[10 minutes earlier]
"Look, they're fighting." I pointed at the scene unfolding below us. Three men in light armor, a brown-tall figure and a pretty young lady.
She immediately clipped my attention. "Why is there a small girl there? She'll die if nothing changes." I looked at her as she fought off a man with serious killing intent towards her. The fight begun slow, but with time became more intense and dangerous.
"She's a lot more dangerous than she looks, so don't worry about her and focus on reding their patterns—It will come helpful in the future" said Yore.
Siri agreed with Yore "Never judge a book by it's cover."
"Looks like they're not having a picnic," I muttered to myself, trying to make sense of the chaos. 'I should probably help, but I'm not exactly a knight in shining armor.'
Siri's voice chimed in, "Focus, Luke. Watch their techniques."
The battle reached a fever pitch when one of the enemies pulled out a black vial. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him guzzle it down, transforming into something monstrous.
"Uh, guys," I said, feeling a rising sense of urgency, "should we be doing something about that?"
"Yes, now would be a good time," Yore replied, sounding more serious than usual.
The berserker charged at the dwarf hybrid, and I cringed as I heard the sickening crack of bones. 'Okay, that's scary. Will I be able to beat him?'
The girl was next, her face a mix of shock and fear. I couldn't just stand by and watch. 'They aren't gonna charge at me once I save them right?' I thought, gripping the sword I'd taken earlier.
I leaped from my hiding spot, sprinting toward the chaos. 'Be water, see water, feel water…' I repeated, raising my sword. The technique I'd practiced earlier came to life as I swung, the blade slicing through the air with a fluid motion.
The berserker's head toppled from his shoulders, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Well… That was dramatic."
I looked at the girl on her knees, her eyes brimming with tears of terror. 'What's wrong with her? I thought I'd at least get applauded.'
"Excuse me young lady, are you all right?" I lowered myself to her level.
"All…right, yes I'm all—Rhite!" She suddenly got up and hurried to the tall fallen warrior, her voice trembling. "Oh no, how is this possible, RHITE!"
"Right! How is this possible. But what do you mean?" I answered her weird question.
"I'm all right, thanks to this young man." He muttered while looking at me.
"Oh don't worry about it, an enemy of my enemy is my friend." I said so because it sounded fitting to the situation. "I should probably introduce myself, call me Luke." I said.
"Luke, Rhite." The girl said while pointing at me and her companion.
"Right! I'm Luke." And so I answered.
"He heard you the first time, Luke." She closed her eyes while taking a deep breath.
"So why did you ask?"
"I feel like I'm missing something." 'And what's with that attitude' I thought. 'After saving her she should show at least a little bit of gratitude.'
"..." Her stare penetrated my soul.
"Why is she staring like that?" I whispered to the souls.
"Probably this guy's name is Rhite and you don't seem to get it so she's annoyed." He whispered back in my head. Yore explained.
'Ohhhhh.'
"And what's your name young girl?"
"First of all I'm not a 'young girl', I'm 18 and my name is Kairi."
'She's older than me? But she's so small and her expression with puffy cheeks doesn't help.'
"Hey, thanks for the save back there," Kairi said, trying to brush the dirt off her clothes. "I would've been toast without you."
"No problem," I grinned. "It's not every day you get to decapitate a berserker and make new friends."
"Friends? We just met," Kairi replied, raising an eyebrow. "And you were kind of staring like a lost puppy."
"Lost puppy?" I feigned shock. "I'll have you know, I was channeling my inner hero. It's a very serious process."
"Is that what you call it?" Kairi smirked. "Because from where I was standing, it looked more like you were trying to remember if you left the stove on."
"Hey, that's a valid concern!" I protested. "You never know when a rogue stove might pop up in a jungle."
Kairi chuckled, shaking her head. "You're something else, Luke."
"Thanks, I think?" I scratched his head. "Want to go rest somewhere so you both can heal?"
"Sure, why not," Kairi shrugged. "Just promise me you won't go all 'hero' on me again without a warning."
"Deal—" I responded but as we were preparing to depart an annoying call came by.
"Don't you go anywhere!" It was the voice of the cloaked figure I took my sneakers from. "We still have business to—" He tried approaching me as he tripped over a conveniently placed rock and fell on his face.
"Phuth—" He spit the mud out of his mouth. "You haven't told me who sent you to assasinate the prince!"
"The prince what prince? The only elf I met—If you could even call it that— Was a boy whom I helped escape from bad guys. You should be thankfull if anything." I explained as we watched him struggle to get up.
Slip—Bash!
"Hah!" Kairi hid her face behind her hands.
I also chuckled a bit.
"Oh and thanks for the shoes… and sword I guess!" We waved at him as we walked away while supporting Rhite.
*****
We traveled for a bit without saying a word to each other, when the silence ended with Kairi's words. "How'd you do that?"
"Do—"
"I mean slash his head off like that. Although it was brutal, I have to appreciate the precision of that strike." She turned to me with geniuine curiosity.
"Hmm, I'd It wasn't really that difficult, plus it was only my second time using this technique so I'm not really familiar with it as such."
I noticed Kairi's eyes narrow slightly, her curiosity piqued. "Second time? That has to be a lie."
"Uh, yeah," I said, trying to sound casual. "It's this thing where you, uh, think about water and... then you just... you know, go for it." I realized how unconvincing that sounded the moment the words left my mouth.
Kairi raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying my vague explanation. "Go for it? That's the technique?"
"Well, it's more like, you imagine you're water," I attempted to clarify, gesturing wildly as if that would help. "And then, uh, you kind of... become one with it? Like, be the water. Or something."
She blinked at me, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Right. So, you just 'be the water.' Got it."
I nodded enthusiastically, hoping that would end the interrogation. "Exactly! It's, uh, super complex."
She chuckled softly, crossing her arms. "Sure, I get it. You don't want to share your secret. I wouldn't either if I had something that powerful up my sleeve."
I was about to protest, but Rhite, who'd been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up. "There." He pointed ahead, where a dark opening was visible against the rocky landscape. "Looks like a cave."
The interruption was a welcome distraction from my fumbling explanation. "A cave, huh? Maybe we can rest there and patch up your wounds, Rhite."
Kairi gave me a sideways glance, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, let's check it out. Could be a good place to regroup."
I nodded, grateful for the change in topic. As we headed toward the cave, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of relief and excitement.
We sat in the cave on a pile of flat stones, lit by a small fire a few feet away from us was a fireplace we just prepared. The air was cold and humid as if a pool was nearby. I didn't like this—this feeling of someone watching me from a distance, plus I had to sit on a hard rock in a pool of water mixed with sweat. I was counting the seconds until I can escape.
"It feels nice." Kairi cut the tension with a friendly voice as she sat near the fire, taking a sip of her water.
"Yes, yes it does. I almost feel like I could live here!" I responded after the sudden shock.
"I wouldn't say that I'd live here but I get where you're coming from." Kairi chuckled "But I have to get back, for there is someone waiting for me on the other side of this universe."
"Someone waiting—"
"My sisters—I mean." She quickly interrupted.
'Whew, I almost thought it might be a—'
"And you? Is there someone waiting for you, in your world?" She tilted her head slightly to the right.
"…"
"It's okay if you don't—"
"There was someone before. But they passed away. So I came here because there was nothing left for me on Earth."
"Shit! You're also from Earth?" Her face lit up immediately after she heard those words. "What are the chances that two Earthlings meet each other in Cerothine!"
"Yeah I'm from Earth. So Kairi, what country where you born in? I haven't heard that name on earth."
"Me, I'm Japanese."
'I new I felt some familiarity with her.'
"But if so, then how can we understand each other? I heard that many Japanese don't know the English Language and last time I checked I don't speak Japanese."
"That's funny of you to say since I hear you in Japanese as we speak." She chuckled again.
"How? I am sure this is English."
"Didn't you know that?"
"…"
She gasped "You didn't read the description before coming here am I wrong? Everything was written inside, from language translation to soul powers and techniques."
"She's right, you moron" Yore added.
"I erm… usually just skip the… 'everything except action' part"
She looked at me like you'd look at your dog chewing a shoe.
"On that topic, could you grace me with the information regarding our stay on this level?"
"Like what is the goal for this level?"
I nodded "mhm" (With a wide smile)
"You're really hopeless you know that…" Her eyes met my "But not in a bad way."
She just insulted me but I couldn't help but feel the warmth inside my body, an unfamiliar sensation, my chest pounding faster and faster. 'Is this what I think this is? I think that she is…' I gulped 'hitting on me?'
"Watch out lovebirds, we've got company." Rhite interrupted as he rushed back into the cave.
"LOVEBIRDS?!" Kairi exclaimed, clearly not confidently as she begun hitting Rhite with light punches on the arm. "No-way-you-wish-you-stupid—"
"Oh my, what do we have here." Seven men crawled into the cave with notorious expressions. Each with a weapon with the same emblem as the rogues earlier. "You have taken away lives of our companions, so we're to return the favor. Keep the woman alive, and kill the rest—she'll make for a nice desert."