Chapter 4: Dangerous puppies

He was lying on the ground, his skin was parched, his throat, sealed by thirst, he didn't

have the strength to get up, the battle demanded much more energy than he imagined,

his ears were bleeding from excessive sound magic, the adrenaline was disappearing

giving way to pain.

He was about to close his eyes for the last time, his breathing was getting slower and

slower, as he lost consciousness he didn't think about his life, there weren't many

relevant events to think about in his bed. Arthur could think of everything, but the only

thing that crossed his mind was the strange dream he had the night before.

"A Wretch, forgotten by the Mark, whose only ambition is to stay alive one more day.

He has no offspring, much less the direction. Your fate is death."

It was true, he didn't have grandiose ambitions, he didn't desire power or money, just to

live, peace, of course, was a dream, but in the end, he just wanted to survive another

day.

"What was the problem with wanting just that?" He reflected indignantly.

It was inevitable that tears would fall from his eyes and mix with his blood.

"I want to live."

With his trembling arms he used what was left of him to rise from that cold floor, he

refused to perish.

He limped toward the crack that bisected the fuselage, where he climbed into the plane.

He reached the top, looked down, the vertigo had left the point much higher than it

appeared, he was dizzy to the point of unbalance, he found no place to hold himself so

he fell, falling again to the ground, now on the gray sand.

His shoulder dislocated from the fall, but he refused to give up.

His brand throbbed, squeezing his chest, every beat of his heart was a battle to keep up.

Arthur got up again, what kept him alive was his primitive desire, his instinct to survive.

"North" he hadn't forgotten the strange man's warning from his dream, he didn't know

him, but it was his only hope at that moment.

He got to his feet, hands on dislocated shoulder, looked around, saw nothing but the

colorless morbidity of gray sand dunes, how did he know which was North? How to

know where to go?

He walked aimlessly, hoping to be the North, hoping to stay alive one more day.

He walked until his shoes were unusable, then off barefoot, then walked until his feet

bled from the heat of the sand.

It was already night, he had walked all day. I couldn't resist any longer, I was going to

fall into the gray desert sea, I was being swallowed by the dunes.

However, a trail of hope appeared to him, a smoke stretched to the distant skies, a

crooked tower construction built with black bricks buried in the gray sand.

For the second time that day Arthur wept, this time with joy.

So, he ran, his feet sank into the sand, but he ran forcing his thighs, stumbling,

sometimes dragging himself, in despair he ran towards the building, like an oasis in that

desert.

A monster would not build a bonfire, outside the walls all men were allies in his eyes.

When he arrived at the entrance of the tower, he was in front of the fire, but his sight

was already darkened, he saw only a shadow on the side of the fire going towards him,

then he fainted.

[The mark shudders.]

[A soul was offered.]

[Baby Autrix]

[1/1000]

"Remember, wretched Fulgar Armotris, you will seek peace there only. Go North."

A sweet voice covered his ears, he felt imposing, sailing in pitch black, floating

aimlessly in a sea of darkness, he was, finally, calm, fullness of soul. His brand stopped

squeezing his chest, it felt good.

But, his tranquility came to an end.

He opened his eyes, it was morning, the ember of the fire was still fresh, he tried to get

up but his body rejected it, he was hurt too much.

"Keep lying down, spare your body," a voice came from around him.

He looked for the source of the sound, then saw a man in front of him.

His pale skin with rashes and burns, shoulder-length black hair, a long beard, a white

shirt with long sleeves stained with sweat, shoulder pads composed of purple silk, a

long black leather belt carrying a canteen, and the scabbard of his curved sword , his

pants were gray, with special boots for sand.

Arthur couldn't speak, his parched throat wouldn't allow it.

"Water, right?" the man said as he handed the canteen to Arthur.

His hands trembled with anxiety to hold the canteen, when he finally put his mouth in

the water, his lips trembled with happiness to be wet again, he drank every drop as if it

were the last.

- Thank you very much! - Arthur was dripping from his eyes tears of gratitude.

- Save your tears, lad. They are more useful inside you than outside.

The man sat next to him, handed him a jar of yellow bran, it was fairy dust, a medicine

that the marked received in the basic kit for survival beyond the wall. Arthur did not

have any kit as they were all destroyed in the plane crash.

— Come on, take a long breath, it will make you better — the man put the powder in

the boy's nose, when Arthur took a deep breath the medicine hit hard, it was inevitable

that he let out some sneezes. His nose got irritated, but his body invigorated with

incredible speed.

"You don't look like someone who would stay alive in this area, what are you doing

here?"

After the question Arthur didn't hold back, he explained everything from beginning to

end. The catharsis of being the sole survivor of the crash couldn't be contained.

Morgan chuckled. -Lucky.

Arthur looked bothered by the sarcastic comment, but couldn't respond to his rescuer.

Morgan sat back and took a long drink from the other holster he carried. -There is no

predator stronger than an Autrix in this area."

"Autrix?" Arthur didn't understand anything the old man said.

-And you were lucky enough to bump into a baby offspring.

Arthur was shocked to hear such a statement, how could a giant beast like that be just a

spawn.

Then Morgan burst out laughing. -What is it? Did you think you could kill something

stronger than a puppy?

Silence hung in the air for a few moments after that conversation.

Arthur had had a lot to take in, there was barely time to breathe.

Morgan then noticed the excitement on the boy's face. -What's up with the lucky little

guy?

Arthur could no longer deal with the insults — You talk as if everything I went through

was nothing, you don't know what it's like to have to constantly fight to survive.

— Apparently, the boy has magic to read minds.

Arthur reddened his face with anger, it no longer mattered that he had been helped by

the master, his attitudes were too much!

- If you understood, you wouldn't act so childish.

— Hold on, I don't want to have the same fate as Autrix's poor fetus — Morgan got up

from his seat to stretch his body. The boy didn't have the strength to do that.

Boy, come on, look at this structure, beautiful, isn't it? He looked around at the ruins of

a tower where they were camped.

Arthur didn't see much beauty in that, didn't understand the admiration. Morgan had

seen the lingering look of anger in the young man who had tried to disguise the lack of

empathy with the feeling of appreciation.

— What an insolent rookie — Morgan gave his bands a little slap.— you're before

history.

- History? - He asked himself with the veins pulsing not to attack him, while he rubbed

the place where he received the slap.

— Not everyone behind the wall spends their time with things like honor, power or

riches, some seek something much more precious for the survival of humanity, the

Truth. Go beyond the wall, into these lands desolate by dangers, to discover the history

we have long lost. What life was like for the first men, where the mark came from and

of course, what the past was like before the wall.

Morgan had set his expression straight as he spoke, Arthur could only admire the

conviction with which he spoke.

- Desert of Ashes' is what they call this place. It is believed that this was the first great

kingdom of men. They lived free, in these towers, there was no mark, there were no

bloodthirsty predators, they lived in peace.

-What happened to this kingdom then?- Arthur hadn't looked away.

- You're lying in it.

Upon hearing those words, the boy's eyes widened, he was surprised by the shock of

information, everything made more sense, all the sand he had seen did not have that

color, he was not well versed, he had thought that perhaps there had been gray sand,

now he understood the meaning of that .

- What has done this to the kingdom?

Morgan then let his eyes shadow, his brows tightening to give the look of seriousness on

his face, an expression Arthur hadn't yet known from him.

"No one has found an answer as to who or what did it" - he got up from the ground -

maybe it was a baby Autrix.

- The wall would not fall so easily, from what you told me, this kingdom did not seem

very well protected - Arthur replied quickly. He ignored the jokes paying attention on

the story.

Morgan let out a small laugh. - The wall is an idea, a faith for weak men to hide their

fears, the real wall, lucky one. It's much smaller than that idea.

Those words reached Arthur like a big shock of reality, he began to reflect on

everything around him, on the supposed home that would return, the street, the people,

the Mark. Yes, the Mark.

"I killed that thing, I must have gained something."

He concentrated on seeing the notifications, controlled his breathing and closed his

eyes. Then the status appeared.

Autrix. Scavengers from the first stage of life, the cubs hunt close to the mother and

bring the game to her, extremely protective with a high intelligence to protect and

cherish their cubs.

Arthur was a little scared, he knew there was something much bigger and dangerous

nearby and he knew it would be furious for revenge on her offspring.

- Let's go.

Then Arthur's reverie was interrupted by Morgan.

- Where? — Arthur knew his destination was the North — Could you help me go

North? If it's your way too, if not, we'll split up here, thank you very much.

Then again the old man burst out laughing. Only this time Arthur didn't understand why.

"North? Forget it, lucky man — Morgan stopped laughing — From today you will be a

slave.