Skyborne Raider

Three bugs slam together into the crack in the wall while I barely manage to slide in, exhaling and flattening my stomach as much as possible.

*Bonk*

“Aaaaargh! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

One of their horns slips through the slit and bonks me right on my left knee. I limp to the side. The horn gets stuck inside the crack afterward, and the other bugs are ramming into each other, likely causing some damage, as their wings seem to be their weakest point.

We’re lucky these bugs are too wide to get through. None of them are able to squeeze in due to their exoskeletons, which can’t retract.

“Mark! You alright?” the caring girl asks me.

“Hold it!” I yell at Harald to grab the horn, ignoring Astrid.

“I double dare you to miss,” he warns me as he pulls the bug inside by its horn. His veiny arms grip the small, shiny horn tightly, pulling it inward.

It must be the one that's nearly dead, with broken wings—the one that was shot—since it’s not even trying to fly. The other two bugs are buzzing, and more are incoming.

I aim precisely where to strike.

*Smash!* followed by a *Crack*—the kind of sound I imagine breaking bones would make, or maybe something like stepping on crunchy debris, but much louder and far more gruesome.

The bug’s horn shatters, and a piece of its head where it was connected rips off too.

Harald is knocked back and slams into Mike. A loud *thud* echoes, probably from the heavy bulletproof vest Harald is wearing. I totally forgot to put mine on this morning, but with my luck, I should have just worn knee protectors.

I clench my fist, and anger surges through me as I remember all the enemies we’ve fought.

From that stupid marten whose claws I can still feel, to the nutria that slammed into my knee, the turtle that bit it, and finally the monkey that latched on. And now, this damn beetle.

My left knee had barely rested for a single day—one stupid day. If those longneck zombies somehow manage to attack it next, I’m going to start believing it’s cursed.

*Ding*

I sigh and calm myself. All the power I had shifted retracts back to where it belongs. At least something’s going right.

“I’m sorry, boy. You alright?” Old man asks Mike.

“Yes, it’s fine,” Mike replies.

*Flick, flick, flick, flick, flick*

*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

*Flick, flick, flick, flick, flick*

*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

Astrid takes out the manual, pump-up flashlight she received from Harald and shines it into the space.

“Why don’t you offer each of us a berry, so we don’t have to squint and use flashlights the whole way?” Harald remarks.

I know why he’s so eager to try it. When we were exchanging info earlier, he was more than curious about the berries.

“We’ll go for a night hunt one day, but trust me—you don’t want to try them now. Once we get out of this crack, you’ll be blinded,” I explain.

“This isn’t just a crack. I see a large cave at the end of the tunnel,” Mike notes, right after swapping his headscarf from his human eye to the cursed one.

“I know what you’re all thinking, so here you go.” I open my inventory and take out the deformed silver pitcher, offering a handful of berries to Astrid, Harald, and Mike.

Harald takes them immediately and fidgets, trying to hide them in one of his pockets.

“When I need one, I’ll know where to find it,” Astrid reassures me.

“I’m fine as well. I see perfectly in the dark,” Mike says, lifting his chin confidently.

“Yeah, you’ve got your permanent berry,” Harald quips, making Astrid chuckle. I chuckle along with them.

“Very funny,” Mike scoffs. “There’ll be a time when you’ll ask me for help.”

“Just kidding, boy. Come on,” Harald apologizes.

*Flick, flick, flick, flick, flick*

*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

Now both Astrid and Harald are pumping their flashlights, illuminating the way ahead for us. Mike leads, claiming that he can see perfectly.

*Chaotic whistling*

Mike whistles from the end of the corridor where we can now see the massive cavern.

“Seems like there’s nothing special. Just one statue,” his voice echoes.

“Oh god,” I mutter, imagining yet another statue ready to crush me.

Harald points his flashlight straight ahead, lighting up the tunnel. Astrid, on the other hand, waves her light all over the place, scanning the walls and ceiling, it makes me dizzy.

It’s a rather dry cave—empty and quiet. It feels cozy, actually, with no draft or sound from outside. The bugs must’ve lost interest in us and returned to rolling their balls.

I want to make this moment even better for myself—maybe level up and upgrade—but I don’t like doing it on the way, like Mike does.

“Ugh.” A shiver runs down my spine as Astrid’s flashlight sweeps over Mike, who is now facing us. His silhouette in the distance, with his wrinkled and disfigured eye, is unsettling for a moment.

I really should have taken that berry. Despite everything having a cold blue tint, it’s far less haunting than a flashlight cutting through unknown space.

Finally, we make it through the tunnel and into the open area. In the middle stands a fairly large stone statue.

“Are those candles?” Astrid asks, pointing her light toward the cave walls, over large rocks and formations. The walls are covered with candles, which were once lit. There are minimal spiderwebs, vines, or water stains.

“Should I light them?” Harald asks.

“Yes, please!” Astrid responds, a bit excited. Harald pulls out one of the many lighters from his vest, which is covering the bulletproof plate underneath, and lights a single candle before stowing the lighter away.

“That’s it? One is enough for you?” Mike questions.

“Have you seen any supermarkets or lighter fluid around here?” Harald retorts.

Mike falls silent.

Astrid grabs the candle and begins lighting the others. I quickly join her, helping to spread the fire.

Harald grabs a candle as well, while Mike is already busy observing the statue—or more like harassing it. He climbs onto the pedestal and pokes the statue of a bulky man.

As Astrid lights candles at three times the speed of Harald and me, the beauty of the statue starts to emerge.

It’s a statue of a bulky man with strong features, long hair, a beard, and two large horns on top of his head, facing downward. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a helmet or if it’s not a human at all.

The man stands in a strange stance, like he’s about to smash something in front of him, but his right hand is empty. Whatever he’s about to smash, I can’t identify yet because Mike is sitting on it, completely covering it.

“Mikey! Get off!” Astrid scolds him.

As he moves to the side, I spot a familiar object—a huge anvil.

“A statue of a blacksmith?” Astrid observes.

“Yes, but he’s missing a hammer,” Mike adds.

With all the candles lit, the cave radiates positive energy. The flickering of so many flames adds a lot to the atmosphere.

“So, this is it?” I ask Harald. “Some sort of hidden church, or what?” I add, as Mike switches his headband to uncover his human eye.

“Indeed, very strange. This is something people would do, not animals. But so far, there’s been no sign of normal people—besides that knight of yours,” Harald ponders.

“Great, nothing to do here. Let’s head out,” Mike says, already walking toward the fissure we squeezed through.

“At least take some candles, or snap a picture,” old man laughs.

I approach the statue and notice the hand where the hammer is supposed to be—it’s shaped as if a hammer would fit perfectly into it.

Maybe I should try placing mine there, just out of curiosity. I climb onto the pedestal and then onto the anvil itself. It’s about the size of a regular dining table.

“Markus?” Harald asks, while Astrid keeps her eyes on me.

“Don’t mind me. Just goofing around,” I say.

I pull my hammer out of my inventory again, barely able to reach as I stretch up on tiptoe.

*Click*

I grunt after finally inserting it into the statue’s hand.

“How are you going to get that down now?” Harald shakes his head.

“Mortals! Ha, ha, ha, ha…”

“I can’t believe it, after all this time!”

My foot slips from the anvil, and I land hard on my butt on the pedestal.