บท 22: 22. The Treasure Hunters

The cold limestone cave, which should have been quiet and dim on that rainy day, was suddenly filled with groans of pain. The stench of blood from twenty wounded men inside mixed with the fresh scent of petrichor drifting in from outside.

The men's burly bodies were covered in large scratches and bite wounds. They leaned weakly against the cave walls, anxiously waiting their turn to be treated by the three unfamiliar youths their young boss had unexpectedly brought.

"Prioritize the ones who have a higher chance of survival," a girl said in a weak voice as she saw Kairav approach one of the most critically injured men lying on the cave floor.

Kairav stopped in his tracks, staring at her in disbelief. "What do you mean? Can't you see he's dying?" His voice was a mix of frustration and astonishment.

Holding her bandaged arm, the girl replied firmly, "His chances are slim. Save those we can still help," she reasoned, her tone cold and pragmatic.

Kairav's patience snapped. "If you can't help, stay out of the way!" He shot back, his eyes flashing with anger at Trisha Sajani, a 23-year-old girl from the Bentala Kingdom whom he'd just met.

Trisha snorted in annoyance, leaning back against the cold cave wall, but Kairav ignored her. Kneeling beside the dying man, he opened his medical kit and examined the large scratch wound tearing into the man's abdomen. Panic crept in as the man's breathing became labored, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Kairav turned toward Baron, desperation creeping into his voice. "Baron! Your parents are genius doctors. You must know how to deal with this, right?"

Baron scoffed at the flattery, wrapping a bandage around another man's leg before standing and walking over. "My parents are geniuses, not me," he grumbled.

He placed two fingers on the man's neck, searching for a pulse. After a few tense seconds, he shook his head. "He's dead. No need to argue with her," he said flatly, glancing at the fresh wound. "It was too severe."

Kairav checked for a pulse himself, hoping Baron was wrong. But when he found none, he sighed heavily.

"I told you," came Trisha's voice, laced with sarcasm. "You were just wasting time."

Kairav exhaled slowly, suppressing his frustration. Before he could respond, Baron erupted. "What's her problem? We should let them rot here for all I care!" he snapped.

Kairav placed a calming hand on Baron's shoulder. "Go help Gavin with the others. I'll handle her," he said quietly.

Standing up, Kairav moved toward Trisha, the only woman in the treasure hunting group. When he stopped in front of her, he spoke with a cold, measured tone. "Were you really attacked by coyotes?"

A sly smile spread across her face. "Didn't I tell you earlier?" she replied with feigned innocence.

Kairav shook his head, his annoyance growing. "No, you're lying. Coyotes wouldn't leave wounds like these unless they were the size of cows," he said with a sarcastic edge. His words were echoed by Gavin, who chimed in from across the cave.

"Yeah, you're all armed. Rifles, axes... and your men are no lightweights. What gives?" Gavin said, frustrated, as he roughly cleaned a large bite wound on a man's arm, earning a groan from his patient.

Kairav turned back to Trisha, arms crossed, his glare hard. "The archaeological team from the Bentala Kingdom, working with ours kingdom, supposedly researching Mount Arjuno? Do you really think I'll believe your lies so easily?"

Trisha's expression hardened. Kairav continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If there's a joint effort between our kingdoms, where are my people? And why is it that every single one of you speaks Nusantara with a Bentala accent?"

He took a step closer, his smirk deepening. "I saw the ruins on my way here—untouched. If you were archaeologists, you'd be dying to investigate them," he said. "No... you're treasure hunters ..."

Trisha's eyes blazed with anger, but her lips twisted into a cunning smile. "Well, aren't you thorough," she hissed.

Kairav's expression remained cold. "And you've got some nerve to smile after getting caught doing something illegal in someone else's country."

The sound of metal scraping against rock echoed through the cave as the treasure hunters, still able to fight, grabbed their rifles and axes, readying themselves for violence.

"Looks like the dogs you saved want to bite now, Bro," Baron quipped from his spot against the cave wall, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed.

Gavin tossed his bandages aside, grabbing his rifle. "Bet they pull this kind of thing all the time," he said angrily, standing and aiming his rifle at the treasure hunters.

Kairav's mind raced. Outnumbered and outmuscled by the twenty burly men, a fight would surely end in disaster. He fought to hide his growing anxiety as Trisha stepped closer, smirking at his unease.

"Speaking of illegal... aren't you and your friends doing the same? Climbing this mountain without permission?" she whispered.

Before Kairav could respond, Baron cut in with a bored expression. "His father's the Grand Counselor. Even illegal is legal for him," he said nonchalantly.

Trisha raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kairav again. He crossed his arms, exuding pride in his status.

Hooowl... Hooowl...

A long, piercing howl suddenly echoed from the forest outside the cave, and every head turned instinctively toward its source. The once tense but controlled atmosphere in the cave grew heavier, suffocating, as if the walls themselves could feel the imminent threat.

The treasure hunters froze, their eyes wide with panic. The familiar, bone-chilling sound caused their already wounded bodies to stiffen further, the pain in their scratches and bite marks seeming to multiply with the resurgence of fear.

Some of the men gripped their weapons tighter, their knuckles white, as the deep-rooted terror from their last encounter overwhelmed them once again.

Kairav, confused, looked around at their fearful faces. "It's just the coyotes. Why are you so scared?" he asked, baffled.

Suddenly, one of the treasure hunters—a bearded man—shouted in terror, his body shaking uncontrollably. His axe slipped from his hand as he screamed, "It's coming! It found us!"