The next morning, we walk while searching for a river. After two hours, I finally find one. We bathe and I wash my clothes and my coat. They might look old, but at least they should stay clean, or I will look even more suspicious. I see bushes near the river with red fruits on them. Sweet. I go and take them, but I eat them, they are sour. I wonder what kind of fruit it is. Still, I am hungry, so I can be picky.
While I am eating fruits, my clothes are drying on the rocks, and K'nor is playing with the fish, trying to catch them with his big mouth. Although I was mocking him, he manages to catch one after a while, but he immediately gulps it down. After two hours, I dress up, and we continue walking, going nowhere.
***
We have been walking like that for one week now. I went to talk with Cissa once or twice. The inner soul is looking better and better, the leaves on the tree are gradually growing back. She kept saying that I should find her brethren, even though I don't know where to start. It became annoying so I didn't go anymore. My Angas came back yesterday. So now, we can restart traveling at a normal pace.
But I got used to strolling, so I will continue like that unless there is something important. In the afternoon, while I am resting on a tree, K'nor goes somewhere. I close my eyes to sleep, but then I hear some screaming. When I use Angas, I can hear a lot of heartbeats: one, two…. Twelve people are running. Or one and eleven, there is one that is ahead of the others. After a short while, I see a girl running and hiding in a bush near the tree where I am, then eleven guys appear. Bandits. They are dressed up poorly, their faces are dirty and ugly for most of them, and their weapons are crude, mostly wood maces, only two of them have one-hand swords.
"Come on, girl. We bought you for a good price, so let us have our fun already."
"Yeah, hihihi. We won't hurt you too much, AHAHAHA!!"
"Speak for yourself."
That scenario, I know it. I have lived it before: Tatradum. Thinking about it, I feel the rage boiling inside me, but I control myself. Suddenly, the girl tries to run and that's when I finally see her face, it is the girl from the guild, Anriette Kolil. What is she doing here? I mean, she didn't die? The bandits catch her, and two of them pin her down.
"Let me go!!"
"Oi, no biting!" one guy smacks her mouth with his mace, making her spit blood and some of her teeth.
"Argh!!"
"Don't hit her too much. Or we won't be able to sell her afterward."
While she is trying to resist, they just tear her clothes apart until there is only her underwear left. Even her breasts are exposed.
"Help! Please, somebody help!"
"Like there would be anybody here! Shut up!" Another guy slaps her hard. Then he starts touching her exposed breasts.
"P-please help." She keeps calling for help but in a low voice this time.
I look at the whole thing happening without moving even a muscle. If you want to blame somebody, blame yourself for being weak. That's why you are in this situation right now. Helping you would just be a burden for you, and you will betray me anyway.
When they finally remove her underwear, she kicks one of them, breaking his nose. But it is meaningless. The others hold her legs and spread them open for everybody to see.
"Wouhou!! That what I call pink guys!!"
"Oh yeah!!"
"I called dibs, you dumbass!! What are you doing?!" While one of them is removing his pants, he is stopped by another one.
"Like order counts, I fuck her first!!" Then they start a fistfight, and the guy who was removing his pants gives an excellent uppercut to the other one, sending him to the fairyland.
Nobody else tries to fight him. He removes his pants, exposing his genitals. Anriette starts crying even more, doing everything she can to move, and even start pissing herself. The guys just continuously punch her in the stomach until she finally settles down, her face distorted and covered with blood.
"Oh, don't worry. It won't hurt after a while." When he approaches and touches her inner thigh, she trembles like a leaf. "Let's enjoy oursel-"
"Tch. If on… Oh shit!! Run!!" Behind him, a guy screams and starts running like he saw a monster. Ah, he did, K'nor has come back. And at the worst possible timing.
When they turn and see him, all of them flee in a hurry, leaving everything there, the naked guy even left his pants and ran with his genitals exposed. While K'nor approaches, I look at the girl, and she is shaking her head while crying, maybe because she didn't have any more energy in her legs, she doesn't get up and just stays on the ground. When K'nor reaches her, she screams a bit and wet herself again.
"I guess I might as well do something."
I get down from the tree and approach her. When she sees me, she starts shaking her head, what is she refusing? Ah, she is trying to tell me to run.
"You busy body. You could have waited until they finish." She keeps shaking her head until I touch K'nor head and pat him.
She faints after that. I didn't want to get involved, but I suppose it cannot be helped.