Gabrio found himself clinging to Mana. It had been long since she formed her Armor made of Tree, speeding up the process of their escape from the jungle. With her songs, she was able to gather enough protection to ward off many monsters. Her tree armor was able to plow through dense forests, vines, fallen trees, and boulders that were hampering their way.

As they got out of the forest, seeing the plain grassland, there was a slight relief on Gabrio as it did. He found himself replenished, and his treeheart extinguishing that tiredness. He saw her green hair beamed the moment it was shaded by the sun. She stopped, and blended among the tree lines first before looking over shoulder, her eyes mirroring Gabrio’s rather weary face.

“Looks like we got out of the forest, I fear that the natives won’t be welcoming.”

“They won’t be, considering that there are monsters trying to invade them. I fear that there are many more to come if we decide to reveal ourselves in this place.”

“We are foreigners and they are defenders.”

Even from the distance they could hear the rumble of artillery. A great cloud of smoke touching the clouds. The wind blew momentarily, laying the blade of grass flat on the ground. The tree-armor returned to the ground, and became a tree that grew among the rest. Gabrio had always found it strange and wonderful how such things were possible.

Mana looked at the settlement surrounded by wooden walls that keeps out the monsters. “We should be able to get a fast horse or any mount in that place,” she pointed.

“That is to assume that they have horses in this land,” Gabrio said to her. There were chances that they do not have horses, and recalling the mounts that they have seen, it was rather unlikely.

“For now,” Gabrio checked his pistols, “we can only assume that we are travelers, we speak the same language so there should be no worries for now.”

Mana looked to him. “Will you be fine?”

“Why I would not be,” Gabrio sat on the ground, holding his bed. “I was supposed to be a Doctor, so I am always strong.”

“I see.”

Mana nodded, accepting that lightly. “We need food, or anything that might help us.”

The duo walked to the barricade and saw that there were splashes of blood, gore, and entrails on the wall. There were loose arrows stuck on the ground, and the blades of grass had brownish red color to them. On top of this wall there was a brown man who looked at them with squinted eyes, examining their clothing, and state.

“Who are you two?” the man said.

Gabrio held Mana by the hip. “We are looking for direction, it would be nice if you could point us to the great river of Brampi.”

“Brampi,” he leaned forward, holding that longbow of his. “That’s forty days away from this village, friends. If you choose to ride nonstop, then you can expect to arrive by twenty.”

Gabrio calculated inside his head. Hands still around Mana’s hip, he leaned forward, whispering on her long ear. “Do you think that you can run the miles?”

“My tree armor can, but I would need to stop every two hours to replenish myself. If we can find a mount, control it like a puppet, then we might be able shorten it by ten days.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re not accounting the impassable terrains here, so it might be hard.”

“You done speaking?” the man said. “What you got in the sack wait, y-you a long ear?” the man almost dropped his now. “Pardon me madam, didn’t know, swear, I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine,” Mana bellowed. “Do you mind if we go in?”

“You be healing? You fighting there, Lady?”

He turned to the direction of the gate. The gate opened and the two were welcomed in this congested settlement with houses and huts interconnected, forming a strange web of pillars and masonry woven together to form this hive-like look. Many eyes landed on them as they enter the gate, most of the strong-armed men were watching them with sharp eyes, and some held on to their spears with much vigilance.

“Looks like they still fight with spears here.”

“Considering that ammunition is expensive, and guns are hard to maintain. This is to be expected,” Gabrio said. A village like this wouldn’t be able to avoid expensive weapons that needs great care. Hence he was not surprised that they only bows and arrows here, but it didn’t gave him a sense of relief, knowing that they carry bows, not guns.

The villagers didn’t look friendly, however, they allowed the two of them to take a seat in one of the grass patches. Gabrio hid his bag from the villagers, and held on tightly to Mana.

“Is this necessary?” Mana said, looking at the hand wrapped around her hip.

“Just keep it,” Gabrio said. “We must look at helpless, even they shouldn’t have the face to attack people who looked injured. People are much more sympathetic to those who they can relate to.”

“Is that an educated opinion?”

“It is,” Gabrio moved her close. She didn’t hesitate and leaned her shoulder on Gabrio.

“Looks like they are keeping an eye on us, but they don’t look too interested now.”

“You have long-ears, and these men should be hunters. They’ll know what happen if they try to corner their prey. Besides, we’re not exactly hiding our wariness of them as well.”

It was true. The two looked like they were relieved, but the sharpness in their stare baffled even made the women look away from them. If they intend to do something to them, then Gabrio and Mana was looking at them with eyes that say that if they do, then there would be death, and they would not go down quietly. However, there are those who saw them as pitiful, and Gabrio preferred those looks.

*****

Gabrio found warmth within the fire. Though the villagers were rather unwelcoming, they didn’t deprive them of the fire. To get on their good side, they had worked on treating the wounded with Mana’s abilities.

Though they didn’t immediately win the hearts of the villagers. They gave them enough peace knowing that they weren’t here to stay long.

Gabrio found himself staring at the communal fire. Though he felt alive, fine, there were lingering pain that he had. He couldn’t diagnose himself, and he thought how heave they were. Even though he was alive because of the treeheart, he felt like some part of him died within that process.

“Are you okay?”

Mana’s voice was like a chime to him. He looked at her with calm eyes. He had been grateful of her, but there was some thought inside that made him want to ask how he was brought back.

“No, I am not,” he couldn’t lie to her. “I thought I was ready to die. I thought that this was my last chance to prove myself that I wanted to become a healer, I didn’t mind dying if it means saving a patient. I always believed that when the time comes, I could offer up my life.”

“And you proved that well,” she smiled at him. “I applaud you for what you have done, Doctor. Ristina is very fond of you, and I had always asked why, and I think I understand now. Truthfully, I had imagined the worst, and though there are many who are thankful to you, they do not express it. Some thinks that you, a person of Fort Rava, would be nothing more than another criminal raised by criminal.”

“They aren’t criminals, just men and women driven to the wrong path. I believe that if they had it better, they wouldn’t have been into the path. But there is merit to what they say, and that there are people in the Fort who had been truly what evil was. No one is a madman by choice, they are mostly molded by what is around them.”

“And yet you turned out to be a healer.”

“Because good men and women raised me well. They know what they are, accepted what they are, and had led me out of that path. I cannot thank them enough for letting me become someone who heals people instead of hurting them. I…wanted to prove that even those who were raised by monsters can become something more.”

Mana walked to him, and patted his shoulder. “And I say that you did so well, Doctor.”

Gabrio eyed Mana and then nodded his head slowly. “That…that means a lot to me, Miss Mana. I…”

Gabrio had believed and accepted his death. It felt cheap to him how it easily robbed to him. He had done everything to keep her safe. And though he was thankful for being saved. A part of Gabrio was disappointed that his resolve was simply extinguished like that. Nonetheless, he knew that this was not the time to behave as if it was misfortunate of him that he was saved.

What did she offer to save his life? Everything had a coast, and he didn’t believe that he would be saved without one. He knew it too well that even the Artes that they use have a price that must be paid.

Yet Gabrio couldn’t ask Mana what that price was. There was a huge part of him that believed that if he does ask and know about it. He couldn’t accept it. He would despair. That feeling grows as he hearts the strange beating of his treeheart.

“Doctor, I believe that if we get back to the fleet. There would be many changes, and I can sincerely believe that they must think of us as dead. The enemies that the Bringer of Light faces is not someone that can be easily kill. He must travel to the eye of the world, blind it, and then trek to the heart of it to destroy IT. What threw us are Hunters of the Interstice, and I believe that we are the fortunate ones. The ‘Silence’ is an enemy that we cannot easily destroy.”

“What can we do?”

“Nothing. We can do nothing other than rely on the Blinder. He must be our sword and shield. My spirits had told me that there is a commotion to the direction of where the fleet is. The terrors trying to reach IT is trying to cross the gates and so as our fleet. There is death, and we may find our allies fighting the natives of this land.”

“I guess it’s too much to ask about dealing with peace.”

“Talk of peace are slow, and there are many who would include many obstacles for any agreements to reach. The pen is mightier when there is time, but when there is little time, we can only move forward, pushing on, leaving sacrifices.”

“I know. We are so far from them. I don’t know how long until we can get there.”

Mana sat closed. “We need to steal their mounts, and ride them out.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I can make them sleep, and by the time we are done here. They wouldn’t even notice what we had done. It is a crime that we must do in order to reach the fleet.”

“I agree. Did you think that I wouldn’t?”

“No, you put your mind into reason, Doctor.”

The two rested for a moment and then the villagers heard a song, a lullaby that put them all to a deep sleep. Seeing even the guards asleep, Gabrio said, “Will they be safe?”

“They will wake up if there are threat to their lives. We shall travel without stop,” Mana walked in front of a beast with fur and scale. It’s wide head and saber tooth like fangs made the beast intimidating. Mana controlled the beast, turning it into a puppet for them to ride.

“let’s gather some supplies,” Gabrio walked around the village, taking some of their supplies, before tying them on the saddle of the beast they had controlled.

Before the dawn broke, they escaped the village with the mount.