Chapter 7
It is now late, the orange dusk covers the sky. The pale young woman sleeping from her cries in a food carriage alongside barrels and sacks of grains.
"Stop here."
"Set up camp"
The familiar voice of black clad commands the men.
The carriage stops and the men start to scramble.
Sounds of scattering footsteps, cloth rolling against dirt and the tinkering of metal alongside thocking of wood.
The young woman slowly wakes up, her body unshaken. She lays atop a cloth bed padded in some squishy white fur.
Her body covered again with that red robe.
"Ugh", she takes it off.
Her bed is positioned in the back of the carriage, vision of it blocked from the outside by sacks of grains.
She groans and slowly turns her body upright and looks around.
At the same time, a footstep came in her carriage— sending vibrations towards her.
Still in comfort but she's alert, slowly getting up into a crouch.
She peeks behind a sack of grains and sees two men, one handing things from the carriage and the other taking it.
They're wearing puffy jacketed shirts in blue, with fur running down their inseams. Markings the same as the red robes.
He lifts a barrel from the side of the carriage, it exudes white dust from the top and puts it behind his back near the other man who rolls it outside using a ramp.
And then the one inside lifts a crate on the other side. The lid of the crate slightly opened, revealing some sort of 'pebbles'
"Who's making bread today?" The one in the carriage asks with heavy breath, carrying the heavy crate.
"Obviously the anthians, they're skilled with everything." The other scoffs
"You should check on that girl too, the commander asked us to check on her." He continues.
"blue.." "I haven't seen them before," She hides herself back—not wanting to be found..yet.
"Yeah, but"
"Ugh"
Sigh
"Okay, I'll check on her." He sighs again, defeatedly.
"Just look at her condition, see if she's awake." The other reassures him, whilst rolling the barrel away.
"Yeah yeah, I know." He mutters to himself.
"Are you awake?" He asks, while peering behind the sack of grain.
Chills ran through his spine, the erratic breathing not from his lungs make him shiver.
The cloth bed she laid on was empty.
"Right... I see that youre awake,—I'll go now." He hurries out, lifting the crate on his way back.
Footsteps shaking the carriage from his picked up steps.
"Bread? Anthians?" She whispers, her head slowly peeking out again.
"Why would they keep sand and rocks in those containers? Humans are weird." She mutters in confusion while slowly standing up, looking around at the barrels, sacks and crates.
Hand surfing on the sack she was hiding behind, "What is this thing?" Her fingers picking up the grains which brushed her cheek earlier.
She drops them and brushes her hand on the sack, looking and walking around more.
Her feet hits a barrel of white dust which whipped up towards her.
"Wha—a–achoo!" She sneezes, the powder inhaled by her.
She steps back, cautious.
"WHAT VILE.. monster?" Her head tilts in confusion, walking closer and opening the lid.
"Is she really awake?" A different voice murmurs next to the carriage.
"She's feral. I just hope we don't need to fix another carriage, we're already behind schedule." Another one talks, his tone condescending.
She drops the lid in surprise, sounds of her movement clanking in the carriage.
"She—she's moving!" Whispers from outside, faint but understandable.
"When's commander coming?! If she breaks that one too, I swear to light!" Another voice speaks up from outside.
"There, he's coming." The whispering earlier now a fleshed out voice followed by that distinct metal sound.
"Thank the father, we need to reach Therion by tomorrow night." The other sigh in relief, his boots walking up towards the entrance.
"Sir, she's moving inside." The same voice speaks, now shaped. It's a man in black outfit with red threads scattered throughout.
Black clad acknowledges him, putting his hand up in recognition.
"Thanks for looking out." The black clad answers, stepping his foot into the carriage.
She scrambles to hide, but it was too late—shes in the middle of the carriage on all fours caught crawling towards her bed.
"Hey."
"I won't hurt you."
"I promise."
He says.
She stares back, now crouching with her hands back as if trying to crawl backwards.
"why should I believe you?" She questions him but her tone seems trustful.
"If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be in this carriage now." He answers
Her chest ached, but no argument came. "If he wanted me dead, I would already be cold."
"Even if I'm human.." she thinks.
"Why am I alive then?" Her voice cracks, harsh and small at once. "Tell me that."
"How did I even get here, WHERE DID YOU TAKE ME FROM?" her voice picks up in volume.
The black clad walked forward more, taking off his helmet — revealing a middle aged man, short brown hair dotted with white ones and a scar running along from his chest covered by armour seen to slither upwards towards his neck.
"It's because my duty is to protect those who can be saved." He explained.
"To the bravest and most just man
He laid the burden of His gift.
And upon him fell the spirits of the beasts—"
"Holy scripture of light, war 8:4. It is the duty called upon me." Stern in his speech.
"What?"
"What are you talking about? Your duty?" She talks back.
"Duty.. how could someone have such a thing when the world tortures you to survive" her thoughts cursing the universe.
"You.. don't know?" He asks, sincerely confused.
"....I can explain it later. At this moment, why don't you tell me your name?" He asks.
"Name?"
"I–i don't have a name."
"Do you have a name?" She asks curiously.
"Haha. Sigh"
"You don't have a name?" He says, in disbelief.
"That's fine, we'll figure that out later too."
He moves closer, crouching down towards her.
She moves backwards and as though running out of space, sits down with her hands still behind her back.
"My name is aias."
"Aias thiriou" he reveals.
"Here, cover yourself with this." He hands her a cloak. Thinner than the red robe they covered her in earlier but still with the same circular markings.
She crawls closer to the carriage wall, her back hitting a barrel. Her eyes darting around before locking towards the exit.
"No." Her voice stern.
"You still haven't answered."
She stares at him again.
"How did I get here?" She demands.
He pulls his hand back, face unsure of the situation.
"You were—" he stammers.
"Sigh"
"We took you back from a lair's dungeon."
"We don't know how you got there, people who get lost in the lairs don't tend to go down..nor do they come back up." his voice sincere but his body moves more than he usually does.
"Dungeon?"
"Lair?"
"That place.. the eyes and the flesh— is that a lair?" Her body trembling
"No.. that's a dungeon." He replies
Steps from outside the carriage near close, stepping on grass and sticks.
Her hand strokes forward, she crawls closer to Aias "What do yo—"
"That's enough of getting to know each other." A man standing outside the carriage speaks, breaking her question, she stops her movement.
"Come eat aias, bring her too." He invites.
"And put on some clothes" his smile unsettling her, before walking away.
"His name's Jonas, he's from my home, therion."
"Don't mind him but he's right. Come eat."
He turns towards the exit, head still looking towards her — handing her that same cloak.
"You don't want these guys seeing you like that." He says in a commanding yet friendly tone.
"I know now." Her face sprinkled with disgust.
"I'll wait outside, we're eating sandwiches today."
"There were boars nearby, our eggs came in handy too." He says.
"Sandwich? Egg? Boar?" She asks.
"What kind of monsters are those?"
"M-monsters?" His word staggering, the black clad losing his normal tone.
"Those are food.. not monsters" he chuckles slightly.
"Have you never heard of those before? Not even an egg?" He scoffs
"..."
"Monsters are food aren't they?" She asks in sincerity.
"..." Aias falls silent.
"You—–"
"..."
"Sigh, just come."
"You'll eat the best thing you've ever tasted in your life." He says, endearingly.
"Tasty.." her mind lingers. She puts on the cloak reluctantly, slowly creeping out next to Aias.
"..."
"Woah"
The dusk had become night, some faint light in the sky showering her red pupils.
Her face lighting up with an expression she never thought she could make.
"Pretty."