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Alaska waited for what seemed like an eternity. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She leans back on a tree and tries to compose herself. Almost out of nowhere, she reacts to a noise in the distance in front of her. She heard a rustling in the bushes, followed by a low growl. She quickly gets up, grabs her staff, and readies herself for anything. The seconds turned to minutes while she waited. Her heart kept pounding in her chest and it wouldn’t stop. Suddenly she could make out a figure in the distance. It was limping its way through the jungle. Then, the figure emerges through some bushes.
Alaska realizes it was Ruog, stumbling through the foliage. He was covered in blood and mud. Alaska could see that he was struggling to keep his balance, his leg was injured. "We have to get out of here, now", her lips were trembling in fear. She had a sickening feeling in the bottom of her stomach that the Zycmagna was not gone. But upon seeing Ruog, alive and well, the feeling of relief washed over her swiftly.
She runs over to him and gives him a tight hug before assisting him to walk forward a few steps more. Then they both collapsed to the ground. It was obvious he was tired. He looked up at her with serious eyes. He whispers to her, “It is not over…”
Alaska’s eyes widened when he said that. She soon realized, inspecting the blood on his clothes, that it wasn’t from Ruog, it was from the Zycmagna. Alaska immediately helps him to his feet, and they both run as fast as they can through the dense jungle. Eerie sounds surround them as if something was getting close. Suddenly the stomping of the Zycmagna could be heard behind them. The ground beneath them shakes with each stomp. The foliage behind them shakes wildly and separates as something massive comes barreling down upon them.
Alaska held Ruog tight and helped him move forward. However, despite his injury, Ruog was able to keep up with her, using his staff as a cane. The jungle sounds were loud, and they could hear the Zycmagna still searching for them in the distance.
After what seemed like hours of running, they finally made it to a clearing. The Mighty Mizian River was right in front of them. They could see the water raging and flowing with intensity in front of them. Alaska sees foliage fall to the ground and hears the final stomps of the Zycmagna as it approaches them. The Zycmagna finally catches up with them. Ruog quickly turns around to face it, breaking away from Alaska’s grip. Alaska reacts by yelling at him.
“NO! We need to run. You don’t have the strength to fight that thing again.”
The massive Zycmagna yelled out a violent roar. Blood can be seen dripping from the wound that Alaska inflicted with the arrow and Ruog stabbed deeply with his staff. “You do not know the full extent of my abilities… I was able to stun the beast for only a moment.” Ruog readies his staff and positions himself in a fighting stance. “This creature is vile in every way imaginable.” Ruog grits his teeth. The more the Zycmagna pursued them the less optimistic Ruog was about making it out of the situation alive. “Do me a favor Alaska…. Run back to the hut and stay there where it is safe.” Ruog turns and smiles at her. Alaska shakes her head at his words. A tear rolls down her face.
“No…” Alaska says softly. She could not imagine leaving Ruog behind, knowing that she did not do everything in her power to keep him alive. “We are not going to die here!”
Ruog interrupts her. “You’re not dying! Not while I still breathe. With all my strength, I’ll make sure that you are kept out of harm's way.” Ruog twirls his wood staff in a fashion Alaska has never seen before. She is awestruck by his sudden burst of zeal. Ruog grips his wooden staff and lifts it in the direction of the Zycmagna. “…You’re like the daughter I never had. Now go… Get out of here. Get as far away as possible.”
Alaska shakes her head but takes a step back. She leaves Ruog’s bag behind and makes a mad dash to the riverbank. “Than…. Thank you for… for everything.” Her voice trembled as she spoke those last words to him. She wanted to disobey his commands, but out of respect and love for Ruog, she turned around. Tears filled her eyes as she ran with everything she had away from Ruog and the Zycmagna. She sobbed knowing that this was probably the last moments she had with Ruog by her side. She wished she could’ve said a proper goodbye, but she knew that time was a factor. She needed to get away from the Zycmagna as quickly as possible.
Ruog turns to face the Zycmagna. “Listen to me carefully, foul beast. The ground you stand on…. will be your grave!”
The Zycmagna is in an uproar watching Alaska escape to safety. His mouth is twisted into an enraged snarl. But Ruog refuses to let him get through.
Alaska ran as quickly as her legs could carry her. She knew the trail back to the hut. It was engraved in her mind by Ruog when he trained her. Her legs began to ache and burn, but the adrenaline from fear gives her the strength to keep going. The cold air burns her lungs with every deep breath she takes, but she presses on. She doesn’t dare to look back even once. “He’s going to use that stone. I just know it. He told me only in a life-or-death situation… to use…” Alaska could not think about the situation any further, it only drove her to tears even more.
Ruog stands tall, brandishing his wooden staff at the Zycmagna. A look of determination and anger is etched on his face. He calmed himself down and began his breathing exercises. He closed his eyes and began to focus on the task at hand. Ruog leans to the side, keeping his eye on the beast while he does it, and digs his hand into his bag left behind by Alaska. He pulls out a smaller sack. He digs his hand inside of it and pulls out a small pill-sized turquoise stone. With his jaw, he clamps down on the stone and breaks it in half. He swallows half the stone and places the other piece back in the small sack. He fastened tightly the small sack on his belt. The Zycmagna looked on in confusion turning its head slightly, its blood boiling with anger as it witnessed Alaska flee the scene. It growled in annoyance because Ruog refuses to let it pass him.
“I don’t have too many battle stones, but one should be enough. I just hope my body can withstand this pressure. It’s been a long while... I do not remember the last time I’ve used a battle stone.” Ruog’s body instantly tenses up. His muscles along with the veins in both his arms and legs begin to bulge and grow, as he tries to focus on his breathing. The muscles in his chest tighten and become more defined as the power of the small stone begins to increase the vigor in his body. He grits his teeth and tries to ignore the pain as he takes his battle stance position with his wooden staff. His body beings to radiate with intense energy. Ruog growls with intensity as the Zycmagna can sense Ruog’s fierce aura building up inside him. The air around Ruog becomes thick. Ruog is surrounded by purple static. The static energy produced by his body crackles constantly as his energy increases with each passing second.
The massive creature, although it towers over Ruog, takes a step back when it senses Ruog’s intense energy. The beast was almost intimidated by his new appearance.
The Zycmagna roars, preparing to charge at Ruog. Ruog however, does not move an inch from his position. Ruog waits patiently for the Zycmagna to make its move. He stands tall, his body tense, his wooden staff held firmly. He thinks about Alaska, hoping that she is safe and far away from the battlegrounds. He is completely focused, taking in every single aspect of his environment, from the trees to the rocks, from the river to the foliage all around him.
“There is no mercy in this monster. It does not feel any remorse for anyone. All it knows is violence and destruction. The Zycmagna takes pleasure in hunting down its prey. Seeing it all like a sick game, torturing his food before devouring the poor soul.”
Ruog thinks long and hard about his life and how he got to that very moment. His gaze is now locked with the red eyes of the Zycmagna. Ruog’s body shivers from the frightful thought of him dying, being tortured then eaten alive by the vile beast.
“Fine, if you will not make a move, I’ll have to start things off then!” Ruog takes a deep breath and lets out a roar of fury, his whole body tensing as he prepares to unleash the full power of the battle stone. He thrusts his staff into the ground and with a large burst of wind, he lifts himself up and then with his body, swings his staff upward. His weapon creates a powerful force, like an arm, and it begins to swing downward, aiming for the Zycmagna’s head. His weapon moves so fast that it almost becomes a blur to the Zycmagna as it cuts through the air at full force.
Ruog’s attack connects with the beast’s head, sending a wave of vibrations through the beast’s bones. The Zycmagna’s head absorbs the full impact of the blow. The creature is pushed back, its legs kick up dust and dirt from the ground. The Zycmagna is disoriented but only for a few seconds. It recovers quickly by shaking its head. The point of impact is bruised up and becomes purple under its right eye.
The Zycmagna reacts by charging forward at Ruog, its mouth wide open. Ruog jumps backward, dodging the charging Zycmagna. He swings his mighty staff, aiming to strike the giant creature again. The staff strikes the Zycmagna’s knee, causing the creature to stumble from the impact. It lets out a roar of pain. Ruog takes this moment to attack again while the creature is stunned, aiming for the monster’s face once more.
But this time, he is not fast enough. The Zycmagna reacts with its sharp claws and knocks Ruog’s staff away from his grip and roars at Ruog fiercely, causing nearby trees to sway. The Zycmagna then charges forward trying to pass Ruog. Ruog realizes this and immediately flips high in the air and grabs his staff on the ground. He jumps forward toward the Zycmagna, bending his body backward to avoid the swinging of its massive tail.
“You’re not going to hit me again with the same trick beast!” Ruog flips forward and in mid-air strikes the Zycamagna on its back before landing right in front of it in a kneeling position.
The Zycmagna’s patience was running thin. It was clear it wanted to get revenge on Alaska for the arrow she shot at it. But Ruog would not let it pass him.
The Zycmagna’s breathing became labored. It was starting to slow down. Ruog grits his teeth and pumps himself up for his most intense attack. “Here I come!” Ruog charges forward kicking up dirt as he sprints faster than ever before. “Gentle wind! ONE THOUSAND STRIKES!”
Ruog takes his staff and with the tip strikes the Zycmagna in the abdomen at lightning speed. Ruog struck the beast's abdomen so fast that his strikes became a blur to the creature. Each strike by his staff landed with great force. With each powerful blow, the Zycmagna kept getting pushed back. Ruog’s movements were so quick that the creature had no time to even react. However, the thick and scaly skin of the monster absorbed most of the blows. But it was obvious that each strike, one right after the other, was becoming too much for the monster to bear.
Once Ruog reached one thousand strikes on the beast the Zycmagna reacted by jumping back trying to desperately stay away from Ruog’s weapon. The creature grunts with every breath. The massive creature lets out a whimper. Its breathing became even more labored. It began to wheeze due to almost not being able to breathe after Ruog’s one thousand intense blows.
Ruog’s hands gripping his weapon become hot. He notices the red stinging sensation of the calluses that formed on his hands over the years from using his staff so much. Ruog took a moment to control his breathing, he could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
“I guess you’re stronger than I anticipated. But still…. The fatal blows have done their job. It’s only a matter of time now.” As soon as Ruog says this the monster reacts with fury. Drool flowed down its massive jaw. Its movements became sluggish. It screeches, sending out a loud eerie call that echoes throughout the jungle. Once it realizes that Ruog will not be easy to fight, it steps back and begins to do something odd with its red eyes. The Zycmagna’s red eyes began to glow brightly.
“What is this?” Ruog steps back and positions himself in his fighting stance. He’s not quite sure what the creature was up to. The Zycmagna swayed its head from left to right, its eyes now completely locked with Ruog’s eyes. Slowly Ruog was falling into a deep trance, but he did not realize this.
The Zycmagna’s eyes sparkle with a mysterious energy. It stands tall, its eyes fixed on Ruog. The air around them becomes thick and heavy, almost like a fog. Ruog can feel his heart pounding in his chest, his muscles tense and ready to attack. The Zycamagna’s gaze pierces through him, sending shudders down his spine.
Ruog’s instincts tell him to run, but his body won’t move. He’s frozen in place, caught in the creature’s energy. His thoughts begin to drift off to other things. The pressure of its gaze is overwhelming, and he feels like he’s about to pass out. The Zycmagna is no longer in front of Ruog. He doesn’t even see his staff in his hands. The growls and sounds of the jungle fade away to the point that he no longer hears them echoing his mind. It is completely silent. All he could hear was his thoughts.
He looks to the left to see visions of his young son. His thoughts race through his mind. He can see a dark silhouette of his son. Ruog squints his eyes because he couldn’t make out his face. “What is going on? Why do I feel so strange?” Ruog looked at his hands, they shook wildly. He hears a voice in his head. It’s his son calling out. But he notices something odd about his son. He reaches out but his son steps back. Suddenly his son reveals a blade in his hand. Ruog’s eyes widen.
His son breaks the silence. “You are weak, father…” Ruog's eyes are fixed on the blade that his son firmly grips. “And… you will always be weak!”
Ruog stops reaching out to his son and soon realizes something. “You are not real. You’re not my son.” Ruog examines the environment around him. He realizes that what he was doing did not involve his son.
The next thing Ruog notices is the pressure of air against his skin. Suddenly the air clears and Ruog blinks, breaking the Zycmagna's grip on him. He takes a step back, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. Ruog growls intensely trying to focus and keeping his gaze away from the red glowing eyes of the Zycmagna. He used all his willpower to break free from the Zycmagna’s trance. Ruog soon realizes it’s too late, within a matter of seconds the Zycmagna’s jaw suddenly bites down on his chest causing him intense pain. While in the trance he could not see when the Zycmagna made his move to attack him. It was as if time itself became distorted in his mind.
Ruog quickly lets go of his staff and places his hands firmly on the beast’s jaw. With everything he had, he tries to pry himself loose. Although it took every single ounce of strength left in his body, Ruog was able to place enough pressure on the Zycmagna’s jaw and open its sharp teeth inches away from his chest, preventing any further damage to his body. His hands trembled as the beast struggled to clamp its jaw shut back onto his chest. But Ruog would not let it happen. He grits his teeth and growls, his muscles bulging while he places immense pressure on the Zycmagna’s jaw.
The Zycamagna had no choice but to whip his body around, picking Ruog up, and sending him flying toward a tree. Ruog violently hits the tree and falls to the ground. He breathes hard and is unable to get himself back up. He tries to focus on the beast, but is unable with the wind knocked out of him. Although his vision was blurry, he struggled to keep his head up and aware of what the Zycmagna was up to.
The Zycmagna sees this as the right opportunity and marches over to him while he is down. With each stomp forward the Zycmagna felt incredible pain in its abdomen, where Ruog inflicted the most damage. Its chest was still bleeding out, where the arrow stabbed it deeply. Every breath was difficult for the Zycmagna to take, but slowly it made its way to Ruog. He pins him down once again with his foot, putting pressure on his chest where the Zycmagna bit him.
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Just when the Zycmagna is about to finish him off, it hears a sound in the distance. It is reminded of its wound when Alaska shot and pierced it with an arrow. Its blood begins to boil once again because it suddenly remembers Alaska inflicting so much damage onto its body. It leaves Ruog almost dead on the ground, it has no interest in finishing him off. And it makes a run to find Alaska sniffing the ground and looking around for her footprints on the ground. Although Ruog is hurt he is still alive. He takes the opportunity to compose himself. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and begins to rest.
Alaska knew she had a long way to go before getting to the hut. She almost collapses from exhaustion. He tries desperately to catch her breath. She closes her eyes while wiping the sweat from her face.
Alaska could feel a thump, then another. The sound was getting louder. It was faint at first, only because the sounds of the jungle were so intense, including the noises coming from the raging water of the river. But eventually, she could make out stomping noises heading straight for her. The ground beneath her was beginning to rumble. That was the first sign that something was not right. She turned around to face whatever was approaching her.
The Zycmagna locked eyes with her as soon as it emerged from the dense jungle. Its breathing was labored, its walking was sluggish, but it still had enough energy to rip her to shreds. As soon as the massive reptilian made eye contact with her, it roared at the top of its lungs. It was clear it was seeking revenge for that arrow she shot at it earlier.
She knew that there was no use in running. She saw how fast and strong the Zycmagna was, and she knew there was no escape from it. Not for someone like her. She knew the only thing she could do was try and fight the thing to the very end.
Alaska grips her staff tightly. She tells herself everything will be alright as the Zycmagna slowly makes its way toward her menacingly. “Just do your best and do what needs to be done.” she spoke to herself, “That is the only thing I can do. I will not run.” Alaska took her fight stance and remembered the breathing exercises that Ruog taught her.
She was smart and decided to let the creature get close to her on its own, using what little energy it had left. When it got close, Alaska swung her staff at its head with incredible force. She tries to reserve any energy she has left.
The staff pushed the Zycmagna’s head to the right, but the impact was not enough to stun the beast. It slowly turns its head back to face her, irritated by her attempts to fight it. As she struggled to regain her footing, the Zycmagna turned on its side and looked to Alaska with a glint of evil in its eye.
“Ok… Let's try this again.” Alaska grits her teeth and repositions her legs. Her body was tense. She was frightened but she focuses her mind on all the training Ruog gave her. With everything she had, she swung her staff once again, this time aiming for the arrow wound on the Zycmagna’s chest.
The Zycmagna knew exactly what she was doing, and it didn’t like it at all. This enraged the beast even more. The massive reptilian beast used its claws to grab the tip of her staff and snap it in half. Alaska instantly lost her balance and dropped her broken staff. She gulps and looks at her weapon broken on the ground. Her eyes widen as she drags her body backward away from the Zycmagna. Her only hope to stop the menacing monster was her weapon. But now, there was nothing left for her to use to defend herself. She immediately turns her head to face the monster trying to get away from it before its jaws could get ahold of her.
Her heart was now pounding. She told herself to get up and run. But she was frozen in place. She knew it was pointless to run. Her legs were completely exhausted. Her body began to tremble as the Zycamagna finally moved forward to attack her.
Her teeth were clenched tight, and sweat was dripping down her forehead. Alaska could hear the monster breathing heavily, she felt as if it could rip her head off in one big bite.
Alaska felt with the palm of her hand a sharp rock beneath her as she crawled backward away from the Zycmagna. Her eyes would not move away from the beast. However, for a second, the rock got her attention, but her line of sight went back to the Zycmagna that towered over her. Suddenly a purple light began to shine brightly from under her.
Alaska looked down; she noticed it was coming from the rock that had scrapped her skin just a few seconds ago. She wondered what exactly was happening and where the purple light was coming from.
She saw the purple light grow brighter and brighter by the minute. Alaska watched in confusion as the purple light eventually enveloped her worldview. She quickly remembered the red Guardian Stone and how it used to shine brightly whenever it was in use. The purple light filled her with a sense of wonder and fear.
Her first instinct was to reach for the stone that was producing the light. However, the stone began to break free and uproot itself from the ground. She pulled her hand back in shock at what she was witnessing. Her heart was racing in her chest. She could feel the stone calling out to her. She couldn’t control her body out of fear. But instincts quickly take over and she reaches out once again to grab the stone.
She gets up to grab the purple stone that was floating above her in mid-air. Once she held it in her hand, she knew it was a Guardian Stone. Her heart pounded in her chest as she held the powerful stone. She felt as if time itself froze in place. A surge of dark energy raced inside her. Her thoughts became dark. The stone fed off of all her negative emotions. It amplified every dark thought she had in her mind tenfold. As she lifted her head to face the Zycmagna all she wanted was for the creature to die. The Zycmagna could see the change in her eyes. Alaska’s eyes were menacing, glowing with a bright purple light. The energy around her was dark and ominous.
“This power… it's from this purple stone. Feels incredible… “ Alaska's thoughts grew louder and louder in her mind. She began to breathe quickly. Although the thoughts in her head were frightening, she began to embrace the evil thoughts that invaded her mind. The purple glow from the stone and the change in Alaska’s demeanor cause the Zycmagna to step back, completely confused as to what was happening.
Alaska takes one step closer to the beast, gripping the glowing stone tightly in her hand. “You’ve made Ruog and I suffer long enough! All I want is for you to…. DIE!!!
She screamed out violently and out of the jungle emerged a dark purple raptor. The beast had its sights on the Zycmagna. Although the Zycmagna was larger and taller than the purple raptor, the purple raptor was not intimidated. Its eyes were bright yellow. Its glance pierced through Zycmagna's eyes. This time things were different. The purple raptor fed off the dark emotions that Alaska had bottled up inside her.
“Kill it….” Alaska said those words softly under her breath as she closed her eyes. Tears began to rush down her face. “Kill it NOW!!!” With those words, the purple raptor erupted with a powerful roar. Its ferocity could be felt throughout the jungle around them. The purple-scaly beast dashed straight toward the Zycamagna. The Zycmagna did not back down, it used its tail to thrash aggressively at the smaller beast. However, its movements were sluggish.
The purple raptor was just too quick for the exhausted Zycmagna. It jumps high effortlessly right over the massive tail of the Zycmagna.
The purple raptor moves with uncanny speed and precision. Its teeth are bared and its eyes locked on the Zycmagna’s weak points. It launches itself at the monster, its claws, and fangs tearing into its flesh like thin paper. The Zycmagna tries to defend itself, but its movements are slow and clumsy, and the raptor is simply too quick.
Suddenly the raptor thrashes at the Zycmagna’s neck. The purple raptor’s claws dig deep causing blood to burst from the Zycmagna’s neck. The Zycmagna snaps at the purple raptor trying to push it back. The massive beast fumbles backward trying to hold its body up. It’s completely exhausted and wounded to the point that it can no longer keep fighting. The Zycmagna was covered in blood, and it was having a difficult time breathing. It grunts and whimpers as it turns around and stomps its way through the foliage of the dense jungle. As it rampages through the jungle to escape, it takes one final look at Alaska before disappearing into the shadows of the wilderness.
The purple raptor takes two steps forward and roars triumphantly. After a brutal and bloody battle, the raptor emerges victorious. The raptor turns to Alaska, who was still in shock, its eyes filled with an ominous and dark energy. However, it viewed her as its master. Alaska could sense a connection with the beast. She somehow knew that it was there to protect her. Her hand gripped the purple Guardian Stone more tightly.
Alaska feels a sense of awe and gratitude toward her newfound ally. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. She knew she could trust the raptor just like Pyro. The raptor turns around and disappears into the jungle.
Suddenly her thoughts went back to Ruog. Thoughts of finding him dead, killed by the Zycmagna, gave her the energy to get up and run back in the direction that she last left him and the Zycmagna in the jungle.
She runs trying not to trip over any branches and rocks along the way. She ran for miles until her legs gave out on her. Alaska collapses, feeling completely drained emotionally and physically by everything she has just witnessed. She falls to the ground, sobbing hysterically. The thoughts of finding Ruog’s dead body were just too overwhelming for her. She looked at the purple Guardian Stone in her hand. She decides to place it in her pocket.
Ruog suddenly gets up realizing that the beast must have moved on after Alaska. His energy was extremely low. He was exhausted. He drags his body forward and finally gets to his wooden staff. He knew he had to force himself up and get to Alaska as soon as possible no matter how painful it was. The Zycmagna could eventually find her and kill her. Thoughts of her suffering came to his mind. Tears come to his eyes as he makes his way to his wooden staff. The unbearable pain he felt in his leg and chest kept slowing him down with every inch he moved across the ground. Echoes of his son’s voice saying ‘you're weak’ are on his mind. He could not live with the thought that he didn’t do enough to protect Alaska from the Zycmagna. He felt he had to do everything in his power to protect her, even if it cost him his life. He uses his staff to lift himself from the ground. Limping slowly, he made his way into the jungle, following the footprints of the Zycmagna.
After a while Ruog couldn’t push his body any further, he collapsed to the ground near the river. His breathing was labored as he stared at the clouds in the sky. He slowly closes his eyes wondering if Alaska was safe. There was nothing he could do. His body could no longer move forward. Tears flowed from his eyes, feeling that he had failed Alaska.
After a long while passed by, someone approached Ruog’s body. “I found you…” Alaska says softly. Alaska could not believe it. She covers her mouth at the sight of seeing Ruog on the ground motionless. She was in shock. Her hands began to tremble as she walked forward slowly toward his body. Tears came to her eyes as she made her way to him. Each step was more painful than the last. The closer she got, the more pain she felt inside that she couldn’t do anything to protect him. She kept blaming herself for his death. She collapses to the ground next to him. She almost couldn’t breathe from the shock.
Ruog suddenly wakes with a jolt. His body is limp, his eyes shut. He feels so exhausted and weak. Alaska gasps, thinking that he was dead. He can’t feel his hands or legs, and he can barely feel his body. Alaska quickly kneels closer to him and inspects his injury. His leg and chest were in pain, but he was able to manage despite having the crushing weight of the Zycmagna on top of it.
“Where am I? Is this still just a dream?” Ruog could smell a familiar scent next to him. It was Alaska. He knows this is real, he knows this is the truth.
“It’s not a dream. Y…you’re…. you’re alive, Ruog.” Alaska nods, tears still streaming down her face. She wants to say something, anything, to tell him how much she appreciates everything he’s done for her, but the words won’t come. Instead, she just squeezes his hand and leans her head against his chest, the relief and happiness of being alive washing over her.
“And… the Zycmagna… what, what happened to it?” Ruog is concerned that they are still in danger.
“Hey, hey, relax. It's alright. Please, Ruog, save your energy.” Alaska says softly in a reassuring way. She tries to keep him calm and from getting up and using up what little strength he had left. “That monster is gone. Fortunately for us, I think it will not be returning any time soon.”
Ruog closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief, his heart full of pride and love for Alaska. He doesn’t know what had happened to the Zycmagna but knowing that she was alive was enough for him. Alaska places her hand over her pocket where the purple Guardian Stone is. She decides to keep the purple Guardian Stone a secret and does not reveal to Ruog that the Zycmagna was defeated with the help of the stone.
She placed a hand on Ruog's shoulder and then gave him a reassuring smile. She began to half smile and sob at the same time. Ruog turned his head, looked at her, and then smiled. "You should rest, Ruog," Alaska said. "You have been severely injured."
“Do not worry about me, we reptilians heal quickly.” Ruog reaches out to wipe the tears from Alaska’s face. He could tell she was traumatized by the ordeal.
"We need to make a splint and find something to eat," she said. Ruog nods, even the slightest movement of his head is painful. She dug into his bag and gave him some water to drink. He leans his back against a tree and closes his eyes, and Alaska gets to work on making the splint. She worked fast using whatever she could find in the jungle to make a makeshift splint from some branches, and she used some leaves to make a poultice to put on his injuries. She then proceeded to set up a temporary camp where they could rest and recover from their injuries.
Ruog could see that her training paid off. He complimented her on how she was able to set up a temporary camp so quickly. He was genuinely impressed with her resourcefulness. “From this point forward you are no longer a child.” Ruog smiles as he watches her work hard on the campsite. Alaska pauses for a second after he said those words to her. It meant a lot to her. Her eyes began to fill up with tears. She quickly wipes the tears away. She was happy that she could do something to help Ruog in his time of need.
It was a long and difficult night, but they finally made it through. Alaska stayed by Ruog's side, keeping watch in case any more beasts came their way. She knew that they had to make it to the hut as soon as possible, where they were safe. They both slowly started their journey back to the hut the next day. Ruog leaned heavily on Alaska for support the entire way there back. It was a difficult journey, but they finally made it back to Ruog’s wooden hut. As they approached the wooden hut, they could hear that familiar eerie sound again that they’d heard so many times before. However, Alaska paid no mind to it. She was focused on getting to their hut safely.
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