'The food did its work and now, it seems my spine has recovered. That little bit of food did a better job than I had expected. Though the bones that have recovered should be very fragile… I should wait for the next person to come with the ration. Only then can I have enough food to move around without the risk of worsening my condition again…' I thought about what to do for the time being.
With the decision made to wait for the next person who was supposed to come after Sutow, I felt anxious. After all, I knew that the big dude would pass by eventually. That is an inevitable consequence of staying near him for too long. But I decided to stay anyway.
I couldn't leave my followers to die after all, especially because their presence would increase my chances of surviving for a longer time compared to if I were to leave this area and do things solo as they'll all die if I don't give them a heads-up about the giant.
'It is all about the long-term plan, always has been. I can still run away once discovered anyway.' I told myself. 'If I use the buildings as obstacles, I should be able to get away from the big guy. Yeah, the option to wait is better, as it allows me to have at least a few comrades or meat shields if I get discovered too early. Sigh… I just have to endure this anxiety. Probably should take a peek now and then make sure he isn't too close to the teleportation area…'
Having come to a resolution, I decided to immediately go for what I had in mind. To take a look at the giant, to see if he was still fighting the robed guy or if the fight had long ended and he was now idling around.
Before moving, I told Sutow what I had in mind, in case he would panic and yell to ask me where I was going all of a sudden. After hearing me, Sutow gave a nod while showing anticipation to follow along with me. I didn't reject his enthusiasm, as there would be no harm in him joining me.
Standing behind the corner of the building, I took a peek. Sutow did so too, with his head a few feet below mine. The battle was still ongoing. Meanwhile, Sutow couldn't see anything, as the two guys were further than five meters away from him.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you about it later if you're really that curious." I patted Sutow's head, seeing how he looked all down, sad and disappointed at not being able to spectate the occurring battle like I was able to.
"You should be able to see soon. Just wait one more minute. They might still be fighting by that time. I mean, look at- oh right, you can't see… Well, the small guy, because he's a zombie, has the capability to get back into fighting no matter what. So, until that big guy destroys every bone of his, the fight won't be ending anytime soon. Hahaha…"
Flesh, bones, and magic that's capable of creating a force that touches every millimeter of an object. Those were the elements that I saw being used in the fight. It's no wonder I couldn't hear much, to the point that I thought the fight had come to a stalemate earlier.
"I'm surprised the big guy did not yell again. He must have quite a great focus. He is completely dedicated to delivering punches at his enemy without doing anything extra. Is it because he's been trained as a hound? Or that one guy hadn't managed to inflict another injury on him? What do you think, Sutow?" I whispered while pondering at the same time. I didn't know why, but watching the fight while chatting made my nervousness dissipate completely.
'Perhaps it's because this reminds me a bit of my earlier days on Earth, when things were still good…' I assumed, and while doing so I tried to find a memory that perfectly described the sense of dopamine that I was experiencing at the moment.
'Back then when I did a few competitions I guess… The feeling of anxiousness, but at the same time, the anticipation to be there, in the heat. A feeling enough to make one's blood boil, forgetting all of their fear!'
"Uhm… I'm not sur-"
"Sutow," I called out to him, still whispering, while he was also whispering, trying to answer the questions that I had asked him less than a second ago.
"Do you want to fight along with me? You have killed before, so, how about it?"
"But, I can't even see right no-" Sutow answered back in hesitation, to which I interrupted him again by telling him, "Well of course, I'm not talking about right now. Although it might have seemed reckless for me to want to fight all of a sudden, I'm not going to do so without a plan. I have a plan, I always do. That's why I need another person, like you. Do you want to do it? You're free to say no. The safer plan is still valid. It's just… the longer we wait, the more unexpected elements might arrive. That big guy said he's part of the reinforcement. What's to say that there won't be another reinforcement? Stronger ones too perhaps, since those above us might think that it is because we're very strong that all of the men they sent out end up not returning."
After hearing my explanation and what I had in mind, Sutow said yes without a single bit of hesitation. "You didn't even need to ask." He said next, before continuing by telling me he'll follow me in whatever task I want him to. "I'm willing to do that much after all you've done for me, and the others, so we can stay alive." He told me with trusting and admiring eyes.
"Well, I had to ask anyway, because, if you're going to falter or be scared too easily while fighting, I'd rather go with the other plan. You seem to have quite the enthusiasm tho-"