Chapter 32 - A Dish Best Served Cold

“You used one of the potions on him, didn’t you?”

Skyle didn’t show any reaction that he’d heard at all, but that was all the confirmation Leon needed.

“You realize this is some sort of red zone, and even murderous raiders will balk at the idea of charging into these woods,” Leon continued in the same calm tone, as though he were merely commenting on the weather. “One extra dose of those healing potions might mean the difference between life and death later on.”

There was only more of the same silence.

“He was beyond any sort of help we could have given,” Leon said, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure they were not being overheard. Leena and Emil were a couple dozen steps back, struggling to keep up and too preoccupied by their own dark thoughts to try to eavesdrop. “You chose to lower our own chances of survival in order to prolong the suffering of someone who would have only become a liability, even if he had survived.”

At last, Leon could detect some reaction as he felt Skyle tensing up on his back. Apparently, the other boy was not as calm and collected as he tried to pretend to be.

“Good”, he thought. “That’s the opening I need.”

“Even now, we are saddled with two extra burdens who will consume resources and slow down our progress. They can’t contribute anything to our immediate survival, and from what I’ve gathered, even the girl can only provide some marginally useful information that we could obtain in less than ten minutes of interrogation.”

Skyle’s fingers were beginning to tighten upon Leon’s shoulder, but the boy stubbornly refused to say anything.

“Still nothing? Huh, well be my guest,” Leon snorted mentally.

“Now, if you want to bed her, then that’s fine by me but I think we should get it over and done with as soon as possible. Then, we can be rid of all the useless baggage and be on our way. Just like you did back in that gully, when you took care of that bit of deadweight.”

“He was not deadweight,” Skyle said coldly, finally speaking out.

Leon was surprised at how calm he sounded. He had expected an outburst, a fit of anger, or some other sort of release.

This cool, almost detached attitude took him slightly aback.

“Whatever you call him in order to soothe your wounded sensibilities is none of my business, but dead-”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Leon,” Skyle said in a low, even tone. There was neither heat nor much of any emotion in that voice. Instead, it just sounded weary beyond all caring. “You don’t need to help me vent, and if I’ve made you worry with my silence, I appreciate your concern but I simply need some time to process all this. Alone.”

This time, it was Leon’s turn to be speechless, as he almost stumbled while moving forward.

“Oh, and I did use one of the potions on him,” Skyle added quietly. “It was the numbing agent, to ease his pain. We could spare a dab of that, don’t you think?”

Leon opened his mouth, then closed it without uttering a sound. Instead, he grunted as a vague reply. His expression made him seem disgruntled, and just a little surprised. However, inside Leon’s mind was racing as he recalled the first time he himself had to take an innocent life.

Even as calloused and battle-hardened as he had thought himself to be, the experience had nearly unmade him. The pillars of cold logic and utmost self-assurance that he had regarded as unassailable, as beyond reach of such contemptible emotions such as remorse or compassion, they had crumbled like a house of cards, blown away by the winds of fate.

He had walked it off in the beginning, and the other officers had thought he was fine. In truth, however, his mind had been on the verge of collapse, and it had all come down in flaming ruins a few days later, in a spectacularly brutal incident which had only been salvaged by the weight of his lineage and the loyalty of his men.

As for Skyle, it didn’t sound to Leon as though his friend were simply faking it, pretending to be coping while his inner conscience savaged his reason. Instead, the smaller boy had sounded as though he truly were dealing with it, coming to terms with the harrowing experience by his own means.

This was a concept that was simply too frightening to Leon. How could a boy with such strong conviction and power of will be so willing to compromise his own ideals and sacrifice the values he had upheld all his life?

Leon didn’t think he had misread the boy. But if he hadn’t, then that meant Skyle should have been the last person to be willing to deal the killing blow to that small child, no matter how much of a gesture of mercy it might have been. Furthermore, he should have been tormented by his own actions, conflicted and lost.

Instead, Skyle seemed to be truly coping, dealing with the tragic events in a somber, composed manner. That might be the best way to deal with such a blow, yes. However, human emotions seldom played along so nicely, and Leon began to feel even more impressed by Skyle’s mental fortitude and maturity than by any of his miraculous archery skills.

“We’re nearly there,” came Skyle’s weary voice, interrupting Leon’s thoughts. “I’ll deal with the dracolings here, you go fifty feet in that direction. You’ll find two more carcasses there.”

Leon nodded wordlessly, setting Skyle down and turning around in the direction his friend had pointed to. As worn and tired as they were from the whole ordeal, they needed to harvest the essence crystals. Already, one of the crystals behind Leon’s belt had begun to show hairline fractures, and the glow within had begun to dim considerably. It was to be expected, perhaps, with all the power Leon had been drawing from it.

As Skyle turned around to ask for the knife he had lent to Leena, however, the young girl wordlessly walked past him, then knelt next to the carcass of the nearest dracoling. Before either Leon or Skyle could even say anything, Leena had already plunged the knife deeply into the beast’s chest, leaning down on the handle in order to open a wider cut.

After widening the tear to just about six inches, Leena withdrew the knife and boldly inserted her hand into the wound. Her face was one of quiet concentration as she groped about blindly, the distended skin on the underside of the dracoling shifting and stretching with the movements of her arm.

In a matter of seconds, Leena calmly withdrew her hand and used the grass underneath to wipe the essence crystal in her hand before offering it to Skyle.

Skyle stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and gesturing toward Leon, who had the same dumbfounded expression on his face. Still, after a while Leon shook his head and stepped forward, taking the crystal from the young girl’s blood-covered hand.

Leena just nodded as though nothing unusual were happening, turning around and approaching the carcass again while both boys exchanged a long look behind her back.

“It will take me a lot longer to harvest its glands and claws with this knife. Can I borrow your hatchet?” came Leena’s voice after a moment.

Both boys immediately turned their gaze back toward Leena, who was now in the process of gathering the dracoling’s limbs together. Satisfied, she turned around and stretched out her hand.

“Ah, the claws?” Leon asked dubiously.

Leena nodded. “They fetch a good price at the exchange. Their poison glands are also very valuable if you know what you are doing and you avoid rupturing them. If we’re taking the risk to backtrack to all the beasts, I will harvest the most valuable parts for you.”

It’s the least I can do.” Leena glanced down toward her blood-stained hand, then glanced furtively toward little Emil. A slight tremor ran through her as she spoke without meeting Skyle or Leon’s eyes. “I wil.. I am willing to do anything for you.”

Left unspoken was the plea that followed behind: Don’t abandon us.

Leon’s eyes were unreadable as he gazed at Leena, taking a deep breath as he began to reassess his opinion of this girl upward yet again. Though she tried to hide it, Leon could see that she wasn’t used to this kind of work, yet she had likely either overheard or intuitively known about Leon’s words.

Perhaps it was neither, and this world was simply this brutal. The rules of survival dictated that you must make yourself useful or become a liability. Clearly, Leena was not ready to be crossed off that easily, though whether it was for her own sake or for Emil’s, Leon did not know, and frankly he didn’t care.

What mattered was that this was one determined girl, and Leon could respect that.

Skyle, in the other hand, coughed uncomfortably and opened his mouth to speak, but Leon immediately threw his hand up, pre-empting his friend and stepping forward to offer his hatchet, handle-first, to Leena.

If Leena truly had what it takes to survive no matter the cost, then Leon would not be some hypocrite and take it away from her. There was no room for sheltering anyone here, not anymore.

Skyle glanced at Leon and let out a silent sigh, but then nodded towards Leena. “Any help you’re able to provide is appreciated, but don’t overtax yourself. If you can show us how to do it, we can all help.”

Leon shrugged noncommittally, but Skyle seemed to take that as tacit agreement.

After that, the process went smoothly enough, and by the time four more hours had passed, they ended up back where they had first started. They used the long fibers from a plant to tie all the claws together, and even though her complexion was already pale and she was sweating profusely, Leena refused to let anyone else take it. Instead, she bore the grisly trophies across her shoulders.

The essence crystals went to Leon, all twenty two of them. They glittered with a murky green light, and though their sizes were almost half as small as the ones they had recovered from the other beasts earlier, they would still be worth a fortune in Aeria.

The poison glands went to Skyle, as he was deemed the one less likely to need sudden, unexpected movements. After dumping the water from one of the former medicine bottles, the 33 small poison glands still needed delicate handling. According to Leena, the poison was particularly deadly, leading to swift paralysis and eventually dead. This alone would have all but guaranteed that Bryan would have an agonizing death. These sold for an even higher price at the exchange, and this fact somehow surprised neither Skyle nor Leon.

After all the harvesting was done, Leena identified the direction of the red zone’s border as being west, so Skyle led the small party in that direction, constantly scanning the surroundings.

Perhaps the small pack of dracolings had already established this particular stretch of forest as their territory, or maybe they were simply lucky. Either way, they did not meet any other enemies as they steadily made their way towards the border of the red zone.

By the time the sun began to set, Skyle had already found a small hill, the summit of which was dominated by a massive tree. Gingerly, they were able to climb up to its branches. From the high vantage point, Skyle could see the end of the forest that marked this red zone. Instead of making for the apparent safety of the nearby yellow zone, however, Skyle and Leon had decided to make their camp here for the night. Settling everyone along the thick branches, Skyle began to shared the food he had packed away earlier.

According to Leena, the dracoling’s flesh was poisonous, and thus Skyle passed the leaf-wrapped fish Leon had caught earlier in the day. Leena and Emil dug into the fish with voracious appetite, though the girl blushed slightly when she realized Skyle and Leon were staring at her.

“These must be silverheads,” Leena said apologetically, slowing down and surreptitiously wiping at the corners of her mouth. “No one I know has been able see one, let alone taste it. They are incredibly rare and very costly since can only be found within the red zone, where few hunters are daring enough to enter. Even less make it back out alive.”

Skyle nodded his understanding, chewing his own fish with renewed appreciation.

“Now that we have a moment, can you tell us about this place? What is the red zone?” Leon asked.

Leena nodded. “The areas around Storm Mountain are classified with colors according to their danger level. Green areas are the ones that are relatively safe, and where almost all human settlements are. Yellow zones are where most hunters, seekers and scav’ers make their living. As for red zones..”

Leena swallowed loudly, and her eyes took on a slightly haunted look, but she quickly shook it off.

“As you’ve seen, red zones are strictly off limits due to how deadly they are. Only the most daring hunters and seekers will enter a red zone, and even then they know they are simply gambling with their lives. Scav’ers won’t even think about entering. They wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“What do those three groups do, specifically?” Leon asked.

“Hunters, like their name indicates, seek out magical beasts and slay them for their power gems and other useful parts. Theirs is a dangerous life, but so long as they don’t take on anything too dangerous, they can earn a great deal in return. The deadliest, most powerful warriors are almost always hunters, unless they are raiders, despicable bastards who hunt down their own kind.”

The last of this was full of venom as Leena’s gaze grew distant for a moment.

“Seekers?” Leon prompted.

Leena shook her head, returning to the discussion. “Seekers are the eyes of the people. They are fast on their feet and even faster with their heads. They are the ones who wander into the wilds seeking answers and return with enough information to keep updating the borders of the different zones.”

“They sound like a noble bunch who risk their lives in order to obtain precious information.”

Leena’s mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “They would be, if they did it for such noble causes. Instead, they are glorified information peddlers. Nothing they tell you is free, and there is always a price to pay when you deal with an explorer.”

“Sounds like a fair deal to me,” Leon shrugged.

Skyle raised an eyebrow, but didn’t bother replying. Instead, he turned back to Leena.

“You said you’re from a scav’er clan?” he asked gently.

“Yes, scav’ers will buy information from seekers and enter relatively safe yellow zones in order to retrieve anything of use or value. Then we take it to the different exchanges and sell it to the highest bidder. We also accompany hunters in their expeditions in order to help them harvest the useful parts from their kills, as well as helping with their equipment and supplies.”

“Doesn’t sound like a very glamorous job,” Leon noted.

Skyle frowned, but Leena didn’t seem to mind.

“It is better than killing or manipulating others for a living,” she said in a neutral tone.

“You called us rifters before,” Skyle pointed out, quickly changing the topic.

“There are a few rifts spread out in different yellow zones, but I’ve heard there’s many more in the red zones. I myself have seen a couple, and we all know about the people who arrive through those rifts. We call them rifters. They wear strange clothes and bear expensive weapons, making them a target for unscrupulous individuals. It doesn’t help that they are stricken by a strange disease of the mind that makes them hysterical and prone to hallucinations until they undergo a baptism by the blood.”

Skyle and Leon look at each other in shock, recalling their own experiences.

“Are there a lot of rifters?” Leon asked.

Leena shook her head helplessly. “I’m from a small clan, we don’t really travel far. In Dalorn, our home, I’ve only heard rumors and stories. Maybe if you go to New Seras, you’d find more information.”

“How far is New Seras or Dalorn from here, and how big are they?” Skyle asked.

“New Seras is the trading hub of the area, with many of the strongest clans alliances keeping it safe and well defended. It’s only about a day’s travel from where we were originally attacked, close a yellow zone,” Leena answered. “Dalorn is a small outpost two days away in the opposite direction, with a few clans sharing the wells there to eke out a living from the nearby ruins.”

“Do you know the way to New Seras?” Leon asked.

Leena nodded and began to speak, but Skyle suddenly cut her off.

“Are you sure you’re just from a small scav’er clan?” he asked slowly, though his eyes were staring into the night beyond.

“Ah, yes. We’re one of the smaller clans to have settled near Dalorn. We only venture into the neighboring yellow zone twice a month, and by sending a monthly caravan to New Seras to sell our salvaged materials, we barely manage to earn enough supplies to survive,” Leena answered with a confused look on her face.

“Is it normal for raiders to waylay caravans only a day from New Seras, then?” Skyle pushed.

“No, which is why we were not prepared. We’ve never had to deal with raiders, not this close to New Seras,” Leena mumbled, her hands grabbing at the tattered hem of her skirt.

“I will ask you one more time, and I need you to think carefully before you decide how to answer. Do you really not know why your caravan was targeted by the raiders?” Skyle asked, finally turning to look at Leena fully in the eyes.

Leena seemed surprised, and instinctively drew back a little from Skyle’s gaze. Still, she took a deep breath and met his gaze as she answered in a firm voice, “No, I truly do not know anything.”

“The treasure,” Emil suddenly mumbled off to one side.

Everyone turned to look at him, and the little boy shrank back toward Leena’s side with fear in his eyes.

“Leena, I’m sorry,” he called out with a trembling voice.

“Emil,” Leena said soothingly. “It’s alright, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“What treasure? What is this all about?” Leon growled, though he looked to Skyle for answers.

Skyle shrugged, turning his gaze back toward the darkness that blanketed the horizon beyond the great tree’s branches.

“That’s what I want to ask all the men standing out there in the dark,” Skyle whispered, his gaze narrowing as though he studying a puzzle. “They’re armed to their teeth, and preparing themselves for a fight.”

Leena began to soothe Emil as the little boy began to cry softly, but the loudest sounds of all were those of Leon cursing bitterly as he stepped up next to Skyle.

“You ever, ever have some good news to share, for a change?” Leon muttered, his expression contorted as though he’d swallowed a turd.

“At least they haven’t seen us yet, and don’t look likely to rush in quite yet” Skyle smirked. “There’s your good news.”

“Quite yet?”

“They seem to be waiting for something or someone,” Skyle said non-committally. “We probably have until tomorrow morning, perhaps noon at latest.”

“You really, really need to work on your definition of good news,” Leon sighed mournfully.

“It’s a work in progress,” Skyle replied with a shrug.

“Seems to be degenerating, rather than getting better from my end of things,” Leon complained under his breath.

“Don’t be a sourpuss. Look at it from the bright side: you get to play the faithful steed once again before the end of the day!” Skyle comforted.

“Oh joy,” Leon muttered, his fingers closing around one of the newly acquired essence crystals. “Now let’s go kill us some murdering scum.”

“Let’s,” Skyle replied, all levity instantly gone from his face, as his own hand instinctively landed on Moonshadow’s sleek outline.

“Tonight, we will make it rain blood,” Skyle muttered, and all the fierce rage Leon had been expecting earlier in the day seemed to be condensed into this simple vow of premeditated murder.

It would be paid out in pure, cold and unadulterated fury.

They do say revenge is a dish better served cold, after all.