As Hasir backed up, the man started to speak again.
"Nope, no, come back. I told you to follow me."
"I cannot follow you." Hasir told him.
"Why not? You gave a double barrel pointed at your damn heart and you don't think you should follow my instructions?"
"I am physically unable to leave." Hasir tells him again.
"How are you not able to leave?" The man asked again.
"Because my master has forced me to stay here and I can physically not leave. I am bound to this house." Hasir tells him.
"Oh, so you're a slave for Xia?" The man then finally clicks it.
"Yes sir, so if you wanna talk, you can come inside?" Hasir awkwardly suggests.
"Okay." The man walks in but is blasted away by an invisible barrier.
"Oh shit! I didn't think it was that strong." Xia cries from across the dirt road in front of the house. Xia then sprinted inside and checked on Hasir. She grabbed his by the head and moved him around to see if he was hurt or not. "Ok, you're good."
"Um, who is that by the way?" Hasir asked.
"Oh, he's a witch killer. They target witches but will occasionally go after other races like humans, dwarfs, etcetera." Xia explained.
"Oh, so why is he after you?" Hasir asked again.
"Well, I've taken out an astonishing number of them out while I was a royal knight and now that I'm retired, they've been very active in trying to kill me. Honestly, I don't even know how I killed so many. They should've fought back better." Xia told him.
"You took out a fleet of 4000 men and all you can say is they should've fought back better?" The man said as he rubbed his head while getting up.
"I mean, that's what I said right?"
"You annihilated my friends as we fought war, you hurt the families of these soldiers, and now you hide out in the forest like a fucking hermit. You can't escape the past that easily Xia. I know you feel resentment to yourself for killing all those people. Admit it, you're just hiding your feelings because it'll make you look weak. You put on this facade of strength and pride, but really you are an insecure little shit that hates herself." The man berated her with insults but Xia just stared down at the ground.
"You are a worthless little bi-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Hasir yelled. "Xia, release me, please Xia, let me go outside."
"Okay, you can go." Xia said softly while entering the house. Hasir strongly exits and swiftly strides over to the man.
"What are you gonna do you pussy?" Hasir grabs the man by his collar and slams him into the ground. Hasir backs up and raises his arms slightly.
"C'mon, where'd all that confidence go huh? Get up!"
"Why you little!" The man sprinted to Hasir trying to grab and tackle him but Hasir weaved and dodged. Hasir even ducked down and the man slipped over him.
"Fuck you!" The man sprints at Hasir with his gun and as he is about to pull the trigger, Hasir throws a handful of sand into his eyes and he misses.
"What the fuck? Where'd you get sand?" The man asked.
"When I slipped you." Hasir told him.
"Huh, you are more knowledgeable than you look." The man complimented him.
"Thank you, but that's only in combat terms." Hasir tells him.
"Well, it seems that I'll have to leave. I only brought enough for one person and I do not have confidence in my hand to hand combat skills to be able to beat you so bye." The man then started disappearing.
"Aye, wait!" Hasir cries out but the man disintegrates and is now probably hundreds of kilometers away now.
"Damn!" Hasir goes back into the house and sees Xia on the floor in a seated fetal position.
"Hasir, what did he tell you?" Xia asked.
"He told me I was smarter than I looked and that's basically it. He escaped before I could beat him but, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Xia says as she sniffs and whipped a tear away from her eyes when she stands up.
"Uh huh?"
"Really, I'm fine. I'm just in shock." Xia continued to defend herself.
"Yeah? Who was that guy anyways?" Hasir asked.
"He was one of the admirals that worked for the witch killers. He betrayed the country and now feels that we've betrayed him back. He also solely targets me because I killed one of his close friends." Xia told him.
"Huh, I can see why he feels such resentment towards you." Hasir whispered.
"Do you resent me?" Xia asked out of the blue.
"What? Why would I?" Hasir asked.
"I took you away from the traders but kept you as a slave, don't you want to be free?"
"Look at me. I am as free as I can be. You took me away from a dark and treacherous place and I am grateful for that. I do not resent you, I do not hate you, I do not in any way feel a spec of negativity towards you. You pulled me from the darkness and into the light. So why would I hate you?"
"Thank you." Xia said as she hugged him tightly. "Oh, there is going to be an assembly in the city at 11. All royal knights who are serving or have served have to participate and are allowed to bring a plus one. Can you go with me?"
"Okay. What's the assembly about?" Hasir asked.
"I believe they are addressing a threat that has occurred to the north that caused the sudden rise in monsters in the area. I believe that it's because something has affected the plants in the area which in turn makes the animals breed more and with more prey for the monsters, the more they will reproduce. But it's also hurting the environment because they could lead to overgrazing and then everything is just fucked." Xia explained.
"Oh I see...What does that mean?" Hasir asked again.
"Oh right, you didn't have a proper education. Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know before you can enter the real world." Xia placed two fingers on Hasir's forehead and pushed him a bit. "Go get dressed, we're gonna go early so we can be in the front."
"Okay."
After half an hour of preparation, the two of them were finally done with their outfits. Xia wore a red halter dress with black high heels and she had her hair back in a bun but still had hair drape down her back. She wore bright red lipstick and had a pair of red latex gloves.
"Aye, I'm done! You can come out now!" Xia cries to Hasir.
"Okay, I'm coming in." Hasir opens the door and reveals his dressing. He wore a simple white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up and with a black tie and black waistcoat. He wore black suit pants with black dress shoes. His hair was combed back with slick clean strands in the front that gradually got more messy at the back of his head. It wasn't as curly but still was wavy.
"Sheesh, you look good." Xia complements him.
"You think so?" Hasir asks.
"Yeah, just a bit more muscle and you'll be where you want to be, right?"
"Umm, yeah. If I gain just like a few more pounds of lean
muscle, I'll be about 175." Hasir confirmed.
"Okay, c'mon let's get going. Come here and hold on to me."
"Okay." Hasir walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Ugh fuck, what's the incantation? Fuck it." A bright circle appeared around them and then they appeared just outside of the city.
"Oh wow. Wait, why would you need an incantation if you could just do that?" Hasir asked.
"Well, using incantations makes the magic more powerful and magic like teleportation, using an incantation can make the destination more precise." Xia explained.
"Oh, I see."
"C'mon let's go."
As the two of them walked to the auditorium, there were lines and massive crowds of regular citizens waiting for all of the royal knights to enter. But when they saw Xia, they erupted in cheers and joy.
"Xia!"
"Xia! Thanks for saving us!"
"Xia, we love you!"
"Wait, who's that next to her?"
"Damn, I guess you're pretty famous." Hasir comments.
"Yeah, and you apparently aren't because a lot of people are snarling towards you."
"What, why?" Hasir asked.
"Well, this city loves me because I saved them from a threat a few years back. Now because of that and my sheer amount of beauty, a lot of people are after me seeking love and attention. Both men and women in fact, but it's fun to watch their faces as I turn them down. So to see a random dude walking next to the person that wants to pursue so badly is enraging."
"Fucking hell, they must really hate me then." Hasir said.
"Well, then men are, but look at the girls. They seem interested in you." Xia pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'm not interested in them."
"Oh? Then who are you interested in?" Xia asked him suspiciously.
"No one right now." Hasir answered.
"Ah, damn." They eventually enter the building and get seats close to the front which is about 3 rows away from the stage. As the seats filled in, more and more people were curious about Hasir. When everyone was in, the king finally made his appearance on stage. He had a thick fur cape that dragged along the floor and dark red garments with gold accents. He looked equipped for battle which was needed in the state of the nation. He had a thick black and gray beard but was bald. He normally wore a golden crown covered with gems and such but had it slung around his waist.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for gathering here at such urgent notice. As you may know, there has been an increase of predatory monsters in and around the forests. Our top scientists, biologists, and ecological researchers have found that a mutation in the cells of the plants around the area have aroused the creatures more and due to that fact, an explosion of herbivores have appeared. Along with the increase of these herbivores, carnivorous monsters also rose in population due to the abundance of new food sources. With all that in mind, our plant life has begun to die because of overgrazing and the amount of animals trampling over edible crops. So we have gathered the best hunters to dwindle the population and plant newer safer plants for the environment. If that doesn't work, we will have to create a forest fire in order for better and stronger plants to grow back. But then there is also the conflict between us and the northern country of Velim. As the king and ruler of Dillopro, I want for as many royal knights to be reinforced and fight in battle to save our country. Royal knights, I also want you to get as many people to join the battle as well just not civilians. We cannot let the civilians get harmed and I will not stand for any mistreatment during battle. That is all I have to say, are there any questions?" The room was silent until Xia raised her hand and asked a question.
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"
"Of course, what is it Ms. Einstein?" The kind asked.
"You said we were encouraged to bring as many people as we could into battle correct?"
"Yes, as long as they are not civilians."
"Okay, what if I brought in a slave?" A few civilians gasped but the royal knights had no reaction knowing how Xia was. She wouldn't buy a slave for no reason, she also wouldn't ask a question if she wasn't sure about the answer.
"That is okay as long as they are strong enough and well equipped." The king answered.
"Ok that's what I thought, that is all I wanted to ask." Xia adjusted herself in her seat and looked to her left to see Hasir glaring at her. "What?"
"Why would you bring me into this?" Hasir asked.
"I don't know, I thought you could get some experience."
"What do you mean? This is a war not no regular 1 on 1 fight."
"I know, I'm just giving you a challenge." Xia smirked and shrugged at him. Hasir sighed and closed his eyes.
Hasir opens his eyes and it was now a few weeks later. He was walking with Xia in a camp and they went up into the defensive walls. They climbed to the top of a tower and overlooked the battleground. Xia wore the same dress-like armor she wore when she bought Hasir and Hasir was wearing the outfit he wore when he fought the witch killer.
"What are we gonna do now?" Asked Hasir.
"Now we witness hell." Xia turned and gave him a warm smile. Everyone was waiting for the war to start and finally, the king threw an explosive into the air and it exploded. This was just the beginning of the most brutal war in the nation's history.