"There it is, our first stop before continuing our journey eastward," Thomas mentions while pointing forward in the middle of a clear day after spending the last two days riding and sleeping in the wild. Finally, taking a break to sleep indoors would be pretty nice.
The new town looked a lot like the one we'd just left, albeit the houses were a little bigger, and the people walking around looked normal. It would be fair to say that this region liked the whole tree stump housing style from Frescoes as the construction of their houses looked identical.
However, there was one main difference when it came to the chimneys in this place: they used a simple triangular design, while the houses in the frescoes used squares. Aside from the chimney and the people being more normal-sized, the townspeople also wore the same clothing as in Frescoes: animal hide.
I've never been an animal lover, so it didn't bother me, but the sheer convenience of using animal skin as a protective layer against the cold was nothing short of genius. A well-treated piece of animal hide from a deer or other furry animal is simply too effective at shielding you from the cold air.
"If I don't remember correctly, this town was called 'Kairo,' right?" Buster asks Thomas while we choose to walk a little bit so we can give the poor Dragonaki a little break from running nonstop for hours at a time. "Yes, this is Kairo, another hunting and fishing town like Frescoes."
We've been highly optimistic during the entire trip to the border, so it would be safe to say we'd thought we had a considerable lead on the imperial troops, but that couldn't have been more wrong as we were about to find out as we walked right into town Kairo's deadly trap.
"Ah, it'll be nice to have a warm meal after eating frozen meat and stuff," Buster says to Thomas, who responds with a thumbs up as he pets his Dragonaki still thinking everything is alright, I start to notice how the people in the town look at us funny the entire time but I chuck it to us being outsiders.
"Man, I also need to get a drink at the bar. This trip has been crazy, but at least we are gaining ground faster than those pigs could dream of!" Thomas also takes everything lightly, as he has probably visited the town countless times, but I once started feeling creeped out when I noticed the locals whispering among one another.
"I don't have a good feeling about this town. Why is everyone so nosey?" I ask once and for all the burning questions inside my mind as I start scanning every square inch of the town while tightening my grip over my bow and preparing to grab an arrow at any time.
"Don't worry. They always like to stare at me because I'm a dwarf, so you're safe. They probably think you're just a cute girl; don't smile at them, or they will discover your secret." Thomas responds to me with a calm tone while his Dragonaki also tenses up suddenly as it stops before someone tries to shoot it down from one of the house's windows.
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"Oh, shit! There's no way they are already here!" Buster quickly tries to activate his third-grade form. Still, hundreds of soldiers quickly start throwing rock hooks at his hands and feet, which rapidly take him down after only a couple of those things wrap around his legs, followed by many more soldiers running from all directions toward us, holding up spears.
"Tsk! The Dragonaki knows where to go! LEAVE WITHOUT US. YOU AND HER CAN GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE THE FIGHTING TO THE OLD FARTS! WE'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE!" Thomas quickly reacts to the assault by activating whatever his technique was while the soldiers concentrate on Buster so he can throw me onto his Dragonaki.
"I'll be fine, Annabel! Don't worry about me. I'll be right behind you!" Buster manages to scream at me as Thomas cuts the ropes of the Dragonaki with me on top of it, followed by a firm slap to its behind that sends the creature running out of town, causing some of the soldiers to throw their spears directly at me.
"Cardinale punishment!" Thomas tries his best to fight off the soldiers, but while he is strong this time because he had to spend time trying to save me, his spell doesn't activate in time, so I simply watch back as five men pierce Thomas with their spears before he can even activate an attack spell.
"THOMAS!!!" I yell as I watch Thomas collapse dead to the floor, followed by Buster, who also gets stabbed by a couple of spearheads as he can't get rid of the things wrapped around his legs and arms fast enough. Both Thomas the Dwarf and Buster the Oni quickly turn the white snow red with their blood as I flee on top of the Dragonaki.
A deep heavyweight soon falls over my heart, but that's not it as I don't manage to escape unscathed from the encounter thanks to the countless archers relentlessly shooting at me and the Dragonaki. Eventually, an arrow lands on my back as the Dragonaki runs out of town, where even more soldiers await with hundreds of spears pointed at us.
The pain from being shot by an arrow almost makes me fall from the creature, but I barely hang on to it by leaning forward, which causes me not to see the barricade of soldiers all too well until it's too late. My only saving grace was the Dragonaki's instincts as it took over the reins, choosing to try and go around them using the easily climbable terrain in its favor.
There was so much blood in my left hand as I lowered it to touch my body where it had landed, with it piecing both sides of my abdomen. I would die if I didn't drink some blood soon, but where could I even find something to eat in a situation like this? The disgusting sausage would have to do, uh?
{Chomp}
Without hesitation, I grab the sausage inside my little bag on the right side of my waist and bite it down while also trying to break the arrow tip off to pull the stick out of my body. My regeneration would push the wood out of my body. I just had to remove the tip so it wouldn't injure me on its way out.
In a lucky break, I finally get something to work as hundreds of men in Moose chase after me. "Get her! Get me her head if you desire glory! Death to the traitors!" I hear one man yelling as the Dragonaki evades the barricade of soldiers with an excellent plan, going around them through the high peaks of the mountains, saying that it can climb, but soldiers can't.
[How have the imperial troops managed to catch up so quickly!? Is the escape plan even possible!? Will Annabel survive, or will they perish!? Read the next chapter to find out!] [ANNABEL! AN ACCIDENTAL REINCARNATION!]