As they surrounded him. Gabrio’s face hardened in gloom and then again there was only silence.

The drug’s taking effect at least. I can survive for a few months. Still, she’s not light either.

Gabrio weaved through the jungle. With Mana on his back he couldn’t make sudden and quick movements while trekking. Not to mention that some of the paths were molded, and so overgrown he had to circle around the paths.

One of the interesting things he noted were the different creatures on the grasses. Not to mention.

He heard a growl. Gabrio steadied his aching breathe and sneaked to a large root. One of those strange creatures that had fur on their spines were threatening.

Two days. Since he had resolved himself to deliver her as far as he could. He had been trying his best to keep moving forward. Despite all the sense that he had was calling him to stay and wait for her recovery and leave it all to her.

But be believed that inaction is death.

That was one thing he had learned when he was nine. All he could do was move or stay in one place and wait for nothing. He was already being optimistic when he hoped that Mana would wake up and summoned her powers. It was a grand hope that he couldn't let himself fall into.

I can’t let that happen.

He couldn’t let himself stay in one place either. And the surroundings made his thought on this even firmer.

Dense jungle. Alien environment. The bugs crawling around the flying ones are as dangerous. Even in this part of the world, there are still those small monsters. Not to mention the predators.

Goddamn it.

Gabrio had met times where he wanted to find a rope and a crossbeam in his days in Fort Rava. When you are surrounded by people who were the worst that Aon could give. You couldn't help but become hardened and depress when times are tough.

There were many creatures in this forest. And he didn’t want to risk his life and the life of his patient to ‘hope’ that they would pass by without noticing them.

The way their bodies are. Their long noses, big ears, that’s a telltale sign of capabilities of their senses, right?

Gabrio thought while watching such creatures tear apart a bigger prey. Swallowing the lump on his throat, he went prone, and started crawling on the ground, moving his shaking arms quietly.

As he moved like a turtle on the knee-length grass. His eyes wetted and his jaws shook uncontrollably to the point of chattering. He managed to keep himself calm as this strange two-legged creature covered in all fur stood about eight-foot tall appeared behind the trees.

Gabrio tried to contain his fear, but the saber-toothed creature with squinted eyes was too intimidating. He laid flat on the ground and squeezed his eyes, hoping that the beast would not take notice of his cowering figure.

The chilling gaze would have made him piss himself, but he stayed still, letting the beast continue to its prey. Gabrio tried to sneak but a creature almost made him scream in fear, and if it wasn’t for him shutting his own mouth. He was sure that the beast would have been alerted.

Gabrio paused for a moment before continuing onward. As he crawled to the direction he had decided on the hill. He thought how his progress had gone even slower because of this.

If he was right then he was in the northwest of Penrith of the Icean Spine and it would take him about one-hundred fifty days to reach the fleet. He had this delusion that it would at fewer days, but further investigation of the jungle around him made his despair.

Gritting his teeth, he crawled out of the area and further forward. All that he had in his mind was to crawl and crawl until he could get away from that beast.

He was no master of stealth, and though he had learned a few tricks when it comes to being stealthy. The creatures around him were much more sensitive than the humans.

Gabrio couldn’t allow himself to gamble. Fortune may favor the bold, but he wasn’t going to risk it when he has a patient on his back. Her weight and the doctor’s bag that he tied on the bush crafted chair-backpack was pressing him down, making him grit his teeth harder.

His arms buckled and he was forced to stand and sat down. He inhaled and exhaled, then pressed a hand on his bruised ribs. He didn’t know when he took the opiate, but his chest was beginning to pain him again. He couldn’t move around with his chest burning in pain so he dragged himself to the nearest tree with overgrown roots to hide and rest.

Two and a half days.

He counted.

He placed his bushcrafted backpack on the side. He dragged his knees on to the front and lifted the canvas and the blanket he used to cover Mana.

Pale. She’s breathing normally. Her pains are aching her, but it seems she’s unable to wake up. Is her mind conscious? Can she hear me?

“I’m sorry, I know that you elvens are particularly against someone touching you without permission. Maybe I am sinning you, but I cannot allow my patients to be infected on my watch,” he smiled wearily. “I hope you can understand this.”

“I just need to take care of you and when you can wake up, which I am sure you will. Then you can go back to the fleet. Hah, it’s pretty stupid, I know.”

He moved away from her and decided to look around. There was a stagnant puddle of water. Small insects and bugs were flying and crawling that he checked on his arms and legs for any exposed skin. The only thing that was not covered was his face. The mask he wore was lost and he worries about these creatures.

Not a single one of these creatures were something he could recognize. All he could do was judge them by their size, shape, and form. The only way he could safeguard himself against these creatures was by wrapping his skin with cloth. He also has to hide Mana with a canvas so that the creatures who are ‘worried’ about her won’t bring the attention of all creatures to their locations.

Gabrio felt the wind blow and with the rushing of the leaves and the dimming of the light. He decided to stand up and find materials for tonight’s fire.

He moves while crouched, picking up branches, sticks, and dried leaves. He took out his knife, and shaved some of the dried bark on the tree and took them back to the camp. Using his hands he dug an elbow-deep hole and placed some of the sticks in the hole.

Lighting up the dried leaves and shavings of the bark with a stone and a knife. He rubbed the flat of the knife against the stone until it produced a spark and blew the leaves. He carefully placed the fire he lit and blew it until there was a spark in the dark. When the fire was lit, he made sure that the smoke wasn’t noticeable and at the same time created enough heat for him to warm himself up.

Pulling his bag closer, he studied the contents and realized how lacking he was in regards to food. All he had was the hardtacks, a few dried beef, and the sour candy he carried for his patients. There was also three pounds of flour and salt. He had to make sure he had enough food to the point that he was eating alternately.

With his stomach firmly emptied. He had to feed himself and Mana.

“How do I feed you?”

Gabrio said to her. He had been thinking about how to keep her fed during the past two days and with how weak her breathe was. He knew that he couldn't follow rationing he had setup for himsef. With that in mind, he decided that it was finally time to try and feed.

So, he took out the water he had in his bag meant for cleaning wounds and drank a sip of it first. Following that, he fished out the mortar and pestle he had and crushed the hardtacks into powder. He poured two drops of water and then dragged himself to where Mana was and started to wet her lips with the water. Using the teaspoon, he fed her the ‘flavored’ broth and hoped that she would at least swallow it.

He observed her mouth and wondered if she would even swallow the broth. Seeing that she wasn’t swallowing the broth. Gabrio reached out to her neck and prayed that she give a swallow-response.

Feeling her mouth and throat swallow. Gabrio breathed a sigh of relief and was about to feed her the rest of the soup when he suddenly noticed her visibly choke. He spread her lips and sucked out the broth and spat it out. The sticky broth he foolishly fed her, so that she could eat food was stuck in her mouth.

He kept on spatting the food until it was gone from her. Gabrio bit his lip and made the broth much thinner. He fed her again and thankfully this time she swallowed without choking. He had to do it slowly and carefully.

The Elven-kin ate like humans and though they have the abilities to sustain their bodies using the spirits to energize them. He doubts that she would be able to do that when she could not even swallow broth. Even the spirits were not ‘feeding’ her and he feared that if she didn't get nutrition. Things would go south for her.

To feed her he had to take it slow. It was when the broth was gone that he was able to take a breather. He didn’t mashed his hardtack and salt and instead chewed on the hard biscuits while taking a single bite out of the dried beef he carried to add flavor to his ration. He spread his palms on the fire and then cleaned up his tools so that no creature would take a sniff on it. He didn’t want to waste clean water so he used some of the wet leaves to wash them.

He didn’t move around. He stared at the sky and then kept surveying everything that was moving with his pistol on his hand.

Unbuttoning his coat, and checking on his chest. He frowned at the purple bruise on his chest. He took some medicine, popped a candy on his mouth and checked up on himself before buttoning his shirt and coat back on.

“I can’t rely on my pistols and I have a few ammo left. I have to make sure that I have something to protect myself in close range.”

With that in mind he searched around the bushes and found himself a long stick. He got some rock and broke it until he got himself a shard that was good enough to act as a spearhead for his spear. Then he used some of the fallen branches and made himself a makeshift shield padded with leaves and held together by vines he coiled together to make a rope. Then he bended a stick into an arc and crafted himself a bow by using the vines and reed-like grasses for the bow-string. The bow was flimsy and he used the next hour to craft himself arrows and fletched it with leaves so it would at least fly straight. He doubts the accuracy of the arrow, and yet he had to try.

One bow, ten arrows, three spears, and one shield. He had extra gear to carry now, but he needed it if things went bad. Other than that, he also crafted a rock sling just in case he could find small creatures.

“This isn’t enough at all,” Gabrio said. He knows how to use a spear, fire an arrow, and sling a rock. And he knew how poor quality his craftsmanship was with inferior materials.

“Doesn’t help with my wrists,” Gabrio muttered quietly.

He looked around and wished he had brought himself a hammock for such things like these.

“Too late to regret it now,” Gabrio said.

Sitting still with eyes narrowed. Gabrio looked down and then looked up while reaching a hand out to this ball of light in the sky. The ball of light was bright and yet the moment he sucked in breathe. He found himself gritting his teeth and pulling on his hair.

He reached out for his bag, took out the bottle with a cork on it and sucked in the opiate inside into his syringe. Injecting the syringe on his arm, he found himself calmed and the pain on his chest fading for a moment.

Pulling Mana closed to the tree. He positioned himself in front of her with his spear and shield in front and pistol readied just in case. He doubted that the spear he had could kill larger creatures. That’s why he kept the pistol so that he could take a shot if things get troublesome.

Gabrio couldn’t get himself to sleep peacefully. Not in this place. Not when creatures such as that tall and furry beast were roaming around.