It's a twenty minute walk...
But I can use gravity to increase my speed
I ran for a while
And arrived at the place.
I found a little girl in her early teens, tan skin, short black hair
She was leaning against a tree with a gaping hole in her leg, Her head was seemingly stomped on and small burns scattered around her arms
As if she was tortured slowly
The grass was bloodied, It looked like she lost a lot of blood
Her tan skin was filled with cold sweat and her dark amber eyes looked closer to death than life
I frowned at the harsh scene
"Hey." I called "Are you okay...?" Although I asked, She did not seem 'okay'.
I pulled a long cloth from my back pocket and pressed on her leg firmly
"Aaghh" She gritted his teeth trying to hold the moan
"Please be patient" I soothingly spoke
I used gravity to apply even more on her wound to stop the bleeding quickly
I checked if she had any broken ribs but it didn't seem so
So I decided to bring her back to the camp so we can help her better
I carried her and lightened her weight at the same time
And used gravity to rapidly get back
I ran and ran
As she was on my back, The girl was muttering something against her breath but I didn't have time to stall...
Roughly half an hour passed since I first left for the horse
I arrived at where the horse was located and...
I sensed something wrong
Zeo....
Zeo was dead.
It had its guts out and head dismembered, cruelly...
I felt an ominous chill pass through my arms
I didn't have time to stall and ran even harder through the forest
Then, my fears came true...
None of the group was there
The earth upside down from distruction, the only noise was the injured girl's groaning
"Ha...Ha...Ha..." And my heavy breathing
"A t..a..." she was still muttering something and I brought my ear close to hear it
"A tr..ap..."
How could they trap me and they didn't know if I could sense this injured girl from this far
Did they change their plan because of me?
Hold on wait...I know this language...
Admist all this confusion...
Why did she utter my previous life's language?
All of this is not important, I need to find them
"Rin..." I muttered worriedly
●●●
Aravind kept thinking about what Rin said
[She never does that to someone she doesn't like]
'Doesn't she like me? Why?'
Is Nico more likeable than I am?
That dude?
He shook his head at the silly thoughts
It's not like he wanted to have a nickname
Well...maybe he did a little...
Anyways he was missing home before but not anymore...
'My father will absolutely ravage me...'
To the point where he even considered staying in this monster-infested land
The only thing that keeps him from doing so is his mother
She will be really worried
Some time passed and...
"Your Highness! Rin checked the horse and Secilia wasn't there!" Etheria urgently cut him
"What?" Nico stood up
"She always takes time when she goes alone, maybe she's near" Michiel said
"Michiel, check it out" Aravind ordered
"Roger that." He responded right away
He put his hand on his eyes
Blinding bright light started coming out of them but it was hidden by his hands
But it became stronger and stronger until it came out of the space between his fingers
"Did you find anything?" Nico asked impatiently
"I found out something a bit more important..."
"Prepare yourselves" He warned
BAM!!
"Yoli~" A huge man seemed like he dropped from the sky
Tattoos all over his body, and a thatch of hair
That high-pitched voice didn't suit him
"Iwa moya moram jola..."
Another muscular tall woman came by, with the same tattoos talking in some weird language
She was holding a huge hammer with bizarre patterns
She was followed by three others
All in attacking positions
The group pulled their swords out
"Aneirin, get behind me" Niko immediately held Rin close and turned himself to steel
The five attackers kept speaking in a language they did not understand
"Etheria get Michiel and Rin as far as you can" Aravind ordered right away
When Michiel uses his powers, He can see anything he wants.
But it causes him to be disoriented for a while and decreases his vision
He couldn't fight now; balance was paramount in swordsmanship. He had to use his powers sparingly. They'd been reckless this time.
Sicilia was absent. Rin was holding Nico back, and Etheria was bound by Michiel
They needed to secure Rin and Michiel before confronting the others. Aravind was the only one free.
'This is burdensome' he thought.
These individuals exuded immense power.
"Surrender," one of the three men following the tall woman demanded.
He appeared the most 'normal,' smaller with brown hair and no tattoos. He must have hailed from the Isthisian Empire.
"Why are you attacking?" Nico asked, frowning.
The man erupted in laughter. "Hahaha, why, huh? Let's just say... tradition?" he responded with a smirk.
"You guys look like you'll be sold for a great sum, escpecially you" He licked his lips grossly as he looked at Etheria, She was about to respond until...
The big man roared impatiently.
Boom!
He punched a tree to the ground.
"Wow... that was a big tree..." Rin muttered.
"Shh, hold this and follow her," Nico handed him a dagger for protection and pushed him toward Etheria, then gripped his sword hilt.
Bam!
Aravind launched a swift attack on the tall woman.
She countered perfectly, a flash of sparks illuminating the clash.
A powerful blast shook the ground as Nico engaged the big man.
They fought fiercely, keeping an eye on the weaker three.
The confrontation was intense.
"Bahahaha, Joba Joba," the tall woman seemed to relish the fight.
"Do you think we'll just let you leave? Gronam!" the Isthisian ordered the other two.
They chased Etheria, who carried Rin and struggled to support the unbalanced Michiel.
"Shit" she muttered.
She halted and called, "Michiel, take Rin and go! I'll handle them."
He took Rin and fled as quickly as his unsteady body allowed.
Meanwhile, Aravind grappled with the woman.
"Fuck. Why are they so strong?" Nico exclaimed.
Their strength and speed were formidable.
The tall woman's strikes dropped trees, and the big man's raw power surpassed Nico's steel body.
Aravind was also struggling.
The fight took minutes and the ground was uprooted by the intensity
"You could have left us alone," Etheria hissed, her voice icy.
"These are the consequences of your actions." With a swift, deadly motion, she plunged her blade into the Isthirian, the last of them
The fallen warrior's life force seeped into the cold, unforgiving ground as he uttered a final, breathy curse.
Rin watched the gruesome scene from a distance, his eyes wide with shock while holding a charcoal and a piece of paper.
As soon as Etheria ended the final foe, she turned to run to Rin and Michiel that are quite a distance away
Until...
"Gara Flomen smina...[What do we have here]" a deep, imposing voice cut through the silence.
The tall, intimidating woman and the hulking man emerged from the shadows.
Panic surged through Rin.
"Aravind! Nicolai!" He cried, his eyes darting frantically across the battlefield.
Etheria saw them first, being closer
They were battered and broken. Nicolai's arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, while Aravind coughed blood and clutched his broken ribs.
"Fuck," she whispered her grip tightening on her sword.
The fight was far from over.
With her agility, She tried to parry both
But the long hammer and The huge man's fist proved to be really challenging
"Dosomi broba" The woman ordered the man something and he dented the floor as he ran towards Rin and Michiel
Etheria was distracted by them and "Agh-" The hammer sent her flying
Boom
An explosive sound erupted as she destroyed multiple trees landing
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she heard Rin's scream from afar
"Rin!!" As she lifted her head from the ground
Boom!
The woman punched her gut
And she lost conciousness...