Chapter 8 - Resolution

Chapter 8 - Resolution

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Melanie

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After shattering the sword bandit’s skull, the rest didn’t stand a chance. I fired off icicle after icicle, cutting down the others like flies. Off in the distance, the previous coward, upon seeing the tides turn, began to flee.

Not on my watch.

Ice gathered at my fingertips as I formed an icicle. Then, I launched it. The icicle soared through the air, leaving a trail of frost before piercing him cleanly.

That’s what you get for running. I had no patience for pathetic antics. If you attack someone, then you'd better be ready to pay the price.

Dusting my hands, I exhaled a quiet sigh. At last, the bandits were dealt with. Looking down from the wall, I estimated the drop to be around four meters, which was quite tall. It was definitely enough to cause injury if I messed up my landing, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

I pushed off the edge, letting my body position itself naturally. My legs bent upon hitting the ground to absorb the impact, before I rolled forward to steady myself.

—

Alexius

—

Melanie had saved me.

Not just a little. She completely obliterated the bandit leader. And the others? They didn’t even have time to react. My chest ached as I watched her effortlessly dispatch the bandits.

She could have just left me to my fate and disappeared into the forest just like another shadow, but she hadn’t. She came back. For me…

My knees buckled slightly, and my eyes widened as they traced her graceful descent from the ice wall. The leaves crunched softly beneath her as she finished her landing with an elegant roll.

Her gaze, which was calm and sharp as ice, now landed on me. My chest constricted, and the air vanished from my lungs as if I had been punched.

And wait, speaking of ice, that was ice magic, wasn’t it? Melanie was…a mage? A mage. An actual mage had chosen to help me. The thought felt both humbling and reassuring.

“Good job, Alexius. You held out well against five bandits,” she said, interrupting my thoughts.

Wait…she said five, didn’t she? My throat tightened. Five bandits, and I hadn’t been torn to shreds. Pride should have swelled in me, but it didn’t. Instead, a mix of awe, embarrassment, and frustration at my own uselessness dug away at me.

Melanie…she never needed saving, did she?

Heat burned my cheeks relentlessly as I replayed the scenes in my mind. All I’d done was leap in blindly, probably spoiling whatever plan she had. Man, I really need to think before acting.

I let my gaze drop to the dirt, counting the blades of grass. Then, her shoes caught my eye. Made out of lightweight leather, they were flexible but protective, reaching just above her ankles. They fit her snugly, almost as if they were an extension of her body. No wonder she was able to move so quickly, yet so quietly, like a shadow.

I froze, staring at her like an idiot. My throat felt so tight that I couldn’t swallow a single drop of water, and a sense of inadequacy sank into me.

“Alexius?” Her calm voice sliced through my daze.

I snapped upright, my eyes locking with hers. My face burned, yet my tongue was strangely frozen. My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, but no words came out.

“Are you going to loot those corpses?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “They probably have some coins, and since they’re all dead, I doubt we’ll be ambushed again.”

My body decided to obey Melanie’s command before my brain could catch up, and I began to walk around, searching the pockets robotically. A thick smell of blood permeated the air, but it didn’t faze me.

Most of the daggers carried by the bandits were in horrible condition. The blades were rusted and old, probably worthless. The sword, however, was a different story. It was sharp and surprisingly well-made, which caught my eye.

Coins jingled in my hands as I finished. I collected a total of four silver Valors and twelve copper Valors. Not much, but it still felt heavy. I returned to her, my gaze lowered, and a voice barely above a whisper came out, “Here. You can have all the coins. I’ll just…I’ll just keep the sword.”

“No,” she said, firm and unwavering.

Oh, did she want the sword as well? I offered it to her.

“No. Keep it. But I cannot accept all of the coins.”

She slid half of them into my palms. The cold metal now felt even heavier than before, making my shoulders sag slightly.

“But you saved me…that’s the least I could do,” I stammered.

“Well, you saved me as well, so it’s even then,” she replied, her voice casual and light.

“But…I didn’t actually save you, did I? You probably planned to handle them in your own way.”

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she let out a soft sigh. “Yeah, you didn’t. Finally decided to use your head? But at least you tried.”

“So, either you accept this, or I’m not taking anything at all,” she said, sliding the coins further into my hands.

I nodded, letting them rest in my pockets. Then silence followed.

…

“Well, what are you waiting for? Do you want to sleep in the forest alone at night?”

Melanie began to move ahead. Her steps were slow and graceful. I followed after her, hearing the coins jingle in my pockets with each crunch of dirt beneath my feet.

Then, looking back over her shoulder, Melanie glanced at my arm.

“Hold still,” Melanie suddenly said, her voice low, unexpectedly soft.

“You got grazed, didn’t you?”

I swallowed and shook my head quickly. “No… It’s fine. Really. This was my fault. Had I listened to you from the start, none of this probably would have happened, so I only have myself to blame,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

Melanie knelt beside me and silently reached into her bag. Her hands sifted through the contents before retrieving a specific herb. Hmm, what was that herb? It looked different from the other ones she bought. Then, she pressed the herb on my cut, slowing the bleeding.

Ah…that was the blood-clotting herb from the apothecary. After holding it in place for a moment to ensure it took effect, she tore a strip of fabric from her clothes and wrapped it around the herb to create a makeshift bandage.

A smile began to form on my lips, but I could hardly bother hiding it.

~ End of chapter ~