Chapter 29: People

The smile graced his lips once again as he answered Rylan. Off-putting, Rylan thought as the vibe around them completely altered to match his change.

“You interested?” His smile was playful, a deep contrast from the blankness of a few seconds ago.

“I wouldn't ask if I wasn't.” Rylan replied, tense but still wanting the answers. Jakob took a step forward. The sky had began to light up as the sun rose, Rylan blinked away his drowsiness and forced himself awake, Jakob noticed, Rylan was nearing his limit and no matter how much he tried to postpone that limit, it would still affect him.

“I can't tell you that you know, I can only show you.” He said then turned around and began walking away from them down a path created by a clearing of fallen trees and trampled weeds. Rylan turned to Peter who shifted slightly then turned back to Jakob who was still walking away.

“I'm to assume you won't attack me if I follow you.”

Jakob paused, turned back and looked at him with that blank expression on his face. “It's ain't gon be easy to form a partnership if we don't go ahead and trust each other Rylan. Wake the boy and follow me.” He turned back and continued walking. Following him was risky especially since he had no reason whatsoever to even trust him but if this shelter was anything like what he thought it was he'd be able to keep Peter safe and continue on his own.

The sun had fully come up, bathing the forest in the soft glow of it's early morning light, Rylan could see everything perfectly now, the brown tint of fallen leaves that covered the road, trees broken in uneven halves, Ravens hanging on branches staring at them as they passed in silence, Peter had fully woken up and now walked beside Rylan with Jakob a few steps ahead leading them at a comfortable place. An hour had past since they had begun walking and since then Jakob hadn't uttered another word or even looked back to see if they were following, He moved with mastery of the environment, like he'd followed this path a thousand times, Every turn he took, every log he skipped over and he knew that this place was calmer than the city but he'd expected to see at least one beast but there were none, he could feel their residue, the lasting presence all beast left behind.

“Are we there yet.” Peters whine broke the steady silence, Rylan turned to him and was about to speak when Jakob answered.

“Just a few more steps now lil man.” He was incredibly polite for someone who had referred to him as dead weight, Peter turned to Rylan who just shrugged and gripped tighter onto his little hand. One, two, three steps and they stopped just in front of a cave, The opening was dark and he couldn't make out what was inside but he wasn't excited to run into the unknown, The last time he walked into a cave he'd end up running out for his dear life and he wasn't intent on doing that again.

“Here we are.” Jakob said then turned to face them. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He announced loudly with outstretched hands. Rylan pulled Peter back slightly, He could feel the presence of so many people, players and normal people alike roaming through that cave, There was a big chance they were walking into a trap and Rylan honestly didn't think he'd be able to get out of this one. Fatigue had made Rylan easy to read, he no longer had precise control over every emotion he showed so it was easy to know what he was thinking by just simply looking at him.

“You think it's a trap?” Jakob said enthusiastically as he took a step forward so he was just inches away from Rylan and Peter. “I promise you, it's not a trap, You asked about my shelter and I wanna show it to you, Sort of a…show of good faith, you get me?”

Rylan glared but with his senses dulled it was awfully hard to make decisions clearly as all he could think of was a place where he could lay down his head and fall asleep without worrying about if something or someone was gonna pop out and attack them.

“Do I have your word on that.” He asked, a meaningless question, he could lie and Rylan wouldn't be able to tell.

“On my honor as the leader of this shelter.” Jakob said, hand pressed against his chest in a plegde. Rylan closed his eyes, he tried to weigh the pros and cons but he couldn't even do something as simple as that, He really needed rest, was his only thought as he nodded, Jakob smiled happily, spinning on his heels and walking through the opening. As they entered into the cave, lights immediately flickered on from the spikes that hung from the top, similar to the ones that had been in Vrey's cave, memories flashed but he locked them away as they continued to walk deeper and deeper into the cave, it was wide, like the mountain it resided under had been hollowed out, they followed a wide narrow trail, slippery sharp rocks slowed their pace as they walked to the end of the trail another opening, dim natural light poured from the inside and The sound of civilization was gentle ahead of them, Peter looked at him, a look of pure joy in his eyes as he recognized the sound of others for the first time in a month, the sound of other people that weren't screams. A wide smile curved his mouth, revealing several missing teeth, His freckled cheeks puffed up and his eyes gleamed with joy as he ran forward, releasing himself from Rylan's tired grip and running through the opening, Jakob followed and with a soft smile turned and said.

“Welcome to my shelter.”

Rylan fell to his knees as it all came into view, Relief washed over him—People, no beasts, no tears, no blood, Just……People.