Perspective: Thor Gild
"Hey! ... Hey! ... buddy ... wake up".
I felt jolts, someone was shaking me.
"Thor Gild.... Thor Gild".
"Shit he is bleeding".
"Give me that Cloth".
I heard a sudden sharp and crisp ripping noise.
Opening my eyes proved to be quite a challenge, as if an unseen force was resisting my attempts. Despite my utmost efforts, my eyelids felt heavy and unyielding.
Keira's call reached my ears, and I yearned to respond. However, the position of my body restricted any movement, rendering me unable to even part my lips, let alone utter a word.
[Maybe he is dead]
"You shut up..... can't you see he is still breathing".
"Come on man wake up".
Keira kept shaking, gradually my sleep induced state weakened.
Eventually, I opened my eyes, followed by a throbbing surge of pain on my chest, apparently one of my ribs had been broken, and It was poking against my insides.
The pain was excruciating, but I wasn't going to give in, the fact that I was still alive meant Arngrim hadn't given up on me yet.
And I wasn't planning on disappointing him.
[Great he is up]
[Now let's go find Sir Brandon and the others]
"Can't you see he is hurt, .... If you wanna go ... go search yourself".
As I fluttered my eyes open, I saw two faces, blurry and in discernible. However soon, those colour contrasted, and the faces revealed themselves.
It was Keira and Marcus.
Keira's face emanated a gentle and caring expression as he spoke,
"I have unstrapped Ron. Now you can turn over onto your back."
Marcus, on the other hand, wore an expression of urgent concern and uncertainty as he interjected, "I'm glad you're alright, my friend."
In response, I let out a light chuckle and said,
"Ha, ha, ha... God must be testing my resolve."
I assured them,
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Keira, however, pointed out,
"Fine, you say... but your right hand is busted and your head is bleeding. Is there anything else I may be missing?"
he then reassured me,
"Now you just stay still... while I bandage you up".
"This aren't bandages per say ... but should do the trick".
Expressing my gratitude, I replied,
"Thanks Sir ... I will never forget this".
Keira surprisingly, I never picked him the type to be one who takes care of others , He started with my head and eventually to my hand. And after he was done.
The pain was lot tolerable.
He was almost as good as Patrick.
I complimented Keira on his adeptness at bandaging, remarking,
"You certainly possess a knack for healing, don't you, Sir? like a professional "
Keira, with a touch of humanity in his response, shared,
"Nah ... not professional... And I know you are just being flattering".
And then he continued,
"It's interesting that you mention that. Healing has always been a critical skill for our survival as beast men. Although the government may recognize us like they do humans.
However that's only in paper, our kind endures marginalization, abuse, and slavery everyday".
"And when you get hit with a whip on the daily... the alternative being fighting back... but that would be stupid".
He paused, a rueful laugh escaping his lips, and continued,
"because that same person is going to feed you later".
"You couldn't help but learn to embrace those wounds".
Keira added,
"It's done, anywhere else you feel pain?".
I can't, I wouldn't and never be able to relate to him in that regard. By the tone of his voice alone I could feel the weight in his words, this man wasn't only speaking for his kind.
But those words felt like, as if it came from the lips of a person who witnessed those horrible things himself.
I would never be able to relate to that.
Compared to him, I had an easy life.
And yet I had the gull to moan and bitch about my sufferings to Arngrim, as I felt it was truly a hardship.
As it was far from a true hardship.
"I am the lowest of the low".
"Seriously I have got nothing on him".
I responded to Keira's heartfelt account with empathy,
"Don't worry all those sufferings had meaning... It made you the man you are, God has a way for judging those who are worthy of his compassion".
"And once he gets through with you".
"Your life will turn around".
Maybe, I was too nosy or it was the pain that caused me to say that, but I quickly wish I had retracted those words back to my lips.
Because Immediately i felt as if I was crossing a line I shouldn't be.
As my doubt was further enforced by Keira's vague response,
"Yeah... sure".
[1 hour later]
Keira asked me,
"Are you feeling better now, buddy?"
I replied,
"Yes, a little bit... thanks to you, sir."
Keira gently insisted,
"Don't call me sir. Call me Keira."
However, Marcus interjected with a sense of urgency, his voice quivering with concern,
"Keira ... I am worried about Robin .. please! Please!, I beg of you... ".
Keira, with unwavering authority, responded sternly,
"Not you".
"You will address me as Sir Keira."
Marcus, his desperation intensifying, pleaded from the depths of his soul,
"Sir Keira... Please."
Overwhelmed by emotions, Marcus fell to his knees, continuing his plea for help.
Keira appeared to view the act of desperation as more of an annoyance. In response, he threatened Marcus, saying,
"I don't care .... I am not leaving this guy alone to go search for your friends".
"If you want you can do it yourself".
Marcus, however, suggested,
"Then we can take him along with us".
Keira, feeling frustrated, remarked,
"The nurve of this guy ordering me".
He added,
"You keep your mouth shut, or so help me god I am going to punch your teeths out".
"Shut up".
With that timid Marcus withdrew himself, now he was only standing quietly by Keira's side.
Yes, my legs and body were hurting like hell, however Marcus request wasn't an un reasonable one.
We were lost in here, Up there atleast we knew where we were, but down here we were lost in the dark.
We didn't knew our location.
Nor we knew, our friends. Him being worried about his buddies wasn't out of the ordinary.
"But that isn't the case, isn't it?".
Marcus was disregarded due to his affiliation with Brandon. They were perceived as this group of troublemakers or dishonest men, resulting in everyone pre-judging them without attempting to understand or engage with them, deeming them a nuisance.
But if they ever got to know them, they will know otherwise.
I felt bad for him, Brandon saved me earlier.
Now I was going to help him, by assisting Marcus.
Keira mentioned how he was ostracized, because of his beastial origin, but now he was doing the same thing with Marcus, without even recognising it.
With unwavering determination to locate Brandon and the rest, I summoned all my strength and forced myself to sit up straight. Yet, as I did so, the jabbing sensation of my broken rib intensified, piercing my insides. Nonetheless, I refused to back down. Even if it meant facing death, I was resolved to find my friends.
And If I died trying, so be it.
That would be a death befit of a true ascetic.
Trembling with pain in my hands and legs, I made a considerable effort to lift myself up. Despite the excruciating torment, I remained steadfast, unwavering in my determination.
As Keira observed my reckless actions, he voiced his frustration, saying,
"What are you thinking? Your injuries are life-threatening!"
With my eyes, I gestured to Marcus, silently signaling my intention to persuade Keira.
Turning back to Keira, I assured him,
"I am feeling quite better now".
I continued,
"Staying here, with only fasten our inevitable demise".
As I lay there earlier, barely discernible in the dim light, my gaze fixed upon the ceiling, I became aware of the walls covered with peculiar, intertwining roots.
Those roots somehow appeared to ensnare living ants, how they did that?
I didn't knew.
But it was apparent, there was something wrong with those roots.
Continuing the conversation, I added,
"Look at those roots... we gotta get moving or instead of 'em ants, we might be there".
Keira, acknowledging the validity of my point, responded,
"Are you sure ... buddy?".
"You don't feel any pain or discomfort whatsoever?".
Appreciating his concern, I reassured him, saying,
"Thanks for your concern sir ... But I am all right".
Giving in on my persistent plea, Keira agreed, extending his assistance as he helped me stand. He uttered,
"I will lend you a hand".
Then he added,
"Don't pressure yourself... In these conditions... its easy to loose ones sanity".
Letting out a faint chuckle, he confessed,
"Heh... heh... I might be losing mine."
Undeterred, I met his words with unyielding determination shining in my eyes, and replied,
"I shall keep that in mind".
With a faint whisper Marcus thanked me, as we slowly but surely began our search for the others.
Keira, with a commanding tone, addressed Marcus, saying,
"Pick Ron up ... Since, Thor Gild is unable to carry him, so you will be the one to do it."
"Understood".
With an awkward nod, Marcus agreed.
Keira looked slightly puzzled and started to ask, "Was that a...?"
"Whatever!".
From that moment on, Marcus took on the responsibility of carrying Ron, while Keira supported me, helping me walk step by step
Soon, we noticed dim balls of light in the distance. It turned out to be Emilia, Sheela, and Ikbal. Sheela appeared relieved and ecstatic to see us. It makes sense since she was probably worried about Ron, and I was an afterthought.
"Ohh thank god ... You two are fine".
Sheela exclaimed.
As she noticed my wounds, her expression shifted from joy and relief to concern. With her hands covering her mouth, she uttered,
"Oh my God, Thor Gild!"
I responded,
"Trust me, It looks worse then it is".
I could have sworn that I sensed a flicker of relief in Emilia's expression when she saw us, but she quickly returned to her usual stoic self.
Without wasting any time, Marcus asked them, "Are Robin and Brandon with you guys?"
Sheela responded nonchalantly,
"No."
Keira quickly interjected, asking,
"What about Yuna? Did anyone see her?"
I responded,
"Yes... we have to locate all of them".
"And then somehow make our way up".
"Since, something strange is going on over here".
Ikbal chimed in,
"It's a miracle that we're all alive. We should prioritize finding a way out. Who knows, others might not have been as fortunate. Let's face it, the chances of everyone surviving are slim."
Though he might be right, I was pissed by his lack of concern.
I retorted,
"How can you say that so bluntly?"
Ikbal responded,
"Since all of you are acting so immaturely, someone needs to bring this to your attention. Let's just be grateful that we all made it out alive and focus on getting the hell out of here." Unfortunately, the situation escalated rapidly.
Our reunion swiftly descended into chaos, as everyone began expressing their opinions, leading to a state of disarray.
However, Emilia, diverting everyone's attention, proposed a plan. She said,
"Listen, let's search for a way to ascend while keeping an eye out for any other survivors. What do you all think? Are you in agreement?"
Everyone unanimously approved.
For a second there, I was swept up by the gravity of the situation. It became clear that whether we focused on locating survivors or finding a way to ascend, there was an inherent possibility of discovering one or the other either way.
"What was I thinking?".
Then I recalled what Keira said to me,
["In these conditions... its easy to loose ones sanity".]
As we initiated our search, Emilia directed her attention towards Marcus, gently patting his shoulders. With a reassuring tone, she assured him,
"Don't worry... we will find them."
Under her breath, she murmured,
"Every factor counts."