A huge book sprung open in Raygnar's hands. He flipped pages until he found an empty one to write down. He took out a bottle of ink and pen as he prepared to write down the answers he had never thought to have in his almost thirty years of life. His enthusiasm nearly erased the fact he almost died today by the human with the giant axe. And that same human was yelling at the other about something he was not paying attention to. Father will be so surprised, but I must bring evidence of this! Nobody will believe me otherwise! He then gathered around some of the items he had found while the humans seemed still talking. "Ok, I have this one. That might be repairable! This one is too far gone. Oh! I got this one, yes! This will be good for the collection!" He rambled to himself as he went through them quickly and meticulously. While organizing, he felt a wince of pain in his stomach, forcing him to stop. Then his head played back on how he got that injury; the intimidating stature of a man with a giant battle-axe swung at him with full might, how he glided for a good amount of feet and landed on the ground like a heavy sack of flour—a reminder of the treatment he had back in his hometown.

He vigorously shook his head, trying to keep himself focused. Then he felt the cart rocking, causing him to turn back. "Ah! Hello again! Were you done talking amongst yourselves? I didn't think it was my business, so I wasn't listening if you were worried about that! I am Raygnar again, and I--" He stopped and gave a sheepish chuckle, "S-Sorry. I tend to ramble. But you're Ronan. That's what you said?"

"Um. Yeah." Ronan's head flinched slightly at the rapid talking, but he fully entered the wooded carriage. "Look, it might be best to get out of here. We can't afford the Pencari finding us...we've already been out in the open for too long."

"Oh, right!" Raygnar searched around them. "Well, the good news is, I have been keeping track of their movements, and so far, none are supposed to come here until tomorrow."

"Wait, you know their movements?" Huon interjected, a slight yelp escaping him as he got to the cart, his burly hand on the cart. "How? You work for them?"

"N-no!" Raygnar winced, shrinking himself. "I try to avoid them as much as possible, like you! Just that...I am not the one they are hunting down." He inched his body away so that the other two could come in if they wanted. Huon stayed where he was; his intense, fevered stare never left his face. Kyle sat beside Ronan, stooping as he stared at the horned man. "He does...have a point, though..." Kyle agreed, "How exactly do you know their movements if you don't work for them?"

Raygnar fidgeted with his fingers, leaving the open book on his lap as he searched his mind for an explanation. "Well..." He then fully got up and went to a raised seat in front of the carriage. Grabbing the reins on his horse, he spoke, "I'll explain as we go. Where's your home?"

"Home? Are you kidding me?" Huon yelled as he sprang onto the cart. "Do you honestly fucking believe we're just going to lead you to our hideaway--?!" He stomped forward, with Ronan and Kyle swooping up to block him. Ronan growled, "Huon! Knock it off!"

"Oh no, boy! I will not sit there and allow some amphibian-looking freak into our home! He could be working for the Pencari for all we know! And you're going to trust it at face value?" His outburst followed Ronan's noisy breath as the two stood their ground. Raygnar then interjected, "Uuum. You guys did put these shackles on me. Does that help?"

"Shut up, lizard!" Huon bellowed before Ronan grabbed his shirt collar. Ronan's impatient glare met the Huon's fiery ones as they stood still. "Huon," Ronan growled, "Whose the leader here? Right here and now?" He breathed out, keeping it between them. He put up a strong posture, his shoulders pushed back. "Tell me."

The two men stood silent, firm, and unrelenting. Kyle gulped and sought out possible Rakshasa, who might be coming from all the screaming. Thankfully, nothing threatening was coming their way for now. This tension was almost visible between the two men as they glowered at one another, unspoken words passing between them like clashing swords. After the stand-off, Huon reluctantly gave in, "Tell me why." He voiced, "At least answer me that."

Ronan loosened the grip on Huon's shirt as his body relaxed, "If he knows the Pencari's movement, we might get the upper hand. We might finally get answers. We might finally be able to fight back. Shouldn't we try to get as much knowledge as we can?" He asked, watching Huon's stiff movements. After some pacing, Huon exhaled for a long time. "I don't like this, but...I'll admit, I can see the reason behind it." He rubbed his neck, eyes scrunched closed. Ronan nodded, "You don't have to like it; understanding is good enough. We must go. Our yelling might've dragged those Rakshasa's attention." He sat beside Raygnar, who nodded in agreement as he did a light whip on his horse to get going. The horse walked as Ronan gave directions to where they needed to go. Around the afternoon, the horse-drawn carriage passed through the tall trees that created a natural canopy for them. The sun slowly descended towards the western horizon, its yellow and orange rays filtering down various leaves and branches above.

Raygnar expertly navigated his horses between the trees and roots, keeping the ride smooth and steady for Ronan and his companions. Ronan started the conversation as the horse trekked through the lush green foliage surrounding them. "You're not...offended by the shackles on you?"

"Well..." Raygnr chuckled bitterly, "I should be, huh? But I dealt with...worse." He lamented as he ensured the horse went around the fallen logs and rocks, all to keep the ride unruffled. "Besides, funny enough, I have many of these things in my workshop. I even thought to test them on myself when I got back. Lo and behold, though, I am doing it right now." He glanced at the shackles, unphased. "But you got the ones that work; I am amazed. These must be the ones humans used to lock up what they deemed 'creatures.' Prevent them from casting Magic and harming others."

"So you know about them," Ronan murmured, reflecting on what his Father had told him about the things and where they were found. "Wait...how were you able to avoid the Rakshasa?"

Raygnar let out a humming sound as if confused.

"The Rakshasa, those monstrous creatures that prey on us! Or well...humans."

"Oh...right." Raygnar gulped, "Yeah...those things. Normally, I throw fire at them, and they run off. But as of today..." He faltered, trying to find the words. "I did notice a group of Rakshasa, and I assumed the worst, but they were...chasing something as if they had found the prey they wanted. Didn't stop for anything. I thought it was maybe a Pencari controlling them since sometimes they do that. But then I remembered they don't arrive until tomorrow, so it was safe to assume they found food. Perhaps a deer or something? The Rakshasa do like to hunt them."

Deer, huh? Something to think about, Ronan thought as he rubbed his chin. But from the tracks he had followed beforehand, they were not chasing a deer. It was a humanoid, perhaps one of their own. He'll have to ask his Father if someone ventured out recently after them. With that task in mind, he returned to ask Raygnar, "What are you anyways?"

"Good question," Raygnar stared at his hand, which had scales around the knuckle area. "My people are called Draconic Elfs. It's a cross between Dragon and Elf if the name wasn't prominent. We have the scales of one protecting us from most of the impact, but then our elven side prevents us from being, well...dragons. We have scales all over us; we cannot hide or expose them. Think of them like birthmarks on some people." He then focused on the road in front of them. "We have an extensive history, or so my Father tells me, but that might be better explained when we get to your guy's home. I am thankful you trust me enough to let me see it!"

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"Thank the shackles," Ronan said blankly. "That's the only way you can go in. You're still a stranger regardless." He twisted his body to check on Kyle and Huon, the two men staying silent throughout the ride. Then, he stared at the various items in the cart, finding it fascinating how another race besides humans was collecting things from the ruins. But why? He took a guess based on what the Draconic Elf said about a workshop. Those items are probably meant for research...or maybe to repurpose them. "How long have you been doing this?"

"For a while now," Raygnar answered. "I don't tend to wander this far from home, but the other ruins were picked clean from what I can recall. So I left my comfort zone and traveled days to get here."

"And you can survive by yourself out here?"

"Well, I would show you how, but I got these on." He lifted his arms to show the shackles. "Magic helps out a lot if trained properly." His arms stopped afterward. Kyle intervened, hearing this, "Magic? You can cast it?"

"All races can...or well...I would say that. But your kind is not extinct. And unfortunately, your kind cannot wield Magic." He pouted, "If we have time, I can answer why at a later time. But it will be in theory though. Despite the lack of such things, your ancestors made up for it with these fantastic inventions. I am trying to replicate them to the best of my ability, but it has been challenging. I do like a good challenge, though."

"Why replicate?" Kyle asked, "What's the purpose?"

Raygnar sat there in contemplation for a while. He thought about what to say and how to say it to avoid possible adverse reactions. "My reason...it may be stupid, but..." He said, "I hoped to do this to help my people. Through the stuff left behind, what I read...I found that your people did everything to improve things for those after you, to plant the seeds so that the future can grow and nourish them even if you are gone. To improve the quality of life, health, and happiness. I hope to bring it to my people too...regarding everything we went through."

Huon's stare intensified as if in deep thought. But he didn't reply to it. He then turned his head, overlooking to watch the trees passing by. Kyle nodded, giving a small smile. Raygnar then let out a gasp, "Oh, right. I know I introduced myself. I don't think I even asked for your names. I heard them but wouldn't count them as an introduction." He kept a friendly demeanor despite Huon's glares. Ronan shook his head, knowing Huon needed time to accept this. "Well, I can repeat my name. Properly this time. Hi, I'm Ronan." He then stared at Huon, "And that is Huon. The one who is stubborn like a bull,"

"I see...almost like Father," Raygnar tried to keep the mood light as he turned to Kyle, "You?"

"Kyle Hurst!" He matched the energy as he extended his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Raygnar awkwardly tried to get the reins in one hand to shake them. "Likewise," Raygnar responded as he released the hand and returned to holding the reins with both hands. Ronan shrugged, wishing that Kyle wasn't this trusting. But at the same time, with everything Kyle went through, he knew the man was healing...and as a friend, he couldn't ask for anything more than his friend healing from a horrible encounter...

"I guess we aren't strangers now?" The draconic elf smiled at Ronan, to which he gave another shrug, "More of friendly acquaintances." The remainder of the ride stayed silent, but the tension eased to almost nothing as the large black horse resumed its stride through the wilderness. It left Ronan to think about how he would explain this to his Father, bringing not just a stranger but someone who was not human. And how too trusting this was considering their situation at hand. A few days before, he remembered overhearing his Father talking to another man, a guardsman who was frustrated about something. But the words from his Father left his blood running cold:

"Tell me, boy! In my time, how many settlements do we have left? Tell me! Because when I was growing up, we had over thirty of them! And right now? Right now, we don't even have ten left! We are one of the seven remaining! How do I know this? The Merchants who are at risk daily so we could trade told us! We are dying and cannot afford to slip up!"

Ronan's eyes squeezed shut, fists tightening. Those words have plagued his mind for so long, and with Raygnar there, this was a chance to change things—an opportunity to get the upper hand on the damned Pencari. The same Pencari that slaughtered them like cattle and forced them to hide in the darkness like insects. Maybe his Father would understand why Ronan made his decisions despite being unorthodox. We need to do something differently, and perhaps...Raygnar knows about this Coria that Father told me about growing up.

Within mere moments after he had those thoughts, Raygnar stopped his cart at a rocky crevice that belonged to a mountainous slope. Ronan leaped out of the cart and walked to what he knew was a concealed entrance, with the leaves and ivy being its curtains. As his hand reached through the ivy, he felt the cool, damp air of the cavernous tunnels beyond. He then made various hand signals inside that were rhythmic in pattern, as if speaking. He then waited until he felt a hand grab him and tap on them three times. Ronan entered through the curtain to be met with two men. "Mr. Valenciano, you returned. How did it go?" One of them inquired as Ronan looked back to where Kyle, Huon, and now Raygnar were waiting. "I need one of you to send a message to my Father. We have a guest shackled onto those things we found. However, this is not a Pencari. Also, let the people know so we don't cause any unnecessary panic. Understood?"

The two men eyeballed one another before they returned to Ronan, blinking. "Not a...Pencari, sir?"

"Not human either," Ronan finished, "But it is a friendly acquaintance so far. But we solved the mystery of the hooded figure, and it was this person in question. So, like I said, I need one of you to go and send the message now."

"Right away, sir!" One saluted and dashed into the cavern, while the other remained hesitant but returned to his post a few seconds later. Ronan gave him a nod before reverting to the wooden carriage. "You got permission to enter. Lead your horse in. It should be big enough, and do not go too fast; it can be bumpy." He stepped aside as the horse started to move again, entirely going inside with some encouragement. Kyle glanced at the area to the left of the carriage, where his body was facing. And he noticed something black in the distance. At first, he thought it was a Pencari and almost screamed, but after staring for a few more seconds, he grasped it was not a Pencari but a dog. A black dog whose eyes met his. Kyle couldn't stop staring until they entirely went inside the cavern.

As the carriage vanished into the ivy, the dog sat up and licked around the bandages on his paw. The medicine was helping the injury, although the numbness was still present. Wagging its forked tail left and right, the paw was gently set down on the ground. Then, from behind, ponderous footsteps approached until they were close enough. The dog tilted up to see another dog—more prominent than it. The dog had a solid, muscular body with black horns protruding from the head. Pointed, erect ears jerked faintly before gazing down at the other, "Is this it?"

"Yeah!" the smaller dog barked. "I just saw them go in there!" The tail swayed at a faster speed, recounting what it saw. "They helped me escape that trap and protected me from that scary monster. They called it a...Rake...Saw...Saw. Rake Saw Saw." It then lifted its paw, "They even bandaged up. The one with the long black hair was super nice to me; he reminded me of Mama!"

"Did he?" The large dog hummed, contemplating. "I hope you learned never to run off like that again. You're lucky you were found and rescued, especially in lands we don't know about."

"Sorry, Dad..." The smaller dog whined, its ears drooped. "I didn't mean to scare everyone. I thought the ruins were a good hiding place."

"There are plenty of hiding spaces not that far off," the large dog countered. "Now we better go. Your Abee is worried sick about you." Its tail patted the smaller dog to go ahead of it. But before they entirely left, the large dog turned back to stare at where the supposed entrance was. "In the meantime, we should talk to Aralt about properly thanking them. What do you think?" It then followed behind the smaller dog, who yipped in excitement about the idea. They departed into the immense myriad of trees, marking their scent onto a few as they moved. They are planning on coming back soon, maybe sooner than they think.