Chapter 39: The Outcasts (1)
Wanderers were people without homes. The house was a luxury they could not afford, so they would travel from place to place, never staying for too long. Jace worked in the factory, that processed the demon's corpses before but has to retire soon due to his leg injury.
The bodies leaving the battlefield should be cleaned of poisonous blood, before being handed by the ordinary workers, but that day a small accident happened. The remained black liquid splashed on Jace's leg, penetrating his skin and eroding his bone.
The priest was able to stop the poison from spreading, but the affected leg was already lost. It was painful to be constantly on the move, but they had no other choice.
"What are you looking at?! We are no spectacle for you!" Lester was offended by her eyes.
"I'm not watching you…? You just stand in my way."
Arianell then left them behind, not in the mood to talk to them.
But after several minutes, she realized that the wagon was following her. They went in the same direction as her and if left be, they will eventually arrive at her house.
What are they?
Stalkers?
She can't reveal the location of the house like this…
"If you keep on going this way, you will get to the forest," she reminded them impatiently.
"That's not your business, miss. Shouldn't you be worried about yourself? A young girl alone in this wasteland?" Lester scoffed.
In reality, he wasn't planning on following her but had no idea where to go. They couldn't stay in the village after the hunt. People were wary of them because they knew that he ventured into the Forest, but killing the cub of a magical beast was a big taboo, almost like a crime.
They left the destination to their old horse, accepting to end up wherever the mount wished to. Lester knew people avoided Forest at all costs, but sometimes hunger got the better of him. Willing to risk his life, he was determined to not let his brother die of malnutrition. But this time, he failed miserably.
It was believed that once a magical beast is captured, it will destroy its core to not fall into the hands of poachers. And if one of them dies, the rest of the pack will come to them for revenge. That's why they were forced to leave the city, as no one wanted to attract beasts into their home.
"That's not your business either," she answered. She walked for a few more minutes but then inconspicuously changed the direction.
She could not risk leading the strangers to her home when she didn't even know their intentions. She was shocked by the events at the marketplace before that she didn't realize how dangerous this situation can be. They had the horse while she was walking, and she couldn't run away from them. For now, she decided to lead them around, and then find the right opportunity to return to the city.
Arianell walked with heavy feelings. She focused too much on the men behind her but less on the way she was heading. She doesn't know, how much time has passed, but her legs started hurting. As they processed through the dryland, only the horse and the pulled cart could be heard as the three people were silent, lost in their thoughts.
"Ah…" Arianell realized her mistake as the pristine stream came into their view.
Why has she gone so far? Instead of returning to the village, she just leads them to her secret place!
The river before them was the one flowing from the Forest. On the riverside, several holes could be seen. It was the location where she started her olive alley. She wanted to hide her house from them but ended up revealing her orchard.
"There was a river?" Lester was surprised, he pulled the horse and got off from the wagon. "Oh, my Goddess! Jace, look at those plump fishes on it! We will fill our bellies tonight…"
Arianell was perplexed. Don't they know that water comes from the Forest? The people in the west would never use it, nor eat a fish from it. She doesn't have the same prejudice, as she ate a lot of things from the woods, but she hasn't tried the fish here either.
Because she doesn't know how to catch them.
Lester tossed aside his shoes and got into the water.
"The temperature is perfect! Jace, come in! Let's wash ourselves," he was over 30 but was as excited as 15 years old.
"The water source came from the forest, you know…" she told them.
"So what? Young miss, are you also scared of the curse?"
"You… you really don't mind?"
Lester chuckled and splashed the freshwater around himself. "Have you ever been so hungry, that you even thought about eating poisonous food? We have been… and many times at it. On those days, we will go to the forest to lay out the traps, sometimes we will catch a rabbit or something similar and fill our bellies. A lot of people do the same thing, they are just afraid to admit it. They just keep on repeating, that Forest will swallow you, blah blah blah. Nothing ever happened to us, but you don't need to believe me…"
"Hmm… Is that so? Then catch some fish, let's have lunch together."
"What?!"
"Haven't you heard me? I said catch some fish, I'm hungry."
Lester was dumbstruck, but Jace had already taken out some dry wood from the wagon. He watched the strange little girl and his brother start a fire together, not understanding what was happening right now.
They were kicked out from the village just a while ago, with nowhere to go and their access to food was cut off. They were in a dire situation this morning, but now they are sitting around grilling fish. How can Jace be so casual?
Lester's life was always harsh, and grown-ups have taught him many important survival skills. One of them was, when it came to food, eat first, thing later. Only like this, he would not have to sleep on an empty stomach. He caught some perches as instructed, it was rather an easy task as fishes in the river had never come into contact with humans.
His mouth was watering with expectation. It was a long time ago since he had such a plump and fresh fish. He took out some long branches, preparing the sticks for grilling when a girl's scream almost pulled his ears apart.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone