Chapter 2
She heard a scream that could only be her own, feeble in the thick and stifling marsh air. Nothing could describe the terror that crept up in her throat as the Risen came upon her. Snarls and hungry voices, smell of damp rotting flesh. It was too late; she couldn't do a thing, caught like a deer in the headlights.
Soon they would tear her apart.
She'd rather turn her own sword around, than to be turned into a Risen.
But there was a brilliant flash of white light just then.
Something so bright, the entire forest seemed to light up, blinding her for several seconds. She blinked, her heart pounding. Even with her partial lack of sight, she could make out a swing of a mighty hammer and crumpled bodies whistling through the air. What the?
A hand grabbed her own and she let out a yelp of surprise. Risen?
But it was a strong, warm hand, with a steady aura of comfort.
"Come on!"
With a simple tug she was loosened from the ensnaring vines and stumbled in the direction she was pulled.
After what seemed like seconds, she found herself hands on her knees, catching her breath under the canopies of an abandoned Sylvari tree-house as she liked to call it.
Although she couldn't quite comprehend how she made it out alive, a new crisis bestowed upon her face as she found herself flustered and beet red. At her stupidity and incompetence or the now visible features of her handsome savior she couldn't tell.
Oddly, it was not a Sylvari who had rescued her. If it had been, she would have to wonder what a Sylvari's hand would feel like. Cold and wet like leaves? In Divinity's Reach, so sheltered with the courts of the palace grounds, she never had a chance to interact with real Sylvari. Of course, neither a Charr.
"Miss, are you okay?"
She nearly choked in embarrassment.
"Yes," She managed a weak smile. "Thank you."
There was a chuckle and she looked up warily at the warhammer wielding human, who was a full head taller than her. He could easily overpower her if he was working with the Seraph.
"Sorry, but you really don't seem so okay."
"Oh..." Reina grew more flustered. "I guess I'm... a little shaken up."
"This place is dangerous to anyone; I'm just glad I wasn't too late."
She remained silent. She knew she had been ignorant and foolish.
"Where are you heading?"
That question caught her off guard. Where was she heading? This guardian boasted an aura of peace but she couldn't trust someone she had just met.
"Just visiting a friend." She lied.
A lie too obvious it seemed. He tilted his head and smiled. "All the way here by yourself?"
She blushed. "Yes."
"Well, miss, you are now under the custody of the Seraph."