Chapter 140 Friends

Warmth, something that everyone loves when it's cold and hates when it's hot. A fickle relationship exists between humans and warmth. Every human is constantly emitting warmth, yet has so many issues resisting it.

Although the love-hate-relationship is opportunistic, there are times when warmth can save a life. Sammy was one of those that needed warmth more than anything. She barely ate, slept on cold stone or was taken to their overseer's bedroom, making her wish of the hard concrete instead.

She was tired, extremely so, she fell unconscious when the guards collected the crystals. It wasn't fully natural, but close enough for it to appear real. She was fast asleep now, normally the cold hard stone would make an uncomfortable sleeping place, yet she felt surrounded by a soft warmth.

Like she was back in her bed she has longed for. Suddenly there was something rumbling. Not the environment, but internal, her stomach was growling. Acid was pooling in her belly, awaiting a feast, yet she knew nothing should be expected, and still.

Her nose picked something up that made her produce a large amount of spit, her body was ready to eat. She slowly opened her nose to inspect the smell that woke her up. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust to her surroundings, as torches were situated next to her.

A small wooden plank with warmed bread and a small basin of water lay before her. Her survival instinct kicked in, quickly reaching for the bread before stuffing it in her mouth. Her lips were still dried up, but the basin solved that issue not long after.

"You shouldn't eat that fast, you know? You should savor it."

A warm soft voice came from somewhere in front of her, it was calm and almost a whisper. She panicked slightly and grabbed a few pieces before backing up. She fell down and landed in her previous sleeping spot. A small oval-shaped basin was made of smooth rock. A large piece of cloth was placed there to soften the stone even more.

Only then did she notice where she actually was. Looking up revealed the natural uneven relief of a cave.

"Did you like my makeshift bed?", a man revealed himself from the dark. The flames lit the cave enough to see his blond hair. He only had some trousers on, making his well toned physique stand on display. She was scared as a man had come out of nowhere, but felt comfortable due to his reserved demeanor.

"Please, don't worry, I'm a friend of Big Brother, he asked me to protect you. If you ever feel bad, just call his name, he's right around the corner.", the man pointed to a dark spot in the cave. She couldn't tell where he was pointing to, but it did make her feel a bit more relieved. He talked slowly with a low voice.

"I'm Five, but you can call me Conrad, I'm a mage.", he smiled and Sammy felt her heart melt like snow in the sun. She couldn't speak, not only because she was a bit shocked, but mostly because of her unhealthy state.

The man moved closer, but very slowly as if approaching a stray cat. He looked at the small basin and noticed all the water was gone.

"Oh, let me get some more for you, please take your time eating everything.", the man carefully took the bowl and moved back into the darkness. Sammy didn't know how to feel. She was scared of men bigger than her, but compared to potato-nosed Brutus, the man looked a hundred times better.

She noticed the piece of cloth was actually his shirt and the warmed bread must've come from his magical skills. Feeling some form of gratitude, she didn't know how to convey so and couldn't due to being a bit scared.

Being left behind, she didn't know how to feel. The man felt nice, it was heaven compared to being with Brutus, but that didn't make it that much better. His friendly treatment and hospitality did make her feel nice. Her eyes got used to the dark and could now see the "corner" the man pointed to.

She wanted to go and look if Big Brother was truly there, but didn't want to leave the meal behind. Waiting long enough she went back to stuffing her tiny mouth full of warm crunchy bread. It tasted delicious even without any toppings. Looking back at the wooden plank, there were only a few slices left. Remembering the man's words she slowed her eating to make her body experience it more.

Her ears picked up the sound of stepping, the man had to be returning. Looking in the dark she awaited his reveal. If she could know where everyone around her was, it would make her feel more safe.

The man came back with a basin filled with fresh water. He entered the light and waited until Sammy got used to his presence. Then, step by step, he came closer before reaching forward and placing the bowl down. He then sat on the ground, smiling softly at her.

Neither were moving, simply observing the other. The man pushed the basin a bit forward.

"You should drink, you look thirsty."

Her throat clamped up a bit, she could use some water to wash everything down. Her hands reached for the bowl and started drinking, the man simply sat there, not doing anything.

Placing the bowl down, she wiped her mouth. The man held up his hands and a light started to appear.

"Big Brother asked me to heal you, but I wanted to wait until I got your permission. Would you like all of that pain to go away?"

The man looked so friendly, she couldn't help but open up a bit. Speaking was a bit difficult, so she simply nodded softly.

"I see, to heal you, I'll have to touch your wounds. Are you okay with that?"

She froze for a second. Time slowly passed as both didn't sway from their posture. Conrad was still, awaiting a response with a warm smile while Sammy was afraid of what would happen. After what felt like a half hour had passed did she nod softly.

Conrad stayed on his spot and merely stretched his arm out, he had to bow down a bit in order to reach her, but he didn't want to move any closer. His finger reached her stomach.

A stream of warmth came out of nowhere, the pain in her body was slowly being removed. It felt like all her worries and struggles were washed away. Suddenly the stream stopped.

"There you go, now you should be better again. I'll go get some more water. And remember, Big Brother is right around the corner, give him a sign, and he'll probably come running.", the man laughed in spite of himself before retreating back into the dark.

Being left alone, with a filled stomach and a healthy body, she didn't want to sit still any longer. She crept in the direction the man went, tailing him in an amateurish way. She thought the dark would keep her hidden, and for the most part she was correct, but that went both ways.

The man had already gone so far she could barely see him. The uneven ground and the strange twists and turns in the tunnels threw her for a loop. It was only when she heard the sound of water that she knew she was going the right way.

At a certain point she saw light. Not the typical light from a torch, no, it was much more white, almost like sun's rays were present deep inside the cavern.

She peeked around a corner to find a pristine blue lake, but what fascinated her the most were the lights on the ceiling, tiny orbs of light were reflected on the lake, creating a spectacle.

"Oh, I didn't know you were following me. Well... surprise, I found this lake deep in these caves. The water is clean, I made sure of it.", the man looked a bit shocked to see her there and smiled awkwardly while he presented the beautiful lake.

The man beckoned towards her, but then stopped after she didn't budge an inch. "You can take a bath, if you want, although I don't think you-"

The man had to stop, seeing she was already stepping into the lake, clothes and everything. She let the water completely surround her, cleaning every speck of dirt and sweat collected on her body.

The longer she drifted in the water, the warmer it became. As if by magic the water became very warm and comfortable, it was a luxury to everyone in the camp. She almost fell asleep again despite the strange situation. Hours had to have gone by as she enjoyed the pleasant bath.

"Well, I don't want to leave you here alone, but we should get back to the others. I believe Big Brother would want to see you.", he smiled again, and it pulled on her heart strings.

She got out and was immediately dried by a current of warm wind. "Nice, right? I made these spells to dry myself without getting sick, that would be the worst outcome now, wouldn't it?"

His pleasant smile almost made the girl smile as well, but she stayed neutral, not wanting to reveal everything. Still, Conrad didn't make a big deal out of it, he led her back to the main group who were waking up. Conrad didn't sleep, but he didn't need to.

Big Brother saw Sammy and his eyes opened wide open. "SAMMY!? You…you look so much better!". Her skin tone went from paper white to a bit rosy, the warm bath definitely helped out in that department. He rushed to her and embraced her.

"Did you do this?"

"Yes, I took some energy, but most of her wounds should be gone."

Everyone started to greet and hug Sammy, it was a nice reunion to see. Sammy received love from so many friends of hers that it became overwhelming. Hugs were aplenty and love was overflowing, she couldn't help but smile a bit.

She looked around and could see Conrad in the back, keeping his distance from the group. He noticed her look and gave her a smile before leaving the cave. He looked a bit sad since he couldn't be as close to her as the others were.

The group was happy, the recruit that suffered the most was finally in better health. Not only was that something to celebrate, most were looking forward to when it was their turn to receive healing. The future looked a bit less dark for once, and that set a flame alight in their hearts.

After everyone had expressed their happiness some noises were starting to come from outside. Big Brother recognized the voices and went ahead, the rest soon followed.

Outside the cave two guards were sternly looking at Conrad, as if he had been working against them.

"Listen here Five, we're asking you to bring us recruit Sixty-Two. If you're not going to comply, we'll have to take action!"

"This recruit has acknowledged your request, but she is currently in a bad state. After she collapsed yesterday, there's no way I can force her awake. It would only worsen her symptoms and slow down my efforts!"

"We don't care about that! Just bring us the girl dammit!", the guard raised his hand and smacked Conrad across the face, he fell down and needed a moment to grasp his bearings.

"Please, I'll do anything, just let her heal, give her time!"

The guards lost their interest the moment Conrad looked like he was begging. A glance between him and another guard was all he needed to figure out a just deal.

"Look, we can leave her alone for today, but you'll have to at least get us 10 crystals as compensation!", the guard look satisfied, but his friend wasn't done.

"And from now on you'll have to earn 7 crystals if you want food! 15 if you want a bed!", they both laughed out loud, enjoying their abuse of power.

Conrad stood up straight and faced them head on. "If that's what it takes, then I'll gladly agree to that!"

The guards were taken aback for a moment before snickering again, leaving him behind.