Chapter Text
“Kurwa 14 godzin w pierdolonym Rumuńskim lesie.” <"Fucking 14 hours in a fucking Romanian forest.">
Cezary was losing his fucking mind.
The forest was an endless labyrinth of half rotting trees; with damp leaves falling off of weak branches and raindrops coming down from the sky with such intensity that the stench of nature was starting to become suffocating. Muddy water was seeping through Cezary’s boots, he had long lost all the feeling in his toes and the only thing that seemed to ease his mind was swearing in his native language.
"I have been working my ass off for them and this is how they repay me.."
The soldier had been out on patrol with his military buddies much farther than they were permitted. Cezary was a sergeant, not the highest rank in the army yet also not the lowest; however he was quite young when he received this title. It didn't go unnoticed by anyone unfortunately and Cezary was (still is) disliked by his team members. To say they weren’t treating him seriously was an understatement. The poor sergeant had been constantly berated for the smallest of things, such behavior continued over the years and this time, his colleagues decided to pull a nasty ‘prank’ resulting in Cezary’s current predicament.
“Where the fuck is everyone? ANYONE?” Cezary gritted through his teeth, still trotting through the forest.
It had been so long since he’d seen any kind of civilization, it was getting ridiculous. The growls of numerous monsters echoed in the midst of the tree, sending a chill down Cezary's spine, it seemed he was nearing some sort of clearing which gave way for fresh air and daylight
"Finally a sign of life" Cezary sighed loudly as he stopped his trek and leaned against a tree, eyes taking in the silhouettes of small Romanian houses in the distance. Above all the worn down homes loomed a giant castle, which gave the village an eery feeling. It sent a chill down Cezary's body.
"I knew Romania was old fashioned around the countryside but not that much, jesus"
Deciding he had nothing to lose, the soldier made his way to the nearest building he could see and knocked on the door.
No answer
So he knocked again, and again, still not receiving an answer. Cezary cursed under his nose and continued down the muddy pathway until he ended up at what seemed like the village center. A statue of a woman with a goat shield stood in the middle, with houses surrounding the area and the village people..well, staring through their windows..directly at Cezary.
"The fuck is their problem? Pierdolony wiejski monitoring" <Fucking village monitoring system.">
Cezary noticed a small group of people returning from what seemed like a chapel and jogged up to them, looking almost too desperate for an answer
"Could any of you help me? I'm lost and can't seem to find my way back to the military camp. I was stuck in that forest-" He pointed in the direction he just came from "- and have no idea where I am" Cezary explained. Hoping, if not praying, that anyone at all would be able to at least give him some directions. The townsfolk shared disgusted looks between each other then stared back at the man, not saying a word.
"Ale żeście kurwa pomogli." <"Well, that was fucking helpful.">
Despite his best efforts, the soldier couldn't get a single person to so much as point which way he could go. All he received were muffled shouts calling him an outsider, every so often. It all seemed futile. Cezary had half the mind to just accept the situation he found himself in and give up all together but it was at that moment, that he spotted the top of what seemed to be a factory's smokestack.
If there's a factory then there must be someone a little sane and not diehard like the bastards around here.
"If there ain't anyone inside that thing who can help me I'm literally going to lose my shit."
Cezary took one last look back at the village after having made up his mind and trotted up to a red gate. The sign that pointed to it said something about a ceremony site?
Better than nothing
The pathway ahead of the gate lead to an area which looked to be divided into four parts, all of which had their own wooden gates decorated with..is that a fetus? Cezary's face scrunched up in disgust. It was definitely one of the weirdest things he'd ever seen, but what was he even expecting? This village was fucked up in so many ways, it shouldn't be all that shocking.
"Good day soldier!'
A voice rang in Cezary's ears as he whipped his head around, only to see a..very... big man, in a carriage that seemed too big for him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Why, I am but a humble merchant. Please, call me Duke. You seem lost. I noticed you've tried calling out to the villagers for help but they didn't give in did they?"
"Were you stalking me?"
"I know about everything that happens in this village yes, however I wouldn't exactly call it stalking. Looking out for my customers, perhaps, is a better way of putting it."
"Whatever..can you help me or not? I am looking for a way to the factory. I figured that the only normal person around here would probably be working there. And no offense, but even without the bad attitude and rude behaviour you don't seem like a..normal individual..at first glance"
The Duke threw his head back, laughing loudly at Cezary's words. Meanwhile the soldier shifted on his feet, not at all looking impressed.
"No offense taken, soldier. I will not question your judgement. The path across from the red gate leads to the factory. However I must warn you, great danger lies ahead, I imagine it won't be easy to get through the stronghold that takes you to where you want to be"
The male sighed and waved his hand
"Sure. Thanks by the way, I'll uh..see you soon? Later? A-anyway I should go now"
Cezary slowly shimmied his way outta there, not looking back as the Duke bid him good luck.
Now to get through the stronghold..
He groaned at the thought of having to experience even more oddities this place has to offer. Why would the village even need a stronghold, let alone a factgory?? Fuck if I knew. The soldier made his way toward the biggest gate out of the three that appeared at the ceremony site. Atop he found an emblem of sorts, resembling a horse which was surrounded by a metal hoove.
"Better than a fucking fetus."
He continued his trudge down, fortunately not coming across anything that would come in the way of him getting to his destination. It was quiet, with the occasional crow making itself known - now that Cezary thought about it, it was weird how he could see these birds pirched across every few trees he passed. However the man didn't bother worrying about them; they're just crows.
Eventually, Cezary had reached the stronghold that the Duke had told him about. At least he thought that's what it was. The entrance lead him into a cave like area, built entirely from stone, which honestly looked like it had its better days. He was confident that he was nearing the factory, he couldn't remember the Duke telling him about anything being behind the stronghold so...suppose he was about to find out.
Yet the soldier didn't make it even five feet in when a growl sounded behind him.
Chills made their way down Cezary's back as he slowly turned around, finding a Lycan of all things coming his way.
"Japierdole." <"Holy shit.">
He made a run for it.
Which had apparently turned out to be a bad idea since his loud footsteps summoned even more of the 'undead' creatures. They climbed the walls, growling like the ungodly monsters they were, looking at Cezary as if mocking him.
"I heard of goddamn zombies but this takes the fucking cake!"
The man ran as fast as his feet could take him. Climbing up the wooden stairs and getting onto higher ground so as to avoid getting his ass bit by one of the lycans.
think think think, there must be a way out. FUCK
Cezary scanned the area frantically, adrenaline being the only thing pumping him up right now. He saw a zipline..which lead to an exit?
"Better than nothing, fuck knows I'll die anyway"
So he jumped across the platforms, reaching said zipline and took hold of the handles before sliding all the way down to an opening in the stone. It lead him through a cave which only amplified the lycan's disgusting sounds. Cezary ran all the way across, only focusing on the light ahead until he finally got out, stumbling on his feet and falling over onto his knees.
A look back over his shoulder was all the affirmation he needed, the monsters weren't going to get him. The man stood up, not without grunting in pain, and dusted off his pants before jogging ahead of him.
The area that Cezary found himself in was similar looking to the ceremony sight. Four giant statues of presumably some lords surrounded the open space. However in between two of them there was a bridge, a bridge which lead to a field which was covered with metal chunks and dead bushes.
Metal..right then the factory is that way
He made his way over to the bridge, analysing it carefully to make sure there weren't any traps set. After which Cezary let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and set foot across the bridge.