“Mr. G.,” David yells, pointing at a man who holds a strange weapon in his hands: a long pole with a ring on one end, and five more rings threaded through it. “That’s the one.”
“Did we ask you to talk?” Queen yells. “G., that’s the guy.” She points to the same man David did, to the young man’s chagrin.
“Why are you telling me?” G. yells back. “Get him yourself.”
Sighing, she springs out of her tree, landing on a bandit in the muck. The man sinks beneath her, but she remains above it as she grabs our man by the shirt. “Hope you don’t mind switching teams,” she laughs, leaping out of the bog with the guide in tow. She lands on the far side of the bog with a grin. “Got him,” she shouts, dropping him to the ground. The guide, still in a frenzied state, thrashes around. “Let’s go before I decide to throw him back.”
No one needs her to say that twice. Zero appears and grabs the guide, carrying him off. The bandits roar even louder. “That’ll only hold them for a minute more,” Aurora says as she and Maris jump down. When we all land on the ground, we run as fast as we can, though Maris plods along at her own pace. A louder battle cry bursts out from behind us, no doubt a sign that they are struggling harder than ever to break free.
“What are we gonna do now?” I exclaim. If the whole point of this was to escape, we can’t do that with bandits pursuing us.
Without saying a word, G. stops running. “Zero, drop him,” he orders. Being surprisingly compliant, Zero throws his baggage to the group. Our captive lands in a heap, breathing hard. He scrambles to his feet. His eyes have lost their red glow. With a quick look around, he realizes that he’s outnumbered and runs as fast as he can, but it’s too late. Aurora used Trip, the announcing Voice says. The grass forms a tight rope, which wraps around his foot. It causes his momentum to pitch him forward, and he smacks against the ground. He doesn’t get up. Instead, he lies there groaning, holding his head in his hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a pained frown on Aurora’s face.
Queen rushes over and drops her knee on his chest. “Got him,” she shouts in triumph. I thought about reminding her that Aurora made it possible, but why should I take this moment from her.
“Get off of me, you cow of a woman,” the man roars.
As soon as he says that, G. lunges forward and grab Queen’s arms. If he didn’t, our only prisoner would have two chisel holes where his eyes used to be. “Say that again,” Queen challenges, struggling against the stronger man’s hold. “Let me go, G. I’m gonna give him an art lesson he’ll never forget.”
“No,” David says. “He’s the only one who can get us out of here.”
“Did I ask your opinion?” she yells. G. pulls her off of him.
“Aurora,” he says. “Talk to him. I’ve got my hands full.”
She doesn’t argue, stepping over to the captive, who has the title guide on his shirt. He looks up at her, his pale face flushing red to match the red tint around his body. For an intense moment, the pair look at one another, captive and captor. Aurora rubs her palms together, thinking over what she should say. “Listen, I’m sorry that everything had to go this way, but we need your help to escape this forest.” Her voice is as kind as ever. Just listening to her, I feel as if my arms aren’t in throbbing pain.
“Sorry. Can’t help you,” the captive retorts.
“Don’t play dumb,” G. and Queen say at the same time. Both eye one another before Queen tries to break from his grasp again. G. holds her tight.
Aurora sighs. “Listen. We don’t mean you any harm. Believe me when I say that this was a last resort. We believe that you’re the one who guides those bandits through this magical forest. Are we right?”
He looks at her, then at the rest of us. “And what if I can? You plan on leaving the others stuck in this forest while you turn me over for a reward or something?”
“Is there a reward?” Zero chimes in, his eyebrows rising in sudden interest.
Aurora shoots Zero a stern glare, silencing him. In the distance, I hear the raging of his comrades. She needs to get this bandit to help us now. “I don’t want you to abandon your friends. There are few things I can imagine are worse. At the end of this, we will release you so that you can return to your comrades.” He doesn’t say anything. “If you don’t decide soon, your friends will come after us, and when that happens, there’ll be a bloody fight over you.” She looks at me, noticing my wounds. “Look at what has happened already.” I see the pain and disappointment in her eyes. “We want to escape, and they want you back. Both sides will fight. Dear friends will be lost. I don’t want to do that. You must want to avoid it too. All we need is for you to help us escape. Deal?”
In answer, the man spits in the grass. He might have tried to aim at one of us, but even an unwise man had to know that his chances were limited. His eyes meet hers again. I can see the hatred in them; still, he gives his answer. “Deal.” His lips move quickly, and I feel a strange shifting around me. Everything blurs. Colors merge together. Everything vanishes. It’s as if the actual world around me was no longer there. The sensation is brief, and I find myself back to normal in an instant. We are standing in a forest no different from the one before. “There,” the guide spits. “I did as you asked. The barrier has shifted. You can leave. Now, let me go.”
Aurora opens her mouth, but G. interrupts. “Sorry. But we can’t just trust you on your word. Until we pass the Rakan wall, you’re a part of the team now.” He pulls the man to his feet. “Hurry up, everyone. We need to put some distance between us and those bandits.” No one argues, hurrying after him. All the while, the man’s eyes glare at us in seething rage. I hope that isn’t a warning for the future.
CHAPTER TEN
Down by the River
10
We all stand in a line. No one says anything at first. Perhaps we’re all too afraid that if we say its name, it’ll disappear, being a mere mirage in the forest. Its beauty is almost indescribable. “A river,” Harva breathes. Leave it to a child to do what us adults can’t. Between the trees, a small, lazy river runs across our path, creating a beautiful wound on the grassy earth. Harva sprints toward the water and springs in, vanishing beneath the surface. Her head bops up to the surface, brown hair plastered to her head. Grinning from ear to ear, she thrashes her arms around, sending water flying in every direction. Her cries of pure joy warm my heart.
With that, no one else can contain their excitement. As one, we let out a cry. G. and Aurora rush to the water, dropping to their knees on the muddy bank. They fill up the water skins as fast as possible. Our captive guide, a former monk who calls himself Daisuke, follows along behind them by a vine rope, which G. holds by the end in a tightfisted grasp. Daisuke asks G. not to pull so hard, but his request is ignored. Once he reaches the water’s edge, Daisuke takes a drink with his cupped hands.
Queen mutters, “Oh, the painting I could make here,” before she drops to her knees and dunks her head beneath the surface. Maris strolls over and places her hands above it. At her bidding, the water rises and races around her arms, until she allows it to slip back into the stream. David sits down on the bank, strange tears welling up in his eyes. Zero, returning to form, isn’t present for this display, but I’m sure that he’s enjoying this refreshing sight just like the rest of us.
Taking a big gulp of the cool river water lets the weariness of the day wash off me. Replenishing Vitality: Agility +2. A thought comes to mind, and I decide to practice one of my new skills. Pausing from my nourishment, I glance at everyone else. According to Zero, I could see the stats of my allies. This will be the first time I have tried it out. Narrowing my eyes, I wait to see if any of the status words appear. The words always fill my vision, but I wonder if there are any near the others. I force myself to look past my words and focus on everyone else.
My first choice is Queen. With her head underneath the surface of the water, there’s little chance of her noticing if I look at her for an extended time. I allow my mi
nd to focus on what I want to see while I stare at her. At first, nothing happens. A swirl of irritation starts to course through my body, but I push through it. I can’t allow myself to stop as soon as something gets hard.
Staring at her, I keep expecting someone to interrupt me. That would be my luck. Perhaps it would happen as soon as I think I’m about to achieve my goal. Sweat breaks out on my forehead. I wipe it off before it has the chance to get into my eyes. The longer I look, the more I lose track of time. As far as I know, I’ve stared for five minutes, but it’s worth it. It’s faint to where I’m not sure that they are really there; still, there are words floating around Queen.
Queen: Level 20. My eyelids try to shut, but I keep them open. There’s this strange feeling inside of me that says the instant my eyes aren’t open, they will disappear. I have to see as much as I can. Courage +35, Brawn +45, Agility +40.The longer I hold my eyes open, the harder it becomes to read. To my chagrin, reflexes take over, and I blink. They disappear, just as I thought. “Argh,” I hiss, falling back on the muddy ground in disappointment. A smile creeps across my lips. That wasn’t a complete waste. I can do it. That’s all that matters.
I don’t bother trying again. Instead, I rejoin drinking as much water as I can. When we reach the end of refreshing ourselves, a contented sigh passes through us, each finishing the expression for the other. Silence falls on us. For the first time in a week, none of our problems matter. Could this be what happiness is?
“All right,” G. says, standing up. “Since Harva was so quick to take a bath,” he turns to the ladies, “why don’t the rest of you take this time to pretty yourselves up?”
Queen shoots him a glare, watering dripping from her wet hair. “And what will you boys be doing?” My eyebrows raise at this. She’s always quick to give strange accusations. What is she talking about?
“What are you implying?” G. asks, his voice rising. “Do you doubt our honor?”
“You’re supposed to be a man of honor?” Queen asks. “Looks like the bar can’t be any lower.”
G. points his finger at her, clear that he is about to say more, but David steps in. “We’ll go upstream,” David clarifies. “We can get the lay of the surrounding land and clean up too.”
“Wow. That’s the best thing you’ve said in a week,” Queen laughs. David grits his teeth but doesn’t say anything in retort. He’s accepting his current position. It’s for the best.
“Just be sure you don’t come back too soon,” Aurora warns. Her warning makes more sense, making my cheeks flush. I turn away so she doesn’t notice.
G.’s face remains twisted in rage, but with a crack of his neck, he seems to be working his anger down. He throws his arms around us and starts dragging us away from the ladies, with Daisuke in tow. Though he was not in the most chipper of moods, he doesn’t neglect the chance to pass down some wisdom. “Give girls their privacy, boys. I have a friend who didn’t like to, and let’s say that he’s not had a happy life.”
I keep walking to wherever G. takes us. The further we go, the quieter the girls’ voices are. When we cannot hear them anymore, G. stops. He squats down, grumbling under his breath about Queen and her stupid attitude. “All right, boys,” he says. “Let’s get some of this grime off.” Looking at the water, he adds, “Can’t remember the last time I had a nice, relaxing bath.”
G. and David take off their brown leather armor and most of their skins, laying them on the grass. When they finish, both stand in small white shorts and a shirt. They turn to me, and I stand in my clothes, unchanged. “C’mon, Felix,” G. encourages, a brief chuckle at the end. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Hurry cause we don’t wanna take all day with this.”
Nervous, I take off my metallic armor. As the silver shell falls off, the floating words remind me of how weak I am without it. Hope no one attacks us. Sliding out of my usual shirt and pants, I stand in white clothes similar to their own. “Look at us,” G. chuckles. “We all match.” Grinning, he turns to our captive. “What about you, Daisuke?”
He shoots a glance at us. “I’d rather drown than swim with you.”
“Touché,” G. replies.
“Who’s going in first?” I ask.
In answer, Zero appears out of nowhere. “Pool party,” he cries, diving into the river before anyone else could drop a toe in. He swims against the current and continues traveling upstream. G. clicks his teeth and steps into the water. It’s deeper than I thought because, with every step, G. sinks further down until only his head and shoulders are above the surface.
David follows him. His arms swat at the water to keep himself afloat. Getting close to the water, a shudder runs up and down my back. This is the first time I’ve ever tried swimming. In fact, this is my first time being near this much water. Will I be okay if I hop in with them?
“Jump in,” G. calls. “A little water hurt no one.” I don’t move. G. rolls his eyes. “Are you scared?” Without waiting for my answer, he yells, “That’s ridiculous. Be a man. You’ve done much scarier things in the past.”
He’s right. Taking a deep breath, I jump, just like I did with the Serpopard. My body drops below the surface of the water. The coolness of the stream takes my breath away. Panic wells up inside me. What am I supposed to do? Beneath the water’s surface, I can’t breathe. My mouth remains closed, but I know that if I open it, no air will fill my lungs. If I could do that, then what I did next wouldn’t matter. With each passing second, my chest tightens from the lack of air. If I’m to survive, I have to make it out of this predicament.
My mind flashes to watching Zero. His arms and legs were moving. Trying my best to mimic his movements, I swing my arms up and down. Beneath me, I kick my legs. Though I don’t know if I’m going the right way, I trust my instincts. Turns out, I was right. Bobbing up to the surface, I am rewarded with fresh air and take a deep, chilled gulp of it. The warm air surges through my body while my teeth chatter.
“Nothing like a nice cool river to refresh the body,” G. exclaims. He keeps his body resting against the bank, laying his head on the ground. “You know, I hate to admit it, but Zero has the right idea. Swimming builds up muscle strength. It’s the perfect exercise to stretch out all of one’s muscles. If I didn’t need to unwind so much, I might do the same thing.”
This idea sparks my interest. Though I just learned how to swim, I should take full advantage of this opportunity. Who knows when swimming will be necessary on this journey? Moving my arms in front of me, I propel myself forward. My head dunks under the water as I try to mimic the form that I saw Zero use. It’s not an easy feat. Whenever my face is beneath the surface, I can’t breathe. I try to swim as far as I can before coming up for breath. With each stroke, I can feel a burning sensation in both of my arms and legs. When I come to a stop, forced by my weary limbs, I glance around to see my progress. I went a foot, if that.
G. laughs. “Looks like swimming isn’t one of your natural talents.” As if I have any natural talents to brag about. Maybe I should try again, but the burning keeps me at bay. Once I rest, I can always try again. Out of the corner of my eye, I see David doing something a little strange. He sinks beneath the current and doesn’t come back up. I watch and wait for him to pop up, gasping for air, but he doesn’t.
“What’s he doing?” I ask.
“Clearing his head,” G. replies. “Whenever he feels like the world is cluttering his mind too much, he does whatever he can to focus. Out of all his techniques, nothing works as well as dunking his head underwater.” He shakes his head. “Too bad it took us this long to find water for him to do it with.”
“Tell me,” I ask, not knowing if I would receive an answer or not. “Why do you always leave the plans up to David?” G.’s head cocks to the side at this sudden change in topic. “We’ve been around each other for around two months, and even though you make yourself the leader, you rely on him to make the plans. It’s not like you can’t come up with an idea. You’ve shown your prowess ple
nty of times. So, why?”
G. scratches his beard, considering whether he would answer me. “What can I say? He’s better at it than me. That kid has a way of processing possibilities that I can’t.”
David’s head pops back up. I withhold a gasp as I see a sudden sharpness in his eyes. The weariness the world is gone. Not saying anything, he swims over to the river’s edge and jumps up onto the bank. “Mr. G.,” he says. “I’m looking around.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” I offer.
“Oh, there won’t be any need for that,” G. dismisses. He waves his hand at David. “Go ahead,” He pauses, laughing at himself. “You’re an old hand at this. Do what you want, buddy.” David nods his gratitude, a faint smile on his lips. He turns away, rushing off into the forest.
“Always thinking,” G. murmurs with a shake of his head. “I’d get a headache if I kept that up.” We both relax in the river’s current, neither of us saying a word. Meanwhile, Daisuke sits on the bank, glaring at us. I pay him no attention, resting in the pleasant silence. Who knows how long G. could keep this up? Like Queen, he loves to talk. It would only be a matter of time before he had to say something. It comes sooner than I expected.
“Well, Daisuke,” he calls to our captive. “Who were you before you joined this band of ruffians?”
He regards us with a hard eye. “I didn’t join your band and why should I tell you anything?”
“No particular reason,” his captor replies. “But since you are with us anyway, you might as well make the most of it. Regardless of why you’re here, it doesn’t mean that we have to be on unfriendly terms.”
Mind's Journey 2: Of Monsters and Men (A Gamelit Fantasy Adventure - Book 2) Page 12
