They walked through the forest. Since it was lunchtime and neither of them had eaten anything today, Rue plucked berries along the way and served them to Ylre. Ylre had an aversion to fruit after yesterday, but because Rue was the one who gave it to him, he ate it.
Since Rue didn't need to eat and wasn't really hungry, he only collected food for Ylre, who he thought would need some food as a human.
The fox followed them all the time, sometimes it got lost behind the bushes, sometimes it couldn't keep up because it's paw was injured. However, it always caught up with them in the end, until disappearing somewhere again. Ylre ignored the vixen while Rue spoke to it, then ran away when he saw something interesting.
Ylre just watched how he couldn't stay on a straight path, how everything always caught his attention, how every little thing distracted him. And not just that. Every time they walk for a while, Rue would carve a line into a tree and walk on.
Ylre watched the marked places for a moment and asked, "Do you know why you mark them?"
When Rue heard him, he stopped in confusion and examined the tree. He thought for a while, as he had the impression that it had some other meaning than merely marking the path they had taken. But he couldn't remember.
That's why he smiled softly and said, "I don't know...but I'm calmer that way," he moved his gaze behind them, where some of the trees were marked, "Do you want to try?" he asked.
"No need." Ylre didn't need to, and as Rue continued down the path, he followed him.
They walked for some time until they reached a deeper part of the forest where the mountains began. They didn't intend to cross them, so they kept to a moderate path. However, the nature of the environment changed, and when they got a little beyond the beginning of the rocks, the first interesting thing caught their eyes.
"Lucky Cave?" Rue read the sign at the entrance to the rock.
"I don't know if it's lucky, but it's definitely in a strange location." Ylre walked up to him.
"Do you know what it is?" Rue asked, intrigued.
Ylre nodded, "Caves where stones or crystals were once found were believed to bring Luck. When they were mined, the church built shrines in them to return the favor. It's never been done before this age, but people believe that when they pray for Luck in it and leave a gift...it will bring them luck and the cave will once again be mined as it used to be," he explained.
"How nice," Rue praised and went into the cave.
Ylre followed him and entered with him into a darker space with a considerable change in temperature. It was still unbelievably hot outside yesterday, today it cooled down a bit, as if it was going to rain, but it was even cooler in the cave.
However, the deeper they went, the better their bodies got used to the cold, and when they were a few meters behind the entrance, they didn't feel the cold much anymore. They walked for a while before the darkness cleared in the stone alcove.
A beautifully smoothed wall with a stone table coming straight out of the cave with a few candles and sticks to light showed that people still come here.
Rue contentedly walked over to the table, took one of the candles and held its flame to the loose stick, which slowly ignited. He watched the clematis burn and handed the candle to Ylre, who wasn't very impressed. He examined the yellow crystal in the stone wall above the small table and after a moment lit one of the sticks without saying a word.
"Luckily, may luck be with us," Rue bowed gently and smiled contentedly.
"Luckily," Ylre repeated.
They stood side by side for a moment before Ylre said, "We should go."
,,Why? Shall we see what's inside?" Rue asked curiously as he hadn't been in the cave for a long time.
"We don't know if it's a good idea...the stone above should be white," he nodded over the stone table, "the fact that it's yellow means something is happening here...and it adds luck to it." he clarified.
"What do you mean?" he didn't understand.
"I don't know," he wasn't sure, "maybe the church is taking an illegal stay here." he clarified.
It took a moment for Rue to piece together the connections and he nodded, "Ah...okay," he didn't want to meet anyone from the church in case there was any Infey, "we can go out."
But no sooner had they stepped forward than Rue stopped. He looked into the cave again and then at Ylre, "Do you hear that?"
"I don't hear anything," he said the sentence for the second time today, as he had no idea what Rue had heard.
"A scream..." Rue whispered as if trying to focus and made his way deeper into the cave.
"Rue-" Ylre tried to stop him, but Rue didn't listen so he went in as well.
They walked down the cave corridor to a fork where Rue turned left as if he really heard something Ylre didn't. They continued in the darkness for a while before torches with fire appeared at the edge of the corridor and allowed them to see where they were going.
The deeper they went, the clearer the sounds Ylre hadn't heard before were. At first only a vague scream, then he heard words in it, and when they came close enough, he even registered their meaning.
"Aá-ááh-áá-áágh! E-enough-ágh-ágh...please-ágh..not-t-so s-strong...aágh-ágh!"
Ylre was sure what activity the sound was coming from, but he wasn't sure if Rue knew, so after a while he in front of him and blocked his way.
"Someone needs help," Rue didn't understand why he was standing in his way.
"I'll solve it...you can stay here, " he promised.
"Let's solve this together." Rue want to help and tried to step forward.
But Ylre stopped him again. The sounds behind them grew louder, along with the loud screams of the tortured young man, the laughter of the people who were causing him pain could also be heard, and Rue looked like he couldn't bear it much longer.
"Let me solve it," Ylre tried, "you helped that fox in the forest...now I'll help, okay? You said I should help, I want to show you that I know how too. I'll call you when I'm done."
Due to his uncertainty, Rue hesitated for a moment, but since it looked like he really wanted to help and his job was to lead people to the right path, he nodded, "I understand ...but why can't I go too?"
"Because you don't have to see it," Ylre said and moved forward. After a while he reached the larger space where the whole theater was taking place. He came to a group of guys who were talking with a naked young man.
One of them held his hands pressed against the rock, the other sat next to him and played with his nipples from below, the third was hungrily touching his body and the fourth slammed his ass from behind as if he wanted to smash him against the rock. At first glance it was more brutal than normal sex should be and Ylre sighed mentally at how strange people were.
Not that he was as ignorant as other Infeys, but he clearly didn't understand why so many people preferred violent sex. Ylre was of the opinion that it should be something voluntary, where both will enjoy the experience...be it gentle or hard sex...but people got it wrong and did whatever they wanted. As if their goal wasn't an act of mutual affection, but a purely beastly act of self-gratification. However, Ylre saw people as strange animals, so everything made sense.
The guys were so engrossed in fucking the helpless youngster that they only noticed him when he was next to them. Ylre didn't even try to resolve the situation verbally and simply kicked the guy who was fucking the young man.
"Agh!" the violent man screamed as his penis slipped out of his victim while the younger tried to get away, as the guys let him go in a second.
Ylre grabbed one of the swords tossed aside and with a simple swing drove all the guys away from him.
He stood in front of the young man and said, "Aren't you sick of yourself? Luck is looking at you." it sounded ironic from his mouth, but basically he wasn't lying.
"Who the fuck are you? What the hell do you want?!" the man took another sword from the ground.
"I was walking and I saw how you commit atrocities...if you want me to let you live, get out...or should I call the guards? I saw a patrol on the way...a group of Rinsel people raping a minor Lacrisan...they'll be glad...maybe they'll let you pay with your bodies as well...your kind likes to make excuses a lot I hear. I guess they're the same kind as you, you will have fun just like he had," he said looking at the not even twenty year old human behind him.
"Atrocities? That kid tricked us!" he shouted.
"I d-didn't," the young man cried on the ground in terror.
"He seduced us! And then he robbed us! It's only fair that we take the penalty, isn't it?!" the guy shouted.
"I-I didn't s-steal anything-" he curled up on the ground and whined exhaustedly into his knees.
Ylre sighed, "I don't care, get out while I'm nice."
The guys gave him a hostile look before snorting in displeasure and declaring, "Screw him...if I ever see you..I will fuck you that you will never sit down again!" he screamed in anger, whereupon the youth hid behind Ylre.
Ylre sighed and pointed his sword at them, "I say get out...I'd like to spend the night here and I don't want to be here with your corpses...so fuck off."
The guy growled, but since Ylre looked like he knew how to fight, he didn't fight back and walked away with the group.
Ylre watched him for a moment before the young man shakily pulled his robes.
"What do you want?" Ylre wasn't interested.
"Why did you help me?" he asked
Ylre shook him off, "As soon as they get out, get out too," he said and went after Rue, who was supposed to be waiting in the corridor.
What a surprise when he saw him against the wall with his back turned and his hands over his eyes, as if he had just seen something he shouldn't have.
"Rue?" Ylre walked up to him, "I told you not to come here."
"Um," he nodded, "I-I know," he cleared his throat gently and shook his head, "but I was afraid that they would be a problem...so...I'm...sorry..." he didn't know, why he apologizes to him, but the sight of what those people did to the young man was enough to make him feel embarrassed.
"It's okay now," Ylre said gently, "they were nothing...they left...nothing else is happening."
Rue turned slowly and looked through his fingers as if he was reassured. But he was right, the guys went out, and except for the naked young man behind the rocks, nothing said that there had been a sexual scene.
Ylre watched Rue's red face, and smiled gently as his heart suddenly beat with a warm feeling.
Rue looked confused at Ylre and asked, "Why are you laughing?" He looked at the surroundings and at a young man who was a victim of inappropriate actions.
"I don't laugh, I was just thinking how nice your reaction was...innocent," he said.
Rue blinked and looked at Ylre as he didn't understand, "Innocent?"
"It was very pure, very rare...I really liked it so I couldn't hold a smile." Ylre said softly.
The deep sigh from Rue's side showed Ylre that the he didn't understand him again.
,,Ylre, nothing sexually is rare... It is an act blessed by luck. Way for people to produce the offspring, nothing more in it. What the men have committed today is outrageous." He said, but despite his seriousness he was still blushing as if he had participated in the act himself.
Ylre nodded, "I know."
Rue was recovering for a while from what he saw before he realized that there was something more important. He looked at the young man, who had already been dressed, "Luck with you, child," he started tenderly, "are you all right?"
The young man measured him for some time before he nodded, "I am, thank you," he said and smiled gently as if he had just seen something glorious, ,,you're really beautiful."
Rue just smiled gently, but Ylre growled, "When you're fine, get out." He nodded to the corridor.
"Out?" The young man was startled, "What if I meet them again? I-I am scared." tears were pushing into his eyes.
"Don't worry, you don't have to go anywhere." Rue said and looked at Ylre.
Ylre frowned and glared at him, "I didn't save you to stay with us, so fuck off."
"Just for a night." He tried timidly.
"No." Ylre didn't hesitate.
"At least until they will go away...they're waiting somewhere... please." He whispered.
Ylre was about to say something, but Rue said first, "Of course you can ... the sun's starting to set, we'll stay here for a night." He wanted to bathe in the pond and see the cave.
"Thank you." the young man smiled continued and approached Rue as if he wanted to look at him better, but Ylre didn't allow him.
Ylre simply stood between them and glared at the young man with hostility, "No."
He grabbed the young man's hand, forcing him to walk. Since Rue didn't even have time to object, Ylre dragged him through the corridor and to the entrance of the cave.
"Go wherever you want, but you won't stay here with us. If you meet them, it's your bad luck." He put him to the entrance when his eyes fell into the forest.
Surprisingly, he heard a sharp sound of drops falling to the ground, a few louder thunders that he didn't hear in the cave before realizing that there was a storm outside.
"Ylre!" Rue caught up with him, "What are you doing?"
"Bu ...it's raining...I can't go out..." the young man looked at them hesitantly.
"Of course no. You can stay until the storm stops." Rue said tenderly.
"Can I?" The young man give a hesitant look to Ylre as he wasn't sure.
Ylre growled dissatisfied, "If you do anything inappropriate, I will make sure that what those men did to you will be a good memory compared to what I will do." He didn't believe him at all.
"Thank you." The young man smiled happily.
Ylre, however, didn't feel good about this and wasn't satisfied with the development. It wasn't that the young man was suspicious, it wasn't that he believed the words that men said about his theft. But since he knew very well how much luck current Rue had and how every road he takes leads to trouble, he didn't believe that this meeting with a young man was harmless.
And since his own luck couldn't compensate Rue's bad luck, he had to be wary. Because he knew Rue was never careful. And it was his job to take a care of him.