Chapter 150: To Survive

"Kee... sha," Rickart breathed his former party's name. The voice was almost empty, but Rickart's head leaned too close over Ned's shoulder. The one arm scout was unconscious, but respondent to whatever boggles his mind. Another word died on his lips as the second explosion rebounded behind them.

For a moment, Ned spun. Their fight was intense. Twali could hardly be seen, evading the absent-minded warrior. While Sidric kept on pushing the servant. It might be due to the parasite that leeches behind Sidric that he kept on fighting almost not having to rest, it was as if the parasite was supporting him with another form of energy.

But Twali won't lose either. With his twin blade, he kept on evading and parrying the warrior's long-sword. His stance was like water, soft, and flowing. Most of Sidric's attacks were parried to his sides, sliding smoothly.

Trees made a snapping sound as the sword and blade fought in the forest.

Experience held the winner. Twali was a servant of the Bogaressi city lord. Lord Sven wouldn't hire someone who lacks the experience to protect him and his family, and he sure wouldn't hire someone that couldn't be on par with hunters. Perhaps, Twali was a hunter himself.

Twali charged forward, evading the longsword's thrusts. With acrobatic maneuvering, he skipped the long-sword and cross the blades forward his chest. It was a quick slash that made Twali appeared behind Sidric.

The warrior sprayed blood, twitching, and falling. Twali slashed an empty air to clean his blades with red gore. He turned to look at Ned with confused butler's eye: "I told you to leave."

Twali stood in black, beneath his feet was Sidric. Shoulders twitching and head jerking. It wasn't over. Ned muttered words with the weight of Rickart slung like a bag. "Behind," he said. It wasn't enough, it was quick and short. "Twali, behind." He said with the force of his lungs.

Sidric stretched his arms, trying to claw Twali. Instead, he reached for Twali's pants. It was a mindless move.

Twali kicked Sidric right side his gut. At a distance, far enough, Ned heard a quick snap. Sidric rolled by the force of the kick and stopped alongside a tree. Mushrooms, and buds scattered, same as Sidric with a bloodied mouth. He stopped with his back exposed to Twali.

The servant moved forward. The shining moon was clear enough for Ned to see the parasite sucking the blood of Sidric.

"The parasite," Ned said. Twali looked over his shoulder and nodded.

Twali flicked his wrist, to his right the blade vanished in an instant. It was then that he pulled the parasite off the warrior's back.

It stretched, shining meat and sleeky gore. The parasite screeched with its tiny teeth. Twali with a force he used to swing his blades, he pulled the parasite. It won't let go of itself on Sidric's back, some part of his skin stuck like a glue against the parasite's mouth. Twali had it enough with his running jawline, a quick pull did the job. To his surprise—no, to their surprise, what came along was Sidric's spine, ribs, and a lump of meat (shining, and thumping). It was his heart. And what came to be his Core shining burnish brown, and fading. Fading long with Sidric's breath. He closed his absent eyes and fell without knowing what killed him.

Quickfall hunting party, without their leader, the future it holds was uncertain. Perhaps this was their sixth quest, seventh, or twentieth. Maybe a hundred. But one thing was sure, it crumbled from gathering Olive Zest Herb—an herb supposed to be made to heal.

Shit. Ned cursed in his mind. He's losing a lot of blood. Seeing how Rickart went paling with his dominant hand. A hand he couldn't use to swing his dagger anymore. Ned laid flat Rickart in a grassy field, he then tore a part of Rickart's cloak and bind it on the cut arm. It stopped the bleeding. No wrists, no arm, no elbow. He was alive. That is all that matters. "For now," Ned muttered. Lifting Rickart against his back. He spun and nodded toward Twali, he then moved with haste toward the east, perhaps west, or north. Ned was in dazed, his mind clouded. Must endure. Ned thought. Skidding a rock and landing on soft ground, he pushed forward.

How long has it been since my first quest? An hour or two? Three maybe four?

[Eight.]

ICE chimed softly as if trying to ease Ned's straining body.

"Eight," he whispered. Rickart's right hand flattering, blood leaked from his cut arm that ran to Ned's black vest, now looking dry. Silver clang from his pouch. "More like days."

Ned cocked an eye over his shoulder, Twali hasn't arrived yet. Ned moved to a narrow passage sheltered with vines and hulking branch. There, inside the cave-like passage, he stopped for a rest.

The ground trembled, the different foot came running, coupled with a scream and a howl. Beasts came. "Even here," he said, and thought that he never said that. The beasts coming there way, hearing Ned's voice.

But they didn't, instead, metals clanged accompanied by a shout: vigorous and blithe. It was a human's voice. Two, three—"no," Ned said, peeking his eyes in a tiny gap between vines. "Six."

Hunters came. To save or to hunt. Doesn't matter, they came. I must be near the gate. Ned thought, turning his head to his right. A lady he saw. Straight hair hanging her shoulder, silly brown eyes, and curved lips. She smiled—not for long.

"Maker's tongue," she gasped. She held a short staff with thorny edges. She wore a robe lined with yellow and green embroidery. Its length was enough to not touch the ground. "Kiddo, what happened?"

Her accent was natural without stress, an urban girl. Sudden Plate or Bogaressi, definitely not from a village.

Ned nodded. "You a mage, lady?"

She nodded in response. "But—"

"Then, can I bother you potions?" Ned said, looking at Rickart.

"I—but," she said and paused.

Of course, Ned thought. "How much?"

"No—I mean, he's dying," she said in response, eyes unsure where to look. To Ned, to Rickart, and back to the yapping hunters:

"This is quite a hunt, Lam!" One of the hunters cried.

"Ishashil's in a good mood today, that is why!" The other cried in response. Metal clanged and a beast whimpered.

The ground then trembled and trees crackled. A massive footing roared in distance.

Under the vines and branches, Ned knew where the roar came from. "Gogmurch," he said whispering. "Lady, leave now."

The mage with thorny staff pulled a vial out of her back pocket and threw it to Ned. She then turned and with her short staff, she gestured and muttered something. Then a light broke the dark, it was a water spell. She then threw it to a place or someone Ned couldn't see.

"Lam!" One of the hunters bellowed.

"Goblin!"

"Retreat! It was the lady that gave Ned the potion. "Now!"

"Ishashil! It's an Evolve one!"

Ned heard a splash followed by a cry, he didn't bother to look as he yanks open the potion between his teeth, he then poured the green liquid to Rickart's lost arm—or what was left of it.

The arm sizzled and bubbled, the bleeding stopped entirely. But it wasn't enough, it only stopped the bleeding. Not the pain or the wound itself.

Thank his training, and his unusual body. He could still go on with Rickart on his back.

Gogmurch's war-ax was smeared with red blood. He continued seeing Ned leaving his visions.

Ned turned his head, leaving the old-goblin on his sight. Must be kept onward. Ned thought. Even he was surprised his body could go on after the second Overclock.

He was tired, but not his senses. Ned heard a loud thrum trailing his back. He shifted weight to his right foot, evading the sound. It was Gogmurch's giant war-ax. It was like time had stopped that Ned saw the ax hurling to his side. It spun slowly, across his eyes. And hit a tree, splintering it to half.

Gogmurch roared punching a tree to his right the moment he missed the shot. He growled, his left arm stopped leaking. For some reason, Moloatiss's lick was better than Hunter's potions. The wound was almost healing. He—

And Twali moved like a whip, cutting Gogmurch's knee before he could even jump. Twin blade leaking of green blood, sweat ran the servant's cheek. This time, his blade shone blue light. Twali breathes rapidly.

"Move now," Twali said to Ned. "Lady Sasani is not far from here, go straight, you'll see an old tree."

Time is of the essence. Ned spun and dashed forward to where they came before with the Quickfall party.

It was a game of mouse and cat. And Ned hated to admit it, he was the mouse. Running—no, escaping to survive. And like a mouse, he needed to find a hole to secure his survival. My survival? Ned asked himself. Jumping between rocks, and rubbing leaves with his elbow. I survived battles, and now I survived another one—I will survive. But, I only survived because of them.

There he saw a massive tree unlike the other. Orange leaves, orange bark. Its stems and branches coiling like a vine or a snake. Bellow its massive body was a hole, hollow part of the tree wherein a body could fit—maybe two.

Ned moved faster with back aching and muscles feeling strangely hot.

He stopped, although sweating, the smell of a strong sweet and bitter aroma channeled the surrounding. The hollow was dark under the fading moon. Sooner, the heavy clouds will cover the only light of the moon gave. Ned walked forward, breath almost wheezing. In the distance behind, a loud boom echoed the forest. Ned ducked to let him and Rickart pass the narrow cavern of the old tree. Yet—

"She wasn't here," Ned said.