"A hot bath really is the only good thing about being a Crow," Gabriel said to himself.
He let the hot water hit his bruises, easing the pain a little, grabbed the towel he shared with Naomi, and dried himself off quickly. Leaving the bathroom, he grabbed the clothes he had left on the bed and, in less than a minute, was ready. He bent down with some difficulty to pick up the equipment under the bed, just as his partner had done earlier. He strapped a knife to his right thigh and awkwardly held the rest in his lap. The katana didn't help much. Finally, after managing to organize everything so it wouldn't fall, he left the room and quickly crossed the hallway.
He didn't know how the wood had never broken under someone's weight, but he didn't want to be the first, so he quickened his pace. Passing all the closed doors, he reached the stairs without any trouble. He descended two steps at a time, finally arriving at the almost-empty hall. Some Crows were chatting in the corners, and a few were eating at the tables. At that moment, Gabriel realized he was hungry, and, taking a slight detour from his objective, he poked his head into the kitchen.
"Vicente!"
The cook lifted his head from the pot he was stirring with a long wooden spoon.
"How's it going?" Vicente asked.
"A bit beaten up." Gabriel replied. "So, what's on the menu today?"
"Lentils."
Gabriel felt a wave of discouragement hit him for a moment. He didn't let it show, but now he understood the dismay of those sitting down to eat.
"You want some?"
"In a bit," he replied reluctantly. "I need to talk to Will first."
"Good luck, then. He's having one of those days."
"When isn't he?!"
"True!" Vicente answered, returning his attention to the pot. "I'll set some aside for you."
"Thanks!"
He left the cook and headed toward Will's room, but before that, he took a quick peek into the training field since the door was open. A few members were lifting weights, while others were practicing knife throwing at small targets nailed to the walls. With a stretch of his neck, he could see further back. Two others were practicing a fight inside a circle painted on the floor, using wooden knives as they struck each other.
Gabriel had planned to go practice target shooting, but he knew Naomi well enough to understand how much grief he'd get for not doing what she'd told him. Taking the thought out of his mind, the Crow entered Will's room, immediately greeted by a blast of warm air from the fire.
The room was at least curious, Gabriel always thought. On one side, there was forging material, objects of all sizes for sharpening, along with a wood stove and a barrel filled with water. There were some sacks with pieces of weapons and iron, and in the corner near the entrance, another barrel, but this one filled with gunpowder. Aside from the more rustic part, on the left side, the ceiling had been removed, and numerous pots with plants were placed on the walls and planted on the floor, along with a super colorful variety of mushrooms. At the back of the garden, there was a small cabin where Susan was frantically grinding something in her mortar.
Susan was a tall and very thin woman, with long white hair tied in a ponytail, and she hadn't noticed the young man entering the room. Will had seen him immediately.
"Really, a bad pot doesn't break, huh?" muttered the old man.
Gabriel finally saw the Crow behind his counter sharpening a knife. The young man couldn't hide his smile upon seeing the other's stern eyes. He'd known Will since he was an apprentice and remembered him being old forever. Unlike Susan, Will was short and bald, but he had a mustache that he never shaved, and he was extremely muscular from the life he led.
"How's it going, Will? I know you missed me!"
"I heard you took a rock to the chest, you're so bruised."
"You were worried, weren't you?"
"I laughed."
"Everyone knows you're not capable of that." Seeing the old man frown, Gabriel approached, placing his weapons and knives on the counter, receiving a piercing look. "I'll leave the weapons here and leave right away."
Before Gabriel could leave, the man's hand firmly gripped his shoulder, making the young man turn immediately.
"Let's see the damage this time, and you'd better stay still."
With little choice, Gabriel obeyed. Will started with Naomi's equipment, taking the long blade of the katana from its leather sheath. He lightly ran his finger along it, lifted it toward the sky, examining the weapon from every angle, and when he was satisfied, he moved on to the short knife, repeating the same process. Next, he looked at the throwing blades.
"Very good," said Will. "Just a little dull, which is expected, but very clean and in excellent condition. Now it's your turn."
Gabriel smiled innocently, but was ignored. This time, Will started with the young man's main weapon, his short sword, a 45-centimeter-long knife.
Will took the weapon from its sheath and immediately made a tired face. He rubbed his thumb against the steel to show that it had no edge.
"Did you hit a rock or something?"
"Kind of," Gabriel replied, remembering the tough hide of the bear.
"Also, clearly, it's been in water, and there's some dried blood."
Leaving the blade carelessly aside, Will moved to the knife, and again irritation returned. It was very worn out and had some grease on it, which had stayed when Gabriel placed it in the sheath. Finally, he reached the throwing knives.
"One's missing."
"I lost it."
"Are you trying to make me work to death?!!"
He finished by looking at the modified Magnum and his face softened. He looked at the barrel, grip, and saw that a bullet was missing.
"The weapon, as always, is well cared for."
That gift was Gabriel's treasure, a gift from his master.
"You know the bullets are made one by one, right?" Will asked. "Try to use them sparingly."
"Will, Will! I know you like making them for me!"
Before the old man could explode again, Susan suddenly appeared, lifting Gabriel's shirt, causing him to jump. The old woman ruthlessly groped his chest and ribs, checking for fractures.
Gabriel held back the sounds of pain, knowing Will was watching his injuries with morbid satisfaction. Once she was satisfied, Susan lowered his shirt.
"Really, nothing's broken. As lucky as always."
"You could have told me before you lifted my shirt." But he saw he was completely ignored by the healer, who was heading toward her mortar. "Susan, I brought the poison and medicine bags for you to fill."
With quick movements, she emptied everything inside both and analyzed them.
"Did you like the Brown Viper poison?"
"Not really, it's a bit slow. In a quick situation, it's kind of useless."
Susan simply nodded without saying anything. After Gabriel explained everything, she thought for a moment, went back to the counter, and rummaged through several bottles, finally taking one with a yellowish liquid inside.
"Well, you'll like this Angel's Hornet extract, quick and silent effects."
"Perfect. Well, I'll leave the things here with you, I'm going to eat." But he realized that the old woman was already ignoring him, her attention back to the bottles.
"Wait a minute," Susan suddenly said, offering a small bottle with moss-green liquid. "Drink this, it will help with the pain."
Gabriel took the small glass jar, inspecting the contents. The liquid seemed pasty and flowed slowly inside the jar. He opened the lid and brought it to his nose.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Susan tried to warn, seeing what he was doing, but it was too late.
Quickly pulling the object away from his face, Gabriel breathed deeply to clear the moldy smell from his nose. He needed to take several breaths to succeed.
"What's in this stuff?" he finally managed to say.
"Some mixtures. I know the smell might not be the most pleasant, but it will help you."
He knew the healer and could trust her completely. Gathering courage, he brought the flask to his mouth and swallowed its contents, which, surprisingly, didn't taste as bad as it smelled.
"What an awful thing," he said as he handed the empty flask back to Susan. "Thank you."
"Great! Now go eat something."
Before Gabriel could say anything, he noticed that Susan's attention was already back on the flasks. Seeing this as his cue, he left the room, leaving the elderly couple of Ravens working.
Back in the main hall, Gabriel followed the old woman's advice and headed straight to the kitchen, where Vicente was next to the large pot, sitting and lost in thought.
"I'm back!"
"How was it?" asked the cook as he grabbed a slightly dented iron plate and served a generous portion with a large wooden spoon.
"Better than I expected, actually. Will's calm today."
Vicente walked over to the window and handed Gabriel the plate of lentils, which he took with thanks. A spoon was stuck in the middle of the food.
"It's still a bit warm."
Gabriel nodded and headed for one of the tables, but midway, he changed his mind and walked past the large wooden doors, sitting on the small staircase that led to the street. The sun was beginning to set, bringing the night.
As always, the movement at this hour decreased drastically, making many of the streets deserted. A boy passed by running with a lighter, lighting the candles. They were responsible for the lighting, and even though they were children, they did their duty, as they received two or three coins for it. The child passed by Gabriel, not paying him any attention, focused on his work and especially on the reward.
Gabriel took a spoonful of the food, and although it was cold, he appreciated it for helping to remove the taste of the medicine from his mouth. He kept watching the boy, but he soon disappeared down one of the streets. Gabriel kept eating his meal while the darkness slowly overtook the city.
A movement caught his attention again. When a figure dressed in black came toward him, even with the weak lighting, he could easily make out that it was a Raven.
"Gabriel!" greeted the newcomer.
At that moment, Gabriel knew it was Samuel, one of the Ravens who had joined around the same time he did.
"On patrol?"
The man approached, and Gabriel could see him clearly due to the neon lights from the Nest. He was taller and stronger, with curly hair just below his shoulders.
"Yes," he answered, stopping at the first step. "But not for long. Tomorrow morning I'm heading to the Oasis."
Gabriel felt a slight twinge of jealousy. He knew the Oasis, a place in the middle of the desert where there wasn't a Nest, so the Ravens only spent time there to say they were around. A place with few rules, which the inhabitants took care of themselves. He liked the Oasis.
"Where's Bia?" asked Gabriel, looking for Samuel's partner.
"She's probably still patrolling, but she'll be here soon, we're going to bed early."
"I see." With a final spoonful, he finished his plate. "How long will you be there?"
"From what Jonas said, a week, two at most." He looked at Gabriel's plate with curiosity. "What did Vicente make for today?"
"Lentils."
"Oh, joy," Samuel sat down for a moment beside Gabriel. "I heard you took a good hit."
"Gossip really does fly, huh?"
"Are you going to tell me you've never been part of one? Our life isn't just about excitement."
"True," Gabriel said, putting the plate aside. "I did take a hit."
"Can I see?"
"Your morbid interest fills me with joy."
"Gabriel, please, I've seen you after several beatings, and you've seen me too."
"Okay, okay." Gabriel lifted his shirt, showing his injury to the other.
"Wow, it really never disappoints."
"Your friendship moves me," Gabriel joked, as Samuel got up.
With a quick motion, Samuel bent down to grab Gabriel's plate.
"I'll pass by the kitchen, I'll take it for you."
Gabriel thanked him as the other entered the Nest, closing the door behind him. Once again, silence reigned, broken only by the sound of a cat sprinting between the shadows.
When the Transporter's bell caught his attention, to the right of where he was sitting, a large figure, completely covered by a hood, was pulling a cart behind them. The mysterious figure limped on their left leg when they were stopped by a door that opened. A woman quickly emerged, carrying a bundle in her arms, along with a man.
Both looked at the Transporter with fear and something like disgust, but the large figure didn't seem to care, heading toward the couple. The woman hugged the bundle tighter while her companion whispered things in her ear. Finally, with trembling arms, she carefully handed the bundle to the Transporter, who took it with equal care and placed it gently in his cart.
Both the woman and the man quickly entered the house, and the sound of crying could be heard. The Transporter simply returned to the front of his cart, pulling it once again.
Gabriel followed him with his eyes because he knew he couldn't do anything. Soon, from one of the alleys, four men, no older than twenty, came out, clearly drunk from the way they were walking. The tallest, who appeared to be the leader, approached the cart.
"Hey, guys, look at this ugly thing!"
They all laughed, looking at the bundles in the cart. The Transporter, for his part, limped over to intervene but was kicked, knocking him down immediately.
Gabriel casually began searching the ground when the sound of crying started coming from the bundles.
"What a horror!" said one of the shorter men, pointing and laughing. "This one doesn't have a nose!"
Before the men could continue, Gabriel found what he was looking for, and with a wide motion, he threw a stone, hitting the hand of the leader of the boys, who let out a howl of pain with the snap of his bone.
Everyone turned to Gabriel, filled with hatred, but when they saw him, all the anger turned into fear. The Raven Whispers were clearly heard through the group's groggy voices, and they began dragging the leader, with one of his broken fingers, back into the alley they had come from. But before they disappeared, the boy dragging him managed to shout:
"The Ravens are really on the side of these abominations."
But the movement of the Transporter caught their attention, and they finally saw one of the man's arms, which had so many muscles, bigger than any of their thighs.
"Actually," Gabriel said, sitting back down, "I ended up saving your lives, even though you didn't deserve it much."
Finally, the group disappeared into the darkness. Gabriel looked at the man, who, now standing, was playing with a cloth to calm the babies. The Raven felt a tug in his chest, and this time it wasn't pain.
Transporters were residents of the Pit, and once a week, they spent the night in the Burrow collecting deformed children and taking them to the place they, according to the Bunker, belonged. This was a cruel practice in the world, like many others. When the last baby fell asleep, the brute continued his path, silently carrying his precious cargo, and the sad bell could still be heard.
Gabriel heard a "thank you" from the Transporter, and simply nodded with a sad smile. He followed him until the man turned onto another street. The bell's sound lasted a little longer, growing fainter until it finally disappeared into the night. Gabriel continued watching the sky as a few pedestrians or Ravens passed by, until finally, he saw Naomi approaching.
The young woman had red ears, a typical sign that she had been drinking, and upon seeing him, sat down next to him. He immediately smelled the alcohol.
"Looks like you drank quite a bit today," he said, not in a scolding tone, but more playfully.
"When I realized, both Aldrey and I were on the fifth bottle."
"That'll cost her."
"I told her I'd pay, but you know how she is, Gabriel. Wouldn't accept it, since she drank with me."
Naomi leaned against him, and before Gabriel could mention seeing the Transporter, she had fallen asleep. He stayed still, gazing at the stars and breathing in the night air.
"A little peace isn't so bad," he said to the night.