Time Bomb

Prologue

His footsteps went unheard even by him as he prowled through the forest. The trees seemed to breach the sky's limits. Every step he took was considered with great caution. If he woke the monsters that lurked in the shadows, he'd be done for. Avoiding dead leaves and twigs was a hard feet, and one his heavy feet weren't good at accomplishing as on more than one occasion, he we guilty of doing so. The sword he'd grown up with, that had been passed down through many generations swung from his hip. Looking up, he realised the building he'd been on this dangerous journey for revealed itself beyond a thick wall of vines.

Pulling out the aforementioned sword, he attacked the thick vines that could tear his skin to pieces. Stepping over a fallen log and onto the crumbling stone floor, the intact parts only covering a scattered third of it. He dodged the loose pieces of wood, rocks and leaved. Stopping in the middle of the collapsed structure, he dropped his bag down before kneeling in front of it. Silently as possible, he loosened the buckled from the torn fabric. The sun danced a beating on the metal equipment. Pulling out a lantern and a packet of matches, he set the lantern alight, sending it spurting upwards in harsh oranges, reds and yellows. He threw the match aside.

Skilfully, he dodged the debris, making his way to the doorframe, missing the object that completed it. The steps spiralled down and they were in need of some serious maintenance work. Letting his light work more on taking over the shadows in a seemingly battle, he began the journey down the crooked, uneven steps. He reached his hand out to the wall but it felt as if it froze upon contact. He drew it away in a mere moment. The uncomfortable, skin crawling presence he felt but did not see lingered behind him, sending chills up his spine and forcing himself more than ever to continue pushing forward. Every swing of the needed-oiling lantern's handle echoed along with his footsteps. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, he reaches the bottom of the stairwell.

The orange light spreads from its confined area, filling the room with prancing flames. The tiles were in better shape than up above, but they were still cracked. Scanning the place quickly as to not dawdle, he noticed a few uneven slabs. Picking up a nearby stone, he threw it against one. The tile dropped with a screech and an arrow bounced off the right side of the room. He gulped and prepared himself for the journey ahead. He muttered on cycle: "One wrong move and I'm dead."

Once he made it to the other side of the room, he scanned for any signs of boobie-traps. He rested the lantern on the floor and pressed the code into the set of stone pieces on the wall in the order he'd been told to memorize. The door slid open and he grabbed the lantern and ventured inside. He cautiously made his way into the room. In the middle of the back wall stood a long, thick wooden stick with a bowl on top of it. The contents radiated an orange glow.

Knowing he'd found what he needed, he carefully walked towards it, frantically checking for any traps and breaches his levels of luck. Accidentally stepping on a piece of string let the skeleton reveal itself on his right. A scream echoes through the room. It's jaw drops open in an unsettling manner and begins shooting fire from inside. he dashed in the treasures direction, throwing each new boobie-trap a shriek. The adrenaline rush left him panting.

He looked to his right and saw a palm-sized dark orange illuminated star called the Appelios. He smiled and opened one of the pouches on his belt. He gently picked it up and stored it in its rightful place.

"Hopefully he'll spare my families lives now," he whispered to himself quietly.