The Feeble Resistance

Dark, dusty and stuffy. For a group claiming to overthrow the current king, the resistance base was undersupplied, understaffed and undersized. Lariana has already told Dalton that the base was simply a repurposed cave, so he wasn't expecting much. But this? This was just disappointing.

Looking out into the jungle, he much rather sleep on the cold muddy floor than this dumpster of a cave, he thought. But as the cold night breeze blew in, Dalton retracted that claim. No way. 

"Sorry, most of our resources were sent to the main base. This place is more of a backup base." Lariana sheepishly apologized.

Dalton nodded. It's rare seeing her so humble.

He looked back at Sylph whose eyes were fixated on the skies.

"Staring at the moon? You kanines are certainly weird." Dalton commented.

Gently, he nudge Sylph into the cave, but she refused; growling and whimpering. It was the same attitude as when they first entered this forest, though even then she was less stubborn.

"Come on, it's not that bad here." Dalton tried to coerce, but she still refused.

"Perhaps its the curry we are cooking." A butch voice approached from behind, "The spices may be a bit strong smelling for a dog."

Dalton nodded politely, though personally, he doubts so. Sylph loves curry. Truth be told she likes anything edible. Something else was making her hesitant to enter…

"This is Stephen, he is a our current de facto leader." Lariana introduced.

"You must be that Delta-guy Lariana mentioned! Thank you for saving our Lariana!" the butch voice said.

"Its Dalton. Its a real pleasure meeting you." Dalton corrected softly, shaking his hand. 

"Stephen here uses support magic. He can increase one's speed, endurance, strength or any other physical trait." Lariana explained.

Dalton forced a painfully smile. The grip on this guy was firm, almost too firm. Dalton wondered if he was a mis-classed warrior instead as he felt the bones in his hands cracking.

"Dinners ready!" A senile voice came from inside. Dalton shook the pain away from his hands. 

"Oh I'm starving!" Stephen boomed, as he walked into the dining hall. Lariana followed suit. 

Dalton looked back at Sylph still reluctant to go in. Was she scared?

"Come on buddy, aren't you hungry?" Dalton tried to convince Sylph to come in, but she only whined and growled.

After a while, Dalton gave up. Surely if he left her outside for a while, she would feel lonely and come in, he thought.

In the dining hall, many people stood around in the large empty room. The men brought in shaggy carpets which were rolled over the rocky floor. 

Broken bowls were placed above with a single wooden spoon. There was no chair to sit on and the floor was uncomfortably rough; much to Dalton's dismay.

An old granny then came by with a giant pot in one hand and a rusty ladle in another. She poured clear reddish soup onto each of our bowls while a helper behind placed stale bread into the soup. Apparently, this is what they call curry. 

Dalton took a sip of the curry. It was spicy, but that was it. It was like they boiled salted chillies and called it a day. The bread was no better. When dry, it was hard like rocks. When soaked in the soup, it became chewy. If Sylph was here, she would be sorely disappointed by this meal…

Animal intuition sure is scary.

"How was it?"

A soft petite voice caught Dalton by surprise. With all the courage and kindness he could muster, he tried to give a fake smile. 

She was a skinny elf with tanned skin, only around 10 years of age. But what stood out more than her age was her eating habits. She was a messy eater with crumbs all over her face; a personal pet peeve of Dalton's. With each scoop of the soup a sizable amount would drip carelessly onto her shirt.

But as Dalton looked more carefully, he noticed a white film over her eyes. Was she blind?

"Yes, I am blind." She said, whilst taking another sip of the soup, "And sorry I couldn't eat more politely."

Dalton's eyes opened wide. Was he thinking out loud? How careless!

The girl snickered and stroked her chin. Though blind she seems to inspecting Dalton relatively closely, like there was something on his face.

"Hmm… I see, I see…" she continued muttering.

She then gave Stephen a thumbs up, who patted her on her head.

"Hahaha! That's Lily, she's a unique one, her ability 'The Mind' gives her the ability to read thoughts." Stephen exclaimed, "Sorry my friend for doubting you."

"You don't have to apologize Stephen, the fault is with me." The girl intervened.

"When Lariana mentioned you, I was worried she brought back a spy. But after reading your mind, I can conclude you are safe." She sipped her soup again, "Oh, don't worry though, I stopped reading your mind the moment I had confirmation you weren't a spy. I don't believe in invading one's privacy unless necessary." 

"Haha… thank you." Dalton nervously replied.

Though young, the girl has a mature aura for her age. Something that can only be aquired through travesty. Though if a girl is so young is part of the Liberation party, it's safe to say that the state of matter is dire.

Awkwardly, he took another mouthful of the soup. He was wondering why a resistance group would so easily trust a non-magic foreigner… but by having a telepath in their ranks, it probably allows them to act more freely.

"Hey drop it you mutt!" A voice thundered from across the room.

Sylph ran out the room, coin pouch in its jaws. A man followed behind her, diving at her, but his fingers barely touched her tail as she scurried off to the entrance.

Dalton pinched the sides of his temple. Not again, he thought…

"Is that your dog?" Lily asked.

"Yeah…" Dalton groaned as he down the last dregs of his soup, before standing up.

"If you are going, I am following you." Lily said.

"Don't worry, you don't have to…"

"But I want to." She interrupted whilst pouting her cheeks slightly, "I know you are worried about bringing a blind girl along, but that's why Lariana is coming along with me!"

Lariana darted her head in surprise.

"Wait since when did I…" She tried to speak up; mouth still stuffed with bread.

Lily interrupted her, "I can't read their thoughts, but I can 'hear' the emotions of animals. That dog was feeling uneasy. If you allow me to come with you, I should be able to guide you to her."

Dalton raised his finger, almost as if trying to rebute. But after thinking for a bit, he couldn't find grounds to reject Lily's request.

In the end, he conceded.

"Sure..." he sighed reluctantly.

Lily hopped a bit with her fist in the air, much to Dalton's confusion. Was this really worth celebrating about?

Seeing his puzzled look, Stephen slid to Dalton's side.

"Lily loves animals..." He whispered with a smile.

Dalton nodded. It was relieving to see her acting like a kid again.