The group needed to stay on that camping for two days more. They were exhausted because of the last annoying experience that they needed to pass on Refuge Crystal, so they wanted to rest for a little bit.
During their time inside that refuge, when they were still being bothered by the guards and people of the elite, they needed to keep running away and finding ways to survive all the time.
They lasted one more week like that, until they were too overwhelmed by the restrictions imposed and needed to finally go out of the refuge, leaving even some of their items on the hotel that they were staying.
On that whole week, they felt as though they were outside wandering through the fields, mountains, and forests. That situation was as dangerous as being in these places.
Sometimes, they would even get into trouble with robbers, that were obviously contracted mercenaries, chosen to kick off the group.
They were no match for the group since they weren't Ascendants and the ones that were got easily beaten as well. Rick's group wasn't ordinary at all. They passed great amounts of time exploring Saphyr and needed to fight Dreads every day and travel long lengths. They didn't even need to train their "Willpower" nor their fighting techniques because their everyday routine was already training itself.
That group was tough. They could match with a bunch of Ascendants out there, saving some exceptions. That's why they could survive no matter how many times the guards bothered them, or robbers attacked, or when they needed to pass days without food.
In truth, the group just left because the mercenaries that they were contracting were coming in more overwhelming numbers, they didn't have anywhere to stay for the night, and people didn't want to buy anything anymore.
These were the reasons why everyone was so exhausted.
During those two days in the camping, they didn't have a slight interest to go out of the tents. They just did so to everyday necessities. Other than that, all of them spent their days sleeping and slacking.
Thanks to that, they didn't find out right away that Paul was taking care of Dean.
The freckled boy was struggling to keep his partner hid, so they would not be able to see how he was doing.
In truth, the group wasn't even caring about Dean. They did not want to look at his face anymore. The boy was the source of their huge income in those few days inside Refuge Crystal, but also the source of the bad things that happened afterward.
If they took their time to go there and see how Dean was doing, even if the boy were still all wounded and about to die, they would surely feel the need to spank him again.
That's why they just kept inside their tents and did not look his way when they left it for a while.
Nonetheless, Paul and Dean could not hide forever. One way or another, the group would discover what was happening between them. Once they saw Dean in the state that he was now, it would be impossible not to suppose what Paul did.
On the third day of their staying in that place, near the lakes of Refuge Crystal, Rick decided to call all the group to a reunion.
He knew that they would run out of supplies if they just stayed slacking and eating all the time.
When the sun appeared, he called Hector, Kevin, and Clay, aiming to talk about their next destination.
Since they were some sort of adventurers, or then traveler salesmen, they didn't have any other choice instead pack their things and begin another hellish travel to a refuge that was as good as Crystal.
'That sucks...' Rick thought, sighing hard and rubbing his face and beard. 'Refuge Crystal was meant to be the business of our lives. It would guarantee a lot of money, worth enough to make us retire for years if we wanted to. We were almost two years traveling from faraway lands to this freaking refuge, just to be kicked off! If, at least, that crap of a slave didn't snap out of nowhere... That damn boy...'
Rick was usually a composed and indifferent person. Nevertheless, when thinking about what Dean did to him and his plan, fury began to boil inside him again.
Hector, Clay, and Kevin lasted some time to get out of their tents. Their faces showed clearly that they passed all those two days just sleeping and doing nothing more. Their bones snapped at every brusk movement they did. They didn't have a good smell as well.
'Those guys know how slack, huh? They didn't even take a bath. Oh, well, that's not my problem.'
"It's better for you all to take a bath, or at least wash your faces, then come here in a hurry, so we can speak about our next destination. I just woke up, but I am already pissed off!'" Rick said, crossing his arms.
His serious eyes and imponent tone made those three run to the lakes and start to clean themselves. They didn't even say a single word.
'I am pissed off out of envy as well. Just you guys can have enough peace to sleep at night. That's something that I barely could do in these two days. I stayed with my eyes wide open while staring at the canvas of the tent and holding myself not to go out there and beat that slave even more.'
He gave a pause, remembering the state that he left Dean before.
'Talking about it, that boy didn't have enough "Willpower" back then to do anything, not even to regenerate himself. I know that he was somehow nourishing and learning how to control his "Willpower", but he wasn't advanced enough to have a high rate of regeneration. He had not even 50% of our strenght yet.'
Somewhat worried about his jackpot slave, Rick walked briefly through the camping, looking to all sides and trying to remember where he left Dean before.
He widened his eyes and got shocked once he saw that the previously beaten slave, in just two days, was way better than he could imagine.
"What the actual fu--"