Metallic scent of blood, earthy smell of moss along with a faint hint of algae that the falling water carried blended together and spread inside the cave reaching Arat's nostrils. paralyzed he couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
After a breath moment he moved his body, trying to stand up, being hesitant Arat slowly approached the dead man's body, in his imagination he expected the hairy man to suddenly come back alive and grab him by the throat.
Are they really dead? Should I check or just grab my sword and bag and run for it? Running would be better.
Arat collected his belongings and went toward the cave's entrance, he paused for a second, hesitated and looked behind.
Where should I go? They are searching the forest and guarding the mountain, and its daytime they can easily see me.
Arat turned toward the man lying face down on the floor, he felt a mix of fear and nervousness however his curiosity and childish recklessness got the better of him. Flipping the body drenched in blood with its internal organs scattered before it over to see the hairy man's face.
Upon rolling the corpse Arat saw the bloody face of the man that had been trying to kill him just a few moments ago his bloodshot eyes bulged form their sockets and fresh blood still oozed from his mouth, eyes, nose and ears.
"No, no how horrible… I didn't do this, I didn't want this to happen."
Arat muttered turning his gaze away from the corpse as he felt unable to control himself from throwing up if he continued to watch. He sat down on the ground and clutched is knees to his chest using his hands, rocking his body back and forth slowly his eyes lost their focus as if he was not seeing what was before of him.
I feel guilty. I gave my word to grandpa. I promised that I would never harm humans, yet here I am, sitting beside two corpses. They are dead, dead for real. But I didn't kill them, I was just defending myself, right? I didn't kill them, this was not because of my demonic desires. Yeah he threw the bag, he made the potion bottles break, they brought this down upon themselves.
"I didn't kill them."
"I didn't kill them."
"I didn't kill them."
Arat repeated this sentence over and over until he calmed down, his breathing returned to normal and he stopped rocking, after a few moments he spoke again.
"I didn't kill them. I just defended myself."
I should not be thinking about such a thing, I'm in danger, I'm hungry I wanna go home, I want to sleep somewhere warm, I want to live in peace.
"That's it, If grandpa was here he would tell me to put aside such thoughts and think of more important things, fining a way to escape should be above all else"
Arat argued with himself, trying to convince his mind to forget this while he was still in danger he turned his gaze toward the dead man who wore a matching fur coat and hat. On his belt he had a dagger, a leather water flask and a small leather pouch.
"Ah, a water flask, this is useful, there is his dagger too."
As a child in the age of thirteen who had never met other kids or humans expect his grand father he was neither familiar with concepts such as respecting a dead persons belongings nor did he find his actions strange.
Arat crouched and took the water flask and the dagger's sheath out of the belt, he then grabbed the knife the man was still holding in his hand, one by one Arat loosened the fingers to finally free the dagger from the grip, he noticed a small leather pouch. Opening the pouch Arat found a small cylindrical piece of metal, about the size of a quill, and a stone beside it.
"Flint stone."
He said, recognizing the familiar object.
If I make a fire outside they will find me, it's best that I find some firewood and make a small fire here, the smoke shouldn't be a problem since this cave is big.
He thought glancing at the cave's ceiling.
He discovered another pouch, this one made out of rough fabric with a texture similar to a rope, sound of small metal objects came form within it, Arat took out one of the pieces of metal, it was a thin bronze colored circular object on one side of it a knight wearing holding a sword was carved out and on the other side was a poor imitation of a monster that was in pain. It was a coin.
Lirn, that's what grandpa said the bronze coins are called.
Arat counted nine bronze coins , then stuffed them back inside the burlap sack following that he took the leather pouch off of the man's waist and secured it on his own belt along with the dagger and the water flask.
The coat and hat could be useful if I want to stay out in the night, even inside the cave I don't have to sleep on the cold stones anymore, but they smell awful and they are soaked in blood, maybe I can bear with it if I wash them.
Still wary that the corpse may come back to life he started taking off the fur coat cautiously, once he held the coat in his hand he tossed it to the side. He looked at the man's bloody shirt and his own tattered one that was barely clinging to him, A spark flickered in his bright green eyes.
After nearly an hour Arat rested near the entrance with his back to the wall as far away as he could be from the two corpses and their splattered organs, before his eyes were a dagger, his sword, leather pouch and two bows and arrow quivers, hung on the wall were a wet brown linen shirt and a fur coat and hat.
Looking at the stone and moss that surrounded him Arat grew board. It was hard for someone his age to just sit somewhere quietly and do nothing.
I have to wait until midnight to go out and gather firewood and something to eat.
"Ah, this is irritating! Is there really nothing here I can do?"
Arat blurted out showing him getting relentless. He usually had so much to do playing in the forest sparring with his grand-father bringing water from the stream and so, but now he could no longer do any of those things.
Arat sighed and pulled one of the books from the leather bag his grandfather had given him. Though he couldn't read the language describing the monstrous creatures, simply looking at the illustrations was fascinating.
There was a vast variety of the creatures, some had fur others scales, wings, tails or horns and large tusks coming out of their mouths, as Arat spent some time viewing all the three books and turned every page but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't make it last until midnight. Among all the illustrations one odd drawing stood out, it depicted a field of wheat ablaze, people desperately trying to extinguish the fire, on the next page a monster was lifting an infant out of a cradle.
The creature was no bigger than the child it was carrying. It had a pair of bat wings and small horns on its head, a reddish skin covered his body and a tail covered with small thorn like protrusions at its back.
I don't get this one no matter how much I think about it. Could it be that the two drawings are not related?
He glanced again at the worried farmers scattered around the field, busy battling the fire. Then, suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
With excitement in his voice, he said
"This may work."
After taking a nap to be able to stay awake through the night, Arat removed his iron mask and washed using the falling water, mask back on with his sword in hand he went outside.
"I hope I can catch a fish and cook it."
He murmured.
Arat kept collecting pieces of wood in various sizes scattered on the ground. They were still damp from the rain a few days ago, when he was running with an arrow lodged in his chest. Once he had gathered as much as his hands could hold, he returned to the cave and put the firewood near his other belongings heading out repeated this process one more time to have enough firewood for the night.
Standing in the cold lake water, sword in hand with its sharp point aimed downward, Arat carefully watched for any movement beneath the surface. Soon, a dark shadow glided near the water's edge. Arat quietly closed the distance and thrust his sword into the water. When he pulled it out, a fish was impaled on the blade, writhing in vain.
"Don't fight it,"
he said with a hint of joy in his voice.
"You're my dinner tonight."
To him hunting and climbing trees were acts he had learned either from his grand father's teachings or just spending time outside.
Should I go and check out if my idea can work or should I eat this first?
His growling stomach made the decision for him. Inside the cave Arat grabbed a stone and shattered a piece of old, rotting wood into small fragments, he gathered them placed a large log before him and sprinkled the tiny wooden fragments, using the flint and steel he ignited the fire carefully nurturing it by blowing at it until the flames grew strong.
With a source of warmth established, Arat skewered the fish on a stick and held it over the fire. Soon, the delicious aroma filled the cave, making his mouth water. Once he felt the fish was cooked enough, he peeled away the skin and began eating. Compared to the berries he had been surviving on, this meal felt like a delicacy.
Once he finished, he put out the fire, grabbed his sword, and stepped outside. The rustling of leaves in the wind and the calm song of the forest soothed him as he walked. Eventually, he reached a hill where he could see parts of the village. Smoke rose from the stone chimneys, and faint lights flickered behind the windows. Nearby, vast fields of wheat surrounded the village.
I'll need to spread the fire far enough to make all the guards and villagers rush over. It's better to do it at night. The flames will be more visible, and most of the villagers will be home, not searching the woods.
After surveying the area Arat thought of an important matter
The forest is full of food however I don't know if I can find something to eat beyond the mountain, its better to store some while I can find food here easily, I don't want to starve anymore.
The wind still blew gently across the wheat fields as Arat wandered through. He soon came across a human-like figure. A scarecrow made from a bag of dirt for a head, a poorly drawn face, and tattered old clothes hanging from a cross-shaped wooden stand fixed to the ground. It was the first time Arat had ever seen a scarecrow with his own eyes, he had only heard his grand-father mentioning that the farmers used it to scare the birds.
Is this thing supposed to keep birds and animal away? Do they really get scared from such a ugly looking dummy?
Feeling secure that no one was around, Arat finally sheathed his sword. The faint moonlight, peeking through the clouds, made it easier for him to be seen, but no one would expect to find a wanted devil child hiding in the wheat fields near the village.
If I want to set a fire and cause a distraction, I have to do it fast and then run in the opposite direction of the village toward the mountain, this will probably take all night, and I should avoid the guards who will likely abandon their posts to come and help, this will be easy since they use torches. I just have to stay far from them so they can's see me. I'm just worried of one factor, the female knights and soldiers. They may remain near the mountain.
Arat walked through the farm, pilling up dry wheats and twigs together, this was to not waste time for the fire. once he wanted to escape, as he was now almost recovered from his wound thanks those potions he could move without gasping for breath or needing to pause.
On his way to return to the cave, after getting a bit further from the farm he saw a small cottage. Light shining from the inside. He couldn't see this from the hill and hadn't noticed it since he came down from the direction of the hill. He became curious to take a look, after all, he was just a teenager, eager to explore the world he had heard so much about but had never truly seen.
Sneaking from behind he reached the wooden fences of the garden climbing them without making a sound Arat reached the open wooden window. Lifting his body up by grabbing onto the wooden frame of the window he looked inside, an skinny old man sat on a chair, his eyes white grey with a few remaining snow white strands of hair on his bald head. Suddenly he turned his head toward the window looking directly at Arat with his hollow eyes
"Are you here to rob me?"
He asked with a tired voice.
Arat who didn't expect him to notice him let go of the windows frame his foot touching, he turned his back toward the man and went toward the wooden fence to run.
"I mean you no harm."
The old man called out.
"please stay."
Arat stopped and asked standing in the garden in a safe distance from the window.
"How did you see me?"
"I'm blind, I didn't see you.
The old man replied.
"I heard you."
Arat hesitated, unsure whether to believe him, but his instincts told him the man posed no threat. Still wary, Arat edged toward the fence. The old man's voice followed him.
"This will be my last night."
He said softly.
"I can feel it, I don't want to die like this, please stay and talk with me, I don't want to die all alone here in my chair."
Arat finally made his decision, trusting his feelings that the man didn't have any malicious intentions and was speaking the truth, however this didn't meant that he had let his guard down, as a child marked as 'Devil' he still feared the outside world exceptionally when everyone wanted him dead. he went near the window and sat on the ground where he could hear the old man's voice clearly.