Derek and Vince looked at each other without saying a word. Their eyes were filled with complex emotions like pleasant surprise, nostalgia, wariness, guilt, and many more. Both of them returned to their old memories and stood there without moving.
Both have no idea how to start the conversation.
Then, Vince’s legs couldn’t take it longer and let him fall to the ground, but before he hit the ground, Derek caught him and slowly laid him.
“Could use a… doc,” Vince said between his breaths.
Worried, Derek looked behind and called the brunette young woman in gray battle robes, “Melissa! You are needed here!” Then he turned to the soldier who was holding the sword to Vince’s throat and ordered,” Get a healer squad to receive the patient!”
Soldier saluted and rushed to the open iron gate as Melissa made it to Vince and Derek.
“Help me, I need to take his shirt out,” Melissa kneeled and took out her gloves.
Nodding, Derek hastily ripped apart Vince’s shirt and grimaced as the gruesome sight below it unfolded.
Melissa frowned as she touched Vince’s chest, “He shows signs of decay. Broken rib bones and some nasty bruises. No internal bleeding was detected, but a good portion of his leg muscles are torn apart and cracks in bones. It’s like the time when you injured yourself while trying to lift that black stone. He is not in mortal danger, for now.”
Her hand softly glowed in white light, and a soothing energy entered Vince's body. The force traveled through damaged parts and mended them together. Vince felt a strange bliss as the pain slowly faded away but still persisted there.
“I put him together, but I don’t want to waste mana to fix his face, and bruises and bones need extended attention,” Melissa wiped the sweat on her face after her treatment was over.
“Thank you,” Derek thanked Melissa.
“Good to speak, Vincent?” Then, he asked with a deep frown.
Vince nodded and tried to right himself, but Melissa put him back down.
“Don’t move. The patches are still fresh. They may be open again if you move much.”
Vince nodded as he lay down back, “Thanks. That was… a painful experience.”
She smirked with a knowing smile, “Get used to it. This is your new norm.”
Vince shuddered, not taking it to heart, and turned to Derek, a weird guilty look on his face, “It’s been a long time, Derek. You have grown old a lot. What happened to you? ”
Derek laughed and replied, “Many things, my old friend, but it is not the time to delve into the past. Tell me, did you have anyone look after you, or those bastards ditched you in the moment of trouble?”
Vince remembered the deal he made with Vic. ‘And, state certain people I am your caretaker, never abandon you and the only reason you are alive. You will understand when to say that when the time comes.’
Time to pay back.
Vince pointed in Vic’s direction and said, “Vic is the one who rescued me from the bottom of the ocean and the only reason I made it alive. Without him, I would have been long dead.”
Melissa frowned, “Bottom of the ocean?”
Derek’s frown deepened as he rose and marched to Vic, “Rise, death-rower!”
Vic lifted himself with his good hand and stood before Derek.
He said with a neutral voice, “Yes, vice-captain?”
“Are you the one who saved the Extinct?”
“Yes, vice-captain.”
Derek looked into Vic's empty eyes and tried to read the man unsuccessfully.
“Take him to custody. I want every detail of the disaster by the time I get back,” Derek waved his hand to a guard and turned back.
Guards saluted and grabbed Vic from each arm.
“Vice-captain, I demand a healer,” Vic demanded before the guards dragged him away, showing his bruised forearm.
Stopping on his spot, Derek dangerously turned and hissed, “Since when death-rowers dared to demand something from me?”
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Suddenly, it was hard to breathe as an invisible force descended around Vic, trying to make him kneel. Vince felt he was suffocating, then Melissa planted a hand on his shoulder and let him take easy breaths.
Indifferent, Vic nodded, “You are right, sir. Death-rowers have no right to ask anything, but I am no longer a death-rower.”
The force around Vic got stronger, Derek stated.
“Explain.”
“Sir, my sentence is either give 100 years of lifespan to Sanctuary or rescue 20 people in Eclipse. Vincent is the 20th person I rescued and guided to the Sanctuary. I want to be healed before you take me to custody and verify my claim of mine. I know the verification process may take a very long time.”
Derek tilted his head, “So, you are saying you filled your quota? You know what will happen to those who are lying.”
Vic nodded grimly, “I am aware, sir.”
At that moment, the guard returned with a healer squad in tow.
Guard saluted and reported, “Vice-captain, healer squad is here.”
Derek, still looking at Vic, said to the healer squad, “The patient is on the ground. Melissa did the diagnosis and first aid. Speak to her to fill you up and,” He shook his head and sighed, “Take this citizen-to-be with you and heal him up. Guards will escort you and take him to custody after.”
“Now, go.”
The healer squad put Vince on a stretcher as one of them spoke with Melissa. After she filled the healer with Vince’s wounds, they lifted him and walked to the iron gate.
“Hey, Derek!” Vince called.
Derek looked over.
Vince lifted his head and asked, “Do you know where the others are? Are they—”
Derek shook his head and interrupted, “We will catch up later, Vincent, after I am done with the mess here. Until then, try to digest as much information as possible. There are people whose job is to help Extinct like you. Also, there is someone who would like to see you, too. She will love to hear about the old world from you.”
Derek’s figure disappeared away as Vince passed the iron gate. Vic, escorted by two guards, walked next to him.
Vic shook his head in wonder, “That was a helluva childhood friend there. Did you come from the same place as Derek Graves? You never cease to amaze me, kiddo.”
Vince looked at the sky and said, “Yeah, but I can’t say we… parted on friendly terms. Some grievances need to be solved, but I am only glad he is living and kicking. By the way, he and I more or less were the same age. Why does he look that old? Like a middle-aged man with four children.”
Vic shook his head, “Don’t know. There are many things I don’t understand in this cursed world.”
The conversation died down then. After a couple of silent minutes, Vic opened his mouth.
“Thanks, kiddo.”
Frowning, Vince looked to the Vic, “For what?”
“For holding your end of the bargain. You could have fucked me over there.”
Vince shook his head and wistfully smiled, “Nah. I only spoke the truth. Without you, I would have been long-dead. And, it was like you said. I saw a long-dead friend of mine. Maybe my family and buddies will be in the Sanctuary too. Waiting for me.”
Vic shook his head and got closer before whispering, “You don’t understand, Vincent. This place, this city, isn’t how it seemed to be. You will understand that soon enough. But, no matter what they say, do not believe everything. There is some nasty thing going around.”
“How so?” Vince felt confused.
Vic looked at him grimly and shook his head, trying to say it wasn’t the time or the place.
Soon, the group passed a corner, and a city of white and gray appeared before their eyes. Tall, proud, and mighty stone buildings were built everywhere. When Vince first looked at the buildings, he thought of his time in Atena, Greece. There were ancient Greek buildings that survived millennia, and the stone buildings he was seeing right now looked similar, but the one he was seeing right now was grander and more magnificent, filled with glory and honor like they were built to house the gods.
Also, some wooden structures didn’t fit well—crooked with no apparent style. Probably later additions to the Stone City.
Healers passed a line of the guard and entered the wide stone roads as they carried Vince. Roads were bustling as the people of Sanctuary woke up to a new day. Vendors tried to sell their goods to those who were eying. Children played around with happy smiles as older teenagers bee-lined to the inner part of the city. There were young adults with their own armor, robes, weapons, and stuff. They mostly walked in groups as from what Vince could sense with his highlighted senses, and they spoke blood, lots of blood.
But there was a problem.
When they looked at the duo, Vince almost tasted the disgust and hatred that radiated from them. Mothers pulled their children away with frowns, teenagers ran away like they were a disaster, and elders cursed them without carrying their tone. Even some hot-blooded young adults reached for their swords while showing their teeth.
They didn’t like the duo to the point of showing open hostility.
As Vince felt wronged as he literally just arrived at Sanctuary and did nothing, Vic explained.
“Death-rowers are the scum of the Sanctuary, so, normally, they don’t want one amidst. Even if you pay your sentence and earn freedom back, they will still treat you like a death-rower. To them, once a death-rower, always a death-rower.”
Vince’s face twisted as he replied, “But I am not a death-rower.”
Vic let out a snort of laugh, “Look at your face and body, not to talk about your clothes. Tell me, do you look like one or not?”
Vince glanced at his body and saw the mess. His shirt was torn apart, his chest was naked open, bloodied and bruised, and dirt stuck to his skin. His pants changed color with dirt and blood as they were more rags than pants. With his beaten face, He was no different from Vic.
Smiling wryly, Vince replied, “Yeah. Maybe that.”
The rest of the road passed silently as the group entered a stone mansion. Inside, people wearing white and red robes were running around. The healer went straight as guards pushed Vic to a section where a guard was watching.
“I will find you after they release me. To hold my end of the bargain. And no matter what, do not give in to desperation!” Vic yelled as guards pushed him harder and harder until he entered the section.
“I will be waiting!” Vince replied with his yell, hoping the other guy heard him.