Signs of Trouble

“This path should connect to the highway,” Kia stated, facing the party while leading them out of town. “It’s a few miles from here, so it’ll take a while to reach.” She turned around, falling in line with Calum. Tilaya and Erik walked behind them.

Erik had kept his eyes on Kia since they left the infirmary. If she really was a half-demon, there was a high chance she was leading them somewhere dangerous.

Tilaya kept her eyes on the trees surrounding the path, searching for any potential threats. To her relief, there didn’t seem to be any monsters waiting to strike. The group still wasn’t at its full strength yet.

“So, Kia… what’s your story?” Calum asked.

“Huh? My story?”

“Yeah… You know, like how Erik is the foremost swordsman from the capital, Tilaya’s a skilled magic user and the hero’s best friend. What about you?” He pauses, realizing that his question could be taken the wrong way. “Ah, I don’t mean to question your qualifications or anything. I just want to know more about you.”

Kia leaned her head back, thinking. “Well, I’m one of the best assassins where I come from, and I’ve always wanted to be important…” She turns to look at Calum, still matching his stride. “I guess that’s my story.”

“I understand that feeling. Believe it or not, I wasn’t always important. A long time ago, I was mistreated because I was different.”

“Look out!” Tilaya pushed Calum, bringing him to the ground. An arrow whizzed by her head as she fell with him.

Kia speedily brought her dagger up and cut the arrow out of the air. The broken arrow zoomed past her, nearly slicing her cheek.

“Goblins,” Tilaya reported. “Based on the aim, I’d say they’re working for the Demon Lord.”

Erik unsheathed his greatsword, entering a battle stance. He scanned the trees, looking for the enemies.

Tilaya helped Calum to his feet. “I’m sorry I can’t do much right now. If I had my staff I would be able to wipe them all away.”

“It’s okay,” Calum assured, placing a hand on her head. “We’ll get you a stronger staff so you won’t have to worry about relying on your basic spells when we fight the Demon Lord.”

Tilaya smiled warmly and removed Calum’s hand from her head. “We aren’t kids anymore, Calum. Remember?”

“Oh, sorry.” He cleared his throat and turned toward the trees. “Did they leave? It’s a little odd that they haven’t attacked us with anything after a single arrow.”

“That is odd…” Kia stepped off the path and entered the shade of the trees. The overgrowth quickly hid her from view.

“Kia, wait–” Calum started to follow, but Erik stopped him.

“Let her go. It may be a trap.”

Calum couldn’t tell if he meant Kia was setting a trap, or the goblins were. “Alright. I’ll wait for her.”

Minutes passed, and Kia still hadn’t returned. There wasn’t even the sound of battle. Calum began to grow anxious. “You think she’s alright? Maybe I should go after her…”

Just as he was about to check on her, Kia emerged from the trees. As she rejoined the party on the road, she flicked crimson blood from her daggers. “Goblins are easy to take care of.”

A wave of relief crashed over Calum. The thought of losing a party member right after she joined was unbearable.

Erik sheathed his sword, disappointed that he didn’t get any training. “This doesn’t convince me you’re trustworthy. Especially since you left on your own to do it.”

She shrugged. “You could’ve followed me. I wasn’t keeping you away.”

“Whatever. Let’s not delay our journey any farther.”

“How many were there?” Tilaya asked.

“Eh? About thirteen, I think. Could be wrong, though.” Kia stopped a step in front of Tilaya. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s always a good idea to analyze our enemies, even after they’ve been defeated. If they were sent by the Demon Lord, the information we gather could prove useful in the future.”

Kia put her daggers away and stared down the road. “Being attacked right outside of a town, though… That’s a little concerning, don’t you think?” She turned to Calum and awaited his response.

“Oh, yeah. That’s troublesome for the townsfolk. I hope the town won’t be attacked when we’re gone.”

The group resumes their journey. The rest of the trip to the highway was uneventful. Few words were spoken, and enemies no longer disrupted their advance. Erik kept his eyes on Kia, and Tilaya processed everything she knew about the attack in her head.

‘What if the people in that town are killed because they helped me…?’ The thought haunted him. He knew he was destined to bring peace to the world, but people were going to suffer for helping him. Not just the townsfolk, but Tilaya and Erik may meet their end on this journey… He shook his head, clearing his head. There was no need to dwell on depressing thoughts.

It didn’t take long for the hero to reach the highway. The small dirt road connected to a much larger one that stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. On the other side of the highway, grassy plains stretched for miles.

Calum stopped, admiring the scenery. The others stopped behind him. “Well, we don’t have to worry about anything attacking us from that side of the road.”

“Not necessarily,” Kia corrected. “Some enemies can remain unseen until they attack. We must not be too careless.” She pushed past Calum and stepped onto the road. “In the times you least expect an enemy to attack, you must be ready for it to happen.”

“Heh, that’s why I’m here,” Erik commented with a smirk.

Tilaya rolled her eyes. “Everyone needs to be wary, Erik. Not just you.”

“What I’m trying to say is I’m wary of things that you guys are not.” He joined Kia on the highway and waited for Calum and Tilaya to join.

The two friends walked out onto the road. Though his companions didn’t always see eye to eye, it was always fun being with them.

“We just need to follow this road north until we reach the capital,” Calum directed. “Shall we go?”

Just as the group started to move, the dirt under their feet began to swirl around them.

Kia’s eyes widened. "It couldn’t be–”

“What is it, Kia?” Calum and Erik readied their swords for whatever may appear.

The dirt swirled into a large, monstrous form in front of them, around twenty feet tall. The dirt around its fists condensed.

Kia stared at it in disbelief. “A-An elemental!”

The elemental roared, glaring down at the hero’s party.