Author's Note: I'm just going to barrel on through here. Please give constructive criticism if you can, but avoid flaming. I'd like to know what I can improve on rather than just hearing 'it's bad, you suck.' Thank you all.
Chapter 2: A Girl on the Plains
"Tell me… do you know of dragons?" The low voice growled out from underneath a hood, shielding the man's face.
"Y-Yes… I know the whole story." The other man, also hooded, spoke in stuttering tone that angered the first.
"Do you now? Interesting. Repeat it." The first growled.
"Yes… Once, dragons and men coexisted peacefully. This peace lasted for many generations, as it was founded on wisdom. But all of that was lost when Mankind disrupted the balance in a sudden onslaught. Man fought dragon in a bloody war called the Scouring, a savage war that shook the foundations of the world. Defeated and humbled by eight legendary heroes and their weapons, the dragons vanished from the world. In time, man rebuilt and spread his domain across the land and to the islands beyond. It's been a millennium since those dark days ended." The second recited, as if he were reading it directly from the text.
"And we… we shall bring them back." The first growled satisfactorily.
"What the hell do you—" The second began.
"Do not talk to your superior that way!" The first snapped back, silencing the second man as quickly as he had spoken.
"Y-Yes sir. I'm sorry, sir."
The young man groaned in pain. It had been two days that the young girl had watched over him. She cared for him as if he was the only thing around that needed her. As if there was no hunting to do, no one to talk to. This however was a simple truth of her life. There was no one else. She was alone.
The walls and floor were littered with very few items of no real value, much of it broken or burnt. Her clothing was the only one in the hut, all of which hung from walls or were stacked neatly on the floor, while a few other outfits that were clearly not hers lay in a crumpled heap in a corner of the hut.
She noticed that his breathing had quickened. He must have been having a horrible dream, perhaps reliving the days before she had found him, or perhaps living days long before that. She couldn't say, but for her part she hoped the nightmare would end soon. She picked up her bowl and decided to refill it. She had been quelling his bad dreams to the best of her ability, ensuring he drank and occasionally checking to ensure he didn't get a fever. It seemed to help his body relax, though she didn't know what effect it had on his mind.
Just as she was about to leave, he shot up, eyes opening so fast she nearly jumped. He seemed disoriented, as anyone would be after having slept for two days strait. He looked around, and seemed to recognize two things. The first was clearly his surprise at awaking at all, clearly not being dead in the field like he must have imagined. The second thought, which forced its way in after he recovered from shock, was the question of where he was.
As he began to look around, that look of confusion still on his face, the girl smiled. At last there were results. "So… you're awake?" She said, putting the bowl back down on the makeshift counter before walking towards him.
The boy looked at her, opening his mouth to speak. It took him a moment before he formed the words he was looking for, and even then it was haltingly careful. "What… Where… am I?" His voice seemed a lot softer than other warriors she had met. She was glad that even with the battles he must've seen, a heart remained.
"I found you unconscious on the plains, so I brought you here. I'm glad to see you've recovered." She responded to his questions simply and with a smile. It seemed best to try and put him at ease right now. The last thing he likely remembered was the battle, after all.
The boy felt his stomach, realizing there was no longer a wound. That's right, I was fighting on the plains. Then that guy came and I… and I… He then looked at the girl again, his face an impassive mask. "You… treated me?" She smiled, and nodded. He muttered a small, "Thank you." But didn't look too happy. She couldn't help but wonder why. The smile he had while sleeping was now gone. It made him look less like the good person she hoped he might be.
"I'm Lyn, of the Lorca. You're safe now. Might I ask your name?" She asked, hoping to ease the sudden sense of tension she was getting.
He tried to get out of the bed, but she sat on his legs, not giving him a chance to attempt to stand. "I was going to bow." He said, obviously making a bad joke.
She shook her head. "You're not well enough yet." She replied. He let out a sigh, which she felt released the tension that had been building.
"I feel fine. And… my name is… Will." He said, resigning himself to it. That name held no pride for him anymore. He would have preferred to leave unnamed. Now he was indebted to her as well.
"Will, huh? That's an… odd sounding name…" She said, putting a finger to her chin pensively. Then changed tact at the speed of light when she saw him look up at her, one of his eyebrows raising. "But pay me no mind! It is a good name!" She said reassuringly, and Will couldn't help but give a little smile at that.
"I… could tell by your attire that you're a traveler." She said nodding to his clothes, which were by the bed. It was then he noticed she had changed him out of his clothes, and put him in something that seemed to resemble a tribal outfit. Actually, he was absolutely positive it was one, as it was very similar to what she wore.
"Yes… I'm sorry about changing you, but I assure you, I only did it to treat your wounds. I didn't want to watch you die, and those clothes were covered in blood." He looked at his clothes against the wall, but then looked away just as quickly, remembering what had happened before Death came knocking at his door.
"No, I thank you. Seems I've barely avoided death… again." He said the last word so quietly, that Lyn, as the girl was called, couldn't hear it. She seemed to take that as a cue for her to get up, starting to do things around the hut. He laid back down again, debating what to do. It was clear she wasn't about to let him leave right now, though he wanted nothing more than to be out of the girl's hair. He did note that he couldn't hear anything though. He thought for sure he would hear the sounds of animals or other people by now. He wondered if this girl was all alone out here. It seemed like a silly notion to him, but it was a possibility he couldn't discount.
"Would you…" Lyn began, taking a seat next to him once more, and now with two bowls full of fruits he assumed was going to be a meal. "Would you tell me your story? How did you end up on the plains?"
Will looked at her, taking the bowl that was offered. He ate a piece of fruit slowly, considering what he was going to say. Looking up at Lyn once more, and finishing the piece of fruit, he opened his mouth to speak. "I…" He began, but noises coming from outside the hut stopped him from continuing, as both his and Lyn's ears perked up, listening intently.
"What… was that?" Will whispered to her, hoping it was perhaps the village or animals in a fight or something simple. Lyn dashed his hopes when she shook her head.
"I'll go take a look." Before he had a chance to disagree, she was gone.
"Don't do anything stupid…" he found himself saying, as though she could hear him.
Lyn was aghast at the sight that greeted her outside. Bandits were fortifying a position near the Ger. She ran back inside, looking for her sword. She really shouldn't have left without it in the first place.
"What is it, Lady Lyn?" Will asked. He was already on his feet, and the tattered green cloak had been thrown over his shoulders. His clothes lay useless in the corner, as the shirt clearly had a hole in it that made it useless to wear. To be fair, he didn't look bad in it, and she didn't mind him using them for the time being.
But hadn't he just called her Lady Lyn? How did she look anything like a... proper lady? It was weird being called that, especially by the guy with the worn out green cloak. Oh well, like she told herself before, now just wasn't the time for that.
"Bandits! From the Mountains!" She said, finding her sword and picking it up. "They must be planning on raiding the local villages! If that's all of them, I think I can take them…"
Will looked at her curiously for a moment, before that soft smile she had seen in his sleep crossed his face. "You may, but let me come too."
Lyn looked at him curiously. "Can you use your sword? Your arm is still in bad condition. I also doubt your stomach wound is fully healed, in spite of the Vulnerary I used." She said. Will shrugged, putting one hand on his stomach.
"I'm not sure, but I won't know until I try. Besides, I can help with tactics. I'm a tactician by trade. At least, originally." He tried to smile, but Lyn continued to look at him skeptically. "Well, I can also use magic. Though my magic is slow and hard to use, so it might not work in my current condition." He said, which seemed to be a nice hole he was digging himself into.
Lyn looked at him again. "An odd profession…" He gave her that look again, the slightly depressed angry look. How he pulled it off, she had no idea. Yet it still made her feel bad. "But I could use your aid. Very well, we'll go together!" She said, and Will followed her out of the house.
"There's only two, right? Let me see where they… aha!" Will said, peeking from behind one of the trees near Lyn's home. He had good eyes, obviously, as they were some distance away. Then again, he was a tactician. He must have had good eyes to become one.
"Stay close, I'll protect you." She said, and Will nodded. It was best not to push his luck right now. He didn't really feel much like fighting people, anyway.
"Alright, the bandit by the Ger looks like the leader." He began, and she was taken aback. She didn't know he knew what a Ger was. It wasn't exactly a common thing you find in cities. "There's one grunt we'll have to take down to get to him. Think you can handle it?" He asked, and she nodded, almost indignantly. Of course she could.
The two closed in on the bandit, and he spotted them, and closed in himself. Will swerved to the side as Lyn charged, drawing her sword. The battle was brief, as Lyn's sword made mincemeat out of the loser, but her arm was cut pretty well by the bandit's axe before he was killed.
"Lady Lyn, you okay?" Will asked, as she looked at him. "Yes… I'll be fine." She said. Will shook his head. She was a bad liar. "I have an extra vulnerary, hold still for a second." She did, and Will applied the medicine to her arm, healing the cut almost instantly.
"Thank you, Will." She said, somehow thinking she'd say that many more times before they parted ways. That was a strange feeling, as he would probably leave by tomorrow, despite any protests she made.
They hurried to the Ger, and once again Will stepped back as Lyn charged. "Who do you think you are? Do you think you can take on Batta the Beast?" Said the leader, and swung his axe. Lyn's sword blocked the blow, but she was forced back a good ways before she could charge again. This guy was strong.
Lyn brandished her sword once more, and flourished it as she leapt over Batta's head. It was quite a move that even Batta seemed surprised by it as well, and received a large gash on his back for it. With a roar that almost seemed inhuman in nature, he swung around the handle of the axe, catching Lyn in the face with it as he attempted to remove her head. Lyn fell to the ground, seemingly to have fainted from the blow. Will let out a sigh as his good arm gripped his sword, drawing it from its sheath. He wouldn't have enough energy to use the dark power infused in it, nor was it likely he could outdo the man in strength. To be honest, he didn't like these odds.
"After I kill you, I'm going to make this girl wish she were dead." Batta said, licking his lips in a truly disgusting fashion as he eyed the young man with his unsteady grip. "Everyone regrets crossing Batta the Beast!"
"If you truly think you can kill me, go ahead and try it." He answered. The bandit attacked with the ferociousness akin to his name, but as his axe swung down, the young man leapt forward and into him, shoving his sword deep into the man's gut. It was the stupidest thing the man had ever seen, but also his last, as his axe barely missed Will on its downswing. The axe lodged itself into the ground, and it was followed quickly by its user.
"Diagonal attacks are usually the best way to go. You can at least hit your target if they dodge to the side or try and duck, and it's much easier to adjust the aim of then a pure downward power swing or a side swipe. It also would have prevented me from stabbing you in the gut." Will said, as he squatted down to push over the man's body. He could see the tip of his sword protruding from the man's back even then.
He dragged out the sword, letting out a sigh. His arm was screaming at him in protest now, and he might need to drag Lyn back to her hut. "If you still live. Use your last moments to look back on all the atrocities you have done. Do that, and despair."
Lyn's eyes fluttered open. She had really been knocked for a loop. As she looked around. She saw Will, holding a bloodstained sword. She also noticed that above him loomed Batta, who had a pool of blood forming at his feet, but was screaming in rage as he brought his ax down upon the tactician's weak guard.
"Despair, you tell me? Batta gets what he wants! What reason have I to despair! I'll kill you, and the girl, and anyone I see fit! Everything I want belongs to me!" He sputtered in his rage, blood splattering out from his mouth as well, making the man look truly like a beast.
It was at that moment his words suddenly became gurgling nothingness. As when she had gotten behind him before, Lyn had moved like the wind behind the crazed man, sticking her blade through the area she knew would finish him for good. Lyn pulled out her sword with a small flourish, as once more Batta's body hit the ground. This time he was dead for sure.
Will sighed in a tired way. "Thanks, Lyn." He said with the warming smile. She felt a little glow inside from the compliment, though a part of her was also angry.
"I'm truly sorry Will. Here I said stay behind me and then you ended up forced into a fight. You might've been killed if not for my awakening." Lyn said, her eyes crossing over Batta's corpse. She noted that aside from the gash on his back, there was a hole in his back presumably made from Will's sword. That must've been why the man was bleeding everywhere even as he attacked the Tactician. Looking closer, she noted the wound would have killed any ordinary man, and in fact Batta would've likely died after two or three more axe blows. Perhaps he had not needed her help after all.
"It's alright. I wasn't expecting him to be that… resilient." Will responded. "I'm glad you didn't get any blood on you though. I was worried if you had and were unconscious it would be my turn to change you. Somehow I doubted you would've taken as kindly to it."
"I see no reason for you to think that." Lyn said with curiosity in her voice. "It's hardly healthy to sleep with blood on you."
Will looked at her for a moment, seemingly mystified by her statement. Then he chuckled a bit. The sound was mirthful and full of that glowing feeling he had given off before. "Of course it isn't healthy. I should've known." He said, as he continued to chuckle a bit before wincing. "Agh…. Oooo, hurts to laugh right now. Sorry to ask, but could you lend me a hand? I think I might've overdone it."
Lyn smiled, before offering him a hand. He took it gratefully, and she pulled him to his feet, before taking that arm around her shoulder. Though somewhat reluctant, Will didn't stop her from doing so. He'd need a bit more rest before he was going anywhere.
For a reason she couldn't explain, this made Lyn very happy.
