Equ could feel the sun was frying her face. Sometimes, she feels the waves of water wash her back. She was stranded by the sea. Her head spins. As she open her eyes, she immediately lift her body and vomit to her side. She feel somehow sea sick at that point.
After a while, She feels better and her blurry vision slowly turns normal. She scouts her surrounding and she saw some pieces of broken wood, seemingly the ship that they board on last night.
She stands on her feet. At that moment, she feel a sharp pain to her legs and realized that there is a small piece of wood piercing her leg. She bite the hem of her clothes and pull the wood out forcefully. Then, She quickly rips her shirt sleeve and wrap her wound with it to stop the bleeding.
She sit on the sand for a while, resting her tired body after all that happened. She couldn't feel any other people presence around as her eyes wandering around the forest by the beach.
To her luck, her iron axe still there by her and didn't lost during the incident. It's still usable even the handle a bit broken.
"Seems like others was not around. I must look for them. Maybe they might be somewhere not far... I hope." She mutter to herself as she sigh.
She walk by the sea side and spotted a cow eating grass on the field by the forest. At the same time, her stomach growl...
...
15 minutes has gone by and she managed to put the cow down on the ground. He body condition was not at maximum but she managed even the cow kinda giving her a hard time. The axe handle also broke during the hunt.
Not long after that, she starts a bonfire and cook the meat by frying it on the fire. While waiting for the meat to be cooked, she wanders around looking for a suitable wood to replace her old axe handle.
Meanwhile, in the other place. Alen with Jyeora, Loktah and a 17 years old girl named Aknow was navigating through the forest. They were heading to the north. Loktah was being the head of the team since he once visited this land and very sure that there is a village around this area.
"It should be not far from this area." Loktah said as he encouraging others
"Mister Loktah, Do you know anything about Billet of Atlas?" Ask Aknow.
"Huh? Billet of Atlas? It's a legend know by the sailors. It said to be a forgeries from gods weapon. It has the power of sea manipulation. it has the shape of a trident and having the power as the same level of Riodma, The god of the gods. It just a legend though. Why do you ask?"
"Mmm... Nothing in particular. You just seems like a knowledgeable person. I feel like knowing. That's all." Aknow replied.
They keep walking across the forest following Loktah. At that moment of silence, Alen realize there is something else about Aknow than meets the eyes. He feels that Aknow have her own hidden objective behind her innocent nature. He kinda wish to pry further about this girl.
Alen was kinda disappointed to the lost of his journal along his bag. The ship frame was still stranded by the sea but he couldn't find the bag inside it. Plus, Equ and one other passenger in the ship last night was nowhere to be found.
After that, they heard the sound from peoples not far from them. The grateful feeling washed over them all as they know the village was close. But as they get closer, those sounds we're not the festive sounds of the villagers instead, a war was going on.
The increase their pace as they realized what was happening. Mandien was attacking the village. As they arrived, They saw a villager get knocked down by a Mandien Axe man. The man almost get chopped into half but Alen and Loktah manage to interrupt it.
Alen swiftly get to the side of the Axe man and kicking his stomach as they staggered him. His axe fall as he get a punch in his face and he falls. The axe man was trying to get his axe back but just before he could grab the axe handle, Alen stomping his shoes to the axe man wrist and kick his face as his throat cracks.
Loktah take the axe from him. The villager they save earlier thanks them and asking them to help the villagers in this attack. They agree to help as they head into the village compound.
Alen take a crossbow from a dead Mandien and using it to fight them. Loktah with his axe being un the front while Alen covering him. Alen himself have decent close up combat skill but he didn't like using axe.
When they get around a well, A villager were just get a cut to his chest. Alen was a bit late but he shot an arrow to the Mandien's head. Other Mandian army get to them to kill Alen but Loktah managed to cover him as he was reloading his crossbow.
Alen shot another arrow to the Mandien but he managed to block it while fighting with Loktah.
Even with the fighting skill Loktah has in close up combat, he couldn't win against the Mandien since he already exhausted even when the time they arrived here. The Mandien get another chance to chop Loktah's chest but the villager they save earlier get in the scene to failed that attack but as a result, his hand were chopped instead.
As the Mandien was about to kill him, Alen managed to take a shot and it piercing to his arm as he staggered and at that moment, Loktah slash him from the back and he falls to the ground.
Jyeora and Aknow quickly get to the injured villager and tend it's wound.
The fight in the village goes on for another half an hour and there is sound of Mandien's war horn echoes as the Mandien's start to retreating from the village. On of the villager from other part of the village was raising up a Mandien's banner shown that they already slay the leader of them.
A few hours gone by and the work of cleaning the battlefield and burying fallen people's body was done. Alen and Loktah with the others were getting treated well as they help the village during the attack. They were given food and place to stay as the people in the village understand their situation.
Meanwhile, In the other place. Equ was walking along the beach as she found an old wooden cabin. She carefully step into the cabin and exploring go make sure it was safe for her to stay for the night. She found some worn out clothes and a bed that still usable. She take her time to clean the cabin before the night arrived.
As the time passes and the moon already high up in the sky. She take it as the time were already 11 pm. It was dark there and only the moon keep giving her constant supply of light in the pitch black night. She lean on the bed, resting her body after this whole day. She look out the window as she know that the sea still raging after all this time.
Thinking about the raging sea make her feel a shiver down her spine. Her father once told her about an incident in the sea back when she was a little kid. And she just experienced an unforgettable experience in the sea for sure and it's even worse than the one her father told her.
After that, she shakes her head to shake off the sad feeling she had when she thinking about all memory she had with her father.
"Those time were short ,right? Father?" She whispered as she closed her eyes.
Her consciousness slowly get pushed into the endless abyss of sleep as the tiredness taking over her body. The night were tranquil as tomorrow may be a total mess for her.
Tomorrow morning, she woken up by a few footsteps she heard not far from the cabin she stayed in. She pick herself up and peek through the broken window to see four Mandien was walking around seemingly patrolling around this area. There was two Pikeman and two Crossbow man behind. She could do nothing but leaning against the wall
But, to her unluckiness, the wall breaks and falls. The Mandien immediately head to check the sound and spotted her. The four of them were in the position of ready for any offense.
The Pikeman thrust his spear to her. She quickly reacts by taking a piece of the broken wall to deviated the thrust trajectory and she rolls in the cabin to grab her axe. The other Pikeman get in to get her but she throw one of the ragged clothes to his face and make a run for it into the forest.
The Mandiens rushed after her into the forest as well and shots a few arrow to her. Equ with her agility quickly get behind a tree as the arrow missed her and she keep running deeper into the forest.
At that moment, Equ realize that she need to do something about this situation because her leg starts to bleed again from yesterday's wound. She have no other choice but to face them all. But, she know that she have the advantage in this situation since she has a good hearing ability and forest is just her home.
She hide behind a tree with some sand in her hand. As one of the Pikeman get close to her, she throw the sand to his face and ambush him. She hacking her axe and it hits the mandiens arm. Before she could strike again, the second pikeman block it. Equ immediately get back as the pikeman try to attack her with his spear again but the narrow area in the forest hinder him to do so.
Equ take the opportunity to throw her axe and it's directly lands on the second pikeman's chest. He falls immediately as Equ get's there to grab her axe back but she heard a crossbow shot so she duck behind the tree. As an arrow cocked to the tree beside her, she get's to her axe.
She run to the crossbow mandien and attempt to attack him before he could refill the crossbow but before she managed to hack her axe again to him, another crossbow mandien release a shot and it pierced into her right thigh. She fall on her face as she just remembered that there is 4 of them.
Those mandien didn't kill her instead, they catch her and forcefully dragged her to their camp. Equ were forced to walk with her bleeding leg.
After almost an hour of walking, they arrived at a large mandien camp. She got dumped into a cell. She take that time after the door locked to take out the arrow and again ripped her shirt sleeve to bandage up the wound.
"I don't really sure what will happened next but I must escape from here." She monologue
"Inu-Ajin? What did you do to make them catch you here?" A male voice could be heard from the back of the cell.
"Eh? Who?" Equ turn around and a man with cat ears and tail was leaning againts the cell wall.
"Did you fight them?"
The guy look at her with his jade sharp eyes. Cat-ish looking eyes.
"Admon, Nice to meet you."
Hearing those introduction from him giving her goosebumps. She doesn't like Neko-Ajin without a solid reason.
"LIbria." She replied.
...