Urvi charged at the two screaming at the top of her voice. The two men dropped the little girl and looked at Urvi stunned. Before they could even react, Urvi was on top of them, ready to bring her axe down when one of the men thrust their hand towards her, blasting her into the air.
She came crashing down to the ground just before me. "Urvi!" I exclaimed as I helped her up. Her teeth were clenched, and her face was squeezed. I could feel the rage she harbored at the moment.
The men walked out of the borrow, their features were clearer now. Both were somewhat scrawny and on the shorter side. Their brown skin was as dark as mine. Each wore a black mask with white accents around the eyes. It covered half their face, exposing their mouths. Each had only a black skirt, cut in strips, covering their nether regions while small ornaments covered their bodies.
They looked at each other's faces before turning back to us. The man on our left thrust his palm towards us. Suddenly a stream of forest debris flew in our direction. I reacted quickly casting a protect before us. The debris smashed into the shield and bounced off harmlessly.
"Karna, cover me," she said and dashed towards them.
I cast a weak decimate spell towards them and as expected they dodged it. However, Urvi had reached them before they could recover. She immediately turned towards the man to her left and swung her axe in his direction. He tried to get underneath the swing but couldn't fold completely. The axe cut into his shoulder, sending him tumbling down.
The other man, behind her, cast a spell at her. I countered by casting yet another protect, saving her. "Take care of him, I will deal with this guy," I shouted.
Urvi charged towards her target who was struggling to get off the ground, while I charged towards mine.
My enemy turned his attention towards me. He readied himself, holding his hands out with the palms facing me. Whoever these people were, they seemed to be proficient in magic.
I stopped a few paces before him, trying to anticipate what his next move was. However, my limited knowledge of magic made this move a useless one.
Circles began to form around his hands, glowing bright red, with odd symbols floating around them. Just looking at the creepy red glow made my heart shiver. The symbols began to collect at the center before a red bean shot out from the circle.
As the beam approached me, I felt like death was approaching me. Instinctively, I cast a protect. The beam slammed into it and bounced off it harmlessly.
It took me a second to process. But… "You are fucking weak!" I cried out. I saw his eyes widen with fear.
"Let's make this short." I cast a tranquil his way, stunning him for a brief moment. Now that he was incapacitated, I sent a decimation ball, packed with a serious punch, his way. His burnt body flew into the air and crashed into the forest floor.
My thoughts immediately turned to Urvi. She stood a few paces away from where I was. Her axe was slick with blood and the corpse, with his chest open, laid on the ground before her.
She spat on him and said, "Piece of shit."
***
The girl shivered in fear, her eyes were wide and her lips trembled. She thin and looked pretty weak. Her brownish skin was accompanied by shabby dull black hair. The navy blue cloth that was wrapped around was torn in places and red marks littered her body. I could only imagine the fear that was eating away at her heart.
Urvi bent over and with a soft smile she said, "hey there little girl. Are you okay?"
The girl didn't answer, her body continued to shiver.
I knelt down on my right knee and extended my arm, "it is alright. We won't hurt you."
She took a step back and for a second I was afraid she was going to gun it. But her instead body froze in fear.
"Don't worry," Urvi said as she extended her hand as well, "we will take you home."
We waited patiently. The little girl took her time, slowly taking step forward before grabbing onto Urvi's hand. Urvi tugged her in and the girl let her. She grabbed her underneath her armpits and lifted her into the air, before placing her on her hip. The girl instantly wrapped herself around Urvi tightly as Urvi gently brushed her hair.
"What is your name?" I asked as I got back on my feet.
The girl didn't answer.
"Don't worry. He is your friend too," Urvi said.
The girl still didn't respond.
"Let's give it some time. Poor thing is shaken to her core," Urvi said.
"Yes. We will just rest for now," I said.
"Good idea. And let us get out of this place," Urvi said. "It reeks of blood."
***
We gained a good distance from the burrow and settled down at the base of an old tree. The roots of the tree erupted from the ground, forming waves of roots running across the ground. Urvi sat on one which blended into the tree trunk seemlessly. Her back pressed against the trunk while her legs streached along the root comfortably. The girl rested on her Urvi's torso, seemingly to slipped into deep slumber. Urvi too remained silent as she embraced the child. Her eyes were shut but her right hand gently brushing the girl.
I sat much further down diving deep into the tome. I figured I would get some more reading done while the daylight was still out.
***
By the time the girl woke up, it was pitch dark. She found herself on Urvi's folded legs, while we sat before warm campfire.
"Look who is finally up?" I said.
The girl rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light. She then curiously observed my face before turning to Urvi's and then just fell quiet.
"What's wrong dear?" Urvi asked.
The girl shook her head.
"What's your name?" I asked, making my voice as soft as I could.
"Si... Sierra..." the girl said.
"Hi Sierra! My name is Urvashi!" she said in a playful tone. "And that is Karna. We are your friends."
She looked at us helplessly, unsure of what to say. "Are you hungry?" I asked. The girl nodded.
I dug into the inventory and pulled out some rations. I figured it would be easier for the child that meat, though I am sure even that would not have been a problem. As I extended my hand to pass it over, the girl hesitated to take it.
"Go on. It is yummy!" Urvi said.
The girl took it, with great caution. She observed the block very carefully before taking a bite of it. Minutes later, the little devil devoured the entire thing.
"Was it good?" Urvi asked.
The girl nodded. Her lips formed a faint smile.
"Where are your parents?" I asked.
The girl took a second to answer but it was really short. "I don't know."
"Where were you when the mean-looking men took you?" I asked.
The girl fell silent. We weren't sure if she was trying to think or if she was afraid to talk about it.
"We don't need to talk about it. You sleep dear, okay?" Urvi said.
She laid down again, placing her head on Urvi's lap before curling into a ball.
"Any luck with the map?" Urvi asked.
I had been trying to see if the map showed any villages nearby, but alas that was not to be. "No. Nothing at all."
"What do we do now?"
"We go east. The tracks left by the merchant must be still fresh," I said.
"That's brilliant. He said the village was not far off too."
"Yes. Let's start first thing in the morning."
***
The journey to the nearest village next day was much better than we anticipated. Sierra appeared to be much brighter and more trusting. She wore a thin smile on her face when I offered her to ride on my back.
"Are you enjoying the piggyback ride, Sierra?" Urvi asked, as she walked behind yes.
I tried to look back, hoping to catch a glimpse of her expression. But Sierra didn't say anything, instead tightening her embrace around my shoulders.
"Think so. Still a little too shy too talk," I said turning back.
"No worries, we will wear those wall down slowly," Urvi replied.
"If we manage to find someone who can help us in the village, she won't be hanging around us for long," I said.
"No..." Urvi replied, sulking.
We walked from dawn to afternoon. No monsters or animals or any men with mask crossed our paths. The route we followed also appeared to have been treaded multiple times. I guessed most dangers stay off the main path here.
As drew closer to the village, we could see more and more people on our path. Small huts littered the periphery of the village, with people dressed in black clothing. Men wore black loincloth and were mostly bare chest or had a black cloth wrapped around while some women wore black tribal skirts and a black band around their breasts.
The village was surrounded by a wall of thick wooden logs, with a gate wide enough for a large cart cutting into the wall. Two men guarded the gate on each side, each held a spear.
"Stop!" the guard told us. We did as instructed. "State your business."
Very formal. I must be just hearing live translation. "We are travellers. Just passing through the village," I said.
"They must be players," said the other guard. I see looks like everyone is aware of people like us.
"In that case, you can pass. But you must follow the rules. No harnessing, no stealing, stay away from any building in the center, do not cause any ruckus. The market is on the other side of the village. The local healer is to the east. You cannot meet the officials unless you have a document. If you wish to speak to any, you must visit the magistrate who stays near the market. Do I make myself clear?" the guard explained.
"Absolutely yes," I said.
"You may enter."
We walked in cautiously. I have never been used to such strict rules and it was a bit nervous. Looking back, I could see the discomfort in Urvi's face too.
"Don't worry, we will go to the magistrates office and see what they will say," I explained.
"Right..." Urvi replied, nervously.
The path cut through the small village, reaching the other side where the Magistrate was supposed to be. The village was made up of small and medium sized huts, whose walls were made of brick and mortar and covered on top by thatched roof. The roads were paved with gravel mud. You could practically smell the countryside here.
We reached the supposed office, yet another small circular hut with maroon clay walls and conical thatched roof. There was no door to knock at, so we just peeked in. Inside was an elderly man, sitting on the floor with his legs folded up. In front of him was a wooden desk, that was raised a foot or so above the ground. He appeared busy scribbling something onto parchment.
"Excuse me, sir," I said.
The old man looked up, revealing his wrinkled face and long greying hair. The bits and pieces of jewelry that adored his body shone under the sunlight coming through the doorway. His eyes blinked hard before he asked, "yes? Who is it?"
I took a step in and said, "we are travellers." I was still not accustomed to calling ourselves as players. "On our path we managed to save a little girl. She seems lost. Would you kindly help her reach home?"
"Oh. Is that so?" the officer replied. Sierra squeezed me. "Come here. Let me see."
I cautiously walked up to him and set the girl down beside the table. Sierra appeared to be a little reluctant. She was once again shivering. The officer closely observed her before turning to us. "Don't worry. I heard a father was looking his lost daughter today morning. We will make sure she reaches him." He wore a big smile on his face.
Urvi and I breathed a sigh of relief. "That is good to hear."
"Hear that? You will be going home, Sierra," Urvi said.
"No..." Sierra said, her voice trembled. "Please don't go."
Urvi squatted down and said, "don't worry dear. Officer here will take you home."
"No, he won't. He will kill me," Sierra said.
A cold shiver shook my heart on hearing what Sierra said.
"No Sierra! This man isn't going to hurt you. He is here help you," Urvi said, trying to calm little Sierra down.
"No... he will kill me," Sierra replied. Beads of tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Maybe we should take her for the moment," I said.
"What?" the officer replied. His voice got aggressive and his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you trying to steal the child from us!"
"Just to calm the child," I said, trying to clarify.
"There is no need! We will take care of her." His grip around her arm tightened. My blood boiled on seeing that. He reached down and grabbed a few copper coins before tossing it at Urvi.
Her lips twisted into a frown. "Let her go... sir," she said, her voice was ice cold.
"The child is scared of you. She is scared of you more than us... strangers," I said.
"Gaurds!" the office shouted.
I immediately put my hand up, casting a tranquil at the officer. He suddenly spaced out and his grip weakened.
"Sierra come!" Urvi said. Sierra broke free from her grip and ran into Urvi's embrace.
Urvi stood up with Sierra safely in her arms. We immediately turned around and walked out. To our left, two men, with spears in their hands were approaching. Luckily the shortest exit was to our right. As soon as we turned, one of them shouted, 'stop right there!"
We didn't, instead picked up pace and jetted in the market. The lanes of the market criss crossed, creating a maze. "Urvi, don't lose sight of me," I said as I tried to guide her through the convoluted market place.
The villagers looked at us in confusion but no one stopped us, instead clearing the way for us. I tried to make sense of where we were going, trying to gauge where the damned exit was. But I new I had to ask someone here.
I came to a sudden hault, Urvi did the same. Turning a man sitting on a raised wooden platform, I asked, "good sir. Could you tell me where the east gate is?"
"Turn left over there," he said, pointing ahead of us. "Then a right. Keep going striaght and you will find another right that will take you to the exit."
"Thank you very much!" I said and we ran.
Following the man's instruction, we made it to the gate. Two more guards stood at the gate on the other side. We slowed down our pace as we walked passed the guards. My heart trembled in fear, but neither I nor Urvi we looked back as we vanished into the forest ahead.
***
I lost track of far we walked. The only thing I could think of was getting away from the village as fast as we could. By the way we slowed down and looked back, we were on the brink of exhuastion.
"Why don't we rest for a while?" I asked panting.
"Gladly," Urvi replied, setting Sierra down before flopping onto the forest floor. I took a seat beside Sierra, who appeared a little shaken though seemed much calmer than before.
"Why did you think the old man was going to kill you, Sierra?" I asked.
"Because he had the mark of a bear," she said.
Mark of a bear? What does that mean? "What do you mean?" I asked.
She twisted her right arm, revealing a tattoo on the inside of her forearm. On closer inspection, it looked like a bird. "Is that your mark?" I asked.
"The mark of a sparrow," she said nodding.
Urvi popped back up and looked at the tattoo. "What do the tattoos mean?"
"Probably tribes," I said. "Is he from a different tribe?" I asked Sierra.
"I don't know. Mom told me that anyone with Mark of bear will try and kill me." There was sadness in her eyes.
"Damn. Well, we stay away from anyone having a bear tattoo and find a village with a bird tattoo," Urvi concluded.
***
With daylight fading, we decided to setup camp a little further east. There was an underlying fear of getting caught by the villagers, eventhough we were confident we could overpower them.
"You eat meat?" Urvi asked Sierra.
Sierra nodded. We sighed in relief as we had ran out of rations and out only source of food was the deer meat. She immediately began to tear away the cooked meat, feasting with hunger of a wild cat.
"We need to do some more hunting tomorrow. Otherwise we won't last for another two days," Urvi said.
If we hadn't had to flee the village, the market would have been a great place see what our coppers could have bought us. "Agreed. Let's do that first thing in the morning."
"You okay with it?" she asked.
"Like I said. We need to adapt."
***
"Fuck that bastard is fast!" Urvi grunted as she ran behind the deer. The dee was hoping around in circles, appearing as though it was mocking her for lack of speed. But it was probably just confused.
"You know you can cast spell, right?" I said. I stood by the side watching over Sierra, who was watching Urvi with wide eyes.
"I know..." Urvi grunted once again. She stopped and prepared to cast a decimation spell. But by the time she could, the deer seemed to have vanished into the bushes. "Fuck!"
"Urvi! We have a child!" I exclaimed with a tinge of playfulness.
"Sorry," she replied panting. She put down the axe and wiped the sweat off her mouth. "We need to look for another one I guess."
Suddenly the shriek of the deer echoed through the air as it fled from bushes and crashed into the ground before us. The deer was dead on arrival, its limbs crushed and twisted. I instinctively covered Sierra's eyes, protecting her eyes from the gore.
Thundering steps shook the ground beneath us as a mighty green Orc appeared through the bushes, this time armed with a heavy wooden mace. It looked exactly like the one from before, just a little bigger.
"Whoa! Urvi..." I began as I tried to formulate a plot.
However, she interrupted me. "If you don't mind. I want to take this one on myself." She seemed pissed off and wanted to blow off some steam.
"Go for it," I replied.
As prepared herself with the axe and Saber, the Orc approached her calmly. It didn't roar nor make any aggressive gesture, which made it all the more menacing. "This thing looks mean. You sure you going to be okay?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it," she replied.
The Orc drew first. It held on the mace with both hands and swung it towards Urvi. Urvi, however, disappeared in a flash. "Where did she go?" Sierra asked.
"Look up," I said.
Urvi had launched herself into the air, gaining the higher ground. The Orc looked around for the woman before looking up and seeing her coming down on to him. He blocked the stab with his armoured left arm, the blade barely made a dent. Urvi bounced off his hand and landed on the ground on one knee.
"Get rid of its armor," I said.
"Got it." Urvi got back up and stood in a star pose. As the Orc approached her, she stood still. I wondered for moment what she was doing but it didn't take long for me to realize that she was raising her mana well.
Casting with both hands armed can seem impractical. But one of the perks of dual wielding skill it that it allows the user to channel the mana throught weapons as they are essentially an extension of her hands. This meant that Urvi could now cast with her blades.
She dashed towards the Orc, who replied by bringing the mace onto her. Urvi dodged the mace by jumping to her right, but he followed it up by sweeping the mace in a circle.
She encircled the Orc, trying to get behind him, but failed to do so. The Orc made sure to not expose his back to her. This forced her hop back and out of the range of the sweep. While he was still recovering from the sweep, Urvi casted a weak decimation spell through her Saber, right at his head.
The Orc was caught off-guard and stumbled backwards. She used this window to slide underneath his legs and get behind him. With one quick slice, she cut off the belt holding the armour in place.
The Orc countered by trying to smack her with his free hand, but she blocked it with her hands, throwing her off.
By the time she gained her footing, the Orc was charging towards her. His armour was loose and rattling as he ran. Urvi grinned as she quickly casted another decimation spell and as planned he blocked it his armoured arm. The armour came loose and flew into the air, landing on the ground a few feet away.
Urvi charged towards him before engaging in a series of slashes. The orc countered with solid blows from his mace, some which she blocked but a few others she couldn't.
The Orc was now bleeding all over with deep cuts from Urvi's blades. It stumbled back as it panted. It tried to regain the strength to lift the mace back up, but Urvi found her opening as she used her remaining strength to slice the belly of the beast open.
Blood and guts splattered out of his wound before her fell to the floor with a dull thud. Urvi wiped the sweat and blood off her lips with smile. Meanwhile, Sierra watched the whole battle with stunned eyes and a dropped jaw.