Shank and Yelena arrived with food they had scavenged from the ruins of the village. As they all began to eat, Shank's eyes narrowed, and he turned to Dannie. "Dannie, you mentioned he is your brother. Is he really your brother?"
Mitsuki's voice trembled slightly as she interjected, "Yes, actually, Elcos is not from this village. He was one of the victims of Shavick. About three years ago, his village, Shimaz, was raided. His family was slaughtered. He managed to escape, but they captured his brother and twisted his mind."
Shank's face paled, his voice barely a whisper. "What! This isn't your real village. I... I was also a victim of Shavick. They enslaved me, but I managed to escape and fled here. I have spies in their village. They feed me information about their future plans."
Two months later.
Elcos returned to their temporary home in the forest after a grueling training session. As he approached, he noticed Shank emerging from the dense foliage, clutching a letter tightly in his hand. Elcos' curiosity piqued, and he asked, "What is that letter?"
Shank's brow furrowed as he replied, "I don't know. Let me check." With a sense of urgency, he tore open the letter and began to read. His eyes widened as he recognized the handwriting—it was from one of his messengers in Shavick.
Shank's voice trembled as he read aloud, "Shank, this letter is from your loyal messenger, Canner. Shavick is preparing to raid a wealthy village. They are mobilizing all their forces, leaving Shavick defenseless. The raid is scheduled for next week and will last at least two days. During this time, we can capture the village head and use him to extract vital information, bringing the village to its knees. I hope this information helps."
Elcos and Shank were meticulously planning their attack on Shavik village for tomorrow. However, their preparations were abruptly interrupted when a lone raider was spotted heading towards their house. Elcos instinctively prepared to confront the intruder, but Shank intervened, recognizing the raider as his secret messenger.
"Why have you come here?" Shank demanded.
The messenger, with a grave expression, replied, "I have both bad news and good news. Which should I tell first?"
Elcos, his patience wearing thin, snapped, "Tell me the bad news first."
The messenger took a deep breath and said, "The person who attacked you in the village, I believe his name is Caural, is being tortured mercilessly. If this continues, he might not survive."
Elcos's eyes burned with fury, and he moved to rush out and save his brother. But the messenger raised a hand to stop him. "I haven't finished yet," he said urgently.
"Speak quickly!" Elcos growled.
"The place where Caural is being tortured is unknown to me. Only Ervin and the village head know its exact location. It's heavily guarded, and even the slightest mistake could cost both of you your lives."
Shank, weighing the gravity of the situation, turned to Elcos. "I guess we should capture the village head. This might allow us to save your brother as well. However, the village head is also heavily guarded and capturing him won't be easy."
Elcos was consumed by rage. "We will attack right now!" he declared, beginning preparations. But the messenger intervened, "The Shavik village didn't start the raid. If you go now, you'll be burned alive. Wait until tomorrow." The messenger left, but Elcos's fury remained. Mitsuki approached him gently, "Do you remember the day you regained consciousness and asked why you were shirtless? I told you I cleaned your body, and you blushed. That was three and a half months ago." Elcos's anger softened as he recalled the memory, feeling a sense of calm. Shank observed how Mitsuki could calm Elcos, thinking she might be the one for him.
The night passed, and Elcos prepared for the right moment to attack Shavik village and kidnap the village head. Shank saw Elcos preparing and asked, "Are you ready?" Elcos replied, "Yes, I'm ready to attack the village that killed my parents and is now torturing my brother." Shank informed him, "The raiders have left the village. Let's go." Elcos agreed, and they entered the village. Shank noticed the village head was heavily guarded by raiders. "It's heavily guarded. What should we do?" he asked. Elcos responded, "You go near the village head. I'll handle the raiders."
They separated. Elcos threw a rock at one of the raiders, who commanded the others to follow him. Elcos led them away, hiding behind a bush. The raiders fell into his trap, encountering a hungry male and female lion. The lions pounced, their roars echoing through the night as they tore into the raiders. The air was filled with the sounds of struggle and the scent of blood. Meanwhile, Shank stealthily approached the village head, masked his face, and subdued him, preventing any outcry. He successfully captured the village head, and Elcos helped him take the captive back to their home.
Elcos began interrogating the village head, demanding to know where Caural was being tortured. The village head claimed ignorance, prompting Elcos to pull out one of his fingernails with a sharp piece of wood, causing severe pain. Under duress, the village head revealed that Caural was in Ashvile, a village behind an active volcano. Shank exclaimed, "An active volcano! It's so dangerous." Elcos replied, "Yes, but I need to rescue my brother." He asked the village head about the distance from Shavik village. "It's nearly 120 to 150 km," the village head answered. Elcos remarked, "That's quite a distance." The village head confirmed. Shank questioned, "How will we go that far?" Elcos replied, "By horses." Shank noted, "We need 3 to 4 horses." Elcos decided, "We'll steal them from Shavik village." Shank asked, "When will we go?" Elcos answered, "Tomorrow, maybe." Shank agreed.
Elcos then executed the village head with a swift, decisive strike, much to Shank's disgust. "Eeww!" Shank exclaimed. Elcos apologized, "I'm sorry for making this place dirty." The next day, they prepared everything and set off. Elcos, Shank, Mitsuki, and Yelena went to Shavik village, stole four horses, and began their journey.