A frustrated hero

Dungeon

We were forced into a cave, pushed into it, and we could do nothing about it. Only five of us had a torch to light the place, so we had to avoid getting separated, but many sounds were coming from that place. Maybe monsters or animals, but they didn't stop. 

I didn't have a torch, but I was next to two other men who seemed to have no fear, however what we saw took away our desire to be here. 

Like a pile of garbage there were hundreds of dead bodies of people on the side of the road we were following. That was a clear warning that we should leave. 

Several of my companions headed for the exit, totally frightened. Even I did not have the courage to continue with this senseless journey, but we heard the screams of those who had tried to leave and I felt that there was no place to hide. 

Several ran terrified into the depths of the dungeon. None of them tried to stay there. I wanted to keep up with them, but I tripped over something and ended up on the floor. I got up and through the darkness of the place I got lost. 

I was alone in the middle of nowhere. Without being able to see anything around me, I kept walking. Until I saw a light in the middle of a wall. I didn't have the strength to break it down, or anything like that. I only made a small hole with my sword to try to bring more light to this side, however, the incessant screams of my companions began to be heard. Something had attacked them and we could not defend ourselves, this was an unfair fight. 

I saw one of the people who was with me coming towards me, but behind him. A strange creature was coming, with a completely smooth head and eyes as big as the size of my fist. I didn't know whether to help him or run away, but I was in the worst place in the world and I was obliged to do something or die in that place. 

I went in their direction, and buried my sword in the creature, but it wounded me. I felt something ram me head on and throw me against the wall. I fell little by little to the ground. The creature without hesitation went at me again, however I fainted and fell to the side. Many rocks began to fall out of nowhere and there was a strange light in the place that gradually illuminated the cave. I tried to get up and go in there, but it seemed like I had broken every bone in my back. I crawled to that hole. When I got in there. I saw a kind of subway river in the place, but the roof of that place had a kind of stone that illuminated it. It looked like it was daytime in that place. 

The creature was bleeding, dark green liquid was coming out of it and it didn't look like it could get up from there. I could breathe easy after that, I tried to go back to call the others, but in front of me the wall of the dungeon collapsed. I didn't try to do anything, I felt sick, breathing was a whole process for me. 

I just lay down on the floor and tried to rest, closed my eyes and just waited for imminent death. I couldn't do anything else. 

[...] 

I woke up hours later and got up from the floor with great difficulty. I was not dead yet. The monster that had rammed me a while ago had died from the shock I had received. I was still injured and tried to find a way out of here and walked, however I noticed that this place was another world. There were small monsters the size of a cat, they were like dragons, I preferred to stay away from them, I was in no condition to fight anything. 

Unlike the cave, here there was a strange vegetation, too slimy, so much so that it looked like seaweed. I felt very thirsty, I approached the river and took some water with my hands and drank. I didn't care much if it was clean or not. I was already tired and very sore. When I tasted it, I was disgusted, it tasted horrible, and I felt something stony in my mouth. 

I stopped drinking it and I felt worse than before. I began to see strange hallucinations. This place was getting crazier and crazier. I did not understand how in a few weeks I ended up in a situation like this, I had not been a good person, but I was doing my job. My life had changed completely. 

Out of nowhere I started to feel something walking nearby, but I didn't even try to get up from there. I could not fight, I was nothing, however the footsteps became more intense to the point that it was already in front of me and I heard a voice. 

-Why are you here? 

I raised my face a little and directed my gaze towards that creature. It was a kind of stone giant with some grass on top, it was about three meters tall and it approached me. His face was very human-like, with a weird beard of grass and flowers. Its eyes were dark blue diamonds. 

I didn't say anything, I was surprised to see such a being, it didn't look like a monster like the ones that attacked me in the cave. 

-You must leave this place," he said to me in a passive voice. 

He came much closer to me and scared me, I had never seen anything, but my body was too much for me to stand up. 

The stone giant stood in front of me and grabbed one of my arms. 

-Get out of this place, human! 

Faced with the aggressiveness that this creature showed, I spoke to him. 

-I can't, I'm too hurt, I couldn't move. 

-Human ..... 

He dragged me all over that place as if I was a piece of garbage or something dirty. He threw me into the deepest place of the river and I did not slowly sink there. 

However I felt a great relief to be there. The pain I was in was totally gone, I already had the strength to continue. I returned to the surface and tried to swim back to the river bank. The giant was there and looked at me. 

-Get out of here! Get out now! 

-Why do you hate humans," I asked him. 

-They are dangerous, their ambition created this place. Human elves and wizards forced many magical creatures into hiding. It is a surprise that you are still alive, tell me how did you get here? 

-A creature destroyed the wall with its body. 

The giant was surprised to hear it, and kept looking at me. 

-What are you looking for in this place? 

-Well, they sent me to look for something of value, since they are afraid of dying so they sent someone they didn't care about. 

The giant kept looking at me and then he spoke. 

-I see, you are their slave, humans do not stop doing that, at any moment the real monsters will come out and give them an injury with force. 

I didn't understand what he meant, but I wanted to know more about this place, but I didn't have the courage to ask him. 

-You can go now." That giant repeated to me again. 

-Wait, I want to be something more than a slave, please. I need to leave this place, is there anything I can take from here? 

The giant kept looking at me rather strangely. 

-In this place there is nothing of value, only creatures that want to live in peace, I am the guardian of this place, but I can give you this sword. It once belonged to an elf who tried to bring peace to the world, but died trying the impossible. 

He took out of his hand a rare sword, which seemed to be made of wood. 

-Take it, every time its owner improves so does it, for now it is nothing more than a simple worthless sword, but later it will be of use to you. 

I was disappointed to hear that, I was not able to say anything else to him. I just received it and took it from the handles. 

-All right, I'm going. 

In spite of telling that to that stone giant, he followed me, it seemed that he doubted me a lot. 

I reached the wall that had collapsed and managed to get through. The monster that chased me seemed to disintegrate and merge with the earth. The giant removed the rubble and made a hole. I jumped in there without hesitation. The place was just as I had seen it and again the wall collapsed and I was left in darkness. 

The sword I had began to illuminate the place. I began to believe what the stone giant was telling me. I tried to get out of there as fast as I could, but I saw all my companions with whom I had entered this place dead. It was a little disturbing, the creatures that were here, they were the guardians of this place and they had no mercy, if I had not entered through that wall I would be like them. 

[...] 

I could see the exit of the place almost half an hour later and I hurried to walk as fast as I could to get out of there. I already missed the daylight and hearing the birds. 

I was a little calmer because of the pressure I felt in that place. It was already early morning, I had nowhere to go, but I decided to get away from that place and avoid my captors. 

I walked to the outskirts of the place, I was a person who had no direction, I did not know what I would do from now on, but I was willing to change, and stop being as selfish as I was long ago, I knew the damage I caused to all those people, but I could not do anything, just try to go to the kingdom of the guilds, that was the best place to start my life as an adventurer, since I had the experience with weapons and people. That was the only thing I could think of at that moment, but the road was long, it would take me weeks to get there and more walking in the middle of nowhere. I felt a bit anxious about what was happening. 

I could not fall asleep on the road, I had to go on and avoid those people. I was already very tired, despite being healed by that strange water, my body felt the weight of all that movement between cities, to my surprise a wagon passed near where I was and stopped when it saw me. 

I felt fear and drew my sword to fight against anyone who tried to do something to me. However, a very strange person came out of there. He was a rather tall and out of the ordinary elf, he was a bit dirty and did not dress the way they usually did. His hair was white with yellow tones, his eyes were green like grass and he had pointed dark circles under his eyes. His face had very fine and somewhat delicate features. I was struck by the fact that he walked up to me. 

-Where did you get it from? 

I was surprised to hear it, but I had to be a polite person and take advantage of the situation, so I just told him the truth. 

-I took it out of a dungeon. I didn't steal it from anyone. 

The elf looked a bit curious, he wanted to see the sword I had. He remained very calm, but he couldn't bear to be with that doubt for long. So in a moment he introduced himself. 

-I am Jager, the head of the guild of a city, I invite you to belong to it. I think you will enjoy your stay there. 

I was astonished to hear that proposal. He looked very young, but I remembered that elves have a very different longevity than humans. They live about three hundred years, and they look young for the first 150 years, then they start to look older. Because of my position I decided to accept this opportunity. 

-Yes, but will you take me with you or do I have to go there myself? 

-Because of the time, and the place, it is preferable that I take you there, but if you prefer to go on your own, I will not reproach you. 

-No, uh...no...I'll go with you.... 

The man turned around and walked to his wooden carriage and opened the door. I began to detail various features and noticed that it was very fine. It had four windows and each had its own colorful curtain, plus a lamp. The seat was of a sofa type, dark wood on the sides. 

I sat on one of the windows while the elf leaned against one of the corners and began to talk a little. 

-Well, we're heading to the city of Altamira. It's one of the best for heroes and adventurers, first you must register. If you want you can do a quest alone, but you will start from the bottom at level F, unless you make a group with someone. 

I've heard about quests a few times, but I never paid attention to it. I was not going to start from scratch, I knew that I would have to do small and bad things, that nobody wanted to do, I preferred to talk to him and make everything clear. 

-Hey... I'm not going to start at the bottom. At least leave me on the D. 

He laughed a little and put his hand on his face. 

-How about you take a test fight with an adventurer, if you beat him I'll put you on C. How about that? 

It was a trap, obviously if I lost I had to start in the F, I didn't want to, but it was the only chance to advance from the bottom. I decided to accept, I had nothing to lose. 

-All right, I'll do it, but on one condition. 

The elf moved his ears a little, I didn't know what I would ask him, but I was aware that I was not in conditions to do something like that. 

-If I win, the guild will have to pay for the lodging where I will stay for a month. 

He laughed a little at what I said, but it seemed certain that I would not win, what he did not know is that I had a previous training as a guard of my kingdom, I thought I could this time. 

[...] 

Almost at noon we finally arrived at the blessed city of Altamira, I was a little surprised by what I saw. The walls that protected it were very large, perhaps eight meters high, and it was heavily guarded by Dwarves. They were the strongest beings in the world, because of their muscular mass. Inwardly I prayed that I would not have to fight one. 

A guard in silver and red armor approached us. When he saw the elf he didn't ask anything and let us pass, the door was open and I could see the inside of the place. 

It was a very big city, too many one and two story houses, with some wooden parts, but most of them belonged to common people. We arrived at a certain place where the nobles lived. Most of them were three and two stories, and they had terraces and many flowers around them. 

The elf noticed that I had been surprised watching that place and called my attention. 

-Please avoid looking too much at the people here and the houses, it is bad manners, they will think you are a commoner or a similar thief, don't do things like that. 

After hearing that, I felt sorry, I had not realized what I had done. When I was a guard it was normal to do that, and now I had to stop that.