Walking Specimen

Entry #1

I do not expect to be found. In due time I expect my writing to become illegible and unknown to anyone who could find me. This writing is for myself. This will remind me of who I am. It will help keep my sanity while I'm stuck in here, being taken to some unknown place. I have thought of no other alternative so this is what I shall do.

My name is Kalin. I was a guard near the ruined Gatefront for Stormveil Castle. A black knight arrived on horseback at night and butchered us. Blood coated the tents and grass as how a painter would decorate a wall. My chest was split open and I fainted soon after, ready to accept death before the scene would become more gruesome.

But I am still alive. I cannot recall how long I had been unconscious but when I came to, I was trapped. A layer of glass separates me from the rest of the world. It is a small place as well, only a small portion of my back rests against the floor while the rest has to awkwardly shift upwards on the wall. For whatever I am inside of, it is taking me somewhere. I am unsure of where I am to go but I do not presume it to be a good place.

Entry #2

It has been a full day since I first awoke in this jar-like thing. While a strong part of me wishes to leave and return to normalcy, the circumstances I'm currently in will prevent such a thing from happening. For starters, I have been moved to the region of Liurna. All manners of creatures spanning from the crafty little gray men with their weaponry to large crustaceans with claws large enough to shatter a sword in two.

They do not attack me while I am inside this jar. They either do not notice me or are uninterested in attacking me here. There's a high probability that they would not hesitate if I were to leave. I don't believe I possess the strength to make an attempt to leave anyways.

My chest wound still remains. It was not as deep as a cut than originally thought but it is still rather painful. Painful enough to keep me laying down. Moving myself up would just harm me. Right now it's only a numbing pain.

I'll try to sleep. Hopefully the rest of the world won't be loud while I attempt this.

Entry #3

I have never felt a greater fear in my life. When I woke up from my sleep, this jar made the choice to climb a cliff. Instead of having to rest on the bottom, the change of angle made it so my body rested on the glass itself.

I have neglected to mention that this is not a thick layer of glass. I was painfully aware of it when I watched beasts fight each other, and there was nothing else on my mind that I could focus on. The sound of my only layer of protection creaking and cracking. The feel of the layer of glass ever so slightly shifting and bending.

I never dared to look down below me as the jar climbed the cliff. I would've lost all strength in myself if I looked down to see...nothing. It hurts me to even think about it. The jar has moved away from the cliff now and it continues to walk. While I doubt I'll be able to sleep, I want to rest still. I'll let my mind wander while the jar does likewise.

Entry #4

I'm only getting closer and closer to a demise. It approaches the city of Leyndell and thus, by extension, the Erdtree. An array of knights and monsters guard this place and yet no attack is given.

Even the knights which could be someone just like myself, they just watch me trapped inside. Is there any hint of compassion left in these men? Can they still see me? Or is this glass allowing me to see while the world can't, a magic-infused glass? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe they just refuse to see me.

I don't blame them. This is a sorry state for me. Paraded around like some kind of walking specimen. I deserve better than this. I can't earn myself an escape in this state. The wound on myself is only getting worse.

It's infected now. Green pus and blood ooze out of it whenever I breathe too hard. It forms a pool around my back, forcing me to rest in my own filth. I'm barely conscious as I write this.

It would be easy to die like this. I'm not courageous enough to let this be my end.

Entry #5

Why did this mistake happen to me? I know where this jar is taking me now. The Erdtree itself wasn't the destination, at least not the base of it. No, it's interested in what's in the ground as part of the Erdtree. It wants to take me to the roots.

It burrows itself into the ground. There is only dirt. I presume when it finally reaches a root, it will break and let me be free. I can't be free down there. Something goes wrong down there.

But I can't be free here. If I break myself free from this jar, I will have only succeeded in burying myself. Couple that with broken glass that will completely surround me, I give myself a painful death.

But there could be a painful death down there. I've heard stories. Tales told at campfires about the things that dribble out of the Erdtree, the bits and pieces it spat out after it finished its food. Corpses buried underneath the ground that never had a chance of living. If they even lived in the first place. A still born corpse...I can't let that happen to me.

But there's nothing I can do. My fear lead me to this. My weakness got me into this mess. My will to survive only brought me to a more shameful, destructive end.

There's a light at the bottom