Rohan had his hand resting on the grip of his sword constantly. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to see a monster trying to creep behind him. Despite knowing he was immortal, and yes, he does seek death, Rohan doesn't want to be in the hands of a vile creature. He'd rather take his own life rather than have someone else do it. Was it a grim mindset to have?
Yes. Did he care? No, not really. It didn't take long for the unnamed ruined city to come to view; its shadow loomed in Rohan's form. His confidence was wavering, and the temptation to retreat to the house grew.
But he had already come this far. Going back will just waste time. He steeled his resolve and walked ahead, entering the dark city. As he walked, the streets were littered with rusted cars, cans and other garbage floating around. So far, he has yet encountered a monster, which was good.
He needed to find what he was looking for as smoothly as possible. Specifically, Rohan was trying to look for a library. The best place to gather information. This was a world completely alien to him; he had no idea what the rules were, if this was some sort of world that contained such things like magic and magical items. Or was this just a post-apocalyptic world that doesn't contain any fantasy elements?
Rohan doesn't know. He hated it when he was clueless about something, it left him vulnerable and weak. It was a feeling Rohan despised. To ease his fear, Rohan tries to find a library to attain more knowledge as to what's going on. Rohan's eyes shifted to the buildings, some of which have leftover signs that people used to be here.
He sees a sign on a glass door that says 'Open'. Another was graffiti etched on a wall in an alley. It shows futuristic armour-wearing soldiers holding up a golden sword. The art would've been amazing if it weren't for the red splatter of paint, which ruined the view. Down at the bottom says 'NOT OUR HEROES!' crudely drawn. The way it was written, only a person filled with rage could write those words.
Just what calamity causes this world to be as silent as a hill? He stopped dead in his tracks, his hand grabbing the sword's grip, ready to pull out when needed, because in front of him, a creature was walking towards him. Its hideous form is covered by the fog. But he recognized that shape and that repulsive smell, it was that accursed long-fingered creature. He was hoping it was the only of its abominable species, as usual, the God or gods above hate him. He was unsure whether to fight or run; it didn't seem that it had noticed he was there.
The memories of his body being torn by the beast told him that it wasn't worth the effort. Thankfully, to his side was an alleyway and on there lay a conveniently placed dumpster to hide behind. Rohan sighed in relief internally before running, but quietly moved behind the dumpster before pulling out his sword. He didn't want another repeat of his second death. Sweat covered his whole face as he quietly listened to the long-fingered monster with its wet footsteps getting louder.
Eventually, it reaches the spot where he was a few moments ago. Then it suddenly stopped, causing Rohan's heart to grow cold, and he held his breath. It was quiet; nothing made a sound. Rohan's hand is starting to get hurt from how tightly he is holding his sword. He wanted to close his eyes, but forced them open.
He ignored the tears, stinging his eyes that wanted him to blink; he needed his eyes open. He won't allow getting killed that way ever again. Rohan grits his teeth, ready to move and slash at the foul monster, only for its wet footsteps to pass the alleyway. He stood still even when the noise became silent. After a minute, he finally allowed himself to move away. His sword at the ready to counter any surprise attack.
But nothing happened, even that awful stench was gone. Rohan touched his chest, feeling his rapid beating heart, it was so loud he was worried the creature might have heard it. With a few deep breaths, he calmed himself before resuming his search. Five minutes had passed, and Rohan was starting to grow a little frustrated. It was hard to find the library. He keeps running to hotels, restaurants and those other things you often find in a city, but not a library.
Rohan clicked his tongue. The fear of suffering a cruel death after his close encounter earlier rose, and it was making him agitated. He felt eyes behind him, but when he turned, there was no one there. It feels like the entire city was trying to drive him fucking insane! During his journey, he finds some puzzling things.
While the city so far resembles the normal cities of modern day, sometimes he would find a street that is filled with medieval houses. The roof was made of straw, and their doors were often large and brown. It wasn't just that; some streets are the opposite of them. He had to blink once or twice at what he was looking at. Multiple buildings that look like they come from multiple centuries in the future, it was filled with flickering neon lights.
There was one hologram on top of a building which showed a golden version of the planet, along with the letters: Perfect News. It wasn't just that, there was even a flickering giant of a woman with blue hair, in a white dress, dancing. Her form flickers and glitches out. At first Rohan thought he ended up in a world where technologies are advanced, but why those medieval houses? This is why he desperately needs the library. He was getting more questions than answers.
The only good thing thus far is that he managed to avoid any monsters that came his way. Rohan turns to a corner before stopping completely as his eyes widen in awe at the sight before him. For once, the view wasn't terrifying, but it did raise some more questions. In front of him, the top buried under the floor with the behind sticking up was a large spaceship. It looked similar to all those rockets NASA launched into space, only this seemed to be bigger and more advanced.
It was one of the biggest things he's ever seen, thicker than a school and taller than probably the Empire State Building; it was truly a sight to behold. He was just about a few kilometres away from it, and there could be some valuable stuff as well as information inside! He moved to go there but stopped himself. While it was tempting to go, he didn't know what was inside the ship. But no doubt there will be more than just a few monsters there, and he wasn't strong enough to take on one of them at the moment.
With a heavy sigh, he turns away. Someday, he will come back for it. For now, though, he needed to find the library, and after strolling around, he finally came across it. It wasn't medieval or futuristic, just a normal modern-day library, albeit completely run down and a good amount of it is covered by that black substance. The only way he could tell it was the library was the worn-out sign in front.
Rohan unsheathes his sword, staring wearily at the building. He takes a deep breath, before walking in.