Felix stood up and clapped his hands, "Let's eat~"
....
The smell of the same gamey and charred meat was wafting through the air. Felix took three skewers, He took one for himself and the two one each.
Theo looked at the skewer that had pieces of meat stuck on it.
The meat looked dark red and didn't even resemble the amateurly cooked charcoal that he had prepared before.
Theo was hesitant to take a bite from it; he was still recovering from that food poisoning.
It's too tempting, I don't care about the food poisoning anymore. I just wanna eat it.
Theo gulped and blew at the meat, He gently took a small bite and chewed the rubber-like meat. His eyes lit up. There's no spices but it tastes sooo good. Oil was dripping from his mouth, He starting eating it faster, as if someone would take it away from him.
Felix stole a few glances at Theo and smiled softly.
Theo paid no heed to Felix's glances and continued hogging the food.
Before long Theo's skewer was empty and he glanced around,
Cyrus's skewer was empty and he was back to staring at Theo.
Felix had a piece of meat on his skewer and he waved it at Theo as if asking if Theo wanted it.
Theo quickly shook his head,
"Hmmm. Let's get the main course." Felix said as he put the last piece of meat in his mouth.
Felix got up and called out "Miss Edna, please serve the Forest Boar."
Miss Edna, The middle aged-woman with graying hair and an apron who told Felix about the milk pie a while ago, nodded and said "Hahaha, anything for you Felix."
Miss Edna quickly went inside a tent and procured a set of kitchen tools and utensils.
She briskly walked towards the bonfire and started removing the rotisserie.
Theo waited and looked around, he looked towards his left and at the sky and through the gap of the trees he saw the same mossy and ancient looking tower.
'How big is it that I can still see it from here?' He wondered. As he was about to ask Felix about the tower, he heard footsteps.
Thump Thump
All four of them turned to look at the figure of a man with an almost fox-like face, sharp and expressive. He had messy, light blonde hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes. He dressed in a mix of scavenged and patched clothing.
"Hello Argus, Thank you for taking the role of the pathfinder. You did a splendid job. Why don't ya join us?" Felix said.
"It was my duty to do so, Leader. And as for your invite, I must decline. I have yet to set up the patrols and I can't slack off. The envoy should be on his way. I have actually come here to meet the newbie." The man, Argus, said.
Isn't his voice identical to the young voice who announced that Stonefell was 5 minutes away?
The young Argus got closer to Theo,
He stopped about 5 meters away and stared at him.
Argus suddenly frowned and said, "Newbie, Why aren't you showing your respects to me?"
Theo was dumbfounded. Theo looked at Argus, eyebrows raised, his expression a mix of confusion and displeasure.
Felix, who for once had a displeased look, spoke up for Theo, "Theo is not part of our settlement. He is a guest right now. Argus, Don't be rude."
Argus's face scrunched up and he became bitter for a second. "Sorry leader.." he mumbled.
Argus then went closer to Theo's ears and whispered, "Just because the leader and captain like you or are talking to you a lot doesn't mean you become the favorite you bumpkin. Learn your place." He snorted.
Theo frowned and went a little back as Argus was too close.
As if to change the topic, He turned back towards Cyrus and said, "Captain, I'll start the guard patrols soon and give you the reports on the damage on the way here."
Cyrus, whose mood hadn't recovered fully just nodded a silent nod of acknowledgment.
"Good day, Leader and Good day, Captain." Argus said before snorting at Theo and leaving the scene.
'What's his deal?' Theo wondered.
"Don't worry about him, he's a nice guy but it takes time for him to cozy up to people that's why…..." Felix said awkwardly while scratching his forehead.
"Um… While we wait, why don't I ask a few more questions?" Theo asked
"Sure, go ahead pal' but how much are ya' willing to pay me for this info?" Felix grinned.
"Hahaha" Theo let out an awkward chuckle and asked,
"What's this place called? the place we're in?" Theo asked.
"The Harrow Wilderness"
"Wilderness?" Theo asked,
"In short, We are seen as tribal people." Felix said in a bitter and somber tone. "The nobility from the kingdom don't see the wastelanders from the wilderness as equal humans." He further elaborated.
'Not as equal humans…So is it like how tribal people were treated by the Colonial Rulers?' Theo mused.
"I see. Where's my dagger?" Theo asked while pointing at his trouser pockets, where his dagger was.
This time, Cyrus's voice interjected, "I have it."
"Can I have it back?" Theo politely asked,
"No." Cyrus rejected coldly.
It made sense, Theo was a guest and also a suspect in this campsite. It wouldn't be wise to give him a dagger.
Theo sighed and asked more about the dagger, "Can you tell me if you sense anything weird about the dagger?"
Felix shook his head and said, "I didn't even see it."
Cyrus said, "It's made from some strong metal. It's a good dagger"
"It's weird, The dagger feels magnetic at times." Theo added.
"Magnetic? Like the Navy blue magnets we have?" Felix asked?
"No, No. Forget it." Theo took a deep breath before asking his final question.
Theo sighed and stretched his hands upward, as he did that. His hands fell down involuntarily.
He saw ahead, through the gaps of the trees—-
'Wasn't that towards the left?' He thought and involuntarily glanced towards his left.
The mood changed.
The only sounds heard were the sounds of Miss Edna slicing the flesh of the Forest Boar and plating it into many plates.
The air was chilly.
Gulp.
Theo gulped and got up from the log he was sitting on
He had realized something.
Something that he didn't realize before… No, he had realized it before. He just didn't pay attention to it.
Until now.
In every direction he turned to.
No matter what direction.
He could see it—
The Mysterious and mossy tower.
Theo stretched out his arm and pointed at the tip of the mysterious tower that looked far away.
"What is that?" He asked in a solemn and serious tone.
Both Cyrus and Felix looked at the direction Theo was pointing at.
Then they both shared a glance at each other.
Huff.
Felix took a deep breath and with a serious look he said, "Are you hungry?"
"Huh?" Theo was puzzled. How was this connected to what I asked?
"It's right there. You can see it too, right?"
Felix frowned and his expression was grave as he shook his head and said, "Kid… There's nothing there."
Sigh,
"Don't worry about it kid, You must be hungry or you must still be feeling a little under the weather. Eat the Forest Boar and take a good night's rest, You won't see any hallucinations after that." Felix said out of concern. His voice didn't even have a hint of his previous fake accent.
Theo's face tensed. 'Why am I the only one who can see it? Or could it be that I have lost my mind?'
But as he thought more about it, the more he realized there's a lot more to this situation, The dagger tugging and pulling him towards that direction, The feeling of wanting to go to the tower, Everything made him like there was a mystery afoot. One that—-
He absolutely did not want a part of.
Theo gulped and looked away from the tower in fear. And in the other direction that he looked, just as he blinked; The tower was seen yet again.
Theo went a little pale.
"Are you alright kid, You look a little pale." Felix's concerned words broke him out of his thoughts.
"Felix! It's readyyy!" A voice called out, The voice of Edna.
Theo shook his head and said, "I'm fine, maybe you're right."
But he was the only one that knew that he saw the tower well before he got sick.
Felix nodded and went towards the bonfire to get the rotisserie Forest Boar.
While Theo and Cyrus were together, Cyrus suddenly opened his mouth.
"In the wasteland, inexplainable things happen. And sometimes, It's better they stay unexplained." He said as he looked at the moonlight that penetrated the trees.
Theo did not say anything but he looked at the ground, trying not to look anywhere else as he could see the tower in the gaps of the trees.
The tower seemed to loom just out of sight, waiting for him to see it. Waiting for him to come to it.
Crackle.
The bonfire crackled.
....
Felix quickly came back with 3 plates filled with meat of Forest boars.
A shiver ran down Theo's spine each time he thought about the tower, but he kept his gaze carefully away from the trees' edge.
Felix stretched out his hand and handed a plate to Theo, who accepted the plate with slightly trembling hands.
"Are you cold again?" Felix questioned as he handed a plate to Cyrus,
Theo hesitated a bit and said "Ah....Yes, I think I am."
'It's a lie. I don't want to lie but I don't want to seem insane.'
"I see." Felix put down his plate of food near the log and went behind the bonfire towards the tents.
And Theo slowly put the meat in his mouth.
'Amazing. If only the mood was nicer and there were some spices.'
Theo, the foodie, continued to eat.
Captain Cyrus was eating elegantly, although he had no utensils he still ate like a man with table manners.
'He eats very noble-y' Theo remarked in his mind while eating like a brute, oil was dripping from his mouth. He started eating faster, as if someone might take it away. He enjoyed the food but his thoughts were all over the place.
'I have never heard of such a tower, In almost every fictional book I've read, and even in the fallout world there's nothing like this.'
Just then, A sound interrupted his thoughts..
Rustle
Theo heard a rustle behind him and before he could even react, just within a second of this happening he felt something soft and warm hitting his face.