"You okay?"
Caleb asked the cat woman with a warm smile. His focus had been locked on the man since dragging her away.
It would be a shame to let Jess be killed because he couldn't act fast enough. 'Baby steps.' He thought inwardly and then got down to meet her eye level.
"How did you—no wait. That man is getting away. Why aren't you going after him?!" Jess snapped, clearly puzzled by Caleb. The enemy was getting away and he was just relaxed.
In response, Caleb flashed a grin while looking in the direction Jetro ran. "Why would I do that?" He shrugged and turned to the cat woman. "We can do that later."
"We?" Jess was taken aback. "Just to clarify, we've never met." Jess felt she needed to make that clear to him. The man was too laxed for her liking and his familiarity with her made her slightly worried.
Her thoughts were abruptly cut short when Caleb scooped her in a princess carry. Jess scowled at this, her cheeks flushing. "Why aren't you undoing my bindings instead?" she asked.
"And miss this chance?" Caleb smirked at her angry expression. "You don't get to carry a beauty like this every day." His reply made her blush a second time.
Jess was ready to retort when Caleb abruptly moved, his speed taking the words out of her mouth. The world blurred and within moments, they were back at the clearing.
Compared to Jetro's speed, Caleb's movements were nearly instantaneous. Jess swallowed hard, stealing a glance at him. Her mind raced as she took in his calm yet mischievous expression.
'He's not just anyone,' she thought, her chest tightening as she realized the depth of his abilities.
Caleb set the woman down and proceeded to undo her binding. "I know you have a lot of questions for me, but before we delve into that." He gestured towards the bodies lying around. "Give your companions a proper burial or store them away."
Turning away from Caleb, Jess's expression darkened as reality set in. "Right," she muttered, clenching her fists. 'Those bastards... whoever sent them will pay for this,' she vowed silently.
Caleb observed her as she moved to gather the bodies of her fallen comrades. Two of them were still alive, though bound and unconscious. Despite the chaos from earlier, whatever was used to knock them out kept them deeply asleep.
Stepping closer, Caleb crouched down and undid their bindings.
The first was a young woman in her twenties, human, with short dark hair tied at the back. Her outfit matched Jess's, hinting at her role in the same party. The second was a young man, also human, with short blonde hair.
As Caleb glanced at their faces, their names appeared on his HUD via his appraisal skill. 'Selene and Max. You two are lucky,' he thought.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Jess finishing her task. Her movements were steady, but the tears pooling in her eyes didn't escape his notice.
Caleb approached Jess as she finished putting the bodies of her fallen comrades into a storage artefact.
"What do you plan to do?" Caleb asked, standing a few meters behind her. His question spared her from further tears.
"What else is there to do?" Jess glanced over her shoulder. "You said you'd help me find the ones responsible for this, didn't you?" Caleb gave a nod in response.
"Good," she said flatly. She didn't bother asking her questions just yet—there would be time for that later. She walked past him, heading toward the unconscious pair.
"They'll wake up in a few hours," Caleb said, turning to her. "In the meantime, why don't we talk? You still have questions, and so do I."
It made sense, and Jess didn't see a reason to refuse.
Despite being in Lothryn Forest, neither of them seemed concerned about the beasts lurking nearby. Jess was certain Caleb was stronger than he let on.
They found a decent spot under one of the trees, close enough to react if any beast dared approach the unconscious duo.
Jess leaned against the tree, arms crossed, and asked, "Alright, let's hear it. Who are you?"
Caleb's smile stayed steady, unfazed by her serious tone. "My name is Caleb. I'm an adventurer heading to the Therindor Duchy, specifically Sunspire City." He said.
Jess raised an eyebrow, looking sceptical. His outfit didn't scream "adventurer" at all. In fact, the all-black attire stood out, and the material looked high-quality.
Noticing her look, Caleb chuckled. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I might be strong, but I'm still pretty new to all this."
"You?" Jess sneered. "If you're new, then I must be a newborn." She didn't mean to sound rude, but it was hard to believe him.
"Well, that's the truth. Now it's my turn." Caleb's expression turned serious. "To help you get your revenge, I need to know how you ended up in this mess."
Jess sighed in resignation. "From what the attackers said, I must've done something to anger some powerful people who wanted blood."
She explained the actions she'd taken against men who couldn't keep their hands—or anything else—to themselves.
"So, you're telling me you killed someone, and now their family or allies want payback?" Caleb asked, making sure he understood.
"Yeah," Jess confirmed with a nod.
"Hm. Do you think the mission you took might have been a setup?" Caleb wondered if there was a connection.
But Jess dismissed the idea. "No, I don't think so. Missions from the guild are open to scrutiny until someone accepts them. Anyone can check the details." She recalled this specific mission had been available for a while before her team decided to take it.
They hadn't picked it up earlier because they were busy with another mission. Besides, the mission's high rank meant only certain teams could even consider it.
"Oh, I see…" Caleb said thoughtfully, digesting her words.
Jess, however, had another question—one he had been expecting.
"This still doesn't sit right with me. You mentioned heading to the Therindor duchy, meaning we've never crossed paths before."
Sunspire City was where she and her team lived. It was a large city second only to the capital as it held the kingdom's most prestigious magic academy.
Even she was not that famous to be known across the land. Jess fixed him with a sharp gaze and asked bluntly. "So, how do you know my name?"