Mai, unaware of her surroundings, fiercely kicked at the bush ensnaring her. Biting down hard on a branch, it retaliated by smacking her squarely in the face. Clenching her teeth, she responded with a hard headbutt that reverberated through her gums and throat. The bush screamed, and suddenly, more branches shot out, pulsating at the roots, something moving towards her hands. Mai startled, feeling her heart skip a beat. Suddenly, a man grabbed the bush, pulling it away from her, roots dragging along. Blood gushed from her hands, her ears ringing loudly.
Another man knelt in front of Mai, producing a white cloth which he wrapped around her hands, covering the wounds but not her fingers. The bleeding immediately stopped, and Mai felt a pleasant warmth in her hands.
"Lind, you shouldn't waste a high-tier healing cloth on a corpse." remarked another man, his voice chilling Mai to the bone.
Lind furrowed his brows, studying Mai's face closely, then leaned forward, sniffing her neck. Suddenly, he noticed the birthmark on her neck and furrowed his brows, pulling back abruptly.
"She doesn't smell rotten yet." he commented in a flat tone, sending shivers down Mai's spine.
She furrowed her brows, biting her lip hard, tasting iron.
She struck his chest hard, yelling, "Get away from me. That bush is better than all of you combined. You're assholes."
She struck him repeatedly on the chest, but he didn't budge, frustrating her even more. She scratched him with her nails, trying to dig them into his shirt, and suddenly her body shot energy into her hands.
Lind suddenly lifted his brows, staring at her.
"Master Kjartan, after careful observation, it's best we take her to the nearest village to thoroughly cleanse her of impurities. The energy here has already penetrated her. Remember, Amenale doesn't have the same energy as Kahrlin." he said suddenly.
At his words, Mai stopped hitting him, staring at him in silence.
The group quickly packed their belongings, and the earth ball with the wyvern shrank with a spell. Master Kjartan placed it in a small golden box and tucked it into his pocket.
A woman summoned a wind to carry them off to a small village where Mai was locked in her room against her will.
"At least I'm in a village, but now I'm a prisoner," She muttered, sighing deeply, "damn my luck."
Suddenly, the door opened, and Lind stepped in.
As she tried to speak, he placed a finger over his mouth, silencing her. She nodded in compliance as he handed her a small orange note and gestured towards the door and the keyhole. She nodded, and he suddenly produced a stack of clothes, handing them to her. Leaning in, he slipped a key into her dress pocket.
"Use your hands carefully." he whispered softly in her left ear, causing her to raise her eyebrows.
She looked at him in surprise, unsure of what to say, and simply nodded.
Lind smiled and exited the room, locking the door with a loud click.
Mai bit her lip, touching her ear.
She could still feel his warm breath and broke into a smile.
"Why did he help me?"
She looked at the note.
"5 hours. Two streets to the right. Merchant. Korral," she read, furrowing her brows.
"why such short words? If I were dumb, I wouldn't understand any of it."
"So I assume it's in 5 hours. The place is 2 streets from here, but is it to the right or to the left?"
Mai pondered Lind's message and chose to go right because she was right-handed.
The sun was a beautiful shade of orange, casting waves in the sky that made the clouds resemble dolphins leaping over waves in the sea.
Mai had changed her clothes but had taken her dress with her in the large hooded cloak pocket. She carefully opened the door, which squeaked loudly as her heart beat faster. There was no one in the hallway, and she hurriedly turned right down the corridor and emerged into a large courtyard. She continued to the right and reached a main road where horses pulled old-fashioned wagons. It was the same street as when Mai arrived, just a tad further away. She walked two streets to the right and arrived at a large square where large groups stood in their respective areas, discussing with each other. There were large wagons with goods alongside them, some busy packing things, others carrying and placing items in the wagons, and women grooming the horses while they were fed, adjusting the harnesses.
Mai didn't know where to go, so she approached the group that seemed friendly in her eyes. The group consisted of a middle-aged man with short black hair streaked with white, and he wore a kind expression. He sat polishing a golden hammer with beautiful patterns reminiscent of Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. He wore a white hooded cloak, which his group also wore, making them stand out among the others dressed in dark clothing. Around him sat many young men and women, with only the men busy polishing various tools. The women were polishing paper with a white cloth, which seemed quite odd to Mai, and she furrowed her brows at the sight.
She walked over to the group, looked at the man, and asked with a friendly smile, "Excuse me, Mr. Merchant, but is it possible for me to get a ride to Korral?"
She hoped she pronounced Korral correctly, emphasizing the "r" as "coral."
