I was floating, the darkness held me. I was happy. I was glad. 

But I needed to keep going. But why? 

All I had was blood and steel. That was my life then and is my life now. 

I tried to grasp for more, only fragments for a small picture only arrived. 

There was a child, a woman protecting the kid and me. Blood was all I saw. 

***

I quickly gasped for air. 

I looked around frantically. 

No one, but me. 

I was a the campfire, the one that I barely managed to get to. 

I checked my toes. It was still intact. So was my back though scars were evident. 

My body restores but the clothing and other materials does not. 

Maybe I should've grabbed the equipment off my comrades corpses. 

I sighed know full well it didn't matter. 

I should be closer to an exit by now. 

I looked around, no table but a chair. I did the only thing which was snapped a leg from the chair. I wrapped cloth around it and placed it into the fire. 

I walked into the next tunnel once again

***

After an hour I believe I heard noises. 

Talking. Laughing. The chatter of a large group. 

I placed my hand onto of my hilt in case anything goes wrong. 

As the light slowly lit up the tunnels I walked slower. Was I hesitating? 

As I walked out into the bright lights, I couldn't describe the scene properly. 

It was a like party, it similar to a tavern. Drinking and partying they are. They're races of all kind, dwarves, elves and humans. Hell even orcs and goblins are celebrating. 

But they shared some similar look, they looked somewhat grungy.

Some of the races were known for the respect and hygiene. Elves to my knowledge were clean and modest. I see few of them loud and dirty as they allowed alchohol and food stain their clothes. 

The dragon kin are descendant of dragons yet they were obnoxious and rude. 

Well as long as I can by here without trouble than-

"A new face!" A voice rang out. 

All went silent, the attention went to me. 

A large muscular man approached. 

"Well well. I never expected the kings guard to appear" 

Kings guard?

"Kill him!" A voice yelled 

"Burn him alive!"  Another chimed in

The entire crowd went into a frenzy of slurs and incoherent screams that could mad man go insane. 

"Hold on." The bald guy measures me closely. 

"This guy just a scavenger. See an actual guard of the king would never allow his armor to be this damage!" 

He laughed before slapping my shoulder repeatedly. 

"C'mon have a drink!" 

I said nothing, I didn't want die right here and spend more hours to come back. 

Soon they all returned to drinking and talking heartily. 

I followed him to an empty barstool.

"Get this young man your hardest stuff he needs it!" 

The bartender appeared handing a large wooden mug filled with what I can describe as the hardest liquor here. 

I took of my helmet before taking a sip. It felt natural, it burned first but I accepted that and started to chug the whole thing. 

"So whatya get ya scars from?" 

He pointed to the scars on my cheek. 

I tried to speak. Nothing came out at first 

"Ah" 

It's been a while since I properly spoke. 

"Ah...ahem I stepped into a trap and an arrow pierced through my cheek" 

"Prettay gruesome" 

He then show his muscular neck

"But not as gruesome as this!" He pointed to a large scar across his neck. 

"A demon gave me this a while back" 

He laughed

"I crawled out the wreckage and to the nearest healer!" 

He told me stories on how he was an adventurer, how he fucked a dragon, met the second hero and challenged him to an arm wrestle and bested his shadow in combat. I couldn't really tell if he was lying or not but I didn't say anything. 

"Say what's your name kid?"

The man asked. 

I don't know. 

I looked at my down at my hand hoping for answer. 

"How about this! I'll call you Azrael! You've been close to death many times, I can tell" 

Azrael...Azrael...its sounds nice. 

I nodded in agreement. 

"Good! Just call me the Man!" 

He grinned stupidly

"The man? How did everyone end up here?" 

As soon as I asked that the entire mood shifted. Silence welcomed the makeshift tavern once again. 

"Interesting question. How did any of us end here!?" 

It was question to all. 

"I was banished, and threw down here"

"I committed a crime and need a place to hide"

"I was brought down here after hurting the mother tree"

"We were prisoner"

"We were criminals"

"We were forgotten"

The man looked me

"I volunteered myself" 

They gazes looked at me for an answer that I cannot fully answer. 

"I can't remember. All I remembered that I was in a war and now I found myself ontop a pile of bodies" 

"Hmm. Either a soldier or a villager caught in the wrong time"

He pat me on the shoulder. 

"We're here now. We're survivors."

Murmurs and shouts of agreement. 

"Why don't you guys leave?"

He smiled faintly 

"Can't. There's a creature that guards the exit to the 23rd floor" 

"Really? Why can't you all fight it?" 

"Tried to kid. Too many dead the first time we tried to challenge it. We need people to survive down here so we decided to stop escaping."

"How do you live down here then?" 

"Hunting, there's supplies down. We also have supplies dropped down here from the lift"

"The lift?"

"The lift is how we got here, the kingdom forces prisoners or other criminals down here"

His eyes narrow.

"How did you get down here then?" 

Ah. I said too much. 

"I uh. I was sent through the body chutes"

He said nothing, he then started laughing. 

"You're one tough son of a bitch to survive that shit" 

He shook his head in disbelief. 

"But. I didnt expect a guardsman to be here" 

Before I could speak his fist connected to my nose. 

I fell down hitting my head across the table. 

Before I knew it, a mob of them were on me. 

And that was it. 

***

There was no fire. No warmth except the cold dripping water. My arms were tied to the ceiling by chains. 

I looked around but cells. 

I was trapped.