PART 1
Rayman looked down and waited for his death, wishing he could’ve seen Shay and his children one last time, to say goodbye. To his surprise, nothing happened. Nothing moved. Rayman looked up at the enormous Vog and noticed its eyes had turned blue, glowing brightly.
The room was a complete wreck. Tables were smashed against the walls, the doorway was ripped open and the egg still oozed out blue goo.
Thankfully, Kevin was fine except for a few scrapes and bruises. Billy was moving again but still unconscious. Wolkin stirred as well but didn’t get up in fear of what the monsters might do.
Everyone froze once again as the enormous creature bent its head down and touched the dead baby with his snout. His eyes flickered red for an instant but remained blue.
Rayman couldn’t help but wonder if their eye color had something to do with their emotions.
Without warning, it turned its giant body around, awkwardly and left the way it came. A female, Rayman guessed, picked up the corpse of the baby in its jaws and followed after the male. Every last monster left without a sound, leaving them all in complete bewilderment.
“Where do you think they are going?” Kevin whispered from across the room after they all had left.
“I don’t know,” Rayman responded. “But we need to tell Erik what has happened and warn the villagers.
“Yes. My thoughts exactly.” Kevin stuttered, still in shock. “I’ll… check on the others outside.”
“I’ll come.” Wolkin rose to his feet. “Ah!” he moaned, touching his back. He moved to follow Kevin albeit slower.
Rayman scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Billy, who was in and out of consciousness now. “Billy? Billy, wake up.” he tapped his face repeatedly. “We need to leave, now. Can you walk?”
“Uhh!” Billy groaned.
“There’s no time. I’ll carry you.” Rayman grunted from the weight as he picked up his comrade.
Billy on his back, Rayman walked through the torn metal and turned right after Kevin and Wolkin. A moment later he heard shouting and picked up his pace.
“Rayman! They’re alive!” Kevin yelled down at him.
Rushing as fast as he could with a body slung over his shoulder, Rayman rounded the bend to see his men alive.
A sense of overwhelming relief washed over Rayman, bringing him to the verge of tears. He thought his men had been torn to pieces and eaten alive. They were fine, or so he thought.
“Sir.” Fin walked over to Rayman, clasping his arm in a shake. “Set Billy down, I’ll have a look at his head.”
Rayman’s joy quickly vanished as he saw the state in which his men were in. At first glance they seemed well but getting a closer look, he saw the wounds they all had obtained.
Fin, Wolkin, Kevin, and Lucas were nearly untouched. As for George, a large gash across his face covered his head in blood and one eye was missing. Zeph and Connor had slashes across their bodies, their armor torn to shreds, their backs and legs looked like minced meat. Mark had one leg missing, he was unconscious but Fin quickly assured him he would live. His leg was wrapped in bandages and looked stable for now.
Steven and Carl had minor injuries, they were making sure the rest were comfortable.
Rayman sat down and took the scene in, he knew it wasn’t his fault all this happened, but he felt guilty anyway. He had failed his men.
“Where is Ben?” Rayman asked softly, not wanting to guess.
They all looked at him with concerned looks. “We don’t know,” Fin answered.
Rayman got to his feet and walked toward the entrance. Nearing the corner from which they came, Rayman hesitated. A tiny trickle of blood had formed at his feet and Rayman’s heart sunk. Rounding the corner he saw Ben’s still body.
Footsteps came from behind, “Did you fi-?” Kevin froze upon seeing him.
He too stopped in his tracks, a sorrowful frown overcoming his face. The gruesome scene before them made Kevin vomit. He jerked to the side and emptied his stomach on the cave floor.
Ben was unrecognizable. His body was in pieces, limbs scattered across the ground, his remaining arm attached to his body only by a piece of skin.
Rayman turned from the gory scene and made his way back to the men doing his best to ignore the gagging reflex threatening to empty his own stomach.
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Kevin coughed. “Why kill him but leave us?”
“I don’t know, Kevin,” he said blankly.
“Did you find Ben?” several men asked as they returned. Rayman’s and Kevin’s faces said it all.
“We're leaving,” Rayman said forcefully.
“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Fin asked. “Four of us can’t even walk.”
“I’ll carry Billy,” Rayman grunted as he picked him up again. “Lucas, Steven, you carry Mark together. Carl, you can carry Zeph. Kevin, I’ll need you to carry Connor.”
“I can help carry someone too,” Fin offered.
“We’ll take turns,” Rayman ordered. “Fin, for now, I need you to lead George through.” he turned to George. “Can you walk?”
“I’ve still got one good eye… I’ll manage sir,” George replied gruffly.
“Good. You two will carry the torches.” Rayman adjusted Billy and started walking. “It’ll be tough, but we can make it.”
The path up took several hours to ascend. Everyone was exhausted and sweating profusely. Their torches had nearly run out and their water canisters were empty. Mark, missing his leg and losing blood had blacked out from the pain and hadn’t woken since, which worried Rayman. The two who had gotten their backs shredded stayed strong even though every movement was agony, their short cries of pain with each step made them all sympathetic to their wounds.
Billy had fully woken halfway through the cave which gave Rayman a break. Billy was shaky but managed to walk on his own and took a torch for extra light. To their dread, the lift that had brought them down was unmanned and for a brief moment, they all thought they would be stuck in the dark.
Kevin had found it first, a rope had been thrown down, unsure what it was attached to, he yanked on it which caused the lift to screech and move upward. It was a pulley.
The process was slow and grueling but one by one they all ascended out of the cave using the rope as leverage to heave the lift up. Once the first man was lifted up, he used the wheel at the top to operate the lift for them.
Reaching the entrance of the cave, all eleven men arrived to an empty village. It was a ghost town, not a soul to be seen or heard. Vori had been completely abandoned.
Anyone who wasn’t injured spread out to gather water and food. Rayman searched for the remaining horses but found none. An idea popped into his head after seeing an unhitched wagon in the stable. “We could use that to carry Mark and the others,” he thought.
Pushing on the stable doors, Rayman leaned against the door and heaved but it wouldn’t budge, his strength was failing him. His hands were shaking and had an intense headache but he gave another shove and the large wooden doors slid open.
“Wolkin!” Rayman shouted. “Give me a hand here, will you?”
Wolkin and Fin trotted up to help him. “What is it?” Wolkin asked.
Pointing at the wagon, Wolkin and Fin understood what he was thinking. All three shuffled over to the wagon and braced themselves.
“On three.” Rayman wheezed. “One… two… three!”
Together they pushed the wagon from the stable and rolled it toward the group. Kevin was handing out water sacks to the injured when he noticed them. He quickly laid the water down and rushed over to help push.
“We can load the wounded in… and… make our way… to Vlakias.” Rayman huffed.
“We should rest tonight,” Kevin said. “Hashem knows we need it. And I’m worried about Mark.”
Rayman didn’t answer.
“There are plenty of houses to stay in.” Kevin continued. “What do you say?”
“Very well.” Rayman broke his silence. “We stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we will make our way to the capital.”
It took several minutes but Kevin saw to everyone getting a bed or floor mat to sleep on. Fin offered to stay up with Mark to make sure he stayed as comfortable as possible. Billy offered to take first watch at the door.
They manage to fit into one house. It was a small structure but comfortable enough for everyone to have room. Snoring could be heard from several men which kept Rayman up.
He couldn’t sleep anyway. Rayman couldn’t stop thinking about Ben’s horrible end and Mark’s leg being torn off. What it all meant. He couldn’t logically come up with a reason for the monsters to kill and wound some, then just leave everyone else.
“What were they after?” Rayman thought. “What had he seen from the baby Vog?” Memories and emotions washed over him once again but he couldn’t comprehend it.
It must have been several hours when Mark started screaming.
“Get them off! Get them off!” Mark writhed around, his stomp bleeding profusely after the fit.
Fin quickly rushed to his side, “It’s okay! You’re alright Mark! It’s me, Fin.” he tried to calm Mark. “You’re safe now. Everything will be alright.”
Mark’s eyes opened wide and he looked around. He was covered in sweat and he looked crazed. He clutched Fin’s arm tight, like a vise. Realizing where he was, his eyes softened and he calmed down, loosening his firm grip on Fin.
“It’s alright.” Fin continued to soothe him. “It was just a nightmare.”
“Right… nightmare,” Mark whispered.
“Go back to sleep.” Fin comforted him. “You need your rest.”
By this point, everyone in the room was awake, staring at Fin and Mark. They all knew what was happening… Mark had a fever, and his leg was beginning to rot.
It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to his wound.
“Fin,” Rayman called.
Fin placed a wet cloth on Mark’s forehead then crept over to Rayman. “It’s bad.” Fin whispered so no one could hear. “He’s caught a fever and his leg is starting to smell.”
“Can you do anything?” Rayman asked.
“I’ve done everything I can, sir… but I’m not a doctor. I only know basic medical aid.” Fin lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Fin,” Rayman reassured him.
“If we could get him to a nearby city or village, then maybe I could do more. I need clean clothes and alcohol to clean the wounds. I’ve already used all the bandages I had to stop the bleeding…” Fin paused to think. “There’s nothing else I can do for him except keep him as comfortable as possible and keep his temperature down. But I can’t even do that because we are almost out of water.”
“How long does he have?” Rayman asked.
“If I can keep his fever down and keep him hydrated… maybe three days.” Fin guessed. “If his fever continues to worsen and the infection in his leg gets worse… a day or two.”
“Thank you, Fin.” Rayman patted him on the shoulder. “I know you are tired, but do your best.”
“Thank you, sir.” Fin said.
“You get some rest. I’ll take the next watch.” Rayman ordered. “We will leave earlier in the morning. Our priority is to get Mark the help he needs. We will head to Bienrior at first light.”
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“Sir.” Wolkin crawled from his mat, “I’ll take Billy’s place. You rest.”
Rayman looked at him for a moment then relented. “Very well. Wake me before light.”
“You are doing a good job, Fin.” Wolkin praised him. He had noticed Fin’s defeated look and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to encourage him.
Rayman lay awake for some time before his eyes shut.
PART 2
“Let’s move out,” Rayman yelled. “We are headed straight for Bienrior. Keep your eyes peeled for any dangers.”
The four severely wounded men were loaded onto the cart from the stables but with no horses to pull, two men looped their arms under the hames and pulled while Kevin, Wolkin, and Billy pushed from behind.
With only five hours of sleep and the incredible strain from everything that had happened yesterday, everyone was exhausted. Few had rested the full five hours, others only had one or two. Rayman guessed Fin didn’t get to sleep at all due to Mark tossing and turning all night from his fever and pain from his leg.
Rayman himself managed to sleep a couple of hours but he knew everyone was on the verge of collapse. To relieve the work, they rotated in shifts, pushing and pulling the wagon. Fin on occasion would jump into the bed and tend to Mark and the wounds on Zeph and Connor’s backs.
“Sir,” Fin, jumped from the wagon and helped push. “It’s Mark.”
“How is he?” Rayman lowered his voice.
“I’m afraid… he’s not going to make it, sir.” Fin said, frowning. “We have too long a distance to travel and the journey itself may kill him.”
Bienrior was the closest place in which to find aid. It was one of the major port cities. They would find shelter there but it was three days away at best with the pace they were moving. Not only that, their weakened bodies wouldn’t last much longer. The slower they went, the grimmer the situation became.
Kevin stepped up and joined the conversation. “The men are exhausted, Rayman. I’m not sure how much longer we can keep this up.”
“What would you have me do?” Rayman raised his voice. “Leave them to die?”
Kevin and Fin looked shocked at his outburst but said nothing.
“If we don’t hurry…. Mark will die.” Rayman said. “We push on. We have to reach Bienrior, it is our only hope to save him and the others.”
Everyone heard Rayman’s outburst which caused them all to brood silently. They all knew there was no hope for Mark at this point. The nearest city was days away. Everyone thought it but said nothing.
The day was grueling and hot. Treacherous paths threatened to kill them all with the effort. Up and down over steep hills and valleys was killing them all from overexertion. It was nearly sundown, but they pressed on, unwilling to give up on Mark.
Even George, one eye missing, had jumped out of the wagon to help push. Though that didn’t last long as his eye socket began to bleed profusely and Fin forced him to rest again in the wagon.
Nearing another steep incline, Fin collapsed in the dirt, unable to get back up.
“Fin!” Kevin yelled. “Help me get him up.”
Rayman slid to the ground in defeat. Billy was on his knees, heaving for air. The rest of the men flopped to the ground as well. Their strength was utterly gone. Kevin was the only one standing though he too was drenched in sweat and ready to collapse.
“I’m sorry men.” Rayman wheezed. “I’m sorry Mark.”
No one said anything. The sun was still up but rapidly dropping. Kevin said something but his words caught in his throat. Everyone’s throats were dry, the limited water they had was already gone.
“Look.” Kevin squealed from his parched throat.
Everyone looked to where he was pointing, and all their hearts sank.
It was a pair of Vog sitting on the lip of a cliff, staring at them. Moments later horses could be heard from the road which they came.
Unable to yell a warning to the approaching riders, Rayman stumbled to his feet and raised his hands.
“Watch…!” Rayman gasped. “Out!”
To his surprise, the two riders galloped toward them, looking at the beasts on the cliff but ignored them and rode straight ahead.
Everyone got to their feet, readying themselves for another fight even if it was pointless but the Vog did not pursue the horsemen.
“They’re messengers,” Kevin whispered.
“Why aren’t they moving?” Rayman wondered aloud. “They are just sitting there.”
“I don’t know what the Vog are doing but they can help us,” Fin added over his shoulder. “The riders could take Mark. Maybe Connor too.”
“Who goes there!” one messenger shouted.
“It’s Rayman and his group!” the second man said.
“Hurry!” Rayman yelled as they rode up next to them. “Take the wounded and get out of here!”
“Don’t worry, sir.” the rider said. “They won’t attack us.”
“What?” Fin looked confused, as did they all.
“King Erik spoke to their leader. Those two on the cliff are there to make sure we deliver our messages to the surrounding towns and villages.”
“What do you mean spoke to their leader?” Rayman and Kevin asked simultaneously.
“Felkuru. He’s the leader of the Vog, sir.” the messenger explained. “Erik says we have three days to tell everyone to leave and make their way to Xer.”
“Vog?” Fin whispered. “But how is that possible?”
“Erik spoke directly to them.” the rider confirmed. “The Vog have promised us safe passage to Xer as long as we leave Vulkira peacefully.”
“The king told us to tell you if we see you, that you are to go to Bienrior and leave from the port there. A boat will take you south to Buxmar, from which point you will travel to Nolvis where you will meet him.”
“I don’t understand,” Rayman said, confused. “Why are we fleeing the country? What has happened?”
“The Vog attacked Vlakias, where Felkuru met with Erik and told us to leave. Something about his son being killed.”
Kevin and Wolkin looked at Rayman, “The egg.”
“The baby you spoke of was his son?” Fin asked.
“We killed his son?” Wolkin looked gloomy.
“This whole thing was our fault?” Kevin mumbled. “We caused it.”
“It was an accident. We were defending ourselves.” Rayman firmly stated. “We were following orders and going into something that no one understood.”
“You’re right. We can’t blame ourselves.” Kevin said, trying to convince the others as much as himself.
“How can we not blame ourselves?!” Wolkin shouted. “We were messing with something that we had no business messing with.”
“Calm down, Wolkin.” Fin said. “We didn’t know. How could we have known.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Rayman dismissed them all. “Mark needs a doctor. You.” he addressed one of the messengers. “Are you heading to Bienrior?”
“Yes, sir,” he replied. “We can take two of your wounded. I’m afraid we can’t help any more than that.”
“We must get the messages out to the remaining villages afterward.” the second rider said.
“There’s something else, sir.” the rider hesitated. “Erik has ordered that no aggression is to be shown to the Vog. Every last man, woman, and child is to leave peacefully and without question. Not all is as it seems, sir.”
“The king saw something in their leader, sir.” the other rider said. “The Vog aren’t our enemies,” he reported. “Something much darker and dangerous is coming and we have to prepare for it.” the man looked down at Rayman. “The king’s words, not mine.”
Rayman was speechless. “What could possibly have happened for Erik to abandon Vulkira.” he thought. “Something darker and dangerous?” he feared Erik was losing his mind.
“Thank you for the report soldiers.” Rayman snapped out of his own thoughts. “Pull up to the wagon and help us with the wounded.”
Billy and Fin jumped into the wagon and placed Mark onto the horse. “He doesn’t look so good,” Billy commented.
“Zeph is in worse shape than Connor.” Fin said. “Take him next”
Zeph’s back was turning red and his skin was bloating, the enormous slashes down his back cut so deep his rib cage was visible before Fin wrapped him in bandages. A fever had set on only two hours ago and his body was drenched in sweat.
Connor was still in bad shape but he was awake but unmoving in fear of the slightest movement from the bumps in the road. His back was better off than his upper thigh. The Vog had slashed from shoulder to calf. His ass and thigh had taken the most damage and he didn’t dare move.
The second rider reached out and clasped Zeph’s arm and pulled. Rayman and Billy kept him steady and he slipped onto the horse.
“I’m sorry Connor… you’ll have to wait a bit longer.” Fin said. “Stay strong.”
“I’m alright, Fin. Thanks to you.” Connor reassured Fin. “Just don’t be slappin my ass anytime soon.” he joked.
Billy and Fin chuckled as they leapt from the wagon. “Do you have water to spare?” Kevin asked the scouts.
Both men immediately detached their large water packs, “Take it. We can get more in Brienrior.”
It only left the two riders with one canteen each but it would be enough. Rayman and his men needed it far more than they. “Thank you.” several of them muttered their appreciation.
“Hurry,” Rayman said. “Take them straight to a doctor. Mark is on the verge of death.”
“Yes, sir!” they said in unison.
Urging their horses forward, the two messengers rode off in a trot toward Bienrior. Mark and Zeph looked nearly dead already but hope they would reach a doctor in time kept Rayman from fearing the worst.
A moment later one of the Vog ducked out of sight and disappeared. The second Vog still sat motionless, watching them.
“What do you think they are doing?” Kevin addressed Rayman.
“I’m not sure but it isn’t good,” Rayman said. “I want a pair of eyes on that thing at all times.”
To everyone’s surprise and shock, the Vog stood and leapt from the cliff and landed effortlessly fifty feet below. Its movement was slow and graceful but terrifying all at once. Its eyes were glowing blue and it stared at them intensely.
“Form up,” Rayman whispered.
Everyone that was able, quickly made a line, blocking the Vog’s path to the wagon. “Keep your weapons at the ready,” Rayman ordered.
“It looks... different.” Kevin gawked.
“What?” Rayman glanced at him. “It looks the same. They all do.”
“Its eyes are blue, not red,” Kevin commented to no one in particular. “Their eyes changed. Like the big one did in the ruin.”
The Vog was a ways off but crept closer quickly. It came up behind the wagon and stopped five feet from them. Large muscles twitched and its back arched slightly. Its blue eyes staring at them sent shivers down their spines. Large dark brown scale plates shifted slightly from its movement and its paws clenched. Four large toes with huge claws dug into the soft earth and its body tensed.
Gasps of surprise and shouts of fear left their mouths as the Vog leapt over all of them and past the wagon.
Every human whipped their bodies around to face the creature and prepared for a fight but they were met with an odd sight.
The Vog had its jaws on the end of the wagon biting the hames. It froze and looked at them then yanked and pulled the wagon.
Rayman couldn’t help but be speechless. He glanced at his men and was met with the same expression of confusion.
Connor yelped but couldn’t move and George scrambled out of the wagon. “What is it doing?” Rayman whispered.
It didn’t slow, its body jerked around in awkward angles from pulling but it continued to do so, heading in the direction of Bienrior.
“What do we do?” Kevin asked. “It’s taking Connor away,” he said dumbly.
“It can’t communicate but… I believe it’s trying to help us get to Bienrior.” Rayman felt stupid saying it but he couldn’t deny what he was seeing.
“Everyone keep your heads and don’t attack,” Kevin ordered. “Do we help it?” he looked to Rayman.
“I’m going to try something. I don’t think it will work but… here it goes.” Rayman convinced himself.
He jogged up to the wagon and approached from the side. The Vog was still awkwardly yanking on the hame with its teeth and globs of saliva could be seen dripping from its mouth.
“Wait,” Rayman said, also gesturing with his hands.
It stopped surprisingly and stared at him. It released the hames from its mouth which dropped to the ground with a wet smack in the dusty road.
Rayman stepped toward the beast with his hands raised and pointed to the leather straps. Two feet from the enormous creature, Rayman bent down and grabbed the straps, and lifted them up to the Vog’s head.
It didn’t move and made no sign of understanding but Rayman leaned forward and placed the hames over its thick head and slid it down the Vog’s neck.
Everyone behind him held their breath in anticipation. No one moved a muscle.
The Vog looked at Rayman suspiciously and looked down at the leather.
“Now, you can pull it easily,” Rayman said, still unsure if it could understand him. “You want to help us?”
Its nose flared and sniffed at him but turned from him then pulled on the leather straps. The wagon moved easily with the tug and Rayman could see its eyes bright up slightly as if it dawned on it that the wagon was built this way.
The Vog turned from him and pulled, rolling the wagon effortlessly now, and dragged Connor away.
“George,” Rayman called.
“Yes, sir?” he replied nervously.
“Get in the wagon will you?” Rayman suggested. “You need your rest and we just found ourselves a new friend.”
“Uh. Um. But sir.” George hesitated. “Can we trust it?”
“I don’t know a lot about these Vog but it’s helping us. We can trust it for now.”
“They killed Ben.” Fin shouted. “We can’t trust them. Have you all forgotten what they did to us?”
“Fin!” Kevin berated his tone. “I don’t trust them either but I have a theory.”
“Let’s hear it then,” Rayman said, walking after the wagon.
Everyone trotted after the Vog pulling the wagon and George hopped into the back while listening to Kevin’s idea.
“Forgive me if I offend you sir… but what would you do if a group of animals went into your home wielding weapons. If Shay, Daniel, and Alexi were in danger, what would you do?” Kevin asked. “Would you… do anything to protect your family?”
“I see what you are getting at, Kevin, and I agree with you,” Rayman said.
“Ah, so you’ve already thought of this then?” Kevin asked again.
“Yes,” Rayman replied. “I would do anything to protect my family. Especially if I saw thirteen armed men enter without permission and without warning.”
“So…” Billy began. “You mean, they killed Ben because they were protecting their home?”
“No. They killed Ben and attacked us because they were protecting their egg.” Rayman stated. “I think that big one, the one that ripped the walls open, was their leader and stopped them from killing the rest of us.”
“Oh,” Billy said, understanding.
“I think,” Kevin started. “They didn’t want to harm us but were focused on keeping us from the egg. That’s why they froze when we backed into the door.”
“I saw something,” Rayman admitted. “When I held the baby Vog, it spoke to me somehow.”
“What do you mean?” Kevin asked, curious.
“I can’t explain it… it-it was like… I could feel what he felt. I could feel its pain.” Rayman’s face scrunched from the memory. “A thought, ‘Forgive them’, wouldn’t leave my mind.”
Kevin, Fin, and Wolkin froze when they saw tears forming in Rayman’s eyes. Billy noticed and looked back to see what made them stop.
“I think, the baby we killed, was fully conscious and aware of what was happening and knew we had doomed it to death,” Rayman said. “But… it saved us from their wrath.”
“How do you know?” Fin asked.
“I just do. I can’t explain it.” Rayman dismissed the question. “We’re falling behind.”
Rayman stalked forward and caught up with the wagon. Wolkin, Kevin, Fin, and Billy lagged behind.
“What do you think?” Fin asked Kevin. “You were there, you saw everything.”
“I… I don’t know what I saw but… it did communicate with the leader before it died.” Kevin confirmed. “I noticed then that Rayman was in tears but at the time, I just didn’t bother to think why.”
“So, you think he’s right?” Wolkin said. “The baby we killed, saved us?”
“I think so,” Kevin admitted. “Whatever is going on, these creatures are far more intelligent and dangerous than we think.”
“It is helping us.” Billy pointed out. “What if we have this all wrong and they were just protecting themselves and their home like you said.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Kevin said. “Keep your guard up. We don’t know what the Vog truly want and we know what they are capable of.”