AN: Took much longer than expected, but here it is at last.
"We must leave at once!"
She stared at the older man, whose orange hair was reminiscent of her own, save for its streaks of grey. He'd summoned her to him for a rare meeting, and now he was saying something almost incomprehensible.
"Are you deaf, girl!? I said that we must leave at once!"
She nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, Father! But why?"
The older man massaged his brow with the fingers of one hand. "There… is now monster infiltration here in the capital. We must leave before it can touch us!"
She had been hearing stories of monsters entering Lescatie for quite a few days now. To think they were even extending tendrils into its heart…
"If there is monster infiltration, surely we should warn others—"
"WE CANNOT!" the older man snapped. "That is… I have already warned important individuals, but warning more would simply let the monsters know we've discovered them! For now, I have decided to leave Lescatie and gather external support!"
"V-Very well… then, are your wife and other children coming as well…?"
The man frowned. She cowered, fearing that she'd angered him.
"They… They should be safe here, so long as I can bring reinforcements to Lescatie in time. But they cannot come with us, they are too delicate for such a journey."
"I… I understand… Father…"
Eristia Vitral sat up with a jolt, her heart racing. Her right hand instinctively reached for a sword in its scabbard, which lay next to her bedroll.
Ah… it was just… a memory…
There's no reason… There's no reason for me to be so shaken by it…
Eristia remained in her bedroll for a few more seconds, then stood up. Because of the situation, she'd slept in her combat attire: a shoulder-baring dress with blue bust and sleeves, a white waist, a short black skirt and a longer blue half-skirt. Eristia only had to slip on plated gauntlets and knee-length boots, place a blue beret on top of her orange hair, and tie the sword to her hip.
Alright. Ready for another day…
Eristia left her tent. A campsite came into view, with about a dozen tents that were mostly smaller than Eristia's—not only were their occupants unable to stand up inside, they had to share them at two to a tent. There were a couple of campfires over which soldiers were cooking the morning's breakfast. A few pack horses were grazing on the outskirts. A warm sun shone down on the campsite… however, it didn't seem to do much for the soldiers' spirits.
They look like they're just going through the basic motions, only caring about living through today… Eristia thought, looking from one haggard expression to another. Even though our current mission is vital for Lescatie…
Though I can't fully blame them. Not after what happened three days ago…
Eristia recalled that argument. She shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but there was simply no helping it, for thin tent walls couldn't stop shouts from passing through.
"I can't take this torture any longer!" shouted Baron Semel. "I'm going back to the capital!"
"Calm yourselves!" Eristia's father ordered. "If you do that, you will die!"
"We'll assuredly die if we continue trudging through this godforsaken wilderness, without even wagons!" shouted Baroness Millen. "And the leadups to our deaths will be agonising!"
"But back in the capital, we'll at least have a chance of survival!" added Baron Semel. "We can hide our activities, avoid notice!"
"No… THIS IS FOOLISH! YOU MUST NOT—"
But Eristia's father had failed in the end. The two other nobles had returned to Lescatie, taking their personal guards with them. As a result, the size of this contingent had shrunken considerably.
We should still be able to reach the country of Amalos… I only hope the soldiers' morale lasts until then…
Eristia walked around the camp, hoping that the sight of a hero might encourage the soldiers. The results… weren't very promising. Half the soldiers didn't even look up as she approached, while the other half glumly said words like "Mornin', Hero Eristia…"
Eventually, Eristia came to the only other large tent in the campsite. This was in a central position for security.
There was one tired-looking guard standing outside the tent. Eristia approached him and said, "You have served commendably, soldier. Please have a well-deserved rest."
The guard nodded and staggered off to his tent, where he'd be able to sleep after spending the entire night on watch.
Eristia took a deep breath and entered the tent.
Inside, Count Preston Vitral was sitting on a wooden stool and looking at a book with a grave expression. He was dressed in expensive clothing of silk, dyed red and silver, though that clothing had become stained from days of travel. He closed the book as Eristia entered.
"Daughter…" Preston said, his voice quieter than it had been in their last few conversations.
Eristia felt a conflicted sense of relief when she heard that word. Her father had never acknowledged her for most of her life, since she was merely his daughter with a mistress and had been raised in an orphanage to hide it. That had only changed when she'd heard the voice of the Chief God one day, proof she had potential as a hero.
Her father had personally taken her away from the orphanage and paid for tutors to raise her into a hero. That said, he'd never allowed her to enter the Vitral Manor or accompany him to any public event. After that initial meeting, they'd interacted mostly via letters delivered by trusted servants. Even Eristia's hero status did not change the fact that she was a bastard, a product of sin.
He is relying on me now, Eristia thought. I must not fail him. If I fail as a hero… then I have nothing.
Though… why does he not have any more good troops? A noble of his rank should have at least one hero or knight sworn to him… officially sworn to him, unlike myself…
Eristia didn't voice any of those thoughts. She only said, "I have come to ask if you have any new orders for me, Father."
Preston nodded. "Only one. We are not far from the south border, now, not far from Amalos… but it is still possible that there are monsters, or monster sympathisers, nearby. I order you to go out and scout the surroundings, both in front and behind us—scout the road behind first. If there are any hostile individuals around, eliminate them promptly, whether they be monster or human. We cannot afford to let the enemy know of our crucial mission."
"Understood, Father. I will not fail you."
Preston closed his eyes in obvious exhaustion. He looked quite different from the imposing noble that had spoken to Eristia eight days ago. The difficult journey here had been draining for him.
"Return within the hour. We will soon be taking down the camp and resuming travel."
Eristia repeated her confirmation, then left the tent. She gripped the hilt of her sword—a common gesture for her, one that helped her calm her thoughts.
Relax. It's nothing more than a routine scouting task. There is little chance of monsters being this far south in Lescatie. It's likely I'll be able to finish and return without any combat.
Indeed, the mission so far had gone quite well. They had yet to encounter any monsters on the trip south. In fact, they hadn't encountered any other people at all, since Eristia's father had chosen a route that took them past as few villages as possible.
Now, there's one thing I need before I head out…
Eristia walked through the camp until she found what she was looking for: a young man with short dark hair and dark eyes, dressed in a linen gambeson, long pants, leather gloves and boots. His gambeson had a metal breastplate, for additional protection, and a strip of blue cloth adorned with a white cross, to display his allegiance to Lescatie. At the moment, he was sharpening a short sword that he used as a weapon.
Deciding not to interrupt him for now, Eristia moved on. She left the camp and ran along the road to the north, covering ground quickly due to her hero's physique. The road snaked left and right, so the camp behind her was quickly hidden by trees.
It was an uneventful trip. Eristia saw no monsters or humans. In fact, she saw no animal larger than a squirrel.
Just three minutes later, Eristia decided to turn back. The distance she'd already covered was equivalent to a half-hour's trek for normal humans, and she'd found no signs of any pursuers.
Thus Eristia returned to the camp. She found the young man from before, now inspecting one of the wooden stakes that lined the perimeter of the camp.
He is nothing like the rest of the soldiers… actually taking his duty seriously…
Eristia walked towards the man. He looked up as she approached, then jumped to attention.
"Hero Eristia!" said Yuriy Karelstein, a soldier of Lescatie's Fifth Squadron. "Does any of your equipment require maintenance?"
"It does not, Squire Yuriy," Eristia said. "I am heading out to scout the road to the south. How long will it take for you to be ready to accompany me?"
"I'm areadyrea—already ready to accompany you!" Yuriy replied.
Eristia allowed herself to smile a little. Yuriy might be a little awkward at times, but he was good at his job. It was why she'd picked him to be her squire, even though—like the other soldiers here—she hadn't known him for long. He was just one of the soldiers who her father had brought here on this mission.
"Then we shall head out at once."
The hero and the squire walked out of the camp via the south exit.
After about five minutes passed, Yuriy broke the silence. "Hero Eristia… I was just wondering, is it necessary for me to accompany you now? I mean, is it helpful?" Yuriy patted the short sword at his hip. "If we do get into a fight, I… I'm not sure how much use I'd be."
He had a good point. And even if they never got into any fights, Eristia could complete this scouting task much faster on her own, as she'd just demonstrated when scouting the road behind the camp.
"That… is not a problem," Eristia said. "Having multiple people is always better than being alone. For example, there are multiple sets of eyes to look in multiple directions, and one can help the other when they are tired."
Those words sounded false to Eristia even as she said them. Truthfully, she did not need to bring Yuriy with her at all.
I'm sounding like my father now… no, I must not think that way! He is only thinking of what is best for us, for Lescatie!
While I… the real reason I keep Yuriy around is…
When Eristia looked at the young soldier, she felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance, like she could battle a dozen monsters at once and prevail.
But she could never admit that aloud.
-ooo-
After twenty uneventful minutes of walking along the road south, Eristia and Yuriy spotted buildings in the distance.
"A village…" Yuriy murmured. "Must be pretty close to the border. We've gone a long way from the capital now…"
"Let us see the condition of this village," Eristia said.
They walked closer to the village. It was then that Eristia sensed something horrific. She drew her sword, causing Yuriy to jump.
"Eri—Hero Eristia, what's wrong!?" Yuriy asked.
"Demonic energy signatures… over fifty of them!" Eristia replied. "Monsters! Monsters have raided this village! I must slay them!"
It was good judgement on her father's part to send Eristia scouting ahead. Without her, the group might have blundered into this band of monsters, and then Lescatie would have been doomed!
"Wait, isn't that too many!?" Yuriy protested, tugging on one of her arms. "You might be a hero, Eris, but you're saying there's over fifty monsters!"
"I am the only hero present, so this duty falls to me!" Eristia shot back. "Release me, Yuriy!"
"Just… Let's just look at them from afar, first, so we know what we're getting into!"
That was another good point. Eristia slowly relaxed her body.
"I understand, Yu—Squire Yuriy," Eristia said. Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Then… still, release me."
Yuriy let go of Eristia's arm and stammered his apologies. Eristia strode ahead without another word, leaving Yuriy to just run after her.
Calm down.
Calm. Down.
Eristia gripped her sword hilt again. This wasn't to deal with her stress after meeting her father, but to deal with a certain emotion coursing through her heart.
I am not an ordinary girl giggling over love affairs, but a hero, a weapon of the Chief God. My duty is to slay monsters in defence of humanity.
It was a lesson that had been hammered into Eristia for years,
I. Must. Be. As. Steel.
Eristia repeated mantras like this to herself even when she stepped off the road and into the bushes. She kept reaffirming herself even when she began peering through the foliage at the village.
She only stopped when she saw what was happening in the village.
"Impossible… it must be an illusion!"
There were monsters in the village, that was true: slimes, harpies, goblins, giant ants, even one of the rare manticores. They were walking around the village as if they belonged there. Indeed, some of the monsters were likely to be former villagers, twisted into inhuman forms. There were also men who emitted auras of demonic energy, showing that they'd become incubi: the male counterparts of monsters.
Eristia should have attacked at this point. But then she saw the impossible.
Humans…? Uncorrupted humans…?
Even with so many monsters and incubi around, there were still human villagers present. They showed not even the slightest fear or hatred towards their inhuman neighbours. In fact, they were talking to them, laughing together, buying and selling goods, playing games with them…
"This… This cannot be…" Eristia murmured. "It must all be… yes, an illusion… to fool the unwary…"
Yet when Eristia applied her lessons on seeing through illusions, she had no success. None of the people or buildings had unnaturally shiny surfaces. The sounds of people's voices were a perfect match for their lip movements, just as the sounds of their footsteps matched their walking. No one was looking at something that Eristia could not see.
And as Eristia looked, she found more shocking sights. The buildings looked like they'd been newly built by elite craftsmen, with no signs of age. Even the smallest of buildings was larger than Eristia expected from such a small village, and they were all painted in cheerfully bright colours. There was no animal dung lying around, something normally omnipresent in rural villages.
It cannot be… monsters are beings driven by mindless lust… everything they touch is corrupted, weakened, left to rot…
As Eristia thought this, it occurred to her that she'd never seen a monster village in person. The monsters she'd fought had all been out in the wilderness of Lescatie's north.
"They… all look happy…" Yuriy whispered. His eyes were following a young giant ant chasing after a human child. "I don't understand…"
"Illusions, tricks," Eristia insisted. "There is no conceivable way for monster invasion to improve human lives…"
"Let's… Let's get away from here, for now," Yuriy suggested.
Eristia clenched the hilt of her sword. It was her duty to slay monsters such as these, as well as any humans who turned away from the Chief God to consort with monsters. It was her duty to eliminate this threat that stood in the way of her father, who would bring aid to Lescatie from the rest of the Order.
But she could not draw her sword. Her traitorous arm failed her now.
"…Very well," Eristia said. "Let's return to the camp, to report what we've seen."
-ooo-
Eristia walked northwards on the narrow woodland road, Yuriy at her side.
Even if the monsters had set up some kind of trick… it's undeniable fact that they managed to get this far south. How could that happen?
Before leaving the capital, I was hearing rumours of conflict among heroes… did that create the opening for the monsters to invade? How could any self-respecting hero put personal squabbles at a higher priority than the defence of Lescatie?
No matter how much she thought about it, Eristia just couldn't understand. She decided to put that on hold until she reunited with her father. He would know what to do, just as he knew of the monster infiltration and had devised a counter-strategy.
In the meantime…
"Squire Yuriy… tell me about yourself," Eristia said. "Your past, your current life… anything."
"A-About me?" Yuriy said, looking as terrified as a mouse tied up in front of a snake. "But I'm just a… an ordinary soldier."
"You were selected for this… vital mission for Lescatie's survival," Eristia said. "And then selected by me to be my squire. Please stop thinking of yourself as ordinary. I'd like to hear what you have to say."
In truth, Eristia wanted something to distract her from the impossible sights at the village, and the resulting confusion in her mind. If she'd been alone, she might have tried losing herself by watching the animals scurrying around the woods.
"Okay, then…" Yuriy said. He glanced at Eristia furtively, then looked away. "I'll talk about my past. If you're alright with it, Hero Eristia…"
"Yes, so please proceed," Eristia said. Whatever he had to say, it would likely be more interesting than her own past.
"I came from an orphanage," Yuriy said.
Eristia slowed for the briefest fraction of a second. Even she wasn't sure why. At least she managed to keep a straight expression, or thought she did.
"The kids there come from various places," Yuriy said. "Some lost their parents to sickness. Some had their parents killed by bandits. Then there's kids like me, whose parents didn't want 'em." He rubbed the back of his head. "Got dropped off as a baby… the sisters at the orphanage didn't know who left me, they just found me wrapped up on their doorstep."
That explanation made Eristia grimace. Not everyone in Lescatie was blessed with a good family, something she knew quite personally. Why, she'd come from an orphanage much like Yuriy, having been sent there to avoid bringing shame to House Vitral. At that orphanage, she'd… she'd…
What? Why… can't I remember…?
"Hero Eristia? Hero Eristia?"
Eristia quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. Please continue your story, Squire Yuriy."
"…Alright," Yuriy said. While walking, he lifted a leg higher than usual to clear a tree root, then continued speaking. "When I was at the orphanage, the sisters did their best to care for us. It wasn't an easy life—we had to help out with chores like cooking and washing, and there were some bullies. But it was a good life, I think. Especially since… since I had a good friend there…"
"What was his or her name?" Eristia asked curiously.
Yuriy looked right into Eristia's eyes. He eventually looked away.
"I kept thinking… but no, it really is a coincidence," Yuriy muttered.
"You thought what?" Eristia said, now feeling rather irritated. "Speak clearly, that's an order."
"I thought you were her," Yuriy admitted. "Because… her name was Eristia too, and she also looked like you…"
Eristia stepped backwards. She shook her head slowly.
"I-I'm sorry for being presumptuous, Hero Eristia!" Yuriy said, bowing his head low. "It's just… if you were thinking I was acting strange around you, that's why… But I was too scared to bring this up before…"
Eristia forced a neutral expression onto her face. A hero could not afford to show weakness. A hero had to be an unshakable pillar for those around them. That was what she had learned after being taken out of… the orphanage she'd been raised in…
"Well, I am not your childhood friend," Eristia said curtly, as much to silence her own doubts as to silence Yuriy's. "The only connection between us is that of hero and squire. Do not forget that."
Yuriy stood at attention. "Y-Yes! Understood! I won't talk about that again!"
Eristia scratched one of her cheeks awkwardly. "I didn't say that… I would still be… interested… in hearing about your past. It would be a good way to spend the time on our way back to camp."
"A-Alright. If you wish, Hero Eristia…"
So the pair resumed their walk northwards. They should have been running back as fast as possible, yet Eristia found herself not wanting to hurry.
Instead, she listened to Yuriy talk about his life in the orphanage. Much of it was focused on his interactions with his friend: playing together whenever they had free time, sharing their food whenever one disliked his or her meal, sharing stories that the sisters might not approve of…
Whenever Eristia heard one of these stories, she felt warmth in her heart… and a dull ache in her head.
Why… Why can't I simply enjoy listening to him?
Eristia never let any sign of her turmoil show on her face. She didn't want to worry Yuriy.
Just what is wrong with me…?
-ooo-
The conversation was broken by another unexpected event.
In this case, it was the sound of flapping wings. Similar to the sounds produced by birds, but when Eristia began working out the distance to the source, she realised that this sound was too loud for any bird.
And according to my training… that can only mean one thing!
"Hide!" Eristia ordered.
Eristia and Yuriy got off the road again and hid in the bushes. One of Yuriy's good points was that he could respond to her orders quickly, instead of milling about in confusion as the other soldiers would have done.
Mere seconds later, a flock of harpies appeared in the sky, flying north along the general line of the road. There were three of them.
"If they keep going, they'll reach our camp!" Yuriy said in a panic.
Eristia cursed her shortage of ranged options. She could send out slashes of magical energy from her sword, but those weren't accurate enough to shoot down flying harpies.
"There's no other choice, I'll have to attract their attention," Eristia said. "Then—hm?"
The harpies didn't keep going north. They veered to the left and began descending. Soon, they were out of Eristia's sight, though she could still hear them.
"Where are they going?" Eristia wondered out loud. "Follow me, Squire Yuriy. Make as little sound as possible."
The two of them proceeded through the undergrowth, doing their best to be stealthy. Even then, Eristia wondered if they'd be discovered by the harpies.
Eventually, they spotted the harpies again. There were three of them, differing most obviously in their hair and plumage colours: one red, one green and one blue. They were up in the woodland canopy, picking fruits and nuts using their dexterous talons.
"…fruits here in Lescatie are really sweet!" the red harpy said. "I'm glad I came here!"
"That's not the only good kind of fruit around," the green harpy said. She licked her lips. "There's so many men around, with lots of pent-up desires…"
The blue harpy smacked the green on the head using a wing. "Hey, don't get too carried away! We can't do anything that makes them think badly of monsters!"
"I know, I know…"
Eristia clenched her teeth and reached for her sword. The casual depravity of monsters wasn't something she could forgive as a hero. And while there had been too many monsters and traitors in the village to dare attacking, there were just three here, who didn't even know of her presence yet…
"Hey, Ishie, how have you been going with Lirek?" asked the green harpy, who seemed like the chattiest of the group. "I keep seeing you going off together…"
"Oh, it's going really well!" the red harpy, Ishie said. She picked a fruit from a tree branch using a taloned foot. "We're talking about where to go in the future! Since he doesn't have to stay to help with his family's farm, we've been thinking of travelling around the world!"
"That's good and all… but not what I wanted to know," the green harpy said. "Just how far have you gone with Lirek?"
The green harpy began making various obscene gestures with her wings. The other two harpies yelled at her, and a playful argument broke out.
All the while, Eristia trembled in rage within the bushes.
As I thought, monsters truly have no redeeming features…! Even in this foraging trip, they still talk about such… such obscenity!
True love is nothing like this! It is full of pure emotion, with a genuine connection between those involved! It is built up over the years through selfless acts!
Eristia pictured a woman with orange hair and a man with black hair, walking hand in hand through a forest. They enjoyed the scenery, sat down for a picnic next to a waterfall, talked about the past…
"…but maybe we won't travel like that."
Eristia blinked. The conversation had moved on while she had been lost in fantasy.
"What do you mean, Ishie?" the blue harpy asked.
"I said me and Lirek are still talking about it, right?" Ishie said. "Well, Lirek's also wondering if he should stay at home instead. He might fight a lot with his brothers and sisters, but he still loves them, you know? And he likes the landscape around here. So maybe he'll stay in the end."
Siblings… that was a foreign concept to Eristia. Her mother had passed away while she was still young. And her half-siblings, Father's legitimate children… weren't people she was allowed to interact with.
"Hmm… but don't you like travelling?" the green harpy pointed out. "What'd you do then?"
"In that case, I'd stay here with him," Ishie said. She held her wings to her face. "It'd be interesting for me to stay in one place, and… and…"
"Annnd?" the green harpy said, learning in with a grin.
"And… And…"
"And you can't live without him anymore?" the green harpy said. "You can't feel satisfied without his…"
"DON'T MAKE ME SAY IT!"
The red harpy pushed the green hard, sending her out of the canopy. The green harpy recovered in mid-air and flew to a different tree.
"Ahaha, that's no fun!" the green harpy teased. "It's fine, just tell us what you really think…"
"ENOUGH!"
The three harpies all jumped in surprise when Eristia burst out from the bushes, shouting this declaration and drawing her sword.
"YOU WILL POLLUTE LESCATIE WITH YOUR PRESENCE NO LONGER!" Eristia roared.
"W-W-What!?" the green harpy cried.
"You're… one of Lescatie's heroes!?" the red harpy, Ishie, said.
"Didn't you all switch sides already!?" the blue harpy added.
"SILENCE!" Eristia retorted. "I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR TRICKS!"
Eristia brandished her sword, which now shone with azure light. The harpies screamed and scattered into the air.
"Wait, Hero Eristia!" Yuriy called out.
With a few flaps of their feathered wings, the harpies risen high above the canopy, safe from Eristia's attacks. It wasn't long before they'd disappeared completely from view.
Eristia looked up at the now-empty sky. She barely registered Yuriy standing next to her, trying to say something. Much more important was the crushing sense of failure that weighed down on her heart.
"—ia! Are you alright!?"
"I'm… fine…" Eristia said. She sheathed her sword, which had lost its glow as she was no longer empowering it with spirit energy. "I… Yuriy… Squire Yuriy… what do you think of that…?"
"Huh?" Yuriy said, looking confused.
"What do you think… of my failure to slay them…?" Eristia clarified.
"That's… um…"
For that was the undeniable truth. Eristia should have launched a surprise attack, immediately killing the closest harpy, then smoothly moving on to the second. The third harpy could have been killed as well, but if possible, she should have been captured for interrogation. Then there'd be fewer monsters in the world, and Eristia would know more about how the monster invasion had reached this far south in Lescatie.
"I forgot the most basic lessons I was taught…" Eristia groaned. "That I should not act like a noble hero from the stories… but should do whatever it takes to succeed…"
Such failure might have been forgiven if Eristia had been a novice who'd never fought monsters before. But Eristia had ten months of experience as a hero, during which she'd slain eight monsters and driven off almost two dozen. Such failure should have been impossible for her.
If I returned to the capital now… the authorities would almost certainly think I was a heretic… Eristia thought. No true hero would ever suffer a monster to live…
Not that she was likely to be returning anytime soon. Her father certainly seemed eager to get as far away from the capital as feasible. At times, it even seemed like he had no intentions of ever returning.
"Eristia… Hero Eristia…" Yuriy said. "When you were still in the capital… did you hear about the stories?"
"What stories?" Eristia asked.
"The stories coming from lots of soldiers," Yuriy elaborated. "This army of five thousand soldiers got sent out against the monsters, did you hear about that?"
"Yes, certainly," Eristia said. She thought back to eight days ago and to the period immediately before. "There were many wild rumours, often with clear exaggerations of the monster numbers."
"I'm… not so sure about that," Yuriy said. "I didn't go out myself, I was one of the soldiers being kept back in reserve. But everyone I talked to agreed there were thousands of monsters, no one said there were only a few hundred, or said there were actually ten thousand. And…" he swallowed, "the other thing they agreed on was that the monsters didn't look like they were invading. That… reminds me of what we saw back in that village."
Eristia heard these words quite clearly. She understood their meaning. But she did not, could not, accept them.
"It cannot be…" Eristia said, shaking her head. "It cannot be… It can only be a trick, something to make us lower our guard… Surely… Surely, as soon as we give in, the monsters will corrupt us…"
But that simply wasn't consistent with what she'd seen in that small village. The monsters had clearly been there for a while, yet there were still human women present, as well as human men who'd not been transformed into incubi. And there had been no immoral orgies taking place in the streets.
Surely, all the depravity was just being hidden in the buildings, behind closed doors…
Because if that isn't the case…
If that isn't the true nature of monsters…
Then… what… have I… been doing…?
Eristia gripped the hilt of her sword again. This lasted only a fraction of a second before she let go. The weapon felt much less reassuring than it had earlier this morning.
"I don't really understand all this," Yuriy said. "But I understand we still have to get back to camp, tell the others what we found."
Eristia nodded, seizing this lifeline thrown by her squire. "Yes. Yes, you're right. We must hurry if we are to have any hope of returning on time."
The two of them quickly made their way back to the road, then continued north at a brisk pace.
Eristia focused all her attention on putting one foot in front of the other. It was the only way she could avoid being consumed by her failure.
AN: If it seems a bit contrived that Eristia and Yuriy ran into those harpies, I'll mention that people from the village go out regularly to gather things from the woods. This trio of harpies are just the ones Eristia and Yuriy happen to encounter, due to taking similar paths.
The next chapter should be released tomorrow.
