Chapter 8
Now fully cloaked, she walks out near Aias.
"You're ready?" Aias asks.
"Yeah." she responds.
Walking out from the carriage, sounds of smoldering fire, clanking of cutleries and chattering of people fill the air.
All around the carriage, four clusters of tents with markings to differ them from each other fill her vision.
The one behind her and the carriage, marked with a blue human holding a tri-forked spear however, his lower part is one of some beast's—a fin.
The one next to it, the markings of that tree that plagues her mind every now and then.
On her left, across of her lie the markings of a great lizard, wings from its back and fire shooting from its throat.
"We're going there, to eat." Aias reassures her again, seeing her head turning erratically.
It's the last camp, with one big tent on its side—marked with a wing and beaked beast, body the same shape as his own beast.
They walk in, the fire reflecting on her eyes.
"Look out, it's the monster Keke."
"How could someone so frail be so animalistic."
"She's here.."
"Shut up! The commander's here."
Aias' eyes scanning the camp, "three servings."
"And a glass of water.
—For. Her." He says in an intimidating tone.
The murmurs lower, their eyes avert from her.
"We're sitting here." He says, while walking towards a table overlooking the circle of men eating around the campfire.
Three plates are put on the table where Aias and her sit, this unsettling feeling pierces under her cloak.
"Having fun?" A familiar voice that brings goosebumps on her neck.
—it is Jonas, bringing the plates and water for her and the commander.
Aias' eyes glare at him, "thanks, now walk away." His stern commanding tone directed at Jonas.
Jonas quickly steps back, "my apologies commander." His gaze leering for a split second before he turns away, leaving the camp.
"Who is he?" She asks.
"Someone who needs disciplinary actions," Aias says in disappointment.
"But you needn't care about that," he nudges a plate towards her.
"Now this, is something you do need to care about." He says, proudly.
"What is this?" She asks.
"This is the monster we talked about earlier, a sandwich." His smile reaching his ear, "go ahead, take a bite."
"Y—yes!" she responds.
"The smell.. is so good!" her mind exclaims as her nose take in the aroma.
Her fingers lift the bread, her other hand almost palming its insides.
"No, no. Not like that!" Aias chuckles, his hand stopping her from doing so.
"Look, like this," he picks up his own sandwich and eats it—bread included.
"Okay." she nods.
She picks up the sandwich, twice as big as her hand—some of the meat falling off.
She takes a bite.
"So how is it?" Aias asks.
She is silent, her eyes watching the fire.
Tears slowly fall down her cheek, but the sobbing is nowhere to be found.
"It's good." she answers.
Her mouth still chewing.
"Poor thing" he mutters under his breath, her sounds of chewing dampen it out.
She puts the sandwich down and drinks, before hurriedly eating the sandwich again—drinking between each bite, eating as though the sandwich will run away.
"Slow down, enjoy it." Aias warmly chuckles, "Give me another glass of water!" He tells one of his men who proceeds to do so.
Her mouth full, she gulps down the last bit of sandwich with her throat visibly bulging from the food.
"Drink it down." Aias says.
"So, you wanted to know about the scripture?" Aias asks.
"Yes." she replies.
"I'll start from the very beginning," his hand picking up the sandwich he put down, biting it as he talks.
'gulp'
"In the beginning, the continent was coated in hades' miasma—the world decaying from its influence."
"Miasma?" she asks.
"Yes. It's the thing that rots even rocks."
"The same thing that turned the dungeon where we found you into flesh." He adds.
"Dungeon.. miasma" her mind notes it down.
"Places corrupted by miasma are breeding grounds for monsters, like ogres, giants, goblins. Those were the human ones anyway." He explains.
"Human?" She asks.
"In the old days, 900 years ago—living beings were turned into monsters. They were corrupted by the very land they lived on." he continues.
"They were poisoned." Aias adds.
"They turned into monsters, along with animals, plants and other species." He says.
"The monsters are humans?" She asks.
"No.. not exactly. The human ones have vanished, now they're just offsprings."
"Vanished?" Her confusion written on her face.
"In the time of corruption, the father of light descended and purified the lands and its people."
"The monsters became people again and the surface revived." Aias adds.
"The monsters that were lucky hid underground, developing them into lairs—but we didn't know it then." He explains.
"What's the difference of lairs and dungeon?" She questions.
"Well.. dungeons are places in lairs that assimilated with hades' will—while lairs are caves dug by abominations." he replies, his face seemingly regrets what he said.
"So.. those flesh were hades' fault? What does it even want?!" her eyes shaking, her left hand now close to her chest.
"If you want to know more, we can go to the holy temple after we arrive in Therion." He interrupts.
"That's my birthplace, my home." He points towards the flag in the middle of the camp.
Simultaneously, men around the campfire got up one by one—most going in their tents, some walking out to other camps.
His eyes scanning them, "it's better this way" he murmurs.
His hand reaches for the third sandwich, his jaws almost biting it.
Her eyes following through, her throat audibly gulping.
He stops, "..you—do you want it?" He offers her the sandwich.
Without hesitation, with one hand, she grabs it from him and starts eating—her undrunk glass of water with the other.
He looks at her, as if looking at someone else.. his eyes full of endearment.
He stacks their plates and empty glasses, walking away from the table and places them in a basin.
"Out here, you don't need to fight for survival." He says from a distant.
"Eat as slow as you want, nothing will be here to take it." He adds.
The sandwich already gone from her hands, she gulps the last of it down. "Then what do I do?"
"How do I live?" She asks.
"You.."
His face thinking, his face in an expression foreign to her understanding but she didn't like seeing it.
"Listen."
"Tomorrow, we will reach Therion and you will live with me in Nemea." He says.
"I.. I can't do that!" she says, loudly.
"I need to hunt, I need to go back!" She adds.
His face turning into anger.
"Why...WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GO BACK?!" he practically shouts.
Her gaze quickly looking down, she seems so small in contrast to her surroundings.
His face in regret, "Wait no, I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean to do that."
"Please, listen." He pleads.
Her gaze still on the floor, "why.. why are you angry?" She thinks to herself.
"The nemean residence is big, you can explore the gardens—read books, eat freely without a care!"
"You don't need to go in the dungeons, not like she did." Tears swelling in his eyes, but his gaze still locked onto her.
"Listen."
"From today onwards, you're no longer a frail girl atop some abomination."
Her gaze slowly looks back up, the shadows of her small frame flickering from the fire's movements.
"You're no longer weak, in the danger of the dungeon."
Sounds of smoldering filling in the silence, her body loosened, her gaze meets Aias.
"Your name will be Anastasia."
Her pupils widen, he was no longer that black clad when they first met, no longer the commander in the carriage—he was Aias thiriou.
"Anastasia." She repeats.
Tears falling from both her eyes.
Her voice quavering but her demeanor strong.
"Yes.. I'm Anastasia." She reaffirms him, Aias's eyes shining from the moonlight above—one single tear roll down his cheek.
"Yeah." He wipes it off, back turning towards the big tent.
"We'll move in early morning. Get some sleep, Anastasia."
"His back looks bigger tonight," she thinks as her red eyes spark with the campfire's reflection.
Her mouth smiling wide, "Yes, good night!"