"Psst, hey!"
Kael glanced at the young man beside him, eyes wide with shock and awe, speaking in hushed tone.
"That's the one, right? That monster you guys tried to hunt?"
He felt like giving an earful to the lad for his comments about Grul. Someone that the leader of the camp, Silver Vane, explicitly said to treat as an honored guest.
"Watch your tone, boy. That's Sir Silver's business partner and our camp's honored guest. To disrespect him is to disrespect Sir Silver—corporal punishment or even banishment awaits you, if you continued with that rude sentiment."
The young man was taken aback, clearly surprised with the firm tone of Kael, notorious for his hatred against beasts and monsters.
"But, sir, it's—"
"Whatever opinions you may hold of him, the leader of our camp has made an order. We, as followers, obey it."
Years of working under the strict and disciplined army of the Empire had molded him into someone that puts the orders of his superiors first and foremost before anything else.
Though he had his share of grievances towards the freak of nature, since Silver, his superior, had ordered it to be treated with honor, then treat it with honor he shall.
The young man, now fearful of the consequences his careless remarks could land him, had turned silent as a mouse; squeamish and jittery. After a moment of quick thinking, he excused himself to go back to work.
Now, only Kael was left to guard the building where Silver and his honored guest presided in.
He could hear Silver's voice, albeit muffled, but not the beast's.
Was this a one-sided conversation? Is the foul creature standing there, looking vacantly as Silver told him of the success their camp has acquired after it stopped its torment? He did not know, nor did he felt the need to. He simply had to do his order of guarding their conversation, and stay quiet.
But, suddenly, he heard Silver shout his name beyond the wooden walls.
Quick to act, he opened the door and spotted the two looking at him.
He saluted the two and looked to Silver, avoiding the sight of the beast.
"Kael, I'm assigning a new task to you."
As Silver spoke, the beast approached me, his stench of dirt, blood, and sweat made me feel somewhat nauseous despite the many scenes of battle I've been in.
"While Grul's requested items get delivered, you are to follow him and act as a guard and watcher as he roams the camp. It'll only last until the afternoon or early evening at most. Am I clear?"
"…Yes, sir."
I had many questions floating in my head, but none that I dared to ask.
Silver was a man who gave orders based on logic and valid reasoning, questioning him would be absurd.
I only take grace in knowing that it will last only for today.
Silver's orders were absolute, regardless of my personal distaste for the assignment. I had been commanded to stick to the large, brutish thing until his 'request' were finally met. Fortunately, Silver never stated anything about talking to the thing.
And thus, I followed. Silently, watchfully. The beast walked with a heavy, yet fluid stride, a giant that had an unnatural stillness—something I was all too familiar with by now.
The residents here knew better than to approach. They had seen the creature in action—or perhaps the sheer unnaturalness of his presence was enough warning. Tents were shut, conversations ceased, and people suddenly found urgent business on the other side of the camp.
They gave it a wide berth, and it seemed impassive to their reactions, merely observing them from a distance, like a crow observing a herd of sheep.
My own observance of the beast was habitual; I noted his movements, his reactions—or lack thereof—to ensure he posed no threat to the camp's safety.
This routine, silent wandering continued until Grul paused.
He stopped near a high stack of rough cut lumber, material that was meant for the construction of new facilities and housing.
The pile was unevenly stacked, the bottom logs slightly askew from being dumped rather than laid.
The beast reached out its claws, his fingers wrapping around the thickest log at the base of the pile. I tensed, my hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of the sword I had equipped. Casually on top of it until something were to occur.
This was it.
The beast was going to act like the animal I knew it was. I was ready to reprimand it—even use force if necessary—to prevent it from tampering with the camp's hard-earned resources.
But before the words could leave my throat, the lumber settled.
It wasn't trying to pull the log out—it corrected it so that the pile was evenly stacked.
Instead of trying to destroy it, it looked like it was…helping to stop any of it from causing an accident.
It went even further, going so far as to holding the position for a moment and testing its weight. After it found it acceptable, he withdrew his hand and walked away.
In disbelief, I checked whether it did anything to the pile that I could not see, but in the end, it really did only correct the uneven pile.
The silence that soon followed was broken by the crunch of dirt that my boots made.
As I observed the beast, such acts kept occurring.
It tightened a loose knot on a sack that had begun to fray.
It pushed a broken wheelbarrow off the pathways so that it wouldn't cause a collision.
It caught a rat before it could enter the grain storage.
Minor things like that; things that barely anyone would notice. A laborer would assume a strong gust of wind had pushed the wheelbarrow, or that they'd secured the knot better than they thought, or that a hawk or cat had scared off the rats. But these acts were helpful, nonetheless.
Our walk brought us near the camp's construction area, where the air was thick with the scent of sawdust.
That's when it spotted them: two children that were part of the new batch of arrivals, an older boy whose dark skin was smeared with soot and sweat, and his younger sister, equally dark and slightly smaller.
The boy was leaning against a foundation of stone, pale and shaking, unable to move the bag of coal that lay next to him. The little girl was trying, in vain, to lift the heavy bag, her face contorted as she tried to push.
Just like what happens to these kinds of people in the past, no one stepped in. The adults passing by simply skirted around the children, pretending not to notice their struggles.
The—…Grul stopped, head tilting with an almost innocent confusion making up his expression. He looked at the exhausted kids, and then the heavy bag, and then the passers-bys.
For some reason—a compulsion I could not justify—I spoke.
"They won't be able to make the quota. They are too exhausted to do it for themselves, and no one else will intervene."
Grul, for the first time in this walk, looked at me, his eerie eyes demanding an explanation.
"They are considered cursed: they are children from Ayayurt—arid lands in the Northwest. Nomadic raiders, most of them. And they have a long history of raiding the lands here due to the richness of the crops. The people here…they despise them—think that their very presence brings misfortune."
I didn't believe in curses, but I believed in the cycle of agony that is prejudice. Involve yourself in it, and you will find yourself to suddenly have many enemies.
It was necessary for Grul to understand the inaction he was witnessing, and why he shouldn't be bothered by it.
Beasts should know too, right? That those weak will be subjected to the whims of the strong. That much is known, in the forest, and in this land.
Grul was still for a long moment, processing the concept of 'curses' and the hatred that spawned from the conflicts. Then, his massive frame moved.
He approached the children.
The boy and girl immediately flinched, fear replacing the exhaustion on their faces. The boy tried to push himself to move, but his legs failed him. The sister, however, did not run. She stood between Grul and her brother, small fists clenched, ready to fight back.
Grul didn't threaten them. He simply lowered himself, and in a flash, scooped up the remaining bag of coal with his left hand, and, with his right, gently lifted the boy. The brother was carried like a doll, dangling securely from Grul's massive forearm.
Grul grunted at the girl, a low growl that woke everyone watching from their stupor.
The sister stared for a beat, her fear eclipsed by stunned confusion at the sheer absurdity of the scene. Then, something dawned on her. She walked forward, waving her hand.
"Here!"
She shouted, her voice shook with a distinct accent, before running ahead.
We followed her, Grul walked a few paces behind her, and I, a few paces behind him.
When we reached the spot, Grul gently placed the coal and boy down.
At this point, the boy was now able to walk by himself, and did so once set down.
The siblings looked at Grul, their expression unreadable.
"T–t…ha…nk yah…"
The boy managed to utter a 'thank you', despite knowing only the language of Ayuyurt. His voice was weak, but held sincerity.
The girl simply curtsied, an awkward gesture that looked as if she was simply trying to imitate what she's seen in the past, before they quickly vanished into the distant crowd.
Grul watched them go, then turned to me, his expression impassive as per usual. Before I could comment on what I had just seen, someone came hurrying towards us—a quartermaster I recognized.
"Kael! Silver is looking for both of you. Says that 'it' arrived. You and the…the other one…can come back now."
Nodding curtly, I looked at Grul, motioning my head to go back.
As we walked, I felt my attitude toward Grul change. After seeing what he did…I have doubts about my own attitude towards him.
It seems that my opinion of the beast—no, Grul, has improved. Slightly.