Biyu continued her travel through the forest, following the paved stone road. Travel had started exciting with the lumber camp, but she had grown bored by the long hours of unchanging scenery. When the woods broke to a clearing, she would take some time to enjoy the view or explore points of interest that attracted her attention. Many times the clearings were flowered, dappled with brush, or had a lone tree or copse. Sometimes she found berry bushes, and she tried some. Poisonous or not, they did not affect her with her [Poison Immunity], so she harvested enough for a snack as she continued her trek. There were no other travelers on the roads, and she even found places where leaves had piled up on the road. She kicked at the piles, but many of them had already begun turning into dirt.

After noon, she took a break to eat a meal of dried rations with plenty of water. She liked how the half-mask allowed her to eat while keeping her face hidden. On the empty road she considered going without it, but after going so long without removing it she felt naked when she did. Once she was done, she continued along the road. Every few miles she would see a dirt path, some wide enough for oxcarts, lead off from the road, and wondered where they went. She considered following her curiosity, but she had no desire to get herself lost away from the road. After a day and a night and another half a day of travel, she finally paused to rest. A short nap in the early morning was all she needed to keep going.

On her journey, Biyu found herself avoiding sleep, especially at night. When she did, she would find herself remembering Indu. She tried not to, hating the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Biyu missed her, and she would shiver a little even on the warm nights.

Once she exited the forest, she found herself looking at farm lands with wide eyes. When she had been studying, she had seen prints of cultivated fields in her books. Her tutoring had included land management, including the management of farms. She had studied several treatises on the subject. For all that, her only experience thus far had been the small gardens of the manor courtyard, and she rarely had enough time to do more than identify a plant or two.

The long fields of evenly spaced plants, all waving in the wind, captivated her. She found herself smiling as she continued, and for a brief moment she was reminded of accounts of the far north where the Minotaur made their home. They were said to raise vast fields, taking advantage of their great strength and endurance to cultivate huge swaths of land. It boggled her mind how much a community could accomplish. She came to a broad dirt road heading north, a spur to a small northern village with low, mortared stone walls. A manor house was built at the far end. To the east the road disappeared once more into the forest. There was no decision to be made. She turned north.

Her adventure into a farming village was arrested at the sound of a large crash, screams, and shouts of outrage all came one after another. Her body reacted reflexively. She took a moment to ready her bow, flip the cap on her quiver, and she was running to the sound while drawing her first arrow. She kept her body low and near the brush at the side of the road to screen her from pickets.

Only a half mile away she found a wagon under attack. Two of the guards were on the ground. One was dead or unconscious, the other rolling while clutching his chest. As she came upon the scene, she drew an arrow aimed at a man as he raised a club over the wounded man. Too late, she fired. Her target was struck in the head. The bandit had no armor to protect him, so he fell to the ground fatally wounded. The downed guard had already been struck, and she saw no movement. She could not tend to him now.

Six other men were overwhelming a final guard. Their cudgels rained blows down on the guard, who was struggling to keep a shield between them. Only part of him was protected by the shield, his back to the wagon. The mail hauberk did little to blunt the damage, his body rocking from the blows. He was disarmed, and barely able to keep a shield between him and the men assaulting him. As she took in the full scene, preventing herself from focusing too much on a single part of the engagement, she made out the broken body of what was likely the driver of the cart, his body twisted and broken on the road.

Biyu had not yet been noticed by the rest of the bandits. She had to decide what to do next. Instinct had brought her here, but now was time for her to make a decision. Six attackers were a bit much for her, but they were not trained soldiers. They did not look like seasoned bandits either. They wore no armor, and half of them were suffering from old wounds. None of them had recovered any of the weapons to use against the last man standing. The last guard, the only confirmed survivor she could see, was badly wounded and the beating he was taking was visibly weakening him.

Biyu watched the bandits crowd the guard and drag him down. As she watched their hands clutching and pulling at the guards weapons, at his armor, at his helmet, her skin crawled. She remembered grasping hands. Cold anger filled her, and she aimed her bow. Drawing and firing rapidly, she attacked the bandits. The first, like always, flew true in a killing blow to the throat. She shuddered at the feeling of the soul filling her. The next was a glancing wound, striking a man in the shoulder. She was using [Envenom] on the arrows, so it should do. She favored a paralytic from her collection, a strong fast acting poison that would lead to death through asphyxiation. Other arrows struck true or glanced off, but none did more than leave shallow wounds.

Biyu tossed her bow aside, and drew a dagger and bronze sword. Readying herself, she used [Envenom] on her blades.

"Elf!" one of them cried as he ran at her. Only three of the men, all injured, turned from the downed guard to rush at her. The other two continued beating the downed man.

She moved as she had practiced so many times. A quick slash to a man's arm had him reeling in pain as magical poison rushed through his blood. A kick threw another man off balance enough he stumbled into the third's way, and they collapsed in a tangle of limbs. Biyu took the chance to run the first man through with her sword, and he collapsed in pain. So far, she had felt the power of only two souls coursing through her.

The other two men were still trying to kill the guard, their cudgels battering at the armor. A shriek of pain let her know the man was still alive, but he could not take much more.

Seeing that she had put another out of the fight, one of the beaters peeled off to help the two attacking her. There was another pulse of power. The poisoned man she had run through was dead. Three dead, two regaining their footing, one joining, and one beating the person she sought to rescue.

Biyu blocked one of the men's cudgels with a dagger, and slashed him easily with her sword. The man cried out, but the edge only did a little damage. He staggered back while the other two circled her. They went after her with their cudgels, as she deflected them as best she could. Her helmet and armor helped deflect blows she missed, but she scored a few quick strikes onto the bandits.

The man she had just cut died quickly, and she felt the power of him pulse into her. She switched to the offensive to batter aside a cudgel and land several hard blows against the man. The blade cut into him, and her poison took root. Then she kicked the man away to give her room to roll to the side. The man behind her made a heavy swing, but she was rising up to drive dagger and sword into him. He stared at her with wide, surprised eyes, as he died.

There was only one man still able to fight, and he was looking at her from over the guard. The man realized he had no chance to win against her, and he abandoned his allies to dive into the woods and run away. Biyu's first instinct was to go after him, but a choked sob from the beaten man stayed her. Instead, she quickly checked and dispatched the remaining bandits. Even the ones she was sure were dead got a dagger plunged into their heart. Once she was sure all six were dead, she quickly checked the downed guards. They were both dead, as she had feared.

Verification complete, she went to work on the injured guard. She started by removing his helmet. The man turned out to be a woman. She had a swollen eye, bruises on her face, and most likely a broken nose. Her eyes looked at Biyu with distrust.

"Can I take you to the village?" asked Biyu. The woman tried to stand, cried out in pain, then shook her head. "I understand. I will fetch help."

The woman gripped her wrist, and wheezed out, "Brother. Men. Alive?"

Biyu frowned, looking at the bodies of the guards. She gave a slow shake of her head and the woman started sobbing.

After looking to the woods, she gave the woman her sword back just in case the man who fled returned. As she did, she pressed a blessing upon the woman, one of healing as strong as she could stand to make without attaching her technique. Biyu checked the sight of the fight one last time before she ran to the village.

When she entered the small village, a villager on guard lowered his spear at her. He was ready to run her through on the spot. Hands up to placate him, she backed off. "I need help! A merchant wagon was set upon just outside the village! I need a healer!"

People came at her call. One of them was a man holding a long handled, broad headed ax. He wore a cuirass over a hauberk, a helmet, and a surcoat depicting an ax over flames. A Knight of the Order of Flaming Axes.

She repeated her message to the Knight. The Knight was suspicious, but he gave a nod. Other villagers, donning helmets, spears, and linen armor, came as well. Biyu led the people to the oxcart. An older woman was with them, and the Knight let a pair of villagers carry his polearm while he carried the woman bridal style.

The villagers stared at the dead bodies. Biyu gave them and the Knight a report of the fight, while the guards inspected each of the bodies to ensure they were dead. The medicine woman worked on the merchant guard, her expression flat. She set a broken arm and bound it to a splint. They put together a litter, tied the merchant guard to it, and took her and the wagon back to town. They took the bodies of the two guards and merchant with them on the cart. Services would be given for the driver and guards in the village, most likely performed by the Lord of the Land.

Some villagers remained to help the Knight stack the bodies of the bandits. The Knight would burn the bodies, preventing them from becoming the vessels of Lost Souls.

When they reached the village, a man in finer clothing than the peasants stood waiting for them. He had a look of concern on seeing Biyu. One of the peasants who had come back with them spoke to the noble, giving a summary. He looked a little worried again. "I am Lord Miles Kimmel. May I have the courtesy of your name?"

"I am Biyu Kimmel Lostlakes Elderwoods… Exile," replied Biyu. She gave a short bow to the man before she turned and rummaged in her bag. They all looked in surprise when she held up her broach to verify her claim.

The man gave her a once over, his face troubled. "I was informed of Lady Biyu's death a few years ago. And, an exile? Would you be so kind as to explain?" He was being deferential, and had even given her a slight bow she returned when he saw the emblem.

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Shaking her head, Biyu said, "I have been cast out of my family. They assumed I would not be able to fend for myself, so they covered my shame with a polite lie. I overturned expectations, and now I seek a place to call home." That was all true, just told in a way convenient for her family. Lord Miles was most likely a distant family member from the Lost Lakes branches several generations removed from the main March family.

"I see," he said. "May I ask the circumstances?"

Biyu had prepared an answer to this question, but put on the spot she was hesitant to use it. "I was a disappointment to my family. I could not be wed," she indicated her mask. "So they decided I was disposable." That was the truth, although she was expecting the man to misunderstand her insinuation about her face.

The worry on Lord Mile's face grew deeper. The Knight, who had just returned, straightened up. He was not wearing his helmet, and his careworn face looked angry. Biyu wondered why. Lord Miles asked, "Can you remove your mask? It is difficult to trust someone whose face you cannot see."

Slowly, Biyu shook her head. "You need not trust me. I do not intend to stay. My journey takes me east."

"Alone?" asked Lord Miles.

"Yes," she replied.

"That's dangerous for a child. If you wait, a patrol from Elderwoods or Lost Lakes should be able to escort you to a village in Flatwoods at least."

Biyu shook her head. "That is unnecessary."

"He speaks the truth," interjected the Knight. "He killed six bandits on his own. You have conducted yourself honorably. Your insistence not to show your face is troubling, but surely you heard the rumors Lord Miles. Will you swear your honorable intentions?"

Biyu nodded her head. Lifting her hands up to address the sky, she spoke, "I swear an Oath by the Dragon Gods that I intend no harm to this village, and shall stand in its defense for so long as I stay here." All three of them could feel the power of an Oath bind her. This was the first time Biyu had invoked an Oath, though she had seen it a handful of times in the Elven village. She would be freed once she continued on her journey.

Both men, feeling her Oath take hold, relaxed. The Knight did not look pleased, but Lord Miles smile was relaxed. "Lady Biyu," the Knight jolted at him calling her that, "please feel free to stay in my village so long as you wish. If you need a place to stay, I will offer you one of my spare rooms."

With a nod, Biyu asked to be shown to a place where she could clean herself up. Bath tents were only set up at the end of each week, but servants from the manor drew water and even heated it for her. She took a bath in the room assigned to her. The manor was a short, broad building of stone and mortar. Unlike Elderwoods, it was a north facing building in a small estate making up a four walls surrounding a courtyard. The gate was on the north side, and the main house in the south. Biyu was granted a small room in the main house, at the end of the hall near the storage rooms. After her bath, Biyu changed into clean clothes. She wore her gambeson, but she packed away the rest of her armor and all her weapons except for a bronze sword.

The merchant wagon had supplies the village and manor had needed, including alchemical goods for the village medicine woman. Biyu was thanked, and Lord Miles promised her the guard woman would be well cared for. Biyu tried to pay the healer, but the woman refused with a scoff.

The next day, the merchant guard was well enough to speak to Biyu. The woman had a freckled face and reddish brown hair. Her eyes were blue and clear as she sat on the bed looking at Biyu with a mixture with gratitude and grief.

"Was my brother and his friend, Mister," she said in a coarse rural tongue. Her consonants were harder than the local drawl, and she skipped some of her vowels and soft sounds in her words. The woman's fingers clutched her bedding. "Not like we ain't had that kind of action before. Just, they were rabid, Mister. Bonkers. And, well, thanks and all."

Biyu gave a slight bow. "I am sorry I did not arrive sooner," she said. Even if she meant the words, it was still a platitude. Politeness and unfamiliarity called for platitudes, but she found them grating all the same.

The woman smiled wanly, but she was thankful that Biyu cared enough to say the words. "Mister, I'm at a bit of a loose end here, ya know?" She swallowed, not quite looking her in the eyes. "I could stay here. They'd be nice and all, but… that's not my life, ya know?" She fidgeted nervously. "You seem a good sort. Can… will you stick around, and let me get back on my feet, so I can go with you?"

Biyu looked at the woman, surprised at her request. "You wish for an escort somewhere?" Biyu asked carefully.

The woman slumped at the question. "Ah, guess that's a bit much to ask a stranger, huh?" she said in a defeated tone. "Yeah, an escort to a town. Ah, dammit, how much?"

Realizing the woman had just assumed she was being turned down rather than asked for clarification, Biyu debated. She was a softer person than she thought when she held up her hand to stop the woman's rambling. "You want to journey with me?" she asked.

"Huh? Well, yeah. Not much life for a merchant's guard here, and with my brother gone… I've got nowhere to be. I don't think I can go on with the life I had, not without'm. So, if you need a hand, I'd like to go with you."

"Do you want to know where I am going first, or why?"

She shrugged. "Not gonna sell me to a flesh merchant, I reckon, and… well, a Transcendent ain't gonna stick around here, yeah? Despite this," and she waved at her wounds, "I'm a good little scrapper. I can be useful, I mean."

"It is obvious I am Awakened?"

The woman snorted. "Normal people don't kill seven people in ten minutes while making it look easy, ya know? Especially when you're that short." She looked uncomfortable. "But, even you Ascendant types need a hand or two, yeah?"

Biyu sighed. Beating around the bush was failing spectacularly. "Tell me what you want to do."

The woman blinked, as though she thought the whole thing was obvious. "I want to join you as a guard. You know, form a party, travel the lands, do the heroing thing or whatever it is you do. Like the minstrels sing about, yeah?"

Biyu leaned back. "I am on a journey. See more of the world and the Empire. Learn about and improve my techniques. Expand my power. Find my purpose. I would like to get going, and I do not think you should come with me."

The woman slumped. "Because I ain't good enough."

Biyu would not tell the woman she was a god, and especially that she was a demon. Sharing a secret like that with someone she just met would be foolish. Still, she felt sympathy for the woman. "It is not a matter of skill. It is a matter of trust. I will not trust easily."

The wounded woman looked at her with consideration. There was a weighing in her eyes. "Why did you save me?" she asked.

That surprised Biyu. She had done it because she had assumed that was what you did. She could tell the bandits were bandits. The woman was a guard. If she had thought it was slaves in revolt, that would be another thing. Was it not natural to save someone from danger? That was what they did in the stories. Ah. Stories were stories because people did not do things that way. So, Biyu honestly said, "Because that is what people do in stories."

The wounded woman started laughing, her back curling a little. Then she sputtered and wheezed. The healer, who had been making up more medicine, scowled at them. "Don't make her laugh. It ain't healthy for her, not with cracked ribs." Biyu gave the healer a conciliatory bow.

The woman gave her a partial seated bow, careful of her ribs. "My name is Lily May. I offer you this Oath, oh mighty warrior. I will serve you faithfully as your sword, and I shall defend you as your shield. I will stand behind you to defend your back, and I will stand before you to cover you from your enemies. I am in your debt, and my life is either yours or forfeit." The words, Biyu thought, were from a minstrel's tale. She thought she remembered it from one of her books.

More importantly, Biyu felt the words snap into place. She had born witness to an Oath. Feeling the bindings of power between her and the oath sworn warrior, she felt the color drain from her face. Not just was she put off because the woman had bound herself to her, but also because a god was taking an interest in them. Gods watched people all the time, that was something everyone knew. However, there was watching, and there was taking action. This was not like an Oath made in the name of a particular god. Lily May had named no gods, and yet one bore witness anyways.

Lily May looked surprised. Evidently, she felt the binding of the Oath as well. The old woman's eyes were wide with shock.

"You foolish girl! You swore an Oath to the gods?! Those are serious! What did you swear?" she demanded. She rushed up to the bed, her eyes seeking to see if Lily May was any worse. Or perhaps better. Gods could do amazing things.

Lily May looked around with confusion. "That's a thing?"

The healer looked ready to smack her, but thought better of it. "How do you think the world works, girl? A Lord is Oath bound to the Empire. Knights swear Oaths to their Order. Mercenaries swear to honor their contracts. Priests and Champions swear to their gods. You swore an Oath, and the gods witnessed it. You better do what you said you would, or you'll pay for it!"

Blushing, Lily May said to Biyu, "I guess I'm your sworn sword."

The old woman cut in, "Who did you swear to? That's important! The words are important, and so is the god who bore witness! The god is the one who interprets your Oath, and decides if it is kept. Some of them have weird ideas about what that means!"

"I don't know," said Lily May. "I didn't name a god."

That earned her a slap on the back of the head that she had been spared before. The woman looked not an ounce repentant at swatting a woman in her sickbed. "Stupid child. And let me guess, you don't even know the name of the boy you swore to? Be careful, foolish girl, that the gods don't interpret your words to mean something you didn't intend. Like that you swore your Oath to me."

Sighing, Biyu introduced herself. "My name is Biyu Kimmel Lostlakes Elderwoods Exile. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lily May. I will visit you soon. I… need to make arrangements to stay in this village a bit longer."

Before she left, Biyu collected the newfound power she had gained from the bandits she had slain, and used their power to remake the blessing of healing for Lily May. It was a little exhausting to fashion, and she used the [Heal Self] technique to add to its potency. It could not compare with the healing techniques of a proper Healer, but it would still help her heal faster. The technique itself was little more than a bump in a person's natural healing. She would need to eat well, but from her frame she likely had a healthy appetite.

In the following days she would visit the woman, but even without using the blessing she had some idea where her retainer was. Part of her worried that the woman had become her Champion unwittingly. Shishi had never taught her how to witness an Oath, and she assumed it was something she was not yet ready for. She would have hated to unwittingly bind Lily May by accident.

During the days of waiting for Lily May to heal, Biyu would wander the village. In the mornings she did kata and dance, and the Knight and village children would frequently watch her as she did. He offered to spar, which she was glad for. Their styles and skills were very different, and what was a fair victory for her was a cheap tactic to him. Still, their relationship was cordial, and he would ask her questions about her training to compare with his own. Biyu was circumspect about who had trained her, but it was obvious when she practiced her archery. The Knight was disgusted as he watched her practice with the weapon, but he remained polite even after witnessing it.

The villagers, on the other hand, watched her warily. That was expected, as villagers were often wary of strangers. They were polite enough since she was a guest of their Lord. They reasoned she must be someone important, even if she dressed worse than them. Some of the cheekier children started calling her Elf-friend when she practiced the bow, but watching her skill with the foreign weapon a few asked if they could try. Seeing the hard looks the adults sent her way, she refused to teach them. That made the bad-mouthing among the children worse for a day.

The bad-mouthing ceased after she took them fishing. Boys and girls alike watched with keen interest as she caught, cleaned, and cooked fish for them, making a makeshift feast day for the children and their minders. Lord Miles had even thanked her for it while giving her an exceedingly polite reminder not to distract the peasants from their duties. Even children had tasks to do.

Biyu spent her nights in the manor. It had a bed with a mattress and blankets, and idols of Lord Nightmare and Lady Dreams watched her sleep from above. Icons of the Dragon Gods were carved into the high wall of the Hall, the entryway into the house. Besides the main house for the nobles, rooms for guests were in the east house, and the servants in the west. The north house was where the kitchens, storage, and a few rooms for retired servants were.

Biyu, although she was not devout, said prayers before bed to the idols above her bed. She said a prayer for the household reflexively when she entered the building, and prayers for safe travels when she left.

Biyu did not interact with the servants much, except to request the company of a maid to her bed. That had earned her scandalized looks, and the woman she ended up sleeping with seemed confused the first morning afterwards when nothing happened. She was much more relaxed on following nights, but Biyu suspected she was telling tales about what they were doing. The looks she got from the other female servants, and some of the males, were far too wary.

She declined the nicer clothes she was offered, and wore her usual rough spun tunic and trousers. While she always wore a sword and dagger, the rest of her equipment was kept in her room.

Dinner was taken with Lord Miles's family. They dined in the courtyard on nice days, and in a room in the Hall of the main house on other days. Lord Miles had an elder son who was spending time in Lost Lakes to learn to be a clerk, and a younger son who was staying with them.

That was how Biyu passed the time waiting for Lily May to heal.