Narrow Escape

There were only four who stayed behind, Lander, Yan Yan, Grey and Elizaveta.

Elizaveta was now determined to learn martial arts from Lander so she stayed behind.

When the other people left, Lander leaded their running. It was only after two hours that they stopped to rest. And after having a thirty minutes rest, Lander taught Yan Yan the way of fighting while he showed Elizaveta the basics while Grey continued running again.

After a full hour of martial arts training that they only stopped to have a proper rest.

On the afternoon, they continued travelling while Lander was still searching for plants, but this time, he's not intending to eat it for he learned his lesson, instead he just plucked some and kept it in his bag. He planned to buy a botany book to study.

While they were travelling, Lander asked Elizaveta how she managed to find them but she told him that she was lost when she was following them.

She was about to go back with regret and despair when she heard a growling. She was curious when she heard that so she followed the sound but she was stopped by Aria.

Aria told her that the sound came from a Rank C beast. Knowing that, Elizaveta kowtowed in front of her and thanked her. Aria also told her that they were watching the behavior of the beast and were planning to subdue it to become a contract beast. Unfortunately, before they subdue it, the panther was alarmed and planned to attack them. Then the rest happened when Yan Yan found them.

It was beginning to get dark when they spotted humans on the road, they heard "Let's continue, we just have to spend another two hours and we'll reach the capital."

Lander also followed the group. And as they were travelling, they also met other humans moving away from the capital, "Let's go to the slave market."

"Slave Market?" Lander asked Yan Yan and Elizaveta, although he has a guess of what it was, he has to make sure.

Yan Yan shook her head so Elizaveta was the one who answered, "It is a place where they buy a slave who are either outcasts or elites. I also heard that beasts are also being caught to be slaves."

"Seriously?" Lander was dumbfounded, he thought that only outcasts are the one being taken as slaves bus he never imagined that elites can be considered as slaves, moreover, even beasts.

Elizaveta knew that Lander has a limited knowledge for he grew up with a monk who secluded them until the monk passed away so she clarified, "There are some elites who are considered as the stain of the society for they have done a lot of mischievous actions that angered the rulers of a kingdom and empire."

"They were either sent to jail or were bought by the slave market to be sold." Elizaveta continued?

"So even outcasts can buy them?" Lander asked full of curiosity.

Elizaveta shook her head, "Only the commoners and elites are privileged to buy them with a soul contract."

"What is a soul contract?" Lander asked again. This time, he's getting more interesting.

"The soul contract is what binds the slave to not harm their owner. Then the slave would receive a seal on his or her body indicating that they are slaves, just like the seal on us outcasts but different." Elizaveta explained.

Lander was nodding his head listening to the explanation but since he was not interested in acquiring a slave, he never again opened or asked to further the discussion.

"Hey, I can sense the aura of those three. They are definitely outcasts. What's more? They have a Rank D beast with them," Lander heard while they were striding towards the capital and that made him frown. Another trouble.

"Let's capture them and sell them to the slave market," One of the men suggested.

Lander gave a threatening look but those elites disregarded him, "Ignore him and just surround them."

A lot of elites were startled with this scene that they also tried to suppress Lander and his group.

Lander prepared to fight but his shirt was pulled by Yan Yan, "I'm afraid we can't win against them."

He sighed, if only Lander was alone he would face them but now that he has two girls with him, he has to protect them. He told them to run and he will stall the elites. The three hesitated but seeing a lot of enemies, they bit their lips and ran.

"Capture them! Don't let them escape," A bearded middle aged man shouted.

The first one who ran towards Lander was a young swordsman with leaves engulfing his two swords.

Lander ran towards the young swordsman facing him that made the young swordsman belittled.

"How dare an outcast face me!" The young man blurted as he jumped and planned to do a full 360 degrees slash.

But Lander evaded it by sliding and pulled the young man's feet who was still in the air.

The young swordsman who attempted to do a 360 degrees slash was disrupted when his feet was pulled down and was outbalanced. But before he hit the ground, Lander kicked him at his private area as he dashed back running.

"Damn!" The bearded middle aged man cussed when he saw the young swordsman screaming in pain.

"Archers, prepare to shoot! Now!" The bearded middle aged man commanded.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

Dozens of arrows was heading towards Lander but he tried evading it by doing a zig zigzag run. Unfortunately, two arrows hit his back and ankle. His travelling bag wasn't able to stop the arrow.

Lander, didn't even looked back and gritted his teeth as he focused on running.

Some of the elites chased after Lander and the others were chasing the two girls and Grey.

Lander ran too fast that made the elites shocked. Although, Lander was very far away, he knew that they can catch up to him because of the blood dripping.

While running, he broke the arrows so it won't hinder him.

He tried to look for Grey and the girls along the way but he wasn't able to spot them, "Wherever you guys are, please be careful."

He stopped for a while, removed the arrows from his feet and back then used his clothes to bandage himself.

Soon, Lander arrived at a raging river. He dashed and jumped right away without any second thoughts.

The elites who were chasing Lander were using his blood to track him until they arrived at the river.

"Damn!" Cursed the bearded middle aged man. The he ordered, "Follow this river and search his whereabouts!"

The elites nodded then they searched for him in every corner of the river bank.

Meanwhile, Lander was now feeling weak as he tried to suppress the raging water while his blood was flowing freely. He struggled in the water and would sometimes drink a mouthful. Still, he managed to grab the biggest rock and forced himself on top. He was breathing heavily as he rested.

"There he is," One of the elites spotted Lander.

When Lander heard this, he dived back into the water swimming deeper and deeper. Because he was tired and weak, he knew that he would soon be out of breath so he swam back up.

He was lucky when he found himself inside a cave. He slowly ventured himself inside and found himself a comfortable place.

Resting comfortably, he was feeling the cold invading his body. He was starting to tremble, he suppressed the pain and tried to find woods to make a fire. His blood even stopped flowing because of the coldness. After a while of searching, his body won't move as he reached the threshold of coldness and pain, that he collapsed.

Not far away from him, Yan Yan and Elizaveta were following Grey who was sniffing the ground as they ventured into the deeper part of the forest beside the river.

While sniffing, Grey suddenly stopped and started digging up.

When the two girls saw him they were curious at the same time anxious. Yan Yan spoke with anger, "Grey, what are you doing? This is not the time to dig a hole. We have to look for inuy-a because he might be in danger."

Elizaveta nodded her head and followed, "Besides, we are not safe yet!"

Grey obviously doesn't understand the words they were uttering. So he didn't stopped and continued.

Yan Yan can't hold her anger as she stomped and the ground trembled for a while.

Expectedly for Grey, he was able to dug a hole but he didn't stopped and continued.

Looking at this, Yan Yan was curious about the hole so she peeked inside then she gasped, "Inuy-a! Hurry, let's dig out this hole."

Elizaveta joined the two who were digging up. The three were both excited and anxious. Little by little, the hole started to become wider until Grey went inside whilst the two were still digging.

Finally, the hole was wide enough to make the two get inside.

Inside, the two girls rushed towards Lander who was unconscious. They were worried when they saw him badly hurt and very pale.

Yan Yan cleaned him up and bandaged him. Elizaveta knew that Lander was cold so she went out hurriedly to gather up piles of wood.

When Yan Yan was done, she carried Lander to a comfortable spot. Elizaveta also came back at the same time and started making a fire. She even covered the hole they made and their tracks.

Grey on the other hand was rubbing his fur on Lander to make him warm.

Then Yan Yan started making a soup while Elizaveta was drying Lander's clothes.

With the combined effort of the three, Lander's skin started turning into it's original color. He was getting warmer but by the time the sun left the horizon. A chilly breeze started engulfing them.

"Hurry up and let's make him warmer," Yan Yan urged anxiously.

"I'm afraid we will only get tired and all our efforts would be useless," Elizaveta said shaking her head worriedly.

"Then what do you think we'll have to do?" Yan Yan questioned with an anger apparent on her face.

"Do we just sit here and do nothing and let him die? I will never do that!" Yan Yan continued glaring angrily at Elizaveta.

"I also don't want him to die but," Elizaveta said not minding Yan Yan who was angry.

"But what?" Yan Yan shouted.

"I have a solution, but I'm afraid you have to move out of the cave," Elizaveta said staring back at Yan Yan.

"What kind of solution you have that we have to move out?" Yan Yan exclaimed stomping her feet.

"If you don't want to move out then fine!" Elizaveta said as she stood up, removed the button of her robe. She blushed when her bare front was exposed openly. Then she hugged Lander making her soft skin touch Lander's bare skin. She then covered both of them with her robe and some blankets.

Watching this, Yan Yan was speechless but soon became embarrassed, "Shameless!"

Yan Yan then went out of the cave followed by Grey. Although Grey couldn't understand their words, he knew very well that Elizaveta's actions were helpful to his master so he gave them privacy.