A simple warning: if you have not read any of my other stories and/or my profile page but only this fiction, then you might want to check out the profile due to the heavy implication of untatical romance in nature which might put off people with different tastes.
If you did, then continue as usual.
Chapter 5: Lucky Strike
My consciousness slowly floats to me. It reforms itself as soon as I am aware of my own being. I have never been one to believe in the afterlife, but one cannot deny the existence of the undead. Every muscle in my body appears to be acting up, but I conclude that as a good sign. It is not too agonizing trying to move, and the fact that I can still feel pain means that I am still very much awake and alive. My eyes fail to open themselves just then, but my memories races back to the last known moment of my ordeal.
I remember being chased by what was undoubtedly the most horrifying beast I have seen in my entire life, not that I have seen many, but it even eclipses some of the beasts of legends in strength and sheer terror, and that is no easy feat. I can still feel my own hands shaking from fright, and even though I have not been through a lot, I can safely say that I have suffered physical injuries above most people's comprehension. However, that is unimportant right now.
My senses have been rapidly returning to me ever since my awakening, and now I can feel my surroundings. The first thing that comes to mind is the soft sensation beneath me. I have not felt anything like this in a while, but I at least recognize its properties. This is obviously an actual bed, and a quality one at that. There is also a blanket over my body, but not my face, so it is a decent indication of no one thought I might have died off or similar. Regardless, it seems quite obvious that I was saved and brought here by someone; who was most likely the person who conjured the pillar of flames that I happened to catch a glimpse of before fainting. I would like to speak out in order to gain some attention so I could gather more clues about my current location, but I decide against it. I would have to force open my eyes first.
It was a much more meticulous process than I have wanted it to be, but I was successful nonetheless. Now, I stare into the blank ceiling of what appears to be a simple house. The window is barely open, letting in just that little bit of light. I know I am alone on the bed, but I can spot someone else. Next to where I was lying is a chair, and quite discernibly there is a person sitting on it. I cannot take a good look at this angle, so I tried my best to lift myself off the mattress into a sitting position. It does not turn out so well however, as I have to resort to sitting spread-legged on the sheet in order to support my own weight. I am just too weak, probably after recovering from a coma, at this moment. However, I have a different target of attention. Turning towards the chair, I can see clearly the face of whoever was sitting there. The moon light lit upon the person's features, assisting my weary eyes so they can slowly make out the face. That person is a girl, seemingly not too far from my age. Her hair is long and of an exotic orange color. Pointy ears indicate elven origins, but that does not help much for recognition. She has a long dress, its color matching her hair, on and sits cross legged on the chair, appears to be sleeping. I obviously am not familiar with her, but she at least seems like a rather decent person. This house is small, and since she is the only one here, I can deduct that she gives up her own bed to let me sleep in. Whether she is the one who saved me from the beast is unknown, but I have my doubts. I suppose that by the look of her form, she is most likely a magic user and she might have something up her sleeves that could draw the monster's killing intent away from me. However, if it really was that easy I doubt the problem has not been solved already. I decide to skip all of my questions until dawn breaks, as it appears to be a long time until the night is over. I am at least thankful for the fact that I am still alive and have not lost any limbs in the process. I would not be surprised if people had not expected me to have awakened yet, but at least my unique regeneration abilities seem to still be working out quite well.
Since I probably have slept for quite a few days, I feel no desire to go back to bed at the moment. Even though my muscles are aching and my form is still weak, I know that nothing good would come out of my sitting around on the bed for the next few hours. I would much rather explore what I can of the current scenery and hopefully without posing an intrusion on the house's owner. Placing my feet on the ground is hard, and walking around in this condition is even harder. I imagined that I must have suffered quite the severe degree of injuries to make me sore even a few days after. I am unable to find my own shoes, thus I skip trying to do so. I walk with utmost care in order to not accidentally interrupt the girl's sleep. The house appears to be quite simple, small in both length and width. There is only a distinctive bed space and a holed up bathroom. Everything else is just jumbled together onto two desks. There are spell books, enchantments and some kind of materials that I have yet to encounter. However, I saw, at the corner of my eye, some very familiar items. Approaching a far edge of the two desks, I spot my golden bow and homemade quiver, which leaves me ecstatic. It is probably the best I could hope for, seeing that even my belongings were successfully recovered from that engagement. This also proves that the beast was actually driven off or outright slain, or else gathering these would have been nigh impossible. I feel internally in debt to whoever has taken their ways to do all of this for me, and plan to repay them in whatever way I can.
As the domicile is relatively small, it does not take long for me to scour all parts of relevance in the house. A quick look into the wardrobe confirms my previous suspicions of this house belonging to the sleeping girl, and only her. So, at the very least, she is the one who has enough kindness to have given me the attention as well as looking over me while I was out cold. I am well aware that someone like me perhaps would not do that for somebody else, especially since the two of us do not know each other at all. She clearly is much better as a person than I am, and I suddenly feel guilty because of that realization. If the situation had been reversed, with her being the one in danger and I being the one who could offer shelter, I might not have done what she has, and that bothers me.
Sighing, and sit back onto the bed, in order to take a better look at the girl. She could or could not have been the one who saved me directly, but I at least know that I owe her so much. Truth be told, I do not know of many girls, even when I was a child. My father obviously did his best to try and seclude me from the outside world, so I basically had no friend back when I was little. Later on, there were only guards outside my room at all times, so I had never really engaged in many enriching conversations or social interactions either. At the very least, the abundance of books had helped me with preparing myself for my eventual outing. It was not, regrettably, able to cure me of my cynicism, and I am beginning to learn that I would have to be doing that gradually by myself. My mind snaps back to the girl before me. She would easily qualify as what could be called attractive in those picture books that I happened to come across in my reading. Regardless, I am indifference of other's appearance, or at least that was what I felt.
I lack of indulgence at the moment, for there was nothing I could have done more within these boundaries without leaving or waking up the person who is in the house with me. I simply sit, my back to the wall, lining myself with the girl, so she would realize that I have awakened once she herself does so. In the mean time, I simply close my eyes and let my mind drift off to wherever it wants to…
…sun light hits me, pulls me away from my own apathy. Hours have already passed by while my mind goes back and forth into a blank state. It eliminates my perception of time, and helps immensely in waiting out to an event. For it was not slumber, I feel no need to freshen myself, only loosen up my strain that this sitting position has been putting on my legs. Straightening them out takes little time, and I can go back into waiting. I suspect that it should be quite soon before the girl next to me is released from her own unconsciousness. It happens quite gradually though. I can feel her movements through the air, as she extends her arms in order to firmly grasp her own surroundings.
"Oh?" Right on queue, as she notices my being up. I turn my head towards her, to see her expression displaying that of utter rapture. It pleases me a bit, knowing that she is happy to see that I am up and fine. "You are awake! I was worried."
"Yes, thank you for that." A little smile creeps up my face, without my knowledge. I feel that we should be engaging in a more suitable position for a conversation, so I drop my feet on the ground as I move onto the edge of the bed. However, she does not stay on the chair, instead getting off it to sit next to me on the bed. It is a sense of closeness that I have never quite felt before. I do not particularly like it, but I feel like it would not be right for me to protest against it, for she has offered me so much. "I must ask: for how long have I been out?"
"It has been about three days or so." I can almost feel her smile having an effect on me. It seems so delightfully pleasant that I was hard to fight against it. Her voice displays a certain degree of sadness, but I am not in a position to ask. Rather, she does not appear to be quite interested in exploring said aspect either, and just wants to go through with what she is thinking. "Truly, I was rather afraid for your wellbeing when I first found you in the woods. I was thinking that it would take you at least a week to recover. We were quite lucky, indeed."
"Are you aware of the identity of the beast that attacked me?" I felt like I am inclined to know. Surely, it might be a bit much to expect her to know, but I would not hope to get my information from any other sources either. Since she was there, judging from her words, it would only be safe to assume that she knew what happened afterwards and just what I was being threatened with. "I was told that it was a beast that has been roaming the woods for quite some time now, and it is apparent that I was unlucky enough to cross its path."
"Ah yes, that monster. Most people are not aware of its true identity, but that terror is actually the last of the mythical race of the Lycanthropes." Her voice becomes stern, as I am aware that she is being fully serious. I am vaguely aware of Lycanthropy from reading story books. I am not sure how much of those would be able to be held accounted, but at least my image of such a thing would be a half man half wolf being that has the ability to change appearance in relevant to the moon's cycle. However, that makes no sense in this situation, for it does not explain how far off into dawn it was able to chase me, or perhaps I have been missing some important details. "It is researched and concluded that they turn into their humanoid form in the day and their beast form at night. When I found you bleeding, it had to retreat because its time was already running out."
"So basically, it was nothing but fortune?" I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. I do recall Syllabear's words of staying away from the monster at night, but I truly never expected it to be a Lycanthrope that has its time being limited. That should have made an advantage for me, really, but I do not hope to meet it again.
"Yes," The girl lightly scratches her head. Her expression appears to be a bit fidgety and guilty. "I wish I could boast that I was the one who saved you, but all I really did was simply distracting that thing for a split second. It was the sun that did the rest of the work."
"You mean you were the one who controlled the flames?" It would seem so. This girl really is my savior in every sense of the word, even though she does not want me to think that way. If she had not been there, even if the sun did come up and the beast went away, those kinds of injuries would simply cause me to bleed to death, or become easy prey for the less terrifying but equally lethal predators roaming around.
"Well yeah, it was meant to hit the monster actually, but there is a delay before the spell takes effect." She appears to be trying to put her mistakes off as clumsy, but I am grateful nonetheless. If it was the best thing she could have done to help, then I take it as it is. "I could not time it right, but I did make it flinch a little."
"Thank you." That was the best I could tell her. I am not mad at her lack of success, for it is largely irrelevant to the conditions at hand. The good thing is that both of us got out of their alive, and that is all that matters. Of course, I also have to thank her for carrying my belongings back with me, but I suppose that is already included.
"It is the right thing to do really. You need not be so formal." Her smiling face gave off the vibe of her being modest, but truly because she is speaking exactly what she is thinking, and not like some pretentious individual who scoff off one's life as not significant enough to write home about. She suddenly appears mortified, as it makes me quite intrigued. "How rude of me, I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Lina Inverse, a sorceress in training."
"I am Traxex." I answer truthfully. Lina's eyes open wide in anticipation for the continuation of my speech. I am a bit embarrassed to say that I lack both an occupation and a last name to inform others about. I know well that I have not yet the time to forge myself an identity, but it does feel disheartening nonetheless. I have to speak of the actuality however, as hiding my lack of accomplishments would not do me good. "Do not think that I am hiding something from you, though, I truly just do not have anything else to introduce."
"That's alright; we all have to start somewhere, right?" Her smile is radiant, as if it sheds light upon my own self-doubt, jeering at it as if my worries were nothing but meaningless trifles. I am devoid of comments, but her attitude is simply translucent without the smallest trace of ulterior motives. I am therefore led to believe that she simply is a very carefree person, which is something I am far from. It feels extraordinary to meet a person so different from myself, and there is a fascination in my understanding of her life style. It should lack of worries, and living day by day doing things she wants while also contributing to whatever she cares about. It is certainly a promising perspective. "Do you wish to go for breakfast? You must be hungry."
"Yes, thank you." I answer rather inelegantly, mostly attributing to my lack of thoughts about the current situations. I do not know where I am, but being at the town that I have spotted early does make a certain degree of sense. I took a glance at my own clothes, trying to judge whether it would be fit for an outside morning walk. It appears that I am no longer wearing my previous set of admittedly barbaric covers, rather a graceful two piece of brown tops and leggings. It must have been Lina's as well. Thinking that it must have been her who changed my clothes makes me a bit red on the cheeks, but I brush it off as insignificant. We are both females after all. There should be no complications for such actions. Before I am able to get up, however, she has already, as well as extending her hand to me. I instinctively reach out for it, as she grips on and starts pulling me away with a rapid pace for a walk. I have a lot of questions in stored, but food right now sounds like a much better offer.
As I step out of the house, her hand still holding on to mine, I was able to take a fuller look at the scenery around me. I am in a relatively big town, unlike my previous expectations. The streets appear busy and the shops are always ringing. I am completely oblivious of directions, of course, so I simply go with wherever Lina was pulling me towards. Crossing the various roads, I can finally see for myself what it is like in an active citizen civilization. People of all races and sizes walk among each other, creating a mixed community that must have been very exotic.
The two of us soon stop at a local food place, where people are already gathered up, even though morning just hits less than an hour ago. Everyone appears to be rather active, which is always a pleasant to see. Lina lets go of my hand after placing me down at a table very close to the shop owner. He appears rather bland, but that is none of my concern. The young sorceress looks positively happy to be greeted by him, however.
"Good to see you again, Lina, you look stunning as always." The two of them are easily perceived to be close acquaintances, although the degree of their relationship is questionable. I already feel like I am thinking too much, however, as whatever it is; none of it has anything to do with me. Still, genuine curiosity motivates me to eavesdrop on their conversation. "What would you have today?"
"The compliments are much appreciated." She flashes him back a smile, which seems to brighten up everything else, not that there ever was any moody atmosphere around the shop. It strikes me as even odder, as I just seem to be getting happier every time Lina shows her innocent smile. It looks so pure, so carefree and so endearing at the same time. "I would have two specials please."
"Coming right up," I could be wrong, but I could have sworn the shopkeeper had his eyes upon me, even just for the briefest of moments. I am unaware of what to make of it, but I am not too assured of the ways of the world either. He is the owner after all, and there is no sense in suspecting someone when you are in his or her place, at least that was what I thought. "Hey, who is that girl with you?"
"She's a new friend!" I am somewhat taken aback by Lina's quick judgment to treat me as a friend. I would not actively cause harm in her way, that is for sure, but I am not the most reliable of persons either. Still, it would seem that the fact that she had known me for less than an hour yet apparently trusting me fully like this only makes my situation more awkward, as I feel even more in debt to her. "I met her a few days ago and now I'm showing her across town!"
The shopkeeper only smiles back and return to minding his business. Running this place is rather demanding after all, and I suppose others can understand that. Lina, still quite the up beat attitude, returns to the table where I have been sitting. It was large enough for a pack of five people, but she settles down right next to me. I am rather confused. Why has she taken such an interest in me, which now I am fully aware of, even though the two of us barely knew each other?
"Lina…" I spoke, feeling rather abashed. She was not looking at me before, only turning her gaze now. Meeting it, I become lost in my own words, unable to let out my thoughts quite the way I wanted. She does not say a thing, however, only waiting for me to finish. "Were you the one who brought me back here from the fight in the forest?"
"Well, yes, I was the one who found you." She appears to be trying to abate the ineptness direction that the situation was taking, but is rather unsuccessful in doing so. I am incredulous to her confession, regardless. "The truth was that I, along with my superior, was in the woods for an excursion, when I suddenly got lost. That was when I heard the Lycanthrope's roar. I might have just proven myself a fool for following it, but I found you there, being chased by that fearsome beast. I conjured up the flames in order to assist you, or at least I tried. You were still hit rather mortally and my spell did not even hit, I am ashamed to repeat. It was me who carried you back, but it was my superior, who later found us, which used his powers to mend your wounds."
"Oh…" I am not sure of what to think about the story now. Perhaps I should not have expected it, but really, there is no reason to expect someone who is even younger than me to accomplish such a feat that I have imagined she had. Surely she could hypothetically, but it would not be logical to assume such a thing. Still, there was still one question to come out of that. "How old are you, Lina?"
"I'm 16. My birthday is just a week away." Lina seems to be glad that I do not at least act bothered by the tale she just told me. Even I am not sure whether I was just hiding the fact that I am rather disappointed, or really I was not. I would rather just get it out of my head though. There is nothing good of feeling dissatisfied about a past which I cannot change. "What's yours?"
"I know I'm 17 but… I'm not quite sure when my birthday is." I felt like clumsily chuckle my way through that question, but I simply could not. I can feel Lina slowly feeling a bit saddened by my lack of good answers for all the questions she has had so far, even though she has been nothing but open and honest about mine. In the mean time, the waiter has served up the so-called "special" dishes. It appears to be a bowl of stewed pork, or at least that what I gotten visually and through the smell. Lina's spirits immediately lifts up seeing the food, however, which I suppose is rather convenient for me. She hands me a fork with a beaming smile that it is simply impossible for me to do anything but comply. "Thank you."
She does not reply, simply getting right into her physical indulgence. She gives off the impression that she enjoys the food quite a lot, while I struggle to find the same joy. Sure, it is not nearly bad, but it just does not seem to stand out for me. Perhaps it is because of the fact that I have been eating from both extremes of cooking, luxurious and barbaric, that I just do not have such a tongue for the middle anymore. That does not mean I cannot consume the grubs, but just a lot more slowly and fervently than I might have liked. Soon, Lina finds herself with an empty bowl, why I have barely gotten through half of my share. She turns to me, unimaginably reticent, waiting for me to finish. I do feel a bit in a rush, in order for us to continue on with the conversation. I truly thought I would have been hungrier than this after going three days without food, but I suppose I am wrong.
"Hey Traxex…" Her voice is now surprisingly deep and cheerless, not at all like what I have been envisaging this conversation taking a turn to. I suddenly feel pressured, but my expression is hardened to not show such a thing. In any case, I can do nothing but just wait out whatever she has to say. "I… hope I have not been bothering you too much."
"How so?" I am dubious of her attitude. What does she mean? Was she really thinking of herself as some nuisance?
"You have been rather taciturn towards me. I am not sure what to think, but I feel like I am annoying you." My eyes go wide open in surprise. "I hope I am not intruding."
"No, not at all!" I state forcefully. Usually my demeanor would forbid me from reacting so vehemently about a matter, but that was what has gotten me like this in the first place. It would seem that due to my being ever so cynical, Lina has somehow gotten the idea that I do not want her around. I wish to deny that misunderstanding. I wish to break out of this. I wish to tell her that it is not true. However, all of those emotions remain pent up within me. I cannot allow myself to act so vigorously, only staying true to my own feelings. "I am sorry that I have led you to have the wrong impression of me. I do not hate to be around you at all."
"Really?" She seems rather skeptical of my words and for good reasons as well. I do not quite give out the vibe of a trust worthy person, and I acknowledge it. The fact that she was confident enough to call me her friend and care enough to express is plentiful to me already. I have no need of fancy greetings or special treatment, just following Lina around these past few hours has been rewarding enough, at least emotionally, for me already. Although thinking back, I must admit that I have never really liked being with anyone at all, truly. Even with Syllabear, I just respected his work and grateful of his help, but I never really enjoyed his presence. I was a loner, after all, yet Lina has such an effect on me. Is it because I finally found someone my age that can somewhat relate to my problems? However, I realize now that I have left her hanging for some time now, and I can only nod with a smile, to ensure my position of agreement. "That's great."
"Lina!" My mind clicks, as my expression return to that of a quiet observer as soon as I heard an unfamiliar voice calls my new friend's name. Both of us turn towards the distance, and our attention focus on the one person standing at the front of the shop, looking as distinctive as possible. It is a man, hair blonde and drapes onto his shoulders. He wears a set of knight's armor, as well as a silver hammer in his right hand. He appears young, but stern and hardhearted. That might not be quite what he is, but that is what I have gotten from his expression. "Where have you been?"
"My, he is up early." Lina playfully comments. She seems somewhat approving of his calling out her name in public, but no one else around has been paying attention. They might have stood up or look up to catch a few glimpses, but none so far has bothered to chat. I take it as a sign that the man, whoever he is, is a common sight and a person with at least some degree of fame around these parts. However, I have no more time to asset, as Lina nudges lightly at me and grabs me hand. "He is my superior. Come on, I am sure he will remember you."
I have nothing against it, considering how he apparently is the one who healed my wounds, with magic of all things. I am just a bit grateful, but nowhere near the level of fascination that I hold over Lina. He eyes me cautiously as I am being practically dragged on by my friend.
"Are you…" The man narrows his eyes, trying to recall my familiarity, no less. I am about to step up and answer, but my slow moving lips are quickly cut off.
"Yes, she is that girl I found in the woods." Pulling me back, Lina has her arms around me as her face displays a possessive grin. I am not quite sure of what to feel, but this is probably the closest I have ever been to anyone. I feel warmth so close to me, so much that it makes me a bit warmer as well. That is normal of course, heat transitions that way. "Her name is Traxex, but she is my friend now!"
"Nice to meet you, Traxex." Even though he does not appear such a gentleman, the man at the very least holds his formalities towards me without force. It would seem that his tough exterior is only for show, but that has nothing to do with me nonetheless. "My name is Purist Thunderwrath, the last Paladin of the Order of Silverhand."