"BOOM!!!"
That was the last thing Eryas heard. A loud explosion came out of nowhere. When he came back to his senses, his vision was blurry and his ears were ringing. His head ached so much that he felt like he was about to faint for a second time.
The smell of blood lingers around the area. Eryas tried to massage his temples but left, surprised when blood dripped from them. He tried to move his body, but he felt something heavy pushing against it.
He wiped the blood from his eyes before finally seeing that two bodies were on top of him. He turned around, took a quick glance, and saw that everything had turned into ruins.
Eryas tries to move the bodies slowly. One of the bodies was missing its arm, while the other one was missing the entire torso. The sight was so grotesque even for a man who had his fair share of killing.
Due to the missing parts of their bodies, they are actually not quite as heavy. They can be moved by Eryas, even with his injured body.
He carefully moved them and slowly rose to his feet. It was dark here because of the collapsing building on top of him. Luckily, the building didn't collapse fully; otherwise, he might have been crushed.
'It seems that those bodies protected me from the explosion.'
"Rest in peace."
Eryas walked away from the collapsing building. Staying any longer under it would be bad. He took one of the throwing knives from his jacket and held it tightly in his right hand.
Walking around without a weapon could be dangerous in this situation, especially for someone like him, so it is best to be prepared.
'Are we under attack? Terrorist? It can't be. How did they even enter the city? Wait, is it…? No, it's not supposed to be possible.'
He thinks of every possible reason for the attack, but cannot come up with a good one. When he noticed that he had already been away from the building, he took a look at his watch.
The beautiful silver watch has now been covered with dust, and its glass has a huge crack in it. It was broken.
'How long did I pass out? Is it night already?'
He looked around, noticing that every part of the area was covered in dust. The dust is so thick that it is hindering his vision. He also cannot determine if it was still noon or night already.
He knows something is off about this cloud of dust. It should already dissipate in the wind, but it appears to remain in place, covering the entire area.
'Is this some kind of magic? Well, things might be worse than.'
"I need to get out of here, fast."
Eryas walked away from the spot. He didn't know which direction to take, so he simply went straight. The longer he walks, the more he notices how creepy the area is. Everything was in ruins.
Stones, concrete, metal pipes, glass, and even tiles were scattered everywhere. This area now resembles a post-apocalyptic situation. And the most disturbing thing is the smell of blood mixed with concrete dust, causing Eryas to be nauseated.
From time to time, Eryas stops to take a break. Right now, he was seated on a vast piece of rubble. From here, he had a good view of anything that came near. His vision is still limited, but having higher vantage points is more advantageous.
He tried to relax by taking a deep breath, but it was difficult since the smell upset him. His head is still sore from the injury. He had already wrapped the bleeding of it with a piece of cloth he tore from his shirt.
It may be dirty, but he had to stop the bleeding. He turns his head left and right before sighing.
'I've already walked for a few minutes, and it seems I can't find any exit. Obviously, this cloud of dust is magic. Getting out seems impossible at the moment, so dealing with the cause is the only way.'
"Arghh! Even if I find it, I'm not sure if I could take it down, whatever it is."
Given his condition, clearing up the cause of this mess seems far from possible. First, it was the fact that he himself is powerless. Facing danger head-on would only mean suicide.
Next is the fact that whatever or whoever is the cause of this dust seems to possess some kind of powerful magical abilities. Even if he used all the skills he had learned in the past, it still wouldn't raise the chance of him surviving.
One thing he could be really sure of is that he could get the job done, but he would die miserably.
"There must be other survivors as well."
Right after those words came out of his mouth, a loud clashing sound of metal resounded near him. Eryas startled a bit from his thoughts as he heard those sounds.
He tried to focus on where it came from. He closed his eyes and guided his ears to where it came from.
"Clang!"
He could hear it clearly and pinpoint its direction. He heard the sound of metal clashing continuously, then it stopped. But then it continued to fight a few times.
'That sounds like swords clashing! There must be someone there.'
Eryas hopped off from the stone rubble he was on and hurriedly ran towards the clash. He dashes towards the sound carefully by using the ruins to hide his presence.
Running blindly in the open would pose a risk he doesn't want to take, so he uses the ruins surrounding him to move quickly but stealthily. The clashing sound continues ringing in his ears, but it is getting louder and louder each time.
Until he could finally see what was causing the sound clearly. He immediately stops behind a massive pile of rubble and takes a peek through it.
He saw a man with dirty blonde hair swinging his swords around. Eryas couldn't see clearly, but he was sure that the man was wearing a city guard uniform. What are the chances of him finding someone who could fight?
Before him stands a figure who seems humanoid but not quite. Both of them were fighting each other.
Eryas squinted his eyes, trying to get a clear look at the city guard opponent, and was immediately surprised when the image clicked. Both of its hands carried huge black claws. The black spines protrude grotesquely from behind its back.
Its mouth was full of jagged black fangs, and its eyes were only filled with darkness.
Eryas gasped.
"A tainted human!"