She doesn't sleep too well, thought Rika. She frowns and scowls when she sleeps. And expressionless when awake.

"Elizabeth, wake up." He said, and she awoke with a startle. They paused, Rika turned away and said: "Get ready, we'll leave soon." It's been 3 days since Elizabeth had 'joined' him. The path to take was mostly left to Rika's discretion, for Vera had more or less dreamed than planned. This became the case the longer he spent alone, and circumstances changed. The knights were acting strange, and there had been some stranger movements near the castle the last few days, and Rika sensed it would be best to leave, as quickly as possible before he was roped into some inconvenience. Thus, they packed their bags and headed west.

The cold was settling in. A few streets down they were able to get a ride; squeezing in between a few adventurers heading north-west. The owner of the carriage was welcoming, and asked them to join when he saw them walking. The plan for the day was to head west and then south, but there was no particular reason to head south, and so changing his plans on a whim they joined the adventurers.

They conversed of the coming Adventurer's Festival. They were headed to the beastman country, Jak, where the festival was held every 4 years. The adventurers, who held a certain independence from the state wasn't too concerned about recent political upheavals. And though the beastman country used humans as slaves, it was restricted to criminals, and used by the state or corporations aided by the state not individual beastmen. This and their ego was sufficient to ward of any fear they should've felt when crossing the border.

They ignored Rika and Elizabeth till the carriage owner asked: "You taking the giul?" Their eyes were then fixed on the girl, and she averted their gazes and stared at the floor, hiding behind her hooded coat.

"Ye, they won't like that." Said one of the adventurers.

"You better leave her here." Said another, they didn't offer too much advice but it was clear that taking her into the beastman nation would forfeit his rights to her. She would be considered free upon entry. But he was never headed to the festival to begin with.

"You can drop us outside the city." He told them.

"What you gon-t do with the giul. Leave er with a friend?"

"Yes, something like that."

"Well, aright." Agreed the carriage owner, and they ignored them again and chatted amongst themselves.

The mountains lie between Jak and Tengai upon which many villages rest. They were dropped in a small village its inhabitants called Grotto. Rika handed him a silver piece and he thanked him much before heading off.

The people avoided them. The men and women were wrapped in shawls, and he could sense them sneakily take glances as they passed them. Walking past the windowless mud houses and nameless streets or alleyways they came to a cliff. Lost, he headed back and approached the first women he saw.

"Excuse me," he said, the women looked up and saw him, looked to the girl and saw her, and before he could say anything more she turned and scampered away. So they walked around the village hoping to meet a friendly denizen who might help them.

As the noon hour passed, still having found no one, he said to Elizabeth: "We might have to head west on foot." She didn't say anything back and that only served to demoralize him further. No roads, no ride, forestry and mountain range, 'on foot' was something he wanted to avoid. He consoled himself that this might serve as a good bonding tool with Elizabeth and in the process train her along the way, after all that was the objective.

Disappointed and resigned to his ill-fate they took a small sloping root at the end of the cliff which took them out of the village and into the forest. At the bottom of the cliff, on the side of the mountain was a cave decorated by statues of gods. On each side of the cave stood a giant statue of a male and female god. Within the cave was the slight reflection of a candle light. Quite unthoughtfully he walked to the ancient structure covered in vines and weeds, Elizabeth followed behind him. The candle flickered and he saw a monk meditating, covered in a white shawl hiding his mouth and nose. "Guests." Said the monk and slowly rose, he looked to them and seemed to be smiling. "You must stay here tonight."

"Stay here? No..." Said Rika, feeling an aversion towards the cave and its monk. "We're heading west, and if you could direct us to a path, or lend us a horse... I can of course reward you."

"Come," said the monk, and led them into the cave, "This is the temple of Convalesce. Many have come and gone from here, all better and beyond themselves."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I see." Said Rika.

"Now here are the baths," said the monk leading them to a glowing room, "I feel the girl should take a bath, don't you?"

Curious Rika looked closer at the hot spring, inside was a glowing fish which gave the room its light. Taken back by the strange and fascinating sight he nonchalantly said "yes". So they stayed for the night, and the monk took him to a room and Elizabeth to another. He gave them food, but refused to eat with them as it was religious custom, he said, that he not remove the shawl.

While Rika slept the monk went into Elizabeth's room and awoke her with a slight touch, and she awoke with a jolt. The child was a timid creature judged the monk, and holding his index finger to his lips to silence her he spoke to her in whispers.

"Child, I am a friend." He said first, and removed his shawl. His cheeks were sunk, his lips were dry, his nose was think, and his eyes were deeply wrinkled. Elizabeth felt pity and confusion, and the man bared his teeth. He had fangs, a half-breed, Elizabeth understood. He wrapped himself back in his shawl. "I've already arranged a ride, quickly now get your things."

"No..." she said, feebly resisting the monks pull.

"What? What is it?" He looked at her and studied her scrawny figure, her bony hands and fingers, and asked: "You're a slave aren't you? Don't you want to escape? I'm helping you." He felt embarrassed having to be so patronizing to the girl. He began to whisper to himself and confessed he felt strange that Rika had let her roam about so freely, but concluded that it must be because of Elizabeth's timid nature, and her fear for the man. "Now, come." Insisted the monk. When he saw again her tremulous soul he could do nothing but to use force. He carried the girl, as quietly as he could out of the cave, so as not to awaken Rika. Out there in the forest waited two half-breeds.

"Here, take her, before he wakes." Said the monk and handed her to them.

The half-breeds saw her scarred ears and felt pity.

One of the horse men took her and placed her in front of him on the horse.

"What about you old man?" Asked the other, "What will you do when he wakes up?"

"I will give him nothing." He replied sternly, "I'm an old man, and what happens to me now doesn't matter."

"Then perhaps I should stay here with you, Leon will be enough to-"

"Seon, you help your brother, I don't need you here!" Said the old man.

"There's no arguing with the old man, Seon. Wish you'd come with us old man..." He said with some regret, and with a light kick took the horse into the forest.

"Well, old man." Said Seon, and did the same chasing after his brother.

Morning now dawned and Rika awoke. He saw the monk meditating and packed his bags. When he was finished packing, he noticed Elizabeth still hadn't come out of her room and he went to wake her. When he found her bed empty. He couldn't find her in the hot springs or anywhere else he searched and he began to doubt and wonder if she had ran away. He didn't think her capable, especially here in the forest.

Interrupting the monk's meditation he asked him if he had seen her, and revealed to him she was missing.

The monk rose and said with pride. "She's gone, by now she's already in Jak and you can't have her." Seeing the old man's pompous attitude he realized that this was all his doing. Angry and feeling oppressed and thwarted by every pebble on the floor he grabbed the old man by the throat and lifted him, and asked again "Where is she?"

"I already told you," he said chocking, "She's gone, it's too late."

Dropped on the floor he gasped for breath, before he could gain composure Rika ripped off his shawl and dragged him by his hair out of the cave. "Which way!?" He demanded, "Which way did she go!?"

"I won't tell you even if you kill me." Said the monk.

"I can do a lot worse than kill you." He said matter-of-factly.

"They're gone, they're gone..." The monk repeated laying on the ground and catching his breath. "Do what you want with me." The monk was no use, and Rika felt he didn't have much time if he wanted to stop them before they reached Jak. He activated his skills from the monk class and gaged his surroundings but its power was weak with all the clones roaming about and sucking from the same source. He couldn't detect anything. His explorer skill proved useful, he studied his surroundings and noticing the hoof tracks and the markings of 2 horse men, he chased after them following the traces they left behind.

The old monk watched in bewilderment. What aroused the greatest fear in the monk was that he was headed in the right direction.

This root had been used by slaves from long past to escape to Jak, and this forest is a maze meant to throw off any pursuers. The beasts and mountains served just this purpose.

▼▼▼

"Brother," said Seon, when they reached the Crack. It was a point in the path which went through a narrow cave in the mountain hidden by overgrown vines, and weeds, and leaves. "I can sense something behind us."

"Probably a tigergoat."

"I sense he's strong. You go on ahead, I'll stay here and stop him."

Leon sighed and tried to reason with his brother. "He didn't have a horse." Seon stopped his horse and got off. Leon knew he couldn't control his brother, and when he took a seat on a boulder he could do nothing but say: "I'll come back with the others after I reach the gates." And Leon disappeared into the cave. Leon was sure it wasn't the adventurer, and hoped a tighergoat wouldn't eat his brother.

Seon waited, he could hear light footsteps. At times it would vanish and it was so light he wondered if he made a mistake. For about 10 minutes he waited, confusing the wind for beasts, and all the sounds of the forest seemed like voices whispering. Just when he was about to get back on his horse again and enter the cave, thinking of catching up with his brother he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Then he saw Rika in the distance tracing the path they'd taken. Seon got off his boulder and prepared himself. Unhesitatingly Rika stepped into Seon's range, and Seon smiled.

"If you've come here for the girl I'll give you this last chance to turn back." He said with seriousness.