Though she was still not fully convinced that this halfling wasn't a threat, Rhen slowly lowered her sword.
She kept her eyes on the helmeted figure though, not even blinking.
"Well," said Victor and stepped up next to her,
"We have killed these... brigands, and we could surely kill you as well if need be. I see no harm in listening."
Rhen nodded some, and let the tip of the sword rest against the road.
"You are here to help us, you say? How?"
The halfling stood up straight, folding his hands behind his back.
His sallet and pauldrons gave him a slightly slouched posture, even in this position.
"First, some information," he said,
"Then a choice."
Rhen felt the halfling's gaze on her for a moment, before the steel-covered face turned to regard Victor for a moment.
"First of all, the two of you are in danger. These handsome gentlemen you've killed are but one group of many. And I can guarantee that right now, there are many of them in the woods around us - all looking for you."
"Why would they be looking for us?" asked Rhen, doubt in her voice.
It made no sense.
"Because you are outlanders." answered the halfling,
"And outlanders are worth quite a lot of coin to them. See, these idiots are called Hunters, and they are the lowest ranks of the soldiers of the city of Korr Dalgan - we call them Greycloaks. I am sure you can guess why."
The halfling glanced to the fallen Hunters, and shrugged.
"Of course, the Hunters are just a violent militia made up of scum and lowlives. Their purpose is to keep the villages outside of the city in check, and to hunt Darkened Ones in order to bring them to the city. Make no mistake though! If these pieces of trash had actually taken you two to Korr Dalga, you'd have faced a grim fate. Especially you, lass."
The last words were directed at Rhen, and she furrowed her brows a little.
"So... they don't like Orientals. That became pretty clear. But you called us Darkened Ones - what does that mean?"
She had an inkling about it, and if she was right, then they were probably in a whole lot of trouble.
The halfling went on to confirm her fears:
"Darkened Ones are outlanders, who are transported to this land through something called Darkening. I'm sure you realize what I'm talking about."
Rhen nodded slowly at that, and was about to ask another question, when Victor cut in:
"So we have been shifted. From one place to another, by this magical phenomenon called Darkening."
It was a conclusion, not a question.
The halfling nodded his helmeted head.
"Yep. And to make it worse, you've not just been jumped a few miles. You're no longer in your own world."
"That's not possible," said Rhen, though she doubted her own words. The halfling's explanation fit a little too well.
"You're not being honest with us, are you?
"I believe that he is, sister." Victor answered for the small man.
"In theory, Realmshifting is possible, and it fits what happened earlier. Though this is very much bad news... tell us, halfling, how do we leave and go back to our own world?"
The halfling shrugged at the question.
"Beats me. Far as I know, no one has left this world - unless you count dying, of course."
Rhen felt her heart in her throat now.
They were stuck here? With no way to leave?
That thought was more than horrible, and she heard her own breath shake slightly.
Would they never be able to see their family again...? And what of her pilgrimage with her grandfather? Her Ascension?
"Calm yourself, Rhen." said her brother and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We are Amerials, and our House is not known to give up this easily, are we? If there is a way to get here, then there is a way to leave."
He sounded certain. Calm. And it helped.
The whole thing was still unfathomable though, at least to her.
But at least she was here with her brother - and even though they had never been close, his presence did calm her somewhat.
"In any case," said the halfling,
"Now that you know the Hunters are out to get you, you have a choice to make; either try to find your own way out here, hoping for the best and a whole lot of luck... or come with me. I know a place where you will be safe. If you pull your weight, that is."
It didn't sound like the worst idea, but one thing kept bugging her.
"How do these Hunters even know that we are out here?"
The halfling pointed directly upwards at that, to the night sky.
"When a Darkening occurs, the moon and stars fade for about an hour. It leaves the whole country in utter darkness, so it's pretty easy to know. Furthermore, Darkened Ones only appear in three places throughout the land; these woods being one of them. So it's pretty easy for the Hunters to set out - and they are often lucky in their hunt."
"Say... what would have happened if they had brought us to the city?" asked Rhen, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer.
The halfling looked to her, for a long, silent moment.
"Your brother would have become a slave. And you would have been killed. Painfully."
Pretty much what she had feared. Though the part about her getting killed seemed weird.
Did these people really hate her kind that much? Why?
Before she could ask though, the sound of raised voices rang through the air, coming from further down the road.
"We move," said the halfling.
"Now."
He turned on his heel, and started towards the woods, off of the road. His steps were oddly quiet and his movements balanced and controlled like a cat's, as if he had been trained for stealth.
"You gotta make your decision now. Follow me, or run. Could also face them, but chances are you won't be as lucky this time!"
Rhen looked to her brother, and they both nodded to each other, before quickly following the halfling into the woods.
As they stepped off the road, Rhen stopped and turned,
"Hold on." she said as she sped back to the fallen soldiers.
Glancing down the road, she quickly knelt down and removed the cloaks from two of the Hunters.
Then, grey cloaks slung over her shoulder, she ran after her brother and the halfling, into the woods.