CHAPTER 42: WELL HIDDEN

Tatehan decided to follow the man’s advice. He closed his eyes, and sleep came surprisingly quickly.

But then, the next morning when Tatehan woke up, he couldn’t see Kael anywhere.

The cave was darker than it had been the previous night because the fire was no longer burning and crackling in the corner. Only faint traces of smoke lingered in the air, and the dying embers cast barely any light at all.

Tatehan tried to stand up. It took him considerable effort, his muscles protesting with every movement, but he managed. Once on his feet, he realized how much he had almost forgotten what walking felt like.

He took a few cautious steps forward and immediately noticed that parts of his legs felt numb, almost disconnected from the rest of his body.

He was at 87 percent healed, so why wasn’t he functioning normally yet?

He decided to sit back down. Standing was one thing, but prolonged movement was clearly still beyond him. Yet as soon as he lowered himself to the ground, his eyes drifted toward what appeared to be the entrance of the cave. He knew Kael had told him to rest, but curiosity was getting the better of him.

And what fun was there in just laying down all day, thinking?

He decided he would at least see the outside of the cave. He wouldn’t leave it entirely, he would just stand at the entrance and see where this place was located.

He stood up again, ignoring the dull ache in his legs, and walked slowly toward the entrance. He studied the walls of the cave as he moved. Truly, this place did not look like one of the normal caves he would have imagined. It looked more like a home, and that was because it had been deliberately shaped into one.

At the entrance, Tatehan stopped and stared. All he could see in front of him was a wall. Just stone. He squinted, confused.

He took a step forward, then glanced to his left and his right. Narrow paths led away on both sides, winding upward along the rock face.

So this place was tucked against a wall, with narrow passages on either side. To actually see anything beyond this spot, he would have to follow one of those paths.

Tatehan stood there for a moment, considering, then turned and walked back inside. No wonder Kael had said the location was well hidden. It literally was. There was no other word for it.

Some time later, Kael returned.

Tatehan heard the sound of footsteps before he saw him. Kael entered the cave carrying the carcass of a small beast slung over his shoulder. It was lean, covered in coarse fur, with sharp claws and a narrow snout.

Kael dropped it near the fire pit without a word and immediately set to work skinning it, doing so with practiced efficiency. His movements were quick and precise, the blade in his hand moving with the confidence of someone who had done this countless times.

Once the skin was removed, Kael began preparing strips of meat, laying them out on a flat stone near the fire pit. He rekindled the flames using dried wood stacked against the wall, and soon the cave was filled with warmth and the faint smell of smoke.

"For later," Kael said simply, gesturing to the meat drying by the fire.

Tatehan watched in silence, still processing everything.

After a while, Kael sat down across from him, tearing off a piece of cooked meat from an earlier hunt and tossing a portion to Tatehan.

They ate together, the only sound the crackling of the fire.

Finally, Tatehan broke the silence. "Why are you here? In this place, I mean. Living near the Mauler."

Kael chewed slowly, his expression unreadable. "I’ve been trying to kill it."

"Why?" Tatehan pressed. "What’s your reason?"

Kael’s eyes stayed on the fire. "I want to kill it. That’s reason enough."

Tatehan could tell he wasn’t going to get more than that. Not yet, anyway, seemed Kael didn’t want to say much about himself, his reason for being here and all that, so he decided it wouldn’t be reasonable if he kept asking.

He shifted the conversation. "You said the cave is hidden and damn I’m just seeing why."

Kael nodded. "It’s positioned in a way that the Mauler can’t detect it. The rock formations block scent and sound. The narrow passages make it nearly impossible to stumble upon by accident. That’s why it won’t find us here."

Tatehan absorbed that, then asked the question he’d been avoiding. "What’s your ability?" Tatehan had guessed it from what he had seen, but then he wanted to hear from the man’s mouth.

Kael glanced at him, then smirked faintly. "You saw it. Phantom Step. Short-range teleportation. Useful for not dying."

There was a pause, and then Kael turned the question back on him. "And yours?"

Tatehan hesitated, then replied carefully, "Partial regeneration. That’s it."

Kael nodded slowly, as if he’d already figured that out. "Makes sense. No normal human survives what you went through."

Tatehan realized it wouldn’t be sensible telling kael he had system that granted him many abilities when others only got one, that might lead to more questions and perhaps the spaceship.

The man looked at Tatehan for quite long, with some sort of nee curiosity.

"When level are you with the partial Regeneration."

Although the question was unexpected, Tatehan didn’t hesitate with the answer:

"Level four."

The man looked at Tatehan in slight surprise.

"Quite a nice level but no wonder it took you over a month to heal."

Tatehan furrowed a brow.

"Because it’s low in level?"

The man nodded.

"Yes." He hesitated as if not wanting to say what he was about to say, but with a shrug, he did so anyways.

"My ability is currently at level fifteen."

Tatehan opened his eyes wide in shock.

Why, level fifteen is a lot.

"Took me years though. It stopped upgrading for some weird reason about ten months ago, seems I’ve reached my limit."