Elementals | Volume I: The Awakening

Abandoned - Chapter 4

     Drako sat in silence in the office opposite Harriet who was behind the desk, Vera and Khan sitting in the armchairs next to his. Harriet removed the hand that was covering her mouth and opens her mouth as if to say something but closes it. Vera surprisingly breaks the silence, "I still don't get why we're in tro-" she says, before getting interrupted by Harriet, "I know, but it's out of my hands. The higher-ups ordered this, so even though I know it's wrong, I have to do this. ". Drako sighs and looks a Khan, who sits quietly, hanging his head in shame. Harriet sighs and speaks, "Vera, Drako, and Khan, you're to be outside this castle with your belongings in an hour. No freemarks will be given on your leave.".

     He sits on the ground outside the castle, shivering slightly. "When are they going to finish getting their stuff?" He thought, just before Vera came outside the castle. He gets up and tries to smile at her before stopping and remembering that she wouldn't even be able to see it. "I still can't fucking believe it. You two try to protect me and we get kicked out. So what if Khan stuck a spear in the bastard? He was killing you!" She says angrily, to which he just nods. "Sorry, we got us kicked out." She says in a small voice after calming down, looking down. "Hey, it's not your fault." He says, to which she responds, "Isn't it? If I was just strong enough to stop him.." her voice getting smaller with each word, eventually trailing off. He starts to respond after a few moments of contemplating his answer but spots Khan out of the corner of his eye, using him as an escape from the conversation, "Hey, Khan's finally here." he says, to which Vera just nods. They meet up and start climbing down towards the river, beginning their adventure.

     It takes them a day to realize that they were seriously underprepared to lead the lives of nomads. They remained cold the entire journey down, packed no food and were starving, which was not a new experience to them. They slept on the rocky ground and failed at starting a fire, after which Khan said he wished he had magic to do it for him, which earned him glares from both Vera and Drako. They had finally reached the bottom of the mountain, where Vera jumped on the muddy ground and hugged it (tried to anyway). They set up camp and succeeded in starting a fire, Khan, and Drako sitting near it for a while, presuming Vera had gone off to get food. Drako headed to the river after telling Khan that he was getting water from the river, humming to himself as he climbed over the slight hill that hid the river from the campsite. He reaches the top and stops in shock, having seen Vera bathing in the river. He stares for a bit too long, cursing once he realizes what he's doing, and turns around. Just as he starts to leave, Vera sees him and yelps, causing him to jump and turn around. "Wh-what the hell are you d-doing!?" she screams at him, turning a deep shade of red, which is concealed. "I w-was ju-just ge-getting w-wa-water I-I swear!" he shouts, incredibly embarrassed and trying to walk away. "Fucking creep!" she yells at him. They ended up laughing about it by the fire that night.

     They manage to find a nearby village and start selling items that they gathered out in the woods in one week, still getting a lower price for being Solites. They managed to buy 3 tents, Khan joking about it being better if they got two tents instead, seeing as Vera and Drako seemed so comfortable together. That, of course, earned him a slap from Vera. They managed to cook food every day and bought coats to keep them warm. The woods were surprisingly mild, there were no monsters and dozens of elk. Drako and Vera walk through the forest, trying to see if they can get one last kill before the sun sets. "I think I see one over there," she says, pointing at a pair of antlers jutting out of a bush. He nods and looks at her while she nocks an arrow in her bow, "You got this?" he asks, putting a hand on the hilt of his scimitar. "I'm fine," she responds, letting the arrow loose and killing it. She runs over to the body, Drako watching her. She struggles to lift it and stumbles towards the camp, eventually being helped by him. When they get back, Khan has already left for the village to sell their items, leaving Drako and Vera alone to cook the food. She looks up from the fire at his face/mask, "Hey Drako.." she says, to which he looks up at her, meeting her gaze "Yeah?" he says. "Nevermind," she says in a small voice. They end up going to sleep to continue this lifestyle the next day.

Side Note: Sorry if this chapter also seems boring or lacking in plot, I'm just really tired. I'll try to actually write the next one in the day, so I can focus more on the story and less on staying awake. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed reading this!