[Mikhail's POV]
"It's been hours since the others left."
I sit on the rock in the middle of the campsite, tapping my fingers against the stone.
'I doubt anything happened to them. Since they all are exceptionally strong and they all left at different times, in different directions.'
I hop down from the rock.
"Seems like I'll have to make dinner today."
I start walking toward my staff, which is leaning against a tree nearby.
RUSTLE
As I get closer, the bushes nearby shake.
I quickly snatch up my staff and point it at the noise. but nothing comes out.
I stare at the leaves for a moment. I relax my shoulders.
'Must've been an animal.'
I turn back toward the supplies.
CRUNCH... RUSTLE
Another bush shakes. Louder this time. Faster.
I spin around, staff raised. Nothing.
Before I can even lower my guard, a bush on the other side shakes violently.
I back up a step. The rustling gets louder and louder.
Suddenly, something falls out.
It's the Beast Girl.
She is injured, covered head-to-toe in blood.
I sprint toward her. We can't afford to have any of the merchandise die. She is bleeding a lot—a pool of crimson is already forming on the ground.
"Holy shit, what happened?" I ask, skidding to a halt beside her.
"Who did this?"
I try to turn her over gently. She had landed face-down in the dirt.
She doesn't reply.
I move the small pouch covering her chest aside and press my ear against her heart. She isn't moving at all.
Thump... thump...
'Her heart is beating fine.'
I pull my head back. Her lips are trembling. She is mumbling something.
I lean closer to hear her. I can't quite make it out.
I lean in even further. Two or three bits away.
"No..." she whispers.
'No? Does she think I'm going to rape her?'
I close the distance. One bit away. Her voice is getting softer and softer.
"AAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!"
She screams. Full force. Right into my ear.
EEEEEEEEEEEE
I jerk back, clutching my head. Pain explodes in my skull. A high-pitched ringing drowns out the world. My balance wavers.
I blink, trying to clear my vision.
She is looking away, eyes squeezed shut.
"Wha—"
SHHLUNK
"Hkkkgkkk."
I can't speak.
I look down, eyes straining. I can't move my head.
Blood is pouring out of my throat. And sticking out from the center of the spray... is a blade.
My body loses control. I start to fall forward, right onto the girl.
A hand grabs my shoulder. It pushes me backward.
THUD
I land hard on my back.
Above me stands the person who pushed me.
It's the bastard we caught one Kate (week) ago.
It's hot...
My eyes feel heavy..
I just wish I had proposed to you, dear Aria--
[***** POV]
"Well, that was easy," I say, stepping over the corpse.
I walk to the girl. I put my hand on her shoulder.
She slowly opens her eyes. As she sees me, her face lights up. She launches herself at me for another hug.
I hug her back. Because I am squatting, her face gets buried in my chest.
She tries to wiggle up to put her face on my shoulder, looking past me.
I stop her.
"No." I wave my finger in front of her face.
I do not want her to see the dead body.
'Well, she has already seen the other bodies... but still. It's not good for a child to get used to this.'
She looks at my finger and nods. She stands up and runs off into the campsite, heading toward the cages where the others are kept.
I stand up and follow her.
I pause for a second, looking back at the Mage's body.
'Good thing the plan worked. Or else I would've been the one lying dead there.'
2 Hours Ago...
'Ah ha. I got an idea.'
I smash my fist vertically downwards into my open palm.
She tilts her head to the right like a confused puppy.
I point at her. Then I point at the stickman of the Mage.
Then, I do the killing gesture.
She claps, seemingly understanding. She stands up and points at me, gesturing with her hands: How?
[
'The only one left is the Mage, and apparently he has a barrier or something around him. We just have to make him drop it.
Over the last week, I have gotten close to him and touched him various times but never got attacked. That means the barrier only comes up when he feels threatened. So we just need him to drop his guard.
She will act as if she got attacked and will be covered in blood. This will cause him to drop the barrier and run over to heal her.
After he gets close, she will mumble something, making him put his ear closer to her face. She will take that chance to scream with her full power and cause a ringing in his ears.
I will use that distraction to kill him from behind.']
'It only took, like, 20 to 30 minutes to make her understand the plan without speaking? Wow, *****, you have outdone yourself.'
[It took 1 hour and 10 minutes btw]
I think all that as I rub my right ear. It is still ringing.
'Seems like the only thing she didn't understood that in the practice run, you don't actually scream.'
It's good that no one was nearby to hear that first attempt.
After a while, ahead of me, the bushes rustle. She steps out, fully drenched in the blood alongside having some blood collected in the Old Man's pouch.