NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter-145 Nature’s Recoil
They trekked back the same path, only the nonchalant tweets of the birds accompanying their silence, and headed towards the city. Ewan copied Rain this time and cleaned the obvious traces, just leaving a small mark on the trees to not lose direction in the future.
How did Rain swap places just before the attack? His thoughts wandered with every few steps, then the humming pain yanked him back to aching reality. He looked down at his wound—the blood had already drenched his white torn shirt. It would create questions for him if he went to the city like this. So, he ripped it off and changed into a charcoal-colored shirt, grimacing when it grazed his gash. The soaked patch on his chest still looked off, but its black hid the blood color. It wasn’t as eye-catching anymore. He also poured some iced water over his head as he walked—it cooled him and covered the blood-drenched patch.
“Where did you leave the body?” Ewan asked, gulping down the icy water and munching on the shards. From his throat to his stomach, it chilled his core.
“It’s not far from here,” Kidd said. “That side.” He pointed to the right.
Ewan tossed him the bottle and went over. A gentle-ish slope halted their path, giant roots holding the soil together, and a dead body lay at the bottom with drab crisp leaves around.
“Is that how you hid him?” Ewan asked.
“No one will find it, Boss, the animals will finish him up soon,” Kidd said.
“Did anyone see you with him?”
“I don’t know.” Kidd shrank. “Someone might have,” he said under his breath.
“Go dig.” Ewan gave him the dagger again. “Bury him and cover it with leaves.”
“Okay,” Kidd said with slouched shoulders and slid down the slope, ploughing the earth with the Obsidian Dagger.
He dug and dug while Ewan sat above, leaning on a tree as Iris tended to his wounds. The stubborn Anima came from a same-leveled attack, it couldn’t hold on for long against her consistent efforts. Soon her ‘Mend’ strangled the last thread of the Lightning-Anima, and his wound itched, the tingle reaching down to his bones.
…..
The sun had clocked out and gone down when they exited the forest and entered the city, its obstinate afterglow lingering beyond the nimbus clouds. Dry weather and the heatwave persisted for long, the surge in Fire-Anima during Flamecrest supported them, but nature was recoiling back now—it would pour tonight, the rumbling clouds declared it.
The temperature plunged, and the wind picked up, the deafening squall bringing with it the salty humidity from the ocean. Ewan’s hair danced and his shirt fluttered, the trees behind him struggled against the sudden storm. Yet even this level of torrent couldn’t erase the lasting stench of iron in the air. It was stronger than yesterday and attested to the soaring casualties of war. Death just came that easy here.
Ewan intended to wander around the city again, help anyone he could, however he could within his limits. But a few steps later, he met Kiev and his worn-out group.
“Where were you?” Kiev asked in a gruff voice, handing back the report to the armored guard behind him. Blood didn’t drench him today, yet he looked drained, worse than last night. Dried tears, bloodshot eyes, and dirty messed up hair told his story of the day. He must’ve had a drastic afternoon.
“I thought I saw someone sneaking around, went to check it,” Ewan said with a nod to others in greetings. “Was just my imagination though, found no one.”
“I told you to stay here and keep an eye out.” Kiev glowered. “Will you keep disobeying orders like this?”
“I was following that order,” Ewan said with a polite smile; his trademark for when the amiability died, and the distance pulled away. “It would be bad if I missed someone suspicious, so I didn’t take the chance.”
Kiev clenched his jaws. “We lost a lot today too, many died,” he said. “Will you really not change your mind? Are you going to ignore all this?”
“My condolences.” Ewan lowered his head in respect, his smile receded. “That’s the best I can do,” he said.
“They grew up with me…they were my brothers…,” Kiev said, his voice trembling. “And I had to watch them fall, one after another…. They aren’t just cold names on a list to me, they’re precious lives, lives that could’ve been saved.”
“I really am sorry for their deaths, but I cannot yield to your request.”
“Is it that hard for you to consider others? Will it kill you to put your comfort aside for once?”
A sparse relation of a few weeks, and the man talked as if he knew him. From their voyage on the ship to this stormy dusk, the man threw judgments at him left and right… But still, Ewan gave a polite and apologetic smile, and hid his annoyance behind the curl. “I really wish I could help them, but I’m simply unable to. If I tried the rite of promotion in my current condition, I’ll fail for sure, I know my situation,” he said. “I apologize again.”
This little wrangle with Kiev smothered his desire to help anyone anymore, the blame game was testing his patience. “You look busy, I shouldn’t disturb you any longer,” he said before Kiev could continue, and walked away with Kidd, heading to his villa.
…..
“Boss, he looks pissed,” Kidd said, trailing behind Ewan on the inclined path, peeking back at Kiev’s group from time to time. “Might’ve chopped you to pieces in his mind already.”
“I would be too if I were him,” Ewan said. “I’ve already denied him twice.” Though he was more tactful in his approach this time, the damage was already done.
“He might attack us like this, maybe send us to the frontlines,” Kidd said.
“We’ll see. Worst case scenario, I’ll leave Drarith,” Ewan said. “He shouldn’t take the risk of hunting me then, given the situation of war right now.”
“Don’t forget to take me with you when you leave, Boss.”
“Isn’t this place your home?” Ewan asked. “Do you want to leave and wander with me? I don’t even know where I’ll go.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Kidd said. “I’ve already decided to follow you, even if you send me to my death.”
Ewan laughed. “Sure,” he said. “Before that, draw me the sketch of that Wraith I asked you last night.”
“B-Boss, I’m not trying to dodge it or anything, but I’m really not good at sketching,” he whined, his eyes turning beady.
“Practice then.”
As the post today mentioned, my Patreon has undergone some major changes. Instead of three tiers setup, its all in one tier now. If you wish to read ahead, 41 chapters are available [complete Book-2].
