Originally posted on Ao3 - 2021-06-25
Beta-readers: Matt, Derezade
Find us on Discord: SZreNPpkDh
By the time I came to that conclusion, it was nearly too late to do much of anything, the group now close enough to hear their talking and calls to each other as they approached. Due to this, I was left with only two options, either running in the opposite direction or hiding in the water, and seeing as I was in the rather unfortunate position of having no weapon to readily defend myself with and no cloak ready to hide beneath, I was forced to do the latter. As they closed in, though still obscured by the trees and bushes, I ducking down into the water like a child, hoping the group wouldn't notice my head partially peaking from its surface.
The first thing I actually saw of them was torchlight in the distance, the light casting dancing shadows all around and getting brighter as they closed in. Based on the number of shadows, unique voices, and a few other factors, I came to the conclusion that they numbered nearly two dozen, a significant number back in the days of the Organization but lesser now following its collapse and the decimation of the yoma population on the island.
As they continued to approach, I moved slowly backwards in the water in hopes of getting to a deeper point in the pond to completely submerge myself in, but when they were close enough for me to properly see them, I stopped dead in the water, the feeling of tension going through the roof to the point where I was clenching my fist out of habit as if my sword was in its grip. With them now completely visible to me, I began to come up with an escape plan should they find me or, worse, be looking for me.
They stopped suddenly to observe the pond, almost as if they were confused by its presence there, and where they stood was just beyond where my sword and clothes were placed. For most people, if there was ever a moment to pray, this would be it.
"Remember this place," one rider said to the others, whom I quickly determined to be the leader. "We might stop here after. Map?"
"Here," another said, handing the man a rolled parchment. He opened it and looked up to the sky, likely trying to determine his orientation. Then, he continued; "We're close. If we keep going west, and if what he told us was true, we'll start running into camps soon."
"What he told us..." The phrase hung in my mind for a moment. Then it hit me.
As this realization took place, the group started off again, moving west towards that family's camp I was observing just earlier. I sat tight then as they continued until they were no longer visible, and once they weren't, I practically jumped to my feet and splashed out towards the shore. Disregarding the fact I was still rather wet, I put on my damp clothes and grabbed the cloak, my sword, and its sheath.
I knew it, I thought to myself angrily, and I was right to be angry then. I felt then that I was deceived, tricked into thinking that he was a willing ally to what I was going through, that he was there to help me and, of more concern, the family that we both had watched briefly. But, it wasn't just the fact that he deceived me that angered me; it was the knowledge that I fell for it, that I was partially blind to the whole thing as it was playing out earlier. It was a trick. That bastard!
I ran like hell then, using my yoki to increase my speed as best as I could, but despite the effort I found myself slow enough to lose sight of the group, forcing me to stop and listen for them briefly. This pause helped, but at this point it became stop-and-go as they were far enough away for me not to see them anymore, no matter how much yoki I used in my attempts to close in on them. It wasn't until later that I found them again, the light of a campfire and the sound of voices in the distance pinpointing their location to me.
As they came into view, I slowed to a stop and moved to hide behind a tree to prevent myself from being detected, placing my back to the trunk and my sword before my body. I attempted to listen to what the group was saying by leaning out very slightly from behind the tree, and although I was able to hear some words here and there, it was difficult given the distance. I then turned my body around so that I could see what was unfolding more clearly, peaking out until I was just able to see the group between the trees and bushes.
It was evident that I arrived too late as the group was at the camp of the family chatting with each other, a conclusion that angered me further given what I had come to earlier about the man in the tattered cloak. What more, I found that the man was nowhere to be seen as well, either signifying he was paid when they arrived and took off or disappeared before they showed up, choosing not to stick around to watch what happened to them. The way in which this whole situation unfolded before me stung in my mind and continued to do so for a time as I continued to watch.
Of course, that was until I noticed something strange. In scanning the group for the family, I found something dull grey low down by a tree trunk, and upon further looking there, I determined what it was I was witnessing.
It's him! I thought, recognizing the man from before. He was seated lowdown against the tree and nearby the camp, so nearby in fact as to be pinned by the group's mere presence there with any movement likely to be detected by them. It was also apparent that he knew how delicate his situation was, him looking over his shoulder in an attempt to spot from the shadows when the group was moving out or a possible opening to make a getaway.
My anger towards him faded slightly as I watched on, a feeling of confusion soon taking hold as I attempted to internally dissect his current circumstances. Because of this confusion, my eyes flicked between the two for a short while, watching the group to see what they're next movements would be and watching what the man's next action would become, but this would stop briefly when the man turned to look in my general direction, clearly not aware that I was there. This lack of awareness wouldn't last long, though, as when his eyes met mine, he gave me what I can only describe as a look reminiscent of a cry for help as if somehow he found himself there and didn't know what to do next. We turned back and forth from each other to the group a few times until, after a great deal of hesitation, I finally began to look for an opening or a means of distraction.
Damn it, Miria, I thought to myself then, caving into an inner desire to help him despite the underlying presence of my anger.
I can't recall how long it took me to analyze the situation, but when all was said and done, I found the simplest way was to run up to the group and create a diversion, giving the man some time to flee. Although it wasn't the most favorable option, given I didn't want to deal with a group on horseback, I knew there was no other way.
I turned back to the man once more to see what he was doing, and in doing so, I found that he was attempting to tell me something, the combination of shadows and his dark clothes making it difficult to surmise what it was. I gave him a look of confusion in hopes he would show me more clearly, and in response he turned briefly to see what the group was doing. Then, in turning back, he showed me something that was in his hand in the faint light of the campfire a distance behind him.
A rock? I was thoroughly confused then, though this would quickly subside. He wants me to throw something at them? You've got to be kidding me.
I ran the scenario in my head a few times, paying attention to every detail that I came across and how it would result in the group charging me or worse, but after a while of doing this, I found that it would most likely result in failure, save for a sliver of a chance it would succeed.
Too risky, I thought as I turned to him once more and shook my head. He nodded, looking back to the group then back to me. You really want me to do it, huh?
I thought through the scenarios once more, and even though I came to the same conclusion, I found that the handful of outcomes that yielded positively were becoming more and more enticing. Eventually, I sighed, nodded to him, and began searching around me for a large enough rock to throw towards the group. This was brief as I found one that was a good size, kneeling down to grab it. As I came up, I turned to him once more to see him grabbing hold of his sword and cloak in preparation of the distraction, looking to me and nodding to signify he was ready for me to throw.
Following a nod of my own, I took the rock in hand, wound back, and using a little bit of yoki launched the stone towards the group.
It missed.
I watched as it continued along its trajectory, getting smaller and smaller as it got closer and closer to the group, but it missed every person, horse, and object completely, disappearing into the trees beyond.
But, Lady luck would soon favor me as the stone evidently slammed into a tree branch out in the distance with a loud knock, causing the group to turn to see what it was that made the sound, the leader of the group shouting out into the darkness to see if someone was out there. This small knock was soon followed by the much louder crash of the very same tree branch as it fell from the tree and landed onto the ground. This sound resulted in the group being spooked, some of the likely-fresher members simply taking off out of fear.
Nailed it, I thought, borrowing the phrase from a fellow warrior from years prior. With the group now wavering and the leader barking orders in an attempt to stop those from running away, I turned back to the man in the tattered cloak to see him sneaking off, the hint of a grin on his face. I wasn't willing to stick around either given the sensitivity of the situation, and so with that, I grabbed my blade in preparation of leaving after him.
As it turned out, he re-emerged from the underbrush just nearby from where I was stood, an action that caught me a little off guard given that I assumed he would just disappear into the night. I had to do a double take as well, looking back to the scenario before me as it reached maximum chaos, members running off to get those who fled and others investigating or drawing weapons, but when I looked to the man, he only said one thing.
"Go," he whispered.
"What?" I asked lowly, still baffled.
"Just go," he whispered, beckoning me as he snuck past. Of course, I followed him.
We ran for a short while until we were far enough away from the group, keeping our eyes and ears peeled for any hints of them moving towards us. The entire time we were moving, I kept the man in my sight, so much so that I let him lead me further out, and although it was a move that one would quickly think was flawed, I believed that I would be easily able to not only overpower him but outrun him as well. Regardless, I continued.
I said nothing to him as we went, but truth be told, I was completely seething. I firmly believed that this man had somehow tricked me into leaving the family for long enough for the group to appear. I had every opportunity to call him out before I left him initially, to head back to the camp and ensure they were safe or at the very least tell them to leave, but I didn't. I couldn't. All for the man before me.
We eventually slowed to a stop, the man slightly winded but not enough to prevent him from standing up straight, and he briefly turned back to see if we were being followed.
"We should be far enough away now," he said, placing his hand to his chest as he continued to catch his breath. "That was a close-"
I stopped him before he could finish his sentence, simultaneously grabbing him by his cloak and drawing my blade, my anger beginning to peak. Then, in one swift motion, I thrusted him against a nearby tree and placed my blade against his neck. These actions were so sudden that he had no time to counter, dodge, or even think of what to do, and as a result he was only able to utter one thing.
"Whoa!"
"You lied to me," I said to him, wrath in my voice. With my blade positioned as it was, it was extremely tempting to kill him right then and there given my ever-building anger, but I held back, using every ounce of my being to prevent doing so, knowing that if I was to end up with blood on my hands, my situation would be dramatically worsened.
"What?" He asked, still bewildered.
"You lied to me. Why?"
"What are you-?"
I again thrusted him against the tree, being sure to press my blade slightly harder against his neck so he would feel it's cold surface against his throat. He immediately went quiet, whether it be from this action or the very real possibility that my eyes were just beginning to turn color; despite my efforts, I could feel my yoki begin to flow through me, my anger slowly getting the better of me.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" I exclaimed. "I overheard everything from that group when they passed. You're a scout for them, aren't you?"
"W-what?" he replied, a brief stutter from him. "No!"
I continued; "You were helping those slavers find their next target. You told them where to go to find camps. But when I showed up, you realized I was going to ruin their plans."
"Absolutely not!"
"Even now, you're still lying-"
"I'm not lying to you!" He suddenly shouted, that previous hint of an accent coming out.
I felt myself snapped out of my previous fit of rage and back into reality, his change in tone having startled me enough to cause me to recoil visibly. It then quickly became quiet between us as I found myself thinking back to my prior observations. Although this likely lasted for a moment, it felt like an eternity as we looked into each other's eyes, gauging what was likely going through our minds. I tried to find any hints of deception in his, but all I got was the look of an angry, and perhaps frightened, young man.
These emotions of his visibly faded and were soon replaced with a look of frustration as he repeated himself. "I'm not lying to you."
He... No, I thought. I remained silent for a moment longer to analyze him further. Despite coming to the conclusion that he was indeed being truthful, I decided to play it safe.
"I don't believe you," I said.
"It's the truth," he replied flatly.
It can't be, I thought again. He's... actually telling the truth. Looking back I was clearly in denial of his innocence, something that I feel somewhat bad for now, but back then I knew - no, felt - it was necessary. After several times over of analyzing him and I finding nothing to support my original opinions of him, I finally let him go, being sure to shove him slightly as I did to remind him of who he was dealing with. I then stepped back and lowered my blade.
I continued to watch him a bit more to see what his reaction would be, but when nothing came, I finally looked away, the both of us coincidentally sighing at the same time as we both came down from our combined adrenaline high.
But, this left a single important question.
"Then what about that family?" I soon asked, turning to him.
"They are safe," he replied with a subtle nod, the accent more clear than before but still indiscernable in origin, though it faded quickly as he continued. "I warned them of the dangers of the area and they left shortly after. Fortunately for them, it was just in time, but not so much for me. That's how I got stuck there."
"Which direction did they go?" I was testing him to see if this was a lie.
"South," He answered readily and, contrary to what I was expecting, naturally. "I told them to go South to the nearby village."
"And your sure they got away safely?"
"As sure as I know my own friends," he said with a faint smile.
He telling the truth, I thought once more, reflecting on his answers and behavior briefly, but after further reflection, I found myself still a bit untrusting of him; after all, there was a possibility that he was indeed still lying to me.
"Sorry," I said weakly, though given that I had nearly killed him and likely scared his soul out of him, I think something more would've been necessary.
"It's... completely understandable. You were worked up," He replied with a slightly saddened yet relieved grin. There was yet another lapse in conversation, but this was soon broken by him. "It seems you lost your boots."
The statement caused me to instinctually look down, and in that moment, I too realized I was still missing them. Upon noticing this, I cursed myself in mind as I knew it would make traversing the region more difficult, that and given how I ran indiscriminately after the group, I could no longer remember where the pond was.
"I'll help you find them," he added.
"That won't be necessary," I said.
"Ah. So you'll be getting a new pair then," he responded. I didn't respond, me mainly hoping the conversation would move on, though part of me knew I would have to get a pair somehow. He picked up on my silence and rather awkwardly asked, "D... Do you need money?"
He's got you there, I thought in response. He truly did, seeing as I have no pack to carry money and things nor any interesting items to barter with. But despite this, I responded, albeit a bit weakly.
"No," I said. "I don't need money."
"So, you're going to steal a pair then?" He quipped.
"That's not-" I stopped myself from continuing as I knew he was purposely trying to make a mockery of me there. After recollecting myself with a sigh, I replied, "No."
"Well then," he started with a bit of a grin. "Seeing as you saved my life, and nearly ended it, allow me to get you a pair at the next town. It's the least I can do."
Given that I wasn't intending on taking his help like before, I was tempted to say no, but after considering things for a moment, I... changed my tune as it were.
"Yeah, that would be good."
