Vincent was sitting by the fire. His hands were stretched out in front of it. 'Fire is harder to control than the water.' He put down his hands and rubbed his arms. He picked up a fish and took a bite of it. 'It may not be the best fish I have eaten, but at least I will survive.'
*Crackling* *Bells*
Vincent snuffed the fire and moved against the wall. 'That was my early warning system.' He grabbed the rope that led to sharp stick spikes on top of the ceiling. He made his body flushed to the wall and hid in the shadows.
A man and two kids showed up at the entrance. The man was injured and soaked in water. The kids had cuts and bruises on them. The boy wanted to enter the cave, but his father stopped him.
"We mean no harm! We are only asking for shelter for the night. I didn't know there was a pregnant zeshsi nearby." Vincent thought about whether to help them or not.
'The injury looks real, and the kids also look their real ages. It could be a trap to lower my guard.' He equipped the pair of tonfas beneath his clothes on his arms. They were baggy enough not to be noticed.
"Come in; if you try anything, I will make you regret it." Vincent stepped out of the shadows and made himself visible.
The two kids smiled and brought their dad inside. The kids laid him next to the fire and sat next to him. They began dressing his wounds. 'They must have gone hunting with him a lot.' The kids moved with familiarity and efficiency as they bandaged their father up.
"Ughh, that hurts!" The man slapped the girl who tied his bandages too tight. Vincent gritted his teeth and held himself back. The Regorian Empire allowed outsiders to bring their slaves with them and wouldn't interfere with their treatment.
Vincent recognized what empire they were from. The empire they were from made him sick to his stomach. Lustrinian Empire was an empire of horrible living conditions for the poor.
The girl apologized and was more careful when she did his bandages. He thought about Karrie and what he had done to her. 'I did the same to her. No, I am even worse than him. I enslaved not only her body but her soul.' Vincent's eyes clouded over as he got lost in his thoughts.
The boy walked over to Vincent and called out to him. Vincent looked at him. "Is it possible for us to eat?" He pointed to the rest of the fish still next to the fire. The boy was skinny and had sunken eyes. "Help yourself, kid."
The boy's eyes lit up, and he ran next to the fire, grabbed the biggest fish, and gave it to the man. The next one went to the girl, and he ate last.
Vincent went over and added more sticks and leaves. He took out a lighter and restarted the fire. He saw their faces for the first time. He froze in his actions. He saw his father's face and the faces of the two siblings he desperately sought. His breathing increased.
'This is fake. He is dead, and they are missing.' Vincent was decisive when he swung the tonfas at their heads.
*GASP*
Vincent sat up, looking around. The sun was disappearing, and he was still in his cave. He checked his supplies and then patrolled the area near his cave. He saw that he had caught a rabbit in one of his traps. He took the knife out and killed it. He brought it to the river to skin and wash.
He looked closer at the fish that were swimming and grew angry. He controlled himself and didn't flare up. The fish were trezers. They had adverse effects on people who ate them improperly. They could produce illusions and cause the person who ate them to fall unconscious for hours.
'Pay closer attention, Vincent! If this was somewhere else, then you could be dead.'
Vincent let the rabbit bleed out and then skinned it. He washed it as well. He returned to the camp and saw bags next to the entrance. He was sure the effects from the fish were not affecting him anymore. He put the tonfas under his clothes like he did in his nightmare.
Five people sat around the fire as if they were meant to be there. Vincent walked past them and started packing his things. He kept them in his line of sight as he packed. One of them stood up, wobbling.
"There is n-no need for y-you to leave a friend. We can all share this cave." Vincent threw the knife he had at his feet. "I am not your friend. I am in the middle of a test. I have to leave because of you."
The man stopped and grunted at Vincent. He returned to his group. The woman who looked to be in charge of them stood up.
"Sorry for just crashing in. We have been traveling for a while; this is the first time we have found a cave big enough for us all. What do you have to do to pass this test?"
Vincent ignored her poor excuse of an apology. "Don't stress yourself. I can't have any help from outsiders." He put his bag on his back and walked out of the cave.