A freezing splash of water woke me from my sleep, and as my eyes shot open into the light, what greeted me was the absolutely ugly face of the guard, or I assumed that was the case underneath his helmet, which I was oh so familiar with. 

Without warning he hoisted me by my shoulders, threw me up into the air, and slammed me onto my feet, his iron-covered fist probably leaving a bruise in the process. I was too rattled to think anything, and I just maintained a slave posture after recovering my balance. My mind was slow as if covered in thick sludge, and the only willpower I had was trying to maintain my position.

The guard's face then slowly came within inches of mine and as I looked forward with no reaction he whispered into my ear. "Josenjing, you better watch your back during the raid. Who knows? Something might happen to you, and no one will help your little sorry slave body." His disgusting, hot breath sent unwanted shivers down my spine. "You're lucky the princess cares for you. Or I would have let you sleep peacefully at the bottom of a river." He then chuckled and rose, and after a heavy push that sent me reeling, he turned his back and left. 

I know I'm not the most calculative bastard out there, but even I knew a disguised threat, and from his chuckle, I knew he was proud of his little trick. I stared at his retreating back, thinking, just a little bit, about how good it would feel to pull his sword and cut off the manly part of his body.

I knew I shouldn't have done that, and a blinding pain like always erupted from my head. Cursing at myself, I began to slightly roll around and cover my head with my hands, my instincts saving me from fully crying out in pain. Thankfully, I had been pushed to the ground and after a couple of moments, the pain finally dissipated from my head. 

Bracing myself, I lifted my body and got into slave posture, the pain had shaken off my remaining grogginess. Then, looking around I finally got the chance to see in front of me.

 Looking out the corner of my eye, I saw a carriage next to me, which in all its glamor was made of glowing blue stones, and gold, pounds of it, and I realized it was the princesses. It didn't belong to a battlefield much less a raid, yet it sat there, in the middle of tens of soldiers in formation and pulled by warhorses which could be differentiated by their glowing red eyes. In front of the carriage were more soldiers, carrying iron spears and swords in a line. At the very front, I could make who I thought was the prince, hunters, and generals.

 Around us was a biome of emptiness, the ground rocky and black as if covered by hell. Of course, the most apparent thing was in front of me, towering above the soldiers in its size. It was the Arden Mountains.

Suddenly, with a signal from the front, the marching began again. With a huff from the horses the carriage moved forward along with the soldiers, and I began to walk to, though struggling a bit from my leg and the fact that I had just recovered from a violent slap to my face from a certain higher up. The guard was standing next to the carriage in front of me, walking along and sometimes barking orders at some poor lad standing next to him. 

We continued marching forward, the enormous mountain getting closer and closer until we entered its shadow. The ominous atmosphere grew even further, and the mutterings of the soldiers increased, albeit getting almost immediately reprimanded by the royal guard. I blankly followed along, trying not to catch attention to myself and keep up with the carriage.

We finally stopped a few minutes later, having reached near the bottom of the main mountain. It seemed like a wall, stretching beyond the clouds, but what caught my attention more was the massive hole burrowed into the center. It looked as if all light had disappeared once entering its depths.

The guard then turned around and went toward the other side of the carriage. After a few seconds, the princess came into the front of my vision. She was still wearing the same outfit I had seen her last in, the red armor. The soldiers standing next to the carriage cleared a path, and before she began to walk to the front, she whispered something into the guard's ear. 

I saw a visible, almost refusal before he bowed and began to walk toward me. He finally reached me, his eyes glaring at mine as if trying to burn through them. With a grunt, he grasped my arm again in the same spot he had earlier and began to drag me toward the princess, my feet struggling to get a hold of the ground. I am sure he purposely keeps grabbing the same part of my arm to make it worse every time.

When we finally reached the princess, my feet were a mess, my unprotected soles destroyed by the hard rock on the ground. Walking had been manageable, but getting forcibly dragged onto the ground was pushing it. Of course, I didn't let this show on my face when I recovered and stood in front of the princess.

Her face was the same as ever, a beautiful complexion that was accented with her brilliant gray eyes. She had a confident smirk on her face, and then looking at me, she began to talk.

"We're about to start the raid! Finally, mother will be able to recognize my ability when we finish. " She giggled. "And worm you can help me! Now follow me to the front, we're going to get ready." Then shining a beautiful smile, she turned around and began to walk toward the front, although removing the smile from her face in front of the soldiers. 

I started to follow the princess with my unnatural gait, trying to keep up with the princess and guard with my feet in tatters. When we got closer, what I had seen was right and the prince and hunters were indeed at the front, the six generals as well. 

"My sister Isadora," the prince said, spotting us and turning around, "How good of you to join us. We," he gestured at the generals and hunters, "were just about to start the raid."

"Brother," the princess curtsied in her place, "thank you for welcoming me. It is my pleasure to be able to join the group during the raid." She turned toward one of the hunters. "And hello sir Matthias."

The hunters were the group of people with gifts like mine, Matthias of course the best of them. He wore black armor, accented with golden lines and two swords hung at his waist. I could feel a mysterious aura from his sides.

The other party consisted of a woman carrying a large wooden bow, a giant carrying a shield even larger than my body, two other women carrying staffs, and finally another two men wearing the clothes of a priest.  They were the strongest hunters in the kingdom, not servants like me, instead serving in their own guild.

After a few moments of greeting the generals from the princess and then deliberation together, the raid commenced. I stood by the princess's side, my eyes blank. The prince stood beside the princess, and of course, as always, the guard stood behind us. The main hunters were standing to the sides as well.

A soldier, young I noticed from his clearly baby-like face, walked out from behind me when a general gave a signal. His footsteps were odd, almost like my hindering gait, but it didn't seem like any illness was causing it. In his hands was a wooden spear, in contrast to the steel ones that the other ones behind me were wielding.

I realized it then, what the generals were trying to do. Lure out whatever was hiding in that giant hole which resembled a cave. I hadn't heard what the monster was or assumed it to be a monster, but since this raid was one of the largest ever, I'm assuming it's dangerous. Oh well.

The soldier continued walking, and I felt a pang of empathy in my chest, though it was quickly submerged by the drug, or maybe me, I don't know. He was obviously unwilling, but from the looks of the hunters, I knew he had no option. He continued walking, regripping his spear, as if that would help. As he inched closer and closer, I could sense the heavy gaze of the royalty and hunters upon his back.

Finally, he almost reached the tunnel, it looming above him already. He turned around, yet one of the generals yelled at him to move forward. I could see visible sweat above his brow. He turned around and walked forward, one foot into the darkness, until finally, his whole body disappeared from our view.

For a few seconds nothing happened, a pin drop could have been heard among the countless men and women. Then suddenly it came. The screams. To me, it was a weird scream, one that was curling yet weirdly high-pitched at the same time. Much different than the ones slaves screamed when the drug had infiltrated their minds too much. 

Regardless, as I stood there, rock still, eyes unblinking, the screams of the young man continued, ringing in my ears. Then it stopped. The silence after was heavy, but what came after was even more so.

The ground started shaking, an earthquake-like tremor rattling me, and the sound of crushing rocks in my ears. I could see the hunters, Matthias in front, get ready pulling out their weapons, including Matthias's dual twin swords. 

I could see the princess frown, and she reached into the side of her arm and retrieved a small wand. The prince took out his sword, though struggling in the process as it got stuck. The guard had to help him, and after, the prince with slightly red ears, yelled at the guard though I couldn't hear what from the crashing sounds. I couldn't tell who was dumber, the prince for being unable to draw his own sword, or the guard for doing something stupid.

The thing, the monster then came into view. First, it was a small toe, red, yet bigger than any one of the soldiers I bet. Then its entire foot, head, body, and then wings. It stood towering above us, red wings outstretched, a puff of smoke coming from its nose. Its eyes glared at us, squirting, and I could almost feel the heat rising around me. 

I could barely get out a FUC- inside my head before it started to shoot fire.