Ferine nodded once.
"Now tell me, why have you come here?" she asked.
"Not one for small talk huh?"
"Tell me how you got here!" she yelled.
"Well, that's rather difficult to explain"
"Why don't we make a deal? Let me have some water, then I'll tell you anything that you want to know"
"Denied. Tell me or I will… I will put an arrow through your…" she replied staring at my manhood.
"How dare you, he has nothing to do with this"
I glared at the Elf, causing her to flinch and tighten her bowstring once again.
'Shit, I reacted on impulse'
I cleared my throat.
"Let's calm down, shall we?"
She stared at me, seemingly more confused than before.
"Please listen to what I have to say"
She remained silent.
I smiled.
"If you shoot me, I will probably tell you what you want to hear. But it might not be the truth"
She narrowed her eyes.
"You see, I've survived many tortures without giving my enemy any information. But we're not enemies, right Ferine? We're acquainted with one another, so I would be willing to tell you in conversation, but my throat is really, really parched"
She stared at me for some time, I could practically see the wheels turning inside of her head.
I wasn't lying about the torture, technically. I played a video game where the bad guys torture the hero, and he doesn't leak any secrets. So, it counts.
"Fine, you may drink. But swear to tell me the truth or I will -" she replied
"Put an arrow in me, I got it. I swear on my life that I will tell you everything that happened after I have some water"
I gave her the A-Okay sign before dunking my face in the cold river and gulping mouthfuls of water.
"Ahhhhh"
'Damn, that was so good.'
It reminded me of the same euphoric and satisfying feeling that you get when you gulp down the famous Georgian State carbonated soda.
I turned to my left and was surprised to find Ferine knelt beside me.
'How did she get here so fast? I only dunked my head for a few seconds...'
Her hair positioned on her back, with her bow beside her. She gracefully brought water to her mouth and elegantly sipped it from her right hand.
She had impeccable balance. I would have lost a great deal of money betting that she would topple over into the water. Seeing her assets this close really brought their size into perspective.
'I bet even the slightest of breezes would lift her mini skirt all the way to her waist.'
It really is functional…and charming.
"Have you lost something over here?" Ferine asked staring daggers into me.
'Crap, why did I stare at her butt for so long?'
I smiled sheepishly.
"Thank you for the drink, it was very refreshing"
"This river is the lifeline of our tribe and of this region. It holds a sacred place in the hearts of my people, be honoured that you have been allowed to taste its nourishment" she replied as she got back to her feet.
"I appreciate the gesture"
She picked up her bow and placed it around her shoulder, then took some distance from me.
'Oh? Was she testing me?'
I thought that it was rather odd that she removed her bow and appeared vulnerable beside me, especially after threatening my manhood like she did.
"Now, you will honour your word and tell me how you breached the barrier surrounding the Inner Garden" she demanded.
'What?'
"I'm sorry, did you say the Inner Garden?"
"Yes, how did you enter the Inner Garden?" she replied.
'She said it again. So, there's no mistaking it.'
'There might be a chance.'
"Hey Ferine, do you know where the Upper Garden is located?"
Her eyes widened like saucers.
It was rather comical; I stifled a laugh.
"W-Why did you ask me that?" she asked in a trembling voice.
'Hmm…that's not suspicious at all.'
"Answer me!" she demanded.
'Should I tell her? I don't know what effect it would have on the world. But we made a deal.'
I struggled to determine the best response. After all, my words and actions could bring ruin to this world.
I couldn't risk it, not after everything I suffered through. I still needed to experience this world to the fullest.
After thinking about my options, I decided to be honest…sort of.
"Well, because that's where I came from"
She looked at me with a blank expression.
Her entire body trembled.
'What the?'
"You swore on your life that you would tell me the truth, remember?" she asked in a monotone voice.
In the blink of an eye, she removed the bow from her shoulder and drew an arrow from the quiver on her back.
She nocked the arrow and pointed the tip at between my legs.
"You...You are far too weak to have resided in the Upper Garden!" she roared.
'Fuck, she's not playing around!'
I couldn't waste any time thinking about the meaning behind her words, I had to save my new penis.
My thoughts immediately went to using Boundless as a way to escape her line of sight. Lightning Reflexes might work, but I could not risk him swinging to one side and potentially catching a stray arrow.
I needed to resolve the situation without making her my enemy, so, getting out of the way would be best for now.
In the corner of my eye, I noticed something on the ground, laying diagonally behind her.
The training dagger I discarded earlier drew my attention away from the tip of her arrow.
The distance between myself and the dagger was significantly shorter than any of my previous uses of the ability.
Without hesitation.
I heard the whistle of an arrow as I appeared in front of the dagger.
The arrow pierced the ground the next instant.
I grabbed the dagger in a reverse grip and turned around towards Ferine.
I lunged forward aiming the butt of the dagger at the back of her neck.
She turned around mid-lunge with a look of shock and confusion.
I thrust the dagger towards her neck but stopped just before reaching her throat.
She gasped and froze in place.
I lowered the dagger and dropped to one knee.
My lungs felt as though they were on fire, but the burning feeling receded faster than before.
It was unclear whether the shorter distance; the increase to my stamina, or a combination of the two was the cause.
Regardless, the backlash of using Boundless did not feel a severe as before, albeit a minor improvement.
I breathed heavily.
"It's embarrassing, but I admit that your assessment is correct"
I grit my teeth.
"However, I'm telling you the truth"
Her eyes shook as she stared at me.
She lowered her head.
"Forgive me for testing you. I believe your words to be the truth" she said.
"I intended to miss the mark from the beginning" she remarked.
'Oh? How the hell was I supposed to know that?'
"If that's true, then it's fine. I'll forgive you"
She lifted her head then gave me a strange look.
"What is it?"
She shook her head.
"It is nothing" she replied.
I nodded.
"As for how I arrived in the forest, well, it's rather complicated. All that I can say is that it was out of my control"
She paused for a few moments, then nodded her head.
"I understand" she said.
'You do?'
"At the very least, I have established that you have no malicious intent. That would have to do for now" she replied with a gentle smile
'Have you now?'
"You're not curious about why I'm covered in blood?"
"I am. Would you care to explain?"
I shrugged. It's not like I had anything to hide.
"I was attacked by three goblin scouts"
Ferine's expression became dark. She clenched her fists.
"Did you kill them?" she asked in an icy tone.
'Damn, she looks really scary right now'
"Yes, I did"
Her expression brightened immediately. She delivered a beaming smile that caused my heart stir.
"Great" she said.
"Please follow me" she said then started walking towards the tree line.
"Where are we going?"
"To my village, there is someone that I would like for you to meet" she replied.
***
Ferine told me to follow her to the Elven village, but shortly after leaving the lake, she asked me to walk ahead of her instead, rather, she insisted
At first, I thought that she was using me as bait to lure monsters, or worse than that... As a sacrifice to give her time to escape in the event that a hoard of monsters approached us. It was a logical line of thinking, after all, nothing else made sense.
Her reason for asking me to walk ahead of her…
"I am curious as to where you will lead us" is what she said.
What the hell?
That's the same thing as inviting someone to your home for the first time and asking them to show you around.
"You're messing with me, right?" is what I asked her.
She simply smiled and said - "Please lead the way"
'She's still testing me, that's blatantly obvious. What I don't know however, is why? Or what she expects the outcome to be. Whatever it is, I'll make sure that it doesn't play into the narrative that she is trying to include me in.'
I strolled around the Sacred Forest without a care in the world.
I simply admired the breath-taking and vibrant scenery, seeing as I didn't have the luxury of doing so when I first arrived in the Sacred Forest.
Every so often, I would glance back at Ferine to gauge how annoyed she was at the fact that I was leading her to no particular place.
However, she kept a smile on her face the entire time, as though my actions pleased her.
'She hasn't given up yet?'
I decided to ask her about the Sacred Forest to distract her.
I had a feeling that questions about the Upper Garden would have to wait for another time, after we became better acquainted.
"Hey Ferine, are you allowed to tell me about the Sacred Forest and the Inner Garden?"
She stopped walking and looked around intently.
'What is she looking at?... Shit! Are there monsters nearby? Did she really use me as bait?'
"What are you looking at?"
She turned her attention back to me, then stared into my eyes.
I cleared my throat.
"So?"
"I believe that it should be fine to do so now" she said, then gestured for me to continue walking.