Everyone in the room stops and looks at me, and then moments later Pluso asks, “Nero I think I might have misheard you, did you just sa-.”

“You all heard me right Pluso, I said I plan for every single one of us on this campsite to escape.”

Edward stepping forward, asks, “You can’t be serious Nero?”

“I am dead serious, all of us will leave this place.”

Edward says, “Please stop this delusion you know such a thing is impossible for us all, we have no plan.”

“That’s where you would be wrong Edward, because for the last few years me Charles and Mariana have been setting the stones that will allow us to leave, so please I want all of you to listen to me.”

-Break-

I told them everything. About our history with Dónal, about our secret classes, and about our plan to escape.

As I finish, another member of the campsite; Rolo says, “So that’s where you guys have been sneaking off to on the castle days?”

“Sorry for not telling you guys earlier, but we needed to keep it a secret,” Mariana says.

Another member of the campsite; Nora says, “But still to be able to speak the language of the beastkin. That’s utterly amazing.”

“Well some of us can speak it better than other,” I say while looking at Mariana.

Moving close to me, Mariana says, “Say that again!”

But as she approaches me, she touches my leg causing me to instantly move to the other side of the hut.

“That’s what I thought Nero.”

As I cover my red face with my hands, Charles asks, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little bit hot.” As I look through my hands I see Mariana making an incredibly smug expression at me.

THAT GIRL!

Edward turns to me, and asks, “Is that man Dónal really your ally.”

“Ally is a strong word but he is complian-.”

Charles interjects and says, “He is my friend.”

Charles has gotten looser with his tongue, but when he says something, he means his tone becomes unbreakable.

Edward then says, “But we don’t know if he really is Charles friend at the end of the day he is a beastkin who might do harm to Charles.”

Looking at Dnal straight in the eye, with the most clam yet disrespectful tone I can muster, I say, “Should you really be talking about Charles safety with your history?”

Embarrassed he looks away from me, and says, “Yeah I did some bad things, but I apologised!”

“You know what an apology won’t fix, all the scars!”

Edward drops his head to the ground, and says, “Sorry,” While drooping over.

Charles pats him on the head and says, “I forgive you.”

Seeing them, I let out a sigh and say, “Don’t worry about Dónal, I mainly got information from him, and his current use to us is his horrible management of the campsite. So it is not like we need to be his friend.”

“I am his friend,” Charles says while pouting.

Hitting him on the head, I say, “Yeah I got that already.”

Sandra then says, “But even if you speak the language there is the issue of the Merarks.”

Mariana says, “We have also been working on that. You see haven’t any of you notice Charles absence during the animal days.”

Pluso says, “Now that you mention it he is always disappearing and reappearing.”

“It is because Dónal gave Charles who he thrusted the job of feeding the Merarks, and he has been making them very overweight!”

Charles beside me says, “What do you mean overweight? You said if I keep given them more food they will be happier.”

Crap I forgot we lied to him about the reason he was supposed to overfeed them. It will be bad if he catches on, because when it comes down to it he can be surprisingly hardheaded about certain things.

Sandra then let’s out a little scream, which causes attention to shift towards her.

“Is everything Darling,” Pluso says.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Yes it is just a little pain, but I think some flowers would make me feel better. So Charles could you go and pick some from around the perimeter of the campsite for me?”

Getting up, Charles says, “Yep.” Then runs out of the room at full speed.

Sighing, Mariana says, “Thank you Sandra.”

“No problem, but if you’re going to keep Charles unaware keep up the charade better.”

“Noted.”

Edward says, “Still even if the Merarks are not a factor, what about Bricriu?”

Pluso says, “Why would Bricriu be a factor? He hasn’t been to the campsite in the last three years. For all we know he is no longer involved with it.”

“I think what Edward is getting at is the amount of slaves that where brought over this year, against the last two years.”

“What do you mean Nero?”

“The last two years the amount of slaves brought in was tiny, almost as if they haven’t won enough battles to send them over here. But this year a giant heap came in again, one even larger than when Mariana and all the women were brought in. So that means.”

Pluso says, “They have recently won a battle.”

“And now Bricriu who was likely a part of this war will be coming back, and for some reason, he has a rather strange fixation on our campsite.”

“If he comes back, he could start fixing all of the issues that Dónal has made and then our chances for escape will dwindle,” Edward says.

“But there is still an option for our escape,” Mariana says.

“What would that be,” Rolo asks.

“We simply leave as soon as possible, which would be when Sandra feels up to it.”

Edward says, “Wait isn’t this too soon.”

“If we wait to long their won’t ever be another time, so as soon as possible is the best we can do.”

Everyone in the room seems a bit doubtful so, I say, “ I know every single one of you feel scared, and I do as well. But something scares me far more than this, the idea that Charles, or even Jupio or any other kids born into this campsite would have to spend the rest of their lives living like this.

Countless pieces have fallen into our hands, ones that could completely cease to exist at any moment. So right now I truly believe that we should go, and if we do I also believe that we would be able to make it.”

The room falls silent, but then Sandra raises her hand and says, “I will go with you all.”

“Are you sure?” Pluso asks.

“Everything Nero said was right, and to pretend like it wasn’t would be a lie to myself. Now that I have this little girl in my hands, I no longer can be satisfied with this life, I must leave.”

Rolo shouts, and says, “ARGHHH. I can’t lie to myself either, if given the option to leave I would want to take it.”

Around the hut all the people inside started to get rowdy as they start to all voice their agreement one after the other. Then with a sigh, Edward interjects and asks, “Nero if we are going to even escape where would we go?”

The room quiets to hear my answer, so I say, “Obviously I don’t know?”

Edward smacks me against the top of my head, and says, “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Just like I said, I haven’t been able to figure out the direction we should all go, but it is not like I have no idea. I wanted to ask all of you where you think we should go?”

“Well, heading to the east of Victoria is not an option. Since my and Charles's village was there and was destroyed.”

Mariana says, “We didn’t plan to head there anyways, because as far as we know the beastkin homeland is east.”

“I see.”

“Heading west, is also pointless because Mariana’s people come from the continent to the west. So without a doubt, the beastkin have cleared out the western part of Victoria.”

Nora asks, “Though isn’t there another continent west, why couldn’t we sail there?”

Mariana says, “We would have to find a boat somewhere, and the seas of Molstoria are incredibly viscous and hard to navigate through. So inexperienced captains like us would all sink in mere days.”

Pluso says, “North of Terrafide is still an option?”

Edward says, “I wouldn’t if I was you.”

“Huh why.”

“This is simply an old folktale passed down in my village, but the north of Terrafide is an incredibly cold region, and the people who live in such a region as just as fierce. Sturdy like mountains and fiercer than wonderbeasts, not the friendly type.”

“But considering that we haven’t seen anyone like that here, I could mean that these people have been overrun by the beastkin.”

Mariana says, “I think I get what Edward is saying. We would have to trek through a freezing area and without knowing where we were going. All for the chance to find people, who might be wiped out, or hostile towards us. And if for any reason we turn back, we will again be in the beastkin sphere of influence.”

Sandra says, “And we can’t head south, because we know how the beastkin have started to sink their teeth into Terrafide for the last five years, for all we know it could conquered.”

Mariana looking at me asks, “You where part of a nomadic clan, so wouldn’t you know any places to go to in Terrafide?”

“Well, there are a few. But they have issues.”

“Could you please elaborate.”

“Around the western edge of Terrafide is a large kingdom, known as Jedidiah. Apparently it is the oldest kingdom in all of Terrafide, and is incredibly powerful.

But in Terrafide there is a giant river that goes from the northwest edge of the continent and bisects it up until about just a bit halfway, so to even reach Jedidah from our current location we would have to cross said river or head east to go around it.”

“But it is just a river, and there is no way it can be as fierce as the seas of Molstoria.”

“You forget Mariana, but Terrafide is full of wonderbeasts. Crossing the river would be easy enough but dealing with the wonderbeasts would ensure our death.”

“So north, east, west, and south are all out of options.”

I rub my head viscously, and say, “ARGHHH THIS IS GETTING ANNOYING!”

“Well, we always knew it would be, and can’t do anything about it.”

Mariana says, “We should head southeast.”

Stopping we all look at him and I say, “Why?”

“If we look at our options we either have to cross that river to Jedidiah, or we will have to cross the ocean and head to the eastern continent. Both of those are in reality the only options where many of us could survive.”

“You’re right, that really is our only options, so we ought to get ready. So that whenever Sandra get’s better we can leave.”

As we all start to talk about other plans we have about our escape, Pluso says, “What about the other campsites.”

We all stop and look at him, which causes him to say, “I know it is childish, and foolish for me to ask such things. But I can’t stop thinking about the other campsite on the plantation, and how things could get even worst for them if we leave.”

Nora says, “So what do you want us to do, all stick around and die together.”

“No, I am just saying it feels like we should include them in our plans.”

Edward says, “Pluso you do realize how impossible that would be without putting our plans at risk.”

“I know, I know, but it just feels wrong.”

Putting my hands on Pluso shoulders, I pull my head back and give him a powerful headbutt.

“OWWW!” He says as he holds his forehead.

“I know what you’re saying Pluso, but right now this is the best we can do, and by escaping we can hopefully make other know of what is happening here. If we stay we can’t help ourselves or others.”

Looking down, Pluso says, “Yeah you’re right.”

Sandra clapping her hands, says, “Now that all of this has been settled would you allow me and my husband some time with our child.”

Getting up, I say, “You’re right, it’s time to go.”