I saw someone walk up the base camp, but the camp fire made it impossible to make the person out properly.
It wasn’t Rune, that was for sure, as the person was taller, their gait more masculine and wore a massive bastard sword on their back.
Nervously, my eyes darted towards the tent where my armor and weapon were, ‘should I get them?
But what if they’re just a hunter needing a rest?’ The person drew closer and their hand moved towards their sword.
I finally realized who it was.
Hans.
Cold sweat ran down my neck, the missing Peco, the stares, what if it was him?
I gulped and tried to show off a strong voice as I called out, basically yelling as loud as possible, “HEY HANS, HOW’RE YOU DOING?
YOU GOOD?” His eyes looked crazed and his hand moved towards the massive bastard sword on his back.
My mind ground to a halt as he drew the blade and he took off into a charge.
‘Fuck I need my shield, no my armor, no fuck I should run, don’t let him get you,’ my brain began firing again.
The massive bastard blade with its at least two and a half meter length came in a horizontal swing.
I don’t know how, but I managed to let myself fall backwards, my body hit the floor.
His blade swept past me and he whipped around with the momentum of his heavy blade.
Not even a heartbeat later the massive sword came down.
I rolled to the left for a few meters, not stopping even as I burned my leg hitting the still hot pan, dousing my leg with hot honey and wild berry stew, making me hiss.
My hands moved frantically around and found the pan handle.
Despite the pain, I pulled my body together and leapt up onto my feet.
I screamed, my voice almost breaking, “ARE YOU INSANE?!” My mind began racing, as I kept him in my sight.
His stance shifted, his bastard sword ready for an upwards attack.
I threw the pan right at his face, but he leaned to the side, avoiding being hit at all.
The second it gave me, I dashed right into the tent.
‘Fuck, armor takes to long, I need my shield!’ My eyes darted, landing on the shield, lying next to my backpack and I grabbed the leather buckles.
‘Please hold, please!’ Out of the corner of my eye I saw another swing arcing right at my neck.
Following my instincts, I slammed my shield at his bastard sword.
The impact threw me backwards, right through the tent’s strengthened fabric and forcing the air out of my lungs.
I slammed onto the ground outside, gasping for air.
My shield arm was numb up to my shoulder.
‘Please body, hold out, pleaseee!’ With my breath still wheezing I tried to stand.
Blood dripped down my brow into my left eye, as it began to swell shut.
I spat some blood out that was pooling in my mouth and eyed his moves cautiously.
Suddenly his sword appeared to my left, as he took advantage of my swollen eye.
I knew I couldn’t block this one, so I let my knees give in again, barely avoiding being bisected, but landed on my numb shield arm, making it throb with agony.
Every fiber in my body screamed at me, hurting and I still hadn’t recovered my breathing from being smashed into the floor.
“Finally,” Hans smirked, his face distorted with hate.
“Bet that dumb bitch Rune won’t look down on me when you’re dead!” ‘Fuck, please Rune don’t come back, don’t let him get you next,’ I silently hoped, my head weirdly clear.
I grabbed dirt and threw it at his face.
“Dumb bitch,” Hans growled and rubbed his eyes.
I scrambled to get back onto my feet even as my legs felt burned.
With what energy I had left, I dashed.
The second I was almost past him, I got thrown back again.
He pulled on my braided hair and spun my body around and smashed me face first into the ground.
My vision was fading and I clung to what little consciousness was left.
Blood oozed out of my nose.
I struggled out, “why?” “Why?
Why?!” He screeched, “because your bitchy friend ratted me out to the guild!” ~Rune~ I couldn’t believe it, I finally got to do a hunt with Aria and then I only focused on her.
So much, that even my mother’s precious Peco Ruby got abducted.
I hid my panic as best as I could from Aria and left the camp.
Aria was my best friend since I came to Tide village and she was a super sweet girl.
I don’t know when I fell for her, but just looking at her carefree smile made my heart float.
I used my Peco whistle while walking a wider and wider circle around the base camp, but Ruby didn’t react.
‘Please don’t be dead.’ My feet carried me out to the edge of the forest again, this would be the furthest I should go at night.
I blew into the whistle and waited.
“Kweh!
Kweeeeh!” “Ruby?!” I exclaimed, his voice coming from further inside the forest.
I took off into a sprint, my lantern bouncing at my hip and bathing everything into a dim light as I forgot to refill.
Something I only realized after I was too far from camp.
I found a hidden beaten path and followed it towards a very old and abandoned seeming burrow.
There he was.
Ruby was tied to a tree with its reins and I broke into a run to him.
I slung my arms tightly around Ruby and sniffed and tears ran down my face, “I’m so glad you’re okay, Ruby!” “Kweeh, kweh!” The bird trilled reassuringly.
I untied him from the tree and mounted the bird after gently petting its neck, with a really bad feeling in my stomach.
A Peco can’t tie themselves to a tree, so someone must have hidden it here.
I let Ruby trot until the path opened up, my lamp barely casting light and whispered towards Ruby, “you know the way to base camp right?” “Kweh!” Ruby replied and sped up.
I didn’t see much in this darkness, but mom Mel trained him for rescue too, so he knew the way to camp as soon as he was there once.
Ruby was a more than capable bird.
We broke through the forest edge and up ahead I could see the camp fire, but something looked off, even from far away.
I gently squeezed my legs behind the Peco’s girth and Ruby sped up further, basically breaking into full gallop.
I reached the base camp with its tent half broken down and Aria wasn’t missing.
The smell of human blood was in the air.
Ruby continued to barrel towards the camp fire and tent.
I gently pulled the reins towards the right and leapt off Ruby.
After a quick roll forward, I stood there with my blades drawn.
Then I heard a voice screech, “Why?
Why?!
Because your bitchy friend ratted me out to the guild!” Blades drawn I dashed towards the voice.
It was Hans.
That damn bastard towered over Aria, pulling her head back by her beautiful braided hair.
‘How dare he hurt my precious Aria!’ My eyes went red.
I switched the grip on my blades and jumped forward, plunging both swords into Hans’s shoulders.
His collar bones shattered with a cruel crunch.
My blades managed to hit right between his layered armor and blood spurt forth in a fountain.
“Ariaaaa!” My voice broke as I screamed, ripping both blades out of him as his body crumbled lifelessly.
I let go of both of my blades and dove onto my knees next to Aria who was lying in a puddle of blood.
My heart dropped, “please be alive.” With trembling hands I turned her body.
Her nose was broken and her left eye swollen shut, but at least her chest moved, showing she was breathing, even if shallowly.
I pulled her into an embrace, tears streaming down my face.
I don’t know how long I stayed like this, but after a while Ruby came up and nuzzled his cute beaked face against my neck and cheek.
“Get mama,” was all I managed to choke out and the Peco, smart as it was, took off into the night.