Kane quickly hopped off the rising beanstalk, landing on the fallen leaves that littered the forest, their colours adding on to the otherwise plain surroundings. Animals fled as the ground shook with the beanstalk's constant growth, soaring high above the trees, toppling some down, which created a nasty chain reaction of many other trees nearly crushing him, had he not paid attention to his surroundings.
As he kept an eye out for any hazards, he looked back at the beanstalk, finding Bauer emerging to the surface as well, who was hitching a ride on it.
Bauer quickly hopped off and narrowly dodged a tree that was just about to topple over him, which destroyed the land beneath it, cracking and shifting it.
"Kane!" yelled Bauer, his eyes wide, his heartbeat rapid and heavy. His piercing gaze looked all over for the boy, finding him just an arm's length away from the beanstalk, looking down the opening in the ground.
Bauer ran over to him, taking notice of another felled tree that was making its way over to crush Kane. Without second thoughts, he lunged at the boy, grabbing him and rolling along the ground just barely clearing the collision zone that sent dirt and wood splinters flying in all directions.
Seeing that there was too much happening for him to exchange words in the moment, he put Kane over his shoulder and sprinted through the maze of trees.
"Hey what the fuck are you doing!?" yelled Kane, kicking and hitting Bauer, who didn't even flinch at his weak strikes. "Put me down you damn bastard! Maleagant is there, we need to go help him!"
Bauer ignored him, focusing on making it out of the forest, struggling to maintain his footing on the quaking land. But now, the trees were the lesser of his concerns, as cracks in the land began to form, dispersing in all directions, sinking everything, and it was quickly gaining on him.
"Oh shit, Bauer hurry the fuck up!" yelled Kane, his attitude quickly changing as he watched the cracks in the land fell the trees, aiming to consume the forest entirely, heading straight for them.
"Almost there!" replied Bauer, seeing the open fields of grass further ahead and the light of day that shined on the grass.
They remained silent, letting the sounds of felled trees and rumbling drown out their earlier concerns. Kane hoped to whatever being there was out there to let them make it out safely, while Bauer only focused on the goal, relying purely on his skills and athletics to make the trek.
Each passing second was an echo to death; a call to their names, beckoning them to join the underworld with the trees. Birds soared through the air, some sadly caught under the collapsing trees, while some raced past them, making it out to see another day.
They were nearing the flatlands, though still at least fifty metres from the border, and while the fault was slowing its approach, it was just a couple metres away from them, and Kane could only watched eyes that struggled to stay in their sockets and brows that struggled to stay on his face.
Bauer felt it as well. The ground below them was collapsing, and in a desperate attempt to make it out, he jumped, putting most triple jump athletes to shame as he soared forth over twenty metres, unleashing a strength he never knew existed within him. His legs paddled in the air as though he were riding a bike, the sight magnificent as he flew out of the forest whilst the trees toppled on one another.
Though his landing was certainly one that triple jump athletes could berate him for, as he tossed Kane mid-air, letting him land on his back further out, while he smacked into the grass face first, sliding along it.
Kane shook his head as he quickly stood up, watching as the fault in the ground stopped right under Bauer, taking him into its jaws. He quickly pulled out the twig and mimicked the waving movement of his hand that Maleagant did to send him flying, instinctively yelling, "fly". Though, nothing happened, and he feared that Bauer was gone, for good.
A few seconds of Kane staring at the lightless ravine would pass as loud and rapid breaths that made him feel light-headed screamed against the silence. But just as he thought he failed, he'd watch as Bauer darted straight up into the air, yelling at the top of his lungs, before he came crashing into the grass next to him.
Drowning in a sense of relief, Kane dropped to the ground against his knees, his head hung low and his eyes closed. Not only was it relief, but it was also exhaustion, for it had been well over a day since he'd gotten proper rest, but even then, he knew that there was no time for that as he forced himself up, nearly falling over as he stumbled over to Bauer.
"Bauer, get up," he said, his words airy and slurred, his head and arms felt like weights that he struggled to balance. "We need... to check..."
Bauer laid on the ground with a frozen face, holding his breath as he went pale, as though he'd seen a ghost, before he blinked a few times and slowly picked himself up. The last thirty seconds had him fearing for his life so much that he wasn't even able to tremble anymore as he simply sat in the grass.
"Check what?"
Kane dropped to his knees once more, holding his head with one hand as he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "We need to check for Maleagant. He was still in the nefandite hide—"
"We can't," said Bauer, cutting him off as he fell back and laid in the cool grass, letting the rays of sunlight that peered through the clouds above shine down on his face.
Kane looked up with squinted eyes at Bauer, shaking his head as he said, "Why? What the fuck is your problem? Are you seriously that quick to abandon him after he saved us?"
Bauer let the question hang in the air, though it wasn't because he needed to contemplate on it. "Kane," he said with a strained voice, "it's not about abandoning him. Trust me, I didn't want to leave him there with the bishop either."
"Then why are we not going to check for him!?" yelled Kane, his voice transitioning into a growl through his gritted teeth. "We need to save him!"
"We can't because he sacrificed himself for our escape!"
Kane opened his mouth to yell back, though the air in his lungs escaped instead, realizing that what Bauer said was right, as much as he wanted to refute it. Maleagant was gone, and so was the bishop, at the very least. The old man, the Sage, guided them to a treasure he could not have himself: another day to live.
"Kane," continued Bauer, his voice soft now as he stood up, "we need to go. We need to get to the Sage's house. He told me to take you there."
Kane looked up at him through heavy eyes, breathing through his mouth as he held back tears, slowly nodding as he stood up with Bauer's help. With one final look back and observed the dark green beanstalk that had finally reached its peak, disappearing into the clouds high above. No longer was there a forest where it sprouted from. It was only a wreckage, a demolition zone, where a lightless abyss consumed all around the beanstalk.
"Come," said Bauer, standing behind Kane, "we need to leave now. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain."
***
Kane and Bauer stumbled through the tilled crossroads that led back to Thalamar, their bones and muscles aching from the chaotic adventure they'd experienced. Within a twenty-four hour period, they once managed to flee the nefandite hideout, collected moonshades, got captured and taken back to the nefandite hideout, only to go through the arduous task of escaping it once again. Truly, if anyone was worthy of being commended for overcoming adversity, it was these two who needed the recognition most.
And of course, no one in Thalamar would hear their tale, for they had no intentions of exchanging any words, not even greetings with the many citizens that roamed the day lit streets, going about their days oblivious to the whole chaos. How blessed were they to live not knowing the struggles of survival?
The chorus of voices ranging from laughing children that ran through the streets to adults who bartered and advertised at their market stands filled the once silent streets of Thalamar. What should've been a welcoming ambience of peace was nothing more than an irritating ruckus that drove Kane and Bauer insane by the second.
Their ears burned, feeling as though blood was trickling out from them, their soles felt rock hard and ached, their bones cried for rest, and their stomachs burned from within.
"Fuck man," mumbled Kane, catching a whiff of freshly baked bread that he so desperately wanted, but knew he couldn't afford, "why couldn't I be one of these fuckers instead?"
Bauer sighed. "It's like that one piece of shit said: It's a fuck or get fucked world," he placed a hand on Kane's shoulder as he looked at him, "and we, my friend, are the ones getting fucked."
Kane chuckled, though it was more of a groan of grief than anything. "I hate my life. Like look at these little kids being allowed to run around carefree and face no hate for it. When I fucking do it to survive, everyone calls me a rat bastard or the Piss Stain of Thalamar."
Bauer wheezed, laughing at the thought. "Piss Stain of Thalamar," he repeated, chuckling once again as he clapped. "That's a good one."
"Fuck you."
And all while this conversation took place, people stopped for a moment to listen to absurdity of words being exchanged like it was nothing. So uncivilized, though what could one expect from two peas in a pod—in the sense that no one was particularly fond of Bauer's presence, which only added onto Kane's terrible reputation.
It wouldn't take long for them to eventually reach the Sage's abode, may he rest in peace, and stand right before the door staring at it. A question often kept surfacing in Kane's mind, however: What exactly was the reason for them returning here? What were they supposed to do? Live in it now?
And while the thought of finally having a place to live in wasn't an unwelcomed one, it didn't sit right with Kane. It was as though he'd unknowingly viewed himself as the rest of Thalamar did: nothing more than a piss stain and subhuman, and he didn't want to be the one tainting the image of the honourable man by inheriting his abode.
He pushed against the door, letting it sway open to reveal the interior filled with nothing but tables and various items. Slowly, they entered the house, shutting the door to let their ears enjoy some peace of silence, letting them be spared of judgmental and spiteful eyes.
The warmth of the home reminded Bauer of the short time he spent knowing the Sage, who helped him remove the needles in his limbs and gave him one important piece of advice that he still didn't truly understand.
What did he mean by it? he asked himself, staring blankly at the table he once laid atop. He walked over to it, letting his fingers run over the surface of the smooth, dark wood grain. Is my mistake trying to fight?
Meanwhile, Kane walked into the only other room that existed in the house, finding a singular and neatly kept white bed awaiting someone to rest in it. Within a split second, he found himself attracted to it—truly love at first sight—quickly hopping under the covers as he snuggled within, letting out a loud and long groan as he closed his eyes.
But even though he could enjoy what he considered a luxury, Kane felt guilty. About existing, mainly. At times, he truly felt as though there was no reason for him to exist, and that perhaps people were right.
Maybe Thalamar would not only look better without him, but perhaps others would feel better without him. Perhaps the Sage would not meet his sad and lonely end in the depths of a demonic dungeon. Perhaps he could have been back here, resting in this bed he now occupied.
But of course, someone had to ruin the pleasure, and that someone was Bauer, who walked in and said, "Kane, there' something that—"
"Not now, man," said Kane, letting out a heavy breath as he enjoyed the soft and thick blanket and pillow. "I'm too tired for anything else today. Let me enjoy this much while I have the chance."
Bauer wanted to tell him about Maleagant's words, but decided that perhaps it was best to let the boy finally have some peace. After all, he wasn't a soldier. He was an ordinary boy cast aside, who should at least know what it was like to sleep in a bed, forgetting about the world and its dangers.
Without another word, Bauer left, letting Kane drift into a beautiful slumber.