Chapter 12 - Lament the Thief
None of them stirred as Orin gasped for breath after his nightmare. The dream lasted less than a minute in Orin's own mind, yet the sun was beginning to rise outside. It made no real difference, since the only ray of light came from the long stairwell, making everyone less eager to wake up. Orin felt horrible now, though. He couldn't even count on sleep to make him feel better about what he was going through anymore.
'Are these predictions of what's to come?' he wondered, as a wave of fear washed over him. 'Will all my nightmares come true!?'
Orin gulped and tried to boot the thought out of his mind, though he knew it would stay there for some time. He stood and put on his shirt, and belt. He buckled his scabbard, and turned to the sleeping group.
"The sun is up, and that means we're up!" yelled Orin, as he clapped his hands to wake them.
Ikara perked up quickly, yawned and smiled happily as she stood from her cot, and Vahn slowly followed. Duran didn't stir at all, and Keith awoke reluctantly, as he moaned and rubbed both eyes. Keith looked at Duran, who was sleeping soundly, a smile spread across his dreaming face. Keith laughed slyly, took his canteen from his side, and let the water from within run over Duran.
"AH!" cried Duran, as he sat straight up, looking at the water that dripped from his hair, sheets, and clothes. "Damn fool!" yelled Duran, as he looked toward Keith, who laughed loudly at Duran's soggy expression.
Duran pounced onto Keith, and they began to scuffle a bit, until Paje bashed them both on the head with his walking stick. Ikara laughed a bit as Keith held the lump and his head, and Duran put his bandana over his own lump.
"Now then, kids." said Paje as he walked from Duran and Keith toward the rest of them. "I know of a port that will take you directly to Parmecia, the mainland. Head north through the caves and then to the east. There is a city you can stop to rest nearby that area. Keep heading east and you should reach a large city called Nazca."
"Nazca!" yelped Vahn in surprise. "My father rode that ship when it came to Grans!"
"Well, of course." said Paje. "A small monastery nearby discovered the broken down Nazca ship, and decided to rebuild their homes there. It soon flourished into a large kingdom and developed a port."
"Good. Then we should go, Paje." said Orin happily. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."
Paje walked them all outside, and bid them farewell, but they had not walked ten feet, when Orin came up with an idea.
"Paje!" yelled Orin, as Paje walked back into the large building.
Orin ran back toward Paje, who was now standing in the gateway out of the ruins, looking puzzled.
"What is it, my friend?" asked Paje, suddenly seeming worried.
"Paje, I would like it if you watched over Granseal for me." said Orin, as he looked happily at Paje. "Your knowledge will keep the city safe, and there is no doubt that your experiences could help to guide the kingdom while my father is away."
"But Orin…" said Paje.
"It would make me feel at ease. Please do this for me." begged Orin.
"If it must be done, but I will need permission from someone." said Paje. "I cannot just walk in and declare myself ruler of Granseal."
"Oh, it's no problem." said Orin, as he eagerly pulled a piece of parchment from his satchel. "I will tell them I sent you."
Orin wrote a long letter to his mother and Sir Gyan about Paje. Paje packed up several of his belongings, and set out on the journey toward Granseal, letter grasped tightly in his hand. They waved happily at Paje as he walked opposite their direction, his face red and happy. Finally, when Paje was well out of sight, they turned to walk into the fields at the rear exit of the Galam ruins. The sky was bright and only slightly spotted with darkened clouds that began to throw tiny droplets of water down at them, creating a warm spring shower, complete with the feeling of ease. Orin looked up, a smile on his face as the rain washed away his worries for the time being. They all did the same, excepting Duran, who became a bit angry as he had just finished drying off from Keith's prank.
Very suddenly, though, the troop's quiet enjoyment of such a wonderful shower was interrupted by the yelling of a girl. They all looked strait ahead to a girl who was running toward them in the distance, her arms waving franticly as she yelled toward them.
"AHH!!" she cried, her arms still flailing, "Help maaaaaaaeeee!"
Orin strained to see her face, as she was very far from them, but he could make out her disheveled and untidy appearance. She wore ragged clothes that resembled that of a homeless peasant, and in one hand, she held a heavily filled sack, and in the other, she held a dagger. She had long black hair, and red tattoos around both eyes.
Orin waved to the rest of the group to follow as he sprinted across the field toward the girl, who had slowed greatly from the weight of the sack she carried. When they reached her, she collapsed at their feet, as she panted and gasped for air.
"You…have to help…me!" she managed to say, as she wiped away the sweat from her forehead. "These men are trying to kill me!"
The girl pointed in the direction she had come, where four large men charged toward them, each with large axes in hand.
"Why are they chasing you like this?" asked Keith as he watched the men grow closer.
"I don't know." said the girl. "I must have looked at them wrong…"
Vahn eyed the girl carefully, and quickly grabbed at the sack she held.
"Hey!" she cried as she jumped to her feet. "Don't be so…so rude! You shouldn't go snatching at other's belongings!"
Vahn ignored her as she tried to grab back at the brown sack. He opened it to reveal large apples and bananas, along with other fruits and two satchels filled with gold.
"I knew it!" yelled Vahn. "They deserve to be chasing you."
Vahn took a handful of glimmering coins and showed them to everyone.
"Thief!" cried Ikara. "That's so unladylike! Then again, you don't look to much like a distinguished woman…"
"Shut your mouth, wench! I'm only holding them for a friend!" cried the girl defensively.
"I'm not on this bandit's side, but your not much of a lady either, Ikara…" giggled Duran as he and Keith chuckled at her.
Ikara's face grew dark red, and she looked at them scornfully, almost ready to come out screaming, but was interrupted by the yelling of the approaching men.
"We'll just give this stuff back to them." said Vahn, as he tied the sack.
"Hey! I worked hard for that loot!" screamed the girl. "You can't take my things from me!"
"Ah!" yelled Vahn. "Then you admit you stole these!"
"I…" stuttered the girl, as she looked at all of them innocently.
"Look," said Orin, "we'll give them back their belongings and they'll leave you alone, but you've got to learn to find food on your own."
The girl snorted at Orin, and turned away from them all. Vahn shrugged as he and Orin walked toward the men, who looked very angry, but had stopped running and yelling as they grew closer. A short walk met the two groups.
"We're sorry she stole from you, but we took your belongings back from that thief." said Vahn as he held up the bag to the biggest of the men.
"Ah, thank ya so much for helpin' us." said the man. "Ya saved us a lot a work."
Orin and Vahn both smiled brightly at the group of men as they looked through the sack.
"Everythin's here." said the man, as the four of them looked up from the sack. "But now we need tha' girl."
"What…for?" asked Vahn, who started to get nervous as the man looked at him angrily.
"The girl, now." said the man sternly, as he gripped his axe tightly. "No business of yers what we do with 'er."
"Well, you got back your belongings, so what more do you need from…" said Orin, who was stopped as two of the men stepped forward, their faces growing madder as Orin spoke.
"She has to be punished for takin' our things!" yelled the man in the back.
"We'll kill 'er for what she done to us!" growled another.
"That is the way we handle things among the Exiles." said the man in front. "We've done so ever since Galam was destroyed. We used to live there, but now that it's a pile a rubble, we do things our own way! That means that thief must bare the punishment of the nomadic Exiles!"
"Well then sir." said Orin, as he back away calmly. "I'm afraid I don't like the laws of the Exiles. In Granseal, we don't punish people so harshly, and I believe the girl is out of your territory. She gets punished by my father's laws."
Orin nodded to Vahn, and turned to walk back to the rest of the group, who had been watching intently from a distance.
"Your father!" yelled one of the men. "Tha' fool has no right to sit in that throne. He rode 'is way in on tha' wench princess. Now you're gonna hav'ta die with that girl!"
All four of the men lifted their axes over their shoulders, and charged at Orin and Vahn. Orin turned to look at who had insulted his family, and was surprised to see a large axe swing at his head. He dodged fast and rolled onto the ground. Vahn, on the other hand, was not so lucky. One man clashed his axe against Vahn's rod, and overpowered him. Vahn backed away, his face full of horror, as the man cracked the steel, blunt end of his axe into Vahn's stomach.
Orin stood from the ground and drew his sword as Vahn crashed into the dirt, holding his stomach in pain. From afar, Keith readied his bow as Ikara lifted her staff and began to conjure her flames. Orin charged one man, who was paying more attention to dodging the arrow Keith had not yet fired, and ran his blade hard through the man's side.
"GAH!" cried the man in anguish, as he turned to swing at Orin.
Orin blocked the swinging axe with his sword, and rolled backward out of the way. An arrow flew from Keith's far away bow, and punched through the huge man's back, and he fell to the ground, dead.
Another man charged, his axe raised in anger, toward Duran. Duran, too, lifted his axe over his shoulder and sprinted quickly toward the barbarian, his face serious and determined. Duran's speed overcame the approaching enemy, and, with all his strength, Duran ripped through his enemies flesh, and blood spilled like rain from the man's wound.
The girl cringed as Duran turned, one side of his body stained with human blood, as the man fell to the ground, his torso first, and the rest of him next. Orin was already fast approaching the third man, who was ready to finish Vahn, as he lye limp on the ground. Ikara beat him to it, though. A rush of hot air flew next to Orin, and he watched as the ball of fire crashed into the man, and he fell to his knees as the flames engulfed him.
Orin turned to face Ikara and Keith, but was surprised to see the last of his enemies ready to strike him. Keith's arrow pierced the barbarian's left arm, but the arrow did not stop him. He brought his axe down to Orin, who tried to dodge the razor sharp axe blade. The blade caught his shoulder, and Orin felt the sharp pain pierce his mind, and he yelled out as the axe crushed the bone in his shoulder and the blood began to ooze down his arm.
The man laughed, even though his own arm was becoming wet with blood from the arrow wound, and he pulled the axe away from Orin's shoulder. Orin backed away in pain, but he did not drop his weapon. Duran was running fast toward the barbarian, but not fast enough to help Orin. Suddenly, Orin raised his sword quickly, and thrust the blade into the man's stomach. The man, surprised at the sudden speed, stared blankly and in awe at Orin, as he gripped the blade protruding from his gut. Orin was also surprised at how fast he had attacked, but nevertheless, he walked forward calmly, and pulled the blade from the dead man's stomach, and walked slowly toward his troop, who were all approaching him at a sprint.
Vahn still lye on the ground several feet away, and Duran was still drenched in enemy blood. Orin collapsed into Ikara's arms when she reached him, and he went unconscious. Ikara and Keith sat Orin against a nearby tree, as Duran tried to help Vahn. When Orin's eyes finally opened, his shoulder had been rapped in bandages, and Keith lye against a boulder nearby, asleep. The rest of the group was nowhere to be seen, except for the thief, who was sitting in the grass several yards ahead, looking at the bright blue sky.
Orin stood, feeling very little pain in his arm, and wandered toward the girl, as she sat, seemingly mesmerized by the raze of the sun, the passing clouds, and breeze that blew gently through her hair. Orin stopped and watched her, and for a second, she seemed peaceful, but as Keith snorted loudly in his sleep behind Orin, she turned her head quickly to see what had made the noise. As she spotted Orin there, standing under the shade of the large tree that stood behind him, her eyes fluttered and she stood quickly, and the look of pure beauty in her eyes disappeared, and was replaced by surprise.
"Oh…your awake, I see." she said quietly. "How do your feel?"
"Fine…" Orin answered, who was surprised at this girls change in attitude.
She had been completely set on her bag of stolen goods, and angry at them all, even though they were helping her. Now, her face seemed to have thrown away all signs of anger.
"Your friends," she said, as she walked closer to him, "They went to get herbs for the priest."
"Oh, then what are you doing here." asked Orin, while trying to sound polite.
"I thought I'd help to make sure you were okay." she said, as she turned back toward the bright and vivid sky. "You did help me a lot, you know. I thought I could repay you by doing the same."
Orin nodded, though she did not see him do so, and walked back into the cool shade under the oak.
"And my name," said the girl, while she still looked toward the sky, "is Tess."
"Orin." he said, as he sat back against the tree.
Orin watched her, as she fell back down into the grass, and he began to doze off under the cool, dim shelter of the tree. He had not yet fallen asleep fully, when he was shaken awake by Keith.
"Orin, you have to get up!" he yelled.
Orin jumped up, hitting his head on a low branch.
"What!?" cried Orin, as he rubbed his head.
"Are you okay?" Keith's asked.
"Never mind." said Orin, still rubbing his head.
"Devil's approach…" said Keith, as he moved out of Orin's way, and pointed to the vast fields.
In the distance, moving slowly, was a group of devils. One was a large blue blob, which Orin had read was called an Ooze. Two other devils, that looked like soldier's armed with spears, walked toward them, but Orin did not know what they were. Another two soldier's, armed with bows, also marched slowly in their direction.
"Keith!" cried Orin. "Where's that girl!?"
"You mean the thief?" he asked. "She must have run in fear."
Orin looked at his heavily bandaged shoulder, and then at Keith.
"What the hell can we do alone." he said as he looked back at the approaching monsters. "I can hardly fight wounded, and it will be extremely difficult for you to hold them off alone."
"Then we have to retreat." said Keith.
Orin looked at the ground and thought to himself. He was sure he and Keith would be beat senseless by these monsters, if not killed, and decided Keith's idea was a good one. Before he could agree with Keith, though, he remembered the girl, Tess. Where had she gone after she had been so kind and gentle toward Orin? Had she lied about being indebted to Orin and his troop, or had she really run in fear? Orin tried to forget, and looked out into the fields, where he could see the soldiers readying their spears and bows. He then looked to Keith again, who stood atop the boulder, looking out over the fields at his enemies.
"Keith." said Orin, as he grabbed his sword and scabbard that lye against the tree, "I think it would be best if we left now…"
"Got it." said Keith, still staring out into the plains.
He jumped from atop the boulder, gabbed his bow and quiver, and strapped them both to his back.
"Everyone has gone to the north in search of herbs." said Keith, as they both ducked behind the boulder, out of sight from their approaching foes. "That would be the best way to go. Hopefully we'll meet up with them…"
Orin nodded, as he strapped his scabbard to his belt. They both stood and peered over the huge rock. The devils were closer now.
"They shouldn't be hard to outrun." said Orin, as he peered to the north, were a small group of trees stood.
"Ah." said Keith as he too spotted the trees, "I'll take care of them, and you try your best to get over there."
"Thanks Keith." said Orin as he crept to the side of the boulder.
Keith, took his bow from his shoulder, readied and arrow, and ran from behind the boulder, followed by Orin, who sprinted toward the patch of trees.
"Over here, stupid louts!" cried Keith, as he fired an arrow toward the blue blob.
The arrow pierced the soft, gooey devil, and it made a loud gurgling noise, as it absorbed the arrow into its body. Keith's eyes widened as the Ooze did this, and paid no attension to his other enemies. Orin, on the other hand, watched as he ran toward the trees, and saw the two soldiers ready their own bows, as Keith gazed in disbelief at the gurgling Ooze.
"Keith!" yelped Orin, as both soldier fired their arrows simultaneously.
One arrow pierced Keith's right arm, while the other jetted deep into his left shoulder. As he cried in pain, and backed away from the devils, Orin drew his sword, but dropped to the ground as his shoulder shot a pain down his spine. The soldiers readied their next arrows. As Keith ripped an arrow angrily out of his right arm, the swift sound of two more arrows came to Keith's ears, as one pierced his chest, and another his left thigh.
"Keith! NO!" cried Orin, as he picked up the sword with his weaker, left hand, and sprinted toward Keith's collapsing body.
Keith fell over into the emerald green grass, as blood oozed from his open wounds. Tears were streaming from Orin's eyes as he bounded toward Keith, and as the soldiers spotted him, and again readied their bows. Orin paid them no heed, as he sprinted toward Keith's motionless body, his sword dragging limply behind. Suddenly, out of the corner of Orin's eye, he could see both soldiers fire their arrows, which narrowly missed Orin's face and arm.
Finally, Orin dived to the ground next to Keith, who had fallen oddly behind a tree stump. The stump gave just enough cover so that it was difficult to be hit by the soldiers' arrows, though Orin could hear them jetting into the old, rotted wood.
"K-Keith…" panted Orin, as he held the wound in his right shoulder.
The wound seemed to have reopened, and was now slowly reddening the wad of bandages that were tightly fastened around Orin's shoulder.
"Orin…" grunted Keith, as he winced in pain, and grabbed his chest.
"Can you move!?" whispered Orin as he grabbed hold of Keith shoulder.
"H-hardly" he managed to say, as he tried to roll from his stomach to his side.
There was not much blood, because the arrows, though were painful, covered the wounds and kept them from letting out too much blood. Even so, Keith's pant leg was dark and wet with blood because of the arrow he, himself, removed. As he rolled to his side, Keith grabbed the second arrow protruding from his chest, and began to yank on it forcefully.
"No!" whispered Orin, as he pulled Keith's hands away from the arrow, "It will do much more damage if you try to remove it…"
"Y-yeah." he murmured as he cringed again.
"What now…?" Keith said, as he continued to roll himself over, and onto his back.
"I'm…not sure…" replied Orin, as he looked at his bleeding shoulder, and at Keith's leg and chest.
Another arrow hit the stump with a crack, and another flew over it, and into the fields ahead of them.
"Can't stay here forever." said Orin, as his hand gripped tightly around the hilt of his sword. "Time for me to do what needs to be done. I'm the leader, and if we should die, I should be the first to go…"
Orin started to stand, but Keith grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to the ground, as an arrow flew over the stump, almost hitting Orin.
"No!" yelled Keith, as he pulled Orin back next to him. "Look!"
There in the distance, a small group of people ran toward them, their legs straining to get to their friends. Orin knew that they were his friends, and he could also make out the outline of the Tess. She ran faster than the rest of them, her legs moving at almost a blur. The spear-wielding soldiers began to move in closer, their weapons ready to be thrust into any living thing they could find. Tess stopped several yards away from them, as arrows now swooped by her head.
"What--get down!" cried Orin, as Tess stood there in front of them, arrows whizzing by.
She smiled casually at Orin, and almost disappeared in front of their eyes. Her speed was unbelievable, yet a question popped into Orin's mind. How could Tess have been so afraid of mortal men, yet she seemed entirely fearless now that she fought these devils.
Her tiny blade met the face of one of the spearmen, slicing through him and causing him to let out a screech. It was an inhuman cry, that made Orin cringe. He knew he couldn't let Tess fight alone, so he stood and held his sword, both hand clenched tightly to its hilt. An arrow flew by him, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he lifted his sword over his head, and leaped into the air. His blade shined brightly, and reflected its bright rays upon the ground, and one of the archers. In almost a flash, he crashed his swords down into the archers skull, making a ghastly cracking noise. The man fell dead to the ground, but Orin let his sword go, and continued into the ground. He stood quickly though, his face bruised and covered in dirt. Tess ripped her dagger through the other spearman's stomach, then stabbed him in the shoulder, and bolted toward the last archer. Orin caught a glimpse of the archer, as he fired his arrow at Orin. Orin felt the arrow stick in his leg, and he was forced backward because of the sudden jolt of pain. He looked up from the ground to find another arrow speeding toward his head, and landing in the soil next to him, as Ikara shot a ball of fire at the unsuspecting archer. He cried an eerie screech, as his body became charred in front of them.
Duran rushed to Orin, Ikara behind him, as Tess rapidly slashed at a confused Ooze. Vahn slowly removed the bloody arrows from Keith, healing him afterward. Keith got up and stretched, and picked up the enemy archer's bloodstained arrows.
"Ugh, that's disgusting!" moaned Ikara, as she watched Keith put the arrows stained in his own blood into his quiver.
"Killing a enemy drenched in ones blood shows a sign of pride." said Keith, as he gave Ikara a dirty look, and walked on toward Orin.
Vahn slowly removed the arrow still protruding from Orin's leg, and heal both the wound in his lag and shoulder.
"I see you found some herbs." said Orin, as he pointed to the sack full of plants at Vahn's side.
"Yeah. Duran had to carry me around for an hour looking for them." said Vahn, as he stood up. "I couldn't heal your wounds, as I was obviously unconscious."
"Its okay." said Orin as he smiled. "We held our own."
"You almost died out there. We'll be sure not to split up next time." said Vahn as he helped Orin off the ground.
Orin sheathed his sword, and looked around. Both Duran and Ikara sat next to each other on a rock, Ikara looking to the sky, as Duran began to sharpen his axe on a leather strap tied to his belt. Keith was nowhere to be seen, and Vahn was playing with something in his satchel. There ahead of Orin, stood Tess, who, strangely enough, was staring back at Orin. Orin walked slowly to her, and began to speak.
"I thought you had left us…" he said.
"Had I not explained it well enough before." she said, sounding aggravated. "I find myself indebted to you and your team. Not even a thief can abandon her word."
Orin smiled at her, and she returned it.
"Well then, were had you gone when the devil came.?" asked Orin.
"To find them." she replied, pointing to Duran and Ikara. "You didn't seem like you could fight them alone."
"Well…then I guess your no longer indebted then." said Orin, as he looked seriously at Tess.
Though Orin trusted Tess to her word, he felt that she didn't belong in his group. He felt guilty that he had selfishly brought Keith, Ikara, and Duran into this, even though they had no reason to come with him. He didn't want to feel the same for Tess.
"I understand." she said, as she turned toward the field ahead of her. "I will see you again…"
Orin sighed loudly, and shook his head.
"Maybe…" said Orin, though he knew they would never again cross paths.
Tess nodded and walked off into the field, as the clouds began to darken the early noon sky. As the clouds laid droplets softly down on the ground below, Orin watched Tess walk into the field. Vahn wound a small forest, set up camp, and they all sat down under the canopy. Keith talked about what he and Orin had done to escape the approaching devil horde, but Orin didn't converse with them. He leaned against a tree, and stared down at the burning flames, almost to be waiting for it to say something.
Out of nowhere, with the sound of thunder, the sky seemed to suddenly darken, and the evening overcame the light. When it was all dark, and they had all laid down to rest, the embers still burned brightly in the circle of stones. Orin stood there, still watching them, afraid to find what his dreams would hold for him on such an unholy night.
None of them stirred as Orin gasped for breath after his nightmare. The dream lasted less than a minute in Orin's own mind, yet the sun was beginning to rise outside. It made no real difference, since the only ray of light came from the long stairwell, making everyone less eager to wake up. Orin felt horrible now, though. He couldn't even count on sleep to make him feel better about what he was going through anymore.
'Are these predictions of what's to come?' he wondered, as a wave of fear washed over him. 'Will all my nightmares come true!?'
Orin gulped and tried to boot the thought out of his mind, though he knew it would stay there for some time. He stood and put on his shirt, and belt. He buckled his scabbard, and turned to the sleeping group.
"The sun is up, and that means we're up!" yelled Orin, as he clapped his hands to wake them.
Ikara perked up quickly, yawned and smiled happily as she stood from her cot, and Vahn slowly followed. Duran didn't stir at all, and Keith awoke reluctantly, as he moaned and rubbed both eyes. Keith looked at Duran, who was sleeping soundly, a smile spread across his dreaming face. Keith laughed slyly, took his canteen from his side, and let the water from within run over Duran.
"AH!" cried Duran, as he sat straight up, looking at the water that dripped from his hair, sheets, and clothes. "Damn fool!" yelled Duran, as he looked toward Keith, who laughed loudly at Duran's soggy expression.
Duran pounced onto Keith, and they began to scuffle a bit, until Paje bashed them both on the head with his walking stick. Ikara laughed a bit as Keith held the lump and his head, and Duran put his bandana over his own lump.
"Now then, kids." said Paje as he walked from Duran and Keith toward the rest of them. "I know of a port that will take you directly to Parmecia, the mainland. Head north through the caves and then to the east. There is a city you can stop to rest nearby that area. Keep heading east and you should reach a large city called Nazca."
"Nazca!" yelped Vahn in surprise. "My father rode that ship when it came to Grans!"
"Well, of course." said Paje. "A small monastery nearby discovered the broken down Nazca ship, and decided to rebuild their homes there. It soon flourished into a large kingdom and developed a port."
"Good. Then we should go, Paje." said Orin happily. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."
Paje walked them all outside, and bid them farewell, but they had not walked ten feet, when Orin came up with an idea.
"Paje!" yelled Orin, as Paje walked back into the large building.
Orin ran back toward Paje, who was now standing in the gateway out of the ruins, looking puzzled.
"What is it, my friend?" asked Paje, suddenly seeming worried.
"Paje, I would like it if you watched over Granseal for me." said Orin, as he looked happily at Paje. "Your knowledge will keep the city safe, and there is no doubt that your experiences could help to guide the kingdom while my father is away."
"But Orin…" said Paje.
"It would make me feel at ease. Please do this for me." begged Orin.
"If it must be done, but I will need permission from someone." said Paje. "I cannot just walk in and declare myself ruler of Granseal."
"Oh, it's no problem." said Orin, as he eagerly pulled a piece of parchment from his satchel. "I will tell them I sent you."
Orin wrote a long letter to his mother and Sir Gyan about Paje. Paje packed up several of his belongings, and set out on the journey toward Granseal, letter grasped tightly in his hand. They waved happily at Paje as he walked opposite their direction, his face red and happy. Finally, when Paje was well out of sight, they turned to walk into the fields at the rear exit of the Galam ruins. The sky was bright and only slightly spotted with darkened clouds that began to throw tiny droplets of water down at them, creating a warm spring shower, complete with the feeling of ease. Orin looked up, a smile on his face as the rain washed away his worries for the time being. They all did the same, excepting Duran, who became a bit angry as he had just finished drying off from Keith's prank.
Very suddenly, though, the troop's quiet enjoyment of such a wonderful shower was interrupted by the yelling of a girl. They all looked strait ahead to a girl who was running toward them in the distance, her arms waving franticly as she yelled toward them.
"AHH!!" she cried, her arms still flailing, "Help maaaaaaaeeee!"
Orin strained to see her face, as she was very far from them, but he could make out her disheveled and untidy appearance. She wore ragged clothes that resembled that of a homeless peasant, and in one hand, she held a heavily filled sack, and in the other, she held a dagger. She had long black hair, and red tattoos around both eyes.
Orin waved to the rest of the group to follow as he sprinted across the field toward the girl, who had slowed greatly from the weight of the sack she carried. When they reached her, she collapsed at their feet, as she panted and gasped for air.
"You…have to help…me!" she managed to say, as she wiped away the sweat from her forehead. "These men are trying to kill me!"
The girl pointed in the direction she had come, where four large men charged toward them, each with large axes in hand.
"Why are they chasing you like this?" asked Keith as he watched the men grow closer.
"I don't know." said the girl. "I must have looked at them wrong…"
Vahn eyed the girl carefully, and quickly grabbed at the sack she held.
"Hey!" she cried as she jumped to her feet. "Don't be so…so rude! You shouldn't go snatching at other's belongings!"
Vahn ignored her as she tried to grab back at the brown sack. He opened it to reveal large apples and bananas, along with other fruits and two satchels filled with gold.
"I knew it!" yelled Vahn. "They deserve to be chasing you."
Vahn took a handful of glimmering coins and showed them to everyone.
"Thief!" cried Ikara. "That's so unladylike! Then again, you don't look to much like a distinguished woman…"
"Shut your mouth, wench! I'm only holding them for a friend!" cried the girl defensively.
"I'm not on this bandit's side, but your not much of a lady either, Ikara…" giggled Duran as he and Keith chuckled at her.
Ikara's face grew dark red, and she looked at them scornfully, almost ready to come out screaming, but was interrupted by the yelling of the approaching men.
"We'll just give this stuff back to them." said Vahn, as he tied the sack.
"Hey! I worked hard for that loot!" screamed the girl. "You can't take my things from me!"
"Ah!" yelled Vahn. "Then you admit you stole these!"
"I…" stuttered the girl, as she looked at all of them innocently.
"Look," said Orin, "we'll give them back their belongings and they'll leave you alone, but you've got to learn to find food on your own."
The girl snorted at Orin, and turned away from them all. Vahn shrugged as he and Orin walked toward the men, who looked very angry, but had stopped running and yelling as they grew closer. A short walk met the two groups.
"We're sorry she stole from you, but we took your belongings back from that thief." said Vahn as he held up the bag to the biggest of the men.
"Ah, thank ya so much for helpin' us." said the man. "Ya saved us a lot a work."
Orin and Vahn both smiled brightly at the group of men as they looked through the sack.
"Everythin's here." said the man, as the four of them looked up from the sack. "But now we need tha' girl."
"What…for?" asked Vahn, who started to get nervous as the man looked at him angrily.
"The girl, now." said the man sternly, as he gripped his axe tightly. "No business of yers what we do with 'er."
"Well, you got back your belongings, so what more do you need from…" said Orin, who was stopped as two of the men stepped forward, their faces growing madder as Orin spoke.
"She has to be punished for takin' our things!" yelled the man in the back.
"We'll kill 'er for what she done to us!" growled another.
"That is the way we handle things among the Exiles." said the man in front. "We've done so ever since Galam was destroyed. We used to live there, but now that it's a pile a rubble, we do things our own way! That means that thief must bare the punishment of the nomadic Exiles!"
"Well then sir." said Orin, as he back away calmly. "I'm afraid I don't like the laws of the Exiles. In Granseal, we don't punish people so harshly, and I believe the girl is out of your territory. She gets punished by my father's laws."
Orin nodded to Vahn, and turned to walk back to the rest of the group, who had been watching intently from a distance.
"Your father!" yelled one of the men. "Tha' fool has no right to sit in that throne. He rode 'is way in on tha' wench princess. Now you're gonna hav'ta die with that girl!"
All four of the men lifted their axes over their shoulders, and charged at Orin and Vahn. Orin turned to look at who had insulted his family, and was surprised to see a large axe swing at his head. He dodged fast and rolled onto the ground. Vahn, on the other hand, was not so lucky. One man clashed his axe against Vahn's rod, and overpowered him. Vahn backed away, his face full of horror, as the man cracked the steel, blunt end of his axe into Vahn's stomach.
Orin stood from the ground and drew his sword as Vahn crashed into the dirt, holding his stomach in pain. From afar, Keith readied his bow as Ikara lifted her staff and began to conjure her flames. Orin charged one man, who was paying more attention to dodging the arrow Keith had not yet fired, and ran his blade hard through the man's side.
"GAH!" cried the man in anguish, as he turned to swing at Orin.
Orin blocked the swinging axe with his sword, and rolled backward out of the way. An arrow flew from Keith's far away bow, and punched through the huge man's back, and he fell to the ground, dead.
Another man charged, his axe raised in anger, toward Duran. Duran, too, lifted his axe over his shoulder and sprinted quickly toward the barbarian, his face serious and determined. Duran's speed overcame the approaching enemy, and, with all his strength, Duran ripped through his enemies flesh, and blood spilled like rain from the man's wound.
The girl cringed as Duran turned, one side of his body stained with human blood, as the man fell to the ground, his torso first, and the rest of him next. Orin was already fast approaching the third man, who was ready to finish Vahn, as he lye limp on the ground. Ikara beat him to it, though. A rush of hot air flew next to Orin, and he watched as the ball of fire crashed into the man, and he fell to his knees as the flames engulfed him.
Orin turned to face Ikara and Keith, but was surprised to see the last of his enemies ready to strike him. Keith's arrow pierced the barbarian's left arm, but the arrow did not stop him. He brought his axe down to Orin, who tried to dodge the razor sharp axe blade. The blade caught his shoulder, and Orin felt the sharp pain pierce his mind, and he yelled out as the axe crushed the bone in his shoulder and the blood began to ooze down his arm.
The man laughed, even though his own arm was becoming wet with blood from the arrow wound, and he pulled the axe away from Orin's shoulder. Orin backed away in pain, but he did not drop his weapon. Duran was running fast toward the barbarian, but not fast enough to help Orin. Suddenly, Orin raised his sword quickly, and thrust the blade into the man's stomach. The man, surprised at the sudden speed, stared blankly and in awe at Orin, as he gripped the blade protruding from his gut. Orin was also surprised at how fast he had attacked, but nevertheless, he walked forward calmly, and pulled the blade from the dead man's stomach, and walked slowly toward his troop, who were all approaching him at a sprint.
Vahn still lye on the ground several feet away, and Duran was still drenched in enemy blood. Orin collapsed into Ikara's arms when she reached him, and he went unconscious. Ikara and Keith sat Orin against a nearby tree, as Duran tried to help Vahn. When Orin's eyes finally opened, his shoulder had been rapped in bandages, and Keith lye against a boulder nearby, asleep. The rest of the group was nowhere to be seen, except for the thief, who was sitting in the grass several yards ahead, looking at the bright blue sky.
Orin stood, feeling very little pain in his arm, and wandered toward the girl, as she sat, seemingly mesmerized by the raze of the sun, the passing clouds, and breeze that blew gently through her hair. Orin stopped and watched her, and for a second, she seemed peaceful, but as Keith snorted loudly in his sleep behind Orin, she turned her head quickly to see what had made the noise. As she spotted Orin there, standing under the shade of the large tree that stood behind him, her eyes fluttered and she stood quickly, and the look of pure beauty in her eyes disappeared, and was replaced by surprise.
"Oh…your awake, I see." she said quietly. "How do your feel?"
"Fine…" Orin answered, who was surprised at this girls change in attitude.
She had been completely set on her bag of stolen goods, and angry at them all, even though they were helping her. Now, her face seemed to have thrown away all signs of anger.
"Your friends," she said, as she walked closer to him, "They went to get herbs for the priest."
"Oh, then what are you doing here." asked Orin, while trying to sound polite.
"I thought I'd help to make sure you were okay." she said, as she turned back toward the bright and vivid sky. "You did help me a lot, you know. I thought I could repay you by doing the same."
Orin nodded, though she did not see him do so, and walked back into the cool shade under the oak.
"And my name," said the girl, while she still looked toward the sky, "is Tess."
"Orin." he said, as he sat back against the tree.
Orin watched her, as she fell back down into the grass, and he began to doze off under the cool, dim shelter of the tree. He had not yet fallen asleep fully, when he was shaken awake by Keith.
"Orin, you have to get up!" he yelled.
Orin jumped up, hitting his head on a low branch.
"What!?" cried Orin, as he rubbed his head.
"Are you okay?" Keith's asked.
"Never mind." said Orin, still rubbing his head.
"Devil's approach…" said Keith, as he moved out of Orin's way, and pointed to the vast fields.
In the distance, moving slowly, was a group of devils. One was a large blue blob, which Orin had read was called an Ooze. Two other devils, that looked like soldier's armed with spears, walked toward them, but Orin did not know what they were. Another two soldier's, armed with bows, also marched slowly in their direction.
"Keith!" cried Orin. "Where's that girl!?"
"You mean the thief?" he asked. "She must have run in fear."
Orin looked at his heavily bandaged shoulder, and then at Keith.
"What the hell can we do alone." he said as he looked back at the approaching monsters. "I can hardly fight wounded, and it will be extremely difficult for you to hold them off alone."
"Then we have to retreat." said Keith.
Orin looked at the ground and thought to himself. He was sure he and Keith would be beat senseless by these monsters, if not killed, and decided Keith's idea was a good one. Before he could agree with Keith, though, he remembered the girl, Tess. Where had she gone after she had been so kind and gentle toward Orin? Had she lied about being indebted to Orin and his troop, or had she really run in fear? Orin tried to forget, and looked out into the fields, where he could see the soldiers readying their spears and bows. He then looked to Keith again, who stood atop the boulder, looking out over the fields at his enemies.
"Keith." said Orin, as he grabbed his sword and scabbard that lye against the tree, "I think it would be best if we left now…"
"Got it." said Keith, still staring out into the plains.
He jumped from atop the boulder, gabbed his bow and quiver, and strapped them both to his back.
"Everyone has gone to the north in search of herbs." said Keith, as they both ducked behind the boulder, out of sight from their approaching foes. "That would be the best way to go. Hopefully we'll meet up with them…"
Orin nodded, as he strapped his scabbard to his belt. They both stood and peered over the huge rock. The devils were closer now.
"They shouldn't be hard to outrun." said Orin, as he peered to the north, were a small group of trees stood.
"Ah." said Keith as he too spotted the trees, "I'll take care of them, and you try your best to get over there."
"Thanks Keith." said Orin as he crept to the side of the boulder.
Keith, took his bow from his shoulder, readied and arrow, and ran from behind the boulder, followed by Orin, who sprinted toward the patch of trees.
"Over here, stupid louts!" cried Keith, as he fired an arrow toward the blue blob.
The arrow pierced the soft, gooey devil, and it made a loud gurgling noise, as it absorbed the arrow into its body. Keith's eyes widened as the Ooze did this, and paid no attension to his other enemies. Orin, on the other hand, watched as he ran toward the trees, and saw the two soldiers ready their own bows, as Keith gazed in disbelief at the gurgling Ooze.
"Keith!" yelped Orin, as both soldier fired their arrows simultaneously.
One arrow pierced Keith's right arm, while the other jetted deep into his left shoulder. As he cried in pain, and backed away from the devils, Orin drew his sword, but dropped to the ground as his shoulder shot a pain down his spine. The soldiers readied their next arrows. As Keith ripped an arrow angrily out of his right arm, the swift sound of two more arrows came to Keith's ears, as one pierced his chest, and another his left thigh.
"Keith! NO!" cried Orin, as he picked up the sword with his weaker, left hand, and sprinted toward Keith's collapsing body.
Keith fell over into the emerald green grass, as blood oozed from his open wounds. Tears were streaming from Orin's eyes as he bounded toward Keith, and as the soldiers spotted him, and again readied their bows. Orin paid them no heed, as he sprinted toward Keith's motionless body, his sword dragging limply behind. Suddenly, out of the corner of Orin's eye, he could see both soldiers fire their arrows, which narrowly missed Orin's face and arm.
Finally, Orin dived to the ground next to Keith, who had fallen oddly behind a tree stump. The stump gave just enough cover so that it was difficult to be hit by the soldiers' arrows, though Orin could hear them jetting into the old, rotted wood.
"K-Keith…" panted Orin, as he held the wound in his right shoulder.
The wound seemed to have reopened, and was now slowly reddening the wad of bandages that were tightly fastened around Orin's shoulder.
"Orin…" grunted Keith, as he winced in pain, and grabbed his chest.
"Can you move!?" whispered Orin as he grabbed hold of Keith shoulder.
"H-hardly" he managed to say, as he tried to roll from his stomach to his side.
There was not much blood, because the arrows, though were painful, covered the wounds and kept them from letting out too much blood. Even so, Keith's pant leg was dark and wet with blood because of the arrow he, himself, removed. As he rolled to his side, Keith grabbed the second arrow protruding from his chest, and began to yank on it forcefully.
"No!" whispered Orin, as he pulled Keith's hands away from the arrow, "It will do much more damage if you try to remove it…"
"Y-yeah." he murmured as he cringed again.
"What now…?" Keith said, as he continued to roll himself over, and onto his back.
"I'm…not sure…" replied Orin, as he looked at his bleeding shoulder, and at Keith's leg and chest.
Another arrow hit the stump with a crack, and another flew over it, and into the fields ahead of them.
"Can't stay here forever." said Orin, as his hand gripped tightly around the hilt of his sword. "Time for me to do what needs to be done. I'm the leader, and if we should die, I should be the first to go…"
Orin started to stand, but Keith grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to the ground, as an arrow flew over the stump, almost hitting Orin.
"No!" yelled Keith, as he pulled Orin back next to him. "Look!"
There in the distance, a small group of people ran toward them, their legs straining to get to their friends. Orin knew that they were his friends, and he could also make out the outline of the Tess. She ran faster than the rest of them, her legs moving at almost a blur. The spear-wielding soldiers began to move in closer, their weapons ready to be thrust into any living thing they could find. Tess stopped several yards away from them, as arrows now swooped by her head.
"What--get down!" cried Orin, as Tess stood there in front of them, arrows whizzing by.
She smiled casually at Orin, and almost disappeared in front of their eyes. Her speed was unbelievable, yet a question popped into Orin's mind. How could Tess have been so afraid of mortal men, yet she seemed entirely fearless now that she fought these devils.
Her tiny blade met the face of one of the spearmen, slicing through him and causing him to let out a screech. It was an inhuman cry, that made Orin cringe. He knew he couldn't let Tess fight alone, so he stood and held his sword, both hand clenched tightly to its hilt. An arrow flew by him, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he lifted his sword over his head, and leaped into the air. His blade shined brightly, and reflected its bright rays upon the ground, and one of the archers. In almost a flash, he crashed his swords down into the archers skull, making a ghastly cracking noise. The man fell dead to the ground, but Orin let his sword go, and continued into the ground. He stood quickly though, his face bruised and covered in dirt. Tess ripped her dagger through the other spearman's stomach, then stabbed him in the shoulder, and bolted toward the last archer. Orin caught a glimpse of the archer, as he fired his arrow at Orin. Orin felt the arrow stick in his leg, and he was forced backward because of the sudden jolt of pain. He looked up from the ground to find another arrow speeding toward his head, and landing in the soil next to him, as Ikara shot a ball of fire at the unsuspecting archer. He cried an eerie screech, as his body became charred in front of them.
Duran rushed to Orin, Ikara behind him, as Tess rapidly slashed at a confused Ooze. Vahn slowly removed the bloody arrows from Keith, healing him afterward. Keith got up and stretched, and picked up the enemy archer's bloodstained arrows.
"Ugh, that's disgusting!" moaned Ikara, as she watched Keith put the arrows stained in his own blood into his quiver.
"Killing a enemy drenched in ones blood shows a sign of pride." said Keith, as he gave Ikara a dirty look, and walked on toward Orin.
Vahn slowly removed the arrow still protruding from Orin's leg, and heal both the wound in his lag and shoulder.
"I see you found some herbs." said Orin, as he pointed to the sack full of plants at Vahn's side.
"Yeah. Duran had to carry me around for an hour looking for them." said Vahn, as he stood up. "I couldn't heal your wounds, as I was obviously unconscious."
"Its okay." said Orin as he smiled. "We held our own."
"You almost died out there. We'll be sure not to split up next time." said Vahn as he helped Orin off the ground.
Orin sheathed his sword, and looked around. Both Duran and Ikara sat next to each other on a rock, Ikara looking to the sky, as Duran began to sharpen his axe on a leather strap tied to his belt. Keith was nowhere to be seen, and Vahn was playing with something in his satchel. There ahead of Orin, stood Tess, who, strangely enough, was staring back at Orin. Orin walked slowly to her, and began to speak.
"I thought you had left us…" he said.
"Had I not explained it well enough before." she said, sounding aggravated. "I find myself indebted to you and your team. Not even a thief can abandon her word."
Orin smiled at her, and she returned it.
"Well then, were had you gone when the devil came.?" asked Orin.
"To find them." she replied, pointing to Duran and Ikara. "You didn't seem like you could fight them alone."
"Well…then I guess your no longer indebted then." said Orin, as he looked seriously at Tess.
Though Orin trusted Tess to her word, he felt that she didn't belong in his group. He felt guilty that he had selfishly brought Keith, Ikara, and Duran into this, even though they had no reason to come with him. He didn't want to feel the same for Tess.
"I understand." she said, as she turned toward the field ahead of her. "I will see you again…"
Orin sighed loudly, and shook his head.
"Maybe…" said Orin, though he knew they would never again cross paths.
Tess nodded and walked off into the field, as the clouds began to darken the early noon sky. As the clouds laid droplets softly down on the ground below, Orin watched Tess walk into the field. Vahn wound a small forest, set up camp, and they all sat down under the canopy. Keith talked about what he and Orin had done to escape the approaching devil horde, but Orin didn't converse with them. He leaned against a tree, and stared down at the burning flames, almost to be waiting for it to say something.
Out of nowhere, with the sound of thunder, the sky seemed to suddenly darken, and the evening overcame the light. When it was all dark, and they had all laid down to rest, the embers still burned brightly in the circle of stones. Orin stood there, still watching them, afraid to find what his dreams would hold for him on such an unholy night.