"Is it really so urgent?" Axer asked. "It's dangerous to travel at night."
"Err…so…the thing is…my father…doesn't exactly know I'm here right now…" Indu sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, refusing to meet Axer's eyes.
However, what greeted her was his rambunctious laughter as if it were the funniest thing he'd heard. He clutched his stomach, almost rolling across the cave floor. It was so loud Indu feared they would attract unwanted attention.
"I don't know if I should call you reckless or brave." Axer's laughter finally stopped, but his ear-to-ear grin remained.
"Brave." Indu stubbornly said.
"Then brave it is." Axer's eyes twinkled. "I must say, you're quite courageous. When I was as strong as you, I would never dream of entering a mountain without the necessary equipment."
"I brought a knife with me!"
"Indu, that knife can, at best, kill a rabbit. If you were to meet anything stronger, you could say goodbye to this life."
"I-I didn't think it'd be that bad." She truly thought so. These mountains were only home to wolves and bears. Even that troll was an exceedingly rare anomaly, and even then, she'd been told it was spotted somewhere a few kilometers opposite the mountain.
When she and her mother used to traverse the mountain path, the strongest thing they'd found was a bear, but as soon as it saw them, the bear scrammed. As such, she'd always believed the mountain to be safe until news of the mountain monster appeared. That was what prompted her to discover the truth.
"No, that's not true." Indu thought.
That was only the excuse she had been telling herself in her mind – a justification for her actions that held no weight nor truth. No, the real reason she had done something as reckless as adventuring in the night was simple – she yearned for her mother.
Not a day went by when Indu didn't miss her mother. Not just her but her entire family as well. Although they had each other to keep strength, the lack of her mother's presence was a void that couldn't be filled. She was a glue that tightened and secured a family together, and when it vanished, the family inevitably fractured.
For a few years after her mother's terrible death, her father fell into a depression. He drank bottles of alcohol at night and threw himself at his administrative duties during the day. Drinking, working. Drinking, working. He followed that schedule for years to relieve the pain of losing his wife, her beloved mother.
Only when Indu couldn't bear it anymore and fell to her knees, begging her old father to return, did he slowly change to what he was in the past. She had also been grieving, so she understood how terribly heartbroken her father was, but Aniya was only a year old. Indu had to step up and fill the void her mother left in hopes of repairing her fractured family. Even now, ten years after her death, there were still noticeable cracks that could never be fixed.
It had already been months since Indu had gone up the mountain trail to relive the memories of her mother. She could have come earlier or later, but for some reason, she only acted when news of the mountain monster became a hot topic.
"Maybe it was fate. Would I have met Axer if I didn't go today?" Indu looked at Axer, who was enveloped in a layer of mystery. She had many questions but too few answers, answers she wasn't sure she could get.
"Alas, it doesn't matter. After I get to the village, we'll go our separate ways, never to see each other again." She shot a sad glance at Axer, who was turned around, so he couldn't see her expression.
"Here, wear this. Tell me when you're done so I can turn around." Axer held out his robe with his right arm, which Indu quickly grabbed.
The robes were much too big for her, but at least they covered every inch of her skin. She quickly donned the garment before calling out.
"You can turn around now."
He turned, and his eyes widened instantly.
"Wow…I didn't realize you were this small." He bluntly commented. It was rude, but Indu overlooked it because of the harsh truth. She was grateful she even had clothes to wear after the troll fiasco.
"At least you won't be cold as much." As if noticing Indu's displeasure, Axer added something else. And he wasn't wrong. Indu felt much warmer while wearing his robes and hugging the blanket to her chest.
"Ah, this blanket…"
"Keep it. I was supposed to give it to someone, but I'll procure another one. It's already dirty anyway."
"I can keep such a heavenly textile?" Indu felt bad for the one supposed to own this wonderful blanket. She rubbed her blushing cheek against its soft, wooly surface and sighed.
"I think heavenly might be pushing it...."
Indu ignored him and continued snuggling her face in it.
"Didn't you say you needed to go?"
"Ah!" She withdrew her face from the captivating surface. A blush crept up her face as she turned to face Axer. "L-Let's go now, then."
While she and the blanket had an intimate time together, Axer had packed everything. He put out the warming fire and packed everything into a small, brown sack. Streaks of ashes covered where the fire had once been, and the half-burned chunks of wood were left untouched.
Indu took the lead. A soothingly chill breeze brushed past her face as a vast valley blanketed by the beautiful night sky greeted her. The orange moon hovering in the sky provided just the right amount of light to give the land an ethereal presence as if blessed by a deity. The cave's entrance was about ten feet from the edge, so Indu could see the lush green plants and trees covering the valley below.
She walked towards the edge. About a hundred feet or so down was the path she had originally been on when the troll had attacked. A faint but noticeable red splatter was the only evidence of the troll's existence. However, looking at it made Indu queasy, and she turned away.
"To think he jumped all the way from here and crushed the troll like that."
The topic had briefly entered her mind but was swept away after she fainted. Only now, when she saw the distance of the jump and the size of the splatter, did Indu realize how monstrous Axer was.
"Forget about his strength; his body must be incredibly sturdy to have survived a fall of that magnitude." She turned around to glance at Axer, only to find him only a hair's distance away.
"Aggh!" Indu screamed and fell backward, but a strong hand grabbed her waist and held her straight.
"T-Thank you."
"That was dangerous, you know? One wrong move and you would've ended up like the troll over there." Axer pointed in a direction Indu assumed to be the blood splatter but didn't look at it again as she wanted to keep her food in her stomach.
"You scared me!" Indu pouted and lightly punched his chest.
"Ah. I'm sorry then, my lady." Axer playfully kissed the hand clutching his shoulder, and Indu realized their position only then. His hand wrapped around her waist while her hand held his shoulder as if performing a noble's dance.
She hurriedly broke away and turned around, desperately trying to hide the blush growing on her cheek. It was futile, however, as her cheek, neck, and even parts of her collarbone were dyed red. Her physical condition perfectly captured her acute embarrassment.
Even worse was that his entire upper body was bare, and under the faint moonlight, his muscular figure shone. His messy yet dignified black hair draped over his shoulders, covering parts of his chest. The light accentuated his six-pack abs, something that subconsciously made Indu drool.
"What am I thinking about." She softly shook her head. She wasn't in his league in the slightest. Their meeting today was a lucky fluke. Axer was destined to marry a stunning, voluptuous woman. At least, that was the only thing she could think of that fit his heavenly physique.
"Say, Indu, how do you plan on walking down the mountain?" He suddenly asked.
"With my feet, of course?" Indu couldn't understand why he would ask such a silly question. Was there another way to get down a mountain? Wait, maybe...
Her eyes trembled as a scene of Axer grabbing Indu and throwing her off a mountain flashed by her eyes. He was ballsy enough to jump from this height to kill a troll; who said he wouldn't make them jump to reduce the time it took to descend?
"What are you thinking about?" Axer looked past her at the valley below, then her trembling eyes, then how she fearfully gripped him and finally smirked. "I'm not going to throw you off, you know."
Axer leaned his face in closer until his face covered her entire vision.
"That is, of course, unless you want me to." He whispered into her ear. Indu shivered as goosebumps appeared across her body. The heat of his breath tickled her ear while her face grew hot. Anyone who saw the scene would mistake this moment for an intimate action between a couple, unassuming of the violent proposal it actually was.
"Oh, my god." The phrase echoed in her head repeatedly. She couldn't understand what the hell was happening right now. Was he seducing her? Threatening her? Just what in heaven was happening? A jumbled soup of emotions clashed in her heart as multiple reasons behind his actions popped into her mind. In the end, Indu chose the most logical one.
"He's just messing with me." Him being interested in an ugly woman like her? Wrong. Him trying to threaten her? Wrong – what could she possibly offer him? Even if she was the daughter of a town lord, she was ultimately a commoner with a little more money. Judging by Axer's strength, he obviously made a lot of money. Nobles desired strong warriors and were willing to pay multiple syli for someone like him.
The only explanation left was him playing around with her. Although Indu was shy to admit it aloud, she knew they had gotten close enough to joke around. Were they friends? Indu couldn't be sure. The only thing she knew was that their prescience wasn't unwelcome by the other party. No, Indu couldn't even be sure if Axer liked her. She liked his presence, though. She hoped he did as well.
"Ahhh! Wait, Axer, stop-!"
The next moment, Axer picked Indu up and placed her in a princess carry. He put her head on his shoulder as his hair covered her neck and shoulders like a blanket. Thanks to wearing nothing but Axer's thin garments, Axer's body heat flowed through her like a furnace. It felt so good to leave the cold ground and feel the heat again, but her position mortified Indu beyond anything she had ever imagined. She struggled to escape his grip, but his hands were like iron chains binding her to his body.
"Were you going to walk down the mountain with bare feet?"
Indu abruptly stopped resisting. He was right. Not to mention the random twigs and stones that could pierce her feet, poisonous critters, and other creepy crawlies that existed everywhere. And if she were bitten by an unknown, venomous creature? It would only take moments for her to join her mother in heaven. She was about to comment about Axer's shoes when she realized it – Axer wasn't wearing any!
"What about your shoes?" Indu managed to point with an arm she managed to get free.
"Hahaha! Why would I need to wear shoes? I don't fear the ground!" He stomped the ground with his right foot, and the mountain trembled so much that bits and pieces of it broke off and fell into the valley below.
"The ground fears me!" Axer laughed to the sky, his luscious hair spilling over her face. Palpable bloodlust emanated from his body. Indu trembled from the terror seeping into her bones.
"He's powerful…," was the only thing she could think as she brushed aside his hair and looked at his manly face.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" He stopped and glanced at Indu. She blushed from his fervent expression, like a husband looking at his newlywed wife.
"He's like that because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It must've been exhilarating, causing the mountain to shake. Once it's over, he won't stare at me like that again." She thought as she looked away. Out of sight, out of mind. If she had no expectations, she wouldn't be disappointed. It was the safest way for Indu's heart to remain intact.
"Then…shall we go?" Axer asked.
"Yes."
"Hold on tight then." He commanded in an imperial tone. Indu subconsciously wrapped her hands around his neck, where she felt his stiff muscles. It surprised her. Weren't muscles supposed to be soft but sturdy? Why were his harder than a rock's?
"L-Let's go then!" Axer said in a somewhat ragged voice. Indu was curious why his voice suddenly changed, but all her questions disappeared when he violently stomped the ground and leaped off the edge.
"You said you wouldn't jump!" Indu screamed as she clung tighter to his neck.
"I said I wouldn't push you off. I never said I wouldn't carry you and jump off, did I?" Even from Indu's angle, she could see the playful look in his eyes. A mysterious blush overtook his face, giving his stern, manly face a soft composition. He looked… cute?
"I'm like a toad lusting after swan meat." She forcefully beat down the happiness threatening to delude her. Nothing good would come from feeling useless emotions.
The wind swept their hair up like a wave. The valley ground drew ever closer, but sickening fear gripped Indu's heart. She squeezed her eyes shut.
*Boom*
When Indu opened her eyes, they were standing in a crater a few feet deep, the forest the troll appeared out of directly in front of them. But instead of going in, Axer turned around and ran parallel to the forest.
Axer ran and ran. His feet hit softened bits of ground with a squelch. Patterns and arrays of green flashed past Indu's eyes. His astonishing speed left her nauseous, so she closed her eyes. She let the cool air brush against her skin. Axer's rhythmic breathing soothed her ear. The crisp taste of cold air left her lungs filled. It was…peaceful.
And then, Axer stopped. Indu, who had been in a peaceful rest, jolted out of her stupor. She rubbed her eyes as the familiar wall appeared before her. It gave off an aura because of the night sky painted with a hint of growing dawn.
"It's already morning!" Whatever drowsiness she had vanished, panic filled her. When she left, it was nearly 10 p.m. Just by looking at the sky, Indu knew the time was around 5:30 to 6:00. She was screwed.
"Is that your home?" Axer asked.
Indu looked up. His face remained impassive as if he hadn't exerted himself at all. Only a faint blush colored his cheeks. He stared at the Town of Ambrose without movement, almost like a statue.
"Yeah. Thanks for bringing me here." Indu looked at him expectantly. "…can you please let me go, now?"
"Ah!" Axer hurriedly dropped Indu as a blush crept across his face. "Sorry about that; I was lost in thought."
"What could you possibly be lost in thought about at this time?" Indu playfully poked his arm but restrained herself a little. Although she felt comfortable with him, was he the same way with her? Was she allowed to be this comfortable with him despite only knowing each other for hours?
"A-Ah, nothing for you to worry about." Axer looked away from Indu. However, the effect was terrible on Indu.
"Of course, we're not close enough to share our thoughts freely. What are you thinking, Indu? We're not going to see each other again after this. How can people who've only known each other for a few hours get that close?" Indu's depressive thoughts took over, but she said something else out loud.
"Ah…well, alright then. Thanks, Axer. It was nice meeting you."
"Yeah…you too." Axer turned his head, and Indu was surprised to see his blush bigger and his breathing ragged.
"He must've pushed himself, running that fast while carrying me. I guess he wanted to keep his pride." Indu smiled in spite of herself. However, Axer turned away again, his hand covering his mouth. He was probably stifling a yawn. It was pretty late, after all.
Indu walked a few meters forward but turned to give Axer one last look. He waved. She waved, and the time they spent together flashed before her eyes.
"It was fun, Axer. Thanks."