Chapter 39: Unfamiliar

He sat up, sweat pebbles dripping off his forehead, his breathing heavy, Why did he see Daragura…no it was all a dream, so why had he dreamt of that, why had he imagined Daragura calling him a failure and since it was all just a mirage curated by his subconscious did it mean that he thought of himself as a failure, was he just using peter as an excuse to remain stagnant. A sigh escaped his dried lips, he would think long and hard about all that later, but right now he had to focus on what was before him.

His eyes searched through the space he'd found himself in, a ceiling not just fabric held up by flimsy sticks, four wooden walls lined with broken shelves, scattered on the floor was a variety of books, textbooks and novels alike torn and dirtied with what looked to be dried blood, scattered glass below the windows barely protected by curtains with obvious claw marks tearing their fabric, it was all Unfamiliar. His heart skipped and immediately he jumped to his feet, regretting the sudden action once he felt a sharp sting in his stomach where Anel had so kindly stabbed him but he persevered with one thought at the wheel of his panic. “Where is Peter?”

He stared vacantly at the blanket had been placed over him and the first aid kit that sat at one edge of the space beside a rocking chair still rocking back and forth gently due to the cold wind that poured through the open windows, his eyes searched but there was nothing else. A step forward and he felt the tightness of cloth around his stomach, looking down at it his gaze was met with the layers of bandage that had been wrapped around him, probably the only reason he was still living and hadn't died from blood loss.

“Irrelevant.” he thought and leaped back into his minds spiral as he put the pieces together, the cabin like atmosphere of the room he'd awoken in, the lack of his presence meant that he wasn't the one who'd treated him, because not only would he lack the strength needed to bring him to such a place, he seriously doubted the boys medical capabilities. On the other hand, there were in a forest and it was highly feasible that a built cabin had been situated there before the merge and only needed to be found—

“What if Peter was dead.” He forced away the thought brought about by his continued spiral, trying his best to keep calm as he thought through every possiblity before acting—

“You're wasting time.” He shut his eye and rid the thought but failed.

“Every second you waste thinking is a second that could be spent saving him.” He shook his head violently, thoughts like that never helped, rash actions never lead to good results, if he had any chance of saving Peter, he needed to think—A russle sounded from the beyond the door of the room, his attention snapped to it and he forgot about whatever it was he'd been deliberating about, He pressed his ear and focused on the sounds, closing his eyes so his focus could be solely on the sounds, a few seconds passed and he could hear nothing but footsteps until a man spoke.

“Jakob.” the thought was loud, Somehow Jakob escaped the golem, captured him and brought him to this cabin. He backed away from the door as quietly as physically possible and stared at the handle, The pain from his wound was still prominent but he could stand and move and that would have to be enough to get him out of this ordeal.

He pulled up his system and checked his Health.

\[HP : 70/100\]

Not yet in perfect health but he would have to manage. He calmed his breathing, Jakob still thought him to be unconscious, he had the element of surprise and he wasn't going to waste it, He waited patiently, eyes fixed on the doors handle and ears at alert, waiting for the sound of the lock, Seconds passed and he remained, he closed his eyes and focused on the flow of his Arkana, it was steady, Good. A few more seconds passed before the handle turned, the lock clicked and the door pushed open, Rylan didn't hesitate, he covered the distance instantly and threw a flying knee into the face of the person that had opened the door, the force of the attack sent the person flying through the lobby and crashing through the door that led into the parlor.

“What the fuck was that?” Someone exclaimed from the other side of the door, he didn't recognize the voice, most likely one of the players, he did not care. He sped into the room, holding onto the first person he could reach, he didn't need to see their face as he spun round them with a dizzying amount of speed, holding tightly onto his hand, he took the knife sheated at the person's waist and pressed it against their neck only then did he bother to search through the room till his eyes landed on Peter who sat down in the middle of two people he assumed to be players, there was an even mix of fear and gladness in his eyes as he stared at Rylan.

“Let go of the kid or I slit his throat.” Rylan threatening, his hands trembling with the weight of what he threatened to do but his expression remained determined, the players shifted from the boy and lifted theirs hands in surrender, Relief flooded through Rylan and even if it was just a mere second that his guard dropped the player that had been at his mercy took the chance and threw an elbow into the exact spot of Rylan's wound, Rylan let out a pained gasp and he fell to his knees allowing the player to retrieve their blade and point it at him.

“Stop.” The order came from outside, everyone froze just as the door opened and someone walked in.