There was a time that he would have been sickened by the sight before him, when he would have shed tears over the people who lay draped over blood-soaked furniture and wished to give them proper burial. He sometimes wondered when his heart became so cold...
Mordak scanned the room, his dark eyes emotionless at the gore that spattered the walls and floor. Khazra and human blood both. His training as a Crusader had made the creatures that has slaughtered the family in this home easy targets, though the damage had, unfortunately, already been done. He turned to leave when he heard a thump and a muffled yelp.
There was somebody else here.
He pulled his mace from his belt, the familiar weight in his hand easing his startled mind a bit. He had met evil humans on his road as well as monsters, and he was not surprised to learn that one was lying in wait for him to finish off the monsters first before attacking on their own.
"Who goes?"
The door of a dresser creaked open slightly, and he could see a sliver of a pale face peeking through. The one within was obviously afraid of him, but who would not fear one like him? Armor covered in blood, mace in one hand and a shield in the other, glaring at your hiding place.
"I..."
He sighed and tucked his weapon back into the loop that held it on his belt. This was no enemy, or they would have come at him already.
"Come out. You're safe for now."
He raised an eyebrow as a pale hand pushed open the door of the dresser and a small girl wiggled out, hair matted and dirty and clothes in desperate need of a wash. She only came up to his chest, a scrawny thing. He felt a slight pang of guilt when he saw her eyes, green and wide as saucers, go around the room, skating over the bodies of what he assumed was her family.
"Thank you. Mother told me to hide, so..."
She gestured lamely toward her dresser, her eyes fixing on Mordak's face, looking like she was trying to come to a decision.
He really didn't have time for this, but he also knew he couldn't leave a child on her own out here. She wouldn't last an hour. He took a deep breath and tried to soften his voice a little when he spoke.
"What's your name?"
"Tessa. Mother named me for her sister, who died when they were little. She said that-"
"Alright. Tessa, this place isn't safe. I'm taking you to town, where somebody will look out for you."
His mind skipped through people he thought would be safe to leave her with. Haedrig, Cain, the couple who ran the small inn...
She was shaking her head at him, then scurrying around the house. She threw things into a bag and grabbed an ugly pot helmet from inside the dresser, as well as a battered bow.
"...What are you doing?"
"Going with you."
A short bark of laughter was surprised from him when she said this, and when she picked up a quiver of arrows from the floor he raised his eyebrows.
She was serious.
"Where I am going is no place for little girls."
She spun on her heel, the wide eyes that looked so empty and nervous before taking on a defiant light.
"I am not a little girl."
"You are small and female, as far as I can tell, and a child besides."
"I am not a child! Father said that he was going... going to..." She shook her head "I will be 15 in three moons. You killed those goatmen, and you can teach me how."
"Khazra. Girl-"
"I can be useful! I can cook! I-I can wash clothes and sew and hunt! I can help you fight!"
Her voice had taken on a desperate tone, her eyes bright and thin face beseeching. He sighed and began to walk out the door, throwing a look over his shoulder as he set a fast walking pace.
"Keep up. I won't slow down. If you fall behind, you're on your own. Do exactly as I tell you, exactly when I tell you."
He prayed that by repeating his master's words upon his first meeting with the old Crusader would keep her in line. He would be going to town soon again anyway, he could leave her there then.