Safe House

       With a renewed vigor, the three companions travelled through a forest of ruins, a place where former civilization existed. They could still see remains of buildings, but of course, most of them where inhabitable due to the poisonous plants wrapping around them. The plant had vines that was dangling down doorways like separators, and, as Raine told the group, was as deadly as a jellyfish’s sting, a phrase Narati didn’t understand, but went with it anyway.

       The three of them finally reached the end of the ruins without any problems, but what they saw was the same scenery: more ruins, overgrown roads, grass, and creatures roaming without constraint. It was like they were going into an urban jungle, without the high-rise buildings and cars, obviously. A sign near what looked like a column read ‘Sypatia’, possibly the name of the city or maybe just a plaque commemorating something. They couldn’t explain.

       Like most Fa’ars and scavengers scattered throughout the land, Narati immediately walked towards an overturned car and pulled out a crowbar, in which he proceeded to pull a wheel off the car. He examined it closely and he smiled.

       “This one’s still good,” said Narati while cutting the wheel off. He held the crystal up to the sun, looking at it for a while and said, “Somebody’s been refueling before things went down.”

       “Seriously, what’s good a magic crystal anyway? Aside for the muns, they don’t seem to do anything,” said Jek while scanning the area. “Besides, aren’t a Chaos Race like you can’t use magic?”

       “My explosives use them. How do you think I detonate the mines?”

       “Simple mechanism.”

       “That, and power. This one can fill at least three of my mines. Nice. I wonder if the other wheels have them too…”

       In the end Narati got at least two of the crystal, but unfortunately the last wheel was too damaged for him to pull, even with the help of Raine.

       They continued the journey through the ruined city. It was clearly a former elven city, with its unique tower decorations and pointy structure as if trying to concentrate magic. The lampposts that were overwhelmed by vegetation had no place to hold any lamps like former human cities, but it could be that they had mage lights illuminating the streets at night. The abundance of magic technology was also a proof.

       Jek looked at Narati and around, occasionally perking up his ears when some suspicious sound came to him. Raine saw this and didn’t care about it, but after a while, he became bored and said, “You’re bored, aren’t you?”

       “It’s quiet. Too quiet,” said Jek while perking up his ears again.

       “Wanna start shooting squirrels now? There’s no way anyone can live in these ruins. Everything looks run down.”

       “Your carefree attitude will one day turn on you, you know.”

       Raine laughed. “Better than being grumpy all the time, right? Besides, we still have one more thing to care about, right?”

       Raine took a glance on Narati, who happily went to a car and took anything he deemed valuable, at least for himself. He looked sincerely happy. The city was like a wonderland for him. The things both his companions called junk could be treasure for him.

       “Hey, stay cautious,” said Raine. “Don’t spring any traps.”

       “I know how to deal with them! Don’t worry!”

       “Raine, he will be the death of us if he keeps doing that,” said Jek sighing. “How does that kid even survive all these years?”

       “Maybe…” Raine then dropped to whisper. “Past experiences he doesn’t want to talk about?”

       “Like the reason why he had no self-control? He could be faking it all these time about his innocence.”

       “Why are we discussing this again?”

       “Because he’s our responsibility now,” said Jek. “That kid may have start early, but he will not survive another year if he keeps acting like a kid!”

       “He did, didn’t he?”

       “Yes, by surrendering! Whatever he can do now, at least he can fight back, right?”

       “Jek, not everyone is strong enough to fight alone. Fa’ars can’t even fight alone. They need support, both for money and combat.”

       “I don’t want the hassle of training him to fight!”

       “If you don’t want to why don’t I do it for you?”

       “You don’t strike me as a mentor!”

       “Uh, guys…what are you whispering about?”

       Jek and Raine realized that they had been too worked out that they had forgotten that the subject of their discussion was standing right in front of them. Raine cleared his throat as Jek looked around.

       “Well, you see…Nara…I don’t want to be rude, but…can you actually fight? Aside from using bombs, of course, but…well, it’s kinda obvious. You don’t seem to be a fighter yourself, even though you carry that lance around.”

       Narati seemed to become serious as he saw the wrapped lance. He looked at it and said, “It’s…my father’s.”

       “I’m…sorry to hear that. Did you…”

       “They are gone now,” said Narati. “As much as I hate it…I’m all alone now. But…now’s not the time for reminiscing bad memories, right? Where are we going, anyway? We have been walking aimlessly for the past 3 hours.”

       “Based on what Jek told me…there’s a settlement at the end of this ruined city where we can get more muns. I think we’re halfway there. Why?”

       “Well, the truth is…I was overexcited and I, uh…took too much of these crystals.” Narati then showed Raine a pouch full of similar-looking crystals. “You don’t want these to be wasted, right, Raine?”

       A smile started to form on Raine’s face, with Jek saying, “Fucking worm-tail…” silently.

       “Yes, I think we can dump some of it for ya. Hey, Jek, how far are we to the next settlement?”

       “Just go straight and see where it leads to,” said Jek, annoyed.

       “Well…then, I guess we better make haste,” said Narati. “The sun’s coming down and-

       All the sudden, the moment Narati moved forward, a strong jolt of electricity hit him. He was stunned and couldn’t move, electrocuted by something he couldn’t even sure. Raine, closest to Narati, reacted first, but he was too late.

       Narati’s body fell to Raine’s hands, still twitching from the electricity coursing through him. What worried Raine was his pupils; they were dilated, as if he was out.

       A sudden horrific realization came to him and Jek when Raine couldn’t feel what was supposed to be there, and Jek couldn’t hear what was supposed to be there.

       “His fucking heart stopped!” exclaimed Jek as Raine set Narati down. He started pumping his chest, trying his best to restart his heart.

       “Jek, give me a hand!”

       “Why does everything has to be so complicated?” said Jek while moving Raine away. His strength was enough to pump Narati’s heart, but he couldn’t detect any pulse. He then got an idea.

       “Raine, enchant your hands with electricity. Make a defibrillator!”

       “What the hell is a defibrillator?”

       “Just do it or we’ll lose him!”

       Raine was unsure if he could do it, but despite of his brand of magic being primarily enchantment, he could still do a little elemental magic. Maybe it was because of pressure that Raine was able to use electricity on his palms.

       “Alright, now what?!”

       “Put them on his chest and shock him! He’s a non-magic creature so a bit of shock should be fine. C’mon, don’t fucking hesitate!”

       Raine put down his palms and over Narati’s furred chest. He then made electricity flow through the rat’s body, making his whole body jolt upward.

       “Nothing’s happening!”

       “Keep on doing that! I can hear a pulse! C’mon, Raine!

       Raine did just that. Three pulses were heard. He did it again, and another rhythmic pulse started to form. Yet, it was not strong enough. Jek then said, “Wake up, goddamn it! Wake the fuck up, Narati Vasra!”

       After he lowered his fist on Narati’s chest, he heard faint pulses. At the same moment Narati took a very deep breath after he regained consciousness. He panted frantically, his heart beating like crazy. He then looked around, with hand on his dagger. He then looked at Raine and Jek and fell to the ground, relieved.

       “I thought you two also got fried…”

       “It’s not the best time to be worried of us,” said Raine offering his hand. “So that’s how a defibrillator works.”

       “Thanks...”

       “You’re welcome, kiddo. Jek gave me the idea…Jek?”

       Jek had already pulled out his gun and pointed towards a point, in which his ears were perked up. He then shouted, “I can hear where you are! Come out or I’ll shoot!”

       There was no answer.

       “You don’t believe me? One of you just move to the right of the white-walled building.” He then shot somewhere. “Don’t you think you can hide from me!”

       There was no answer, which Jek took as a surrender. He then said, “Stay there so I can deal with you.”

       Just as that moment he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a young human boy, who was trembling and brandishing his gun towards Jek, albeit with great reluctance. He was crying and was even struggling to stand up. Narati could see him, too, and wondered if he acted like that in his first confrontation with Jek. Remembering that made him embarrassed himself.

       “A kid?”

       “No, there’s another one.” Jek then said. “Hey, kid, where is your friend?”

       To his surprise, another young person came out, this time a Fa’ar. He was a little bit older than Narati, but was clearly aged and unlike Narati, was hardened enough that he could survive. He gently pulled the child back behind him while he said, “What are you doing going around this place?”

       “We’re crossing to a settlement at the end of this road,” said Jek. “Why are you setting up that electrocution device?”

       “For people like you.” The Fa’ar then raised the gun the kid had just a moment ago. “I won’t take second guesses.”

       “Whoa, whoa, wait!” exclaimed Narati. He walked in front of Jek, and showed the pouch full of crystals. “We don’t want to start a fight in front of that kid. These are yours, isn’t it? You haven’t…”

       A gunshot made Narati yelped and said, “Stop shooting at me!”

       “Hey, I didn’t try to even shoot you,” said the Fa’ar, confused. “Also, you can keep those. I have a stockpile of them here for my farm. So, you’re not a raider?”

       “We’re passing through, that’s all.”

       “Hmm?” He then looked at the sky. “It’s not safe travelling by night around here. Seeing the three of you, I think you two can fend yourselves, but I don’t want people like you step into one of my traps and blow up precious crystals. Come inside.”

       The three of them got confused, but in the end, the fact that they were all in danger of stepping into one of the deadly traps again, they complied, even though they were reluctant to do so.

       The human boy who was carrying the gun was barely 10, but even though he was so scared (due to Jek’s shot hit someplace near him), he wasn’t all that scared to be in front of Narati, who was a Fa’ar and was discriminated by most humans. Instead, he smiled, with Narati also smiling back.

       The slightly older rat’s feature was prominent under an artificial mage light inside his decorated home. He had dark brown fur, unlike the whole black fur Narati possessed. Aside from that, his eyes were of darker brown, closer to black. Part of his long tail was cut due to a fight, and he also had scars all around his body. He greeted them by saying, “Never thought you’d actually come in through the front door.”

       “It’s not polite not to do so, right?” said Raine.

       “A quality so rare in this world,” said the Fa’ar. “The name’s Tarta, by the way, and I assume that kid is Narati? Don’t ask. You two were shouting his name all the time when his heart stopped.”

       Tarta then moved towards Narati. “Say, how old are you?”

       “Uh…15?”

       “15? What? Did you run from your pack or something?”

       But before Narati could say anything, Tarta stopped him and looked at him in solemn expression. He just said, “You and I…we have met a terrible fate, haven’t we?”

       “So…you lost them too?”

       “Bandit attack, and I presume you too. Many Fa’ars wanted to fight for themselves and ran from their pack, but they ended up getting killed or losing their self-determination. That’s what this world is. It’s not kill or be killed. It’s just trying not to get killed.”

       “I disagree with that. Whatever you do here, you must have survived a lot of ordeal to be independent from the other Fa’ars,” said Jek.

       Tarta did not immediately answer, but he beckoned them to follow him after a while of silence. The ruin he had made home was surprisingly clean, with no indication of the poisonous plant that took root in the other ruins. It was also warm and bright, with both mage light and candles lighting the long wide corridor.

       They finally reached the end of the corridor and was utterly amazed by it.

       There was a pool in the middle of the ruins with the light outside reflecting inside. The pool, however, was not the main feature. There were plants and other assortments of food supplies like meat and stuffs that could feed a family of carnivores for at least a month. The haven looked very warm and comfortable, unlike the ruins outside where it was only death and violence.

       Tarta put away his coat, leaving his upper furred body naked. He walked towards one of the plants and said, “I found this place some months ago and I have begun making this a safe haven for travelers needing protection. They were mostly surprised that I have something like this, but well…they got plenty of rest anyway.”

       “It’s…how did you even…”

       “This was once a library, and I can still read some of them that used our current language. As helpful as they are, I don’t think I can make this place into a safe haven without experience and…a little help from a friend.”

       Another person emerged, a fellow Fa’ar with Tarta. Narati recognized immediately that the Fa’ar was a female, almost the same age as Narati in appearance, but could be older. The female rat walked towards Tarta, who said, “We’re expecting guests, Istha.”

       Istha just huffed and said, “At least cook for me once, will you? I’m not a frickin’ housewife!”

       As Istha left, Tarta laughed and said, “Oh, you know, my wife can be a little bit harsh on me.”

       “Wait, you’re married? I thought you’re…”

       “Yeah, I basically run the salvage part of things. She’s a good cooker, and this place is a safe haven. Want me to say more? I know the three of you are tired, so take a seat by the pond. I wanna talk to the three of you about something.”

       Jek and Raine were the only one who came to him, while Narati was distracted by one of the child. He gestured him to play, yet Narati had doubts about this. In the end, he complied.

       Tarta was waiting by the pond, with Jek and Raine walked towards him. He looked at them with serious expression, but then he loosened up and said, “This is not a trick. I know those faces. I’ve seen them ever since I lost my pack in a raid went wrong.”

       “Raid went wrong?”

       “Heh, never thought that kid actually bought that. We were the raiders, not the victims. But, well…in the end, we all got killed anyway.”

       “Any reason why I should trust an ex-raider?”

       “Maybe your question is, ‘should I trust a Fa’ar?’ Everyone is our enemy, all because of some sick history told to them by the elves about our role in the war. It’s not fair, but we’ve been doing this for a long time. I know we do.

       “But…I can see both of you are willing to trust a Fa’ar. I know your types would just abandon Narati in front of my house and move forward since, well, he’s a Fa’ar. But…I know you care of him.”

       Jek grunted, which prompted Raine to say, “He’s still denying it.”

       “Funny. You’re the one shouting his name aloud.”

       “W-well…fuck, I shouldn’t have done that…”

       Both Raine and Tarta laughed.

       “Oh...I haven’t laughed like that in ages. I…haven’t been able to for some years before I settled down. But, I…owed it to Dirne.”

       “Dirne?”

       “For you, wolfman, that kid who was trying to be brave in front of you was Dirne. He was a wild kid abandoned near this haven some months ago, and I have been nurturing him to be able to at least talk with us. He doesn’t seem to mind Fa’ars, but I won’t know if he can’t speak.”

       “For a feral child, he looks very clean and…quite not accustomed to violence.”

       “First, I cleaned him, and second, you shot a wall near him. I know he’s feral, but that doesn’t mean he heard shots before.”

       “Huh, somehow I know someone like that.”

       The three of them became fast friends even though they only knew for a while. While they were talking, Narati was preoccupied with the feral child. He was somehow fond of playing with his tail, which he didn’t seem to mind until he started nibbling it. Narati yelped and tried getting him off, but he didn’t seem to comply until a Fa’ar walked to him and simply took him away from the rat. She was the same Fa’ar who Tarta told to prepare food.

       “Dirne, that’s rude!” said the Fa’ar in a playful tone. “Come on, that’s not the way you treat guests. Off you go.”

       Dirne walked away towards a room, in which the female Fa’ar giggled. Narati looked at her and never thought to had seen one such happy person before. Most rats he met were too suspicious of him that they weren’t giving him the nicest of expression, but, even in the bleak moment in time, Narati could still see one pure smile.

       “Thank you.”

       “Oh, don’t thank me. I should be the one thanking you. Dirne never looked that playful before. As mischievous as he is, he can bring joy in this boring place. I think he’s glad to meet another Fa’ar aside from the two of us.”

       “How did you get to find him?”

       ‘Tarta did so. He told me that Dirne was raised by wolves living near this place, but they did not come back. Dirne had been eating carcasses of his ‘parent’s’ hunt. Of course, being a feral child, he was hard to reign in, but I guess being beast races help. Say, Narati, right?”

       “Yes?”

       “Don’t you think it’s safer for you to stay here with us than travelling with your friends? I don’t mean that you must stay, but…you have everything in here. We’ve got plenty of rooms if you want to stay.”

       Narati considered that, seeing how safe that place was and how sincere the two Fa’ars were. They helped him not doubting his own race, and they had been kind for them.

       But of course, knowing Jek, he would be glad to be rid of a troublemaker in the group, while Raine, knowing that it was for the best, would let him go. Even so, he felt…empty. Even if he lived a quiet and safe life here, he would miss something else.

       “I…like to accept your offer, but I’m afraid I must refuse. I want to be safe, I really do, but in the end…I won’t learn anything. I know our race are supposed to be living in packs, but I want to be independent, just for the sake of my own life. I…want to know if I have a worth to survive this world.”

       “So, you’ve decided?”

       Narati smiled and nodded. The Fa’ar also smiled, then said, “You really are a weird one, like Tarta. Narati, whatever journey and hardship you get, be sure to remember us, so that one day, you will return here in your travel and tell us the world beyond. But, that won’t do you good if your stomach is grumbling, right?”

       Narati heard his stomach grumbling, and, embarrassed, only made squeaking sound, with the female Fa’ar smiling at him, amused by Narati’s actions.

       Jek and Raine joined Narati around for dinner when Tarta invited them. While Jek was still not sure if he could trust the Fa’ar who had been trying to convince him, he nevertheless joined the others. Even though Jek’s reluctance was still apparent, it wasn’t so prominent that the dinner became uncomfortable. Tarta and his wife seemed to be good fellows who wanted to talk to them about their own journey, which was as violent as Jek’s and Raine’s were. Narati just listened, occasionally playing with Dirne with his tail. They talked through the night until they became tired and went to sleep.

       While Narati and Raine went to sleep first, Jek looked upon the landscape from the window he almost shot Dirne from. The city had no lights, and because of that everything seemed so dark and lifeless, despite of the abundance of plant life and nocturnal animals. But the greatest contributor of this tranquility was Tarta’s set of traps laid in secret on the streets below them.

       Unexpectedly, Tarta walked to Jek and started sitting down beside him, rifle ready in his hand. He drank something and said, “In these days, I really wish we still have flavored drinks.”

       “I know a vendor somewhere around the desert area who make concoctions that can enhance flavor. I can introduce you to him…if you’re not a Fa’ar.”

       Tarta laughed. “If I could change into another race one day, I’d haul them into this haven and drink it like it’s the end of the world for the second time!”

       “I bet you will.”

       They laughed for a moment, without worrying that the noise would attract anyone. That moment, however, slowly diminished into a serious and silent situation where both of them just stare at the starry sky.

       “I know you’re still doubting me, Jek, and by this point I can’t convince you anyway. That’s fine,” said Tarta. “As a canine race, I know you only can trust one when they’ve proven their worth. Words will not do that to you, and believe me, I’ve been through that phase before, when I was betrayed by my own pack.”

       “And here I thought you’re with them. I should’ve known your stories have plot holes.”

       “I intentionally leave the fact that I was betrayed, to make it feel normal. But that was a blessing in disguise. In the end, my hatred towards them were realized the moment they were executed by the townspeople and their body hanged on the gibbet to remind other Fa’ars not to underestimate them. That is why…I am all alone.”

       “If you claim that your story is full of betrayals, then I can believe them. But, what is your purpose on talking to me like this right now if you know you can’t convince me otherwise?”

       “You will set off the next morning, because I know that your suspicions would not let you stay here. A safe haven will not be one if no one thinks they are safe in it. But, I know you’ll do that eventually, even if we coerce you to stay. But, I want to give you one advice. You may not believe us, but believe in Narati.”

       “Any specific reason of that choice?”

       “Whatever peril you will face in your journey, let Narati do what he can do, and let him develop on his own.”

       “What do you think I’ve been trying to do?”

       “Jek…Narati is a Fa’ar, and is not even an adult yet. I know you also distrust him, but believe in a young rat who had been through a lot. He will become a trusted friend. Fa’ars are not born thieves and liars. They were taught as such. It is a good thing his pack was killed before he became like his brethren.”

       Jek scoffed. “Look at you, making your race look bad while Narati is out from it. But, you got a point. I might’ve seen your race as turncoats and thieves, but Narati looks like he can be a good person one day, if he does not drown in this world.”

       “Never thought I heard this from a famous bounty hunter,” said Tarta smiling.

       “Never heard a Fa’ar who want me to trust other,” said Jek.

       Both of them didn’t want to sleep, and in the end, they started a conversation that lasted until some hours before the sun went up, when Tarta fainted due to sleep deprivation. Jek put on a blanket nearby on him and said, “I may not be saying this in front of you, but, I believe everything you said, Tarta Severs. In this world, no one is biased. This world is the one at fault, and the people who caused it in the first place.”

       Jek knew that he couldn’t exact revenge on the people who started the war that destroyed this world he was born in. He wanted to see the thriving world before everything went into dust, but that would be impossible. Everyone who had started this war, be it elves or other long-aged races, had succumbed to this world. Jek himself wanted to see the future without conflict and sense of survival.

       Yet, to achieve that, more conflict and survival would have to be done to get rid of everything that could cause harm. People like Narati and Tarta would be a start of something called ‘hope’ and ‘equality’ to bloom.

       Jek just have to ensure that these people survived, even if he must condemn himself in a world of violence and death.