I had somehow –miraculously– survived the night without ending up as Kamik's punching bag. It was time to escape this damned forest. But before that, I need to distract Kamik. Luckily, that won't be difficult considering his current state.
"Comrade…" He called in a tired tone, walking in an awkward way with his hand on his belly. "The chicken I ate last night didn't bode well for my stomach."
The medicine I added to his share of the chicken was doing wonders.
"Don't worry, Kamik. I've got the right medicine for indigestion."
"Thank you, comrade! Please give it to me! Now, before it's too late!"
Tch. Tch. How impatient~
Thus, I gave him another round of the dysentery medicine. He ate all of it like a good boy. I do feel a little guilty about the explosive diarrhea that was about to haunt him, but I had to make sure that he would be distracted for a long time and he should be left in a state where he wouldn't be able to follow me.
"Uuu… uum… no… It's getting worse. Comrade!"
"Don't worry, Comrade. I understand that nature is calling you. Now, do you see that place?" I pointed at a small patch of land at the outer ring border that stood out from its surroundings. "You can take care of your needs over there, Kamik. Hurry!"
"Thanks, comrade. I'll compensate for your help later!" He said, as he ran with his legs turned inwards.
Screw you and your barbaric values about repaying every damn thing others do to you. Good luck paying me back, you'll never be seeing me again.
The place I directed him to was a small area surrounded by trees with a decent amount of grassy, empty space in the center. The trees were very wide, thick, dark in color, and looked intimidating despite their height. They were about Two-hundred-and-three centimeters tall (as tall as Michael Jordan if he wore a high heel).
Places like that are called 'Zorell Pockets' because they are inhabited by these blood thirsty creatures called 'zorells'. They look like a mix between a komodo dragon and racoon. A grown up zorell would easily measure 4 feet tall. They are grey in color with a white line of fur running down their back. They pretty much attack anything they come across, even if it's a primordial, they will either die fighting it or die by running out of calories during the fight because they can even fight for 2 weeks straight. In other words, zorells were honey badgers on steroids.
And of course, zorells live within the hollowed trees in a zorell pocket. Why did the barbarians leave such a thing to exist within the outer ring? It's because all the zorells in the forest will basically wage a war against the village if someone harms them. The barbarians can kill them, but fighting thousands of blood thirsty beasts that refuse to give up wouldn't sound like a good choice even to an idiot. The village will basically be under siege for a few weeks if zorells start attacking.
My patrol partner was about to take the most painful dump of his life. It sounded to me like the perfect chance to escape.
I ran past the outer ring's border, marked by the change in color of the grass and the fence like towering trees. I ran, ran and ran. I ran as fast and far as I could. My legs hurt as I didn't fully recover from my injury, but it didn't matter at that moment. The pain could compound and cause bigger trouble later on. But, just for once, I felt that being ignorant was okay.
Your sacrifice won't be in vain, Kamik. You may rest in pieces.
FREEDOME! I exclaimed inwardly. I was tempted to shout it out loud but that would beat the purpose of sneaking out. I ran non-stop for who knows how long before stopping to catch a breath. When I looked back, I realized that I might have barely covered two kilometers. My body was in no condition to run across a jungle that's as big as a country, but there won't be a better chance to escape. If I can't run, then I'll walk my way out no matter how long it takes. I had even decided to crawl out of this jungle if my legs gave out in the process.
I sat on a large rock to drink some water.
Gulp gulp
Ahh. That tasted like freedom.
Suddenly, I heard the bushes move.
Rustle rustle
Judging by the sound, it was probably a human. I hid behind the rock in a panic.
Damn it! I spilled all the water.
I felt this nervous, yet calm and calculative at the same time. I peeked around the rock as the sound stopped. Whoever that was, he or she was close.
"Are you going to hunt something?" A familiar voice whispered into my ear.
It sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't even have the time to think of the consequences of being caught for breaking the barbarian rules. I instinctively tried to jump away from whoever it was, but my legs couldn't produce that explosive power required for a jump, so I just sat there, not being able to do anything. I was shocked to find out who it was, the person who caught me red handed.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there anything on my face, Nig?"
Why did it have to be Pak? Why did it have to be the Leading Guardian herself?
One part of me was relieved to know that it was Pak, someone who I can trust.
"H-hi, sister Pak. What could you be doing outside the outer ring?"
"What are you talking about, dummy. I'm the Leading Guardian, of course I'll have things to do outside the outer ring. Besides, what are you doing outside the outer ring?"
"I…" I trailed off, having no idea what to say.
"Forget I even asked. I know that you sneak out with Ghaf to practice and mess around in the jungle, You guys should be more careful y'know? Where's Ghaf by the way?"
"Ghaf is… on his way here."
"Weird… to think that that overprotective guy would let you into the jungle, all alone."
"I know right. I too was shocked when he told me to go first, he said he'll catch up." I said, regaining my composure.
"Whatever. Hey. I heard from my sister that you've been ignoring her for the past month. Are you planning on dumping my sister or something!? Don't you remember that you are engaged to her!? Oh… perhaps, you're indirectly telling me that my little angel Kafra is not good enough! Are you looking down on her just because she's a few years older than you?"
Crap! I totally forgot Kafra even exists, not only her, but also my other fiancés. Kafra looks cute alright, she'll bloom into a real beauty when she grows up. But I can't stay back for something as trivial as that. I've got things to do. Besides, I can find more beautiful women out there.
"Nig," She started, "your performance in everything never fails to impress. Even though you lack raw power, you more than make up for it in other fields. Personally, I'm very confident that you will one day become the Leading Guardian when the time comes."
Where is she getting at?
"You have the best of intellect, looks… and just everything. But you look bored all the time. You're always detached from us, almost like you've got somewhere else to be."
"What are you trying to say, Pak" I asked in a cold manner.
"Nig, you're… planning on running away aren't you? I always had a feeling that you're going to disappear one day. Are you really going to leave me and Ghaf behind? What about my sister? More importantly, the village needs you."
"Why would the village need me? Besides, isn't there something you're hiding from me, sister Pak?"
"...no" she said, averting her gaze with an expression full of guilt.
I was very disappointed by her reply. I thought she'd come clear and tell me that I'm the chosen one from their prophecy. It won't change anything, but I really wanted to hear it from her.
"Please step aside, sister Pak."
"Sorry, Nig. I can't do that." She said, with a serious expression as she readied her stone spear. She knew that I lacked physical strength and that I'd stand no chance if I fought her. But she also knew that I wasn't planning on fighting her, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Aaaaaaaaah! Help meeeee! Someooooon!" Someone cried in the distance. The sound came from kilometers away, but it was loud enough to scare off the birds and animals within a 2 kilometer radius.
Pak shifted her gaze to the sound that came from behind me. She was stuck in a dilemma– stop me from escaping or rescue whoever was in trouble. The fact that she was the Leading Guardian made stopping my escape a difficult choice, because abandoning a barbarian in need for help is a treacherous thing to do in her role.
Oh. That's right. Those zorells must be munching on Kamik's ass right now.. Hah! This wasn't a part of my plan, but how convenient.
"Are you going to abandon your duty as the Leading Guardian, Pak?" I asked with a sarcastically polite smile.
"Damn you!" She rushed towards me. I just stood there confidently as she darted forward. I was obviously not strong enough to defend against her attacks, but I didn't plan on moving either. It was because I had already predicted her next move.
Swoosh!
She ran past me. She never intended to attack me in the first place, saving the life of other barbarians took priority for a guardian.
"Nig, I'm never going to let you escape! I will get you before you get out of this jungle!" she shouted as she ran past me.
Heh. Hahaha! Silly Barbarians!
"Adios, Pak!" I said, as I dashed forward without sparing a second.
She was going to be occupied for weeks, fighting off the waves and waves of zorells invading the village.
Bad luck, sister Pak. May the odds be against you.