Chapter 84 – Meeting of the Battered

He was tired. The road was taking a toll on him. His eyes weary. His body was heavy as a boulder. He could not lift his arms and even he lost all feeling in his right arm. It was a sad consequence of having his wounds untreated. Without any proper cleaning and proper care, Joshua’s wounds have gotten infected.

There were lumps on his foot. His body had black spots and he was pale as a sheet. He looked like was getting closer to death. His state was so pathetic that Silo had started to worry about him. But Joshua did not falter despite this. He was in great pain. But he did not let himself become a burden. Despite every step hurting like hell, Joshua continued to trek on as if he was undisturbed.

This even scares Silo. He could hear Joshua laughing miserably. He was muttering. He was shouting in his sleep. It was a strange behavior that did not benefit a sane man. But despite the slowly losing sanity of Joshua, he still has enough sanity to keep on walking despite the pain.

Injured, battered, infected and slowing losing his sanity in enduring the pain, Joshua was holding on to the last grips of sanity he had. Of course, despite his strange thoughts, and strange choices, Joshua kept the goal of getting alive in the center of his mind.

The two had already passed settlements of the Isolist. To their luck, the tribesmen and women of the Isolist tribe did not bother them. They only observe them from the distance. They did not bother them. They only watch them carry on their way.

It bothered Joshua that they were watching. But oddly their presence made Joshua feel safe. Their watchful eye as they passed through their settlements made Joshua comfortable. But the watchful eye that was looking after them was gone when they went out of their territory.

They found themselves in a narrow passage where instead of blue lights. They saw green crystals illuminating a chasm that seemed to be filled with beings of dread. The two did not know what was down there. So they took a look, only for them to see disgusting beings that had rat-like heads. These abominations gathered in disgusting burrows. They carry rusted spears and they seemed to worship a giant skull of a rat. They were kowtowing to this skull and there was a shamanic figure that was leading the worship to this giant rat.

The place stinks like sewers. Compared to the places they had passed through. The place that they have ended up was disgusting and eerie. The chasm below was filled with festering corpses and in this clearing young rat-like abominations were being fed by what Joshua and Silo assumed as their younglings.

The sight was horrible. Like a peek of hell that the two did not want to see. Joshua could not stomach the place. Luckily, they were far away from this place and they were able to avoid them completely by heading up this natural spiral stairway that leads them to this area where fresh air can be smelled.

The two thought that there would be an exit. But to their disappointment, it was only a river that seemed to be pushing inwards the cave system. Joshua could see some light reflecting far from where he was standing.

“Let’s risk it,” said Joshua weakly. “Maybe we’ll find a way out of this place?”

“Are you sure?” asked Silo worriedly. “I’ve been getting better but you don’t look good, Joshua.”

“But if this place takes us outside then it should be worth the risk.”

“Will we make it? I have recovered a little of my strength but you...” Silo looked at Joshua. In the past days, Joshua’s condition was not getting good. He was weaker. And he could barely move his right leg that was swelling badly.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s do this.”

Joshua said with a bit of power in his voice. Silo didn’t want to do it but he put on a brave face as he pushes through the river that was pushing them back. It was strong as expected. But Silo did not falter. He was making use of what little strength he had to carry himself and Joshua out. It was clear that Joshua wasn’t contributing that much. But compared to Joshua dragging Silo for days despite being injured, this was nothing. So Silo persisted stubbornly. He pushed through while gritting his teeth. He soldiered and despite missing a leg and only having a branch support him. Silo was able to keep himself balanced and reach half of the cave where he was able to see the sun’s blinding light.

He did not see anything. He did not know when or how many days it has been but seeing the sun made Silo cry tears of joy. His heart was pumped and he pushed himself further until he was able to reach the bank of the river. When he was able to step into the sides of the river, he saw the endless blue sky. He saw the clouds that he had slowly forgotten what it looked like.

“We did it Joshua...” said Silo.

Joshua stared at the sky. He was about to reply to his friend but he found out that he has fainted. He had pushed himself too much and now he was out cold. Joshua did not mind this. But yet he heard something that made him alert. In the other side of the river, there was a creature that was quite familiar to Joshua. This creature was like Joshua, it was injured, battered and clearly grasping for his life. It had a fierce look on its face. Its beady eyes were glaring at Joshua as if it was a cornered animal.

“A goblin...”Joshua muttered, pushing his body to stand up, taking out his pistol. He pointed his pistol shakily at the goblin’s light green skin. The goblin hatefully shrieked at Joshua. It was shaking as well but it did not falter in throwing the stone that it held in its hands. The stone didn’t hit Joshua. Joshua tried to shoot the pistol only to found out that it was empty.

Seeing that the pistol was not firing, the goblin madly dashed at Joshua while limping as well. Joshua put his pistol aside and shouted at Silo. But Silo didn’t respond. And before he could wake Silo up, the Goblin tackled Joshua down and together they rolled into a clearing.

The two flew away from each other. But Joshua and the goblin’s eyes met each other. Joshua was feeling weak. The Goblin was feeling weak. But it did not matter for the two as they gritted their teeth and madly shout at each other, preparing to fight for their own lives.