Ryan soon knelt beside the body and stripped off the coat, the gloves, and anything else he could find, taking the loot as was normal in any game… However, at every moment he avoided thinking about what he was actually doing.
Even so, when he put on the coat and felt the dampness of blood still soaking the fabric, he couldn't help but shiver slightly. Even with his high mental fortitude, it still shook him. Ryan was, after all, human…
[ New Items Acquired ]
[ &*#!@)(#!@#!@ ]
[ !&&#(&!@)( @!@ ]
[ … ]
"Nice… exactly what I expected from you, system." Ryan laughed mockingly before turning to his sick companion. He walked slowly and knelt beside him, the cold wind howling inside the cabin. Soon, the temperature would drop drastically. This place was no longer safe for them.
He soon noticed that the slave had lost consciousness due to fever. He gently shook the slave's shoulder, waking him again. As soon as the slave woke up startled, eyes wide, Ryan asked, "Do you know what these items are?" The slave looked around, still confused and in shock. Ryan shook him again, harder. "I need to know what these items are and what they do! Tell me now! Or we'll die!"
The slave stared at him, beginning to come to his senses, then swallowed hard before speaking. "They call this the [Glacinata Bear Coat] and this glove the [Transmission Glove]. As for the sword and the rest… I don't know much… The first increases aptitude, and the second transmits it through indirect contact. They don't require activation and work passively. It's exactly what we need to get out of here." Ryan nodded briefly.
"This's good... In that case, it's time to go." Ryan stood up turning his back. The slave's eyes widened.
"Wait... You… you're not going to leave me here, are you?" the slave asked in panic, as he continued to walk away. "Hey! You promised me, you said you'd take me with you, that you'd protect me! You can't do this!" Ryan turned to face him. "You can't do this to me!" The slave was on the verge of tears.
"..."
"Geez… calm down, I didn't say I'd abandon you… well, maybe I chose my words poorly, but still. Don't be such a crybaby." Ryan chuckled softly, slightly frightening he. "Wait here, I need to take care of a few things, then I'll come get you... After all, I made a promisse, right?"
"Yes... you made it..."He said and Ryan simply nodded.
Walking away, Ryan stepped out of the cabin door, once again facing the howling wind outside. The cold bit into his cheeks again, it was terrible, and now that he paid attention, he could clearly feel his body growing weaker once more.
His teeth chattered as even breathing became difficult… however, that was it. His stats hadn't dropped as much as before, and he could still remain standing.
"Could be worse," Ryan exhaled, looking up at the sky before focusing on his surroundings. Slowly, he circled the cabin, finding his bone axe once again amid the snow and shattered glass. He picked it up and rested it on his shoulder. "Missed you, old friend… now that we're reunited once more, let's make up for lost time! Time to tear a house down!" He grinned from ear to ear.
Ryan reentered through the front door and quickly grabbed a rope, tying it around his own wrist and then the slave's. Soon, the effects of the [Glacinata Bear Coat] were transmitted to him, allowing him to better endure the frozen hell.
Right after, Ryan let out a horrifying whistle, making the slave shrink under the blankets. "Don't be scared… I just need to do something I love! Break Everything!"
Immediately, Ryan's axe came crashing down with full force onto the cabin's planks, then onto the door and the cabinets. Splinters of wood flew everywhere as his body grew warmer with each strike. The slave began to sweat coldly, witnessing such relentless and gleeful brutality, like that of a demon.
More and more freezing wind flooded into the cabin, but neither of them truly cared this time. In fact, Ryan was sweating heavily, satisfied with his work. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then, once again, he grabbed ropes and some blankets along with the freshly cut planks and began crafting something no one could have predicted. The slave tilted his head, along with his two furry ears, watching with intense curiosity.
It was strange to think that so much irrational brutality was, in fact, rational.
After some time, Ryan sighed as he saw his masterpiece come to life. A sled. But more than that, a covered sled. Almost like a mini mobile cabin. Even so, the term "mini" didn't quite fit, since the reference was a huge cabin and the sled was also big, just not as big. It still could hold up to three people.
Ryan then turned to the ruined cabinets and clay pots. Grains and water were scattered everywhere, remnants of the fierce battle from before. Obviously, this couldn't be wasted. After all, there was no telling whether they would find food or water outside.
He gathered everything he could in terms of supplies and placed it inside the sled. After that, he collected as much firewood as he could find. He needed to light a fire to cook their food, and considering one of them was sick, hot meals were essential.
A long time passed, but finally, Ryan walked back to the slave once more. "I'll carry you there. Don't resist." He said, crouching down to pick him up again, the slave's cheeks burning both from fever and intense embarrassment.
The slave covered his face with both hands, shy, while Ryan continued running calculations and plans in his head. Soon enough, the slave was placed inside the sled and adjusted himself as comfortably as possible… which wasn't much, but still something.
Finally, Ryan looked at the ruined house around him and the many dead youths inside… he had grown used to ignoring all those corpses, but the scene he had been in until now was truly morbid.
It was time to give them a proper ending.
He went inside one last time, using a log wrapped in oil-soaked cloth to make an improvised torch, which quickly caught fire from the fireplace. Then he extended the torch toward the bed, which soon began to burn, and let the flames reach the curtains. He allowed the fire to devour the rug, the cabinets, and anything else it desired with its endless hunger.
The slave soon smelled smoke and burning flesh, his nose twitching as his heart filled with tension. When Ryan approached again and grabbed the sled's ropes, he couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"A funeral," Ryan said. "Many youths died here, a man died here… all in terrible ways... I don't think I'll ever forget this... damn it… I keep trying to force myself to ignore all of this, but it's impossible." He clenched his teeth, covering his eyes. "I just...don't want to cry. I need to survive, I need to fight… I need to be strong... I can't cry… I can't be weak... I can't... I just can't... shit..."
The slave looked away.
After an unknown amount of time, Ryan let out a heavy sigh and looked at the smoke rising into the sky.
Ryan didn't know what a proper smoke signal should look like...
But he knew the slaver send after him didn't knew either…
Ryan rolled the dice of fate, hoping that this could deceive his enemies and buy him some time.