Chapter 37: Soup.

"Tell me, what happens to my father or else!" The black-haired elf girl jam the makeshift knife deeper into the man in front of her.

Nesto notices the elf girl had the same resemblance to the bounty hunter he had killed. Her black, silky, smooth hair almost covers her raging face as she tries to jab the knife deeper into Nesto gut. He let out a painful grunt as he feels the knife went deeper into his gut.

"You're his daughter."

"Tell me!" She yells out.

"Nesto!" Neya screams, and she was about to rush the elf girl when her butler raised his hand, stopping her from doing so.

"I kill your father," Nesto confess.

The black-haired elf girl screams her anger out when she about to jam the knife deeper, but Nesto grabs her hands before she could do it. Her strength was no match for the man holding her hands, but that didn't stop her from struggling to push the knife even deeper.

"I'm sorry, I had too," Nesto said calmly.

"You murder my father!!" The elf girl screams as tears flow down her cheeks, she felt useless and rage. She wanted to kill the man that murder her father.

The expression on her face, remind him of someone. He shakes that thought away and focuses on the knife in his gut.

"I don't know who you are, but listen to me!" Neya calls out to the black-haired elf girl.

"It won't change what you feel inside, it won't disappear after you kill him. Believe me, the pain, the anger, and despair will still be there, and killing him won't make it gone," Neya said while both of her hands turn into fists.

Nesto notices his master words seem to catch the black-haired elf girl attention because her struggle begins to calm down while she listens to Neya words.

"What do you know about my pain!!?" The black-haired elf girl screams.

"I know because I been where you are right now, the reason why I order him to kill the slave trader, was because that man used to torture me, and he enjoys it. I watch him smile while he makes me suffer for a long time. And when he died, the pain he caused me won't go away," Neya said while tears begin to appear on her eyelids.

"So believe me when I say, It's not worth it!" Neya yell.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" The black-haired elf girl screams as Neya words tug the string of her heart.

She screams again, then let go of the knife, and make a run toward the forest. Vizrez was about to catch her when Nesto stops her by raising his hands. Neya was about to rush to her butler to check on his wound when he stops her too. He watches as the black-haired elf girl disappears into the forest.

"I'm sorry, but can I have some alone time... Just a couple moment to myself, please," Nesto said with a painful look then he starts walking toward the lake.

Neya places her right hand on the upper half of her left arm as she looks at her butler walking away and take a seat near the lake, alone. What has she done, she wanted her butler to live a life without violence, but the moment she loses control, she did the opposite thing.

"Uhm, excuse me... Miss?" A man voice calls out to her from behind.

She let out a breath, calming herself before turning around. She turns around, her eyes meet a male wolics and a male human standing side by side. Neya examines the human male—The man had a chestnut, short hair, wild face, and blues eyes.

Then she looks at the wolics, she had to admit that this is the first time she ever met one— Some would say to describe a wolics is try to imagine a fox standing two legs like an elf, yet their body is cover with fur. Its face has a snout and the only thing that the wolics had a common characteristic with other race is their humanoid body shape while the other part of their body closely resembles a fox.

This one had an orange color fur mix with white in a certain area on his body, he had yellow animalistic eyes, and a few whiskers poking out from his snout.

"Yes?" Neya ask.

"We wanted to thank you on the behalf of the slaves you free," the human male bows his head in thanks.

"I didn't... Let me tell you the truth, I didn't try to release you people at first, I only wanted to kill... The slave trader," Neya sigh.

"And yet, you did free us when you had a choice to leave us behind," the wolics comment.

"Fine, I accept your thanks," Neya said.

"What's your name?" Neya asks the two of them.

"Za Nua, you call me, Za," the wolics answer.

"My name is Grie. Grie Dawnorb, a pleasure to meet you," the human nod his head as to show his respects.

"My name is Neya... Just Neya," she introduces herself to both of them.

"We have a request for you, Miss Neya," Grie said.

"What request?" Neya ask.

"All the humans wish to stay with you, including me," Grie said.

"I'm the same with him including the elf boy back there, and I rather not go back home right now," Za gestures his head to the shy looking elf boys behind him with short blonde hair, and thick bangs that are covering his eyes.

The elf boy notice Neya is looking straight at him, he looks away and walks in a circle to hide from her sight. As he gets more nervous the faster he walks in a circle until he accidentally causes himself to dizzy out of control and fall face first on the grass ground. Neya raises her eyebrows in disbelief on what just happen, and let out a smile then look back at the two people in front of her.

"Why you don't want to go back home?" Neya asks the wolics.

"I'm from Sanestria you see, and that kingdom is currently on the verge of civil war," Za answers.

"What about you?" Neya asks the human.

"We humans have no place to call home, to begin with. So we have no place to go back too, we rather stay here with you than survive out there by our self," Grie answers.

"Me?" Neya ask.

"Yes, we can tell that you are a kind master, and we wish to serve under you," Grie said as he lowers himself to his knee.

"Look, I'm not going to make you humans my slave," Neya said.

"May I ask why not, Miss Neya?" Grie ask.

"I don't take people as my slave, I just don't," Neya points out.

"What about him?" Grie looks at Nesto that is sitting near the lake by himself.

"His... Different," Neya said.

"Please, Miss Neya. Please let us stay under your wings," Grie plead.

"Fine! I can lead you or whatever, just stand up," Neya said then Grie stands up from the ground with a smile on his face.

"But anytime you people want to leave, just leave," Neya said and both of them nod their head.

"What now, Chief?" Za ask.

"Now, find me a map. I need to know where we are," Neya said.

"Alright, Chief," Za said as he walks toward the caravan in search for the map.

Vizrez let out a yawn as the conversation between Neya and the others bored her, so she laid down on the grass plain to take a short nap. Za came back with a roll-up piece of parchment paper, he gave the map to Neya, and she unrolls it. She examines the map and found out that they are at the lake in the forest— east from the town of Grimsby.

Za takes a peek at the map, "Oh shit... We are in the Woodfolk area, that's not good."

"Woodfolk?" Neya ask.

"They are bad people, Chief. From what I heard from the guards, Woodfolks are barbaric people, they ate people, attack anything in sight, and it is useless to speak to them because they don't talk in common tongue. No offense, Grie," Za explains.

"It's okay. Woodfolk is actually humans that live in the wild, but don't mistake them with us, they are more aggressive just like Za explain," Grie said.

Neya look at the map again, "That's good, we can use this place to set up camp because they won't dare enter the forest to find you guys, but we do need to set up a defense around the camp just in case the Woodfolk start attacking us or wild animal or even worse beast," Neya said.

"So what's is your plan, Chief?" Za ask.

"Check the rations, checks the tools, count how many people that can build, build a wooden spike wall surrounding half of the lake, and clean the wagons to used as temporary sleeping quarters," Neya laid out the plans.

"All this today?" Za ask.

"No," she looks at the gathering humans, they look tired and restless.

"Give them some time to rest first, I will try to find a way to prepare some foods for them to eat, and you both need some rest too," Neya said.

"Thank you, Miss Neya," Grie bow his head and walks away toward the gathering humans.

"Thank you, Chief," Za said as he follows Grie from behind.

After both of them gone, Vizrez comment while taking a nap, "Are you going to talk to him?"

"No, not right now, later," Neya said, then she placed her butt on the grass plain while staring at her butler from afar.

*

His eyes closed, the sound of wind bushing against the tree, the water ripples from the slightest touch, and the warm sun above his head. His mind calm and empty from the extreme, confusing emotions. There was a time when he doesn't care who died by his blade, but recently, there is something rising inside of him, something long and forgotten.

A memories flash in front of his eyes like a moving painting, Vesstan the bounty hunter on his knees in front of him, then Nesto jabs his sword through the elf heart.

"My daughter is waiting for me," Vesstan said as blood drips from his mouth.

In his mind, Nesto closes his eyes, and when he opens it again. Vesstan was replaced by Eilna, she looks at him with disappointment in her eyes. Neya let go of the saber and took a step backward as his head begins to throb painfully.

"You promise we will be together... What happens Nesto, Why you left me to die?" Eilna tries to reach him with her hands.

Eilna was replaced again by Vesstan daughter, "MURDERER! MONSTER!!"

She glares daggers at him with her hatred fill eyes. The same eyes— Vesstan daughter change again into Neya, his own master. She had the same eyes when she orders him to kill that slave trader.

'Am I the same as that evil elf?'

Nesto was snap back at reality when someone pokes his shoulder, he opens his eyes and saw the beautiful lake in front of him. He turns his head to find the same little girl that ask him for help from earlier, but he chooses to ignore her instead of helping her.

She had a smile on her face while she hides something behind her back. The human girl that way younger than his master had a black, frizzy hair clumsily hangs over a round, happy face.

"For you," the girl shows him a crown made from Claryfair flowers.

"Me?..." Nesto ask.

"It's... It's for freeing us," The girl said while her smile shows no sign of calming down.

"I kill people... People that are somebody else fathers, brothers, sisters, mother. Aren't you scared of me?" Nesto whispers as he raises his blood-soaked hands, the girl seems to be unable to hear his word clearly.

A sudden growl came from the girl's stomach in front of him, causing her cheeks to blush red in embarrassment. "How long has it been since you ate something?" Nesto ask.

"Three days..." The girl answers as her face turns to gloomy.

"After I wash my hands, Let's get something to eat," Nesto said.

"What about the crown?" The girl looks at the crown in her hands.

Nesto also looks at the flower crowns, and once again, he could hear Eilna voice, instead of words of disappointments, this time she is cheering for him to keep living. The man hearing the cheers usually lift his spirit up, but this time, it just won't do anymore. He let out a sigh.

He takes the crown and places it on the girls head, "You wear it. The crown doesn't look good on me," Nesto said with a smile.

He washes his hand in the river, cleaning his hands from blood and dirt. Then he took the girl hand that is waiting for him and walk toward the caravan.

"What is your name?" Nesto ask.

"Nel Binirsk," The girl answers.

Neya looks at him from afar, sadness and guilt flow inside of her heart, but there is also joy when she sees him walking back here.

Nesto went straight to the rations supplies, he looks at the ingredient and thinks of a good meal for all of them. Something easily digestible after long days of starvation.

"A soups sound good right about now. What do you think?" He asks Nel.

"I like soup!" Nel said while licking her lips with anticipations.

And just like that Nesto decide the food will be soups for tonight, he alone prepares the meals in a short time. His hands were quick as the wind while he chops the vegetable, and grinds the herbs. Many of the humans gather to watch Nesto prepare the meals, then all of them begins to drool when the delicious smell of the soup escape when Nesto lifts the lids up.

He serves them the soups and after that, everyone took a long sleep while Vizrez and Nesto take turns to stand guards. It was a cold night but luckily everyone managed to get the heat from the campfire and there was a good amount of blanket for all of them.

During that night, Nesto buried the dead bodies of the slave trader and guards with the help of Vizrez.