Retreat
A couple of weeks passed since I got my weapon, and it hasn’t been going well at all. Christine had insisted that I practice my physique and learn how to actually use it, under the pretense that it would be a waste of the money used to buy the weapons. I understood her point, but that doesn’t mean I have to be fine with it! Day after day I return home drenched in sweat after what seems like a minuscule of practice. I had no idea of whether I’m even getting stronger or not.
Flopping on my bed I decided to mull over a few things. Well, it wasn’t really my bed as there was really only one room that could be used for housing nobility here, as it was an outpost on the smaller side, so I had to share a bed with Christine. She had argued to let me stay in her room, expressing the need that she herself needed to keep an eye on me as I was an aberration. That excuse would’ve tricked anyone, but not me. I don’t know how, when, or why it started, but she was seriously obsessed with me.
She fitted me in all of her clothes at least 3 times over, saying that I look absolutely adorable each and every time. I seriously wonder what is wrong with her. Thankfully, she’s not home right now so I had some peace and quiet to myself.
A good portion of my training consisted of running laps, which was honestly quite basic. However, the problem was running laps in the winter cold. Even though we were further south, it doesn’t berate the fact that it is still winter! Every day she forces me to run at least a mile, which may not seem to be much for the average Joe, however, you seriously don’t understand how taxing it is on me. The cold air nips my skin, reddening my eyes. My lungs have to work extra hard just to stay afloat as I run and run. Time and time again, my face and cheeks would get red as I struggled to press onwards. Surprisingly, I haven’t gotten a fever yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Christine played it off as spirits don’t get sick. Have you forgotten that I’m a half-spirit half-human!? I swear, she’s doing this on purpose to torment me!
After running, we would take a short break, which in my eyes was way too short for me to recover my breath, and then focus on learning how to use the staff.
“Comon! You at least need to know how to use the staff I bought for you! Don’t waste my money” Christine’s voice mocked me with a smirk.
I’m trying my best you know. I’m just a simple village girl who has absolutely zero fighting experience, what do you seriously expect from me? I had been going about this for around about an hour now and I was pretty beaten up. Nevertheless, I pressed onwards, as I was going to show this smug ass rich girl that I could hit her at least once. Gritting my teeth, weapon in hand, I charged at her once more.
Putting all my might into a single strike from above, I swung at her. However, she simply took a single step to the left, dodging my attack. No matter, I planned for this. Seeing that my strike failed, I continued my forward momentum as I slid down low and attempted to use the butt of my staff to stab her. I could see the end of the stick flying towards her belly, but at the last second, her hand swiftly moved to intercept the staff as she grabbed it with her hand.
Crap! The one thing you weren’t supposed to do when you’re fighting with a staff is to let the other enemy take hold of it, as it renders you useless. As I was being shocked by her dexterity, she pulled the staff out of my grasp and whacked me on the side with it.
“Looks like I win, again”
“Arghh, I’ll wipe that smug grin off your face, just you wait!”
“Hard to do that when you’re groveling on the floor. Maybe we should call it a day”
“No, I ca-... I can keep going”
I tried to push myself up from the ground. I was drenched in sweat but that didn’t falter me. Visible bruises could be seen, plastering my body in a light-purplish hue. Just as I was about to stand up, she tapped me on the shoulder and I instantly collapsed under my own weight. Was I really this weak?
“It’s not that you’re weak, you’re predictable. What you did after your slash was an all or nothing move, which was good improvisation, but not good enough. If someone simply were to grab your staff as I did, you would be a goner. You’re physically weak, but you’re dexterous. Going for an attack above requires strength, strength that you don’t have. Use your enemy’s body weight against them. Weave around them until they fall.”
“...”
“In addition, a battlefield is no place to be spacing out. Save the spacing out for after you win. Stop being so reckless and straightforward. Assess the situation first, and if you can’t handle it, think of a separate option. Comon, we’re going home”
She picked me up and dragged me all the way back to our dwelling
*knock knock*
I was face planted into the bed as Christine walked in. Geeze, why bother knocking if you’re not going to even wait for a reply. She went into the room at an oddly normal pace, which was strange as normally she would be all over my face by now. I can’t say that I don’t appreciate the peace and quiet, but something was definitely wrong.
“What’s up?”
“Oh.. it's nothing”
Glancing at her, I noticed her rub her temples as she sat down at her desk, seemingly exhausted. Decided that it was best not to meddle in her affairs, I brought my head back down and continued laying around. Since she was a proper noble, she had to deal with paperwork and the like.
Perhaps she was trying to think of a logical way to get me to live with her permanently once we settled in The Empire. She seemed pretty intent on keeping me by her side. I can’t say I’m against that though as I had nowhere else to go to. There was nothing I could do if she just ditched me. I couldn’t fight so I couldn’t be a mercenary, I didn’t have any connections so I couldn’t work as a merchant, and I didn’t have any skills that really stood out. I shuddered at the thought that if I went outside, I probably would be captured and sold off due to my peculiar physical attributes.
“Hey, apparently there have been some rumors going around. Have you caught wind of any of them?”
I shook my head. I can’t say I have. I mostly just stay inside all the time as I didn’t have a particular reason to go out aside from the hellish training she imposed on me.
“Hmm, it’s probably nothing then. But on the off chance…”
“...”
“Hey, do you remember what the peopl- nevermind. Forget I asked that”
I knew what she was trying to get to. She wanted to ask me if I remembered what the people who obliterated my village looked like. I didn’t even need to give it a second thought. Their vivid dark gray armor resembled the very smoke that reaped the lives of everyone I knew. I vividly recalled the red fire-like coating of the armor, giving it an almost impenetrable fortress-like feeling stained with blood. I remember the face of the mage who cast the spell to demolish it all. A deep crimson cape swapped around her, it’s reddish hue reflecting that of the firestorm that swallowed up the town. How ironically fitting.
I tried to respond to her, to tell her that it was okay, but the words lodged in my throat. I couldn’t push them out no matter how it tried. Even if those people were related to the rumors that have been circulating, I couldn’t bring myself to retell that scene again.
“sorry…” I murmured in the silence. If she had heard me, she didn’t show it, which I secretly appreciated. Sighing loudly, I plunged myself into a deep deep sleep, washing away my exhaustion in an attempt to forget my horror.
A couple of nights passed since Christine first told me about the rumors. During my brief moments in the streets, it confirmed my suspicions that the people who were raiding around the area were most likely the same people who went after me. The reports, according to the masses, were of soldiers clad in armor the color of smoke, their destruction ravaging and decimating entire settlements. It seemed outlandish to most, but I knew that these were all true. It was only a matter of time before they came to Aeolian’s Post and started targeting us. After mustering up the courage to discuss it with Christine, it seemed that even she didn’t know what faction they belonged to. Their armor didn’t match any of the existing kingdoms surrounding us, so we were in utter confusion as to where they were from. What we did decide on though, was to be on high alert, and if we deemed we couldn’t hold ourselves down, then we would flee.
I looked out the window with a bad feeling in my stomach. I had woken up with cold sweat due to yet another nightmare, a common occurrence these days. Christine was still sleeping soundly in the bed. I don’t know how she can stay calm in this type of situation. The night was cold. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, obscuring the moon, giving the entire place a dark and ominous feeling.
It was almost as if God created the perfect weather to express the doom and gloom in my heart. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, so very clear bags lined my eyes. My nightmares mostly consisted of running away and having my feet frozen in place as I watched everyone I once knew turned to dust. No matter how much I tried to strengthen myself up or face my fear, I always wither back into the corner. Am I really content with living my life with this? Ughh, content or not, even whilst trying my hardest, I couldn’t do much about it.
As my eyes stared out into the horizon in a daze, something bright flickered in the distance. As I was mulling over my thoughts, I didn’t notice it at first. Suddenly a deep fear and panic settled within me. I didn’t even need to double-check to see if my suspicions were right, for my suspicions were not suspicions, but reality.
“Christine, wake up! We have to go!” I screamed as I tore off the covers of the bed. She woke up in no time, seemingly prepared for this type of situation. We swiftly changed into dark adventuring clothes, with a long dark brown cloak for warmth. If we had to run, we needed to be prepared so they didn’t see us in the night.
Bolting out of our room, we quickly alerted everyone of the imminent danger. Soldiers quickly armored themselves up and grabbed their swords, ready to face whatever enemy presented itself. I could see mothers pick up their children and lock themselves in their houses. Archers were poised on top of the main tower, ready to shoot down any enemy. The gates of the outpost were shut tight as guards quickly took their defensive positions.
I admired just how much work Christine had done behind the scenes to make sure the defense was as well prepared as possible. However, I knew in my heart that this was for naught. A bright fireball suddenly burst through the iron gates of the walls, melting it molten. I could feel eyes widen as they witnessed iron melt in an instant in front of their eyes. However, I knew that this wasn’t the worst of it.
The fireball swept through the air, singing nearby structures as it traveled. A house suddenly combusted into flames as it collided with the wooden walls. You could make out the screams of terror as the civilians inside withered in agony within the raging inferno.
Enemy soldiers then stormed through the molten gate, widening it as they went through. Under normal circumstances, they would be heavily outnumbered and we would win by a landslide. However I knew that even 25 of them would be more than enough to take down 100 of our soldiers. I watched as their swords swiftly sliced through bodies after bodies, cleaving them.
“Chri-... Christine, we need.. we need t-to leave”
My voice was shaky, my legs were wobbly. The fear that consumed me was of none other. We were observing from the sidelines, watching to see if we even had a slight chance of winning. A certain part of me felt bad that I was making Christine stay with me. I knew that she could be out there fighting alongside everyone else, however, she had said that since I was such an anomaly, under no circumstances should I get captured by someone else. I really didn’t know why it was such a big deal, but apparently to her it was pretty major.
With a brisk nod, she signaled the retreat. We had a small party accompany us of about 15 people total, not including us. I could see the seething rage in her eyes, though I didn’t know whether it was for revenge on the enemy or the thought of having to retreat.
A part of me felt bad for leaving all the people behind to die, but the other part of me was relieved that I had someone to protect me. That I wasn’t alone.
We escaped away from the hellfire through the back. The moon was hidden behind clouds, so it helped mask our presence. The ground was rough as we were deviating from the main road into the surrounding forest. Trees loomed all around us, giving it a really imposing feeling.
We had trekked for about an hour now, on top of a mountain. As much as I was frightened out of my mind, I could not push away my gripping exhaustion. I visibly leaned on Christine as we trudged along, which incited noticeable death glares from the soldiers around us. They didn’t know what I really was so all they saw was a random girl leaning on a noble. However, as Christine herself didn’t say anything to oppose the situation, they let it be. Oh, how grateful I was to her. She was honestly such a lifesaver.
“Hey... how much longer” I whispered weakly. I was half asleep, to be honest. Even though I had daily training to improve my stamina, the fact of the matter is that I was still exhausted from today’s training. This coupled with the fact that I was on hyper-alert these past few hours, and that I haven’t gotten much sleep lately, made it so I was on the brink of collapsing.
“Just a bit more.. ok?”
“mmh”
At last, we arrived at our destination. It was a safe house, about 10 miles away from the outpost we were at earlier, that didn’t have anything distinct about it. It was hidden away so well that if one didn’t know it existed, they wouldn’t stumble upon something like it. A large box-like structure was connected to the side of the main building. Presumably where we store our provisions.
After securing the area, Christine and I went inside the building ourselves while the soldiers stood outside to keep watch for a while. It was oddly strange, just the two of us. Sebastian had insisted on staying behind to buy us even just a few more seconds. I had told him that it would be futile, but he was determined ‘till the end. Even though we hadn’t spent much time together, now that he was gone it felt oddly empty. I could only imagine what Christine must be feeling right now, having spent her entire life with him.
“Hey… sorry for bringing all this trouble here..”
“No, it’s fine. No one could’ve expected that they would’ve followed you all the way here”
“... yeah”
Even though I said that, I knew that it was a lie. Secretly, deep inside some secluded part of me, I knew that they would follow me to the ends of the Earth just to kill me. They clearly spent the extra effort chasing me back in the village when they could’ve just left me alone. And now that they have come here, there could be only one objective for them.
Why they were after me, I had no idea. ‘Perhaps they were just that bloodthirsty that they had to kill every single survivor? Or perhaps it was merely just a coincidence that they went south and attacked Aeolian’s Post…?’ I sure hoped so, I thought as I doubted myself.
The room we were inside was quite dingy, to say the least. Dust cluttered the floor, showing just how long it has been since anyone came to check up on this place. There wasn’t much here: a desk, a chair, a lamp, a bed, and a door that connected to the storehouse.
My eyelids slowly drifted together, as I leaned on Christine, half asleep.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine in the end” I heard her honey-sweet voice as she picked me up and placed me on the bed, as I succumbed to exhaustion. I really do hope everything will turn out well in the end, but sometimes tells me that the worst is yet to come.
