ONE POINT FIVE (1.5 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 28

Aknon's POV

I groaned as I rested my back against a large boulder. I was wrapping a cloth around my leg, blood immediately sinking into it and staining the fabric a deep crimson. It had been a day since I left the orc camp and I'd already been ambushed. They didn't take anything from me, probably assuming I had nothing. I didn't quite understand, given the fact I had a pretty impressive sword by my side. They didn't notice it, nor did they seem interested in any of my clothing or other belongings, but that was maybe due to the fact that they were all shrunken and they didn't know magic.

"I know," I grumbled to the horse, who I now referred to as Char, after they tried to eat my charcoal. "I didn't think that it would take me this long. It doesn't hurt that badly."

Char was nudging my wounded leg with their nose, sniffing at it before nudging it again.

"I don't think it's poisoned." I didn't know why I was talking to a horse like it could understand me and have a proper conversation, but it was the best conversation I could get at the moment. I had camped during the night, and I still hadn't arrived at any other villages or towns. "Why on earth would anyone use poison on someone they were trying to rob? That would just be a waste of resources." I didn't know if I was thinking along the logical route, or if I was being somewhat naive.

I tied the knot on the cloth and sat back. I thought that I had been slow before, now I knew I'd be even slower. I glanced around at the road, which had not changed much. There was just grass and dirt, with the occasional flower beating the odds.

I looked up to the sky, wondering if Aero or Abner were laughing at me, those being respective deities of the sky and truth. I then reminded myself I was delightfully insignificant in comparison to the rest of the world. Being a child of Dwi hadn't changed my perception on my self-importance, or lack thereof.

"I wonder how Senka is doing," I mumbled to myself, watching Char eat some grass. "I know that she was going to find Acer, but it's already been so long. I don't know if she's okay, and it's really getting to me." I tried to wrack my brain, trying to remember if Buruh mentioned anything about how she was doing, I had the strange feeling that she didn't.

Char didn't reply.

"I don't even know if we're going the right way," I continued my rambling, feeling tired and bored. "I haven't even looked at my book over the past day. I'm so tempted to just get rid of it."

As I said those words, a horrible feeling washed over me. I knew that I would never and could never get rid of that book. It had been a gift from Dwi, at least at some point. I didn't know how truthful it was, but it was still a tome of knowledge. It would be disrespectful to both Odon and Dwi, and disrespecting the deities was something I'd rather avoid if I could, even if I had negative emotions towards them.

I contemplated staying there for longer before shaking my head and standing. Char gave a confused neigh, following me quickly, getting in front of me.

"I'm fine," I told the horse simply, putting a hand on his side. Whenever I tried to step forward, he got in my way. "Don't be difficult." I sounded more tired than I wanted to. It had been a day; how could I be feeling like this so soon?

I tried to step forward once more, but Char let out a loud noise and began pushing me backwards.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, moving so that I could look into his eyes. I knew that he wasn't stupid, no animal was stupid. It was a very common relief that animals had the same intelligence as humans and the like, the minority believed that they were inferior. It was just very frustrating that we couldn't communicate with them as well as we could with other creatures.