Stray

The first sound he heard was the sound of cloth and leather armor rubbing against the ground, mixed with the muffled sound of metal objects. Oliver didn’t risk opening his eyes to confirm as he could hear the sound all around him. The puppets dragged the fainted prisoner, like ants dragging a dead insect corpse, but it was mixed with a strange sound that came from all directions, as if following some grand momentum and astounding laws.

He had never heard such a sound before.

Then there was the smell. He could smell fresh blood, sour sweat, and excrement. Someone must have been incontinent and soiled himself. These unpleasant smells were mixed with a strange fishy smell that was similar to overcooked dried kelp, salty and humid.

Oliver opened his eyes with only a tiny slit, and he saw a large area of blue appeared in his narrow field of vision.

It was the sea.

He had never seen the sea before, so he could only guess that this was it. There was no such strong saltiness smell from lakes. They were most likely on a certain coastline or an island. Considering the function and security of this place, Oliver thought it was the latter.

This wasn’t a good time to run away.

He had just seen Micah being dragged away. If their destination was the same, then they would be sent to a place called the Withered Castle. He didn’t hear any sound of towing in front of him, and the current mode of transportation didn’t seem to be a ship.

The sound of metal impact and dragging stopped. After the sound of a heavy object landing, only footsteps of the puppets could be heard.