NOVEL WEB Chapter 40: Let My Warmth Be Your Warmth
Many in the crowd muttered hushed worries to each other. Had they really been sent so far from home to such a dangerous place? The prince continued in spite of them, moving his hand as he outlined their planned path home, listing places and obstacles they would have to overcome as they went.
Aster was familiar with the layout of the continent, but obviously had no personal accounts of any of it. Even still, the young man realized this was no leisurely stroll they had before them, this would be a long and demanding journey.
The prince lowered his arm when he finally made it back to the capitol, pausing just a moment before turning back to the crowd.
"I know it is far, but we find ourselves with little choice. We have a warrior with a long-distance communication bloodskill among us, but even that has limited range. As such, we have no knowledge of the current state of our home.
"We will be moving behind enemy territory with many threats around us. We have no way to know our exact location and can only get a general idea of which direction to move... Worst case, it could take nearly two weeks to even escape this desert on foot.
"We have gathered what food we could manage from the ferals within the cave, and our two mages present can handle our thirst. We unfortunately have nobody capable of healing magic here with us, but we have many strong warriors among us, ones that will fight to ensure all the citizens here make it back to their families.
"My people and my soldiers, I ask you to remain strong in this uncertainty and to help each other however we can... For that is now our only hope of survival. Please, put your faith in your prince and each other. Trust that we will overcome this, as the mighty beastmen of Alora have always risen above any obstacle that was placed before us. Thank you."
A large minotaur standing near the king huffed and stomped a hoof. Aster was a bit surprised as the soldiers around him, Stahl included, sounded out in perfect unison.
"Yes, Sir!"
The group disbanded shortly after, breaking off into smaller groups in the now silent and dark land in their vicinity.
A while later, while the she-wolf, the fox, and the human were idly talking in attempt to lighten the small canine's spirits, the smaller group was approached by the minotaur, the rabbit, and the prince himself.
The two sitting warriors kneeled to greet their prince, which was quickly dismissed with a wave. The rabbit spoke to the human first, giving a little bow.
"Evening. I realize I failed to introduce myself earlier, so let me start with that. I am Mollis Macula, a mage who has been working with Captain Carcer Rixator here for quite some time. I am sorry it is under such circumstances, but I look forward to working with you."
The humanoid rabbit turned to Stahl then. "Good to fight alongside you again, Aschefell." The she-wolf smiled at the rabbit and nodded in return. It was then that Prince Tyfin cut in, gesturing towards the minotaur.
"Stahl, Aster, I've charged Captain Rixator here with the task of keeping our soldiers in shape, as well as further instructing and improving with them. I expect you two to join him tomorrow night when he begins training. I know the timing seems off considering our circumstances, but he made a valid point. We need to improve all we can to face a demon capable of such brutality."
The two warriors simply replied with a hearty, "My prince," before the bull spoke next in his gruff, booming voice.
"ASH PELT WOLF IS GOOD FIGHTER, WILL HELP ME TEACH!" Stahl nodded in spite of the wrong name again, already assuming as much. Still, the she-wolf was a bit worried when the massive beast turned to the smaller human next.
Captain Rix had a reputation among the military for his overbearing and extreme training methods.
"BOY! YOU ARE ONE I WILL TEACH! YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH! YOUR WEAKNESS IS OUR WEAKNESS. I DO NOT LIKE WEAKNESS. YOUR SHIELD NEEDS TO BE STRONGER. YOU NEED TO BE STRONGER. I WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER!"
Aster just gulped as the heavy minotaur just bellowed down at him. It seemed Captain Rixator wasn't capable of speaking in anything short of a yell. It was then that the last name clicked into place for Aster, and he stared up at the bovine with a new feeling—
Remorse.
Aster took to a kneel again, addressing the beast with somber respect.
"Captain Rixator... Your father was one of the only beasts who believed I should be allowed to fight during my trial. Without him, I wouldn't even be here. He gave me his approval when few others would... I am sorry for what happened to him back there. I will do my best to make you see me in the same light of worth. I am honored to have the opportunity to learn under the Rixator clan." The bull huffed proudly, crossing his arms as he answered the human.
"MY FATHER FELL TO A DEATH WORTHY OF GREATNESS. HE BATTLES WITH THE GODS NOW. BUT, I AM NOT AS EASILY PLEASED, BOY. YOU'LL LEARN SOON ENOUGH."
The bull stepped off to the side a bit, Aster followed his movement and was alarmed when the bovine reached down and grabbed his staff. The great bull turned back to the boy with a smirk.
"I WILL TAKE THIS. YOU MUST EARN THE RIGHT TO WIELD IT BACK FROM ME."
Aster was simply stunned, many people he cared for put effort into that gift, and now he's told it will be taken from him by someone he had just met? The human was feeling an anger welling up from within himself, but being as he wasn't one to ever run away from a challenge, the boy only closed his eyes to hide the rage that was surely transparent behind them, and answered his superior.
"Then earn it back is exactly what I will do. I will show you my worth." Aster looked to his prince for a moment, recalling his words to him earlier in the cavern before he continued. "I will show, no, PROVE to each of you my value, my resolve, and so much more than you ever could have imagined from a single human. I will prove it to myself."
The Captain let out a snort of nonbelief. He wasn't much for big talk. The prince and the rabbit, however, were happy to hear such an answer. A short while later, and the three were leaving to speak to the next group over.
Aster watched with an uneasy feeling as the bull strutted away with his staff casually thrown over his shoulder. Stahl had noticed this and felt she should try to ease Aster's worries.
"Yeah... Captain Rix can seem a little extreme at times, but he really is amazing at pushing his soldiers far beyond their limits. It won't be easy to make him acknowledge you, Aster, but not impossible. Just... Remember to keep your cool. He can be pretty ruthless when it comes to attacking your weakest points and insecurities."
Aster looked to the she-wolf with a serious look and only nodded in acknowledgment. Despite everything, Stahl loved to see him fired up like that. When his determination to fight showed this strongly, the she-wolf always found herself completely encaptivated by her small friend.
A few hours later, after Rust, Stahl, and Aster had fallen sound asleep, Aster found himself waking up with an entirely new problem. He was freezing. When the desert sun faded away, it took with it the scorching heat that burned down upon the Crimson Sands, leaving the temperature to rapidly fall in its absence.
Most of the beastmen were fine. Their fur kept them plenty warm enough, and the cool night air was a much needed reprieve for them from such extreme heat. Even Aster was at first grateful for the soothing, chilly touch on his burned skin, which finally allowed him to drift off to sleep earlier.
Though now, he was miserable and shivering violently with only his thin trousers and shirt to cover his vulnerable skin. The human sat up, drawing in his frozen limbs into a tight ball in a vain attempt to bring warmth back to them. He remained that way for over twenty minutes, losing in his struggle.
It was the chattering sound of Aster's teeth that had caused the light sleeping she-wolf to stir from her dreams. She glanced over with groggy vision and was immediately pulled from her semiconscious state when her eyes focused on the young man.
Aster was huddled up into a ball, his face was tucked down towards his chest, desperately trying to use the warmth of his own visible breath to bring some sort of relief to the bitter, stinging cold that stole away any warmth he could generate.
Stahl felt her heart sink into her stomach at the sight, cursing herself for not realizing such an obvious oversight sooner. The human didn't have fur to keep him warm, and not a single beast there had even considered it. Why would they? This wasn't something they had to worry about.
The she-wolf stood, causing Aster to turn his head to the sound of the crunching dirt. The human just looked at his friend apologetically, speaking between the clacking from his jaw.
"S-sorry, I ha-ave been trying t-to stop them, b-but I can't b-bite down h-ha-ard enough t-to do it. S-sorry to wake y-you."
Stahl didn't answer, instead the ashen she-wolf only walked the few steps over to her armor, pulled her blue cape from the pile, and then strutted back over to her friend, crouching down behind him.
Aster audibly exhaled in surprise when Stahl sat down, extended her legs around the young man, and pulled him in close, pressing the warm fur of her ample chest into the Aster's back. The she-wolf spoke softly then.
"You know, you're too damn stubborn for your own good. You're over here freezing, yet you apologize for your discomfort possibly affecting others. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, so I am the one who gets to apologize here, Aster. Lay next to me, let my warmth be your warmth... But, honestly, I can keep you a lot warmer without that shirt on..."
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