"These cuts were man-made," said the traveller, his voice low and sombre as he examined the wounds.
Darius shrugged his tone light and dismissive. "Were they now? Well, that sure is strange. I wonder what could have happened to them."
The traveller stood and clasped his hands together in a gesture of prayer, gazing down at the lifeless adventurer.
"May your soul find peace," he murmured solemnly. Kael and Sirius, standing behind him, mirrored his actions, offering their silent respects as well.
"Brother," Sirius suddenly called out, her voice trembling.
The traveller turned swiftly, as concern etched on his face. "Sirius, what is it?"
On her knees, Sirius hovered over another fallen adventurer. "I think... I think he's still alive," she said, her voice a mix of hope and urgency.
"Are you sure?" the traveller asked, kneeling beside her.
She nodded her head. "I checked. And there was a pulse. It's faint, but he's alive."
Kael stepped forward, his voice firm. "Then what are you waiting for? Use your healing magic on him!"
Sirius hesitated, glancing at the traveller, who gave her a nod of reassurance. And without wasting another moment, she began casting her spell. "Alright, here goes..."
A radiant light enveloped her hands, and as she placed them over the adventurer, the warm glow bathed his body, knitting together his wounds.
Moreover, to their surprise, the adventurer began to stir. His breathing was shallow and laboured, but he was still alive.
"Look, I think he's waking up!" Kael exclaimed.
The traveller leaned in closer, speaking gently to him. "Easy now, you're going to be okay."
Sirius added softly, "Don't move; you've been badly injured."
The adventurer coughed weakly, his voice rasping as he tried to speak. "Huff… you… you need to… huff… run… away."
Kael puzzled. "Run away? Run away from what?"
Sirius pressed him gently. "Who did this to you?"
With great effort, the adventurer managed to choke the words out of his mouth. "It… was… it was... the Black Lizards."
"The Black Lizards?" Kael repeated, puzzled. "Who are they?"
The traveller's expression darkened. "The name of whoever attacked them, no doubt." He then turned to Sirius. "How long will it take you to stabilize him?"
"His injuries are severe," Sirius replied, concentrating on her magic. "I can keep him alive, but the blood loss is beyond what I can heal."
"That's okay. You just focus on keeping him alive," the traveller assured her.
As Sirius continued her on work, the traveller stood and turned to Kael. "While we try to figure out who these Black Lizards are. Now."
Kael cracked his knuckles, as a determined grin spread across his face. "Got it."
Nearby, Darius and Malric quietly whispered among themselves, their voices low but filled with malice.
"So what do we do now?" Darius muttered. "The guy woke up."
"I told you we should've killed that kid when we had the chance," Malric replied, frustration lacing his tone.
"Does it really matter now? It's too late to do anything about it," Darius said with a shrug.
Malric clicked his tongue, in irritation. "Guess you're right. Still, we simply can't just let them walk away. So we'll take care of them before the boss finds out."
Darius grinned wickedly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Fine by me. Oh by the way, the girl's all mine. I can have some fun with her."
As the two exchanged malicious glances, Kael and the traveller turned to face them, their expressions unyielding. Then they slowly, closed the distance, the air between them heavy with tension.
The traveller locked eyes with Darius. "So, is there something you aren't telling us?"
Darius smirked. "Not really. Not like there's anything left to tell."
"Yeah," Kael then added his tone sharp. "Not like any of it was true."
Darius's smirk faltered. "Tch. What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means we don't believe you," Kael shot back.
Malric's grin widened. "Is that so?"
The atmosphere grew thick with hostility. Sirius, still focused on healing the adventurer, could feel the very tension escalating.
"Look, we don't want any trouble," the traveller said, his tone measured. "So let's just try to talk this out."
Malric let out a laugh, his eyes glinting with a sadistic glee. "Oh, you'll get something to talk about."
And with a sudden roar, he slammed his hands to the ground. As a glowing magic circle flared beneath his palms, and the earth erupted violently.
Then two massive chunks of rock surged upwards, slamming into both the traveller and Kael with crushing force. The impact of the attack sent both of them flying into the nearby wall with a deafening boom.
"Brother! Kael!" Sirius cried out in panic.
Malric dusted off his hands. "There, that should do the trick."
Darius then grabbed Sirius by the arm, pulling her to her feet. "If I were you, I'd worry about myself," he sneered, leaning in closer. "But don't worry—I'll take good care of you." He inhaled deeply, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "You smell nice. This is going to be fun."
Sirius gritted her teeth, rage burning in her eyes.
"Hey, Darius quit messing around!" Malric called over his shoulder. "Let's report this, back to the boss."
As Malric turned to leave, a low voice stopped him in his tracks. "Now, where do you think you're going?"
Malric froze. 'No way,' he thought, panic rising. 'You're telling me they're still—'
As the dust settled, both the traveller and Kael emerged, standing tall and unscathed.
Sirius smiled in relief, while Darius and Malric stared in disbelief.
"No way," Darius muttered. "How the hell are you two still standing after a hit like that?"
The traveller calmly dusted off the dust off his robe, as a confident smirk crossed his lips. "You'll find that we're not that easy to kill."
Kael cracking his neck "Yeah!" a grin spreading across his face saying. "Your move."
End of Chapter 21.