Chapter 6

Mystery Girl of the Forest

It must had been hours since he set out and yet he still found himself trudging through the same forest he entered. But at least there was plenty of fruit around along with wildlife he could hunt when he ran out of food. As he jumped from branch to branch he began noticing the sun was starting to set as he stopped in his tracks. He needed a fire to make sure he didn't freeze to death and a shelter of sorts. And so after jumping along the tree line for a bit more he found himself a rather large clearing.

"Perfect." he said as he jumped down to ground level.

Once he was sure the place was clear he began gathering wood and rocks nearby to help with the fire. As he gathered them up though he began thinking about Amnear and how he just left like that. Sure he left a note for Elaina and the others but he couldn't help but feel guilty. But he couldn't just go back after going so far as to defy his fellow knights like that.

"What would Elaina and Rosa say?" he thought before dumping the bundle down near his camp.

Oh well in the end he made his own choice and thought some would probably find it beyond dumb he had his reasons. After setting his back down he began constructing a nice little fire to light up the night with the rocks forming the border to keep it away from the nearby grass and the sticks to help the fire along. And after all that what did he have? A pathetically small fire that barely lit up the area around him.

"There you go just get on up in there and give me some light." he said as he lit the branches up.

It wasn't much but it would keep him warm until morning. While it crackled and spread to the other branches food came to mind as his stomach began growling. Good thing he brought that bit of meat and his pan, but there was still a problem; he had nothing to set it on.

"Dang, well lets see branch, rock, branch, branch...more branches...just my luck." he sighed

If they were more sturdy than a twig sure he could have made a little holder for his pan but instead they were all brittle and sensitive. Well it looked like he was gonna have to do it the old fashion way which meant holding the pot over the flames himself until the slab cooked enough. What a pain but if he wanted to eat he had no other he held it there though he decided to study a bit on the power of light that Rosa had begun; heck maybe he could surprise them both by mastering it by the time they returned.

"Malok Racul Hashen Talon." he recited as he cleared his mind of everything.

His peace of mind didn't last too long though the sound of footsteps grew close. Quickly he sat the pan down before reaching for his sword . What was it? Bandits? The wildlife? Or maybe some nasty trolls that smelled the slab of beef cooking. Whatever it was going to have to deal with him as he stood up.

"Hello?Who's out there?" he asked as his voice echoed around the trees and through the forest.

Still no answer but the footsteps were getting louder as he looked around more, but it was pretty hard to see since the fire barely covered the small area around him.

"I'm warning you I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to use it." he threatened as he turned all around.

As he turned though he spotted a dark figure headed right for him as he backed up a bit past the fire in hope that it would show who it was. His heart almost skipped a beat when it began running towards him as he raised his blade, but as it came closer the outline began looking really familiar. He dared not lower his weapon though in case he was wrong but as it stepped into the light his heart jumped at who he saw.

"Eheh...hey Elaina." he said nervously.

She had nothing to say to him but instead she grabbed the bag that had thrown over her shoulder and gave him a good smack with it.

"Hey what's the big idea?" he asked as he fell after falling to the ground.

"The big idea? This is the big idea!" she exclaimed angrily as she pulled out the note from her one piece training suit.

"Oh yeah, but at least I left it for you." he said as a nervous chuckled followed.

"Yeah I know and you came all the way out here why exactly?" she asked as it wasn't specified in the note.

"It's none of your business." he said as he sat back down near the fire.

"None of my business? Like heck it isn't now come on I'm taking you back now." she said before grabbing his arm

"Nope I'm staying right here thank you very much." he said as he stoked the fire.

"No you're not now let's go." he said before giving him a pull.

"Yes I am." he grunted as he grabbed the handle of his sword he had stabbed into the ground.

As she pulled though her strength came to mind as she let go. Anymore and she would have pulled his arm clean off.

"Okay then can you at leat tell me why you left like that?"

He didn't want to keep secrets from her and he knew she meant well as she sat next to him with her bag resting beside her. But still he didn't want her to get swept up in the whole thing especially if it got her in trouble.

"Those things attacked our home. They destroyed half the city and killed others for what? Their own amusement? Elainalook I'm a knight..."

"In training." she finished.

"Getting to that, anyways as an upcoming knight it's my duty to protect the city but I couldn't even do that; I couldn't even protect you and your family and so I'm gonna track down that bastard that did all this and teach him a lesson he won't ever forget." he said as his fists tightened.

The anger and sadness in his voice; it was real as he looked at the fire. But still it was way too dangerous for him to just run out into the wild like that and even he knew that but his thick skull kept him from seeing it. And so with a sigh she stood up and opened her bag.

"Well I guess we can stay here just for tonight but we're heading back in the morning you here? It's too dangerous out there for us and I don't know what I would do if something happened to you or my father. Please do it for me?" she asked as she flashed those pretty purple eyes at him.

"Eh I'll think about it." he said as he poked at the fire more.

"Good now how about some dinner?" she asked as she reached into her sack.

"What's on the menu?"

What she pulled out though almost made his mouth drop to the ground. Was it a simple bass or a bag full of trout? Nope instead it was an enormous carnivorous Ciropracta; a fish known for its ugly and rough body and fantastic taste if cooked right. Once she had that out she grabbed her knife before growing back full size.

"Could you set up the spit while I do this?" she asked.

"Alright." he answered before pulling out the huge metal rotation device.

Being in the clearing it wasn't as hard to move around unlike walking through the forest and it made skinning and gutting their dinner much easier. As she cut it open he carefully assembled the large spit; thankfully the pieces weren't that heavy.

"As you requested princess." he said with a bow.

"Heh very good now all we do is slide it on here like so and tada we're cooking." she said as he watched.

"Nice, so how did you find me? Actually how did you get out of the city?"

"I snuck out."

"Oh...wait and you call me rude? At least I had the decency to face the guards."

"Hey I left a note for mother." she said while turning the crank as the fish cooked.

"Heh I guess we're not so different when it comes to being naughty." he said as he gave her leg a little smack.

"Mhm and I think it's just about...done." she said before pulling the spit away from the fire.

Now all they had to do was wait for it to cool down a bit before filling their stomachs. As he sat there though guilt overcame him as he looked up at her.

"Sorry about running away like that I guess my wants kinda overpowered my sense of judgement."

"It sure did, but it doesn't matter because tomorrow we'll be back home." she told him before cutting off a piece for them both.

And so as the night went on they both enjoyed their meal while looking at the stars above, but on the opposite side of them things were happening a bit differently for Sarion and his men. After hours of traveling they needed to rest and relax to restore their energy which meant they had to set up their camp, but with the woods being so crowded it seemed impossible; at leat for Marwin and his men. For their king though it was barely a struggle as he cleared away at least thirty or so trees to make way for their tents. With a little over thirty men at his command it was his duty to give them the most comfortable living conditions possible and if that meant killing off some trees then it as a small price to pay.

"Marwin is everything ready for tonight's dinner?" he asked as he shrunk back down.

"Yes sir Darin and his team are unloading the food while Kyrak is cutting out pieces of wood for the fire." he said before pointing to the large trees he'd pulled up.

"Very nice now while out here I want at least fifteen of my men to take the first watch. Tell them if they spot anything suspicious to come to me." Sarion said as he placed his armor down inside his own tent.

"Yes sir."

And so while he worked on that Kyrak used his power over wind to slice and dice the trees up until he was left with pieces of wood big enough for the fire. Bundle after bundle he carried them over as his fellow knights formed a large fire for them to warm up next to; though with there being over a hundred not everyone could gather around. Once they were all laid down one of his teammates proceeded to throw multiple fireballs at it until it lit up.

"Nice work everyone." he said as he patted their backs.

With that up and out-of-the-way they began cooking up their own supply of food while others helped set up the last fewtents. While that was going on though the rest sat back and relax and with the sky being so clear they could see the stars above which made for a nice atmosphere. While they were busy feeding themselves Marwin began looking over the map as Kyrak drank at his side.

"So where's the first stop?" Kyrak asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Hm, well if the weather works in our favor and head east then probably another day." answered Marwin.

"And you said this place is called San Venganza?"

"Yeah we usually trade with them for training supplies so we'll be welcome there." he answered.

The plan was simple and straight forward: get what supplies they needed, gather information, and if circumstances called for it then they would stay the night but if not then it was back on the road. While they both observed the map and any other possible stops Sarion came up beside them with a mug of rum in his right hand.

"Here for you." he said before offering his commander the drink.

"Oh no thank you I don't drink rum." he said.

"Oh, who wants another cup?!" he yelled as his men ate away at their feast.

"I never figured him for a drinker."

"Well you haven't known him for as long as I have." Marwin chuckled as he rolled up his map.

Just then they heard it; a scream in the night as every jumped to their feet. It sounded like a woman, but what would she be doing out there all by herself at night? Was she hunting? Or maybe she lost her way, but how was that possible when there weren't any towns or villages around the area?

"Where did that come from?" asked Kyrak.

"By the sound of it that way." Marwin replied as he motioned to their right.

Once he had his info Kyrak grabbed a torch before turning to his men.

"Alright my team come with me." he told them sternly.

Of course they listened and grabbed torches of their own, but their main concerns were the creatures that roamed the forest at night in search of food. Sure they had their swords, axes, and crossbows to help out but what if something huge came their way? But in the end everyone agreed to go as they moved away from camp with their commander right behind them.

"Hello?!" Kyrak called out as his torch lit the way.

"Shhh you don't know what's out there." one of men said.

"Shut up you've got your own weapon so use them." he told them.

If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was when his own team tried to chicken out. Their job was a dangerous one and they all knew that, but still they liked living as well. As they moved farther in though they began hearing low growls from all around but with only a limited amount of light they couldn't see up in the trees or all around them.

"Stay close and..." he told them before something caught his eyes.

It was a girl with long green hair laying face down on the ground.

"Now what's she doing out here all on her own?" one asked.

"Is she dead?" another asked as they slowly approached her.

First he checked for a pulse to make sure she was still alive before shaking her a bit.

"Hey wake up. Come on you can't just sleep out here. Get up!" he exclaimed.

Well that got her attention as she looked up at him with those beautiful green eyes.

"Miss are you okay? Do you need medical attention?" he asked.

What she said next sent shivers up their spines.

"Run...they're coming."

"Run from what?" he asked.

As she passed out again the growls from before began getting louder and more vicious as everyone ready for battle. They had each others backs as they formed a circle around the girl something jumped out at them. Before Kyrak could react he found himself pinned to the ground by a large black scaled beast with talons as long as daggers. It seemed more keen on eating him though as he held back its gaping jaws.

"Sir!" they called out before raising their blades.

But he was too slow as the creäture pounced him; its burning yellow eyes looking right at him as its saliva dripped from its drooling mouth.

"Ugh you're ugly you know that?" Kyrak grunted as he pressed his fist against its chest.

In a sudden burst of fire the creäture let out a loud screech that ran in his ears before falling over limp. With a big hole in its chest he tossed him off before jumping back into action. They certainly outnumbered them but they were also very quick as one managed to grab one of his men before biting into his neck.

"What are these things?" Kyrak asked.

"Swamp Krats, they feed on the flesh of other living things, but I've never heard of them attacking randomly like this." replied Marwin as he took the arm of one.

The pain it felt after losing its arm though only intensified its anger as it began belching up weird gobs of fluid at them.

"Look out!" shouted Marwin as everyone ducked.

"What's that?" Kyrak asked as the goo hit a tree behind them.

He got his answer not from him but from the tree as the gunk ate away at its base.

"Alright so that's how you want to play huh? Then let's dance." he said before raising his shield.

Oh he was gonna destroy that thing was all he could think about as everyone did the same. There was no time to waste as he charged straight for it with his shield up and though he felt a few shots fired the plating of his trusty shield held up for the most part. Instead of going in for the slash though he opted out for to daze it as he bashed the metal surface against its head to get its brain rattling.

"How's that for you?" he teased as he saw it stumble.

Quickly before it could target anyone else he drove his blade right down the middle; cutting it in two perfect pieces. A celebration was in order for a kill like that, but he knew well that the fight wasn't over yet as another of his men took a hit from the acid as he turned to a pile of mush. With everyone charging it though it stood no chance as they covered its body in multiple cuts before their commander dealt the last blow. With his sword raised high Marwin swung as hard as he could against the beasts neck; severing its head, and with it its life.

"Damn things." he said as he wiped his sword of its blood.

And after all that what did they have to show for it? Two dead men and an unconscious girl. Still things could have gone a lot worse if it had only been he and the commander. After Kyrak scooped up their mystery girl in his arms Marwin took the time to bury their dead; though they weren't among the living anymore it was more honorable than leaving as food for the predators.

"Hey boys got something for ya." Kyrak said as he placed the head of their fallen enemy on the table.

"Whoa what is that thing?" one asked.

"Someone who thought they could mess with us but no worries we took care of everything." Marwin explained as he walked back into the light.

Now all they needed were some answers but to do that they needed her awake.

"There we go just settle down right there." Kyrak said as he lowered her into his chair.

"Who do you suppose she is?" one of them asked.

"No clue but what about that outfit?" another pointed out as he pointed at the scale like substance covering her body.

"Don't know but maybe if I..."

"No touching." Kyrak demanded as he slapped the hand away.

Before they could even give her shake though their king came wandering over as his curiosity peaked.

"What's going on over here?" he asked.

"Eh we found this girl in the forest and have no idea who she is." replied Marwin.

"A mystery huh? Well if she wakes up tell her she's welcome to stay the night." he told them before walking off.

Of course they were just going to ignore the fact that he was probably drunk and get right into it. With both hand on her shoulders Kyrak began shaking her a bit while also calling out to her.

"Hello? Wake up if you can hear me."

To their surprise that did the trick as she squirmed in the chair. As her eyes opened though she let out a high-pitched scream that annoyed them more than anything before she kicked him backwards.

"Whoa hey captain you alright?"

"Peachy." he groaned as he jumped back up.

Was the kick really needed? At least he had his armor on. After that delightful little wakeup call her eyes began adjusting to the light as she saw everyone around her.

"Wh-Who are you? You're not gonna eat me are you?!" she asked nervously.

"No-no miss just relax. We found you unconscious in the forest so we brought you back here for safe keeping."

"In the forest? Wait the monsters." she told them as things started coming back.

"No worries there we stomped them good." Kyrak replied as he straightened his back.

"You killed them?"

"Sure did, they're nothing but food for the hawks now." he boasted as if he killed them both.

"Oh thank the gods."

"Not to pester but what's name?" asked Marwin.

"Relli." she answered with a slight smile.

"Alright then Relli, what were you doing out there? Do you know how dangerous it is out here at night?"

"I know but I needed food for my people but after a dry search I was heading back when those things jumped me. It came from out of nowhere too like they were waiting for me." she said as she began shivering.

"Well worry no more for as long as we're around I can assure you nothing else will come for you." Marwin stated.

"Thank you all but I don't want to cause trouble for the lot of you." she said as she got up.

"It's okay we insist."

"Yeah and who knows what could be lurking out there. It's probably best if you stay here for the night then tomorrow morning we'll escort you home." proposed Marwin.

"Are you sure?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah oh and don't worry about the others if they try anything I'll take care of them personally." assured Kyrak.

"Thank you."

Something wasn't right though as she bowed her head in respect; they could have sworn they saw what looked like two horns sticking out from the top of her head. Just who was this girl and why was she attacked?