Chapter 22:
I Found my Pathetic Self Transported to Another World after Having my First Love Confession Rejected. Will I be Able to Find the Life I Want to Have here??
“Well, would you look at that.”, said Caleb grilling a sausage for breakfast.
“Look at what?”, asked Violet nibbling on a piece of bread.
“Those two.”
Caleb swung his sausage in the direction of the constant steel-on-steel clanking. Alex and Hina were sparring a bit further away.
“What about them?”, asked Violet.
“What? You had to notice, didn’t you? Alex seemed very… different... around Hina. I think he has taken a liking to her. And she does not at least dislike him… Hine is very direct with expressing dislike…”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah… trust me… But hey… they seem to be a good match… two crazy warriors… and Hina always said that a man for her must at least be her equal in battle… Maybe he is the one to tame the wild wolf… He could have chosen worse… After all, under all the rough exterior lies a very kind and caring girl… don’t tell her I said that…”
“Huh… you think so?”
“Just look at them. At how much they are enjoying slashing at each other… Isn’t that considered flirting among warriors?
Violet looked at them. They really smiled while swinging their weapons at each other.
“Wait… does that mean he has been flirting with every beast and bandit he fought? He is laughing and enjoying the fighting rather often....”, said Violet pensively.
“Those laughs and these smiles are definitely different kinds… or at least I hope… Well, it’s Hina… so the line between those two could get a bit blurred…”
“He really smiles differently…”
They watched them trade blows while eating. Lena came over after a while.
“I think it’s time we get going… I suggest we split up evenly between our two wagons… Caleb you will ride with me.”, she suggested.
“But... I…”, began Caleb.
“You would be happy to? We DO have so much to talk about after all the time we have not seen each other, right?”, finished Lena his sentence.
She touched his shoulder and smiled. Violet had never seen such a lovely but scary smile in her life. Caleb grinned and nodded. Hina and Alex came to them.
“Oh, I see you found yourself a willing training partner, Hina.”, said Lena.
“Yeah, haha… There is someone that can keep up with me after all.”, said Hina and laughed while ruffling Alex’s hair.
Then she went and got the horses ready and fixed them in front of the carriage. Lena pulled Caleb after her and they vanished inside the passenger cabin. Alex just stood there. Still grinning.
“Did you had a fun training session?”, asked Violet and stood up.
“Yeah, very!”, answered Alex.
“Huh…”
Violet started fixing his hair.
“Well, let’s get going…”, she said after finishing.
Violet, Alex and Cera climbed on the cart with Rudy in front and they followed behind Hina, Lena and Caleb with the carriage.
“Caleb said you have a chance with Hina… He thinks she’s interested in you…”, said Violet after a while of silent driving.
She watched his reaction out of the corner of her eyes. Alex turned towards her.
“What? Really? He really said that?”, he said excitedly.
Violet eyebrows went up.
“Are you… interested in her?”, she inquired.
“I… hm… well… I’m definitely not not interested… It’s a bit… complicated…”, Alex admitted.
“Huh…”
They went silent again. Rudy trotted behind the carriage. Suddenly they heard a loud howl and then strange laughing in the woods.
“What is that?”, asked Violet.
Cera had jumped to her feet, bow already in hand.
“Gnolls!”, shouted Hina.
She had stopped the carriage, jumped off and had her sword already in hand.
“Park the cart beside the carriage and get inside! Alex, come to me! They will soon be here!”, Hina ordered.
Alex jumped off and rushed to Hina. Violet stopped the cart beside the carriage. Cera jumped on the roof of it, an arrow already on the bowstring. Violet opened the door and climbed inside. Caleb and Lena looked out of the window and seemed rather relaxed.
“Oh, here to watch the spectacle too?”, said Lena with a grin.
Alex stopped next to Hina. He held his axe ready and looked into the trees. He heard the strange laughing coming closer.
“Ready for a bit of fun?”, said Hina with her wolfish grin.
“Always.”, answered Alex and tilted his head down a bit.
The laughing was very close now. They saw shadows moving between the trees. The first Gnoll, a hybrid beast between a humanoid and some sort of hyena, jumped out of the thicket. Immediately an arrow hit it in it’s weirdly shaped snout and the beast fell. In the next heartbeat a dozen more broke out of the shadows and rushed towards the carriage. Some had rusty swords or axes, others seemed to trust in their beastly claws and teeth. Arrows flew and hitting true. One beast after another fell on the way but more and more emerged from the trees. Hina and Alex began swinging.
“Look at them! They look like they have been fighting together for years!”, said Caleb.
Out of the window they saw a swarm of Gnolls trying to surround Hina and Alex. The two of them swung their weapons wide and rotated themself slowly into the oncoming attack. Not one Gnoll could get anywhere close to them. Either Hina’s sword or Alex’s axe chopped one or two things off, stopping the attacker. Violet watched closely. Somehow, she began to feel annoyed.
“It’s really a pleasure and a privilege to have such capable protectors… right Violet?”, said Lena smiling.
Violet did not answer. Her gaze was still fixed on the scene outside. Alex and Hina were ass to ass. Her tail was placed around his side, touching him. They were very close to each other, but they could swing their weapons freely. Both always seemed to know when to move their body in order to free up space for the other. Violet suddenly felt really annoyed and could not hold it in any longer. She tightened her grip on her staff and kicked the door leading outside open.
“What are you d-“, said Caleb but stopped as soon as she saw her eyes.
Violet jumped out and dashed forward. The first Gnoll she encountered she blasted with a firebolt right into the face, leaving only a smoldering mess behind. A second one wanted to attack her but got hit with two arrows into the neck. With a gurgling sound it went down. Violet dashed onward. She saw Alex and Hina a few meters in front of her. A Gnoll swung his rusty sword against her. Violet dropped down and dodged the weapon. She spun around preparing a Firebolt to fire, but the Gnoll had already an axe stuck in his gut. A hand grabbed Violet and pulled her up.
“What are you doing here?”, asked Alex slightly panicked and wrenched his axe free.
“I’ll fight too!”, answered Violet and shot a Firebolt into an oncoming attacker.
“Get back!”
Alex pushed her out of the trajectory of an attack and cleaved into the side of the Gnoll.
“No! I can help!”, protested Violet and took a step back towards Alex.
“Watch out!”, he screamed.
Alex jumped in front of her. Violet felt something wet sprinkle her face. Alex groaned. Violet saw an axe sticking out of his shoulder. The Gnoll on the other end of the weapon laughed triumphantly only to get immediately silenced by an arrow between the eyes.
“Shit!”, exclaimed Violet.
More blood ran out of the wound after the axe fell out. Alex swung his axe with one hand and planted it in the gut of another Gnoll.
“You okay?”, shouted Hina and began a foray into the enemies, relieving some pressure off Alex.
“All good!”, he shouted back with pressed lips.
Alex turned back to Violet. She stared at his wound.
“I… that… wasn’t…”, she stuttered.
Alex put his axe on the ground and grabbed her with his good arm.
“Violet! The spell!”, he shouted.
“What?”, she said confused.
“The spell! Help me!”
“What? Oh, yeah…”
Violet shook off her panic and began casting the Berserker spell. She touched Alex and began pouring her magical energy inside of him. This time she did not only use her fire element but unconsciously mixed in some wind too. Alex felt the familiar hot but pleasant feeling growing in him. Then he suddenly felt as if a gust of wind blew over his body. Faintly at first but getting stronger and stronger. The flame in him grew with it. From one moment to the next he suddenly felt an inferno burning in him. Every fiber of his body seemed to be engulfed in hot and pleasant flames.
“Thank you.”, he whispered and turned around.
He grabbed his axe with his healed arm and started moving. Faster than he ever had before. Violet watched amazed as Alex moved with incredible speed through the ranks of Gnolls catching up to Hina, leaving split bodies in his wake.
“What the!?”, exclaimed Hina noticing Alex to his side and overtaking her.
“You’re not gonna one up me so easily, little pup!”, she said growling.
Hina let out a loud howl and matched Alex’s speed. Like two tornados made of steel and blood they sliced through the Gnolls, leaving carnage behind. It did not take long after that and the last of them was cleaved into twain.
“Damn little pup! Nice going there!”, said Hina and laughed.
She stepped towards Alex, and he turned around. Hina looked into his eyes and instinctively gripped her sword tighter. Violet dashed past her and grabbed Alex by the shoulder. The inferno in his eyes subsided.
“You okay?, said Alex looking at Violet.
“Yeah, I’m fine… what about you?”, she asked.
“Never been better!”, he answered.
“Good to hear… well we better get going then… In case there are more of them lurking around in the area…”, said Hina and went to the carriage.
Violet and Alex went to the cart. She wanted to help him up, but he brushed her hand to the side.
“I’m fine, really!”, he said and jumped on the coach box.
“You don’t feel sleepy or exhausted?”, Violet asked sitting down next to him.
“No… not really… a bit exhausted, but nowhere near like usual…”
“Interesting.”
Cera jumped on the back of the cart, and they started moving.
“Did you feel anything different this time?”, asked Violet after a while.
“Well… I felt this wind blowing over me… it stoked the flames and spread them through my body in a way… wait… did you?”, said Alex turning towards her in surprise.
“Yeah… this time I used not only fire but wind element too… I just… I don’t really know why, to be honest… sorry…”
“No, all good! It felt… right? It’s hard to describe… but it felt like it was supposed to be… or at least it did not feel bad.”
“Huh… interesting.”
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