It was cold. While the Dragon rampaged into the town the Band of Steel took their belongings at the inn and left as soon as possible. They ran into the Malargo Forest, the forest which the town had built on the outskirts. They saw some other adventurers escaping into the forest with them, but all went their separate ways. The party of four ran until they couldn't hear the screams from the town anymore. But no matter how long they ran, the screams were there. In their heads, never to leave them again.
After an hour of running, they decided to take a rest. They found an opening in the forest and just sat there in silence. The weight of their actions felt heavier with that dark silence. Back in town, they saw the Silver Dragon rampaging over the town and their will to fight broke in an instant, if there was any. For them, running was the only thing they could do. But it was still disturbing, their adventurer pride was damaged.
"What are we going to do now?" Milton the Rogue hugged himself from the cold. It was past midnight, and they were in the northern regions. So, there was a freezing cold in the forest.
"There is no way we can go back to the town." Antrius was still nervous, he kept looking around. "Can't we like, start a fire or something?" He was also shivering from the cold.
"We can't. What if it finds us?" Milton was always cautious.
"It is a fucking Silver Dragon; I don't think it needs a fire to detect us." But Antrius was not.
"He is right. If we don't start a fire soon, we are going to freeze to death." Karion had more resilience to the cold, but he also had a limit. "What do you say, Boss?" He looked at Jacky.
He was sitting silently on a log, hugging his backup sword. Under the moonlight, his face looked miserable. He didn't answer, he was not even looking at them.
"Hey, Boss? Are you okay?"
"What is the difference? We are already dead. Word will go out if there are any survivors. Soon the whole world will know us. The idiots who stole a Silver Dragon egg and caused a town to ruin. They probably will put bounties on our heads. Our lives, everything we have done so far, is over now." They all knew that, but no one dared to say it. "Start a fire, do whatever you want. I don't care anymore." He looked a lot more troubled than the rest. His companions left him be and started a fire.
Within the campfire's warmth, they slowly fell asleep. Of course, they left one for scouting, but he also fell asleep, the night was a long one after all. The forest was mostly silent because of the Silver Dragon's appearance but life did return after a while. The sun started to rise slowly, and the residents of the forest got back to their routine.
And one of them was not happy to see some humans sleeping in its home.
***
"So, I take it was your first Dragon encounter." Elise and the Traveler were inside the Malargo Forest, heading towards their prey. The man said he saw where they headed and started to walk inside so, Elise followed. She asked his name after presenting hers, but he said, "Just call me Traveler." Elise got curious of course but left the topic alone for that moment.
Her hood was now off, and her long straight black hair was pouring on top of her shoulders. She had put one hand on her sword, ready to draw it if any trouble occurred. Ashes and dust from the town's remains were still on her. And blood... she could still smell it on herself. Not hers, but the people she tried to save.
Her way of walking was elegant but also strong. Aware of her surroundings and ready to act. She was not that long but had a strong build that came from the training she had done ever since she was little. Her teacher always warned her to keep her presence strong so the people around her feel safe. And if they were planning something bad, they would think twice before acting.
But the Traveler was a different story. Elise had been watching him since they left the town. Most of his body shape was hidden under his clothing. He was not standing straight; he was leaning forward a bit. He was not a long person so that made him look shorter than he was. He had no shoes but even in a forest he didn't look bothered at all.
He was walking without caring about anything around him. His walk was negligent, but he never stumbled on a root or bush. Elise noticed he was silent. Too silent for a person who walks in a forest. He had almost no presence whatsoever. Some may even forget he was there if they weren't focused on him.
After some time, Elise understood the situation. The man was acting, acting like he was weaker than he was. The question was why. Why was he doing that? She saw him challenging the Silver Dragon, he looked so powerful. Like, if he wanted, he could kill the Dragon without a sweat. She couldn't understand what his reasoning was for hiding this much power.
If she had that much power, she would use it everywhere she could. To help people and defeat the enemies of Humanity. She suddenly felt an urge to learn his secrets. She needed to know, she needed to learn from this man. While she was deep in those questions, the man asked his own.
"Yes, it was my first. And hopefully last." She knew she had a certain power but not enough to challenge that kind of beast.
"Don't say that. Dragons are noble and smart creatures; you will like them as you know them. And they also hold great conversations. Very entertaining they are. Surprisingly intellectual."
Elise looked at him for a second, trying to understand if he was joking or not. "Did you hold a conversation with a Dragon? How?"
"They don't have the same speaking instruments that humans use. But thoughts don't need any instruments. As long as they think, you can hold a conversation. But of course, you need them to respect you first, that's the hard part. They appreciate power." The man said those things like they were common knowledge, but Elise had no idea what he was talking about.
"So, you can talk to creatures with your thoughts. Are you a magic user?" If he was, that would explain some things, but she saw him hold a giant Dragon egg with one hand. Elise still couldn't figure out this man's powers and that was bothering her a lot. So, she decided to ask directly.
"You could say that." The man's answer was simple and did not satisfy Elise one bit. She needed to learn more.
"But I saw you hold the Dragon egg with one hand, was that magic too?"
"Why? Can't I be both a magic user and physically strong? Some people could find that offensive, you know."
Again, simple and evasive answer. Elise was starting to get irritated. She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but the man spoke first.
"Let's save the questions for later. We are close, and it seems the party started without us." He was looking deep into the forest. Elise looked there, ready to act, but she didn't see or hear anything.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Follow me and keep your voice down." He hurried to the way he was looking. Even though he was walking faster than before, he still was not making any sound.
Elise did all she could to keep pace with him, but as they went deeper into the forest the tree roots got thicker and the bushes got denser. She fell behind after a while, but then she heard some fighting noises and went that way as fast as she could. She got close but suddenly a hand grabbed her arm. The Traveler was standing behind a tree, watching the source of the noises.
"You are making too much noise. Keep your head down at least." His voice was really low as he pushed her head down and hid her behind a bush.
"Look, someone got to our prey before us."
The Band of Steel were in bad shape, they were in a fight with a six-meter-long creature. It was not like any other creature Elise had seen before. It had thick black-purple skin with lots of scratches from its old fights. There was something odd about that monster. Its fangs and mouth were bigger than they should be. Its eyes also seemed quite larger than they should have. And they were burning red with magic. Its limbs and head had some sharp bones sticking out of them, but mostly from its long tail.
The shielded warrior was still standing against it, but his shield was broken, and he had a serious cut on his shoulder. Their leader Jacky had blood on his head and chest, and he was unconscious. The rogue was trying to pull him out of danger and the archer was protecting them with his shots. They were about to be wiped out.
"What do you think? Can you take that thing on?" The Traveler was still watching the scene.
"What even is that thing?"
"I have a guess but that is not the time for guessing." He looked her in the eye this time. "Do you want to help them?"
Elise quickly made her mind up. He was right, it was no time to sit and talk. Someone needed her help, even though they were the ones who were responsible for destroying a town. She couldn't leave them to die in the claws of some monster.
"I see. Go on then, I'll assist you." Even though she didn't answer he understood her decision from her eyes.
Elise rushed out of the bushes without a second thought, straight to the monster. She hadn't drawn her sword yet, but the monster immediately noticed her and prepared for her charge. Elise was not expecting this kind of reaction. She thought that the monster would be focused on the Band, but instead, it sensed her hostile approach and realized she was the bigger threat.
When she got close, the monster threw its head backward and its throat inflated suddenly. "Be careful! It spits acid!" Antrius the archer warned her at the last moment. The monster swung its head forward and spit a purple mucus-like fluid from its mouth. Elise barely dodged the attack, the mucus hit the ground and splashed acid all around.
Elise kept charging and drew her sword for a strong attack in melee range. But she couldn't make it. A giant claw was coming towards her. She had to dodge, or she would be dead. She tried to stay close and didn't give the creature space to attack her. But she forgot the tail.
The monster turned around and swung its tail to her. There was no way to dodge the attack, so she got ready for impact. Her armor absorbed some of the damage, but the impact was far too strong. She flew and crashed into a tree far away. She felt a strong pain inside her chest and her sight went dark for a second. She tried to get back up quickly but her head spun, and she had to hold on to the tree she crashed into. The hit she took messed her up worse than she hoped.
She noticed the monster charging at her but couldn't react in time. She closed her eyes and got ready for the inevitable. And... nothing happened.
"You shouldn't take hits from an opponent bigger than you if you don't have the strength to block it."
She opened her eyes and saw the Traveler in front of her. He was holding the monster's claw with one hand without even looking at it. He pushed the creature back effortlessly. That giant monster flew way back and crashed into a cluster of trees. The trees fell onto it.
"Look at me." The man pulled her chin towards himself and inspected her eyes. "You don't have any brain damage, but two of your ribs cracked from the impact. So, you are fine and ready to go. Come on, get yourself together. You have a monster to slay!" He gently slapped her cheeks with two hands and squeezed her head. Surprisingly, that brought her to her senses.
He pushed her from the back towards the monster. "You misjudged your opponent. You thought it was a mindless beast and rushed in without a second thought. Always measure your opponent first, figure out its strengths and weaknesses, and act accordingly."
While he was talking the monster got up. It was more cautious now. The previous attack surprised it, and it was still trying to recover from it.
"Yes, I can do this! This time I will bring it down!" She made mistakes but learned from them too. This time she was sure she would be more cautious.
"That's the spirit! I don't think you can beat it but show me what you got."
She turned her head toward him. "Aren't you spouse to support me!" She got mad at him, for saying something like that in a time like this. "So, what am I going to do?"
The man shook his shoulders with a careless face. He stepped back a little and leaned on a tree. "If I were you, I'd keep my eyes on the opponent."
"You are not going to help, right?"
"Nope. But don't worry, I'll protect the others."
She had completely forgotten about the Band. She looked at them for a second, they were lying low and were trying to go somewhere safe to tend their wounds. But that one second of looking almost cost her life.
Another ball of acid was coming straight to her. She dodged it at the last moment and rolled behind a tree to take cover. She took a deep breath; she could do it. She just needed to fix her mind on it. She looked towards the monster while taking cover, but the monster was not there.
She panicked for a second and tried to find the monster. She couldn't understand how a monster of that size could hide like that in such a short time. Then she heard something, a rustling came from her left. She took her stance as fast as she could and blocked the incoming attack. The monster was far stronger than she was. She couldn't stand her ground and slid away, but this time she had more control. At least she didn't hit her head anywhere this time.
"Never lose sight of the enemy." The Travelers voice came from far away, he was not going to help her. Fine, she could do it by herself.
The monster didn't stop after the first attack. It was bigger and stronger and had no reason to back down. It attacked relentlessly without giving her any space or time to breathe. Yes, it was bigger and stronger, but she was faster. She dodged every attack carefully; she had no intention of getting hit by one of its attacks again. So, she focused.
She focused like she used to do when she was reading an interesting book. She focused and dodged everything. But the monster was not giving her any openings to her. They went like that for a while. The monster attacked, and Elise dodged it.
Then, the monster stopped in place for a second. It was the opening she was looking for. She attacked... and missed. She missed because the monster slid back with an impossible motion, and she noticed the cause of it as it flew back. The traveler was there. The monster stopped because he grabbed its tail with one hand and threw it away from there like it was nothing.
"I liked your focus, but you are focusing on the wrong thing. If you keep that up, you will wear yourself out." He started to give her a lecture as he got close. "Don't focus on its claws or tail. Don't look at the weapon, look at the user. Focus on the monster and analyze its movements, learn its pattern, and let your body do the dodging."
"Let my body? How should I do that?" What he said was the complete opposite of how she did things until now. She thought if she looked away from the attacks, she would get hit so she always focused on the attacks.
The man put his hand on her back and pushed her towards the recovering monster. "Come on, I know you can do it. Just read it like a book."
Read it like a book? How did he know she was approaching those things like reading? Did he guess? The monster got itself together and looked her in the eye. There was no time for questions. She discarded the thoughts and focused again. This time, as the Traveler said.
She focused on the monster as it charged at her. And she almost got hit. The second attack came. And she almost got hit again. And again, and again, and again. At first, she thought she would die at any moment. But after a couple of attacks, they started to feel more... predictable. She watched the monster; it had a certain way of attacking, a pattern like the Traveler said. And before every attack, the monster was making a motion to get ready. That motion was giving away its intentions.
It was hard at first, but Elise was always a fast learner. She was blessed with Learning. She didn't realize it when she was little, but eventually, her parents noticed the difference and took her to a priest to check. She quickly adapted to the situation and started to react to the monster's attacks with precision.
Elise dodged the claws, dodged the tail, dodged the bites. And she found it, the opening she was looking for. She crawled under its incoming claw and swung her sword to its throat. Blood splashed all over the place. Elise barely dodged it, but some drops splashed on her cloak. She looked at the dying creature, it was crying in pain and throwing itself around. The blood it splashed during this time started to smoke. Elise looked at the drops on her cloak, they opened holes where they landed and some of them were still smoking. The smell of it was disgusting.
She heard a clapping behind her. "Well done." the man said. "It took a little longer than I thought, but it was not bad." He was looking at the monster on the ground, with pitying eyes. It was still twitching while bleeding. "But try not to make them suffer next time. They already suffered enough." He didn't look sad, but his voice was telling the opposite.
"What was that thing?" Elise had never seen a monster like that before. It looked like a lizard but most of its parts seemed to belong to other creatures she knew. It was so extreme in many ways, almost like it was created artificially.
"This forest has all kinds of creatures inside. And most of them don't even belong here." His voice was thoughtful. He put his bare foot on the monster's belly and pushed it to turn it upside down. The monster was still oozing dark purple and sticky blood. Smoke was still coming from it. But it was more than it should be. While they were looking the monster's belly started to inflate.
The Traveler didn't say a word but acted. He grabbed Elise from her wrist and before she realized it, they were far off from the monster's corpse. The monster kept inflating. They watched it as it exploded like a ball of smoke and acidic blood. The explosion was not that big, but Elise was happy to be outside of it. The plants that were in the area started to melt with fireless smoke coming from them.
Elise looked around and saw the Band behind them, and realized the Traveler brought her here in an instant. She stopped thinking about it, there was no point bothering herself about it every time he did something unreasonable. Instead, she focused on the Band of Steel. They were a wreck. They all had acid burns all over them. And two of them had some deep wounds, but the archer and the rogue were tending those.
"Don't worry, I cleansed their wounds from that monster's poisonous claws while you fight. As long as they stop the bleeding and keep the wounds clean, they should be fine." Again, another almost impossible feat. Cleaning unknown poison was not an easy thing to do even for master healers. Again, she stopped thinking about it. She was going to travel with him and learn from him. There was no point asking now, the time would come.
Their broken armor parts were taken out and something shiny caught Elise's eyes on their leader. It was a necklace hanging around his neck. Elise leaned forward to take a better look at it, the symbol was familiar to her. She turned her back to him as soon as she recognized the crest of Landa Family. She cursed to herself; how did she not realize who he was? If he saw her, it would cause so much trouble.
She tried not to look at him, but while her mind was busy with it, she started to feel dizzy. Something was off and her mind was too numb to understand what was going on. Her vision started to blur, and she felt her head dropping down. After that, there was only darkness.