"We're off!" The young man stood up from the coachman's seat with one fist in the air.
Out of the three, Nicolas was the most excited one for the trip. He liked the idea of being a hero that goes on adventures with his companions. His dream is becoming a reality.
"Boy, don't you know when it is the right and wrong time to do something? If your hand were to reach out the barrier you'd be sent flying, you know."
The lizards raced along the forest road. They unleash a magical barrier that protects them and the passengers from the effects of their tremendous speed. If a person were to reach a hand or any part of their body outside the barrier, they would experience the vast wind and bring harm to themselves.
The boy looked at Sebastian irritated,
"Oh, right. You're also on this trip..."
Nicolas hoped with all his heart that the questionable butler would go his separate way and meet up with them at the next location—
"—But here I am disappointing all your hopes and expectations."
Nicolas covered his ears, "Stop reading my mind!"
"I didn't have to. Your face said it all. Here I was worrying about your safety and yet you treat me so lightly."
"I don't treat you lightly. You're somewhat of an acquaintance, I suppose."
Sebastian's eyes gleamed, "Have you perhaps finally accepted my friendship?!"
Nicolas chuckled, "Haven't you heard the saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?"
"Yes, I have. It is a very idiotic saying if I say so myself."
The young man cocked his head, "How so?"
The butler made a devilish grin and looked at the boy directly in the eye, "Why keep my enemies closer... when I can just kill them?"
The young man twitched, "U-Uh, Master?" His body trembled next to the happily humming butler. He entered the carriage through the coachman's window in search for protection beside his master.
William, on the other hand, was occupied. He wanted to make sure everything they brought would last them until the next village. He had trips like these back in his merchant days when he would partner up with people for deals that needed to be traveled in groups. Those weren't good experiences for him,
—What are good experiences for me anyway?
"Master, that weird butler is saying strange things again!"
The blacksmith needed to concentrate on the work in hand, but it was going to be a hard task with a noisy boy like Nicolas making a ruckus.
"Just brush it off, boy."
"Ugh, so cold!"
William didn't have a moment to deal with Nicolas. Besides,
—That butler also gets on my nerves too.
The young man looked curiously at what William was doing, "What are you up to?"
"Just checking our inventory. I wanted to make sure we had enough resources to make it to the next village."
The boy looked at his master with admiration, "It's good to have someone like you around master. One that keeps my stomach full—"
"—You know you won't eat unless you've earned it."
"What?!" The young man was left speechless.
"You'll be helping me with the equipment and the cooking."
"What about that guy?" he said, pointing in Sebastian's direction.
"He's our bodyguard, remember?"
"I see..." The boy looked down defeated, but he soon got distracted by what he found next, "Whoa! You also brought the daggers I made. I thought you were just messing with me."
"If I were to mess with you, I would've made you make over a hundred of them. Although that would be a waste of resources."
"Eek, so cold!"
"Besides, you may never know what may lay ahead in our journey. The path we're taking is dangerous. By the way, have you ever wielded a sword?"
The young man immediately stood up and scratched his nose as he proudly said, "Of course I—"
"—No you haven't."
With those words, the boy was easily defeated, "Grr!"
"What the hell are you growling for? Are you an animal?"
It was irritating for the boy to be easily read by the two men,
—Just... how?, the young man wondered.
"You tend to scratch your nose before you tell a lie."
Nicolas covered his ears, "You too?!"
"Listen, if you have never used a weapon you can just tell me. I'm here to teach you."
"Master..."
The boy was touched. Who would've thought his master thought of him with such consideration?
"I'll give you this dagger." The blacksmith handed to Nicolas one of the daggers the boy had made.
The young man's eyebrows furrowed, "Ugh... Master, I want to use a sword, not a silly dagger."
"Great assassins use it."
"I want to become a hero, not an assassin. Besides, you just swing around a sword. How hard can it be?"
"Very hard." The man affirmed, "We'll practice with a sword later when we stop to eat. For now, use the dagger. It will be easier for you to manage. Besides, it'll help you understand the practicality of the weapon for when you make one."
The boy nodded, "Very well then." He looked at his reflection through the blade rather disappointed.
"Cheer up. Just like smithing, it takes time to master it. You're a very fast learner. You'll be at it in no time." The blacksmith said as he patted the young man's head.
The young man nodded with a bright smile, "Right!"
"—Alright, we reached our first stop." The butler said through the coachman's window.
The young man poked his head out the carriage window excitedly, but his facial expression changed once he had a look outside, "Eh? Why did we stop here? This looks to be the middle of... nowhere."
The blacksmith cocked his head confused at the young man, as if it weren't obvious why they stopped, "To eat, of course. Aren't you hungry?"
"Yes, but... I thought we'd have a nice scenery."
The trio were a few hours away from reaching the dragon's mountain, where the serpent's path is rumored to be located. Half a day had passed since they left William's home, and they'd made significant progress in their journey through the massive forest.
— It does help that we have ground lizards, or we wouldn't be where we are now.
When the blacksmith and the butler were planning the trip, he was expecting that they would ride a horse. That's why, at first, he thought travel time would take more than what the butler anticipated, but with the lizards he believed they would arrive just in time. The lizards had the upper advantage when compared to a horse. They're quicker and have a good grasp of the terrain. It also helps that they have the power to be unaffected by the wind of their own speed.
The butler gave some fruit to the lizards and patted them, "What were you expecting, boy? We won't always be close to civilization."
They're still in the lost forest after all. The biggest forest in the kingdom of Heratia. It would take them a few more days to finally get out. That is if the Serpent's path happens to be a hoax.
"Leave me alone, four eyes." Nicolas murmured under his breath.
"Four eyes?"
"Eek!"
A dark aura emitted from the red-haired man, "I see... I wouldn't sleep tonight if I were you."
The blacksmith's eyebrows furrowed, "I wear glasses sometimes too. Does that make me a "four eyes" as well?" He said as he pointed at himself.
The young man shook his head, "Not at all, master! With you, they look cool and refined, but with four eyes here, well... it just makes him look like four eyes."
"Oh, it makes sense!"
"No it doesn't! Why you... I don't really need these glasses, but I must wear them, so I can let my eyes rest."
"That just sounds like you need them." Said William.
The butler shook his head, "My eyes have the gift of keeping up with things that the regular eye can't. Unfortunately, it strains my eyesight with each use. That's why I have glasses while I'm not using the power."
"To me, it still sounds like you need them, but that power sounds amazing!"
The red-haired man nodded with a smirk, "I didn't always have those glasses. Once I started working with the Reinsfield's, my lady gifted them to me."
"That's very nice of the Reinsfield's."
"Indeed, that boy is why I have these glasses—Hey! Are you even listening!?"
The men looked at Nicolas, who suddenly grew quiet and started shaking. He rubbed his arms to see if he could calm his shivering, but it was unsuccessful.
"Are you okay Nicolas?" Asked the blacksmith.
The young man couldn't stop the sensation he had, but he still played it off like it was nothing, "It's okay, I'm just a little cold. It is all."
"Are you sure?"
Just then, the feeling had suddenly disappeared. Nicolas looked at his hands which were shaking a few seconds ago. The young man's eyes widened, and his mouth slightly opened surprised, "Yes, I'm fine now. See?"
***
"Hmm, it seems we're missing wood to start the fire."
Since the young man was doing the cooking and the blacksmith was polishing some weapons, the butler thought he should go look for the wood, "Alright, let me go and—"
"Hold it right there mister, I'll go get it!" The young man stopped the butler in his tracks. He grabbed his dagger and was on his way to get the wood.
"There's no need. I can go and get the wood. You're already prepping the food to cook."
The young man shook his head, "I'll bring the best wood one can find." He said while puffing out his chest. "Besides, I want to take part of the whole cooking process. That includes getting the wood for the fire. If I don't, I won't be satisfied seeing you bow down before me when you get a taste of my amazing cooking."
The butler snorts, "That makes absolutely no sense."
"You don't understand because you're too stupid-- ouchouchouch."
The butler pinched the young man's ear, "What did you call me?"
"Come on just let me go!" Nicolas said, trying to break loose.
The butler sighed and let go of the young man's ear, "You and your pride. Well, you're going to need some small branches to start the fire and some medium-sized ones to keep it going."
"As much as I hate taking these suggestions from you, I'll do my best, four eyes!"
"You're just getting wood. It's not a big deal... wait, what did you just call me again you little--"
The young man ran before the butler could go in for a second pinch.
"I'll get you for that!" The butler said, declaring his future revenge.
"—Wait Nicolas! I'll come with you." The blacksmith stood up and tried to catch up with Nicolas, but the young man was already out and about in the forest searching for wood.
"Hm? Is everything alright? You seem to be overly protective of him all of a sudden. You haven't taken your eyes off him. Are you worried about him?"
William wryly smiled, "I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't."
The butler crossed his arms, "He's sixteen. He can't rely on you forever."
"One moment he didn't look good and in the next he said he was okay. Why shouldn't I worry?"
The young man looked very pale as he shivered. Cold sweats were rolling down his face when he suddenly regained his color and acted like he felt perfectly fine.
—How does a person go from one healthy state to another in a matter of seconds?
William thought it was abnormal. He wanted to keep a close eye on Nicolas just to make sure he didn't suddenly get worse.
"Do you ask yourself about bringing him?"
The butler had his own opinion about the young man coming along on the trip. The blacksmith had been wondering about it, but he couldn't think of any reason for the butler to feel that way. It didn't help that Sebastian wouldn't just come out and tell him.
"Not at all. It was my decision to take him. That makes him my responsibility. Just make sure to keep both of us safe."
The butler chuckled, "Just so you know, I have nothing against the boy."
The blacksmith crossed his arms, "I find that hard to believe."
"I believe you have noticed it yourself. That boy... He's a ticking time bomb."
As usual, the butler kept being vague about everything. The blacksmith was tired of playing games, "If you had said something before we left, maybe I would have thought about it. Now I have to hear you bitch and moan about it without getting a clear answer as to why. Unfortunately for you, you'll have to deal with it pal—"
"—You should go. We need to reach the tunnel before it gets too dark."
The man clicked his tongue, "We'll be back soon."
Once William left, the butler observed the food the young man was making,
—Interesting choice... If anything, it looks like 'their' meal...
Sebastian saw the young man as a liability. He knew it was a matter of time before Nicolas would break loose. The fact that Nicolas himself hadn't realized it was proof enough that the blacksmith would be in a tough situation in the future.
"You can't protect him forever." He murmured under his breath.
The butler knows what type of man William is. He knows for certain the blacksmith will hesitate, and it could cost him his life. Just like William had said, Sebastian's job was to secure them. If William isn't able to make the decision, then,
—I'll be making the decision for him.
***
It was quiet between the blacksmith and the young man as they walked through the narrow trees of the forest. Nicolas couldn't come up with a single word, a person who always seemed to have something to say.
Well, how could he?
His master showed up looking upset. He had left him with the butler. He wondered what could have happened between those two in order for the blacksmith to be in such a state.
"Master, are you okay? You look tense."
The man shook his head, "It's nothing, don't worry."
The young man wryly smiled, "When you say that it makes me even more worried."
The man raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Even though you said I'm a very reliable master? I believe the words you said were I'm one that, "keeps my stomach full"?"
Nicolas snorts, "Says the man who came home drunk when he was supposed to be 'negotiating'!"
William chuckled. Nicolas wondered what was so funny to him.
"Sorry, it's just you called it 'home'."
The young man's face turned bright red, "I-um--"
"It's okay Nicolas. Actually, that made me happy."
"Master..."
William had never felt like he belonged anywhere. All his life he's been in the care of someone who despised him. His parents or even his so-called siblings never looked him in the eye, let alone acknowledge his existence. He's never had someone who he could call family or a place that felt like home to him. It's always been him out in the world alone to fend for himself.
To hear the young man say that so casually made him feel happy to know Nicolas felt comfortable to be under his care.
—I wonder how he will feel when he finds out about why I'm hated by my family.
Until then, he will watch over the young man. Like he said before, it is his responsibility. He took him as his apprentice after all.
The young man observed his master as he seemed lost in his thoughts.
He clenched his hands into a fist, "You know master, I may not look like it, but I want to let you know that you can always count on—"
"—Hey, I found some branches that we can use. I think this is enough. Let's go back and eat." the man said excitedly.
The young man looked down defeated and sighed, "You weren't even listening..."
—At least his mood got better, the young man thought.
***
The trio sat by the fire and ate the young man's cooking.
"I'm impressed, that is excellent!"
The butler nodded, agreeing with the blacksmith, "I hate to admit it, but he's right."
They never thought that kind of food could be made by the hands of a person such as Nicolas.
The young man puffed out his chest and had a smirk on his face, "Bow before me peasants, because I am the master chef!"
The butler snorts, "No need to get ahead of yourself. We only meant to say it's good considering you did it."
"Alright, give it back! No more food for you, four eyes!" The young man was proud of the food he made. He was not going to take the butler's criticism, so he took his plate of food away, but the butler took it back without him noticing.
The blacksmith quietly inspected the food, "Seriously, where did you learn to cook like this?"
"There was one particular cooking book that I had when I was a kid, and coincidentally we had the ingredients for one of its recipes. I thought I might as well try it." The young man had to improvise with many of the ingredients, but he still managed to capture a similar flavor to the original dish.
"A long time ago, I got to taste the original recipe for this dish. It tastes just like that!"
The butler was curious, "What do you mean?"
"—How come you never told me you could cook? If I'd known sooner, I would've made you cook every day in the house. After cleaning, of course."
"What am I? Your maid?!"
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that why I took you in?"
"You took me in to teach me how to smith!"
As the butler watched the exchange, he could only sigh. It was obvious to him that William wasn't going to let him dig in any deeper into the young man's life.
"I believe we should finish the food or else it will get too dark. We're still in the forest. It could be very dangerous if we don't reach the tunnel soon."
The man scratched his head, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Hmm... I don't get it. The tunnel is still inside the forest. Wouldn't we still be in trouble?"
Nicolas was aware that the lost forest was filled with creatures of many shapes and sizes. The two men made it seem like the Serpent's path was some sort of safe place, but technically speaking, it was still inside the dangerous forest.
William nodded, "It's not that the tunnel is safe, it's just our way out of the forest. Apparently, it goes through the dragon's mountain, or so I heard. Not many creatures tend to go there either."
"That doesn't mean that we won't stumble upon any of it." Sebastian added.
"That is true, from what I heard, it appears to be a very dangerous path for some reason. People disappear when they go there."
Nicolas's eyebrows furrowed, "Doesn't that mean they left the forest?"
"Who knows? But I highly doubt it."
William had overheard the strange disappearances from the Drakon tribe men.
—From what they said, that tunnel could be more trouble than it's worth.
He was reminded of a specific someone. Someone who had made a deal to guide them through the tunnel.
—Where the heck is she? Did she ditch me at the last minute?!
He recalled their agreement last night. When he asked about the meeting place, she mentioned she would meet him along the way. Olivia didn't seem to be a person who would break promises. She was too proud of such things.
—We'll meet up sooner or later, I guess.
The butler burped after finishing the food,"Pardon me." He said, cleaning his mouth with a cloth.
"Hey! How did you get the plate back?!"
Ignoring the young man, the butler clapped his hands together, "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's start packing. It's time to go."
***
"It's about time we switched." The blacksmith poked out his head from the coachman's window.
"I'm alright. I still have some energy left to continue."
The sun was setting. The young man had gone to catch up on his lack of sleep. Only the two adult men remained awake on the road to the tunnel.
"We're going to reach the serpent's path any minute now."
"I do wish we had arrived sooner."
William sat next to the butler, "We needed to stop and eat. Besides, we're still on schedule. You said we needed to be there in about a week. It'll take us about another day to pass through the serpent's path. What then?"
After they pass through the tunnel it would still take them several days before they reach the temple. William wondered what the butler was going to do to get them on time.
"Because of that, you shouldn't worry. I know a shortcut through the great waterfall. At the top lives an old rusty man I know. He might help us."
"You can't possibly mean the great sorcerer?"
"Are you acquainted with him perhaps?"
"Something like that."
"I see... you and your mysteries."
The blacksmith chuckled, "Likewise."
" Are you going to try and ask him to use teleportation?"
"You're right on the mark."
"The thing is, magic can't be used like that. It isn't that advanced."
"I've been hearing some rumors about his apprentice. It is said that someone is developing gadgets and one of them is a teleportation device."
"Huh?! Does someone that smart actually exist?!"
The butler nodded, "I asked the same question to the informant. Apparently, it is possible."
"To one be able to cast a teleportation spell. The person can only use it on itself and must have already been at the destination once, since memories are the key to the connection. It goes without saying the caster must be a very experienced magic user."
"The teleportation this person is using is a contraption."
"Right..." the man stopped to think for a second. Never in his life would he ever think such a thing was possible.
"To make a contraption that can teleport even non-magical users is impressive."
"I've been thinking there could be a third object involved."
"How so?"
"I've heard of ancient stones, very rare to find. There are legends of ones that can contain massive amounts of mana."
"I see, so we know what may power it to make the contraction able to do its work. Even if that is possible, how do you suppose the spell would activate in the contraption?"
"For that, we might have to ask the mastermind himself."
"I guess…"
"I just need to get this done quickly."
""I'm curious. Why are you going through such lengths?"
"It's for my lady."
William smirked, "Ah, Ms. Reinsfield. Wasn't she the one who put you in that getup?"
The butler wryly smiled "Ugh... Yes."
The man laughed, "Now it makes sense. She must be very beautiful for her to make you wear that."
"As a matter of fact, she is."
Looking at the sky, the only thing that would come to the butler's mind was the smiling face of the person he held most dear to.
William crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back on the coachman's seat, "By the way, do we have any beer?"
"I would like us to be sober on this journey."
"Even though there are a bunch of classy drinks for some reason in the carriage? A little bit wouldn't hurt. With a calm road like this, I doubt anything might happen."
"You will have to excuse me, but I brought no beer. In the carriage there's only wine—"
"—Never mind." The man said, letting know his distaste for wine, "Hm? What's wrong?"
The butler looked at the road ahead of them, "They have been keeping their distance for a while, but it seems they're finally showing themselves."
The butler had kept quiet and thought that maybe it was just wondering animals that meant no harm. But,
"Just when we were so close to arriving."
"What is it?"
"Hold this for me and try to slow it down a bit." he said, telling the blacksmith to manage the carriage.
"Wait, What are you—?"
From his sleeve, Sebastian took out three shurikens and threw one at each of the beasts that showed themselves charging towards them.
"Brace yourself, we're being ambushed."
The creatures were no match for Sebastian. Three, four or five at a time. No matter the numbers, he would strike them simultaneously before they could even think of making the first move.
They cried as they got hit with shurikens. Their bodies laid on the ground. No blood came out of it, instead they turned into little blue particles and vanished in thin air.
The blacksmith was shocked, "What were those creatures?"
The butler picked up the clean shuriken from the ground, "I'm not sure, but they looked to be some sort of reptile. They seemed weak in defense, but very poisonous. Look at their drool on the grass." The butler gestured to their side what appeared to be the remains of a dead flower. One that once had color had completely turned black, its petals slowly decayed, and so was the grass surrounding it.
"One bite and you're done for."
"It's strange. They just..."
They had dark brown scales around their bodies. Their jaw resembled one of a crocodile but the body of a medium-sized ground lizard. The bodies disappeared once they were dead. It was something that William couldn't comprehend.
"Yes, I understand what you mean, they are slightly different from any normal creatures of this forest."
"What do you suppose we should do?"
The butler remained silent as he tried to think, but the rustling sounds near them caught his ear. He knew he had heard more than just the few that charged towards them. Sebastian was now bracing himself for the second wave that was coming,
"There are six... no twelve!" The butler gritted his teeth. Something unusual was occurring with the creatures. He was in disbelief, "Are they... multiplying?"
"I'll get a bow and arrow. It looks like we have company!"
The blacksmith quickly went inside the carriage through the coachman's window. He picked up the bow and some arrows. Without looking at the young man, he said, "Nicolas, get ready! We have got a wild pack of beasts on us!"
Noticing he had received no response, he turned to the boy. To the man's surprise, he found the young man on the floor looking very pale.
The blacksmith rushed to the young man, "Nicolas, what's wrong?!"
Sweat rolled down the young man's cold face, "I'm... not feeling so good." he barely made out a sentence before stopping due to his heavy breathing.
"I believe that's an understatement."
From the looks of it. It appeared that the young man had been going through the same thing a few hours earlier. He shivered as he tried to hold off the nausea, "I can't move."
The man's eyebrows furrowed, "It's okay kid, stay inside and take cover." He didn't understand what was happening to the young man, but one thing he knew was that he wasn't up for battle.
The boy's emerald eyes looked at William as if telling him he didn't want to be left out, "No... I must ...help." he extended his hand to reach for the dagger beside him.
"Stop." The blacksmith grabbed his hand, "Stay put while we handle this. I'll come back to take care of you once we're out of this mess."
The young man was about to argue, but he knew better. If he tried to help out, his body would get in the way of not only him but the butler and the blacksmith as well. They had less chance of surviving if they had to focus on him out in the open while in battle. He felt useless to be in such a state at a crucial moment.
Before he could say anything else, the young man had lost consciousness.
"Nicolas? Hey, Nicolas!" The man shook the boy to try and wake him up, but it was no use. He checked Nicolas to see if there was any pulse, "He's still alive, but in critical condition. We need to get you out of this if we want to get help."
The blacksmith rushed back to the butler with his bow and arrow ready. There was nothing that would stop him. He was going to get the help he needed for the young man, but if he wanted to find a place to treat him, they would first need to make it out of the situation alive. He was ready to take any beasts that came his way.
"Good, you are just in time. I need you to manage the carriage."
"Why?" The man shot an arrow at the head of one of the beasts, "What do you have in mind?"
"I will stay here to take on the packs of these vile creatures."
The man scoffed, "Are you crazy? That's suicide!"
The butler wryly smiled, "How rude. Please realize who you are speaking to. I am skilled at combat after all."
The blacksmith didn't doubt the butler's strength, but he wasn't sure to leave him alone to deal with something they didn't even know they were up against. No matter how many they took down, they would come back doubled.
—What the hell do I do?!
"Sir Jaeger!" The butler took the man back from his thoughts. He looked straight at the man's eyes, "Trust me."
William took a deep breath. He knew there was no way of convincing the butler, "Alright, but please be careful."
The butler nodded, "I need you to ride this carriage as fast as you can. I'll catch up later." He did a high jump and landed on one of the beasts, stabbing it to death.
"Alright, this is going to be a bumpy ride!"
The man indicated the ground lizards to go at full speed. They passed through the beasts, crushing a few of them in the process, in order to escape.
The beasts were vile creatures. They only desired to kill, nothing more and nothing less. Their fangs were ready to pierce the skin of any living creature that was in their way. They weren't going to let the blacksmith pass by them so easily. They raced behind him on the road, their fangs moist with their poisonous drool.
"I'm not going to lie, I feel sad seeing you go to the other target while I'm standing right here..."
The butler, with his shurikens, took down the beasts that chased the carriage. He was going to make sure the blacksmith and the boy were going to make it to the tunnel safely.
"I'll take you all, even if it's hundreds or thousands of you. You don't stand a chance." His hand reached for his waist and unsheathed his katana. Electrical currents enveloped the blade.
He braced himself for the third wave as heavy drops of rain began to fall, "Get ready to meet your end."
***
William looked at the unconscious Nicolas from the coachman's window. The blacksmith gritted his teeth. He regretted leaving his companion to fend for himself.
Although the butler couldn't hear him, the man screamed, "Come back alive, dammit!"
The carriage kept running at full speed in the heavy rain. William's shaking hands held on to the lizard's leash.
—Shit! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
Adrenaline was pumping through his body. The blood rushing to his head would not let him think straight. The only thing he knew he needed to do was to get as far away from the beasts as possible.
—How did things take a turn so quickly?
The ambush of those unknown beasts, him leaving a companion behind and saving a sick boy. All these things in a short amount of time were overwhelming for William.
The young man hasn't woken up. If anything, he had become paler than before. The blonde-haired boy was still alive. William was certain of it. He could hear his heavy breathing.
"Please, hold on, Nicolas!"
The lizards were already past their speed limit. If they were to go any faster, their bodies would surely pass out from exhaustion. Even so, the man urged them to do so for the sake of the young man's life. They were good ground lizards that listened to their master, so they did what they were told. They had a certain level of intelligence, enough to let them understand the grave situation they were in.
Although the lizards managed to keep going, the same could not be said about the carriage. As well crafted as it was, it had its limits and William had passed way over what it could hold. It didn't help that the beast's saliva must've touched one of the wheels at some point. The wheel disintegrated and, with the speed the carriage was going, broke.
The ground lizards were startled and let themselves loose from the carriage. William, who was holding on to them with the leash, was sent flying. His vision had turned upside down in midair. When his body hit the ground, he kept rolling. Even if he tried, he could not make his body stop. He felt the sharp pain of every bone of his body as it broke. He kept going until he had hit a wall. The impact took the oxygen out of him. He was left gasping for air and unable to move.
His body wanted to stay on the ground to catch a breath, but the world didn't cut him any slack, because that's when he heard it.
He turned to face the carriage approaching him. It was running with the little momentum it had left from being dragged by the lizards. Although it was losing its speed significantly, it was enough to reach the man and crush him.
That's when his survival instincts kicked in. It made him forget the pain of his broken bones, the loss of air and the loss of strength. At the last second, he jumped out of the way of the carriage.
The blacksmith landed on the floor once again and the carriage had crashed into the wall.
"Nicolas!" The man shouted, getting himself up on his feet once more.
He dragged his body towards the broken down carriage and found the young man in a surprisingly unscathed state. The blacksmith checked the boy's pulse and still felt the faint heartbeats. He let out a sigh of relief, and picked up Nicolas. Once he had him on his back, the man noticed how incredibly light he was.
—Was he always this lightweight?
The man dragged his feet as he kept pushing forward with the young man in his arms. His muscles wanted to give up, but he wasn't going to cave in. His body screamed at him with burning pain, but he refused to acknowledge it. If he let himself be taken by these sensations, he would most certainly lose the boy.
The blacksmith stopped his tracks,
—Wait, is this...?
He realized the path had led him right to the entrance of the serpent's path. After his rotten luck with all that has currently happened to him, he was relieved that he was able to arrive. All that he needed to do was to go through the tunnel and get help. He didn't know how much time it would take to get to the other side of the mountain by foot, but it was too late for him to turn back now. Especially after coming this far.
The blacksmith took a deep breath and made a step forward to, what he would soon know to be, the most dangerous part of the forest.
***
For something that was supposedly made by nature, the entrance looked man-made. William expected a simple hole in the wall, but to the man's surprise, the entrance was covered in block stones.
Although it has seen better days. Parts of the stones had come out. It looked like signs of a struggle. Maybe other creatures from the forest came around and made a mess of things. Besides that, if the blacksmith didn't know what he was looking at, he would say,
—It looks like an entrance to a tomb.
The man took a peek inside the tunnel. He didn't see anything strange. Well, he couldn't see anything at all. Inside was all pitch black.
—How am I supposed to see?
As if answering his question, a torch that was mounted on the wall lit up further along the path as soon as William had stepped inside. It startled him. William felt like he had been detected by some sort of magical sensor and activated a trap that was now set in motion.
—Yeah, this is clearly man-made.
Carefully, he walked towards the torch.
—Hm, nothing seems to be coming for me. I can rest easy on that at least.
After inspecting it, he tried taking it off the wall. He thought he could use the torch to travel through the tunnel, but it wouldn't come off.
—What the hell? Is it glued to the wall?!
The blacksmith sighed, how was he supposed to travel now? Did that mean that from there after he was supposed to walk through the darkness?
He took one look at the unconscious boy that was resting on his back. William could feel the young man's faint breathing. The boy needed him, and he wasn't going to let him down. Even if that meant walking into the unknown. The man took a deep breath and kept pushing further.
—Ah! So, that's how it is...
As soon as he stepped away from the light, another torch lit up further along the path and the one behind him went off. William came to the conclusion that every time he passed a torch, another would always light up ahead. He viewed it as a way to indicate to him the direction he needed to take rather than to let him see where he was going.
—Although this is a straight path through the mountains. Why would it have this weird mechanism?
He wouldn't be able to see what waited for him until he was at close range of the next torch, but it was a risk he needed to take.
—Besides, I can't act weak while someone is holding their end of the deal.
William thought of his companion, the butler he had left behind. He wondered if he would be able to make it out unscathed. The beasts seemed to be coming in endless waves. They kept multiplying by the second.
—Did he get outnumbered? Did he manage to fend against them?
"Trust me."
William recalled the butler's words. He should have more faith in the red-haired man.
William stopped to take a breath. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and checked on the young man. Once he verified the boy was still breathing, he kept running along the path.
—Is it me, or shouldn't I already be seeing an exit?
It felt like hours had passed, and yet he had not reached the other side of the tunnel. He kept growing impatient and tried to sprint his way along the path. Ignoring the cries of his body, he kept pushing over his limit to reach the other side of the mountain.
—What's this?
He looked at his feet to find he had stepped on a puddle or at least that's what he thought it was. He took off his shoe and placed it closer to the light behind him.
—Wait, this is... red?
His eyes followed the red trail. His source of light was gone, but he could still tell where the trail was going. When the next torch lit up, his breath was caught in shock.
What he witnessed were two of the beasts devouring the corpses of two men.
—Why are you here? This doesn't make sense!
The blacksmith tried to back away quietly while the beasts were distracted eating their meal. When he took a step back he slipped on the puddle of blood, alerting the beasts of his presence. He groaned in pain as he picked Nicolas in his arms. His eyes opened wide as he saw the beast's eyes fixed at him, looking like they were just served dessert after a full coarse meal. Their watering jaws dripped poison from their fangs, staining the floor in black.
—Could these have escaped from him? Unless...
The man gritted his teeth, "What happened to him? What did you do to Sebastian?!"
The creatures didn't give him an answer. Not that William was expecting them to do so. One moment the torch for the beasts was lit, then the next it went off. As soon as William noticed the light behind him turned on, he knew the beasts had begun chasing their next prey.
There was no way of going around the beasts without having to lose a leg or two facing them. The only way to save himself and the young man is by running back to the entrance. The blacksmith was devastated. After all that progress, he had to turn his tail and run back to where he came from because he was incapable of defending himself from the creatures.
—If only I'd brought my weapons, dammit!
Accepting his incompetence, he ran back. William wasn't sure if he was going to be able to outrun these insatiable beasts, but every option was better than to die. The torches lit up one after the other as he raced along the path.
"You traitor!"
A raging voice rang along the serpent's path. William heard a thud behind him, and he stopped to look. To his surprise, the sound waves brought the creatures to the floor. Upon closer inspection, it affected them to the level of convulsion. The creatures didn't seem like they were going to be moving anytime soon.
—What the hell is going on? It sounded like a person...
"You'll pay for that!"
The voice rang once more, bringing pain to the blacksmith's ear. This time, the vibration was strong enough to make the tunnel collapse. William was fast enough to get away from being crushed, but the same couldn't be said by the convulsing beasts.
"I thought I had tough luck, but you guys got me beat. May you rest in peace."
The man looked at the collapsed part of the tunnel. With all the rubble, there was no way for the blacksmith to be able to cross. William would have to keep walking back to the entrance.
—So I'm still going back... This is not good.
The blacksmith looked at his way back with uncertainty of what could possibly wait for him. He adjusted the young man who was slipping from his arms and kept running towards the entrance.
He kept hearing the shouts echoing through the tunnel. It was a familiar voice, but the blacksmith couldn't pin out who it was. It caused constant quakes. Needless to say, William struggled to keep his balance as he ran.
—Shit, shit, shit! Is it my turn to be crushed?!
It looked like the tunnel was about to close in on him at any moment. Even with all the commotion, Nicolas was still unconscious in the blacksmith's arms. He seemed to have regained some color and a steady breathing. He was hopeful that it was a sign of the young man recuperating.
"It must be nice sleeping on the job!"
He recalled telling Nicolas he would have to carry their equipment in order to earn his spot on the trip. William found it ironic how he was the one who ended up carrying the young man's weight instead. Regardless, he was glad that the young man was getting better, even if it had raised some questions to the blacksmith.
"Are you really getting better? I don't understand." William felt a sense of déjà vu. Earlier in the day, Nicolas had experienced somewhat of the same thing.
—Only this time, it took a longer period of time.
The first time, the change was within seconds. This time, his condition had worsened, and it had taken hours for the young man to regain consciousness.
He had many questions for Nicolas, but he set them aside for the time being. He needed to get out of the tunnel first.
—Considering the time it took me to reach where I found those pests, I'm still hours away from the entrance. How the hell am I'm going to survive if—wait what?!
William assumed it would take the same time for him to get back to the entrance of the tunnel. He was wondering how he would manage to get out unscathed if it were to collapse. Before he could find a solution, to his surprise, he found the entrance to be right in front of him.
—How the hell is this even possible?
He wondered how he could have arrived sooner than anticipated. It didn't feel like much time had passed since he ran back. He stopped and stared at the bit of moonlight that reached him from outside the tunnel.
-What now?
The blacksmith had no transportation and no way to get across the tunnel. He came to the thought that he was hopeless.
"Well, if anything, I would need to wake you up—Huh?" The blacksmith looked at the young man. "Nico...las?" The man realized that the body he was carrying with him had suddenly stopped breathing.
"No!" He quickly put Nicolas on the floor. He checked the young man's pulse, but he didn't have any. The man proceeded to continuously press the center of the young man's chest, "Weren't you getting better?! What is happening to you!?" He kept going on for minutes, but the young man gave no signs of life, "I won't lose you too, dammit!"
William stopped and stared at the lifeless Nicolas. Tears fell on the young man's body, "Nicolas, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
Nicolas only lived with him for a few days, but William had gotten attached to the young man. He thought Nicolas was going to be the first person he was willing to consider family.
He picked up the young man's body. In his arms, he walked to the entrance of the tunnel.
"Mother was right. I do bring misfortune to those around me."
The ground quaked once more. This time, the tunnel collapsed behind him. The blacksmith ran and jumped out of the way, incidentally, sending the young man's body rolling outside the entrance.
"Nicolas!" The blacksmith tried to reach out to him. He tried to stand up, but he fell back on the floor.
—What the hell?
He noticed his clothes were drenched. He felt his hand touching some sort of liquid. When he looked at his palms, he noticed it was blood.
Then he heard them.
—It can't be...
Behind him, there was one of the beasts munching down what appeared to be someone's leg.
In disbelief, the man looked at his lower body to find out that his left leg, right up to his knee, was gone. What was left was the spilling of the man's own blood and the agonizing pain that came from having his leg torn off.
He rolled around as he screamed in agony. Splattering blood in every direction, he turned. Before he realized it, his right arm was torn off by another one of the beasts. They came without any warning and distanced themselves when they made a move.
—It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!
The poison spread through his body. It caused his skin to slowly decay. "No please, stop!" The man pleaded for his life, but the beasts were already with their fangs out to get more from William. They drooled, thinking about which part they were tearing up next.
With the arm and leg he had left, he tried to drag himself over to the young man. More tears rolled down his face as he desperately tried to reach him. The sickness of their poison was overpowering him. He was losing the sense of his body. The burning sensation of his injuries was gone and instead, he felt cold.
As he was inches away from reaching the young man, he extended his hand towards him.
"I'm sorry!" He bawled out screaming.
Before his hand could touch the young man's face, his head was in between the beast's fangs. He felt the pressure on his skull getting tighter and tighter until he heard something crack and the world around him went black.
***
It had no body.
It was a spiritual presence in a world that was enveloped in white. A light just floating in nothingness where time feels to have completely stopped.
Although it had no eyes, the spirit could feel the presence of another figure with it.
The presence the spirit felt was a woman standing in the isolated world. She turned around and noticed the spirit. She looked at it rather surprised.
"Oh? What do we have here?"
She approached the spirit and looked at it a bit displeased. She whispered to herself, "There's still more for you to see..."
She turned her back to the spirit and with a snap of her fingers a white chair appeared before her. She sat on it and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
The woman sighed, "I wonder, for how long will this be? Either way, best prepare yourself, because even I don't see the end."
The spirit did not respond, or rather, it couldn't because it didn't have a mouth to do so. She wasn't even sure if the spirit could hear her. The woman looked a bit disappointed, lonely even, "Let's hope that next time we can have a proper chat, Mr. Blacksmith."
With another snap of her finger, the woman sent the spirit back to its world.
***
It was all coming back to him like images running backwards before his very eyes. The beast's ambush, the butler's disappearance, the young man's sudden fatal illness and, the one that makes him cringe at thought, his own death.
A sharp pain coursed through his head. When the pain stopped, his breath got caught at what he noticed as soon as he opened his eyes.
—I'm inside the carriage, how is that possible?
The carriage that had broken down and crashed was up and running again. The ride that was completely destroyed with no chance of getting fully repaired was put together without leaving any signs of it ever being destroyed in the first place.
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right,
—My hands... What?!
His eyes were not deceiving him. He stood up surprised as he took notice that the things that he wasn't supposed to have anymore were still there: his arm, his leg,
—Hell... even my head!
A cold sweat rolled down his face at the miracle before him. He couldn't comprehend the situation he was in, let alone the circumstances that brought him to where he was, but he was alive with his body intact.
—How could this be?
He knew that it was impossible. He had fatal injuries. He recalled what happened and could still imagine the horrible pain in his arm and leg that were horrendously torn off.
—My skull had... been torn to shreds.
He slowly passed his fingers where the beast's fangs were planted on him. He could confirm that every part of him was in check.
—But I felt it, I felt the pain... death...
The man felt something burning within him as it rapidly went up his throat. He quickly scooted over to the carriage's window, poked his head outside and proceeded to vomit. When he finished, he laid back on the seat looking very pale.
—What's all this supposed to mean? Could there be a healer that had such abilities? If so, then, Nicolas... No, that's impossible.
Even though he was miraculously saved, he knew that it wasn't the same case for the young man. The young man had stopped breathing, and his heart stopped beating. Nicolas had died in front of the man. William tried everything in his grasp to save him, but,
"Nicolas, I'm sorry..."
His eyes began to tear up. He had failed his young apprentice. No matter how hard he tried, he ended up in such a pathetic state. It was like stones that blocked his path everywhere he tried to set foot. He couldn't help him. He let him die in his hands.
"Master?!"
The blacksmith's eyes opened wide. He suddenly felt like it stopped as he saw Nicolas coming through the coachman's window in a perfectly healthy state.
"Master, that weird butler is saying strange things again!"
—What is going on?, the blacksmith tried to say, but instead,
He rushed towards the young man and embraced him. In his arms, Nicolas was shocked, "Master?" He didn't know what led to his master's sudden action.
The blacksmith didn't answer to the young man's confusion. Instead, he let out his own thoughts of relief with tears rolling down his face,
"I'm glad you're okay."
"Master, are you alright? You look pale... are you crying?!"
Nicolas's voice reached the butler at the coachman's seat and he tried to look over his shoulder through the coachman's window, "Is everything alright? If the boy is being a nuisance, I know ways to punish him."
—Sebastian too?!
Nicolas being in a perfect state wasn't the only weird thing that was happening to him. The butler was also with them too.
The young man broke from the blacksmith's arms and looked at the butler irritated, "As if my master would turn to such lowly ways as yours!"
The butler scoffed at Nicolas before getting his eyes back on the road.
The blacksmith smiled at the two's usual back and forth, "It's okay boy," the man patted the young man's head with one hand as he wiped his tears with the other, "I'm alright."
For some miraculous reason, the blacksmith was back in the carriage, the young man was alive, and he was reunited with the butler. Strangely enough, the same weapons and food were in front of him once more.
—Everything right now is strange. How is this even possible?
The young man looked behind the blacksmith, "What are you doing?" he looked at the food and weapons curiously.
William turned around confused at the young man's question, "Didn't I already tell you? Just checking our inventory. I wanted to make sure we had enough resources to make it to the next town—ah?"
—What am I saying?
"Well, it's good to have someone like you around master. One that keeps my stomach full." he patted his stomach as he grinned.
—Wait, something's off.
The young man noticed the weapons that were with them looked familiar, "Whoa! You also brought the daggers I made. I thought you were just messing with me."
"If I were to mess with you, I would've made you make over a hundred of them." The man opened his eyes wide after he instinctively said that. He realized that he had actually said the same thing to the young man before.
"Eek, so cold!"
—He even had the same response!
The man wryly smiled, "Are you teasing me, boy? We've already talked about this."
The young man cocked his head confused, "I don't know what you're talking about, master. As far as I know, this is the first time we've spoken of this."
Judging that he was going through the same conversation and the same scenario a second time, the man finally understood what was happening to him.
—Could it be possible?
He had a sense of déjà vu. Well, even more than that. The man had gone past the point of feeling like he might be going through the same scenario twice to know for certain that he actually was.
—I know that I died, I'm sure of it. So, this is what is happening... somehow I was—
William Jaeger was brought back in time.