Eliza rescued those that she found either interesting or those that seemed like they would be loyal. The first person she saved was a fellow disciple of a friend, the swordsman who has a broken arm Tarik. Despite his broken arm, Tarik still moved about the battlefield like a maniac. He was someone that Eliza saw a lot of potential in.
The rest of Eliza's party members were nothing to scoff at either, they had Varmoot the Archer a disciple of the Fang dojo capable of empowering his shots with aura and changing the trajectory of his arrows through various techniques. A serious individual who wears his dojo's white uniform and logos with pride. Eliza and Tarik found him at the edge of the forest, tired and injured. Varmoot lost his left eye to a flying demon.
The tall and bulky Retang came next, a former captain to a squad of veterans with his flail and shield. He once served as a guard for a noble before choosing to go on the path of a soldier.
Their party also had a spellcaster named Natalie and a macebearer in the young soldier Harak. The group moved through the main path headed straight for the eastern region, with no horse and only the supplies that they had, the coin they had in their pockets mattered less as the nearest settlement is at least a week away.
"Lady Eliza, If I may." The large hunk of a man that was Retang treated Eliza like a noble.
"What is it Retang?" The blonde party leader asked.
"On our way to the eastern Isles, I'd like to visit a town that we are likely to come across." Retang was the oldest member of their party, nearing the age of 29 as a soldier it was quite an impressive feat to live for that long. Especially since he was always at the forefront of battle.
"A little detour never hurt anyone, right guys?" Eliza flashed a smile to the others who gave her different signs of agreement.
SQUAWK. SQUAWK.
The crow that she sent out finally returned. With it came a letter from Hektor. "It seems like he's doing well, He's headed for Belugrass it says."
"Belugrass shouldn't be far from here, though the path to that town should already be occupied by the horde." Tarik responded.
"Ahh then we should warn him of what's going on, does anyone know the name of the town that we're headed to?" Eliza asked the rest of the party.
"Liya'asthank, I believe their main trade is leather." Rektang responded, he was well travelled compared to most.
The group continued their journey until sun down, the party that Eliza assembled is akin to a noble's personal guard. While most of them were recovering from injuries they still had the skills and experience necessary to provide protection for the blue bloods. A spellcaster in their party also played a large role. While a lot of combatants who use aura also use mana a dedicated spellcaster means something else entirely.
Spellcasters, especially those who graduated from an academy are highly sought after even outside of the military. Their pay is not only higher but their treatment is also better. Natalie is a graduate from the magic academy in the capital, which makes her an important asset to the kingdom. Her story is a bit similar to Eliza in a way, someone who simply wants to enjoy her freedom but her abilities landed her a position under the First Prince and she's been struggling to escape ever since.
Dinner was bland compared to what Eliza was used to, Varmoot hunted down a few rabbits and they were enjoying a stew. With only a bit of salt and some herbs added to the dish, it could barely be called food for Natalie and Eliza. To the rest of the party it was better than the rations provided by the kingdom.
The members shared stories with one another, bonding over their escape from the horde. While the meal reminded Eliza of the orphanage, the calmness she felt now that she was no longer shackled casted out all feelings of doubt.
'I made the right decision.' She thought. The party members were used to traveling which made keeping watch at night normal for them. The first watch was up to both Eliza and their one-eyed archer.
"Are you really fine with the decision I made?" Eliza asked him, the dojo that Varmoot was a disciple of is in the capital. In her mind he should be retreating back into the kingdom's main defense.
"The fang dojo is one of the largest that the kingdom has to offer, the instructor and master that trained me died during the initial push." Varmoot responded. "The survivors of our dojo are people that I have no attachments to."
"You aided me in my time of need and the promise of adventure is one that I can get behind." Varmoot continued. "We'll see where this journey of yours will take us, I've grown tired of fighting for an ungrateful kingdom in the first place."
The night watch ended off with no threats to their camp. They were now five days of travel away from Teblez, too far for any of their initial pursuers. Those that did manage to catch up were taken care of rather quickly.
---
The next week of traveling was rather mundane. The occasional large group of monsters were encountered but for the most part none of the threats were even a challenge for them. Soon enough Eliza's group finally reached a town.
While they were expecting the town to be abandoned, the sight before them was something to be worried about. The fortified walls have fallen, the huts were burned to the ground and most of the stone buildings were falling apart. The smell of burnt wood and the familiar scent of blood filled the air.
"What happened here?" Eliza asked out loud.
"An attack, the kind that would destroy a town this well defended... they must have had a large group." Tarik responded, he was quite familiar with the scene.
"The horde?" Eliza questioned but the rest of them were quiet.
"It is highly likely, Lady Eliza." It was Retang that broke the few seconds of silence. "Judging by the marks and how damaged the area is, I would say that we were about two days too late."
Retang then pulled out his shield, motioning for the others to follow. "Arm yourselves, while most of what did this could be gone. I will not be surprised if they left a few of their kin behind."
Blades began to fly around Eliza, Tarik unsheathed his sword and the rest of the party prepared themselves.
"Indeed, prepare yourselves everyone. I can sense monsters coming our way. Most of them are to our right." Natalie waved her staff causing the rest of the party to feel empowered. As a full-fledged spellcaster her arsenal consisted of more than thirty spells, most of which were related to combat.
The fight was on and their party welcomed it.