Nate left the room, completely frustrated that he hadn't been able to help the girl. No sooner had he stepped out than the girl broke into sobs, unable to hold back her tears any longer. Drowned in this torrent of tears, she repeated to herself over and over, covering her mouth to muffle her cries:
"Yes, it's better this way; it's what's best for everyone. I made the right decision; I don't want to end up like Ladi. It's the best thing I could have done, but... But then, why do I feel this way?"
Knock, knock, knock...
Someone knocked on the door, and thinking it was Nate returning to insist, the girl shouted:
"I told you to leave me alone! Go away!"
But against her command, the door handle turned, and it swung open in complete silence. Surprised, the girl exclaimed:
"Linhart?! S-sorry, I didn't know it was you."
Indeed, it wasn't Nate at the door but a tall, slightly scrawny man. He appeared to be in his twenties, with long, black, spiky hair.
"I see Miss is getting all high and mighty just because some pathetic kid played knight in shining armor for her."
"N-no, it's not like that, I…"
He moved in too close, backing her against the wall, then continued:
"You're nothing! Just a hideous, ugly monster, only good for fulfilling our every desire and fantasy."
"...GLOUPSE…"
Then, the man stepped back, turning toward the door as he stated:
"But don't worry, you'll snap out of your little bubble soon enough... Get ready, we're going hunting before dawn."
"Hunting? But why?" she thought.
At the edge of the dark night sky and the dead land of this region, the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, like the first shoots of an emerging plant. These timid rays tried in vain to pierce the thick, dark clouds covering the sky of the small town. The rain, which had raged all night long, had finally stopped, leaving behind large, scattered puddles and a muddy, slippery ground. A little farther away, near the outskirts of the town, the front of a certain inn was busy with a group of men preparing their horses as if for an expedition. One man approached another, who appeared to be the leader of the group, and greeted him:
"Good morning, Captain Misset. We just received confirmation that the order we placed is ready."
"Excellent; we'll pick it up today. Tell the men to pack enough provisions for the trip."
"Yes, Captain."
The man left, and the captain resumed almost immediately:
"Well, well, look who it is! Isn't it our dear Laila?"
It was the young girl Nate had rescued the day before. At his interest in her, she responded:
"Good morning, Captain."
"Good morning, Laila."
"Linhart told me we're going hunting."
"Indeed, and you'll be riding with me."
He lifted her onto his horse and placed her in front of him. Once done, he called out:
"All set? Are the horses loaded?"
In unison, his men replied:
"Yes, Captain!!!"
"Very well, then let's go!"
They set off, full of energy. A few minutes later, they entered a sort of grayish forest where the trees had long been dead. Their small caravan of about fifteen people was the only source of sound in this dreary place. The sound of their horses hooves and the barking of their dogs echoed through the forest, intensifying the feeling of oppression Laila felt. Noticing this, Captain Misset asked her:
"What's wrong? You don't seem well,"
Captain Misset asked.
"No, no, Captain, everything is fine," Laila replied.
"Ah, that's a relief..."
"Captain, about what happened yesterday with Ganna... I want you to know I had nothing to do with it, and it was the first time I'd ever seen that boy."
"Don't worry, I know."
Laila felt somewhat relieved hearing this. However, that relief was short-lived as Captain Misset, who was leading the caravan, suddenly halted his horse, causing the entire group to stop with him. He then added:
"But... you see, I simply can't let such an insult go unpunished."
He dismounted and yanked Laila off the horse by her arm, nearly causing her to fall to the ground. Realizing the situation was escalating, she quickly tried to explain:
"Captain, I swear I didn't know that boy, he..."
But the man interrupted her, placing a hand on her head while kneeling to her level.
"I understood what you said earlier, and... I believe you! But someone still has to pay, that's all."
"(That's all??)" she thought.
"Now listen carefully," he continued.
"...GLOUPSE..."
"Linhart has gone ahead to set up camp 30 kilometers east of here. You just need to meet him there. But... do you see those caged dogs over there?"
*Looks*
*Bark*, *Bark*, *Bark!!!*
"They haven't eaten in five days. They'll be accompanying you on your journey, and believe me, they won't be there to guard you. So I suggest you run fast and don't get lost if you don't want to end up as dog food."
*Tremble*,* tremble*, *tremble*
"But don't worry. Once you reach the camp, I'll probably be there waiting for you too. Then, after you've completed this pilgrimage and earned your redemption, I'll give you your reward. You'll see, we'll have a lot of fun together."
The man, who had already knelt down to be at the girl's level, now pulled her into his arms and then...
*Lick*
He dragged his tongue across the girl's skin, licking her slowly from the base of her neck to her cheek before whispering in her ear:
"Ahh... Laila, I love you so much."
"..."
Faced with the silence of the girl, who was in complete shock, the man, visibly annoyed, released her and stood up, stating:
"Hmph!!! I was going to give you a three-minute head start... But since you won't respond to my feelings, it'll only be 30 seconds. And take off your shoes, or I'll tie a weight to your ankle ; it's your choice."
Hearing this, Laila snapped out of her stupor and realized she had been mute the whole time. She wanted to explain, but it was too late. Captain Misset had already begun his countdown. She quickly decided to take advantage of the small head start, meager though it was. Choosing the lesser evil, she removed her shoes and then...
*Runs!!!*
This situation was all too familiar to her, and with that experience, she knew that no matter what she said, nothing would change. Meanwhile, Captain Misset, nearing the end of his countdown, smiled:
"25, 26..."
Drip, drip, drip
"(Looks like the rain is starting again...)" he mused briefly, then continued:
"28, 29... Release the dogs!!!"
*Opens*
*Bark*, *Bark*, *Run*, *Run*,*Bark*, *Bark*, *Bark*...
The young girl, completely desperate, was running with all her might through the muddy forest, filled with thorns and sharp rocks. The lack of shoes was a severe handicap, and running in these conditions was pure torture. However, she couldn't afford to stop because if those dogs caught up to her... It was better not to think about it and just keep running despite the slippery, treacherous ground. To make matters worse, she had another major problem: endurance. The girl wasn't a warrior and wasn't used to such physical strain. Very quickly, she began to feel herself reaching her limit.
*Pant*, *pant*, *pant*...
Despite the exhaustion, she clung to the faint hope of escaping unharmed, stumbling through the rain as she ran. But her pursuers shared the same determination, as their barking grew louder and closer, even above the noise of the rain. She began repeating to herself:
"Faster; I need to find a place to hide..."
But alas...
*Falls*
She tripped over a root and fell into a puddle of mud, which covered her from head to toe. Despite this fall, which only worsened her fatigue, the girl found the strength to get up and resume running. It seemed she had been lucky in her misfortune, as the mud had temporarily masked her scent, causing the dogs to lose track of her. But soon enough, the rain washed it all away, much to the delight of her pursuers, who resumed their chase. Unfortunately, terrified by the dogs' barking, she hadn't realized the benefit of the mud. If she had, she might have jumped into every puddle she passed. Instead, she continued running in despair, weakening with each step due to the pain from multiple wounds on her feet, which now throbbed with every step.
The worst part, however, was that the dogs were getting dangerously close. Then, just as she had her back turned, she heard the unmistakable sound of something leaping. Before she could turn around:
*Bite!!!*