Lost

Rill was uncharacteristically reserved for a while after our stop in the former village of Darna, obviously troubled by what she had seen there. I did what I could in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts, asking her questions about this or that as we walked, generally just trying to lighten the mood a bit. My efforts seemed to help, but even so it took a while before she started to return to her normal, upbeat demeanor.

But while neither of us was paying full attention to where we were going, at some point we ended up straying from the overgrown path without even realizing it. For the next few days, we wandered lost in the wilderness, struggling to figure out where, exactly, we were. Without any landmarks, the map did nothing to help, and in the end the best we could do was simply to continue in a direction that was vaguely southward, hoping that eventually we could find something that could point us back onto the trail.

Rill seemed entirely unperturbed by our plight, and began to ramble on about what we might expect in the villages and towns that awaited us, plainly trying to stay positive that those places had not suffered a similar fate to Darna. She was going on about wanting to find new clothing when she trailed off, studying me with a critical eye.

“What?” I wondered, shying away from her gaze.

“Well, I was just thinking. That grass clothing of yours is certainly unique…maybe a bit too unique. It certainly isn’t going to cut it once we reach civilization, but it isn’t like either of us has any money. We’re either going to have to find some way to explain it, or get you some new clothes some other way.” She cupped her chin in thought, adding to herself, “Even my clothes might draw a few eyes, but I can at least pass myself off as a hunter or something. Maybe we could make a trade, or…”

The wind suddenly shifted, bringing with it an unnaturally odd noise that I did not immediately recognize. I glanced at Rill, who was still obliviously chattering away, clearly having not heard it. It seemed that I retained my keen senses even when in human form, especially those of hearing and smell, allowing me to notice things differently than most people. I drew to a halt, holding out an arm to stop Rill, as well, who fell silent with a questioning look. Closing my eyes, I strained my hearing to its limit, and held my breath. A few moments later I caught the sound again, the clang of metal on metal.

Still listening intently, I told Rill, “Something’s going on up ahead. Sounds like a fight or something.” A faint yell told me that I was probably right.

“S-should we take a look?” Rill asked nervously, her hand trailing back to fidget with the bow she had slung over a shoulder.

“Hmm,” I considered. I was curious, but I also did not want to take the risk of putting Rill in danger. But if there are people around, we should probably see what’s going on. Maybe they can point us back in the right direction…

Seeing my hesitation, Rill stepped forward and said, more forcefully, “Come on, let’s check it out. We’ll stay quiet, and if it looks too dangerous, we won’t get involved.”

Ignoring my protests, she set out ahead of me. I quickly caught up to her and warned, “If something happens, just let me handle it. There’s no need for you to put yourself in harm’s way.”

She smirked at me and teased, “Oh, are you worried about me, Leo? Well, don’t. I’ll keep my distance, and only jump in if you need help.”

That seemed to be the best I was going to get from her, and I decided to let the matter rest as we slowed down and approached the scene with a bit more caution. Coincidentally, it was here that I noticed we had returned to the road, with it appearing in slightly better shape than before, the majority of the growth having been cleared away. We strafed into the brush alongside the path to stay hidden from sight, and crept closer. The sounds of a clash were unmistakable, and it was not long before we were able to see what was going on.

On the road ahead, a group of two men and a woman stood with their backs to each other, facing off against five rough-looking fellows who surrounded them in a circle. The smaller group were all clad in matching armor, patterned in a faded and chipped white-and-gold paint. One of them, a darker-skinned man with a shaved head, held his free hand against a still-bleeding wound in his side, while the other two held forward their mace and sword, respectively, watching their enemies with a wary gaze. They were all visibly exhausted, their haggard expressions making their fatigue clear, even at this distance.

The surrounding group wore a mismatch of armor, leather, and furs, and I immediately labelled them as bandits, judging solely from their antagonistic stances. However, as I looked more closely, I began to wonder if I was right about that. Their armor was almost too fine, the weapons they carried well-maintained in appearance. Could they be guards of some kind, instead? Or perhaps adventurers? I don’t know enough about this world to say for sure, but they clearly aren’t friendly!

One of their number, a large bear of a man, stepped forward, hefting the heavy mace he carried. “Look, it’s nothing personal. The boss ordered us to find ya, and kill ya, so here we are. I get why yer so keen on fightin’ back, but why don’t ya just stand down and let us finish the job, already? We’ll give ya quick, painless deaths, ya have my word.”

Another of them, a scrawny man with a scar running from his forehead to his chin, twirled the knives he carried and cackled, “I say let ‘em struggle! It’s been a while since I’ve had some fun!”

Rill scoffed at my side, and I glanced over to see her gritting her teeth in disgust. Bandits, it is, then, I decided, laying a hand on her shoulder to allay her. She stared at me, and while neither of us said a word, she seemed to understand my intent, sighing and nodding in acquiescence.

From the trio, the man who was still uninjured spoke up in response. He was trying to put on a brave face, smiling at his attackers and standing tall, but it was pretty clear he knew they were outmatched. He raked a hand through his shaggy brown hair and said, “Sorry, but we aren’t about to let ourselves be done in by some brigands in the middle of nowhere! Besides, the captain’s still out there, and once we track him down, you’ll all be sorry!”

The large man barked a laugh, shaking his head in amusement. “Yeah, I heard that guy caused a ruckus down south, but it don’t matter one bit. If the boss wants ya dead, ya die, it’s as simple as that. Even if he is still hiding out somewhere, it’s only a matter of time. Time that you don’t have. Come on, lads; looks like we’re doing this the hard way.”

Judging by their auras, I can tell none of them are very strong, I thought, considering the situation as the outlaws rolled their shoulders in preparation for a fight. And even if they are suppressing their strength, I doubt any of them are even close to the level of that dragonslayer. I’m not sure what I can really do to help, but I can’t just sit back and watch those three get slaughtered! Even without transforming, maybe I can help turn the tides, at least enough for them to take advantage of the opportunity. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and dug the sole of my foot into the dirt. Here goes!

The ground exploded behind me – leaving a cloud of dust, and a very startled Rill – as I launched out of the shrubbery where we had been laying hidden, at a speed faster than any of the men could react to. I slid to a halt in front of the big bandit and immediately drove my fist upward into his stomach. Even though I was trying to hold back, his steel breastplate crumpled beneath the impact, and I could feel the disturbing crunch of bones snapping within his sternum. The force of the blow sent him flying into another of their group, their heads knocking together with a comically hollow clunk before they both collapsed to the ground.

I stopped to stare at my fist, which was entirely unfazed, despite coming into direct contact with solid metal. Looks like I need to work on regulating my physical strength. I don’t think that alone was enough to kill him, but he definitely won’t be getting up anytime soon. I grinned as the other bandits shifted their stances, surprise and confusion written plainly upon their unshaven faces as they sized me up as a new enemy. Finally starting to understand how my strength compared to theirs, I felt emboldened, watching the axes and spears they carried shake with uncertainty.

I am a dragon, I reminded myself, so it shouldn’t be surprising that normal people like this would be no match for me! If I wasn’t worried about those other three, my aura alone would probably be enough to make them faint, or at least send them running. I got this.

It seemed the trio was equally as wary of me as they were of the brigands, decidedly not jumping into the fray like I had hoped they might. But at this point, it did not matter. The remaining three enemies managed to rouse themselves, determining me to be the true threat in this situation. They charged in unison, likely hoping to overwhelm me, but I was not about to let that happen; there was something I wanted to try out.

I opened my core and channeled mana into my leg, waiting until they were close before slamming my heel into the ground beneath me. The force of the impact was hard enough to fracture the area around me, and I released my held mana into the earth, fusing the dirt into solid slabs that launched all three of them into the air. They flailed uselessly as I leapt up to join them, delivering a spinning kick that hit all three in quick succession, tossing them in separate directions. They bounced and rolled across the dirt, until they finally came to rest and lay still.

I landed gracefully and dusted my hands as I admired the motionless forms of the five bandits. That went better than I thought! Actually…I feel kind of bad about it. They had it coming, sure, but this just feels like bullying.

Turning my attention to the trio, who were still watching me uneasily, their weapons raised in my direction, I said nervously, “Hey…ah, sorry to interrupt, but it looked like you might need some help…”

They said nothing, simply sharing a distrustful look amongst themselves, and I sighed heavily. Maybe the fight was the easy part.