The angry ball had slowly begun to reveal itself.
A sword rose into the air and swiftly moved, slicing a fruit from a tree.
Duis: "We're just waking up and you're already training with the sword again? You need some rest."
Neim: "Maybe, but our attackers don't rest either. I need to be fast and strong like them."
Duis: "You're right but instead of 'I,' you should've said 'we.'"
Duis, whose hair had grown to his shoulders and wore a dirty beard, slowly pushed himself up using his left arm for support.
Neim's hair had grown past his shoulders, and he too had developed a yellowish dirty beard.
Their clothes were on the verge of tearing. They had been walking for a long time, but apart from a few "noseds," they hadn't encountered anything -no humans at all.-
Duis drew his dagger and took the last piece of cooked meat from the nosed they had eaten before sleeping. He placed it on a rock.
He quickly raised his dagger and struck at the meat. The dagger whistled and hit the center of the meat precisely, slicing it cleanly in two.
Despite having only one hand, Duis had grown quite used to it. His training with the dagger had taught him how to move properly.
He took one half of the meat and walked over to Neim, who was still working with the tree.
Neim raised his sword again, and just as he was about to strike another branch, a finger touched his shoulder.
Duis: "Here. Eat. You can't train without food."
Neim took the meat.
Neim: "Thanks."
After taking the meat, he slowly placed his execution sword on the ground.
Though worn from both training and combat, the sword was still in shape.
Double-edged, its blade was 80 centimeters long. The hilt was straight and made of iron, but wrapped in cloth to reduce the pain in the hand. The pommel bore only a single line simple and elegant.
Compared to the sword's simple beauty, Duis's dagger looked more like a basic blade. Twenty centimeters long, it fit nicely in the hand. The wooden hilt was wrapped in cloth as well, but it had no guard.
As Neim slowly bit into the meat, he felt truly happy they had learned to survive this way.
Neim: "Since we started training, don't you think we've gotten stronger?"
Duis: "I feel stronger too. After all, we deal with noseds more easily now."
Duis walked slowly to take the other half of the meat and began eating as well.
Neim: "Where are we heading this time?"
Duis: "You choose this time."
Neim: "Alright."
After finishing his food slowly, Neim began packing his things. Thanks to some stones they had found, they could finally store some water.
It wasn't great, but it was enough to manage.
He took some water from a lake and sealed the cup. Then he placed both the cup and its lid inside another wooden container he had crafted.
This wooden casing helped prevent leaks or the lid from falling off. When he pulled the cup out, the lid stayed in place. Though it was hard to remove, it was the most functional way to carry water from place to place.
Neim thought to himself, 'If I make a small hole on top, I could push the lid off from there, right? '
His eyes widened he had just had a new idea. He had to try it at their next stop.
Duis finished his meat as well and came over to Neim, crouching to drink water.
Neim handed him an unused cup.
Duis gladly took it.
Duis: "Thanks. It took you dozens of attempts to make these, but you were right they made things easier."
Neim: "No problem. In fact, I've got another idea something that'll make things easier for the ones who help make things easier."
Duis, raising an eyebrow as he drank the water:
Duis: "Wait... is someone helping us make things easier?"
Neim: "I'm talking about the cups."
Duis: "Oh! So what's the idea?"
Neim: "We'll find out at the next lake."
Duis rolled his eyes.
Duis: "Would it kill you to just say it? Anyway, I've packed our things into the blankets. We just need to tie them up, and then under your guidance, we'll be on our way."
Neim: "So what are we waiting for? Let's go."
●●●
After tying the blanket to his back, Neim turned to Duis with a cheerful smile.
Neim: "Come on, follow me."
Duis: "Aye aye."
Neim began walking slowly toward the forest on their left.
Duis started following him.
Duis: "We're going into the trees?"
Neim: "We haven't run into Kima or anyone like her. If a few noseds show up, we can handle them."
Duis: "Maybe someone like Kima will appea-"
Neim: "How's your left arm doing?"
Duis: "That thing is still coiled all the way around it. What about your right arm?"
Neim: "Same."
As they reached the forest edge, both fell silent. Neim began walking ahead slowly.
Branches snagged their feet, bushes blocked their way, and their blankets were at risk of tearing.
Neim held his blanket with one hand and used the sword with the other, cutting branches in his path.
Duis, having only one hand, could only hold his blanket.
Duis: "Look at you, you are traning now. And these branches in front of you? You have to cut them. That's different from cutting them just because you feel like it."
Neim: "Yes, yes, you're right. We can't turn back now if we do, our blankets will tear. Yes, my fault. Sorry."
Duis shrugged.
Duis: "It's your call."
The two continued walking and bickering at the same time.
Duis enjoyed teasing Neim. But as his arm grew tired, he instinctively looked to his right and noticed an area with no grass or trees a road.
Duis: "Neim, Neim, wait. Look there's a clear path with no grass or trees. Let's go that way. It'll be easier to walk."
Neim looked at Duis's hand first, then followed his pointing finger. He was out of breath. 'I wish I hadn't trained this morning,' he thought.
He had begun to loathe the massive trees, bushes, and branches in front of him.
Neim: "Take a few steps back. The spot you're in is the easiest. If we go from where I am, the blankets will tear."
Duis what Neim said and moved back.
Neim cleared the way with a few swift, air-slicing blows, and after a few final swings, they reached the path.
Neim took a deep breath.
As Duis stepped onto the path, he voiced his thoughts.
Duis: "Neim, if there's a road like this, it must've been made by humans, right?"
Neim paused, then his eyes lit up with joy.
Neim: "So you're saying someone like us might be at the end of this road?"
Duis: "I mean, yeah, could be."
Excited, they bumped fists and began walking the path quickly.
●●●
Meanwhile, on the walls of a castle, some soldiers were chatting while waiting for their shift to end.
Just as they had fully relaxed, they saw a woman walking along the watchtower. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mesmerizing beauty but with a stern demeanor.
The soldiers immediately stood up and fell in line, bows under their arms, right hands flat against their foreheads, eyes forward.
This lady was their commander.
After a few clinks of metal, their commander stood in front of them and said
"Soldiers."
All four soldiers shouted in unison
"At your command, ma'am!"
With a harsh tone, the commander barked
"ALL OF YOU BACK TO YOUR POSTS!"
The soldiers quickly dispersed. The commander thought, 'These are the ones supposedly protecting us from monster attacks, huh? '
At that moment, a soldier above the gate shouted
"Commander! Two men are approaching the gate!"
The commander rushed to the gate.
Neim: "Duis, do you see that huge gate?"
Duis: "I can't believe my eyes. It's massive!"
Then, amidst the silence, came the sound of bows being drawn and a harsh woman's voice:
???: "Hands up and drop the cloth on your back. Identify yourselves!"