Barbarian: Chapter One.

“State your name, barbarian”

Caierre shrugged, opening his bag sack and handing them his name plaque. Adrian let out a chuckle, moving forward towards the wolf warriors that stood by the gates to the Masbrook.

“He can’t speak,” Adrian explained to the soldiers. It was true though, after witnessing the death of his both parents he had lost his ability to speak.

Was it fear? Or did he just simply forget how to?

Adrian had taken on servant wolf boy jobs just to raise money to get him to the healers but it was of no use, they just couldn’t do anything.

It had been seven years since he had last said a word to anyone. They had just simply given up hope, leaving everything to the moon goddess. If he speaks, blessed to the moon.

“Wolves like him are worthless” the other guard laughed as his partner said that statement, earning a look from Caierre. He wanted to cause a scene, dual with the guard but that would blow their cover since they were here on a mission.

Instead, he turned his face away and watched the little pups that played by gates while Adrian did the talking. After what seemed like forever, they were allowed to pass the gate.

“Good thing, you didn’t let your temper get the best of you” Adrian smiled as he turned to Caierre after they walked past.

‘They should be lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise I wouldn’t care what mission we’re on.’ Caierre communicated through the mind link which he had established with Adrian.

It was easier this way than learning sign language, and also Adrian could sense his mood through this link.

“That's news to me! Bless the goddess that you of all people would be in a good mood” He said. “Do you even know what that means?”

Caierre rolled his eyes at the sarcasm, using his shoulders to slightly nudge Adrian only making him chuckle.

‘After we get this job done, consider yourself dead’ Caierre said through the mind link.

When they got to the city of Masbrook, the sun was already setting. They found a small tavern to settle down for the night, the owner was in her late fifties who showed them to their room.

Adrian had checked the room for anything that could attract the moon goddess curse, after seeing there was none he settled down with relief.

“Do you think it will be easy to infiltrate the High Alpha’s pack of warriors?” Adrian asked. He was worried, all their lives had been a near death experience. He thought as Caierre had turned twenty, they would buy a vineyard and possibly grow grapes and be free of the past.

But Caierre had a different plan.

He wanted to go back to the Wulfren plains where his Mama and Papa souls lay to rest, then begin his revenge plan against the Slivermark and the High Alpha.

Sounds crazy right?

But Caierre was anything except being sane, and Adrian bonded by the promises he had made with his late alpha and brotherhood couldn’t leave Caierre’s side.

‘If we stick to the plan, it would be easy’ Caierre sipped the water he had gotten from his bag sack.

“And what is the plan exactly?”

‘You idiot! The plan is…..’

They were interrupted by loud cheers. Adrian stood and went to see what the commotion was, leaving Caierre alone in the room.

A man burst into his room and closed the doors in a haste, his clothes were black with stains of blood. His shoulders were injured, leaving trails of blood on the floor.

‘Adrian!’ Caierre tried mind-linking Adrian but there was no reply.

“Find him! Don’t let him escape” someone’s voice rang outside. Caierre at this point was now on his feet, taking a silver blade in his hand and pointing it at the stranger before him.

Should I shout so the wolves outside would come bursting in?

Who was he kidding! He couldn’t let out a sound, not to mention shouting.

“Forgive my manners, please let me stay here till my men arrive.” The stranger had turned to face Caierre. His eyes were the same color as the moon’s, silver just like the strands of his hair that slightly came out from the shawl he wore.

A scar ran through his left eye, making him dangerously handsome. But now those silver eyes stared at Caierre, pleading with him.

‘Adrian where are you?’ Caierre tried to mind linking Adrian again but he wasn’t responding. He was not comfortable being together with a man he knew nothing about aside from the fact that the man was injured and had pursuerers outside who sounded like they would kill him immediately their hands got hold of him.

‘Help him’ a mini angel caierre appeared, tiny but dressed in white and a tiny floating halo on his head.

‘Push him outside, he smells like trouble’ another appeared on his other side, but this one was dressed in black with spiky red horns and a pointy tail.

Caierre sighed, he was officially losing his mind. Now he got himself shrank into two, giving him advice.

When did he get to this point?

He shrugged and gestured the man in, then went to cabinet in the room. Searching through, hoping to see if there was anything to tend to the man’s wound.

Luckily he saw something to patch the stranger up.

He gestured at the stranger to remove his upper clothes so he could treat him. He was no healer but years for wandering had given small knowledge about small wounds like this.

“Thank you” the stranger said when he was done, but Caierre didn’t reply to him. He went to the other end of the room and sat down, closing his eyes to pretend that he was asleep.

“You shouldn’t have helped him” The mini ciaerre with a horn appeared again.

“Doing good things attracts the moon goddess blessings” the one with the halo said as he appeared.

Was this the final destination of madness? Was he that lonely that made his mind develop two unreal characters who just have the same face as him except they were tiny.

“We’re real and we live in your mind” the horn Caierre smirked.

Caierre sighed and resigned to his faith, this was obviously what he would be going through. Talking with himself till Adrian comes back, while hoping the stranger doesn’t notice and deem him mad.

“Caierre, are you okay?” Adrian’s voice came through the mind link.

“Where have you been?! I’ve been trying to talk to you but you’ve been silent” Caierre exhaled, he didn’t notice that he had been holding back a breath since he sat down here.

Suddenly the stranger stood up, he turned and looked at Caierre. Without saying anything, he left the room. Caierrre, whose eyes had been closed, finally opened them.

“I’m coming back to you,” Adrian said. Within a few minutes, he appeared. He walked towards Caierre, using his hand to check if there’s any wound on him.

“What are you doing?” Caierre asked. “What was that commotion about?”

“We need to get out of here immediately” Adrian said, gathering their things and holding Caierre’s hands to lead him out of there but Caierre pulled his hands away, staring at Adrian’s frightened eyes.

“What’s going on? What was the commotion about?” Caierre asked again. But Adrian's eyes looked frantically around, to him it was not the time to waste for questions. He needed to get both of them to safety.

“Adrian answer me!, I command it”

Adrian, who was already getting impatient, let out a breath before bringing his eyes to look at Caierre.

“The Slivermark high Alpha is here” he said, trying to see any reaction on Caierre who just stared at him blankly, before continuing what he was saying. “And everyone is dead”