The spider's leg detached itself from its abdomen the moment the arrow striked it. It was a shocking sight. The leg fell to the ground like a log.
"What the?" Anne murmured, not believing her eyes. How could an arrow..do that while blades had no effect?
"Guys! Aim in between the limbs and the abdomen!" Anne yelled to her friends that were circling around the trees to avoid getting their heads bitten off.
Gerald heard Anne and immediately looked for a weapon. "Give me Zane's sword."
Ophelia reluctantly passed over the sword that had now cooled in her hands. "Be careful."
Rushing, Gerald stopped running and went in head first, he jumped as high as his legs could and pulled his arm back and stabbed into the eye of the spider, the blade remained stuck as he dragged it down across the spider's face through his body weight.
With his other hand, Gerald pulled himself up and maintained his balance, he headed for its front legs. Doing as Anne instructed, he aimed for the connected parts of the spider.
As soon as Gerald did, the limb detached from the spider's body as if it wasn't meant to be there in the first place. Afterall, these monsters weren't real animals.
Time went on, Anne and Gerald had gotten the hang of it. They struck and shot down every limb. Leaving behind a large stone that was impenetrable and immovable.
It's mouth twitched in pain as it made a fruitless effort to spurt out poison.
"Thank god.." Anne murmured, her breathing getting more rapid. She sat down on the branch and leaned her head against the tree. Her fingers were bleeding along with the string of her bow.
Gerald's hands were red and skin could be seen tearing off. It was a tough fight for him as Zane wasn't there to assist.
Gerald walked to the spider and retrieved his long sword before stabbing it through the spider's head. He pushed it down more and when he heard the loud armor breaking, he pulled out his sword.
"Is everybody fine?" Ophelia yelled, making sure Anne and the boy could hear her from all the way there.
Anne hopped off the tree as she strapped her bow onto her back. She tightly clasped her hand around Kai's hands and walked towards her friends.
"Let go." Kai said, pulling his arm back.
Being the carefree person she was, Anne didn't think much of it. She let go as the boy requested.
"Nobody injured?" Anne asked, looking at the situation. Zane had apparently recovered from his shock.
Zane shook his head. "No injuries. I think you should be worrying for yourself instead." He glanced at Anne's fingers.
Gerald laughed as he rested on the floor. He had done more than half of the work. It took a toll on his stamina. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the chattering of his friends.
When Gerald opened his eyes, he was met by the familiar shine of gold. He gasped and looked the boy in front of him up and down. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Silvery white hair that sparkled. It reached his shoulders and had an unkempt look to it. The boy's yellow eyes were still as enchanting as ever.
There were many things that changed about the boy. The most noticeable was the way he looked at Gerald. Kai's eyes were fixated on every movement he made.
Any second now and the boy might just break loose. It was nerve wracking.
Kai heaved a sigh and turnt away from Gerald and looked at Zane. He took the sword he had catched earlier and passed it to it's rightful owner. He figured he'd need it but..it seemed like a futile effort.
"Let's get out of here. We'll set up a camp outside the forest. You're free to join us..uhm?" Ophelia had just realized she wasn't aware of the boy's name.
"Kai."
Ophelia smiled. "Right, Kai. We're heading east, if you're heading the same way I suggest we go together."
They all headed east and could finally see a dim light shining into the dark forest. Once they were out, it was already night time.
Zane took off his backpack and pulled out another bag within it. "I'll set up the tent. Gerald, get some branches to start a fire. Anne, can you hunt down some food?" He got to work immediately to make up for his lack of contribution today.
"Wanna sit down while they help us get settled in?" Ophelia asked, bending down to the boy's level.
"No. I'm fine. I'll go help with the branches." Kai answered back immediately, he went back into the forest.
Ophelia nodded and watched the Kai disappear into the dark. She cracked her neck and stretched out her hands. "Still scared of spiders, Zane?" She teased.
"Very much so. Anyways, where did that boy even come from?"
"I'm not quite sure, I just saw him near the spider when we arrived."
"That boy gives me this feeling that I can't seem to get rid off. It's ominous." Zane stated, stabbing sticks into the ground.
"Well, you've never been a good judge of someone's character. But that, I have to agree. He seemed fine after being poisoned afterall."
Gerald could hear footsteps behind him, walking almost the same pace as he was. As if trying to watch him. "Who is it?"
"I wonder." Kai said, standing still.
"You..you're.." Gerald didn't know how to start or even finish his sentence. Should he explain himself or apologize?
Kai smiled and tip-toed, breaking a branch off of a tree. He looked at it and into a blank space. "I didn't see you around anymore. I heard you left the job after me."
"Yeah. I did.. I needed to find a better job to support my wife and child. So I quit and became an adventurer instead." Gerald said, picking up the branches. He wasn't sure why Kai wasn't strangling him right now.
"So how was it?" Kai asked.
Gerald stood still and wasn't sure what Kai was asking about. How was what? His new job? His family? Leaving the Bellaires?
"Leaving those children behind."
"I.."
"You know...in my stay there. I've heard people screaming your name for help before. It was amusing." Kai broke off another branch. "When I had asked them why they were screaming your name, do you know what they told me?"
Gerald 's hands started shaking nervously. His shirt drenched with sweat, he didn't dare look back.
In a high-pitched mocking voice tone, Kai said, "Gerald said he'd come back for me and save me. So I believe in him."
"I'm sorry.." Gerald murmured. This was worse than being strangled or harmed physically. He didn't need to know what happened to those he left behind.
"Funny, right?" Kai asked, now standing right in front of Gerald. "Rumors said that Lord Bellaire released those slaves. What an unbelievable lie."
Kai could still remember what he felt that day. From the tip of his fingers to the end strands of every fiber of his hair.
The smell of objects being burnt to a crisp. The charcoal and the flaming heat that flew around. The short lived screaming of children begging for help.
The fire sizzled and hissed. Along with his own screams to beg for their mercy.