Eye

"Can you tell me why we're relaxing now, instead of preparing?"

Gotang looked at Bang and smiled. Gotang could see the curiosity forming inside Bang's eyes; this was a sign of a good student.

"We need it. They're far too absent-minded right now to take on the next challenge."

Bang stayed silent at the remark. He understood why he did it but he did not understand when to do it. How did he know they need it? Is there some kind of formula to do it?

Gotang laughed at Bang. He could see that Bang was calculating and overthinking in his mind, a signal of a naive leader; this reminded him of his own mistakes in the past.

"It's not so complicated. You just have to feel it."

"Feel it?"

Was it in the air? A temperature change?

"You'll learn it in time. In your experiences."

Bang and Gotang watched the revelry at the sidelines. They watched as the members of the Defending Tip laugh without a care in the world. Somehow, this made Bang smile. Even though he didn't personally know these guys, he saw their hardships and sympathized with them.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Depends on the question."

"Why are you here on the Dreaded Valley?"

Gotang stayed silent while looking up at the sky, at his dreams. There was a self-deprecating smile that formed on his mouth.

"I have a dream. A dream to step onto the stage as a fully-fledged group."

"Aren't you already one?"

"No. Not yet. We need a base."

"Why is that important?"

Gotang closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and debated with himself. Should he tell this budding leader about the cruelties of the real world? He heaved a big sigh and leaked the information.

"That's just the way it is around here. You wouldn't be accepted without a base."

"Can't you just relocate and find a base?"

"You need a core pillar to do that."

"Core pillar?"

"It's what we got here for. If we get to the end, we'll have a core pillar."

Bang didn't know the complexities of having a group so he passed it off as something simple but it turns out it was anything but easy. They lost more than half of their members just to have the opportunity to get the core pillar.

"It's been a long time coming. We've dreamt of this since our group was conceived."

In front of them, Ligi and Resi were sparring with each other with both of their competitive spirit leaking out to everyone. Most of the remaining members stopped their merriment and watched them fight it out.

"Resi's gonna win of course."

"I don't know about that, this new guy's pretty good."

"What are you talking about? This is Resi you know?!"

"Yeah, but didn't you see Gotang teaching the new guy?"

"Wanna bet?"

"I'll bet my 10 silver at home."

"Same."

"I'll take some of that action."

Different discussions about the outcome of the fight flew across the members. As the fight got heated, they stopped talking and observed the fight intensely.

"Hahhh.. hahhhhh....you're not so bad Ligi."

"Hehh....not so bad yourself."

They smiled as they recognized each other's strength. They may have acknowledged each other but that didn't mean they would relent; it only made them more fierce.

They fought and fought until the night came, then they collapsed on the ground. All the variations and possibilities of their moves were exhausted in the fight as they knew more about each other than themselves.

It was now time to eat. Gotang prepared some uncooked meat and grilled it using a makeshift pot using wood and stone. They surrounded the pot, waiting for the aroma to waft around their noses. They deserve this. They needed to fill their stomachs after that hair-wrenching hole they were trapped onto.

They shared the warm meat soup all around as they bonded through suffering. They felt closer together than before. The crackling of the firewood filled the silence in the night. This safe haven of theirs cannot be found all over the Dreaded Valley; this was their only time to relax.

Using leaves, they made beds and put them closer together. The starry night filled their vision, a gentle reminder of their hopes and dreams. An unending pursuit, no matter how difficult, will be fulfilled if they didn't give up.

Bang looked at the stars and raised his hands. It looked deceptively big like he could grasp the twinkling stars. He knew that was nothing more than a fleeting dream. He didn't have the means to do it. Furthermore, he lacked something much more critical; he didn't have the motivation.

He envied Gotang. He wanted to have the passion and focus on a single cause. He wanted something to fight for, to sacrifice his life for; he wanted something to put his life on the line for.

He slept peacefully that night without a care in the world. Somehow, being under Gotang's lead made him feel safe; he was going to be alright.

Early in the morning, Bang woke up in a serious mood. Everyone was sharpening their swords with whetstones. Lobo, who was silent the whole night yesterday, was energized today. He was talking enthusiastically with Gotang.

"So you're saying if we go through this route, we'll bypass the trolls and end up in the main swamp?"

"Yes, leader. I scouted last night when I couldn't sleep."

Gotang looked around his members and saw their sharp eyes. They were ready. The relaxation yesterday did wonders for their performance so he nodded to himself and spoke.

"Okay. We'll go there. Good work vice leader Lobo."

Lobo smiled, with dark circles under his eyes. This was his way of relaxing, by being useful to their leader. He always looked up to Gotang and even had dreams of replacing him when Gotang retired. He knew that was a long way to go since he still had a lot to learn from Gotang.

Once they were all set up, they embarked into the Dreaded Valley with renewed vigor. Their formations were tighter, though with fewer members. They felt their backs were safely guarded by their members.

Lobo, Bang, Resi, and Ligi formed a group positioned in the back. Resi and Ligi were walking together like inseparable brothers who just couldn't keep competing with each other. Bang could hear them playing 'i spy with my little eye', they also played 'rock-paper-scissors', and anything they could compete with.

"124-125 with me to lead" - Resi

"What?! It's 125-125, I won; you used scissors, I used rock" - Ligi

"Yeah, but your hand was too late. It doesn't count." -Resi

"Okay fine, I don't need it but you're gonna need the advantage." - Ligi

"I don't need it. Fine, its 125-125." - Resi

"No, no its 124-125." - Ligi

"No, I'll give you the advantage. It's 125-125 now with your lead." - Resi

"Okay hehe." - Ligi

"Did you trick me?" - Resi

"Too late. That's the score." - Ligi

"Tsk." - Resi

Bang smiled at the interaction of the two. Ligi was this quiet kid but now he's actively talking with another person. Who knew that putting these two together would have this good of an effect?