The Captive Gheckla (03)

The two trekked through the forest, heading towards the mountain that lay in the center of all the villages within the region. Lat was unsettled at how quiet the forest was, as it was a lot more still than he remembered it to be. The gheckla came down here sometimes—or rather, the gheckla slaves were occasionally ordered to kill monsters and fell some trees. All the times Lat had been down here, the forest was a rowdy and dangerous place. Yet here it was...calm and subdued.

"My name's Lat, sir. What's yours...?" Lat attempted to make small talk to pass the time and alleviate his unsettled mind. He felt as if the monsters were lying in wait, just lurking behind every corner he couldn't set his eyes on. His thoughts were spot on, but not for the reason he was naturally convinced of. The monsters that were not sentient enough to leave the forest and live amongst the more intelligent monsters were hiding from the hunter that walked right beside him.

"It's Alban." Alban didn't have much to say, as he didn't know the guy at all. He was more than beyond sure that if he tried to comfort Lat he'd probably scare him instead. He had a way with words, you could say. When most people met him, they instinctively felt unsettled. A way with words indeed.

"...do you live here?" Lat attempted small talk once again, deterred a bit from Alban's curt reply. Not deterred enough to just suck up the uneasiness that was on his mind, but discouraged enough to stay silent for the rest of the way if the savage looking youth gave him another short reply.

It was so peculiar to him that he felt so resolved and determined, carrying a braver bearing than he had ever mustered in his life. He had always been a plucky sort, but his boldness often flinched at the thought of death. It was a feeling that had been engraved in him inside birth, yet he felt like death was merely a five letter word on his way through the mountains to the forest. It seemed he hadn't really given up on life, after all.

"You could say something like that." Alban wasn't being terse with Lat on purpose. It was unfortunate that the young gheckla kept picking topics that he couldn't really further elaborate on. Or rather, the way he phrased the questions didn't really invite Alban to divulge any further details.

"Why?"

A short pause.

"It's because I feel comfortable here. It's much better to be around people I know than a bunch of people I don't. I'm not fond of all the noise...and it's harder to get something to eat in other places." Alban's reply turned from a polite tone into a grumble. He felt hungry a lot easier lately, and it got a bit frustrating. Strangely though, he always felt somewhat satiated around the forest.

"Pfft, eat? There's all sorts of restaurants where civilization is, y'know? But I can agree with you on the sentiment that I'd rather fill my belly. I don't get to eat very often, heh." Lat was surprised with the honest answer to his query, never imagining that the mysterious and enigmatic wild man held anything in common with him. He figured it would be a much more brutal reason like "oh there's plenty more to kill here" or something stupid like "no one would ever understand me...". Monsters that didn't hang around people and preferred nature usually fell in these two groups, from what he had seen.

"Oh yeah, restaurants do exist huh. I guess you could say I've never seen one?" Alban was so caught up in his mana lessons that he seldom brought his thoughts back to his past. It wasn't like he forgot their existence—if he wanted to recall them he could easily bring them to the forefront of his mind. Although...the memories seemed to be getting a bit foggier. He wanted to worry about that, but couldn't really find the motivation to.

"Dude, me neither. We're not allowed to enter places like that at all!" Lat found it funny that such a strong person that cared about eating didn't just bust into a restaurant and demand food, but he was starting to understand why. Alban might be feral, but he was no animal.

"I'd assume they wouldn't, they can't even spare compassion for their own kind at all...so anything else would be out of character, yeah?" Lat heard Alban's puzzled question, and decided to joke with him a bit instead of honestly answer. He was getting a lot more comfortable.

"Nah, it's nothing like that. None of the captives can even get into any place like that because of the sheer amount of them flocking the place."

Alban sniggered a bit at that, before laughing a bit in amusement. Lat saw that and laughed as well, the uneasiness lingering on his mind considerably dispelled. He doubted that what came next would be easy, but at least he didn't have to be creeped out on the whole way there. Finding his courage again, he believes deep in his heart that his people would soon be saved. If anyone could do it, Alban could.

—-

The pair had already arrived at the top of the mountain before their conversation lulled. Lat was already familiar with the outcropping, so their journey to the summit didn't take very long at all. Alban stood very peak, surveying the land that felt far below him.

To the north was Nimrod, a place he was suitably familiar with. The ground was a red deeper than a sky, the plains resembling the shade rather closely. At the furthest end of continent was the Beach Of Infancy, where he was pretty sure the imps still were. He viewed their progress day by day, and he was sure they would soon leave the area. Alban hoped they ate well enough.

"Gehara's to the west. It's a bit further down from the mountain, but it shouldn't be far at all. It's right in those high stalks of grass, the ones that look a bit like wheat."

Alban's gaze was drawn to the area Lat had indicated, scouring the land thoroughly. He was searching for any easy access points that he could use to sneak in and kill the ghecks before they found out. Discovery would lead to the death of their captives, after all.

"Are ya nervous?" Lat's voice sounded out amongst the air of the summit, his voice being carried down a bit by the swift winds.

"Yeah."

"That's good. That means we'll both be putting in all our effort."

"You should be ashamed in yourself for expecting anything else. I told you I don't like Mister Piss-Pants and his cronies."

Lat sighed in contentment, already feeling pretty used to Alban's antics. He was definitely a simple guy, though he felt as if Alban was a lot more smart than he let on. Descending down the steep mountain, he walked towards Gehara with Alban in tow. His stride was brave, confident, and assured. He resolved that he would one day be strong enough to protect what he held dear, and following Alban seemed like a pretty safe bet in achieving the power he wished for. What could he say, he found the savage pretty charismatic.