Chapter 2: Stabbing

The sound of muffled roaring and heaving breathing filled the air.

Their consciousness comes back, slowly but surely.

Through glassy eyes, the knight watched the blurry fight play out in front of them.

They twitched, attempting to get up.

The bear noticed the subtle movement, lunging at the knight once again.

Elara swiftly moves into place, placing her dented sword into its maw. The sword earning itself some extra dents.

Yet she had missed something, the bear had raised its claws again.

DAMN IT. Of course it was a bluff. It knew its bite was useless against armor, so its going to pierce that knight straight through with its claws.

She tried to pull her sword back but it was stuck firmly between the beast's teeth.

No time, no sword, what do I do!? Ahhhhh, why did I decide to not use a shield! Right, of course. Heroes don’t use shields, they always use a single sword in the stories. What a stupid practice, shields can be heroic. haa..I wish I had a shield right now..

Making up her mind, she decided, that since she didn’t have a shield, she had to use the next best thing.

A spray of blood coated the knights armor.

The knights vision finally came into focus.

What appeared before them, was the image of a young girl, standing protecively against a beast several times her size. Perhaps even several sizes bigger than the knight.

Four claws as sharp as scalpels and as long as shortswords, poked out of her back. Piercing through her abdomen and coming out all the way on the other side through her body.

The knight could only stare in shock, as Elara coughed up blood, Looking up at the beast that snarled at her, in something that was the equivalent of a laugh.

Its maw unhinged, opening up around her, prepared to engulf her entire head.

The knight tried to get up, but the pain made them collapse back, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as this girl was about to be devoured.

Yet despite her impending fate, the girl didn’t seem to despair.

Taking a deep shaky breath, she pulled back the sword that had now been released from the beast's maw.

And then she stabbed.

Straight into the beast's exposed maw.

It was a shallow stab, she wasn’t especially strong originally and the blood loss had weakened her further still.

Yet before the beast could react and close its maw. She placed her left arm inside, making sure the maw stayed open.

Even as the sharp fangs bored through her skin.

Then she stabbed.

Again.

And again.

…And again.

She kept stabbing away at the beast that tried desperately to get away, to close its maw, to move back.

Yet the paw whose claws were still pierced through Elaras abdomen would not move.

She had clamped one of her legs around that leg, keeping it from being able to escape through a leg clamp and her abdominal muscles.

With a weak heave, she pressed on.

The arm inside the beast's maw flexed, pushing it open further.

Finally, she had managed to stab through the tough inner mouth layer.

With a final weak stab, she pierced the beast all the way into its brain.

Finally ending its life, its eyes rolling back as the giant beast collapsed with a thud that shook the forest around them.

Tiredly pulling the claws out of herself, Elara stood on weak legs.

The blood loss was severe, her vision was already blurring.

Her hand reaching unconsciously to her belt bag.

A movement so practiced it had become instinct.

Taking out a small vial, she poured it on her wounds.

It smoked and sizzled as if the flesh was being burnt.

Yet she didn’t flinch as she was already unconscious.

Pouring the healing vial over herself was simply an act she was so practiced with that she would do it even in her sleep.

However, it wasn’t enough.

Blood still seeped from the deep wound in her abdomen.

The wounds from the beast's teeth were already making her arm blacken unnaturally rapid.

Unconscious and unaware of her own life slipping quickly from her, she collapsed onto the damp forest floor.

Her blood pooling around her as the grass greedily absorbed it with no heed to her suffering.

–

She awoke suddenly, breathing in precious air that stung her lungs.

“W- the beast! It…huh?”

Blinking in confusion, she looked around, finding the beast already dead next to her.

The sky had already become dark. The forest lit up through the light of the stars and floating fireflies.

As well as another light that did not belong to the forest.

A soft blue light that emanated from a cross shaped staff, held by the very knight she attempted to save.

“Oh…It'’s you. Is that..healing magic. You’re a healer? The weapon you lost was this staff?”

The knight ignored her questions, seemingly concentrating on the healing spell.

“Fine, be mysterious.” She scoffed, then relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being healed.

The sound of crickets and soft hoots of owls felt relaxing as Elara relaxed.

After a while, the blue light disappeared.

She looked at the knight.

“All done?”

The knight nodded, the staff now lowered into their lap.

“So..why were you being chased by that beast?”

“....”

“Why are you a healer but wearing a full set of knight armor?”

“....”

“You’re kind of starting to get on my nerves. No answer even after I saved you? Do you at least have a name..?”

The knight nodded in response to that question.

“Great! What’s your name then? I’m Elara. No last name, since I’m just a peasant originally.”

The knight flinched, but remained silent.

“....”

“...Seriously? I need a name you know. I can’t just call you knight, that’s weird.”

In response, the knight pointed towards the tip of their staff.

“Hm? Staff? What about your staff?”

The knight pointed again, poking the cross at the tip of the staff.

“The cross? You’re a healer, yeah I know. I saw. So what you’re associated with the church” I’m sure church folk still get names though…”

The knight shook their head vigorously.

“Not that? What then?”

They kept poking the cross repeatedly.

“Yes, The cross! What about it!?!”

The knights poking grew more frantic, their arms gesturing around, then pointing towards themselves.

“Cross..you..? Wait, is your name Cross?”

The knight nodded several times excitedly.

“...Not that much better than just calling you knight but okay. Your name is Cross, alright!”

Standing up and stretching, Elara looked up at the night sky.

“Hmmmm..It’s already so late, and we are still in the forest without shelter. We will attract more beasts.”

Cross tilted their head.

“Don’t look at me like that, it's basic common sense. See these scars. A third of them is because I recklessly fell asleep in the forest.”

Cross stared at the countless scars covering her body.

“W..what. Don’t look at me like that. It’s embarrassing.”

She pulled her clothes tighter around herself.

Rubbing the back of their neck, which looked odd due to it being covered in armor, Cross looked away abashedly.

“...You’re so odd, and that says something coming from me.”

Sighing, she shrugged, flexing her healed arm.

“Your healing is really good..didn’t leave any scars. Thanks.”

Cross nodded, still sitting.

“Oh, yeah. What are you under there anyway?”

Cross stared at her.

“Not going to tell me?”

They continued to stare.

“Alright, keep your secrets. I don’t particularly care about your gender or what you look like anyway. What I care about..is getting out of this forest and finding somewhere to wash off all this dried blood.”

She began walking.

“Hmm?”

Elara stopped, looking back.

“Why are you still sitting there? I told you beasts will come for you if you sleep here.”

Cross knocked on their armor in response.

“No, even if you have your armor…you wanted to be chewed on all night..?”

Looking at Cross in disbelief, she sighed.

“Come along, I can show you the way out. Since you seem to utterly clueless.”

Cross tilted their head.

“Stop doing that! Just come!”

Finally fed up, she snapped at Cross. Who promptly got up and followed her.

“Your armor is so loud..I can’t say I’m surprised you got attacked by that beast, being this noisy. When we get to a village we will get you some oil to get those joints to be more quiet.”

Cross raised a hand to interrupt her.

“You don’t seem to have any supplies either, are you an idiot? Sure healing magic is great at staving off physical exhaustion but still. I will get you a bag of supplies too.”

Cross followed her awkwardly attempting to interrupt her.

“Oh and definitely need to get you a side arm of some kind. Even if your main thing is healing. Maybe a sword? Can you swing a sword? No? Even though you wear all that heavy armor? Okay maybe something easy, like a dagger or a baton. What else-”

Every time Cross tried to gesture at her, she promptly ignored them, walking ahead to not see their wild gesturing.

“Don’t worry, It won’t be for free. You can pay me back for all of this with your healing, okay?”

Looking back, she smiled smugly at them.

Cross felt completely at a loss, relenting to her whim, as they slowly made their way out of the forest.