Chapter Seven - The Savior

It was still cold when something woke me up, looking around I could still see if was still dark which meant that I had only slept maybe two or at least three hours but to tell you the truth there was no way I could tell for sure. All I really knew was that I was still really tired from my journey, but despite the protest of my body made wanting to remain in the warm comfortable position I managed to make for myself. The idea of lying in the sand and using a camel for a pillow didn't tempt me enough to stay where I was, especially when I noticed a dark smoke stretching out into the night sky.

If anything I could tell off the bat that smoke wasn't coming from a camp fire, if anything it was way too big for that and the fact that it smelled like something was burning just gave me a really bad feeling in that moment. Seeing me stir Anubis who had made himself comfortable between my thighs started to whine as I shifted him to the side and slowly made my way up the hill covering the oasis making sure I kept myself low enough where I wouldn't be seen. Over the grains of sand I see the smoke leading to what looked to be a small village I didn't noticed before, and from what I could tell it like it was under attack but I'd had get closer to sure though part of me didn't want to.

It was one thing seeing trouble and then there was just asking for it, and from what I could tell it seemed like I was born for trouble. And that from my perspective was nothing to be flatter about.

"What should I do?" I thought myself as I watched the village almost capable of hearing unmistakable screams echo across the cold unforgiving dessert. For sure the smartest thing for me to do would have been to mind my own business and let the past be the past, and yet part of me couldn't turn away from them and pretend it wasn't happening. Hell even though I knew I didn't belong in this place, and half the time what I did only seemed to piss people off even more, I knew my reasons for doing things were because they were the right thing to do. And the fact that I had enough guts to do it only seemed to drive me to help even if I wasn't sure it would do much good.

Upon feeling my ambition as crazy as it sounds I found not only Anubis waiting at my side but also my camel who looked just as ready to go as I was. Weighing the pros and cons of the situation I felt it would be in my best interest to keep my face covered just in case things didn't go according to plan. So taking the borrowed robes I cover my face almost like a ninja and grab Anubis securing him in one of the baskets on the camel to ensure he would be safe. Then quickly mount my camel and pull my the long hidden dagger from my robes keeping it on hand in case I run into some trouble alone the way.

Riding towards a burning village one would think to run far from it, but I wasn't afraid and I was far from a coward. If there was people there that needed my help then God forbid I was going to be the bigger person. Not for fame, not for glory, only because I could.

And that as crazy as it was gave me enough motivation to face the nightmare I was fixing to head right into.

XXX

Upon entering the threshold of the village, I could be first to say I had never seen so much destruction as fire consumed homes where blood and dead seemed to stain making one almost believe it was an apocalypse. It was frightening and the fact that now the screams and cries agony sounded so loud and so close whatever what going on and whoever was doing this…they were still here.

"I better be careful." I told myself as I cautiously made my way through the burning village seeming a few survivors running for their lives almost afraid I was fixing to cut them down. Turning a corner I see a little girl crying over the body of her dead mother who appeared to have been violated before was stabbed making it so hard to watch I almost wanted to turn around. For it was one thing seeing the sins of man on a textbook or one TV, but seeing it real life made me almost sick at my own humanity.

Feeling the grip on my dagger tighten I found my movements halted as I hear what sounded to be a group of people crying for their lives followed by sickening laughter who I could assume off the bat was from the village's tormentors. Rushing my camel in their directions I see people fleeing for their lives as men horseback begin cutting them down almost enjoying it too much.

Even though I had taken a life, never once did I ever enjoy it. So seeing these monsters finding all this destruction amusing gave me no thought in my actions as I kicked my camel into overdrive and raced head first into the chaos with my robes flaring angrily behind me almost flaring life live shadows from a demons cape. Out of panic I feel Anubis force himself into the confines of the basket as I used my camel's size to ram into one of the bandits knocking him clean off his horse before he could bring his weapon down on another bystander. Another bandit attempts to intercept me but I leap off my camel in time to dodge his swing of his blade and kick him across the face sending him crashing into the side of house and a hard crack before managing to land safely on my feet.

Finding that I managed to stir the bees in the hive I noticed a woman clutching a child almost too scared to move. But as bad as things looked I knew now was not the time for this shit.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I yell at her almost snapping her out of her scare shitless trance. "You need to get out of here now! You hear me?! Move it!" I yell causing the shocked woman to quickly grab her child and take off. As I watched her disappear I feel a presence from behind forcing me to dodge a blade almost cutting me in half as I managed to flip kick the fallen bandit's weapon out of his hand and with my danger I split his stomach open leaving him clutching his guts.

"Damn…" I thought. "Maybe I bit off more than I can chew this time."

But even among all the chaos, upon seeing their companion gutted to death like an animal I notice one begin to alert the others as I take the opportunity to rush past the burning homes with raging goons right on my tail. If anything just by the two I took out I could ready tell the bandits just happened to be the ones I stole the food from which meant while looking for me they must have thought the village had something to do with it. I felt bad and with a gang of murders racing at me from behind now I knew I could not leave, if anything I knew I had to fix this.

Seeing them coming from all directions my only alternative was to duck into an already burning building as I used my heavy robes to cover my mouth and nose as I kept myself low. To my luck none of the bandits saw me do it as I hear them arguing with each other trying to find where I had gone.

"Where the hell did that bastard go!?" yelled one whom I assumed was the leader.

"I don't know, but whoever he was the bastard managed to split Raiser like a damn pig!" exclaimed the other.

"Figures…they think I'm a fucking man." I thought doing my best not to cough with the suffocating smoke.

"Find the son of a bitch!" spoke the leader. "And bring me his head!"

With vowing revenge the gang of bandits run off as I quickly make my way out of the burning home just in time before the ceiling of whole place brought the whole thing crashing down right where I was hiding. In shock one could say I was pretty fortunate, but seeing my circumstance it was hard to say which God was on my side at the moment.

"Now that would have sucked." I said as I turned racing passed other bandits towards homes that not yet affected by the spreading blaze. Getting to a certain point close to the center of the village I hear the hell of a woman causing me to jump back and press myself to the walls of an hold hut. Looking just over the edge of the corner I see a young woman thrown out of her home with what looked to be a crying young boy struggling in the clutches of a man I could only assumed could literally play bigfoot or hell even Blanca from street fighter would do the ugly bastard justice.

"Hey boss we got ourselves a live one over here!" spoke the Big Foot as he grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her screaming towards their leader with his other men following close behind like wolves to a wounded animal. "Mind if we have some fun with this one?"

Hearing them laugh made my gut twisted horribly at the thought of what that woman was fixing to go through, if anything it was clear these men didn't give a shit about anyone so with the haunted image of the little girl crying over her dead mother flashing through my mind I could already predict the woman's fate, but the child…lord know what they would do to him.

"Make it quick, she's already got brat so there's not value in her since she's already used." Spoke the leader completely heartless as he sneered at the frighten woman with eyes that appeared to possess no soul.

"Noo!" screamed the young boy as he cried and clawed at his attacker "Stop! Leave my mother alone!" yet try as he might the man holding him proved too strong leaving the poor kid to watch those beasts surround his poor mother. As one man attempts to mount her the boy starts yelling more causing the leader to go over to him and literally smack him across the face so hard it literally could have turn his head backwards causing me to startle.

"Shut the hell up you damn brat! Or we'll kill you too!" yelled the bandit leader as the cries of the woman become more horrid causing the anger boil inside me build up enough to the point where I forced myself off that damn wall and with a dagger in one hand and a long sword in another I managed to make three heads roll at once which in turn startled the others away from the weeping woman as the attempts to cover herself with her torn clothes.

"I've and enough of you shit you heartless bastards!" I spoke in a tone that promised death. "If you value your lives you will leave this place right now or so help me God I'll send you to your deaths."

Despite my threat the bandits remaining felt confident in their numbers seeing it was literally a eight against one odds. But what they didn't know was that what I lacked in numbers I made up for it rather quickly which they were fixing to learn the hard way. If anything there was no sparing these bastards, not this time.

"Well what do you know it looks like we got ourselves a little hero?" spoke the leader "Too bad it's just some helpless little girl playing dress up."

"After what I did your boys in the fire, I can assure you I'm not as helpless as you believe. And if your smart you won't try to test me."

Hearing my confession the bandits' leader's eyes widen a fraction almost like he didn't believe me. Until he saw the dagger in my hand and the sword of his fallen comrade did he sort of see the truth. "You bitch, I'll make you regret getting in my way." Sneered the disgusting man. "You will pay dearly for the lives of my men."

"You men are nothing more than animals, and like an animal I will cut all down and feed your sorry carcass to the scavengers of this dessert." I spat with a glow of rage burning in my eyes.

With a mocking laugh the leader "We shall see won't we?" and with a snap of his fingers three of the biggest dudes of his group made their way towards me armed and ready to rumble. I did not step back nor did I allow their size to intimidate me because despite how huge they where I could already tell off the bat these bastards where no fucking warriors.

They were full of shit.

"I don't know what you fuckers are trying to prove by hurting these people but you pussies don't scare me one damn bit." I snapped doing a twirl with my weapons and getting into a fighter stance ready to tear ass and the first sorry bastard that steps forward.

"So if you bastards are ready to die, then by means let me send you on your way." I spoke with twisted smile causing the first poor dumbass to launch himself at me with sword swinging which I in turn blocked and shifted against him enough the slit his throat with my dagger and kick him towards his other racing companion coming to his aid which resulting in both of them tumbling to the ground. Finding them vulnerable I launch myself upon the dying one and with the long sword I impale both bastards to the ground below leaving the one on the bottom yelling in agony as he starts going into a seizer.

"You fucking witch!" yelled the other behind me as it hits me with his sword that I managed to defend with my dagger just in the nick of time.

"What's the matter big boy, didn't think I'd tear through your friends so quickly?" I taunted causing the Blanca looking dude to get even more pissed off.

"Bitch I don't know who you are or where the hell you came from but I don't scare so easily." He spat which in turn caused me laugh at his stupidity.

"Don't worry." I spoke with a threat as smooth as velvet. "I'll give you something to fear."

With that me and Blanca start going at it steel against steel in what could have been from my perspective and all or nothing match. From my opponent's angle he was trying to overpower me with his strength and size but I knew better, if anything I let him push himself. I taunted him, mocked him, and pissed him off so badly he was literally breaking rocks trying to land hit.

If anything the bastard was so predictable it was only a matter of time until I had him literally dancing in my hand, making him do the things I wanted him to do and he didn't even know it.

"You going to die bitch!" he spoke with a hoarse breath that only gave away just how tired he was becoming from all his pointless attacks. "You can't beat me!"

Sending him the scariest glares I could muster I used his moment of overconfidence and with a twist which caused him to stumble I slid my dagger alongside his sword and with a swift movement I plunged my dagger with right under his jaw and straight into his head like stabbing a kitchen knife right through a melon only more meaty.

"Well it looks like you spoke too soon." I spat as I ripped my dagger from his head and in a quick motion threw it right across from me nailing the bandit leader right in the chest causing him to fall like he just got struck by lightning. His men out of concern rush to him while others out of fear keep their eyes right on me as I look upon myself seeing my robes torn and tattered with dirt and blood. For moment I was sure they were ready to attack now that I was unarmed it was their fear that kept them glued to their spot and kept me protected.

"S-she beat all three of them, and wounded the leader!" whispered one out of desperation that did not slip passed me unnoticed.

"Do you see the look in her eyes, that witch is a demon!"

Feeling a smirk come to my face under the turban I decided to used their fear to my advantage and save myself the cleanup. "They think I'm a demon…well I think I'll play along with that." I thought as I busted out in a sinister laughter spooking the rest of the bandits.

"I warned didn't I but you fuckers just don't listen!" Spat throwing my tattered robes around using the dessert air to my advantage making them appear almost like wings, which to my great amusement nearly made some of them shit themselves on sight. Heck if there's one thing I've learned about the past is that many people of this time where very superstitious, so the fact that they already thought I was a demon I figured I'd give them what they want. Looking at who I assume was the leader's right hand man I glare hard which made his Adam's apple dance in fear.

"There's a sucker every minute," I thought as I knew he'd be the one to crack. "Now time to give them a little taste of hell."

"I can do this all night boys; the question is who else is ready to lose their soul?" I sneer as I raise my hand and with my lighter I and a pack of my faithful black cats in my hand I approach the frightened group of men almost too amused about what was fixing to happen. "Come closer," I taunt as I light the fuse and hurled the whole thing at them "and I'll show you what hell really looks like."

And in that moment when the Black Cats went off the once quiet night suddenly erupted in a blazing sound of explosions which in turn caused the scared men to drop the kid in their grasp along with their already dead leader shoot for the hills like a cat with his tail on fire. Truth be told it amazed me to see just how fast those bastards managed to hop onto whatever horse they could find before storming out of the village long before the fireworks were spent.

If anything it felt good to send those bastards with their tails between their legs, but with one problem solved I found myself facing another dilemma. Looking around I begin to notice that the bandits were not my only witnesses as survivors start coming around. It's then I start feeling dizzy as my body is suddenly overcome by exhaustion from the battle making me a little too nervous at the people I just saved.

"Shit…" I cursed as I stumble towards a hut using what little strength I had to quickly grab a fallen sword the moment I see some villagers approaching with weapons in their hands.

"Great they're armed." I thought nearly getting ticked off at the fact they could have done that a long time ago.

"Aren't you guys a little late to the party." I say with tone lanced with sarcasm as they start mutter among themselves. From the corner of my eyes I see a couple of villagers help the woman I saved as she takes her son and look upon me with what I could assume was some fear but mostly curiosity. Too bad thought I couldn't speak the rest of them.

The moment I feel them starting to get too close I raise my sword and throw one hell of a glare their way making them stop in their tracks and literally think twice about what they were fixing to do. At this point I didn't have the energy to put up with anyone's shit and I sure as hell wasn't in the mood for theirs.

"If you value your lives you better think twice before you decide to attack your own defender." I spat making a couple of them back off. "The fact that you cowards decided to choose not of all times to attack when there is no threat makes me wonder if I should have left those monsters to finish you off."

"No please wait!" spoke a voice of a woman who to my surprise placed herself between me and the crowd of men before me. Seeing her now I recognized her as being the woman I yelled to make a run for it but the fact that she was literally getting on her knees and bowing was kind of making me freak out only because I was ready for it. "Please my lady forgive us! I promise we mean you no harm…" she spoke trying to get me to calm down a bit.

"My lady…?" I question not really sure where she was going with all this, but the fact that out of nowhere everyone around her started dropping their weapons and getting on their knees gave me the idea that she was probably the head hancho around here. Lucky me.

Looking up at me her expression told me she was confused by my own confusion, until she spoke "Are you not a child of the Gods." Giving me the idea that after my little stunt they probably thought I had super powers or something. Looking around I didn't find it safe to deny the factor and seeing I was a little too weak I didn't bother correcting or deny the child of the Gods statement either seeing I'd rather they'd think I was a child of God than a spawn of the Devil.

"I don't need formalities." I spoke trying to get myself to stand, but the moment I was ready to move I found myself getting dizzy and falling to my knees.

"Shit." I thought "I'm starting to lose focus…"

Out of concern I feel the woman approach me. "My lady are you hurt? Please allow me to help." She said attempting to move my hair from my face but I slap her hand away forcing her to step back as I push myself harder into the closest wall I could find to somehow steady myself.

"Don't touch me!" I spoke in a tone that made it sound like a warning despite how weak I was starting to sound "Just…leave me alone and I'll leave as soon as I can."

Trying to get back on me feet I attempt to walk once more yet I find my body too exhausted to move causing me to fall only to be caught by the woman saving me from falling on my face. I try to push myself off her and yet despite my struggle I instead begin to see dark spots appearing before my eyes making everything around me go dark.

"No!" I cursed. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, and now I'm trapped in a place with people who are most likely going to turn me in to Memphis once they find out who I am. I'm so fucking screwed!" feeling myself starting to panic I noticed the woman seeing my concern and gently started to stroke my head as the villagers around her watch us with curiosity.

"You have a fever," she spoke "…and you are very weak. You must rest."

Her tone itself was kind and I could tell she was a good person making me glade I was able to save her when I did but it was hard for me to trust such words considering it was the kindest words that proves more fatal.

"Get away from me." I snapped. "I don't need your help."

But against my words I found her to be persistent. "Nobody here is going to hurt you. We saw what you did to those bandits and for that we are grateful to you. For you are our savior send to us by the Gods."

I wanted to push their words away and get myself as far as my feet could carry me, but again my body only seemed to grow heavier and my mind began to fog with the feeling of dread overcoming my senses. At this point I was fighting a losing battle and weather I liked it or not my body was shutting down with or without my permission.

Feeling me slip away I felt the woman remove my turban uncovering my face which seemed to shock everyone around her in hopes I didn't look too bad considering my days in the wilderness. But she smiled like a mother towards her child and placed a comforting hand on my cheek.

"Rest young Goddess…we shall take good care of you." I heard her words echo in my mind.

With the last once of strength I say to her. "Break your word…and you'll be sorry." I spoke that in fear and yet in my darkened vision I see her nod

"You have my solemn word."

With that I let myself fall into the darkness once more in hopes whatever happens when I awaken turns out better then what I was expecting from a stranger who could very well end my life. It was scary thought and being someone who didn't trust so easily made it prospect of waking up even more frightening.