A pale man with a wrinkled face and curly white hair came closer. His lips were curved up but his eyes were grim. It was a pair of deep and unfathomable eyes.
"We have a vacant hut here. Young men, you can stay for as long as you like."
It was a sincere offer, but Vince sensed Prince Aiji's indifference. The prince was quiet, so he smiled at the old man.
"Thank you, but we are travelers, we're just passing by."
"Then you can stay here tonight, I will go tell my wife to prepare the mats."
Without waiting for Vince's reply, the old man went inside the hut where he came out without even asking their names. Vince stared at his receding back and turned to the side where someone was still zipping his mouth.
"Prince Aiji, is there something wrong?"
"Dari, be careful. I sensed something odd here, and it isn't good. Don't stay away from me."
"Okay. Don't worry." Vince sensed nothing wrong. The old man was polite and hospitable, but if Prince Aiji sensed danger, then they must be wary.
With a smile that got even wider, the old man came back. An old woman followed him holding coiled palm leaves mats dressed in a black, long-sleeved coat paired with a black long skirt. She had lesser bone necklaces dangling on her neck and was keeping her head down. She was looking frail that Vince couldn't find any hint of danger.
"Young men, you can stay in this hut tonight." The old man said after taking Vince and Prince Aiji to the last hut that was overlooking the river with a flat surface below, near the flowing water.
The four huts were built next to each other while the fifth was a few meters away, under a massive tree.
"Thank you very much, by the way, may I ask if those other three huts are occupied too?"
A flicker of uneasiness flashed in the old man's eyes.
"Ah, hehe... those huts housed my children before, but they moved to other places."
"I see. Thank you for accommodating us."
A suspicion sprouted, but Vince was at ease. With a capable prince on his side, he was feeling secure. Never mind his image, he isn't the imposing Captain Garcia in this ancient place anyway.
"It's just a small thing, don't mention it. I will bring your dinner later." The sun was already hidden on the horizon. The hospitable host was sensible enough to offer them a meal. The starving modern man was grateful, but the ancient prince refused.
"Please don't bother, we have our food." A stern voice that contradicts his gentle face refused, leaving the smiling host no room to insist.
"Hehe... Okay then, have a good rest young men." The old man handed the mats to Vince.
"Thank you very much." With both hands, Vince accepted the mats.
The old man smiled and left with the old woman who never uttered a single word.
The Prince stared at the lonesome hut for a while before stepping in. Vince followed. He was curious about what surprises awaited them, but there was only a pile of firewood inside.
The prince lit the pile of firewood. When the fire illuminated the entire hut, Vince inspected the place but he found nothing suspicious. It was just a vacant hut.
Prince Aiji was still silent, he took out yams and roasted them, then fed Red a ripe papaya.
After a plain dinner, Prince Aiji took Red outside and put it beside Gorgeous. He then put the fire out and told Vince to lay down while he was sitting in the corner.
Darkness and silence took over.
Hours passed, the prince was still sitting quietly. Vince wasn't able to sleep, and he didn't intend to.
Midnight came, but still, the surroundings were too peaceful. About another hour passed when they heard a faint commotion outside. The prince carefully peeked at the bamboo wall and was observing for almost thirty minutes. Vince was curious and wanted to take a peek too, but the prince, perhaps sensing his curiosity, walked towards him, cautiously.
"Dari, take this and tie it around your head."
Vince couldn't figure out the purpose of the thing the prince gave, yet he immediately heeded. It was a piece of cloth.
"What are they doing?" Vince whispered.
"They are boiling two big pots of water below, on the riverside."
"Boiling big pots of water, for what?
"For us."
It was frightening and alarming, yet Prince Aiji said it casually. The modern man Vince was stupefied.
"For...us! Are they going to make us into human stew!?" He almost yelled it out.
"Most likely. Dari, these people eat people. They are the few people who escaped from the fallen human-eater tribe. They practiced evil rituals that will make them live longer by consuming human flesh. The old couple earlier looks like sixty to seventy years old, but they are probably around two hundred. Later they will perform evil prayers that will make us fall into a deep sleep. The cloth I gave you is an amulet that will repel their evil magic."
"They are cannibals!" For Vince, it was unbelievable. But in this strange place, unimaginable things seemed normal.
"Cannibals?"
"Ah, I mean human-eater... How many are they?"
"There are ten men and the old couple we met earlier."
"Where did these ten people come from?"
"They were hiding at the remaining huts."
"Oh! They are too cunning, I didn't sense them." Vince replied.
"I sensed them earlier. Perhaps like your memory, you also lost your keen senses. You used to perceive this kind of evil soul from a distance. But it doesn't matter, you thought me everything so I know how to beat them. Take this bronze dagger, later when we will fight them, stab their hearts. Make sure to hit the heart. These people are not good fighters, they just lure their targets. Killing them is not difficult, but a bit tricky, you have to stab the heart with a bronze weapon. Only weapons made of bronze can kill them." Prince Aiji said.
"Don't worry, I think I can help you with this."
"Okay, but be careful."
"I will." Vince was confident. He was good in close combat, and the cannibals weren't good fighters. He was delighted that he finally got his chance to lend Prince Aiji a hand.
"I will go back to the wall now. Lay down and cover your whole body. I will tell you later if they are coming."
The prince continued peeping. A few minutes later, he stepped back and laid down opposite Vince.
"Dari, they are coming, get ready!"