now that I had a chance to breathe, and I saw I was suffering from a broken arm and some darkness poisoning. The broken arm didn't mean much to me since my natural regeneration would fix it.

But I would need Alinore if I wanted to cure the darkness part. I leaned against the tree and saw that the boss bar had finally vanished. Even so, that meant little to me. I knew he was hunting me. I took a deep breath and glanced around to see where I ended up. The trees here were even grayer than the other parts of the forest. In fact, I would say that they were sick. Something was afflicting them. I saw a zombie corpse nearby, and I shivered as I saw it was recently eaten. Whatever was here was something that I didn't want to deal with.

I looked around the trees, and I felt like I was being watched by something, though I wasn't sure by what. I sat there for a bit before I rummaged around in the small bag of holding that I kept around my waist and reached in for my emergency potion. This was a quick, oh shit kinda deal. This was one of those moments, mainly since this potion was rather expensive.

I brought the potion up to my lips; however, it shattered in my hands before I drank it. The crimson liquid splattered my pants, and debris of glass rained down. I instantly went on high alert and brought my sword to bear while trying to baby my broken arm.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here, lost in the woods. A little noble." The voice was bitter and condensing and not one that I recognized.

"Who are you?" I asked as I pressed myself into the tree. The darkness hung around me with the fog, obscuring everything. I glanced around the area, trying to discern any movement, but there was nothing. A mere undead would have been incapable of a shot like that. Well, now I wasn't so sure.

"Oh, no one, really." The male voice tore through the shadows, and I saw a form materialize. It was a man that stood at roughly my height and was clad in a long, flowing black cloak with the hood raised. But what terrified me was the white dagger painted across the front.

I gritted my teeth and bared my blade towards him. I wouldn't fall into the trap of asking why he was here or how he got here. That was pointless. I had a feeling why he was here, though. To finish the job that started long ago. "Well, sorry, I'm not ready to die."

Two more assassins materialized from around the trees. One had a bow while the other had a long sword. I could easily fight them if I didn't have a broken arm. But they broke the fastest way I had to fix that. I kept my eyes on the three of them as they circled around me. They were cautious, which would make moving on them a little more challenging.

The one with the sword dashed forward, bringing his weapon around in a deadly arc. I dropped my body weight down at the last second, and it passed over my head, leaving a gash on the tree behind me. Moving on instinct, I stepped forward and launched a jab towards him. The pain in my arm flared up as it shifted.

The assassin stepped back and parried my blade, and the other launched an arrow at the last second, causing me to fire a third quick step. I created some distance and tried to run. I dipped behind a tree and quickly activated lunge while monitoring my stamina bar. If I hit critical levels, I would die.

"Redrick running won't save you. You are going to die here." The man's bitter voice was a small way behind me as I plunged deeper into the forest. Those blasted nobles and the power games that they played. I hated them. I hated them all. All just to solidify more power, and for what? It didn't matter who they stepped on to get to the top, so long as they got there.