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Little Voices

tw: blood, impalement, scars, amputation, sharp objects

Chapter 8: The Adventurer

(This voice does not sound happy)

A knight is on a path in the woods. And at the end of the path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is an adventurer.

He, the barbarian, and the doctor stood on the porch.

"So," the doctor meekly perked up. "You just walk around and search for anyone in every cabin?"

"That's the plan," the knight replied.

"... Aren't you... Worried?" The doctor raised his eye brow. "Any one of these cabins might have been just normal cabins with people living in it and you'll just be rudely waltzing in, but...

I don't know- maybe, that would be more out of place than it already is."

"Well, we don't need any of those what-ifs, doc," the barbarian said, even mockingly. "We're here to get everyone out of here. And maybe find whoever trap us here and show them our wrath," he grinned.

"I'm not sure about the wrath thing, but he's right," the knight reached for the knob and turns it open. "Let's just go inside and get the prisoner-"

"The what?!"

The knight flinched, the doctor yelped and the barbarian threw his hand in front of him as a voice suddenly shouts as they opened the door.

The inside is a mess of warped and bent wooden boards, with some of their splintered edges poking out. Actually, they're not wood upon seeing the shine on them. They're sharp, bent metal boards designed like they're wooden. It's just a bent table and shattered windows here. Oh, and of course the mirror is the only intact object here.

"O-oh," That's new. The knight looked back and asked the two softly, "I'm not the only who heard a voice, am I-"

They didn't get to answer when they heard muffled screams of someone furiously fighting against what sounded like chains on them, the sound bouncing all over the walls, making it louder than it should be.

Well, they found the prisoner and he doesn't sound very happy. His nasally high voice runs through the battered door,

"Hey!

I don't know who you are, but you're not going to keep me down here forever!

I'll break these chains before these blades get to me, you hear?!"

Blades?

"What do we do? What do we do?!" The doctor whispered in a panic as he cowers out of the doorframe. But the barbarian cackled, "Ooh, he's feisty. I like him.

Now don't just stand there! Say something!"

The barbarian yelled at the knight, who has to recoil and recover from the loud noises. Since he has the most protection on him, the knight steps in and shouted back,

"Hey! Calm down- We're not your guards! We're not gonna hurt you!"

The unseen prisoner below slowly stopped his struggles and has to take a few breaths from all of that. That seemed to do the trick.

"You're," he wheezed from the exhaustion. "You're not?"

"No, we're here to help you! We were trapped in our prison cells too!"

"Not. Helping," the doctor muttered under his breath.

"Oh, really?" The prisoner yelled back in retaliation. "How would I know you're not lying? How would I know that you're not going to do something to me if you get here?"

He's doubting already. The knight could've seen that coming, to be fair. But he never expected that someone would hear him up here this time.

"We're not," the knight called back. "We're just trying to help. You just have to trust us!"

"Him," the barbarian corrected, which confused the knight. "Excuse his shit wording and pipsqueak voice, he's a better people talker than the rest of us. Not that it's a strength we need or anything. Grk- Point is, just let him help before his head explodes."

Thanks. That is very rude.

"Oh! You want me to trust him then? You want to help for the sake of humanity?" The prisoner raised his voice like it's the stupidest idea he heard all day, even mocking at the last question. The chains jingled violently as he shouted, "Then stop fucking around and Get. Me. Out of Here!"

Okay. He's more rude than the barbarian. The doctor cleared his throat and he sternly asked,

"What's the magic word?"

"... What?!"

"The Magic. Word."

"Not now," the knight sighed. He really needs to save the prisoner already if the basement is that bad and this is not helping.

"Look," the doctor whispered. "I am all for helping the helpless, but if I were you, I would not tolerate such foul bickering from the likes of him. I could barely contain myself with Mr. Businessman back there."

"He has a point," the barbarian said. "Is that how I sounded like when you first met me?"

"A little. At least you have some faith."

"Yeah," the barbarian chuckled. "Even if for a little twig like you-"

"You know I can hear you, right?" The voice calls out, a little softer this time. And he sighed,

"Just get me out of here. Please?"

"Much better," the doctor sighed. "I think... That's your cue."

The knight nodded and stepped forward. But as he walked up the door, there's something on the table he had never seen before.

A golden key.

The knight just stared at it. So did the doctor. So did the barbarian.

"Was... Was there a key where we left off?"

"Don't ask me," the barbarian whined. "I barely notice the room!'

"N-no, I don't think so," the doctor said.

"You have the key? That's perfect!" The voice perked up below. Yeah, it should be a good thing, but... There was never a key in anyone's room. Not even placed on their tables.

"Well?"

The knight looked at the door.... Hesitating.

"Should we tell him?" The knight asked. This is weird. This doesn't make sense.

"Tell me what? What now?" The voice called out.

"Hey. You're the decision-maker around here. You decide-"

"Obviously!" The doctor cuts off the barbarian. "Who wants to be kept in the dark in a place like this?"

"Thank you!" The prisoner below groaned. The knight pinches the bridge of his nose.

He is surrounded by loud bickering.

"Look, just spit it out already, alright? What the hell is going on?" The prisoner asked, almost begging for answers. Right, he's telling him,

"You're in a basement of a cabin. We were all trapped in our own basements in other cabins. Different than the last. There... There was never a key for us in those cabins, so that's why we were so confused!"

"... What?" The prisoner asked in shock. "Wait- Were you in chains?"

"Yes," the three answered in unison.

"Without a key to use?"

"We had to break some chains and maybe our arms to get out," the barbarian said proudly, despite the grimace of the other two.

"Were those "cabins", by any chance, trying to kill you?"

That's an odd question with an oddly convenient answers,

"There were... E-eyes and-and arms eventually?"

"Mine tries to bury us alive. Sucker."

"... I know mine wasn't that bad, but it was still a terrible place to wake up in."

"... Shit," the prisoner can be heard almost whispered. The knight shook his head and swiped the key as he walked back to the door,

"I'll explain later- I'm coming down-"

"Knight," the barbarian teethed.

"Just stay put! You'll get out of here!" The knight tries the key on the doorknob. It doesn't fit. This is definitely the key for the clamp.

"Hurry!" The prisoner yelled. But the doctor stopped him,

"What are you doing?! This isn't right! What if it's a trap-"

"It's fine-" the knight turned the knob open, "It's going to be fine- Aah!" And he tripped on a protruding sheet of metal. The two watched as the knight tumbled down a warped, jagged, spiral set of metal stairs, along with the prisoner's surprised shout, before he disappears out of view.

The barbarian attempts to rush in, only to be met with blades sprouting from the walls of the stairwell. He and the doctor jumped back as they suddenly spread out of the door, stopping in the middle of the room. The doctor froze in fear but the barbarian pushed himself off the floor and barrels towards the blades.

----

The barbarian is thrown out of the cabin and onto the ground. He hissed in pain as he tries to get up. But he sees a stump of his right arm... And his right foot. He glanced to see exactly those hand and feet, intact but broken off like a statue. That's... Not good.

He disregards his injured body as he whips his head to the scream from the cabin. The doctor.

Thankfully, the doctor can be seen scrambling out of the door, a shard of metal embedded into his melting arm. The barbarian watched as the doctor stumbles down, ripping the shard out with a gasp, and throws it away to hold his arm.

For him, he can't tell if he's bleeding but the pain eventually goes away. Is that... A good thing? Whatever. The doctor turned and gasped at the barbarian trying to attach his broken hand to his stump. Disturbingly, he can control his fingers. Perfectly. The barbarian looked at the doctor, and sighed heavily,

"Doc. Do you have anything to wrap it up?"

Him? The doctor? He wasn't sure at his skill on it, knowing he woke up one day with no recollection, but after seeing the physically massive man this helpless, it's worth a try.

But he pats around his clothes to find nothing to make use of. Even so, wouldn't his ugly mass of remains he called arms just infect the stumps? He never thought he'd say this but,

"We're going to need their help."

And the barbarian never thought about them as any help at all. The doctor doesn't really trust the rest at all and the barbarian always believed he's more capable at this kind of situation. Now, they are in a terrible position and they really need some help.

"... Freak?" The barbarian looked at a bush, and the doctor got a little spook when he saw two white eyes under it. The survivor reveals his face with the crow skull, holding fresh leaves in his hands and some thin strips of wood in his mouth.

"How... How long have you been there?" The doctor asked, relieved that he brought something to make use of.

"Since I heard the screams. The Pain. And the silence of... The other..," the survivor muttered. The doctor wasn't sure what he meant at first. But then it clicks. Horribly clicks. As the barbarian in turn looked at the cabin, the survivor asked,

"Where.... Is he?"

----

Wake up.

He needs to wake up. Everything is dark and it feels nothing. This isn't good.

He has to wake up. The prisoner needs him.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake-

"-Up!"

His eye squints tight at the sudden voice. He struggled to flutter it open, as the bright, reflecting ceiling stings. Once he does, he felt a wave of pain flooding from his head to toe. While it burns, it didn't felt like they're jelly, so he managed to sit up. He looked at the stairs, fractured metal jammed into the walls. He swore they were moving on his way down. The room looked wrong. The ceiling looked narrower than the floor. The metal walls idly towering over him and the... Prisoner.

"Hey," the familiar voice came out of his mouth. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head?" Oh, he hit everything, alright.

The knight forced himself up to his feet. He sees the prisoner in a big, furry cloak slightly ripped and shed off of its hairs, with trickles of blood on the floor around him and the chains on his left hand. Alright, he's here to save him now-

But suddenly, a long blade springs from the cracks of the floor, and the knight narrowly dodged before it even touch his face. As he fell on his back, he tries to recover but another, smaller blade emerges in front of him. He tries to move to his side, but another pops up. Then another. Then another. They're blocking him.

As he shuffles away, he hears chains shifting. The prisoner reaches out for him but the chains hold him back, and in his dismay, he strained and pulled at the chains, his feet uselessly sliding on the smooth floor as he tries to run but is still held in place.

"Don't struggle!" The knight cried out. "You're going to break your hand. Trust me!"

The prisoner huffed in pure frustration and dropped the chains. Meanwhile, the blades slid back into the floor. The knight is not taking the chance and chose to back off, but not without standing up first.

The knight takes a good look at the prisoner. His eyes are wide with round, charcoal eyes. A tooth gap on the side of his teeth. Even his hair looked wild and fluffed up. Damn, he had been through a scruffle, hadn't he? With all the blades somehow sticking out wherever and whenever they want. It takes a hardened man to endure that.

The prisoner was staring off the distance while he catches his breaths when he looked and realize the knight is looking at him. That is one... Disheveled knight-

"Oh, you looked like you've seen better days. Were those cabins that bad?"

"... Yeah."

"Wait, how many cabins did you enter?"

"Uhh... 7, in counting-"

"7 Cabins?" He raised his voice. "Holy shit."

The knight looked down at himself and realized how... Awful he looked. Scratches, dents, dirt and now even sludge. Even the dent on his left arm still continues to give him bad memories.

"Is it..," the knight rubbed his neck, his face flushed as he looks away and hides his stained self with his cape. "Is it bad?"

"No! No, no, no, It's-" the knight looked up to see the prisoner beaming but stumbling on his words, "It's impressive! Like- They're like signs of a fight and you made it in the end of it! You must be really proud of yourself."

"I am more worried for myself than proud. I almost died."

"Well, at least you're alive," the prisoner snorted. "And you made it here! After seven cabins- I'm sorry but that is a lot. I don't even know how you survived falling down the stairs!"

Oh. He sounds quite the adventurer. Now that he isn't yelling at him, his burst of energy is quite infectious. It's almost encouraging. The knight flinched at the sudden brief sting in his head. He had to hold the endearing moment and his temple for minute.

"Oh- Sorry," the adventurer said. "Are you hurt, though? I watched you literally crumple when you landed here."

"Oh, my head hurts," the knight groaned, but really it's his whole body. "But I should be fine. I'll just get the key and get you out of here-"

The key. Where's the key?

The knight spun around and found the key near the corner. He must have dropped it on his way down here. He went to grab it and as soon as he reached down, small blades sprouted around the key for a second and he pulls away immediately. He huffed and tried to get it again, but they keep popping up. For the fourth time, he grabbed it and pulls away with a slice on his finger. It's small but it bleeds.

"That's new," the adventurer commented, leaning over to see it. The knight seemed to forget that even a step across the room only activates blades to block him. But he relents and runs pass it, only to be overwhelmed by more blades rapidly emerging until one knocks him off his balance.

"Just toss it!" The adventurer shouted, even wanting to help but he is shackled. The knight gets up, fumbles with the key and tossed it. But the room has better ideas and a thin blade hooks the hole of the key as it stabs the wall, leaving it sliding down to the opposite wall, dangling.

Well, that's not fair. But it's so close to the adventurer, he just needs to grab it-

He jumped as he felt another blade slicing at the back of his cloak again and the pull of the chains felt shorter. He glanced to see the blade hooked through the chains into the wall. It held him farther from his reach. From the key. From the knight-

"Oh, you Son of Bitch!" The adventurer screamed at the chains, his frustration more profound than ever, and he violently pulled at the chains again.

What is this place? The cabins before this were bad, but this one's cruel. It's fighting against the adventurer, and now the knight. Saving him is the right thing to do right now and he needs to do it fast.

But as he stepped forward, the floor shifts and it glides with the knight on it far from the adventurer as the room is quickly filled with blades from every direction.

It happened so fast. The adventurer froze as he sits with his back on the wall. He is crammed with blades, some cutting into his clothing and his skin. Any movement will cut him even more. His eyes darted around to look for his savior. He can't lose him yet, not like this.

He thought for a second that the knight is impaled by blades around him, but he is relieved to see no blood or punctures on him. The blades even... Bend around him.

The knight gasped as he moves his arms away from shielding his face, scraping noises grating into his ears. He survived but he is now trapped.

"What is... Happening?" The knight whimpered as his exposed fingers get cuts from trying to pry away the blades that trapped around his waist in place. This is the worst. They're going to die here if he doesn't get his whole feet on the ground to push himself out of this.

"I think I know what's happening," the adventurer croaked as he shifted his position to look at the knight properly. "Someone is clearly trying to stop me from escaping. And, since you came, now they're trying to stop you from saving me."

The knight stopped his squirming and looked at the adventurer. No, that's impossible- There was no one working in any of those cabins.

"Well- That would imply that there was someone watching us. Someone must be watching me and the others escape and did... Nothing!

So why now? Why did it had to be you? That's not fair for you, is it?"

Ah. So, this is really new for him. The adventurer sighed in disdain, more for the knight. This isn't fair for him, either.

Then he smirked, "Maybe it's because I figured it out. I knew that someone in charge here is planning something- And the cabins you mentioned just confirms that someone is playing on us.

Like some kind of a sick game."

"A game?" The knight clutched on the blades even more. "But I don't want to play a game- I'm just a knight! O-or at least, I am now..."

"Well-" the adventurer choked back. "I'm just a guy in an orstrich carcass, but the key? The blades? No. They want something from me. They want me to do something. And you know what? I'll play along."

The blades slowly slide back where they came from, giving more space for the adventurer to finally stand up and the knight to scramble back on his feet.

"Well, I won't," the knight sighed. "Whatever they are planning, I did not sign up for it. Neither did you. We have to get out of here."

"I am as eager to leave as you are, but it looks like we're not getting out of here without a fight," the adventurer grinned as he crossed his arms.

"It's not a lost cause, yet. Just get the key and toss it to me. It won't be easy but we are not losing to a living house!"

"But I'm nervous," the knight said. "What if more blades come out everytime I come close?"

"That's what they want you to think. Because you have already come so far, now they probably trying to scare you from getting close to rescuing me.

Don't. Let them."

Those three words lit up a spark in the knight. Of course. He has to remember his mission.

Don't let them win and let them keep the adventurer here. Don't let him die here.

"Alright," The knight starts to inch and bend his way around the blades that stayed stuck with his cape wrapped on his shoulders.

"I can do this. I won't leave you."

"That's it, show 'em!" the adventurer, despite being trapped, cheered. "We can beat this stupid basement. I'll even deal with the bastards who put us here. Mark my words."

Wow, that's three prisoners out for revenge already.

The knight scrapes some of his protective armor as he makes his way until he grabbed the key. Using his weight, he pushed his arm on the thin blade down. It bends until it snaps. The key slip onto the knight's hands and then another blade slice pass his cheek. The cabin seemed upset.

The knight tries to proceed but he felt as if his left arm was caught between something. The two blades managed to trap his arm, and unfortunately, this sends the knight into a rapid panic attack. When he tried pulling away, another sliced pass his plumes. They're multiplying as the knight is struggling with his arm and in his mind. The adventurer in turn tries reaching out again, as the knight is holding the key towards him.

"Mate- Stop!" The adventurer cried as the knight snapped back.

Recognizing that he is making it worse, the knight proceeds to toss the key to the adventurer. Just as he is about to catch it, another blade parries it down to the ground. He tries to grab it but the chains is pulled tighter and small blades pops out and back in.

The adventurer decides to use his foot and stomps on it, but the blades trapped him in place. Sure, his boot prevents them from actually hurting him, but now he is desperately pulling his foot free.

"Uhh," the adventurer nervously perks up. "A little help?"

The knight got over his traumatic reminiscing and pulled his arm free to see the adventurer struggling. There's no way he'll make it there in time through these blades. He scrambled down and crawls on the floor under the blades.

As if the room is now realizing how close he is getting, a blade presses on the knight's back to stop him. But the knight's hands grabbed unto the small blades to pull them apart to free the adventurer's boot. With enough wiggle room, the adventurer forcefully slides his foot with the key under it and he reached down to grab it.

Just before the adventurer could unlock the clamp, one last diagonal blade strikes close to his chest and neck. As it grows, it is moving dangerously close to him, hindering his free arm to reach for the key hole.

The adventurer presses back, holding his breath as the blade gets closer to his neck, until the knight grabs onto the blade, bending it as he gets up and pulls it away, cutting into his fingers as adventurer catches his breath and shove the key on the keyhole.

"It's over," he declared through gritted teeth as he unlocks the clamp free and it fell down as all the blades are sheathed back, leaving an empty room once more.

The knight backs up, dazed and sick, looking at the scratches on his armor and the bloody hands, until he is tackled by a laughing adventurer as the knight spun away to regain his balance from the impact.

"We did it! We won!" The adventurer exclaims as he dangles while hugging the knight tight. He hugged back, relieved that it's all over-

All of the sudden, a scraping noise is heard within the walls. It's not over. The two disperse, and as the knight beckons to leave immediately, the adventurer pushes him to the side before another huge blade could slice him.

Instead, as the knight is recovering, he helplessly watched as the adventurer fell on the floor, writhing, screaming and covering his right eye in pain. The blade slashed onto his face.

The knight tries to get up but gasps when he felt a sharp pain shooting up from his left hand to his arm. A blade on the wall impaled his hand, though the metal, fingerless gloves. Adrenaline rises as he tries to pull his hand out but not long before he saw blades from the other wall, aiming for him.

The blades thrust forward until heavy chains are tossed and they fell on the blades, breaking them into pieces before they can reach the terrified knight. He watched as the clamp is then pulled back and he turn to see the adventurer pulling the chains out of the walls.

His right eye might be shut close with a huge scar bleeding down his face, but the anger can be seen in his other eye, his tears, and his breaths. He roared as he swung the chains at the blades attacking him, then using the clamp to punch the bloodied blade that ruined his face.

The adventurer rushes to the knight's side. "Here. Let me-," he smashed the protruding blade so that the knight can slide his injured hand off with a gasp of pain.

"L-Let's get out of here!" The knight regains his strength and gets up with help of the adventurer as they dash for the staircase before the room is filled with blades.

The adventurer raced up ahead of the stairs, smashing every blades popping out and tearing at his cloak with the chains wrapped in his right hand and the clamp on his left. The knight hangs onto his shoulder, cape tightly clutched as everything is pointing at them, stairs shifting and shattering under their feet.

Just as they are about to reach the door, the stairs gave way and they both fell. But the adventurer hooks his clamp onto one protruding blade, sending them swinging and the knight held him tight as he turns on his back to the jagged, metal walls, enduring the painful impact just so the adventurer won't get any more injured.

The adventurer relentlessly climbed the chains until something is forcing itself from the door. Claws. Steel claws.

As soon as it inches a gap, it was swung open by the barbarian above, an arm and a leg wrapped in leaves and wood.

"Grab on!" The survivor beside him is hush but louder as he yelled, as the adventurer grabbed onto the barbarian's hand, his free arm around the knight as they are thrusted upstairs. There is no time to celebrate, as they run out before every blades starts emerging from the basement and into the cabin-

...

The survivor stayed still outside, clutching someone in his arms, as the blades stood still at his back. Okay. He's alive. What about him?

The survivor shifted to see who he is holding... The doctor. For a second, he thought he was dead until he hears his quick breathing. One of his glasses... Cracked. Not from falling. The blade. It almost hit him, the survivor thought. He could've died.

The doctor thought so too. He sighed shakily as he raised to touch his broken left lens. He's... Alive. They hear a grunt and turn to see the barbarian... Pulling himself off of the blades that strucked and slashed at him.

They left a huge gash on his torso and a stab on the right side of the chest. He shouldn't be alive, and yet he is. And he's not worrying.

The barbarian tiredly cackled, "Well, that's not that bad."

They were greeted by sounds of someone celebrating. It's the adventurer, triumphantly jumping around and pointing at the cabin filled with blades that sprouted outside.

"Ha! Yes!" The adventurer jumped as he yelled at the cabin. "Take that, you Bloody Cheaters! Screw you and your master, you sons of a b- Ack!"

Then the adventurer felt a sting of pain on his eye as he groaned in pain. Right. It took a number on him. As the three, despite the barbarian's injuries, rushes to help, the knight drags himself to the kneeling adventurer. He ripped a long strip of his cape and tries to wrap his face, but the doctor said,

"Your hand."

The knight doesn't want to acknowledge it. He doesn't want to look at it. But the wet, metallic pain is hindering him right now.

"I'll take care of it," the survivor gently grabbed the strip while the doctor pulled the knight aside. The survivor wrapped the strip around the adventurer's scar on his face who is both cooperative and idle.

The barbarian knelt down to the adventurer and said, "Oh, you've been trapped there for a while? Now, that is very dangerous prison. You're a strong one."

"Thanks," the adventurer responded blankly. "It's my will to confront the shit out of the game maker around here that kept me inside."

This made the barbarian chuckled. Meanwhile the doctor packed and wrapped leaves on the wound and around the knight's hand, stinging but it's soothing.

"Uhm..," the knight mutters but continues. "Can you please go get the others..? I... Wanna talk to him in private," he cocked his head towards the adventurer.

"Uh," the doctor raised an eyebrow for he really wasn't sure about the three, but knowing two of them are greatly injured, something has to be done.

"Fine. They'd better make themselves useful other that sitting around and do nothing," the doctor huffed but not at the knight. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

The doctor gestures the survivor and the barbarian to follow him down the path.

The knight sat there in silence as he glanced at the adventurer, tired but relieved that he is free. Injured, though.

"... I'm so sorry."

"Hm? For what? My eye?"

The knight sheepishly scoots over.

"Yeah that. I- I thought we could at least... Leave with a little scratch or something. Not with an injury that could have been avoided," his voice trembled and the pain in his hand did not help. "Not with your face cut off like that! If only I was a little faster and- And-"

"My face is fine," the adventurer shifted himself forward to the sniffling knight. "It won't be that bad for long. You should be worried about your hands..."

He ripped a two pieces of his cloak with his teeth and continues the doctor's work to wrap around both of the knight's hands. They're soft and fuzzy, the knight has to fight the urge to squeeze them.

"Don't feel guilty for me, alright? You're only doing the right thing. And I am..," Silence, and a sigh with a small smile he continues wrapping. "Very grateful for that. Thanks for helping me down there, mate. I mean it, really."

The knight tiredly giggled, even despite the pain, "You're... Welcome. Thanks for saving me."

"Eh, of course. Anything to return the favor."

Something shines at the corner of their eye. A mirror, laying on the ground behind them. That's new. The adventurer curiously reach for it, in which the knight reached for his arm.

"Don't bother. It... Would only disappear when you touch it."

"... And then what?"

"I... Honestly don't know."

The adventurer touched the mirror regardless. Or rather, the ground. There is no mirror. This confused the adventurer greatly. He scanned his surroundings and realized the identical cabins the knight was talking about.

"... What the hell is this place?"

----

The rogue is intrigued but queasy watching the survivor dab a wet fur over the adventurer's open wound on his face. It's an ugly sight.

"Why not just... Let the doctor stitch it up?" The rogue asked. The survivor answered immediately,

"The other is more injured than this one. On his hands no less..."

"It's alright. Just give me few days and I get a hell of a big scar," the adventurer spoke blankly, but almost enthusiastically.

"Alright. If you say so," the rogue put down the make-shift stone bowl of water, barely deep enough hold half of one. "So... The cabin tried to kill you?"

"Bullshit, right?" The adventurer nodded. "I'd call it a torture chamber more than anything, as if being locked up in jail isn't bad enough.

"I couldn't agree more," the survivor casually mentioned, as he begins to wrap the drier strip of cloth around the scar. "I was trapped with an animal who was out to eat me. It was an eternity until I was rescued."

"I'm more astounded that you managed to survive that long," the adventurer chuckled in which the survivor's eyes sparked at that compliment. Knowing a bond is shared the rogue eagerly said,

"You know, I was in an awful cabin too! It's a small space with really big and constricting roots around me, but I did managed to slip out of my chains before the knight came in."

The two blinked. The rogue awkwardly sits there, smiling.

"Oh. How... Uncomfortable, honestly-"

"Okay-" the rogue caught on the sarcasm and waved his hand around. "It's not "deadly", but it's a prison- Of course, I hate it there. I would rather sit in a big, beautiful room like the other guy did-"

"You'll get lonely there, you fool," the slave- the guy in question- piped in from the other side of the nest. For a sad guy, he's quite a party-pooper. With nothing else say, the rogue scoffed,

"Don't you have a guy to mend?"

The slave said nothing and minded back to his business; holding the knight still as the doctor stitched his impaled hand. The rest are wrapped in cloth. The knight wants to watch the doctor's handicraft but he hates seeing the damage it was done to him. It's not just the fact the blade stabbed his hand, it's also the way it held him back, trapping him so he won't get away from his near doom. Just like last time.

"There..," the doctor muttered as he cuts off the string- a strand of the knight's hair- and wraps it up. "I know it hurts a lot but we have to keep it intact and protected- What are you doing?"

The doctor stopped the knight from standing up, so did the slave but only because the doctor did so. Though, he really want it to be over with.

"I need... To go," the knight, as tired and in pain as he is, sighed as he tries to reach for the helmet beside him. He's relentless, isn't he?

"No, you don't-'

"Yes, I do. I can't stay here while there are more-"

"You were literally dying back there- You need to stop-"

"I can't. What if they're in danger like him?"

The adventurer heard it and sighed. He understands the will to rescue but even he can see the knight loosing his strength. The doctor squeeze the knight's hands as he hushed him.

"You're not going back like this. Do you understand?"

The knight went silent. Reluctantly, he nodded. The doctor then said,

"Just rest. You'll save them when you feel better."

And as if on cue, the knight passed out again onto the slave's lap, who yelped. The doctor check the pulse on his neck and sighed,

"See? Just give him time."

"Wha- Why am I the one to hold him?" The slave complained as the doctor stood up. The doctor ruffled his white hair as he walked away,

"To give you something to do for once."

The slave slumps down and pouts. Oh well. He looked at the knight and just idly ruffled his hair. It's actually nice.

The cloaked man is actually the one mending the wounds of the barbarian near the camp. The brute in question is very cooperative, with the pain not as severe despite the size of the damage. The cloaked man just wiped away the blood until nothing is coming out of the beautiful cracks that the edges formed.

The cloaked was watching the knight struggle and pass out. He can't help but... Hum.

"Oh, look. He's growing desperate. How unfortunate..."

"Get off his back," the stubborn idly spoke. "You can't stop him until he's got everyone. He'll wake up eventually and do this all. Over. Again."

"Yes," the cloaked man nodded. "Hopefully it won't be a detriment in the long run."

That sounded like sarcasm. A prediction. An... Anxiety waiting to happen.

The doctor puts the back of hand on the adventurer's forehead, warm from the cold and exhaustion.

"What happens now?" The adventurer, eager despite this. The doctor sighed and shook his head as he adjusts his already broken glasses.

"Rest. All of you. You will feel better once you wake up."

#HOLY CARP #THIS WAS SO GOOD #KICKING MY LEGS #PUNCHING MY FACE EVEN #You are SUCH a great writer dude #foaming at the mouth

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