(Meanwhile, Riven’s POV)
Riven, just like everyone else in the marching group, had been deeply shaken by the death of one of the children beneath Garron’s command, however, it was the punishment that followed that occupied his mind for the rest of the day, as throughout the march, he remained unusually quiet while every sip he took from his own water canteen somehow tasted a little more bitter than before.
’Making someone drink the blood of the deceased... That’s...’
Riven thought, as he had to force down the nausea rising inside his stomach, because no matter how hard he tried, the image of the two children carrying those blood-filled pouches refused to leave his mind.
Thankfully, he no longer had to shoulder thoughts like these alone, because over the past week and a half, the five of them had gradually grown into a close-knit group, as although the march remained just as grueling as ever, the constant chatter and occasional jokes they shared along the way proved more than enough to keep Riven’s mind from dwelling on the morning’s events for too long.
"I once heard a story from my father that seems strangely appropriate for today’s situation..."
Dara began, as he lowered his voice just enough for only the five of them to hear.
"It’s an old piece of folklore that’s been passed down among butchers for generations. Nobody really knows where it came from, but according to the old men in my family, drinking the blood of your enemy greatly strengthens a man’s... manhood."
He explained with a perfectly straight face, as Garsim immediately let out a snort before struggling to suppress his laughter.
"Oh, what a load of crap."
Garsim replied, as he rolled his eyes.
"Isn’t this the exact same story you used to trick me into eating sheep testicles?"
He asked, as Dara immediately broke into laughter.
"Hahaha! I actually did that!"
Dara admitted between laughs.
"I convinced him that eating sheep balls would make him unimaginably strong, and this idiot believed every single word."
He continued, as Garsim rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed grin.
"Man... I actually ate six of them that day."
Garsim confessed, as Dara laughed even harder than before, while the rest of the group gradually found themselves laughing alongside him.
"Damn it..."
Dara complained once the laughter had finally begun settling down.
"If you hadn’t exposed me, I was planning to convince Riven to drink the blood of the next beast he kills."
He said, as Riven immediately threw both hands up in protest while Mary and Stacy quietly snickered beside him.
Over the past week and a half, the five of them had undeniably grown much closer, as although they had barely exchanged more than a few words during the first several days of the journey, the shared hardships of Garron’s relentless training had slowly melted away the awkwardness between them until conversations like these had become an ordinary part of their daily march.
"Trick me like that, and I’m not sharing my private food supplies with any of you!"
Riven threatened, as Dara immediately produced a mock bow of surrender, which brought a relieved smile to Riven’s face.
Out of everyone in the marching group, Riven was the only one carrying a private supply of food that did not belong to Garron, and over the past week and a half, the rest of the group had grown surprisingly fond of taking advantage of that fact.
"Well, I can believe that you won’t share the food with myself and Dara, but I don’t believe for a single second that you won’t share it with Mary.....
After all....."
Garsim teased, as Riven’s face instantly turned red, while Mary almost tripped while walking.
"Huh?"
Mary muttered, looking confused, as even Stacy chuckled and looked away, pretending not to notice anything while Garsim and Dara chuckled outloud.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?
Please.....
We see straight through the act.
Don’t act like the two of you are not special friends.
We’ve seen how you talk."
Garsim continued, as he changed his expression and tried to do his best Mary impression.
"Riven, don’t overextend your arm while climbing the rocks.
Only go for small progress, or you’ll open up your wounds again....."
Garsim spoke in a perfectly Mary like tone, which immediately made Riven’s face turn even redder.
"Riven, it’s wayy past midnight. You need to stop meditating now and get some sleep.
Or you won’t have the energy to march tomorrow....."
Dara added in a similar tone, as the two made fun of Mary and Riven, much to the annoyance of Mary who was not enjoying the joke at all.
"Oh yeah? Is that how you’re gonna play this?
Well, alright then, I guess you and Dara are special friends too, because oh boy do the two of you love each other....."
Mary countered, as the laughter instantly vanished from the faces of the two boys.
"I’m going to piss beside those bushes.... Dara you coming?"
Mary imitated in Garsim’s voice, as the tall boy immediately coughed in embarrassment.
"Uh, a thorn has pricked me in the ass.... Garsim can you take it out?"
Mary imitated in Dara’s voice, while also acting the scene out visually, as it was Dara who went silent now, as both Riven and Stacy raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards the duo, who realized by now that Mary was not to be messed with.
However, while the whole conversation seemed like nothing more than just a friendly jibe and harmless fun, what nobody noticed was the genuine longing that Garsim had in his eyes as he looked towards Mary.
As although he was the one who started the joke about Riven and Mary being a couple today.
That joke came more from a place of rising jealousy than harmless fun.
As somewhere deep within his heart, Garsim had already begun developing feelings for Mary himself, and watching how naturally she cared for Riven had quietly planted a seed of envy inside him that would only continue growing with every passing day, until eventually, it became something that none of them could ignore.