The huge woman raised her voice, addressing Ian with an attitude of contempt towards those outside that was frightening. "As long as you don't earn your necklaces, you don't belong here. If you don't belong here and you're not inside, you won't have our protection either."

Most realized with stupefaction that they were already a foot outside the fort. Some even tried to return, but that idea was quickly erased from their minds as soon as they met the warriors' gaze. They looked menacing as they wielded their primitive weapons. The huge woman laughed arrogantly. "As far as I'm concerned, when you're outside, you can kill each other. If I find the corpses, we'll feed the hunting dogs."

That was like the starting gun at the start of a race. Some students ran off without looking back, despite being barefoot on such an unfriendly floor. Others were frozen, not knowing what to do. Some stood hesitantly, though they ended up sneaking out of Ian's line of sight. Others were defiant. Among them, Hector.

Hector was a belligerent boy trying to impress Beth. However, he had learned to stay out of Ian's way the hard way. At least he had so far, after their last encounter. He was the one who had come up with the idea of cornering Emily. It seems that Hector was very fond of Emily at the time. Now, he hated her and only seemed to want to act brave in front of Beth, who ignored him when it suited her.

Hector, showing his characteristic confidence, yelled at Ian. "Relax, crazy! We’re a lot more than you." He assured Ian as he pointed to the group still standing next to him. A copper-haired girl with some ugly scars on her face, didn’t want to be included in such a group and slowly walked away from them.

Ian slowly approached the warrior who was handing out the spears, and calmly, began to count the spears. The warrior handed him one spear and pushed the rest of the spears out of Ian's sight with a frown. "One spear per human. You already have one. Get out!"

Hector saw his chance as he smiled. There was hatred in that look. He looked at his group, among whom he included Beth and her friends without consulting them. Emily watched in bewilderment as six students readied their spears. Holding them firmly and placing them in position. Ready to be thrown. Hector didn’t shout or warn Ian. He whispered to his own. "Now! Kill that fucking son of a bitch!".

A shudder ran through Emily's body. It had been many years since she had screamed in public. She did it without realizing it. Without thinking. She felt her distressed voice leave her throat as she raised her hands for them to desist. Ian had been her only childhood friend. Although she no longer knew how he saw her, she felt a terrible despair when she thought they were going to kill him like an animal.

Emily helplessly watched as six spears flew out of the hands of those six resentful people. For some reason Emily couldn't understand, Rebecca was among them. The fastest had been one of the boys who had ended up in the hospital because of Ian, years ago. That bastard tried a second time, snatching the spear from one of Beth's friends.

Emily turned desperately, fearing the worst. She thought she would see Ian seriously injured, agonizing, and close to death. But what she saw, was very different. Ian had dodged all those badly carved spears. They were not as aerodynamic as the attackers assumed. Perhaps they lacked skill and strength. They had never thrown anything similar. But they didn't take into account something they didn't notice. Ian was always the hunter, never the hunted.

Two of the spears were stabbed in the leg and torso of the warrior who was handing out the spears. He was right behind Ian. Only a fool wouldn't have realized that Ian was still inside the settlement. Only a fool would believe they wouldn't hit the angry warrior as well. The warrior furiously shouted, without tearing off the projectiles that, luckily, had not hit him in any vital point.

Kalha, rampant and enraged, shouted at the warriors who couldn't believe their eyes. "Bring those sons of bitches! Bring them back alive! Now!"

The warriors immediately brandished their rudimentary bone, wood and stone weapons. They pounced on them like lions spurred on by a whip. Roaring. The terrified aggressors tried to flee. They did not understand how the situation could have turned around in just one second. But they were barefoot and the stones on the ground were not going to help them flee.

Emily was so terrified that she cowered like a hedgehog on the ground. She prayed to a God she didn't believe in, that they wouldn't catch her too. The warriors completely ignored her and brushed past her at high speed. In that instant, she felt relief, but also terror for what she knew was about to happen.

Within seconds, the fugitives were captured and dragged before the huge woman. Many were desperately pleading and trying to convince them that they had not participated. "Wait, wait. I didn't do anything. I was just there with them. Just as Kalha had them in front of her, she pointed to the six perpetrators. They released three who immediately fled in panic. Among them was the girl with the scars on her face, who vanished just as she was released.

Kalha glared at them with a hatred that could kill. "Our settlement, our rules, human scum." Not forgetting her rank, she looked at what seemed to be her superior. The latter nodded in agreement with the choice of culprits. The captive students began to scream in despair. Emily, horrified, and with her heart in her mouth, couldn't look. The huge woman shouted something guttural. It sounded like another language. Emily didn’t understand what she said, but she didn't need to.

Emily closed her eyes when she saw the warriors raising their weapons. The students began to scream, imploring for their lives, but to no avail. She tried to cover her ears to avoid the grotesque and macabre sounds Hector, Rebecca and the others were making. But even so, she still heard to them.

Emily couldn't believe how six of her classmates were being murdered right there, just like that. Skulls, ribs and arms were smashed, accompanied by the screams of despair and supplication. The blows continued for endless seconds, until no one screamed. Finally, only the panting of the warriors and the ragged breaths of the dying could be heard.

Emily was crying, trembling, terrified, not wanting to see that dantesque spectacle. But she ended up looking. Not because she wanted to, but because she heard something that made her hair stand on end. Half-opening her eyes, she saw what was left of Hector. He was still moving. He was writhing as he tried in vain to escape from his fateful fate. She didn't appreciate anyone on the floor. Most of them had humiliated her dozens of times. But she felt that this was a foretaste of what was to come. If those who were their potential allies killed them like that. What would their enemies do to them?

When all the horror stopped and the corpses were dragged away, Emily didn't know what to do. She was trembling as she wiped away her tears until someone kindly touched her back, startling her. "Let me see what that bitch did to you!". The fact it was Ian's voice surprised her even more. It had been so long since he had spoken to her.

Emily was perplexed. Her voice didn't want to come out, so a muffled whisper took its place. "Do you realize what you just caused?"

Ian carefully examined the bruise and abrasion on her face. Then, in a soft voice, he said. "I only threatened them. Everyone is the owner and responsible for their actions." Emily was terrified by Ian's coldness. She truly felt he was almost a villain.

Ian paused for a long moment, staring at her eyes. Emily knew how smart and efficient he was. She knew that his grades were as impressive as his physical abilities. She was almost certain that he had calculated it very well.

Ian felt uncovered and whispered. "They've been making you suffer for years. For every tear you've shed, they'll shed a tear of blood." Emily visibly flinched at that promise. “That’s a lot of tears.” Ian never lied or bluffed. If he promised something, he would keep it. In that instant she felt that Ian was already a true villain, even though he was a villain she held dear. She felt she had to get him out of the darkness into which he himself had chosen to sink.

After checking on the condition of her wounded warrior, Kalha approached Ian snorting and yelling. "You caused this, you bastard!" Ian got up so quickly and confidently, that even the woman slowed her frantic advance.

Despite being almost four fingers shorter than Kalha, Ian was imposing and unbearably scary when he looked like that. Ian, with surprising confidence, asked. "Are you blaming me for six fools who attacked your warrior because I was in front of him? Tell me! What were the chances of them hitting him being on the same trajectory as me?! 99%?!" At that moment, the angry woman remembered that he was not like the other students.

Ian coldly whispered. "Don't act so surprised. You knew this was going to happen as soon as you saw me and realized the hatred I have for many of them. It’s your fault for not foreseeing it. But don't worry, I'll take care of the other ten out of here. Don't be in a hurry to give away those precious necklaces."

Kalha had counted them on her fingers. In total, they were a little over twenty-five. But she was smart enough to figure out that not all of them were Ian's priority. Kalha pointed outside, trying to threaten him. She couldn't help but get turned on by that special human. "Solve your problems out there and do it before they come back with what we asked them for. If they earn a necklace, I won't allow you lay your hands on them. Do you understand me?"

Ian looked outside, very calmly. Without wasting a second, he walked away from the settlement with a firm but relaxed step. Emily quickly got up when she saw him go, but Ian didn't wait for her. That made her feel extremely lonely and helpless. For a moment, she had believed that their friendship was still there, like a bonfire almost extinguished but with a strong ember. "Am I wrong? I don't know whether he has defended me or punished one of his intolerable injustices."

In front of the doors, only Beth, her three friends and Emily remained. Everyone else had gradually left. Some in groups and some alone. Beth was on her knees, unable to look away from all the blood on the floor. Wide-eyed staring at the trail of blood that had been her friend. She was completely shocked.

Her three friends slowly approached her and hugged her. At that moment, Beth began to cry and so did the girls. Emily looked at that picture with some sadness, but also with satisfaction. She wanted to tell her that it was all her fault. She wanted to tell her that she had started all this, years ago. She wanted to tell her that this was just a foretaste of what was to come. But it had been too long since “Courage” had been one of her faithful traveling friends and she couldn't bring out all that she had repressed inside on her own.

Before that day, Emily had never seen Beth cry. Actually, she hadn't really seen any of her classmates cry, except for the occasional failed subject. Only she cried. Only she was the object of mockery, contempt and humiliation.

Emily picked up the spear without knowing what she was really going to do with it. She nervously scanned the horizon looking for Ian. She trembled at the thought of facing this alone. Ian was still not far away. She hesitated for several seconds whether she should risk following him. There was a chance he might reject her.

Suddenly, she felt one of her feet trying to step forward on its own. Emily was incredibly surprised. She could feel it. Her longed-awaited traveling companion was back. It was shy and very weak, but there it was. “Courage” was back. She felt it pushing a colossal fear slightly. Emily smiled almost imperceptibly and gripped the spear tightly. Then, Emily watched expectantly as Ian hadn't yet reached the trees in the distance. Encouraged by her longed-awaited traveling companion "Courage", Emily walked towards Ian as a tear, which hadn't grown long enough to be noticed, fell down her cheek.

Emily walked barefoot and with considerable difficulty. She was trying to cross a strip of land with small stones that surrounded the entire settlement. She assumed that it was the typical area that was cleared of vegetation and obstacles to get a good view if an enemy approached the settlement. She calculated that there must be a hundred meters of width between the forest and the huge stakes that surrounded the settlement's stone and wooden walls.

She tried to catch up him as fast as she could, but all she was getting was a terrible pain in her foot. Emily looked at Ian like a castaway looks at a salvage ship. Ian didn't seem fazed by the pain of the stones in his bare feet or at least he didn't show it. For a second, he stopped without looking toward Emily. Emily was very glad for her feet.

Emily remembered how she had fought in video games, besieging forts, on terrain like the one she now walked on. She had died many times, but it was a video game. She knew that besieging a fort in real life was a foolish sacrifice of lives. There were easier ways to eliminate the enemy. Sometimes, she surprised herself at how much she rambled on at all times.

Emily realized with some disappointment that Ian wasn't waiting for her. When she finally caught up with him, he turned serious, but calm. Emily began to succumb to fear, seeing him like that. It was something she always felt when she saw him like this. Threatening. Emily stared at him for several seconds, hoping his expression would relax. She prayed he didn't tell her to go away.

Ian finally spoke. "I'm going to make things clear, Emily" At those words, she felt a knot in her stomach and she began to tremble. Ian seemed upset and surprised by that reaction. "Do you really think I'm going to hurt you?" Emily felt the absence of her newly regained courage and did the same thing she always did when she didn't know what to do. She looked down at the floor with wide eyes, trembling.

Her voice didn't come out nor was she able to gesticulate anything. She only felt fear. Her breathing was labored and her hands felt stiff and clumsy. Finally, mustering all the courage she could, she said in a barely inaudible tone. "No. I don't think you're going to hurt me."

Slowly, Ian approached her as she began to tremble even more. She was trembling so much that her teeth were rattling. She couldn't focus on anything other than the idea that Ian didn't want her by his side either. When he was very close to her, Ian sat down in front of her, on the floor. This way, she could see his face while still looking down. Ian seemed more relaxed. Less sullen. Emily thanked the heavens for that. In a gentle tone, Ian asked her without looking her directly in the eye. "Are you in a lot of pain about what... what Rebecca did to you?"

That relaxed her enough to stop shaking. Looking into his eyes, Ian met hers. Now he looked less like the Ian she feared and more like the one she longed for. She nodded at him, barely moving her head, that it didn't hurt. Ian knew it was a lie, but he didn't say anything.

After a few seconds, Ian looked away and smiled slightly. "What did the old woman tell you? That you cry all the time, or that you fight for your life?"

That relaxed Emily enough to allow her to whisper. "It was you who asked her about the terms of the deal, right?"

Ian received that question with surprise and replied sheepishly. "I must admit I didn't know there were conditions."

Emily received the puzzled answer. Then she frowned. "Did you have to pass any tests?"

Ian looked abruptly annoyed, remained thoughtful for a few seconds, then stood up without making use of his hands. Quick and skillful. With a bitter smile plastered on his mouth. "I don't want to talk about it." Then, he turned, heading in the only possible direction, the forest. With his back to her, he kindly advised her. "Watch where you step or you will hurt your feet real badly. We've been wearing shoes all our lives. This is going to be like torture. The first thing we have to do is get some foot protection or even the snails catch us.

Emily smiled for a moment and began to consider where to step on the path to the forest. The best option always seemed to be where she saw Ian's footprint. After a few seconds, when they were already approaching the trees in the thicket, she thought. "I wonder what Ian was going to say to me before. He seemed really angry. Maybe he doesn't want me around., but he didn't send me away because he knows I'm a coward. Does he feels sorry for me?". She thought it was better to settle with that. At least she wasn't alone.

Little by little they approached the trees. It was a lush forest and it looked like it could be a barefoot friendly place, with grass on the ground and fairly clean. Emily guessed that many must have passed by, picking up anything that might be useful for fuel, since the forest was really clean.

Suddenly, Ian wrapped an arm around her tightly, covering her mouth so that the shock he knew he was giving her didn't make her scream. He lifted Emily up and placed her next to the nearest tree. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered. "Don't move or make the slightest noise." He let her facing the tree and released her. Trembling again, Emily searched for Ian with her eyes. When she turned around, she noticed that Ian wasn't behind her. Then, on the other side of the tree, she heard footsteps. Nervous, she waited a few seconds expectantly. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared. But not the one she expected. It was George.