While William stressed on what to do, Thalgar dragged him along, grumbling, “ We have to leave… Now!”. But William was not cooperating. He stopped his companion from leaving, exclaiming, “Wait! Madeline! She might know of the antidote?”. Thalgar turned his face toward the mess they were about to ditch, commenting with a wry grin, “She does not… They never do………. Also, we do not flee... We shall set a trap for those who should hope to gather the spoils".
“So you believe whoever did this wants to steal your energy?”, William huffed as they ran through the narrow streets, speckled with a few raindrops here and there. Thalgar shortly glanced back, hid behind a corner, then he dashed out toward the gates before adding, “... Or they recognized me and did all the lords here a favor”.
William thought: What a dark mindset to have…
He couldn’t be sure of the enemy’s motives, but he still suggested that, “Maybe the aggressor’s intention was not to eliminate you… I heard from the barkeeper that someone is- collecting men?... You look strong, so may-”, William felt a weight shift. The arm that Thalgar held onto was now getting heavier as the man fumbled his way forward. “Hey! Thalgar!”, William shouted at the one who wouldn’t let go.
Whatever it was that Madeline had infused into his veins, it was starting to take effect. Since they were still not out of the gate and somewhere safe, William decided to take matters into his own hands. He pumped up the power he really shouldn’t be using, before he tackled Thalgar and ran with him like a potato sack, outside of Irkmane.
People were taken aback by what they saw, but the image was too quick for the eye to capture properly. And thus they successfully escaped the city guards’ attention. As for being successful in throwing off other more unknown pursuers? Well, that was uncertain.
****
In the midst of a nearby forest, Thalgar was planted beneath a big elderly tree. His dinosaur, Boros, went around the area in circles on high alert, while William laid sprawled on the ground as he reflected on what had happened in Irkmane. Once his breathing returned to normal, he admitted in horror, “I’m the worst…”.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and darker clouds invaded the sky. No one questioned William’s sudden self-hatred, and yet, he kept on going, “I mean… If I had just shushed that woman and her goons away you wouldn’t have been pricked!... And I even allowed her to touch you like that… Even though-…”. William froze, not able to finish off his sentence naturally, “Tch! Next time, I won’t allow such a thing… I won’t!”, he vented in frustration.
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Thalgar, who was gradually being overtaken by the poison’s effect, refocused his sight before saying, “The poison was soaked into her attached fingernails. Thus she could have scratched me in many ways. The handshake was merely one of those distractions… Just be thankful that my senses were keen enough to pick it up… She clearly underestimated my greatness...”.
William glanced at Boros that kept pacing around, then he looked helplessly back at Thalgar with a pair of anxious eyes, “What do we do?... Are you... Going to die now?”. Thalgar closed his eyelids and spent some time checking his energy and body from within, “It is possible… Normally my body can handle the stress but it takes weeks and constant rituals to delude and survive a lethal dose… Unfortunately, that was in the past. Now, I am afraid that my energies are too unstable to be used for such enduring trials… If anything, I would probably grow deform and-…?”.
William was bitter and overflowing with regret. He was about to cry, but the second he felt Thalgar’s eyes stare at him, he quickly hid it all away, thinking. How come, my hope is already lost? This is Thalgar that I’m dealing with, right? So how could he possibly die before he meets Julian and fulfills his role? That would be preposterous!...
William found new hope by believing in the book, and that its story would come true. Surely something like poison was not to be feared…
With these things in mind, the depressed human was about to get up and find ways to set up a trap for any blood-thirsty pursuers, when a disembodied voice decided to come out and mock them, “My, quick to flee, are we?”.
William tried to find the owner of said voice, but they remained unseen. “Here…”, a cloaked person declared as he stepped into plain view, from what seemed to be nothing but blank space.
“!?”, everyone was startled by the intruder's revelation. They had not expected a creature to come this close without being detected, and that’s from a group that has been tailed daily by a horde of dinosaurs. Albeit at a great distance away.
The cloaked person’s head went up, scattering light on a weathered face belonging to a middle-aged man. His black eyebrows were bushy and full of expression as he said, “Our little game is over... And it seems that I have won...”.
“Won at what? Nobody’s dead yet”, William stated, not appreciative of the stranger’s try at a cool entrance. The cloaked man smiled amused while droplets ran down his nose, “The name’s Charkel-”, his gloved hands went forth from his long sleeves, revealing his little friend, “Oh, and this small fellow here you’ve already met… Albeit, not personally… Greet my pet: Willow...”. A bow was made humbly, pissing both William and Thalgar off, for this person couldn’t be any more conceited.
William snarled while he brandished his sword, “Quit the formalities! Who sent you? And why did you poison my friend!?”. Charkel was distracted for a second by a rumbling that sounded closer than the ones before. A flit of doubt crossed his face before he adjusted his hood, explaining, “... It is not I, who goes with purpose. It is one of god’s agents. He pays me to make others work for free… For a righteous cause, no doubt… But who am I to question such grand schemes? I am merely the one who sees, who infects and fetches... The one who hunts!”.
Bored eyes found their way to Thalgar, who admittingly understood their tiredness, “If not for you… Then… Kill him for me…”, he mustered to say with his last energy. William glared back at Charkel, thinking: As if one hunter wasn’t enough… Now, I’ve got two…