Monsters surrounded Jonah. The pale man glared at the herd, and in the blink of an eye, serpentine heads went flying. The monster with the cursed knife attacked Jonah, and Jonah swung his sword, aiming for the beast’s neck. Swiftly, the monster evaded the sword and nicked Jonah in the side. Darkness collected around his wound, and the armored monster licked the blood off its knife.

“Fear not, my men.” The monster held the knife up triumphantly. “Soon, he won’t be able to walk, much less fight.”

One by one, the monsters pulled out cursed knives and swords. 

“Crap.” Jonah readjusted his grip on his sword. “This is officially the worst condition I’ve fought in.”

Blood gushed from the wound on his side as the monsters leaped into action. Jonah fought through the crowd while heading to the cave’s entrance. His head grew foggy as more and more damage accrued.

His skill allowed him to dodge all the fatal attacks, but he was now starting to feel the effects of the curses, which would soon be too much to handle.

“Stop him!” one monster cried out. “He’s heading for the exit.” 

“Too late.” Jonah found himself with his back to the frigid mountain air, and he spoke, “Tremble.”

The whole mountain shook violently, and Jonah quickly dashed down the road. Severe pain shot up and down his spine, and his vision blurred.

“It’s not far,” he told himself.

The weight on Jonah’s back was enough to keep him from collapsing on the cold road. His legs burned, and his breath drew short as he found the entrance to the safe house. A rallying cry sounded behind him as he pushed past the magic door and closed it. The ground shook as the horde of monsters stampeded just outside, traveling down the mountain.

Undoing the binding that held Gruff and Marcia, he checked them for curses. Using the last of his magic, he stopped Gruff’s bleeding. The world spun all around him as he stumbled against the door and fell to the ground.