“Have you learned your lesson?”

  “Galena, you boxed him in a crate?”

  “He tried to run away.”

  “Doesn’t mean you have to lock the boy.”

  “Cato,” she pointed. “This ‘boy’ almost ripped my throat out with a fork. And you think that this is a light punishment then I might just stab you with a fork as well and see if it is ‘light’ as well.”

  They opened the box, revealing the boy inside. The boy shuddered. Cato grabbed the boy out of the crate with one hand and tried to make him stand.

  The boy’s knees buckled. His forehead hitting. He was like a puppet without strings.

  “His knees are tucked. What in the hell did you do?”

  “It was only half a day.”

  “He’s a kid, Galena.”

  Galena nodded then looked at the boy. “And you think that a boy like that would survive if we don’t treat him like this?”

  “Abusing a kid ain’t going to help.”

  “No. I am merely doing what needs to be done,” Galena persuaded. “He needs to toughen up. Just look at where he is, Cato. He’s in the vilest place in the world. Do you see any kid in this place?”

  “I don’t,” Cato frowned.

  “Then you understand that this lad needs to be strong.”

  “Come on, boy,” Cato kneaded his limbs. “You understand what this place is?”

  The boy did not respond. Cato pulled on the boy’s limbs until he could tell that his limbs were working. Being boxed inside a small create for a half a day. It’s hell for those who are adults and yet Galena could do it to a kid. Cato understood what she was going for, but he was a kid.

  “Stand,” Cato demanded.

  “You should stand,” Galena repeated.

  Hearing Galena’s voice, the boy stood with teeth gritted. He raised his head, trying to keep his eyes on Galena. His fist clenched and teeth hardened. He bared his fangs at Galena.

  Cato slapped the boy lightly. “Stare like that and Galena’s won’t stop with just boxing you inside. Do you understand where you are? You are in Fort Rava, fool. This isn’t a place to be weak.”

  The boy stared.

  Galena snorted. She looked at the walking mass of inmates, wardens, and heavily armed men on the side. Cato remained his eyes on the boy.

  “You need to be stronger than this if you want to live. Teacher, wouldn’t hesitate to throw you away.”

  Cato turned to Galena. “Does he have something?”

  “Trying to kill someone? What do you mean by having something?”

  “Any notable talents?”

  “None,” Galena said. “He’s a little boy, Cato. He cannot even write or read or know any skill other than cry and beg when I discipline his mouth.”

  Cato investigated the boy.

  “Child, speak to me.”

  The boy stared, but he did not speak.

  “You will speak to me when you can. I will not hesitate to bring you back in the box if you don’t speak to me.”

  Galena snorted and shook her head. “Let’s go and do this again. You try that and you’re back in the box.”

*****

  Gabrio woke up from his stupor. He rubbed his head wearily and pulled the spear out of this strange animal he caught. This animal was medium-sized and had four legs. It has feathers around its ribs and he found it while it was laying on its eggs. He took the four-legged creature, drained it of blood and hung it by the hind of its legs.

  He took out his pan. He dug another hole and started a fire in the hole. He salted the eggs and then heated up the eggs. After cooking the eggs, he smoked the four-legged bird.

  Gabrio took out his mortar pestle and concocted the same broth that he had been feeding Mana. He sat her up and started feeding her the broth slowly. He added salt into the broth and hoped that it would nourish her as always.

  One of the things that he had been troubled when taking care of her was her inability to answer the call of nature. He had been taking care of herself, but she was not able to do so herself. He had been handling her bathroom needs that he was sure that if she ever wakes up from this coma of hers.

  Finishing her broth, Gabrio cleaned the pan and spoon and took a rest on the grass. He held his forehead and breathed in and out.

  She’s stable at least. I cannot do anything reckless. I know what their body inside looks like, but most of them don’t share what is good for them. Their medicine is certainly better in a way that they can recover with their Artes, but other than we have no clue if their bodies work the same as humans.

  Gabrio was about to pack his tools when he suddenly fell face-first and found himself unable to move. His eyes rolled back and he arched his back in pain as his muffled screams rang out. It took a moment for Gabrio to recover, and only when he could move again that he injected himself with an opiate to calm his pains. When the pain was gone he sat cross-legged, pulled on his hair, and wondered what this pain was.

  “Damn it, this isn’t normal pain. I haven’t encountered this before. Is this the result of the effects of that spell?”

  He was clueless. But he knew that it was taking hold of his heath and will, draining him of strength and the ability to fight back. Whether it was the cause of the spell or his body falling apart because of said spell. Gabrio was clueless.

  “I need the opiate to function,” Gabrio said. Without the opiate he would have been unable to move as he could. He wouldn’t be able to get this far.

  But it worried him at the same time. That he could not last long without it and he would have to endure the pain without it. He wondered if he could be strong enough to continue without it.

*****

  Gabrio felt tiredness hit, he forced himself to continue. The chair-backpack was a little uncomfortable and was cumbersome to walk, but he would still carry her around.

  Gabrio’s march was uncomfortable. The chair-backpack made the walk in a long period of time a chore. Gabrio noticed his way blocked by a tree. He pushed the tree out of the way and noticed a change in the forest’s atmosphere. He felt it was mostly strong around where his recent pushing has taken place. He continued to walk forward, but the unnatural cold made him want to run to a tree and huddle behind it.

  Gabrio begins to hear strange howls to his left and right. It was a pack and as he looked around he saw nothing there.

  Tightening the grip on his shield and spear, he continued walking, focusing on the task at hand. He pushed through the unnatural cold. It felt like someone has brought the cold north into the middle of the spring. It was enough to make Gabrio feel like giving up and back to a tree. Still, he continued to move forward. It was then that he heard a noise roaring to his left. He turned around and saw nothing. He heard the sound again, but this time it’s in your front. He turned in that direction and as just as quickly the roaring began, it stopped.

  Gabrio looked around. The cold is gone, the trees are still. Nothing seems to be amiss. Then he saw it. It was a creature that stands on two legs, its skin covered in snow. It howled at him and he immediately raised his shield. The creature’s claw slams into it, deflected off. The Creature howls in pain and Gabrio pushed the creature off him and raised his spear above his head to strike.

  The creature leaps back, but he could hear it growl. Gabrio raised his spear, but the creature was gone. Gabrio felt all the hair in his body stand and he twisted, stabbing a spear into the lung of the creature, it twists in the air and drops on the ground. Gabrio thrusts its spear on its hand and it is crushed by the spear. It howls pierces Gabrio’s eardrums.

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He then aimed one of his three pistols at the creature’s head and pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened. The creature leaps on him, knocking the spear to his grasp. Gabrio still has his pistol so he pulled the trigger again and this time it fired a bullet. The bullet slams into the creature’s stomach, tearing through its organs and blowing them in front of Gabrio. It collapses in front of him. The creature twitches two or three more times before finally stilling.

  Gabrio picked up the spear and thrust it once on the creature’s head. He reloaded his pistol and saw movement on a tree about sixty feet up. He tightens his grip on his pistol and points it at the movement.

  Gabrio fired, missing severely. He aimed and fired again, hitting the target on its shoulders.

  This creature howled in pain, then leaps from the tree, landing on a branch. Gabrio ran towards it, praying that the numbness of the opiate doesn’t wear off for now. Mana’s weight was cumbersome, but the adrenaline pumping on his veins was making him strong. Gabrio passed a tree and saw the creature on the branch, wounded but still a threat. He ran up to the tree and tried to spear the creature. The creature’s wounds made it slip up and before it could stand up. Gabrio speared the creature’s throat several times, killing it. Gabrio pulled the spear from the creature’s neck and stumbled backward, scanning the area for more of the creatures.

  He could hear more growls from other directions.

  Gabrio gritted his teeth and reloaded his pistols. He then placed bullets with the other bullets and ran to a tree covered in thorns. Then Gabrio sprinted down a steep ground and saw that there was no other way other than the cave. There were thorns on the trees and he couldn’t pass over them.

  Gabrio was covered with blood, sweat, and dirt. He wiped the sweat from his brows and then saw what seemed to be a skull missing its bottom jaw. He stared at it and then heard growling in the cave. As he continue forward, a heavy clawed hand reaches towards him. Gabrio leapt and pulled on his pistol. He fired at the creature’s clawed hand and it dissolved into a puddle of blood. Gabrio realized that the creature was hiding and it was certainly something that he must try to avoid.

  He heard the growls outside of the cave and above him. He didn’t know whether to continue running or hide. But as he floor of the cave begins to vibrate. Gabrio looked up. Just in time to see the back of the creature as it leaps at him, claws extended and teeth bared.

  Gabrio raised his shield and held it in front of him. The creature landed on Gabrio and he fired the pistol, shooting the creature in the side. The creature growls in pain and flips over, trying to pin Gabrio.

  Gabrio worried about Mana, but hearing her breathing was enough to make him face the creature again. With his shield and pistol ready, he faced the creature whose jaws were open wide and raised his pistol. Gabrio felt frightened, but he pulled the trigger. The creature’s head explodes in a bloody mist, green blood splattering him and his shield. The creature’s body fall to the ground and made Gabrio sit up. As he looked over to where the body fell. Gabrio walked over to the beast with his spear and dive forward. His spear goes into the monster’s neck. He pulled the spear out and then again slashed the monster’s throat. He stabbed it a few more times and then looked at it.

  It was dead. He sighed in relief and felt a headache coming on, but he was otherwise unharmed. He needed to get out of the cave. He carried her out of the cave and got outside. Gabrio was breathing hard and he could certainly hear the rush of a river. As Gabrio moved to the tree line, he saw twitches. He opened fired and missed most of the time.

  One of the creatures rushed forward, jabbing at his throat. Its long thin fingers. Gabrio blocked with his shield and then jabbed it on the throat and kicked it in the jaw, sending the creature back several feet and giving him some breathing room. He didn’t dare to make a move and went to shoot the creature in the head, but it angrily returns and knocks Gabrio to the ground, before leaping on top him.

  Gabrio grabbed its back leg, pulled the knife on his belt, and stabbed its back several times. It screamed, attempting to flail about. Gabrio reached out for a pistol, pulling the trigger, blowing the creature’s head off. It collapsed on him and he pushed it off.

  With panic, he checked on Mana, worried about her safety. She was safe. But he was too tired to move. He was covered in blood and gore and he felt cold and tried. His energy was low. He needed a breather.

  Gabrio sat at the edge of the river and gasp for breath. He let the water flow over his head and refresh him. He wondered how long he would survive here. If he would find help and if he should be even moving forward. But he decided to continue on his travels, and die in the process.

  He stood up and looked across the river. The other side was impossible to see and since the trees covered the entire landscape. He heard chattering of insects around him. He began walking and found a large tree to sit underneath. He tried to close his eyes and yet was awakened by the sounds of the swarms of insects above him.

  He left the large tree and took a step back. He saw the sun and quickly exit the trees. He walked on the side of the river and after a few hours of walking. He came across a clearing. He walked over trees and saw there were no animals. He does see a few plants but other than he didn’t have time and kept on moving forward.

  As he continued moving forward for the rest of the day. It was already in the middle of the night. He looked around and noticed a cave and decided to investigate.

  As he moved closer and closer to the cave, he entered the cave and sat down. He spent the entire day walking around and fighting. His neck was sore and his legs were aching. He started a fire with his knife and stone. Sparks flying everywhere, but enough to let him see his hand. He did that until there was a gentle glow.

  Gabrio turned his attention to Mana. He checked her body and was frightened by the wound on her stomach. It was red and swollen. It was not serious so he treated it lightly and shook his head. It must have been hit when he was fighting those creatures.

  Gabrio held her hand and felt calm. He then placed a cloth on her stomach and held her close.

  Gabrio sat for a moment and thought. It’s okay, you’ll be fine.

  He turned to Mana. “I’m not leaving you here. I won’t let you go through with this.

  He was too tired to move. He slept and then woke up in the morning. He stretched and felt not a thing on his back. He prepared a thin broth for Mana and fed her. Then he checked her if she needed to pee and then checked on her stomach.

  After checking up on her, he took a deep breath and thought of the worst to come.

  “You’ll be okay,” Gabrio said aloud.

  It was then that a booming voice made his heart race. His eyes darted around the cave and tried to get his bearings focused.

  “What was that?” He looked.

  A creature stood there. It’s eyes were like orange stones and there were rubies on its head like a hat. It’s skin seems to be stretched tightly over its bones and it was holding a large club. He didn’t know if it was hostile or not.

  A large part of him wants to run but he couldn’t do that. He needed to protect Mana and the cave wasn’t exactly good for running. He needed to protect his patient.

  The creature lumbers towards him. It stomps the ground and makes a loud grunting noise. If it could smirk, it would.

  The creature stops and looks at him. He prepared his pistol and thought if the creature moved an inch. The creature stops and looks at him. Anger begins to spread across its face and starts lifting its club into the air before smashing it into the ground.

  It grunts and moves closer. Gabrio aimed and shot the creature. It’s eyes explode, sending a gush of crimson onto its face. It let out a roar of anger and charged towards him. Gabrio managed to roll away and shoot again, hitting the creature in the hip. It didn’t stop. It kept charging toward him. He raised his shield and blocked its charge, and he then shot his pistol from his belt and killed it.

  The creature collapses to the ground and its skin begins to melt off of its body. The horrible screech of the creature pierces your eardrums before it truly dies.

  “Mana,” he shouted. He ran to her, and was glad that she didn't look harmed. He sat down for a moment, reloaded his pistols.

  He then carried Mana on his back again and got out of the cave. His hands holding tightly to the strap that secured the chair-backpack combo on his back.

  Then he heard another growl. “Why in the hell are there so many of you today?”

  It looked like the creature he just killed. Gabrio was able to raise his shield and tried to block with the shield. Gabrio drew blood by hitting the creature on the jaw. The creature screamed horribly and tried to get up. He shot the creature in the head.

  “Damn it,” Gabrio reloaded his pistol again.

  He left the outskirts of the caves and found himself walking on a field bare of trees. It was not as overgrown as before and there was a stream. He felt tried and his health was fading. Still, he pulled on his backpack and grounded his teeth.

  He sat next to the stream and drank some water. He scrubbed himself and scrubbed his coat using the leaves he found floating on top of the stream.

  Gabrio heard a crackling noise. He looked over and saw two creatures with gray scale, long tongues, and back-mounted stringers. They were the size of wolves and were marching over him. He backed away from the stream and readied the spear he tied on his backpack. He thrusts the spear forward and thrusts it forward. One of the creatures backed away and made him able to run into the trees and stayed low. As expected, the creatures had a difficult time maneuvering in the trees. They were fast and silent. Gabrio fired his pistol every time he saw them. It was loud in trees, but this meant he was able to distract them as well.

  As he retreated deeper into the trees. He untied the spear tied on his backpack and chucked it on the beasts. It bounced off its hard scales. Gabrio pulled out his pistol and shot the scales. Then he retrieved his pear and thrust it inside the spot where he shot the beast. As he tried to pull the spear out. He heard a screech and felt his back lightened. His eyes widened and anger spread on his face as one of the creatures dragged Mana away from him.

  Gabrio pulled back, reloaded his breechloader pistol and fired the creature’s front legs. Gabrio emptied the pistol on the creature’s body, but it acted like it happened and whipped him with his back-mounted stinger. Gabrio fell and felt his head smack on a rock.

  Opening his eyes, he and the creature were on the ground. He felt pain in his head and looked around. It was blurry. But his head made him move and search the trees for her. Reloading his pistols as he searched for her, he found the creature dragging her into a hole and with rage spread on his face worn down. He leaped on the back of the creature and emptied his pistols on the creature’s head.

  The creature died.

  Gabrio hurriedly kneeled down and checked if she was still alive. He touched his cheeks and felt wetness. He wiped his fingers that were sticky with blood and shook her lightly. She was cold and unmoving, but she was breathing.

  She wasn’t dead. Gabrio felt lost for a moment before he immediately reached out to his kit on his waist and started treating her wounds.

  Gabrio didn’t want to lose her.

  He placed his hands on her chest. He tried to focus but his head was hurting. His eyes watered and he was seeing double. It was hard concentrate but he pressed on her chest and felt the warm blood that came from the reopened wound. Her face looked distant.

  Gabrio blinked. He placed his fingers on the wound and sutured her wounds. He pressed down gently and closed her skin. He knelt down, wiped the blood off his hands and leaned his hand against the ground.

  She was wounded and still in a coma. She didn’t know what was happening and he was the only one who could help her. Her skin was so pale and there was blood on her grass-colored hair.

  “Ah,” Gabrio felt tears in his eyes. He sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

  He sat down and held her body closed to him.

  He didn’t want her to die.

  She was all he had in this hateful place.