Chapter 7 - The General Saves a Magical Animal
I didn't have much time before they would notice the other soldier was taking too long. If that happened, they would be on high alert, making it much harder for me to do anything.
I walked, hiding among the trees to avoid drawing attention in the darkness. Even though the night gave me an advantage, I could still be surprised by the occasional glimmers of moonlight or the thunder and lightning that sometimes illuminated the sky.
The two soldiers were staring at the part of the ship, muttering their curses.
"It's her fault! If the chain hadn't come loose, we could have tried to save the ship," said the soldier with the bad leg.
"Stop talking nonsense. Everything was already going downhill when we went off course, and now it's too late. We need to hurry and get out of here. Luckily, I didn't see any lights along this entire coast when we were on the ship."
The storm raged over the small desolate beach, the turbulent waves crashing violently against the rocks while the torrential rain turned the sand into a muddy mess. With my two knives in hand, I advanced cautiously towards the two soldiers.
As I approached, I tried to observe their armor. They were ragged and missing pieces, likely having to remove much of it to swim to shore.
With a quick and strategic movement, I launched myself from the shadows towards the first soldier, delivering a precise strike to his only good leg, at the back of the knee, to cripple his mobility. The soldier screamed in pain and surprise, swinging his spear to defend himself.
"AAHHH!" he screamed, falling.
"What the hell?" the leader quickly looked to the side.
I threw myself back as soon as I saw the injured soldier's hand coming towards me.
"A boy? Where did this brat come from?" the leader asked, drawing his sword.
"KILL HIM!" shouted the soldier on the ground.
I skillfully dodged the sword strike, using my speed and size to my advantage.
"Damn demon!" the leader shouted.
I ran towards the injured soldier and jumped at him as he tried to pull the knife from his leg. The man looked at me in surprise, and I plunged the other knife I had into his chest.
"Son of a bitch!" he punched me, pushing me away, but I kept my grip on the knife.
The leader came at me, swinging his sword to strike. As he swung, I dodged to the side and stabbed my knife into his thumb.
"FUCK!" the leader screamed.
Damn child strength!
If I were in an adult body, even without Aura, I would have taken his thumb off. Without a thumb, a soldier can't hold a sword. All I did was wound him.
"I'm going to kill you, kid. Let's see if you..." as he looked at the injured soldier, he saw him dead.
I had stabbed the knife right into the vital area of the heart; he only had a few seconds of life left.
Seeing his surprise, I switched my grip on the knife and ran towards him. He tried to strike with his sword, but I rolled to the side and threw muddy sand into his face.
As he tried to wipe away the sand, it was too late. I jumped onto his neck.
The soldier choked.
"Damn... dishonorable..."
"There's only dishonor in dying," I said to him.
He fell backward.
Unfortunately, with this child's body, I couldn't do much more than that.
Breathless but triumphant, I retrieved my knives.
Rummaging through the soldiers' bodies, I searched for more items. Unlike when I killed the other one, I now had time. Quickly looking around, I checked to make sure no one else was there. I had spent at least 2 hours observing, but I didn't want to risk staying much longer.
As soon as we reach my family, I will report this location. There might be other soldiers around... I need to get back to my mother! It would be impossible for them to climb the cliff, so the only option is the beach, which means she is safe... but there might be more beaches along this coast, and these true humans could start wandering the region, attacking people.
The only things the two soldiers had were their swords and a key. They didn't even have knives or support tools, probably lost when they jumped into the sea and swam to the shore.
Taking a deep breath, I finally start to feel my legs go weak and the effects of the adrenaline wear off.
"I could... have died."
I realize how dangerous and risky this situation was.
It was the only way! I couldn't risk putting my mother in this kind of situation.
"I need to learn to use magic soon. With it, I could have done something from a distance and been safe."
Looking at the part of the ship, I sigh, thinking about the danger that might be inside.
"They mentioned it being something dangerous."
I sheathe the knives and pick up the two swords. They are useless to me because of my size, but their structure and design are completely different from the swords I've seen here.
These are swords from the true humans; I need to understand everything about how they use these things in case they dare to return...
The true humans have retreated over the years and are dealing with their own crisis. It is estimated that they will not act again in this generation or the next. They lost one of the Emperor leaders of their unification and parts of their army. They have their own crisis to deal with and internal wars to fight.
Walking cautiously, I approach the destroyed part of the ship. Peeking inside, I see nothing. The place looks like some kind of basement, with broken crates and barrels scattered around. A small orange light flickered quickly in the darkness and then went out. I carefully move toward where the light had been. There was a small lamp with a faint burning light. The lamp was covered by a cloth, but I removed it and took it to help me see better in that place. Sheathing one of the swords, I held the other in my hand.
I know that whatever it is, it's chained, so I just need to be careful with the reach of this dangerous creature.
Walking slowly, I illuminate what is in front of me while listening to the sound of water hitting this partially submerged area. The wood beneath my feet creaks, and raindrops drip through some holes. Approaching the back of the area, I illuminate it but don't see any large creature.
"Nothing?"
Moving the lamp downward, I see a bird completely wrapped in chains. Its entire body was tightly bound in chains that looked like snakes constricting it, and the long chain was secured to a hook.
As soon as the bird saw me, it lifted its head slightly, let out a sound of pain, and then dropped its head back to the ground.
"A hawk?"
I illuminate the bird better with the lamp and see that it's a hawk chick, but it is completely red.
I can only hear its heavy, agonized breathing and see its chest rising and falling. It looks at me with empty, nearly lifeless eyes, the bird having given up on living.
"You're in bad shape... but there's not much I can do for you."
The bird lifted its head a little as if it understood my words and gave me a sad look. It then dropped back to the ground, its breathing becoming heavier.
"I can't kill you, not with you having that look. I can't ease your suffering, I'm sorry."
I've seen someone important to me once with that same look.
I turned my back to leave and started walking towards the exit. Behind me, an orange light shone briefly, and I barely had time to see it before it went out again when I turned around. The bird had glowed.
"You still want to live?" I asked it.
It's useless… it's just a bird, and it's in its final moments…
The red hawk chick nodded 'yes' to me.
"What?" I was startled to see that the animal had somehow understood and responded to me.
I raised the lamp, illuminating better to make sure of what I had just seen. The hawk looked at me and then at the chains wrapped around it.
"You're a magical animal!"
I still didn't know what magical animals were like in this world. The only thing I knew was that most were wild and dangerous.
I looked at the dying red hawk and sighed.
"If I free you… will you try to kill me?" I asked, but I knew it was unlikely I would get a response. After all, it was just an animal.
The hawk shook its head 'no'.
It really understands me!
Placing the lamp on the ground, I sighed, fearing to approach it. Even though it was small, I had heard the soldiers describe how dangerous and deadly it was.
Although it is small…
As I approached, the hawk watched me cautiously, lifting its head.
"You're asking me to come closer and help you, don't forget that. If you try to hurt me, I will do the same… so let's cooperate. I want to leave as much as you do. So we'll do this together, just don't hurt me and I can save you from these chains."
I looked at the chains, which were wrapped around it and then secured to a hook on the wall. There was a padlock, but it was tangled in that mass of chains.
"I'm going to touch you a bit, so don't do anything dangerous," I said to the small red hawk, who just nodded.
As soon as I touched the chain, I screamed.
"AHH!" I felt a horrible pain and immediately let go. The pain lingered in my hand as if I had touched something acidic. In desperation, I checked my hands.
"Nothing…" I murmured, seeing my hands were fine with no injuries.
What was that? What kind of madness happened here?
I inspected my hand thoroughly, trying to find any wound, but there was nothing. The only conclusion I reached was the most obvious one.
A magical chain?
With one of my hands trembling, not wanting to feel that pain again, I slowly approached with my index finger and touched the chain. As soon as I did, the agonizing pain hit immediately.
"Damn it!" I felt such deep pain it was as if my finger had been severed.
Looking at it and seeing no injury, I concluded what seemed most logical.
It's enchanted to prevent anyone from freeing the bird, or it has an enchantment that causes pain to anyone who touches it.
"You're feeling this pain all the time?" I asked the red hawk.
Lying with its head on the ground, it just looked at me and confirmed it with a nod.
"This is madness…" I murmured.
There was nothing I could do. The chains were wrapped tightly, and the padlock was secured in the middle of them.
Whatever painless method existed to handle these things, it died with them…
"I'm going to… I'm going to have to deal with this thing."
It's going to hurt like hell…
"I'll probably feel a lot of pain, so don't do anything to make my job harder… and don't try to kill me if this causes you more pain."
The bird nodded its head in agreement.
I hope this thing really understands me because I don't want to suffer for nothing.
As I started to fiddle with the chains, I paused.
"They said if you were released, you'd go on a killing spree. I don't want to free something that will kill innocent people or try to hurt me as soon as I set it free."
I sighed.
"Don't harm innocent people. Once I set you free, go back to your home and be free. I was once chained and tortured… I know how it feels."
The bird seemed to understand me, and I took a deep breath as I faced the chains.
"This is going to hurt…"
I took the key from my pocket, hoping it would unlock the padlock, and placed it next to me. Staring at the silver chains, I tried to move them, and as soon as I did, the sharp pain came instantly. The pain was worse because I grabbed it with more intensity. I started to manipulate the chain while moving the small hawk, twisting and pulling the chains. The pain in my hands felt like I had dipped them in acid.
Each time I moved, it was as if my fingers were melting, and I felt my hands instinctively begin to pull back.
MOVE!
I commanded my hands to act again, ignoring the pain, and started to unravel the chains further. The bird moved and helped me finish unwinding it.
"That's it!"
I finished unwinding the hawk, leaving only a circular metal band around its body, preventing its wings from opening and restricting its movement. It looked like some kind of shackle. The only thing left was to open the padlock. That was the final thing stopping the bird from escaping.
As soon as I took my hands off the chains, I noticed they were trembling in pain, and tears instinctively streamed down my face.
The hawk seemed a little better. It tried to stand up with difficulty and looked at me.
"Calm down…" I said, panting and trying to recover from the pain. With my hands trembling, I tried to pick up the key, which was difficult. I had to use my other hand to steady the shaking one and force it to grab the key.
I paused again to breathe; the pain still lingered, and my eyes were tearing up automatically. I couldn't stop crying, and my hands hurt and trembled, a reflex from my five-year-old body. I had no control over the trauma the pain from the chains had caused.
These chains are dangerous.
Looking at the red hawk, I inserted the key into the padlock.
"Honor our agreement, don't hurt me," I said, looking at it.
The hawk nodded, and I finished turning the key and unlocked the padlock.
As soon as I did that, my body gave in to the exhaustion caused by the chains. Feeling that pain was one of the hardest things I had done in this new body. I might have been trained in another life, but here, I was just a five-year-old child.
The red bird looked at me as I lay against the wall, breathing heavily and sweating. Even my tongue had gone numb, and I had to wipe the drool from my mouth.
"Stop looking at me like that... you don't look too great yourself," I said to it.
I stayed there for a while, recovering. The hawk started to check itself. It tried to walk but couldn't. Then it tried to open its wings and seemed to feel pain doing that too.
Has this bird been in these chains the whole time?
I stared at the silver chains.
In my old world, this would have become a weapon...
I struggled to get back on my feet. It was difficult; my whole body was sore, and it felt like I had run a marathon for hours. Every muscle felt heavy from touching that thing.
"Time to go… goodbye," I said to the red hawk chick.
'Squaaaaaak!' The red bird glared at me angrily, spreading its wings.
"Oh no!"
'Squaaaak!' It started flapping its wings furiously.
"What about our deal?" I panicked as it flapped its wings and screeched, but then I realized my mistake and looked behind me.
As I turned, I saw a man, and something heavy hit my head.
"Dam… damn brat…" the soldier muttered.
I fell, hitting the wall, barely able to see what was in front of me. The area illuminated by the lamp was fading to black. My vision was getting heavy, and I felt blood trickling down my head.
I put my hand where it hurt and felt a dent. A small part of my skull had fractured. The cracking sound from the blow and the blood revealed what had happened.
A fracture!? I'm going to die!
A blow that strong to an adult soldier's head could cause death, and to me, with the body of a five-year-old… I knew my mistake had cost me dearly.
The bird flew out frantically, flapping its wings and spewing fire.
I didn't have time to process the sight of its flaming wings. Everything happening was turning darker. I could barely hear anything, just a distant buzzing sound. The impact on my head had caused a fracture, and my brain was likely damaged, giving me only a few minutes to live.
My brain was already showing signs of failure.
NO! Everything was in vain!
Looking to the side, I saw the leader soldier clutching the wound on his neck.
How? I thought he was dead.
As life slipped away from me, one person came to mind.
MOTHER!
Regret hit me instantly. I barely had time to return the words of affection she always said to me. I was still learning to deal with those human feelings.
Guilt surged as I realized I had spent the last few days safely locked up while she stayed outside in the rain to protect me.
My mother…
I looked at the scene of the bird attacking the man, and fury welled up inside me.
I can't let this bastard live! If I'm going to die… at least I'll ensure my mother's safety.
I tried to grab a sword, but it was futile. The only thing I could lift at that moment was the knife.
My vision in my left eye, the damaged side, was going completely dark, and I knew my brain was shutting down. The injury was causing my brain to bleed, and my mind was giving its last moments of consciousness. I would collapse, and the fracture would end my life.
Looking at the scene again, the flaming bird clawed at the man's face as he flailed desperately, trying to get the small red hawk off him. I gathered the last bit of strength I had and ran towards him.
Using all my remaining strength, I plunged the knife into his neck, right where the earlier wound was. The soldier's eyes widened in shock and pain as he tried to fight back, but I held on with everything I had.
"This… is for… my mother," I whispered through gritted teeth, feeling my strength ebb away.
As the soldier's body went limp and fell, I collapsed next to him, my vision darkening completely. My last thoughts were of my mother and the hope that she would be safe.
With the knife in hand, I lunged at the man, and the bird flew away just in time, allowing me to wound his neck even more. At that moment, I realized I didn't even need to do it. Besides the earlier fatal wound I had inflicted, his face was completely burned. His eyes were no longer visible. The man, even if the bird had done nothing, wouldn't have lasted much longer. Seeing a face consumed by fire made me understand how dangerous that creature was and its level of hatred for those people. The man's facial skin had melted, revealing his bones.
Falling on top of the soldier, I rolled to the side as my other eye was darkening and my consciousness was fading.
"Pathetic…" a voice came, followed by the sound of clapping.
"Icarus… Icarus… is this what you fought for?" asked the Goddess Athena, emerging from the darkness of the ship's hold. She had a smile on her face.
Standing beside me, she looked down at me as I lay on the ground.
"Is this what the great General Icarus has become? A weakling who dies from a blow like this? Is this the man who killed me?" she asked, laughing.
A part of me wanted to tell her to fuck off, but I couldn't say anything. I was dying.
The bird jumped on top of me and looked at me.
The darkness of death overtook me, and I closed my eyes.