Michael saw the monstrous reptiles rip and tear through the horde of night beasts but it wasn’t their brutality that knocked him to the ground, it was Evelyn.
Evelyn pushed him out of harm’s way.
“Are you okay??”
Michael saw Evelyn’s worried face. She immediately went to him while the super reptiles were fighting the night beast horde.
He weakly nods.
“Okay, that’s good. We need to get out of here now. I heard wings earlier and the Draco might come here.”
Michael nods and he forces his body to stand up. Due to the pain, he was experiencing, he couldn’t hear the Draco’s wings but he trusted Evelyn’s judgment.
He shudders in pain. His vision was still blurry but he was determined to escape.
Unlike the night beasts which were just a type of savage animal for Michael, he had a personal dislike of the Draco. He certainly did not want to die by it or any of its kind. He would never admit he disliked it since he knew it was a petty type of dislike.
It was like hating a cat because when you were a kid, a cat stole your meal. In this case, Michael disliked the Draco because it was stealing all of the lush territories.
Michael stood up with Evelyn's help. Bob still hid in the fur bag but he had a handful of rocks just in case he needed to throw them again.
“We need to go. Those things are distracted, this is the best time to book it.”
Michael nods. Then he thinks. Did Evelyn make a librarian pun?
Looking at the person supporting him, Michael shakes his head. She looked too serious to be thinking of puns.
They move away but as they reach the edge of the forest, they both hear the powerful wings of the Deus Draco.
Looking up, Michael sees his strongest enemy.
His eyes widen in slight fear as the massive beast drops down.
The ground shakes ever so slightly from its girthy weight.
Michael shuddered as he beheld, arguably, the most powerful creature on the planet.
Evelyn was paralyzed in fear.
“Hey… hey… isn’t that thing… bigger?"
Michael noticed as well.
The Deus Draco was indeed bigger compared to the last time they both saw it.
“Ho-how…”
Michael’s body suddenly remembers the encounters he had with the Deus Draco and he starts to sweat profusely. His blood feels cold. Despite desperately pumping adrenaline to keep him alive, Michael's body feels weaker.
He pats Evelyn’s back.
Evelyn snaps out of her shock and looks at Michael.
+Let’s… go….+
Michael weakly signed and Evelyn knew that it was time to go.
She nods.
While Michael wanted to observe the Draco, he knew that his bloody body would attract it once the night beasts were gone.
Evelyn supports Michael and the two of them move away from the chaos.
“Where do we go? Go home?”
Michael weakly shakes his head. His eyelids were slowly closing. His body was not going to last.
+No… Too far… won’t make it…+
Michael looks around.
+Place… to hide… recuperate…+
Evelyn felt Michael's weight on her body. She could carry him with ease but he didn't have his usual dignity and strength.
“Okay okay… where?”
Michael weakly raises his arm and points in a direction. He remembers that going there will lead to a pond. The pond was home to some almost harmless fish in addition to a few patches of herbs with healing properties.
“Okay, let’s go there.”
Evelyn half-carries Michael toward the direction he pointed at. While walking away, Michael looks back to see the much larger Deus Draco devour the majority of the night beasts. When a night beast is about to strike it, the Deus Draco flexes its powerful arm and throws it to a nearby tree which immediately splinters from the force exerted onto it.
Michael looks away. His mind raced at the possibilities.
Did the Deus Draco evolve again or was this still part of its 2nd evolution?
If it was the former, then the situation was more manageable but if it was the latter, then Michael needed to do something about it.
Once a bit deeper into the forest, Michael spits out some blood.
Evelyn looks at him.
“Michael? What’s wrong???”
+Lungs… hurt… breathing difficult.+
“What?? How?”
+I don’t know… lungs… might be… damaged.+
Evelyn nods worriedly.
“Okay, hold on. I don’t know if we’re close but let’s keep going. Okay??”
Michael nods.
They continue to walk.
The noise of carnage slowly disappears as the trio manages to gain distance from the brine cave.
Michael felt weaker with each passing moment but they eventually reached the small oasis that he found a few weeks before.
Evelyn looks around and finds a relatively hidden spot. It had a clean pond with fish swimming in it. The nearby patches of grass revealed herbs that Evelyn was familiar with due to Michael teaching her.
“We’re here!”
Michael nods.
Evelyn lightly sets Michael down.
Michael leans his back on a tree. He sets down his pack. He tries to take out his tools but Evelyn stops him.
“Let me handle it.”
Michael looks at her and sees her worried eyes. He nods.
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"Instruct me."
Michael nodded again then he starts to sign.
+First… take out… salt…+
Evelyn takes out the basket containing the salt.
To her surprise, the basket was intact despite all the chaos.
Huh… well, thank God for Michael’s weaving skills…
Evelyn hears Michael groan which quickly pulls her out of her thoughts.
She returns her focus and puts the salt near Michael.
“What’s next?”
Michael points at the pond. He then gently takes out one of the remaining tubes. He gestures to fill it up.
Evelyn nods. She takes the tube and fills it with water. She ignores the delicious-looking fish for now.
Bob comes out of the fur bag to help Evelyn.
“Bob, can you hunt some fish for us?”
Evelyn hands the little monkey a sharp knife.
"Thanks, little buddy."
Bob nods and goes to the edge of the river to catch fish. She then goes to Michael with a tube full of water. She shows it to him.
“Is this enough?”
Michael nods.
+Good… Now take a handful of salt…+
Evelyn does as she’s told.
Michael gestures for her to pour it into the tube.
+Stir…+
He hands her a wooden stick and she uses it to stir the water.
While Evelyn is stirring, Michael grabs a handful from the nearby herb patch. He pulls out the leaves and flowers. He takes extra care not to uproot the plant.
He puts the herbs in his mouth and starts to chew.
Despite his will to survive, even Michael’s chewing was unbelievably slow.
Bob splashed on the pond as he stabbed the slow-moving fish.
Michael looks at Evelyn then he signs.
+Done stirring?+
“Yeah. What now?”
Michael takes the tube and pours the mixed salt and water on his wounds.
He shudders a bit but he looks relieved as he knows that the salt would clean his wounds.
Michael continues to chew the herbs.
Evelyn takes the tube and gently applies the mixed water to the other wounded parts of Michael’s body.
Michael spits out the chewed herbs and puts them on his wounds.
He feels a minty sensation as his body begins the healing process.
Taking note of Michael’s actions, Evelyn takes a few leaves and herbs. She starts to chew on them as well.
Michael and Evelyn both rapidly chew on the herbs present in the oasis.
Evelyn pulls the chewed herb out of her mouth and puts it on Michael’s body. Michael thanks her.
“No need to thank me. Ever since I got here, you’ve done nothing but help me.”
Michael shrugs.
+It was for my own gain.+
Evelyn continues to put herbs on Michael’s body.
“Your gain? Don’t tell me you were planning to make me into some slave or something.”
Michael smirks and shakes his head. If he could laugh, he would.
+No, nothing like that.+
“Then what do you mean for your gain?? That sounds very suspicious Michael.”
Evelyn narrows her eyes and something tells Michael that if he didn’t immediately answer, he would receive a stern scolding.
+Wait, don’t get angry. I’m going to explain.+
“Uh-huh? Go on then.”
Michael gives Evelyn a wry smile.
“AND???”
Evelyn leans forward and her face is directly in front of Michael’s face.
Michael gently pushes her face away with his hand.
+I was lonely. I needed someone to talk to. So when I saved you, it was so I could have some human companion. If I wasn’t going crazy, I might have abandoned you.+
Evelyn thinks.
She then lightly caresses Michael’s hand.
“Was it hard?”
Michael flinches at that.
It was. It was very hard.
Michael doesn’t reply.
Evelyn smiles. Her psychological inclinations help her in moments like these.
“Well, I’m here now and as long as I’m here, we’ll help other humans, okay? And as long as I’m here, I’ll keep you company.”
Michael is silent but after a bit of contemplation, he nods.
Bob returns to Michael and Evelyn with a large fish impaled on his knife. He has a large smile on his face.
Evelyn chuckles then she comments on Michael’s personality.
“You took in Bob and sheltered him. You even took the time to teach him how to communicate with you. I’m surprised that you can think so ruthlessly.”
Michael remembers saving Bob but he also knows that if he wasn’t ruthless, he would have been dead.
+It was how I survived.+
“Come again?”
+I survived because I was ruthless.+
Evelyn finishes covering Michael’s wounds with the herbs.
“Well… keep being ruthless… what was it? Be as sharp as a sword but be as light as a feather??”
Michael smiles.
+That’s not the metaphor but I understand.+
“What’s the metaphor then?”
Michael shrugs.
“I bet you don’t remember.”
Michael rolls his eyes. He starts to study his body.
+Thank you. Let’s go.+
Michael tries to stand up but Evelyn and Bob quickly stop him.
“No, we’ll stay here for a bit. We have the supplies to stay outside for a few days.”
Bob angrily signs at Michael.
+Yes. Stay!+
Michael looks at the two of them with an exasperated look.
+That’s not an option.+
“Why not?”
~Angry Bob noises~
“Bob, not too noisy.”
~Sad Bob noises~
+Did you not see it earlier? The Deus Draco and its mates are expanding their territory at an unbelievably fast rate, twice as fast as it was last month.+
“And? We can just escape.”
Michael shakes his head.
+Not that easy. If you’re in the territory of the super reptiles, they will be able to find you. When I came to save you, it was extremely dangerous for me. I was just lucky especially since they found you first.+
“Then let’s avoid its territory then.”
+Yes, so we need to move out.+
“No.”
+No?+
“Yes, no. You’ll stay here. I’ll keep watch until you’ve recovered a portion of your strength.”
Michael sighs.
+What will you do when a super reptile appears?+
Evelyn smiles.
“Kill it. My gift evolved, it won’t be able to wound me.”
She smiled with confidence. Bob flexes as well. The little brave monkey was definitely going to do everything in his power to protect Michael.
+What if the Draco shows up then?+
“That’s when we run.”
Michael sighs.
+You really want me to rest?+
“Yes, we’ll rest and stay here till you’ve fully recovered, no buts.”
Michael thinks then he relents.
+Okay but the moment we see any sign of the Draco, we leave. Understand?+
Evelyn and Bob look at each other with satisfied expressions. She raises her hand and Bob readily high-fives it.
Michael rolls his eyes. If he knew that this gesture would be used to tease him, he would have never taught Bob how to do it.
“Heh, yes.”
Michael sighs again.
+Okay, let’s set up camp.+
“No! I’ll set up camp, you lie down and rest. Bob, come! Let’s build the tent.”
Michael looks at Evelyn with exasperation as the lovely amazon of a woman rushes to build their shelter. Michael feels all of his remaining strength leave his body as he finally decides to relax.
He thinks to himself that maybe relaxing like this isn’t so bad every once in a while. After all, he has someone to rely on this time.
Once Michael lets go of his ruthlessness, albeit temporarily, he immediately falls asleep.
He enters a deep sleep and for a moment, he forgets about everything.
~ROAR!~
Michael wakes up to the sound of an earth-shattering roar. Sitting up, he finds himself in their fur tent. He looked for Evelyn or Bob but both of them weren’t in the tent.
Then he hears fighting outside.
Looking around, Michael picks up a stone knife.
Forcing himself to stand up, Michael goes out of the shelter.
He sees the monstrous Draco engage Evelyn in combat.
Michael sees Evelyn.
She looked tired. Her body was tough but the Draco's powerful jaws and claws were slowly making a dent in her defenses. The Draco itself was unscathed. Its scales are too tough for Evelyn’s strength.
Despite the large gap between their physical abilities, Evelyn kept fighting. Her spear was broken by the side and her knife was nowhere to be seen. She kept fighting through the use of her divine gift but she knew she couldn’t defeat the Draco. At most, she could delay it.
The Draco charged forward with the intent to separate Evelyn’s upper body from her lower body.
Michael immediately ran forward.
Unlike Elizabeth, whose body could withstand immense punishment, Michael would not be able to survive a single bite from the Draco. He knew that rushing to save Elizabeth could kill him. Despite the possibility of dying, Michael was far more terrified of being alone again in Teremarae.
At least, death promised an afterlife. He did meet God after all.
As the Draco approached, Evelyn felt weak. She simply didn’t have the stamina or endurance that would allow her to escape.
Still running forward, Michael tried to scream but no sound came out of his mouth.
Evelyn weakly turned her face towards him.
She gave him a sad smile. He didn’t understand what it meant.
That pushes Michael’s body to squeeze out the last of his strength and he manages to reach Evelyn. Michael manages to push Evelyn away from danger but in exchange, he was in front of the monstrous beast.
Michael’s vision was covered by the Draco’s massive jaw.
~SNAP!~
The Draco snaps its jaws with lightning speed, piercing the flesh of Michael’s left arm. Immense pain flooded his mind as Michael tried to escape. He tried to scream but once again, there was nothing but silence.
He could resist the strength of a super reptile but he was hopeless against the alpha of this world. He could only watch in horror as the Draco ripped his arm off.
“Michael!”
Michael feels a stinging pain on his cheek and he opens his eyes.
He was lying on a comfy fur sleeping bag. Looking up, he saw that he was inside a tent. To his side, Michael sees Evelyn looking at him with worry. He also sees Bob ready to slap him again in the case he didn’t wake up.
“Thank God… you were having a nightmare.”
~Happy Bob noises~
Evelyn heaves a sigh of relief as she sees Michael sit up. Bob is by his side lightly hugging Michael’s arm.
Looking down, Michael sees his body already in the process of healing. His large wounds were still wet with his blood but the healing process has already started while the minor wounds were almost closed.
Checking Michael’s body, Evelyn comments.
“You heal fast Michael.”
Bob agrees with Evelyn.
He nods.
+It’s an effect of my evolution. I’m very hard to kill.+
Bob flexes for Michael which causes Evelyn to chuckle. Michael smiles at his loyal friend.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
Michael stares at Evelyn.
Studying the woman in front of her, Michael notes that she’s healthy and devoid of any wounds or damage. He felt relief when he was assured that it was simply a nightmare, nothing else.
“You okay?”
Michael looks at Evelyn again. He thought of what to say.
He could say that she should leave him in a situation where they could both die.
He could tell her to run if the Draco came while he held it off.
He could say many things that would ensure she would survive but he knew she wouldn’t accept.
So he told her the only thing he knows she’d agree to and at the same time, placate his fear.
+Evelyn.+
Evelyn felt surprised by the intensity coming from Michael’s eyes.
Instead of backing away, she leans forward until their eyes are only a few inches apart.
“Michael. If you look at someone like that, a girl might misunderstand.”
They stare for a bit more.
~Annoyed Bob noises~
Seeing the two in such a mood, Bob lets go of Michael’s arm and walks out of the tent to hunt more fish.
Eventually, Michael relents.
He signs an apology toward Evelyn.
“That’s okay… Now, what important thing did you want to tell me, so much so that you’d give me a stare that could cause misunderstandings, hmmm?”
Michael didn’t smile or smirk.
He was serious.
+Evelyn, we need to kill the Deus Draco.+
Evelyn smiles.
She liked that idea a lot.