«Why did you decide to reach the island of Triosa?» Ren asked.
It wasn't a known destination, nor was it a favored one. Having visitors was quite rare; for them to even reach the island of thieves was almost unheard of.
They had been running for a few minutes, Herega and Eavelin were already tired, the run was exhausting them, and the response took a few seconds to arrive.
«It's a hard story to believe. An unknown and paranormal entity in a cave in my homeland traced a path that led us here. My goal is to rebuild my soul. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but I chose to embark on this journey. Eve decided to accompany me.» Herega said, responding in fragments.
Their breath was starting to be faster, but they couldn't afford to stop.
«I believe you.» She replied.
The young man looked at her a little puzzled.
«You believed my story, and you chose to trust me. Moreover, you also freed me from a huge burden. I have no reason to doubt you.» Ren added.
It was enough to bring a smile to both of their faces.
«Tell me, Ren. Once we get out of here, what would you like to do?» Eavelin asked, pulling up the long sleeves of her dress.
«I don't know. I don't have a place to go. I'll think about it when the time comes.» She concluded.
They stopped talking. The run became increasingly slow and difficult. Only Ren seemed fit enough for such a long stretch. Her physical traits were far superior to those of the other two, but it was also true that she hadn't been walking for three consecutive hours like Herega and Eavelin.
♦️
«Listen, how long does it take to reach the other gate?» The young man asked after a while.
The road seemed endless at that moment. Ren looked ahead, carefully analyzing the territory. If earlier the area was surrounded by a few ruined houses or fallen trees, now the expanse was completely barren.
«We can slow down, we're almost there. You know, this gate is different from the other. As soon as we pass through it, we won't be out of the island of thieves, but the area will be much more lush and lively. As far as I know, no thief has ever ventured beyond. Probably, their corrupted minds don't even allow them to think about it.» She replied.
So they slowed their pace. As they caught their breath, they saw a horse running at high speed towards them. It barely brushed past them, continuing its relentless run in the opposite direction. They thought it was strange, very strange, but, at the moment, they couldn't afford to worry about something like that. Herega thought for a moment about what might have happened. Suddenly, he widened his eyes and started running towards the gate, which was already somewhat visible from their position. When he was a few dozen meters away, he noticed a very large man armed with an axe, who was beating the young horse rider. The rider had lost his horse and was left alone. Meanwhile, Ren and Eavelin reached Herega.
«Who is that?» The young man asked, expecting a quick answer. He wanted to help the rider, but he needed information first.
«The Collector. We have to leave, or he will come after us.» Ren replied with a terrified look.
After all, in his eyes, she was a thief. The collector would only have malicious intentions. Herega ran towards the youth in green, pulling him from the Collector's grasp. At the sight of the three, the man laughed, planting the axe in the ground.
The rider was covered in blood. His face was shiny with his own life's liquid. The torn clothes made him look unexpectedly weak to anyone who saw him. However, he was still able to stand.
«What's your name?» Herega asked.
«What does it matter to you? I told you to leave.» He said, coughing up some blood.
The young man with red hair replied with a look.
«Noelor.» He added, tying a bandage around his wrist.
The big man began running towards the two.
«By combining "Chain Spell" with "Imaginary Characterization" I can create a constraint. However, I'm not yet able to do that, I don't know any constraint to impose other than the Orderer of Men, but I don't have time now. On the other hand, by combining it with "Solid Characterization," I can create chains to trap him, just like Meta did in the fight with Lunim. I've managed to use one of the two characterizations. I have to bet on the second!» Herega thought in a split second.
Pointing his hand towards the big man, a chain solidified in front of the young man, barely holding the enemy back.
«So now there are four of you dirty thieves. Have you come here to pay me with your flesh?» The collector shouted, freeing himself from the chains created by Herega.
«You must know that we are not thieves. We came here to kill one. Why were you fighting?» Herega replied, trying to stop the collector's charge.
«I don't care. In our presence there is a thief. The girl with red hair. If you side with her, you're thieves too.» He said, striding over the soft sand that characterized the ground and separated him from the two.
Holding Noelor, Herega managed to dodge the loaded axe blow. Now all four were positioned in front of the big man. The red-haired youth placed his hand on Eavelin's chest, gesturing for her to move away; she was the only one unarmed, while he still had the knife taken from the madman at the island's entrance.
«Be careful, please.» Eavelin said, moving away.
So all four split up. The collector followed Ren, who managed to defend herself with her daggers, using them as a shield. Meanwhile, Noelor had started shooting a few arrows at the man's body, but the inflicted wounds weren't deep enough; his muscle mass was above average. After a heavy blow, Ren was knocked away, and Herega took the opportunity to stop him with a chain, but it was also too weak, as he immediately managed to free himself. The big man threw the axe towards the archer. He was ready to dodge, but was struck by a sudden fatigue; he had lost too much blood, and his movements were now limited. He still tried to block the blow by crossing his arms in front of his face. The metal pierced the skin, reaching the bone, but did not go further. Noelor began to lose even more blood, then collapsed to the ground still conscious. Ren got back up, standing beside Herega.