Arat couldn't sleep. He hugged his knees tightly to his chest, clasping his hands together as he gently rocked back and forth. His green eyes shining beneath his metallic mask fixated on the stone wall of the cave, a tangled web of thoughts swirling in his mind.
I need to climb the mountain by tomorrow, those two have found me around the lake, if they go and tell the other villagers or worse those female knights, they will definitely catch me. They either discover the cave or just camp outside and keep watch.
Arat then put his hands on the ground his and straightened his legs he then checked the wound in his chest, sealed with a dirty dark-yellow substance, a small amount of black dried blood now appeared around it.
I reopened my wound even though I ran a short distance like this. The healing process takes at least a few more days, but I can't wait here anymore.
Arat's eyes fixated on the leather pouch, He stood up and rummaged through it, pulling out the potion bottles one by one, he then stopped when he found what he was looking for, once he did so he held it right in front of the mask's eye socket, no more than a few drops were left at the bottom.
"The lizard didn't seem to get harmed once I forced it to drink this."
Arat opened the bottle and moved his mask slightly upward, pouring the last drops of the liquid into his mouth.
Moments later, he felt a surge of energy welling up from his stomach, like a fountain just beginning to gush water. He saw his nails moving under the leather glove, and saw strands of his hair moving on their own, Arat observed the wound, the hole shrank closing the wound slightly.
"Yes, it worked, I'm a genius."
He said, as he fisted his hands and moved them down, to celebrate the clever idea he had come up with.
If I had more then I could get rid of this stupid wound and…
Arat's excitement quickly faded as he remembered the dire situation, he was in. His fists unclenched.
I have to leave this cave immediately, if I can walk properly now, I may be able to reach the mountain by the time those villagers arrive. That is to say if they don't come here right now, those two must have told the others they have seen me here.
Yeah, they might come here if they have…
Arat, who had just realized what he had thought about, grabbed the leather pouch and his ripped cloth, he wore it even if it was shredded in half the sleeves and the remaining parts attached to them still helped him against the early morning cold breezes.
How dumb am I, I should have run the moment I realized they went back to their village. Shit, I hope they didn't bring all those people with their torches here.
A bird flew near the lake, its feathers a striking blend of dark purple and pink, with a gradual shift to blue at the tips. It had three yellow eyes with blue pupils, two on the sides of its head and one on its forehead. The bird adjusted its footing on the nearby stones, turning its head in a full circle before drinking from the lake.
Grandpa said that violet owls stop by to drink once they check the entire area and feel no predator.
Arat moved down the stepping stones and started walking toward the mountain, He had barely taken twenty steps when a sound reminded him of something crucial. It was the groaning of his empty stomach.
Ah, I dropped that fish while I ran from those two. Darn it, stupid annoying monkeys, what the hell were they even doing all naked in the middle of the night.
Arat didn't bother trying to catch another fish, instead, he continued walking. He was well acquainted with this part of the forest the way he moved made it obvious that he knew every bump and dip in the ground, after about twenty minutes, he arrived at a cluster of bushes heavy with ripe berries.
Finally, something to eat. I haven't eaten after that breakfast.
He crouched and set aside the leather bag then started eating, even storing some in the leather pouch, for later. Once he was done, he stood up and cleaned his gloves from the fruit juice using his pants.
Arat kept walking through the night, fueled by the effects of the growth potion and the rest he'd had during the day. This allowed him to maintain his pace, though, to his frustration, he had to stop and catch his breath more often than he'd anticipated. Along the way, he came across a narrow stream and drank from it before taking the empty bottles out of his bag.
These are way too small, all of them together won't even take as much as one fifth of a leather flask. The only good thing is that there are plenty of water sources here.
As the sun slowly rose, casting its first rays of light onto the forest, Arat noticed the slope of the land changing beneath his feet, He was now moving uphill, a sign that the mountain was close, with the tall, towering oak trees all around him, there wasn't much he could see beyond their thick trunks and dense canopy.
While walking, he came across a fallen, rotten tree trunk. Its interior was hollowed out, with moss and mushrooms growing along the decaying wood. Inside, a thick layer of dirt and dried leaves had accumulated over the years.
"a nice spot"
Arat muttered to himself, delighted to have fund a proper resting spot after walking all night long.
Arat quickened his steps and reached it he put down the leather bag, crawling inside. The exposed parts of his back and upper body, not covered by his tattered shirt, got a few small scratches, nothing to be concerned about.
He closed his eyes, taking a nap to recover his lost stamina, once he woke up the sunlight was streaming through small holes in the tree trunk, illuminating parts of the interior. The warmth gently caressed the skin that wasn't covered by his shirt.
Soothing. Arat thought to himself, such a simple comfort now brought him immense pleasure, especially compared to the cold, damp cave he had previously endured, where the constant sound of dripping water had been his only companion.
Arat crawled out the same way he had entered and carried on, toward an area that where the oak trees thinned out, in the air he smelled a smooth fragrance, creamy and sweet. His eyes then caught sight of some smoke rising in the sky.
Someone is here!
Arat's concern grew as he drew his sword, his senses on high alert he lowered his body a bit and got close to the source of the smoke he observed the direction were the smoke had come from, doing so he heard sounds of some men talking together.
I have to go the other way around.
Arat kept his sword at bay, ready for any sudden surprises that might have happened, he had taken enough distance that he no longer felt the sweet smell only the smoke was visible now, however his nose had now picked off a new smell. It carried a rich scent, appetizing and refreshing.
Meat, someone is cooking meat!
Usually there shouldn't be anyone here, why all of a sudden there are people cooking here? Maybe I should go and take a peek. But what if they are those villagers, or worse the knights.
Arat stayed in place for a few seconds, trying to determine the best route to the mountain without getting too close to the humans. After a moment, he continued walking, and from a distance, he could see multiple columns of smoke rising in the horizon.
This continues all the way along the mountain, wait. This means that, they have camped here. The villagers. Those two from last night have told the others about me no doubt about it, so they just chose to camp all around the jungle not letting me get to the mountain?
But I started walking in the midnight, how come they have reached here faster than I? there is no way, I would have noticed all this people carrying torches in the night..
They have been here from before, they had camped here and blocked the way out of the forest… now I get it, I have been trapped. They knew the only way out is through the mountain since the village is on the other side and I most certainly wouldn't go there.
Arat was lost, the worst part was that the two youngsters who saw him last night had made the rest of the villagers and knights sure that Arat was still in the forest.
I either have to go through the village or past all these people, guarding here.
Escaping from the village is undoubtedly out of question, there is no way I can just go around it and no one notices me, and if I want to get past here, I need to somehow distract all these people and drag them all the wat into the jungle.
Arat attempted to distance himself from the sources of the smoke, continuing on his path while contemplating how to escape the perilous situation. He kept his sword firmly in his left hand. His concentration was abruptly shattered by the sounds of footsteps and distant shouts getting louder with every step he took.
Shit, they are coming this way.
Arat felt trapped, like a rat with no way out. Desperately scanning his surroundings for shelter, his gaze fell on a leaf drifting slowly through the air, landing right in front of him. He looked up at the tall oak trees and their dense branches. With no better options, he set the bag behind him and sheathed his sword.
Removing his light brown leather gloves, revealing his hands, the skin had the same texture as his upper body, his nails long with a yellowish tune, more identical to an animal's claw instead of a human's nail, grasping one of the trees, he carefully found footholds, ascending step by step.
After climbing about seven meters, Arat found a secure perch on a thick branch. His heart raced and his chest ached as he hugged the branch tightly climbing up the tree had put some pressure on his healing body. Thankfully the leaves provided some camouflage, Arat then waited patiently for the crowd of villagers to pass by.
Please, just past by and don't look up.
He prayed.
More than thirty men emerged from the distance, each wielding wooden clubs and pitchforks. Their solemn eyes and ragged clothing spoke of hardship and resolve.
Arat heaved a sigh of relief as he thought
No female knights or their male soldiers
One of the men spoke
"He must be around here somewhere. We checked the entire forest starting from the village all the way here, we have almost reached the camps."
Another said
"We did the same yesterday, that little devil is hiding in a hole in the ground somewhere."
one of them, his voice brimming with humor spoke
"I wish I could see the faces of those two kids who saw him while they were banging here last night"
They all laughed, as an old man shouted out of frustration
"Ah, cut it! Open your eyes and look for that little devil twat if want to get rich."
The man retorted sharply
"Don't get worked up old man, he has no way to escape. We have surrounded the entire forest. We will catch him soon enough when he comes out of his den."
Amid their banter, one of the men, a figure wearing brown fur coat and hat, with a bow slung over his back and hunting knife tied to his belt, approached the tree where Arat was concealed. He examined the tree intently before crouching down to touch the soil, his experienced eyes scanning the ground for any signs or trails.
"Found anything?"
The man wearing the fur coat nodded his head as a negative response.
"Nothing"
He then stood up and kept walking with the rest of the group they searched the area as they spread and walked past by the trees, Arat remained calm the entire time they were talking about many things, chit-chatting to keep themselves busy.
After no more than ten minutes, the group of men moved past the tree where Arat had been hiding. Arat carefully climbed down from the tree, he moved carefully still worried if someone was around, he followed his way back toward the cave, this was the only option he had.
I stay here without finding a way to distract the guards and reach the mountain, they will catch me.
As he went back, two men that hid themselves in the trees and bushes revealed themselves. One was the man with fur coat and hat.
He spoke
"Those rustic fools are shit for brains who can't even track such obvious traces."
The other man responded.
"You tricky bastard, taking all the prize for yourself."
"A man shall claim what he works for, why Would I help them get the reward while I'm the one tracking that devil for them?"
The man laughed and spoke.
"You my mate, are speaking the truth, now let's go and get rich."