Life was not kind.
It was a lesson I had forgotten.
In the mangled mess of ruins that made the bottom of the tower, I realized something. It came to me after defeating some strange beast mostly made of teeth and muscle under thick skin. My blade broke on its teeth but I managed to thrust the broken remnants of it into the soft tissue of its mouth. It hit whatever this thing had for a brain, or so I surmised, as it stopped moving.
We both fell together into an inglorious lump. My arm was beyond saving; ripped and barely intact, gushing blood like a fountain.
Time was not on my side. I gritted my teeth and used my dagger to hack the bits of sinew and tendon that held it in place. I nearly fainted from the pain.
Realizing time was not on my side, I managed to rip a portion of shirt and create a tourniquet with my teeth and remaining hand. The world tilted and buzzed, swayed and crashed.
The world looked weird sideways and the disgusting scent of the refuse strewn floor and mixed blood of the creature and my own was offensive to my nose. It made me want to protest but the words failed to come and instead the world faded away, remaining ghostlike in the background.
I vaguely heard the scrape of claws...or maybe boots?...couldn't tell but felt a hard and sudden blow that sent the world away.
*****
Climb failed.
*****
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