*chop… chop… chop*
A rhythmic series of thuds echoed through the forest. The dull blades of the old axes bit into the wet logs of the trees, releasing a sharp scent of old wood for the icy wind to carry.
Each time the metal hit the trunk, it would send vibrations that would travel through the thin arms of Aksa, making his muscles scream in pain as he continued to work relentlessly.
The gloves handed to them did help a bit, giving them enough force to help them cut the trees faster and with less effort, but they didn't help suppress the pain they felt with each strike. Aksa understood that the technique Mark showed them wasn't just a showoff, and so, he started mimicking him.
After every strike that he landed, Aksa tried adjusting his posture and grip, but even after a few tries, he couldn't grasp the technique, as he kept failing to inflict any major damage on the tree trunk. Rather, his accuracy was unstable, to the point where he was making the least amount of progress.
He could feel the sharp glare of Mark's eyes glued to him as he leaned against one of the trees nearby, making him panic as he continued swinging, occasionally taking a glance from the corner of his eye to make sure he wasn't getting any more upset.
Once Mark turned his eyes away, Aksa stopped for a moment. He stared at the axe as he held it with both hands, then remembered something. The image of Mark's body twisting with the movement of his hands flashed in his mind.
"Maybe that could help…" Aksa uttered quietly, his voice barely a whisper.
He immediately moved his body into the position that yielded him the best results and focused on hitting the tree where it was chipped the most. Once he moved his arms, he made sure to twist his body to match the movement he saw Mark perform earlier.
As the blade came into contact with the tree, Aksa felt an immense pain in his arms as they vibrated from the impact, forcing him to let go of the axe. As he fell with his butt on the ground, Aksa gritted his teeth with his eyes closed.
After the pain had worn off, he slowly opened his eyes to find everyone looking at him. Their gazes filled with surprise.
The pain he felt distracted him from the fact that he had caused a loud bang when the axe bit into the wood.
Aksa then shifted his gaze to the axe that was still stuck in the tree before looking back at his hand with his eyes wide open in surprise.
Meanwhile, Mark couldn't help but stare at the boy, standing speechless with his mouth open. For a split second, the image of a young lad chopping the trees obscured his view. A warm smile coated the young boy's face as he called for his father.
"Dad! Dad! Look! I finally did it!"
"Great job, son. You are getting better fast," the father replied calmly.
However, the surprised look on Mark's face soon vanished as he began gritting his teeth, his nose pinching and wrinkling, and his fist shaking violently.
"No. No, this isn't right," Mark sneered, clenching his fists as he felt the words burning his throat. "This scrawny rat reminds me of my younger self? This is disgusting…"
"Get back to work!" Mark barked, his voice louder than he intended. His arms swept forward as his jaw tightened.
Aksa's head jolted upwards, startled by the loud shouting of Mark. Aksa quickly stood up, nodded rapidly as he grabbed the axe, trying hard to pull it from the tree, prompting Mark to shake his head as he looked at him.
Work soon resumed as the shock in everyone's eyes faded away. Mark then shifted his gaze to Scott, who was standing completely still, his mouth falling open, before starting to walk towards him.
"Did that kid just?…" Blinking slowly, Scott questioned as he turned his head towards Mark.
"Yes. It hurts to admit it, but he copied what I showed them nearly perfectly." With a pinched expression, Mark answered in a bitter tone before rubbing the bridge between his eyes.
"What a waste of good material," Scott muttered under his breath. He glanced at Mark, who was glaring at Aksa like he wanted to strangle him. "Kid's got spine. Shame it's being ground to dust."
"Enough." Mark quickly interrupted him, clenching Scott's shoulder tightly, as he glared at him. "No one asked what you think."
"Yes, sir..." Scott added, lowering his head as he felt Mark's eyes glaring at him.
With a heavy sigh escaping his mouth as he slightly shook his head, Mark pulled a wrinkled paper, folded into a small size that could fit into his jacket pocket.
"Now then," He then tried to cover it with his body and jacket, calmly unfolding it to reveal a map of their current location, protecting it from the falling raindrops. "It shows here that there is a small village just outside the forest."
"I need to stay and watch these useless wretches, so you go and-" as he calmly added, Mark was soon interrupted with a loud thud sound coming from behind him.
Judging by the widening of Scott's eyes, Mark quickly realized what had happened. Nonetheless, he swiftly turned his head to face the tree lying stiffly on the ground, and next to it was Aksa, who had collapsed to the ground, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his hand.
Although he had already expected this to happen, Mark's skin tingled as a sudden coldness hit his core. He quickly tried to close his wide-open eyes as he shouted with a sour expression, "First tree down! Rest for three minutes, then continue working."
Aksa immediately lay on the ground, his chest heaving with each breath he took as he tried to catch his breath.
The cold soil pressed against his back, though he didn't notice it. The sweat dropped down his temples while his fingers dug into the ground as if trying to stop his body from drowning in the mud.
With his mouth gasping for air, Aksa raised his hand to face his eyes before tightly clenching his fist.
"I… did it..." Aksa's voice was barely audible as he murmured.
" *Ahem* As I was saying…" Mark cleared his throat as he tried to break the awkward silence engulfing the place, "You are to go take a look at that village. Take the carriage to cut on time, as I need you to return before sunset."
Scott, although still stunned by what Aksa did, quickly nodded in agreement before heading to the carriage.
Mark shook his head slightly before reaching his pocket for an old, mechanic watch that he flung open.
"Your rest is over, get back on your feet!" Mark called..
Aksa immediately pushed himself up, grabbing his axe as he moved to the next tree.
***
A steady clatter of horses' hooves echoed from among the cluster of trees. The wet mud tried muffling the hollow thuds of each step they took, but to no avail. An occasional scrape of metallic horseshoes emerged alongside it as they caught on loose stones.
Accompanied by the soft rustle of leaves brushing against its sides, the creak of the wooden carriage frame served as a breaking of the silence that loomed as it traveled through the thick air.
Although his eyes were completely focused on the road ahead, Scott looked to be daydreaming, as his mind was racing with endless thoughts, distracting him from the task entrusted to him by Mark.
"That kid…" Scott mumbled, his lips pressing together in a slight grimace as he struggled to find the right words. "How did he end up as a slave?"
"His ability to learn is astonishing, making him the best candidate for a soldier." Scott added, rubbing his chin as his thoughts never came to an end. "Also, even though Mark is usually rough with all slaves, his treatment of that kid is way worse, as if he hates him. Although that kid didn't even complain once."
"But there is something weird about him. I couldn't see the flow of blood moon essence through his body—" As he continued to drown his thoughts, suddenly, the horses let out a loud, sharp whining sound as they came to an abrupt stop. Their nostrils flaring as they tossed their heads, refusing to continue marching and snapping Scott back to his senses.
With his eyes wide open, he realised that he was leading the carriage to a dead end, as a barrier of trees stood in his way.
Whith a heavy sigh escaping his body, Scott pinched the bridge between his eyes as he shook his head. "I'm losing focus."
"This matter can wait until I return to the capital." Trying to realign the carriage into the correct road, Scott uttered calmly, "I need to stay focused for now"