With no tear left to shed, I began to talk to myself, in an attempt to motivate me to do something. "I'll die if I don't move on."
Despite these words, I knew I couldn't leave Uldrei out in the open like this. He's done so much for me, he should at least be properly buried.
There's plenty of stone and rubble around, so I cast a spell to open a hole before using another to bring the stones to bury Uldrei under, the last spell being used to mark the big one on top with a U.D.
I take one last look and bow my head. "Thank you for everything, Uldrei Deidura. I won't let this life you spent the last of your days with wither away." With a last farewell, I begin planning my next move.
Thankfully, there's a bunch of useful items Uldrei had in that shack that were now scattered around for Veda to scavenge. Verei was less fortunate as the only thing on his side was the reinforced wood sword Uldrei had him training with.
Better than being empty handed but it would be great if he had the sword.
'But where should I head? North is a terrible idea because Uldrei told me it leads further into Hobgoblin lands. East would lead in the direction that the red light came from. So, Veda will head south.'
'Verei, on the other hand, can't head south as there is a mountain in the way. It used to have a river between that one and the one home was on but that was before the land was forcibly remodeled. Heading west is the direction Verei can go until I find a road.'
Making those decisions I move, though the distance between us increases, I will reunite both halves again one day.
--------
It was only half an hour on my journey and two things ended up happening. First, Verei ran into a hobgoblin scouting party.
What luck to run into something that wants you dead while your only weapon is a training sword made of wood. I can hear the armed hobgoblins snickering.
Uldrei only had wooden training weapons out, the only exception being what was currently in Veda's possession. Three hobgoblins and three wolves are the numbers that found me. The wolves only circle me, cutting off any escape route I could've taken if I wanted to escape.
Not like I could run faster than a wolf anyway.
The hobgoblins, on the other hand, appear to be looking to make a sport out of me as the leader walks forward while the others make loud noises.
The leader of this pack appears to scoff, maybe it wanted me to shiver in fear but I just spent who knows how long crying my eyes out. Still, I can't hide that it's my first time fighting something else.
The leader chuckles, showing off its sword I recognize to be a scimitar before it charges at me. Unfortunately for it, I'm not going to just sit still and let it kill me.
I move to parry, opening him up for a counterattack. The moment my wooden sword hits the hobgoblin in the face, my hand goes for his Scimitar. I'm thankful it's a scimitar and not a double-sided blade or this would've been a risky grab. But his grip on it was tight so with my hand on the back of the blade I prepared to force him to let go.
My foot shoots out, separating his arm from the sword as I get a new blade for myself. The wolves make an immediate leap for the kill but I've already gotten a new weapon and dual wielding is a powerful form against beasts on four legs such as these.
I was slow in responding against all three, leading to claw markings on my back and chest, but they didn't get any bites on any vitals. I'm taking extra care in protecting my arms and legs as Uldrei taught me; an injury to your limbs is the bane for those who use a weapon.
I keep using the wooden sword to block their bites and aim for their legs with the scimitar to ensure more openings for a killing blow against them.
It didn't take long to land the first blow and every moment after fell in my favor. But the hobgoblins were still a problem. One of them has a two-handed sword that's a few feet bigger than it while the other has an axe and wooden shield the size of a buckler.
Avoid the bastard sword, that's what my instinct tells me.
From the few movements he takes, I can tell this hobgoblin isn't new to his weapon. He carries it well enough, in a stance to swing at a moment's notice. The other Hobgoblin is the opposite of the bastard sword user. He recently picked up that shield, keeping it up too close to his face almost the entire time. That's something you do it there's an archer to keep your vitals from being shot but when you're that far from a warrior, it's better to save your energy.
Between one of the attacks of the Two-hander, I close the distance and cut his head off his shoulders before chucking the wooden sword at the one with a shield. He was so nervous he blocked his view of me to block the wooden sword before getting split in two by the downward strike of the bastard sword I put all my moment into.
With the leader alone and unarmed, it began to flee.
I know what trouble a fleeing goblin can be so I release my grip on the heavy weapon and take up my new axe before throwing it like a hatchet that dug into its back.
I take deep breaths, the adrenaline of my first fight is taking its toll. I need to calm down if I'm to continue moving forward. And that includes Veda. Uldrei's training wasn't complete and I'm still unable to fight in simultanious battles.
If I'm caught in combat on both sides, I will die.
After taking time to clear my head, I wipe off the blood as best as I can from my weapons. Going from a nonlethal weapon to a scimitar, bastard sword, and axe. I'm feeling more comfortable than ever before, even when I was under Uldrei's roof. If I had to compare this feeling to anything, it's like I being unarmed was being naked.
Unfortunately, I broke the shield so I still need to rely on my quick movements to dodge, but better than having nothing.
--------
This leads to the second event.
I hear a sound and stop all movements. I wasn't sure which heard it but after having Verei shut his ears, I identified the noise on Veda's side.
I began the incantation of a life sign spell, which gives a blip on nearby life once before needing to be cast again. A costly spell if I need to cast it repeatedly, and more so if I want a further distanced ping.
[[Show me the signs of those near my soul]]
There is only one life sign, hidden in a forest brush nearby.
It didn't sound like a Hobgoblin but that doesn't mean it isn't a hostile creature.
Carefully moving toward the life sign, I notice that the area was mangled as if something were launched this way and bounced off the dirt. As I got closer, I saw the bushes had been blown through. She wasn't hiding here, she ended up here.
Though her helmet was gone, and the armor was mangled, the pauldron was unmistakable. It's one of the Keepers who showed up at our home an hour before it was destroyed.
Her blue armor is mostly destroyed as only a few parts are even held together but it seems to have done enough to protect her as I can tell from here that she's still breathing.
My feelings swirl in my head at the sight of that armor. The direction they went was the same direction the red light came from. This meant that whatever they were looking for, they found it and it caused the destruction of our home. By the time I realized, my hand was on the hilt of the sword Uldrei gave me. But unlike Verei, the feeling of a sword in my hand was disheartening.
'Calm down, think it through.'
'She is one of the people that voted against ransacking our home.'
'I shouldn't blame her for fighting against something stronger than her. Plus, if it's discovered I harmed a Keeper, who knows what trouble harming a Keeper would cause for both of Me.'
'...Maybe if we had given the Counter Blade, our home would've been safe...'
My heart shook at that last thought, shaking my head of these crazy thoughts.
This was the Old Man's heirloom after all, I shouldn't bloody it with someone who tried to help.
I walk over to check her condition. 'Unconscious with grunting and grumbling likely meaning a nightmare, maybe even recalling the last few moments before getting sent flying.'
'Strange... she's only a bit beat up when compared to the amount of damage done to the area. She crash-landed, even bouncing off the dirt before slamming through a few trees yet she doesn't have a single fractured bone?'
I take notice of the items in her hands. The remaining handles of two broken shields are tightly gripped with all her might, despite being unconscious.
Her left hand seems to have burn marks. From the markings, it came off her shield. Uldrei's lesson popped into my head on the many elements: Lightning-based magic being dangerous for holders of metal weapons and wearers of metal armor as all metal attracts the spell to you.
The handle in the other hand is... curious.
Just a feeling but... that shield handle gives off the same feeling Uldrei's staff did. Even the Counter Blade has this feeling it gives off... It's hard to describe...
I've still used too much mana from... Everything that happened, and the hour wait didn't do enough for my recovery but there are less costly spells that are for non-life-threatening situations such as this.
After flipping to the section for healing spells, I flip some more pages over and see an incantation powerful enough to fix broken bones and different forms of internal damage, though not as powerfully as high heal. Since she doesn't have many external injuries, I'll use this one, just in case.
[[Heal the Organs, Close the Flesh]]
The Keeper's few wounds steadily close, her jittering body steadying before she starts to regain consciousness from the odd feeling spreading over her.
She jumps up in shock and backs away from me, before recognizing me. "You are... Deidura's granddaughter?"
I give her a nod but this gripped feeling in my heart makes me avoid her gaze.
She takes a look at her body, dropping the handle held in what used to be the electrified hand, but keeping hold of the other. "T-thank you! I am guessing you used healing magic on me?"
"...That's right."
There is some awkward silence, a lingering sense of guilt due to my moment of weakness takes away my ability to look her in the eyes. The Keeper looks around before asking, "Are you out here alone?"
My gaze lowers to the grass below me before I lean back and collapse to a sitting position. I drained my eyes of tears a while ago yet the sorrow still remains as strong as ever.
But I should respond regardless. "Yeah... I was separated from my brother. And old ma.... I mean... grandfather... He..."
Remembering is making my heartache, causing my male counterpart to pause his advances for a moment. The Keeper realized what I was trying to say before showing guilt. "I'm... sorry..."
Looking back at her, I see her own gaze lowered. "What are you apologizing for?"
The Keeper leans against a nearby tree before sliding down to a seated position. "Keepers are supposed to keep stuff like this from happening. Despite five of us being there, we were outdone by a Goblin High Mage and an Orc. That red light becoming the sign of our failure to do so."
I stared at her in a daze. If she had said something like 'she was the cause' I don't know how I would react, but she's just blaming herself for something out of her control.
She slaps her cheeks before getting back up off the ground, seeming to remember something. "Right, I need to make it back to the capital and report to Her Majesty! Those monsters are still out there and with dangerous artifacts! Along with..."
She shakes her head as her eyes stop at me, extending a hand. "But I don't want to leave you here alone. How about coming with me to the capital? Maybe your brother's ahead of us."
I feel like laughing when she brings up my counterpart, 'Not anytime soon.'
She was confused by my reaction to her words, but I brushed it off. "S-sure. I don't want to be alone and... maybe I can find people that... could have seen him?"
I take her hand as she pulls me up to my feet. "Great, I'm Serci, Keeper of the Word and close aid to the princess of Siltria."
She speaks of things I don't quite understand but I try to think of my own introduction. I guess... my title would be... "I'm Veda Deidura, granddaughter of Uldrei Deidura."
She nods her head before looking around, "If it's only been a few hours, then we follow the sun south!"
Heading off, I follow behind the Keeper in Blue.
With this, my journey would be made much easier, Veda has someone to watch her back in case we run into more hobgoblins, and though Verei is still not in a great position, at least I can put more focus on his survival if Serci is able to protect me.