Violet was knocked out cold, and Kenrich decided that he should re-block the roof of the cave before the other soldiers saw the opening. After doing so, Kenrich had no idea what to do with Violet. She had a broadsword sheathed by her side, so he could kill her and hope for a chance to escape, but he was not sure if he had it in him to take someone’s life, especially since Violet had been pretty kind to him and the rest of the miners during their time working, at least compared to the other guards. He caught a glimpse of Violet’s head and saw that there was blood dripping from it. Her leather helmet had fallen off during the tumble, so the entirety of the shock was absorbed through her skull. Her black hair was draped messily around her shoulders as the blood ran down her face. Kenrich knew that if a wound like that was left untreated, it would almost certainly result in her death. He thought about letting her die, but the more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. She was a person just like himself, who had dreams and aspirations and probably a family waiting for her. Kenrich had a problem when it came to being responsible for anything’s death. He could never squash bugs, or hunt, because the more he would think about it, the more he felt that taking their lives would be unfair to them. It was definitely a weakness of his. After weighing the pros and cons in his head, the cons of saving her definitely outweighed the pros, but the thought of the guilt he would feel is what ended up influencing his decision most.

Kenrich took a water-filled canteen in Violet’s possession and poured it over the wound on her head. He then ripped off his sleeve and wrapped it around her head to try and stop the bleeding. He was no doctor, so he was not sure if this would even work, but the thought that he at least tried was enough to not feel as much guilt if she were to die. Kenrich then made sure to take her weapons off of her which included a broadsword, dagger, and three different gemstones. He did not know what these gemstones were capable of but assumed that the ruby was the fireball gem that the soldiers were given as ruby was notorious for containing intense fire abilities. One of the gems was a garnet, which was a gemstone he often saw for sale in Gaen’s shop. It was always too expensive for him to afford, but he was told that they usually contained far less powerful fire abilities and were usually used for starting fires. Kenrich knew that a fire would make it so he would not need the moonlight he was letting in, so he gritted his teeth and decided to roll the dice to activate the garnet to see if he would be lucky enough to be able to start a fire with it.

He held the stone in his left hand and then waved his right hand which caused a small flame to sprout out of his index finger. Kenrich had never used a flame stone before, so he was surprised to see that it did not burn him. Kenrich then blocked up the rest of the roof of the cave while grabbing a few branches from the ground so he could start a fire. Getting this fire lit was very important as it was now getting very cold in the cave. A good source of heat was also a good way to increase the survival of Violet in Kenrich’s mind which gave him more motivation to make it work. Holding the flame produced from his finger steady, he gently pressed the flame to the kindling he gathered between himself and Violet. The fire took and the impromptu campfire worked better than even Kenrich had hoped. With the fire lit, weapons in his possession, and having the roof completely blocked, Kenrich was starting to gain more hope of survival.

After what felt like a few more hours, Kenrich had not heard any more footsteps near the cave but still felt very unsafe when he thought about whether or not he should leave. He was also starting to run out of kindling in the cave to use which started to make him worried about his survival once again. He also felt that he should certainly try to escape before daybreak otherwise he would easily be seen. Kenrich’s indecisiveness was once again causing a halt in progress, but once again, forces other than himself made the choice for him.

While deep in thought, Kenrich heard a wispy moan coming from Violet’s body. This frightened him and he ran to the other side of the cave making sure to draw the broadsword just in case she ends up being hostile. Violet sat up and held the top of her head.

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“Ugh…” she moaned. “What the hell? Where am I?”

“Uh…Good morning?” Kenrich said, uneasily. Violet looked over at him and slowly turned her body towards him.

“Wait…” she said. “Y-you’re Kenrich! You’ve got the ring, right?!”

“No sudden movements!” Kenrich said as he gave the broadsword a wimpy swing.

“Answer the question!” Violet said standing up while holding her head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kenrich said.

“Stop playing dumb! We heard the testimony from the owner of that run-down gem shop! Give me the ring! Tinsen can’t be allowed to have his hands on it, let alone the emperor!”

“Wait…what?” Kenrich said. “You’re not going to give the ring to Tinsen?”

“Of course not! This ring will only bring more war and more destruction. It can’t reach the emperor. I won’t let it!” Violet said.

“I feel the same way!” Kenrich said. “That’s why I didn’t tell them I had it!”

“I don’t care what your motives were,” Violet said. “Just give me the ring. I guarantee they won’t get it under my care.”

“No,” Kenrich said.

“Goddamnit! Give me back my sword too!” she said, starting to walk over to Kenrich before stumbling and holding her head. “Ugh…my head…”

“See! You’re in no shape to fight let alone escape the rest of the soldiers,” Kenrich said. “The ring is safer with me.”

“Did you inflict these wounds on me?!” Violet said angrily.

“I didn’t! I’m the one who treated them!” he said. “You fell down into this cave and hit your head on the wall. Your landing wasn’t very graceful.”

Violet felt the cloth wrapped around her head and saw that it was the same color and material as the only sleeve that Kenrich had left attached to his shirt. She could see that he wasn’t lying. She also knew that he was right and there was no way she would be able to escape the soldiers in her condition. She could tell that Kenrich was not someone who could hold his own in a fight, but he just might be useful for something.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Violet started. “You know this land well, don’t you?”

“Like the back of my hand,” Kenrich said.

“Then, you’re going to lead me out of here,” Violet said. “The only way this ring is making it out of here is if we can use my weapons and your knowledge of the land. We cannot afford to lose any more darkness; we need to move now.”

“I can’t just leave the village!” Kenrich said. “Who’s going to be here to protect them?”

“They sold you out, Kenrich. The gemstone trader informed the villagers that you had the ring the whole time and everyone turned on you. They all agreed that you were to be handed over along with the ring. No one even hesitated.”

“T-that’s not true!” Kenrich said.

“I’m sorry, but it is. If you ask me, that’s what you get for making them all go through this for so long. If you just gave me the ring, I would have been able to make sure the emperor would never get his hands on it.”

“You should have told me that!” Kenrich barked.

“How the hell was I supposed to know you had the ring?! If I told people and Tinsen found out, I would have been executed!”

“Goddamnit…” Kenrich had tears in his eyes. “Fine. I’ll lead you out.”

“Good answer. If you do truly love this village, then this is the only way to get the soldiers out of it. Now, let’s go.”