They all stopped as a scream of pain hit the air, tensing up and searching the area around them for enemies. It had been a few days since the wolves, and they were slowly making their way into the Empire of Duluhan, Noelle saying that their destination was past the capitol city and towards the shore. They were still on the outskirts of the empire, where it was less patrolled and mostly barren except a few farms here and there, humans that had decided to live on their own away from the protective walls of the cities. The last few days had been uneventful and quiet, with the vampires too hot to talk much and Elaine still thinking about what happened with the wolves.
The scream came from the direction of the nearest farm, and when it was clear that no enemies were going to pounce on them, they all slowly relaxed, Jack realizing that they were all on edge; they were in unknown territory, with vampires possibly hunting them, wolves larger than they were hiding in the tall grass, and the chance that more humans with their terrifying weapons could either ambush them or attack them for being vampires. There was too many unknowns, and none of them besides Noelle knew the area, making them even more stressed.
Midnight looked towards the farm, pulling Jack from his thoughts as she frowned. "Just one scream, and it was short. I would say it was more from pain than fear, and it was most likely an accident."
"It does not matter." Noelle stated, hitting the ground with the butt of her spear. "We do not need to get involved with every problem that arises. Let the humans deal with their own problem."
Elaine shook her head, turning towards the farm with a look of determination on her face.
"We need to stop thinking like that. What if we need help one day, and everyone that could help thought the same way you do? I am going to see if they need help."
With that the elf walked off, not waiting to see if they would respond. Noelle sighed heavily, shaking her head as the others began to follow Elaine, knowing they couldn't leave her alone. They all walked onto the farm, seeing a few humans standing over a man on the ground, who was clutching his bloody leg and grimacing in pain.
Elaine walked right over without caution, stopping when she reached them as the others hurried to catch up with the elf.
"What happened? Do you need help?"
They turned to look at Elaine, and Jack could see that they were all a family. The injured one appeared to be the youngest, and the gash on his leg looked deep, although it was not bleeding too much, a farm tool called a scythe next to him and covered in blood. The woman appeared to be the mother, and had a baby in her arms. The men had to be her husband and father, as the older man resembled her somewhat, and the younger man stepped in front of the woman on instinct to protect her. It was the old man who spoke up, the only one who was not in a state of panic by the situation.
"The boy here is a damn fool, and was playing with the scythe and hurt himself. Kids these days, I swear they have rocks for brains. He won't die, but if you have any bandages or anything to help the wound, we would really appreciate it."
Elaine smiled at them, the other two seeing her and relaxing as she knelt down to the boy, who was too young for chin hairs but old enough to stare at Elaine as she placed her hands on his leg.
"I can do something even better." she said as her hands began to glow, and the humans gasped loudly as the wound began to close itself, their eyes filled with a mix of awe and fear. Jack looked at each of them, frustrated at how trusting Elaine was; she didn't bother to cover her ears, and used her magic without hesitation. He understood that her kind heart couldn't leave if someone was in need, but she is one of the last elves alive, and needed to be more careful, least she get killed by a vampire or snatched up by slave traders or worse.
Elaine finished healing the boy, standing up and smiling at her handiwork. "It should be as good as new, with no chance of infection or anything that could endanger his life."
The parents thanked her over and over again, the boy simply standing and gaping at Elaine, clearly smitten with her. The old man walked over to the rest of them, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched his family and the elf.
"Been years since I have seen an elf, and even longer since I have seen that golden magic. Unless my eyes are worse than I thought, that elf girl isn't the queen; her daughter maybe?"
Jack noticed that the old man's voice was low enough so that the rest of his family could not hear, something that Jack was grateful for. He slowly nodded, hoping that Elaine's kindness did not come back to bite them in the ass later on. The old man chuckled, seeing the husband run off to get supplies as a thank you despite Elaine's protest, the elf beginning to turn red from all the attention.
"The rest of my kin have no idea who she is, and I won't tell them or pry into your business. It can only be bad news, if the princess of the elves is this far south, and it is better if none of us know anything. Give the elf my thanks, and try to keep her from helping everyone she comes across; not everyone is as kind as we are."
Jack simply nodded again in response, agreeing completely. The old man thanked them again and went back into the house, complaining about his back hurting. The husband and wife pushed supplies into Elaine's hands against her will, insisting that she took what she could carry for healing their son. Once Elaine accepted that the humans would not change their minds they set off, Elaine waving back at them as they started to grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
"Princess, please refrains from doing that again." Noelle said, sighing as Elaine pouted and continuing. "Not only are you risking yourself, but you risk their lives as well. You are most likely being hunted, and just because we escaped your kingdom, that does not mean we are safe."
"I have not seen anyone behind us the entire time, and there is no where to hide here in the plains. I only healed the boy's leg; everything is fine."
Noelle said nothing, shaking her head and walking ahead of the rest. Jack looked at Elaine, who crossed her arms and got a stubborn look on her face. He hoped that she was right, and nothing bad would come of such a small gesture of kindness.