Ares awoke to the evening sun with the sky just turning purple. He stared up at the sky for some time before Emerli leaned over to obscure his vision. Ares’ eyes met hers.

“Good evening,” Ares said. “I see I’m not dead.” Ares sighed. He wasn’t feeling anything in particular at the moment, other than heavy.

Emerli brought up a small vial and then Ares began to feel something else. His eyes grew wide, his brow was growing a sweat, and he turned his head to one side.

“I’m up, I’m up,” he said as he tried to sit up. With some effort he managed to get onto his elbows as he looked out to see his fellows nearby, with Saykkera keeping the Reptai away from him.

He looked down to see that he was almost entirely nude, but at least they had allowed him some dignity as they covered his crotch with a blanket.

More alarmingly he could see a black gash against his stomach, which flowed out into black rivers of decay.

“What is that?” Ares looked to Emerli, who was chewing on a leaf before she placed it against the black gash. Ares winced as sharp pain filled him for a moment before it then grew cool.

Ares reached down to poke around the black veins before Emerli slapped his hand away in order to cover more of it with the chewed up herb.

“You awaken,” Zika said.

“Yeah, I do,” Ares said as he looked over towards Emerli and nodded at her, before then looking over to Saykkera. “I remember being saved by you, but I don’t remember much else… Silents, right?” Ares said as he reached up to rub his forehead.

Saykkera remained silent.

“It seems as though the Silent have come for you,” Kask said.

“No…” Ares shook his head. “I don’t think they have.”

Kask remained silent as Ares wiped his brow with the back of his hand and then rubbed the side of his neck. “They didn’t come for me. They were killing the Reptai first. They came for me when I revealed myself to be awake…”

Kask threw a look to Zika who stared at Ares.

“We were struck by the sleep,” Zika said. “The scent had overwhelmed us. I have found a few of mine dead.”

Ares nodded. “I stopped them as quickly as I could, I didn’t notice much beforehand, and I didn’t notice much during the fight…” Ares rubbed his forehead. “I remember there was three of them, but then only two remained.”

Ares saw Saykkera straighten up and look around.

“Well if they wanted to do something… they’ll probably do something later. I don’t think any of them were the same Silent that I saw that one time…”

“You have met the Silent?”

“Yeah. I forgot his name, but… I think it begun with an M, I’m not so sure. I want to say Motee, but I don’t think that’s right.” Ares shrugged.

“I do not know any Silent,” Zika said as he looked to her allies and then growled something. “Take watch.”

With that a few Reptai left, growling for others to come and join them in taking watch.

Ares lay back down, staring up at Emerli. He gave her a look, an unforgiving look if she dared to force him to drink anything that would make the contents of his stomach to evacuate their vessel.

He closed his eyes and then started to concentrate on trying to heal his stomach, but something was stopping him. He groaned quietly and then sighed, looking over to Emerli who was eyeing him up like a piece of meat.

“No,” Ares said firmly. He could see the look in her eyes. If was like she gained some sadistic pleasure from having him consume such awful potions and remedies. “I’m fine.”

Azzo lit up something to smoke and then offered it to Ares. Ares reached over for it before Emerli slapped his hand away. She sat beside him with a frown on her face.

“What?” Ares grumbled but then just lay there with everyone around him.

He sighed.

“At the very least, I’m glad I’m not dead.”

A thought passed him by. “How long was I out?”

“A day,” Azzo said as he took in a deep puff of his leaf. “A full day and a little,” he said to be slightly more accurate.

“Huh… well… what happened in that one day? Did I miss out on the food?”

Ares was brought a giant slab of meat. He cut into it using his powers and then teleported some into his mouth. It was tough, chewy, but delicious. “Thazzamgudmit,” he said as he chewed. Whatever spice and herb mix they used was stellar, he would need to ask Zika for her recipe, or marry into her family to steal it for the good of Rivea.

He thought about the Bitan and their curry. He wished that they had still been on good terms, their food was particularly good as well. Then his head snapped to Ezak.

He was going to ask if the boy knew how to cook, but he decided against it. It would have been rather rude for Ares to ask such a thing when he was still eating food from the Reptai. He’d have to discuss it later with the Bitan.

“How do you feel?” Kask asked.

“Like I need some tea,” Ares replied back with a sigh. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t after such savoury food.” Ares continued to eat as the meat was too good to stop for more than ten seconds at a time.

Finally Zika approached, being allowed to do so by Saykkera though she remained on edge. Ares wondered if Zika could handle Saykkera in a fight, though his thoughts were quickly forced aside by Zika’s voice.

“Now that we have withdrawn to safety…” Zika paused for a long moment. “What is it that you wished to speak about?”

Ares looked up to the sky. “Would you be willing to wait until the morning? It would do us better if I am of better health when we speak.”

Zika nodded and then left Ares be with his allies. He continued to eat as his own allies were then fed.

“It seems as though I’ve made some troublesome enemies,” Ares said. He finished up the slab of meat and then looked out to his allies. “It seems as though mistakes were made.”

“We are still unsure whether or not the Silent had truly come for you,” Azzo said. “It could be that the Reptai were more convenient at the moment and then they would have come for you.” Azzo took a number of quick puffs.

“It seems as though our journey West has been quite fruitful,” Ares said with a smile on his face. “I do hope it continues to be as fun.” He looked down to the black marks on his body.