"Blegh!"
Feng Huan is surprised as he is suddenly covered in a black tar, his previously soiled clothes are soiled once again as Rong savages his clothes. Feng Huan can't help but shudder.
His hair feels rough against his head as it sticks up every which way, the strands are tangled and knotted. The black dye that covers them also covers his skin, but he doesn't pay attention to that as he struggles to get up, struggling so much as his vision is blurry.
"Get up." He whispers, not wanting to wake up the others. He puts both arms under her armpits and heaves her to her knees. "Now get up." he growls.
She stands, her legs are wobbly but she manages to lift herself up. They both make their way to the edge of a lake. Feng Huan rests himself, leaning on a tree. The long walk took a lot out of him.
She gets up on her knees, bends over and vomits.
She coughs weakly, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Her clothes are covered in a layer of dark, sticky substance, her whole body shudders.
Feng Huan takes off his padded top, the layers of cloth peeling off of him. He walks towards the Lake, grabbing Rong along the way.
Rong squirms as Feng Huan forces her onto the water.
She's so weak and dizzy she falls onto the water. Feng Huan grabs her and holds her to his body. She is limp, lifeless. She looks dead. He holds her above the water, her arms floating on top of the water. He can feel her pulse, but it's fast and thready.
He pats Rong's head, rubbing the top of it, running his hand through her silvery stringy hair. He strokes the top of her head and closes his eyes. He listens, listening to the soft sound of birds singing... Then he sighs.
The puppet maid in his hands stir in her sleep. She raises her head and opens her eyes. She's confused, but she gurgles with happy sounding sounds. She can barely speak, and her body is an amalgamation, a mutilated desecration.
A lump of flesh and bones is formed by some mysterious spell, she is still breathing, but only barely, her lips form a word, "Water… Water.. I want water…" she moans quietly.
She reaches for it with her small hands.
She cups the Lake's blue water, her hands shaking violently as she drinks the cold water.
Then she sits, panting heavily, and leans against Feng Huan. He lets out another breath he didn't realise he was holding. He's tired but he stays standing.
"I would be fighting you right now Demon... but I need rest." Rong tilts her face up to Feng Huan's surprised face. "I am not used to being this limp." Rong admits. Feng Huan nods, he understands.
He has to use every ounce of energy possible to remain upright, to maintain a strong posture, but he knows how hard it is to move. His legs wobble when he stands but he remains stable. His body is unreasonably sore, as if there' a huge weight on him.
"Can you carry me back to my cave... or my tent..." she asks hopefully. "Of course." Feng Huan picks her up, bridal style and makes his way to the banks of the Lake. Her costume dripping with water, her unnaturally pale white skin showing through the cloth.
Once he's safely on shore, he sets her down. She lays her body on the grass. He crouches next to her body and touches her cheek softly. It's very warm, and he notices the cracks of a shell, as if an egg is hatching and her true face is emerging from it.
She looks at him, and tries to smile. "Thank you," she whispers, her words slurping as her tongue rolls out of her mouth. "You saved my life..." Her voice comes out muffled, and Feng Huan isn't sure whether to think she's drunk, or just tired from all of that vomiting.
As she smiles, the edges of her hard face start to crack, like an egg breaking, the membrane starts to break, and her true face emerges from the surface. And there lies her true beauty; she's beautiful, with her soft brown hair falling freely to frame her lovely round face.
She has large eyes like sapphires with a thin layer of eyelashes, her nose is slightly upturned and her face looks young. She's smiling, although there's no joy evident on her lips. Her hair is a dark brown, it contrasts her white skin quite well and looks soft.
The colour reminds him of the sky, and the dying sun illuminating it. Her ears point outward to the sides, the tip resting delicately on the back of her neck. Her skin glows a faint pink, like her cheeks.
She's truly a sight to behold. But she is human… If not, she doesn't belong here. She smiles, but only the left side of her mouth moves. He watches her lips, her long sharp teeth coming into view.
He thinks he sees some fangs protruding from her mouth, like the fangs she always had. Her eyes are closed, and her expression is calm. The night is cold, and a fog is forming as Feng Huan hauled Rong back into camp, where the two wooden wagons are.
He sets her down and covers her body with a blanket. He leaves her alone, leaving her sleeping comfortably. The night passes by silently, and the next morning he wakes up before the sun rises. His eyes darted over to the girl lying peacefully on the bedroll.
He is stirred to action by the horses, stomping and neighing on the downturn. Danica and her companions have already entered the wagon, the four nameless soldiers entering the other.
Feng Huan follows suit, and as all of them come into position, the horses gallop closer to their destination…
After hours on the road, the two wagons come across a village, surrounded by fields, trees and a river flowing through the centre of the village. There are several houses along with some shops. It seems rather small, but it is peaceful and quiet.
They ride in and exit the wagon, and Danica leads her group off. She leads them to the tallest building in the village, a tavern of some sorts. As they walk towards it, Feng Huan notices the lack of people in the village, it's almost barren, and there's barely a handful of people walking outside.
Everyone walks towards the tavern and enters. When the door shuts behind the four of them, they can smell the scent of meat cooking. Feng Huan hears a man laughing merrily inside the tavern, he's a middle aged man, with a beard that almost covers his chest.
"I've heard they've been having lots of troubles lately, so why not celebrate tonight?" the man laughs and claps his hands together.
A woman scoffs beside him. "I don't know what you're talking about." she says coldly. The two men laugh heartily.
"Why not? The new recruits have come all the way from the Capital, and there's talk of the new emperor sending us food! How lucky would we be if we could take our pick?" The man laughs.
Feng Huan walks towards one of the tables, and the entire group takes a sea A few chairs scrape against the floor as everyone takes a seat.
"Don't drink too much." Danica frowns, looking at the group with a disapproving gaze. "We'll leave soon enough. We wouldn't want to cause a ruckus." Feng Huan nods in understanding. He's aware, there won't be any problem.
All they have to do now is wait until nightfall. Feng Huan sits at a table with the four soldiers. Other than the conversation playing out on one side of the tavern, the entire place is quiet. The soldiers chatter about trivial matters, asking general questions and reminiscing on the past.
One soldier even brings back a bottle filled with alcohol that he keeps hidden in his bag, he chugs down most of its content, before passing the bottle around. Feng Huan looks down at the mug in his hands, his face is reflected on it.
So far, he doesn't look too different from the people around him. It seems that he should lay low for a while. He looks towards the window, where he observes the sky reddened with the sun. He can see the clouds moving quickly, like waves hitting the rocky beach.
The silence of the little village is eerie, the fire pit crackling loudly in the corner of the tavern, filling the space with the same noise. He glances toward the soldiers, who are now all drunk.
They were quiet when they first came into the Tavern, but they were talking loudly and laughing, the laughter coming out of their mouths like a stream of water coming out of a drain.
The loud noises of the soldiers echoing through the room, but the overbearing silence is still palpable. But now they're quiet; something about the place has stirred them to silence. The whole atmosphere is tense and uneasy.
Feng Huan gets up, and goes to another table near the fireplace. The soldiers keep chatting with each other, drinking and making jokes, but now they've decided to tone it down. The light from the sun enters the tavern, illuminating everything in a soft red light.
Feng Huan stares at the fire with his empty cup in hand. He takes his time looking at the flames, feeling the heat radiating in front of him, trying to warm himself up. He feels uncomfortable sitting around waiting for the sun to set... Waiting for the sun to set.
Danica and her companions are eating slowly, and looking around the place. The man in black tapping his foot on the ground, looking restless. The two women are drinking quietly; they seem to be waiting on something.
The pitter patter of water off the edge of the bar tap tapping on the hard wooden floor somehow makes a tingling sound, similar to the sensation of a hair clip cleaning your ear. It feels like it should be painful, but it feels so good at the same time.
The sound of water running through the wooden boards, the sounds of it splashing over the edge of the sink, the sounds of birds calling. The birds call. Calling. Calling. Calling. Calling. Calling.
Feng Huan closes his eyes and opens them again. The silence takes over once again, and he leans back against his chair, listening to the raindrops that now hit the roof of the tavern. An ambient white noise in the background, a symbol of pseudo silence.
Another tap taps on the floor. Another raindrop falls. Another white noise. He could hear his own heart beats. Feng Huan's eyes begin to drift shut, and he feels sleepy. He leans forward onto the table and rests his head, listening to the sound of raindrops.
His eyes close and he begins to drift away into sleep.