Chapter 18: Simply Difficult

Running at full speed with his heart beating intensely, Tye knew he had made a mistake.

Because now, a deranged man with bloodthirsty eyes was running right next to him.

Moments ago, this man wasn't as crazy to follow him into the darkness with only a few torch lights on the cave walls.

But whatever made him lose his senses, he was definitely after Tye's blood.

"What do I do?! What do I do?!" Tye kept thinking to himself as he was filled with fear.

Just as the man was about to land a blow on him, Tye stopped his own feet from running.

Which caused his pursuer to go meters onward until realizing he had outran Tye.

The man turned around and filled with eagerness for blood, he quickened his steps going in the opposite direction.

And before him, he saw a thin long sword coming for his head.

Caught in fear, he ducked the incoming sword.

Tye had swung his sword at him from a more dark corner which caught the man off guard.

"How's your head?!" Tye asked in a low and cold voice.

The man was taken aback when he felt blood dripping from his forehead.

He touched his forehead and seeing the blood, he licked it and became enraged.

The sight baffled Tye because he noticed the man didn't know about the injury.

"No sensitivity to pain," Tye thought.

The man clenched his fist and ran towards Tye.

Tye had the upper advantage here, because he was armed.

But he realized he could still get some information from this man.

So he kept his sword in its sheath and clenched his own fist, ready for a fight.

The man swung his hands up and down, left, right, and center, but Tye only dodged.

The man just kept groaning as Tye didn't return any punch.

Tye was only studying him.

And the more he saw, the more distressed he became.

When Tye would dodge him, the man would hit hard to a wall.

But he only continued his fight as if he hit nothing.

What got Tye even more disturbed is at one time during the fight, the man swung his hand into a torch.

But he only continued as if he hit nothing.

"I see," Tye remarked.

Growing weary of dodging, Tye slammed his head to the man's chest which sent the man backwards.

But not down to his feet.

Still defending and dodging, Tye asked,

"Is this what you meant, when your comrade asked that I "end your suffering?""

The man became only more angered at his question.

"You! Just look at you and not being affected by this thing, like the rest of us!"

Tye was saddened at his words. He jumped back and replied,

"This doesn't make sense! If we stop this fight, we can find a way to help you people!"

The man pressed on.

"There's no way of helping!—"

Tye's blood began to boil at those words.

"Shut it! There has to be something that can be done!"

The man wouldn't listen and only rushed towards Tye with fists instead of words.

And this time, the man moved at his speed. Tye received a hard blow to the gut, sending him backwards.

On one knee and filled with pain, Tye looked onto the man walking towards him.

Sweating profusely, Tye yelled at him,

"So you really don't want a life you had before? Just this cave?"

At his question, the man no longer walked but began to run towards Tye stomping hard on the ground engulfed in rage.

From Tye's observations, this man was superior to him in terms of speed and strength, due to the fruit he had consumed.

And he figured he wouldn't have enough time to recover to his feet and defend.

But a hard punch to the face wasn't the problem.

Tye knew of this man's condition and his villagers.

This was because the fruit that maddened the people of this village only grew in Kiltar, in Blood Forest.

And once struck with the madness, there's no going back.

And for a mysterious reason, Kiltarns are affected by the madness quicker than Miskans.

And most people didn't know the fruit existed except educated Kiltarns.

To most other people, it is mostly a myth.

And due to the problems that the fruit causes, the animals of Blood Forest are far more dangerous than normal predators.

This fact is why any Kiltarn that had committed an offense that's too big for hanging and too small for a life sentence, is banished to Blood Forest.

No one is allowed there, but no one overlooks that.

Because nearing the forest will lead to death.

And Tye knew well of all these facts.

Even though Miskans don't go crazy so soon unlike Kiltarns, why the man attacking him and his colleagues aren't completely insane, he has no idea.

While thinking through all this, the man swung his right onto Tye's face.

Tye fell hard to the ground.

To his attacker's joy, he had Tye where he wanted him.

Summoning full strength, he jumped high into the air and slammed his hands hard on Tye's position.

But Tye had rolled away just in time, escaping death.

The man looked to his left and right, but no one was there.

Right next to his ear, he heard a childlike voice behind him.

"You're too slow."

Turning back, he saw Tye and swung his hands to him.

Tye was done with defense. This time, he caught the man's hand, sent him downwards and sent his knee towards the man's face.

Enraged, the man jumped back to feel his broken nose.

But what's there to feel, when there's no pain to feel?

"I see," Tye began.

"Your case is far worse than I thought."

***

Kti was with a satisfactory smile looking at Lina.

"I like your enthusiasm," he said and glared at Yiss and continued,

"That's the spirit of a true Rogue member! Now we need to disperse for you know, we cannot travel in groups."

Lina nodded in affirmation.

Yiss, on the other hand, made no movement and avoided eye contact with anyone.

Lina grimaced at her, turned to Kti and Yama and said,

"What preparations are you people making? 

And what about that informant they mentioned of the feudal mistress coming after the Rogues?"

Yama replied,

"That won't be a problem for now. The sooner we can have the power of governor of Kiltar, dealing with the mistress will be so much easier."

"How long will this take?"

Everyone's expression became grave at her question. Yama replied,

"It will take as long as it needs to."

"When can I see my family again?"

Yama shrugged.

"We said it before: the moment you people even saw us, you were dead fellows. I'm sorry, but the only life you have left is with us."

"Right..." Lina said, saddened.

With memories of her past with her family, the idea of never seeing them again was too much for her.

Dinners, family travels, all to be no more.

No more family. No more job at the Medical Camp. No more rest.

All because the king was too useless and wicked that the doctors had to journey for a cure.

Resulting in their meeting with the Rogues.

All these thoughts made Lina's hands shake, her eyes becoming watery, letting out tears.

Kti and Yama watched her without emotion.

They had seen many of her types come and go.

Before anyone could say anything, Lina clenched her fists and wiped her tears.

"S-sorry. What do we do now?"

Yama shrugged and said,

"We get going! Hey, weakling," she said, looking in Yiss's direction.

"Got something you want to say?!" she asked with a grin.

Yiss only nodded her head in the negative, while avoiding eye contact with anyone and clenching hard onto her cloak given to her by the Rogues.

"Great!"

"What now?" Lina inquired.

"First off, we need not begin the assassination right away. There's a more helpful way that'll mitigate our chances of losing."

Lina and Yiss thought for a while. Lina asked,

"What will that be?"

"Well, we need information on what we'll do next from our leader."

"Who is that?" Yiss asked.

Kti tilted his head and said while grinning,

"Prince Timothy's cousin."