It was late in the afternoon. Dappled sun rays were still pouring through the leaves and shining on the forest floor. Various animal sounds could be heard in the vicinity while the tall trees swayed back and forth in concert with the breeze to form a serene atmosphere.
Tyrak had already settled on the mat to enjoy a long sought-after meal provided by Tamara in that tranquil environment afforded by the forest. He didn't care for elegance and etiquette, even in front of a beautiful lady, and just swallowed the food down like a starving vampire devouring blood. Whether it was dried meat rations, fruit, or bread, he wolfed them down like nothing until he felt like he was beginning to feel some level of satisfaction.
The specked sun rays shining through the canopy illuminated his smooth and glowing face. He placed down his bowl and burped slightly before gulping down some water from one of the bottles. The next moment, a refreshing feeling of satisfaction surged through his body. He smiled and took a minute to immerse himself in the delightful sensation of having a fully nourished stomach before turning his gaze back to Tamara.
"Thank you very much for the food, Miss Tamara," he said, his eyes filled with utmost sincerity. "This was one of the best meals I have had in years."
"Is that so? Then, you must have been quite hungry." Tamara looked at him with a gorgeous smile. She had not touched her food and had only been watching Tyrak enjoy the meal alone.
"I was really famished," he admitted. "By the time you met me, I was almost dying because of the hunger. So, I'm really grateful for the food."
Tyrak had spent the past seven years sleeping almost on an empty stomach while 'at times' consuming tasteless gruel for sustenance. As such, the food provided by Tamara seemed like a heavenly dish to him. Tyrak ate with relish for the first time in years, and he felt fulfilled and full of energy after completing the meal. He was finally ready to take on the journey ahead together with Tamara.
"I forgot to ask," he said to Tamara. "Where are you from?"
"You wish to know where I am from?"
A mysterious smile outlined Tamara's face. Her hazel eyes crinkled at the edges, and her cherry lips curved upwards at the corners. Her rosy cheeks glowed, and an irresistible, tender, and captivating expression flickered like an aurora on her face.
She just sat there on the mat, tranquil and majestic, like a divine angelic being who had descended from the heavens to cast a charm upon a forest full of mortals. She was beautiful in every sense of the world, and Tyrak couldn't stop himself from staring foolishly at her face.
"You wish to know where I am from?" She asked again.
"Yes, I do," Tyrak answered and swallowed hard. At that moment, something wild seemed to be awakening in him. It was like an unbearable instinct urging him to pounce forward and stretch out his hands to hold the delicate lady before him in his bosom. It was only through calling upon every ounce of his willpower that he kept himself in check while waiting for the lady's response.
"Well..." Tamara said, "I'm not against telling you where I'm from or anything else about me. But I'll tell you later after we've become more acquainted."
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes, it's a promise."
"Excellent! Let me help you wash and pack up the dishes. Then, we can be on our way. As you already said, we must exit the forest before sunset."
"Okay! Do as you wish." She agreed. But she remained seated on the mat while watching Tyrak with an adorable smile.
Noticing that the lady's attention was on him, a sweet feeling gushed forth like spring water from the depth of Tyrak's heart. A Cheshire cat's grin manifested on his face, and without further ado, he pushed himself off the ground, ready to help with the dishes.
But right then, after standing on his two feet, something terribly wrong went on in his body. A powerful sensation of vertigo surged forth and assaulted his entire being. His head started spinning, and his thoughts turned into a mess. Before he could comprehend what was happening, a bizarre feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed back on the mat with a thud.
"What happened?"
With his tenacity forged over years of enduring punishments in the mines, he fought off the lightheadedness and forced himself to stay awake. That was when he caught sight of Tamara, the gorgeous lady, out of the corner of his eye.
She had not moved an inch. She stayed in place, watching the struggling Tyrak with a sweet smile. At that moment, she didn't look like an angel to Tyrak — but like a demoness or a rose with thorns, he had so often heard about in the legends told by his mother during his younger years.
"Why?"
His voice was quiet and hoarse. He was using every ounce of energy to understand why a stranger he had just met would go to great lengths to poison him.
After escaping the mines, he had so many goals and hopes. But they were all about to go down the drain because of a single moment of carelessness. He wanted to look into the matters regarding his parents, but it seemed he wouldn't get the opportunity because of a lady he didn't even know. Why was the world so unfair to him?
Had the lady faced him as an enemy head-on, Tyrak was sure that he would overpower her with his enhanced physique and recently gained brute strength. But she had exploited his weakness of hunger and provided him with food that was most likely laced with a potent poison. He had consumed the food without any ounce of suspicion, and that was why he was in his current predicament.
"My dear, Tyrak!" The lady finally got up from the mat and spoke. "Sorry about this. I only drugged you because I need you for something. But I promise I won't kill you. Instead, I'll use all my powers to help you live a life full of glory. You have my word on this."
Tyrak sighed and shook his head. Why would she drug him if she needed him for something? Why not just ask and see if he could agree to help? Tyrak regarded her rumbling as pure bullshit, and he even felt more and more powerless as the effects of the drug continued kicking in.
He had survived the mines for seven years! He had also prevailed through an earthquake that killed many before meeting a mysterious entity that offered him a tremendous opportunity. But after all that, he was just about to be done in by a delicate lady!
Tyrak was not resigned. But he also felt that life was pretty ironic. Something that seemed like a disaster had turned out to be an opportunity for him, while something he thought was a blessing was a calamity about to take his life!
Forcing himself to look at the seemingly harmless and delicate lady, he asked, "At least tell me who you really are and where you're from?"
"Of course, I'm Tamara Wisetree, an apprentice from the oracle temple," she said with a smile. Stooping forward to caress his cheek, she continued, "Don't worry about all those irrelevant things. We have a lot of time to get to know each other in the future. Just go to sleep, and we'll talk later..."
The effects of the drug were kicking in fast, and Tyrak could feel his mental faculties shutting down quickly. His body felt feeble, and he could no longer move his limbs. He was even powerless to move his fingers as his consciousness continued slipping further and further into darkness until he totally blacked out and lost all his perception of the world.
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