Van's eyes were wide open as he stared at his newly found companion lifeless on the ground. Gil's eyes were completely white, his body sprawled on the ground without any finesse. Red trails were dripping all over his body.
His lips were also filled with red as his mouth continued to bleed profusely.
"I… see," Van could only shake his head as he lightly tapped Gil and closed his eyes, "It hasn't been long since we met… but may you rest in peace, mister Gil."
"I'm not dead!"
Van quickly moved back as Gil suddenly jumped up from the ground. His chest thumped heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He was actually choking in wine and could not move, but when he saw Van approaching him, he thought he was being saved.
But all Van did was close his spasming eyes… and let him go to the heavens. But for some reason, Van's ridiculous actions seemed to have woken him up from his senses.
"Where… where are my clothes!?"
He then covered his body as he searched for clothes. But alas, no matter where he looked, there were clothes scattered everywhere. His clothes could be buried anywhere underneath this pile of… unwashed garments.
"Here you go."
"Ah! Thank-- These are girl's clothes!"
Gil was about to thank Van as he handed him a set of clothes, but when he saw the woman's undergarments in his hand, he quickly threw it on the ground. He continued to search for his clothes, but finally, after a few minutes, he found them near the bonfire.
"This place… doesn't seem so bad after all, eh Van?"
Hearing Gil's words, Van could not help but let out a tiny scoff. These people that were sprawled on the ground were a collection of murderers, thieves, and other nasty individuals. The combination of the worst society could offer.
But Gil does have a point, though. Albeit they have only been here for one night, everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves. They also had houses and besides the perverted muscular man they encountered when they first arrived here, the people weren't causing too much trouble.
And there was only one person to keep them in check.
Latanya Boss.
Van still doesn't know anything about her. It was adamant to get to know her if Van was to stay in this place. But considering he has all the time in the world, there will be lots of time to get to know her.
That is if his friend does not come and rescue him first. They… will come, right?
Can… they even come for him in this place?
Van turned his head towards the Portal. Even though it was just standing right there, it was as if it did not even exist. Even with the light of the moon showering upon them, and even with the flickering of the bright bonfire, the Portal did not cast any shadows.
The Portal is right there… but no one even attempts to go out.
"Oh, right…"
Van's solemn thoughts were disrupted by Gil's voice.
"...Where are we going to sleep?"
Van could just go back to Nisha's house as she already offered, but he can't really leave Gil behind.
"...Just pick a house, everyone is passed out so I don't think they would mind if we borrow their house for a night."
"What? No!" Gil quickly shook his head as he picked up his sword from the ground, "That would be trespassing, and trespassing is against the law."
"..."
"D… don't look at me like I am some kind of idiot! I know that look!"
"..."
"I… We just can't suddenly act like beasts as soon as we were thrown to the Pit. We're not savages!"
Van let out a sigh as he looked at Gil, his sword pointed towards the moon. The law again… Gil really is starting to remind Van of Gemma, the red hair didn't help as well. He wouldn't be surprised if they were related.
"I guess we're sleeping here, then."
Van said as he sat and relaxed on the ground.
Tomorrow... would be another fight to survive.
"Gah!"
But before Van could even close his eyes, a loud scream pierced his ears.
"Wake up, people!"
Van quickly turned his head towards the familiar voice, only to see Boss, with her gigantic male companion behind her.
The gigantic man was currently holding what seemed like… people. 1 man in his left hand, and 2 in his right. The three men were all wearing black, covering them from head to toe with only their eyes revealed.
Van could hear the man in the left hand groaning in pain, his body already twisted and his feet already dangling like loose noodles.
"What… what is going on!?"
Gil has already lost track of how many times he had said those exact same words today. The other Prisoners who were also previously sprawled on the ground slowly started to stand up one by one. Their groans and moans whispering in the air as they squinted their sedated eyes towards Boss.
Reed, who was always beside Boss, was nowhere to be found.
"It seems that we have visitors tonight!" Boss clapped her hands before gesturing towards the 3 men being held by the giant man, "The Locals have decided to grace us with their presence!"
"...Locals!?"
"Did Boss just say they were Locals?"
The Prisoners all rubbed their eyes as they tried to get a better look at the three men. Van also took a few steps forward as he wanted to see what the Locals looked like up close, but before he could slip into the crowd, someone blocked his path.
"Stay behind me, Van."
"...Nisha?" Van could not help furrow his eyebrows as he slightly looked up to look at Nisha.
"The Locals seem to be here for you," Nisha whispered.
"What? Why would they be here for--"
"Shhh. Lower your voice," Nisha placed her finger on Van's lips, "I don't know. I saw them following you when you left the house. Here, cover your face with my bandana."
Nisha quickly took off her white bandana, her luscious grey hair flowing over her shoulders. She then leaned down to tie the bandana around Van's face, covering half of it.
Van could not even react to suddenly being touched in the face. It did not help that the smell of Nisha's hair still lingered on the bandana.
...It kind of smelled of sweat, but at the same time, it had a sweet smell on it. It somewhat reminded him of… Andrea whenever she was cooking. It felt… comfortable, he thought.
Van quickly shook his head off of the thoughts he was having. This was not the right time and place to be sentimental. He then placed his focus back on Boss and the gigantic man while slightly hiding behind Nisha.
The Locals were here for him? Did it have something to do with their visit to the Wall earlier?
"I know there are more of you hiding out there!" Boss yelled as her eyes wandered around the Encampment, "Come out or we will start these men one by one!"
Her threats echoed throughout the Encampment. But even after 10 seconds had passed, the only sounds that could be heard were the whispers of the other prisoners.
"Alright. Have it your way," Boss let out a sigh before nodding towards the gigantic man, "Kill one of them, Solomon."
The gigantic man, Solomon, only grunted before proceeding to crush the man in his left hand. The man couldn't even let out a cry of pain as his body was mushed in half. The sound of his bones being grinding echoed through the ears of the Prisoners.
But instead of wincing, almost all of them started smiling.
"!!!"
The remaining two in Solomon's right hand started struggling as they saw their comrade's mushed body drop to the ground, his head rolling right below them.
"We have two more here!" Boss raised her hand as she once again shouted in the air. "We will--"
"Wait!"
But this time, before Boss could continue her threats, a man wearing similar clothing to the men being held by Solomon leaped out from one of the houses.
"We… we're here!"
4 other men leaped from the same house as they landed behind the first one reveal himself to the crowd.
"Ho!"
The Prisoners all stepped to the side as they saw the 5 coming out. They held a certain fear towards the Locals, but at the same time, anger. The Locals all had the resources outside the Wall, but they won't even share even a single portion of it.
"Finally!" Boss shook her head as she let out a tiny exasperated sigh, "But please do remove your masks, it is rude not to show your faces."
"Tch," the men in front could only click his tongue as he slowly removed his mask.
"Eu… Eugene!" One of the men behind him tried to stop him.
"Just do as she says," Eugene, however, ordered his men to remove their masks as well.
"Good, good." Boss nodded her head in satisfaction as she saw the men's faces, "Reed, you can come out now as well."
As soon as she said that, Reed leaped out from the same house that the Locals were hiding in.
"What!?" Eugene threw his mask on the ground as his frustrated voice resounded in the air, "You… you knew we were hiding there!? Then why did you have to kill one of us!?"
"...Theatrics?" Boss only blinked a couple of times as she looked at Eugene, "We need to have our fun here, you know?"
"Y...you!"
"Now tell me, to what do we owe the pleasure of our overlords' visit?"
"That--"
"Gah!"
Before Eugene could even say another word, the piercing screams of his comrades shouted in his ears.
"What are you doing!?" Eugene could not help but take a step forward as he watched as two more of his companions were crushed by Solomon.
"Don't even try to lie. We can just choose to kill all of you here," Boss let out a tiny smile as she looked at Eugene.
Gil, who was watching everything unfold from afar, could not help but take a nervous gulp. He watched as the blood of the two men showers towards the ground. Their eyes popped out from their sockets, their guts and flesh seeping from in between the gaps of the gigantic man's fingers.
He then looked at the other Prisoners, who were smiling and grinning at the sight of the ground being drowned in red.
They were having so much fun earlier that Gil almost forgot where he was. He almost forgot that these people were here for a reason.
...They were the worst of the worst.