There were a few things I had come to fear in my life, even after being made a Knight. Eir was among the most recent of those fears.

Her fearsome, swift strikes were forced into my mind the moment we spared in the woods. If it struck me as strange that she would be capable of such complicated and strenuous movement so soon after her release, I had no time to ponder on it while under her assault.

But that wasn't the case, now.

After perhaps the greatest of my fears came to yell in my face just moments before, I fell into an all too familiar stupor which came in her wake. Maybe more frightening to the uninitiated, but to me it was but a mere notch in my belt. Elektra, with her stocky build was a fearsome sight when she was mellow, but when she was angry she could tame even the wildest of adventurers. Quite the feat considering that adventurers were known to be particularly obtuse when confronted with aggression.

Regardless, the stupor Elektra had forced me into caused me to consider a great many things about my new-found enigma known as Eir, and led me to document what I knew of the sly woman.

She was a good head shorter than I, who towered over an average woman and even man, with piercing red eyes and waist length silver-white hair. She was a striking woman to be sure, and to complement this, she had quite the strike.

Her combat skills were a few notches above top-class, I was sure. And to my embarrassment I had the feeling she was holding back when fighting me, not being gentle, but certainly holding back. I imagine her strikes could be swifter, her blows heavier, and her technique perhaps deadlier. An assassin, a rogue, one who went for the quick kill was what her style told me. With each strike she would go for my joints, my neck, and all the gaps in which her knife could slip in-between the gaps in my heavy armour. In short, a natural enemy of a lumbering Knight, like myself.

This lead me to wonder many things from the moment she showed me her strength.

How did she get captured?

Who is she?

Where did she acquire such skills?

Where did she come from?

Questions I would be sure to get answers to. She wouldn’t answer them too easily, though. In time perhaps, but not right now. Yet, I must return to the capital to report my findings of the old man, and more importantly - his captive.

So there was only one option.

Brushing past the gathering crowds to find the woman who seemed to be swirling in my thoughts as of late, I mumbled to myself, “Looks like I will have a travelling companion.”

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In my extensive career in the realm of the living, I have found myself bogged down with many things. Friends, both short and long-lived alike, were in short supply for one who could walk through fire and turn out fine mere moments later.

Most of these things that come with life fade after a long time. Oaths and promises I had given fell short in this regard. Such things being lost as my friends had succumbed to death, either through age or illness.

Oddly, and perhaps not surprisingly, even a nomad like me still had contacts with those in a position of power. King, Emperors, leaders that rivalled each. Many of these people I had saw come to power, and sometimes – in part – helped put them there. After all, immortals need to do something to pass the time.

But even with all these things, I had found one thing to last longer than they had the right to – secrets.

Though the secret being bared right now wasn’t much of one, and usually was uncovered every few months or years…in one way or the other. Usually through my own lack of care in keeping it now that I think about it.

Right now it stared in the face of the strong woman who until now had been scrubbing the back that held it.

“What is that?” She asks, pale and wide-eyed.

What she happens to be staring at is my back, covered in scars. Many of which uneven, raised and jagged. They were unsightly things, reminders of things beyond a mere blade, but those of claw and tooth. The scars were mostly confined to my lower back, with a few exceptions crawling their way upwards.

Ugly was the word that sprung to mind, disgusting was the word that sprung to others when they saw them. Though the funny part was, I didn’t even remember where I got them, or how they even came to be. How would you manage to harm a body such as mine?

So many questions, though I gave up caring about them long ago. Aside from circumstances such as these, that is.

Past the scars, though, was another story.

Underneath the old wounds were best described as tattoos. Winged, silvery, and beautiful they could be called, and sat furled and safe upon her back. Their only taint being that of the torn flesh that lie atop. Those, I cared about. Scarcely a day went by were I didn’t wonder where these tattoos came from.

The wings were like a void within my mind, a gap in my memory. Hell, it has been so long that I can’t even remember when I first noticed them.

They were a constant in my unending life, like a limb that would be difficult, and perhaps impossible to live without.

My questions about my wings forever remain though, I have never found my answer, never found their purpose. But I did know they were important, they felt important. Perhaps I would never find out, though I did have time to try.

Anyway, I now found my most well-known secret revealed, and through tactful grace I was permitted to explain, “My back.”

The woman managed to bring some blood back to her face, and let her lids drop to avoid catastrophic eyeball loss. Now she looked mildly annoyed, “Yes, I can see that.” With some sarcasm to boot. I wonder if we could be friends.

“Then why ask?”

She didn't have a response for that, and went back to her scrubbing, with a bit more force than she had before. Crisis averted…and considering the strength going into her scrubs, with the price of some skin loss.

We quickly found ourselves removed from the bath and back into the changing rooms. Drying myself off, I dressed myself in the clothing the woman had provided, basic travelling gear from what I could tell. Strong, white-brown and basic fabric met my skin. It was fairly soft all things considered, and fit me quite well. The trousers were more-or-less the same thing, though a slightly darker brown to accent the creamier tunic.

Looking to my side I found the smith had donned her own clean clothes, though considering how scruffy they were one could think otherwise. Clean and free from my rags we both exited the bathhouse, and quickly stumbled upon Taurean. Grime and all. He obviously didn’t think to clean himself in our absence.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

He gave me a quick once over, not a cold look, but a professional one nonetheless. I could have bothered being offended, but chose not to bother. Besides, having a knight fawn over me would draw attention, and I do enough of that myself to begin with.

Waiting for him to speak, I merely stood there, which in turn earned me one of those uncomfortable silences people dread so much. Interestingly the one to break it was the stocky woman, “Taurean, you better have a damn good reason to be stiffing around this bathhouse.” Well, wasn’t she the aggressive one?

Interestingly enough Taurean ignored the stocky woman, instead opting to continue the weird examination of a completely inconspicuous, un-killable lady such as myself.

“Elektra.”

The stocky woman managed to sound even grouchier than before, “I didn’t ask for my name, I asked for an explanation.” Well, at least I have her name now.

“I came to speak with Eir.”

Elektra looked between us both, looking oddly conflicted about the thought of leaving us.

I gave her a small smile, “Don’t suppose you could find me some extra clothes, now, could you?” Have to give her a reason to leave, I guess. Besides, I do need more than one pair of clothes.

If looks alone could test my immortality, this would be one of those times. Elektra’s stare practically split skin it was so sharp. “Those fit alright?” I have her a nod, “I’ll be back soon, wait for me here.”

Both Taurean and I watched as she stormed off, steps heavy with bottled annoyance, I would bet. Elektra was not the most stable of individuals, it seems. And I may have just gotten on her bad side. Oh well, not like her punches will kill me…probably.

“So,” I asked as Elektra turned a corner, disappearing from sight, “I suppose we are going on the road again, right?”

“Yes,” he affirmed. “I plan to take you to the capital, I have a feeling my superiors may want a word with you.”

“That so?”

Gods, if I am a magnet…

He gave me a side-long glance, “And there are too many questions left unanswered…” He muttered.

…trouble is magnetic.

=

I found myself at the border of Root Village, with a now larger pack to replace the smaller one I scavenged from the old man’s shack. Notable stuffed with an assortment of food, clothes and a pouch full of copper and silver coins.

Dire Wolf pelts sell for a pretty profit apparently.

Aside from my pack, I now carried all the makings of a commoner traveller, from the tunic and trouser combo I had before, to the now equally brown coat I wore on top of it. However, that wasn’t counting Taurean’s dagger now sheathed on my hip, hiding just out of sight.

Taurean had seen fit to inform Elektra of my skills with a dagger. The smith unfortunately didn’t have any spare daggers lying around in her shop, on account of being mostly focused on basics swords and shields, she told me. However, she did have a spare sheathe and belt, luckily snug enough to comfortably fit the blade.

I walked up to Taurean, who was currently engaged in a rather animated conversation with an angry Elektra. I was half expecting to get some residual heat from the fumes that would inevitably spill from her ears, but luckily she didn’t run that hot.

“The girl just got back from Gods knows what, and you want her to set out mere hours later!?” She practically was screaming in a nervous looking Taurean.

“Yes,” he responded calmly, though with a small hint of terror. “My superiors need to be informed of my findings, and I need to leave now.” He gave me a brief glance as he noticed me heading their way, “And I can’t leave her here.”

Coming up just to the side of Elektra I suddenly appreciated the volume of her voice, “Screw what your superiors need! You can leave her here with me, and if they are so desperate they can make the trip themselves.”

Now within earshot without having to yell, I spoke, “Elektra, I’m fine with making the trip. A week or two more on the road won’t kill me.”

She gave a small jolt of surprise when I spoke, probably wasn’t expecting my approach to be so quiet. Though that didn’t cool her head any, “I don’t care, you are staying here.” She responded with a queer protective glint in her eye. The scars always did cause trouble.

Persuasion clearly wasn’t going to work, “I am going, whether you want me to or not. You aren’t my mother; you aren’t my protector. You don’t get a say in this.”

Her brow furrowed, before she turned to Taurean, “You will inform me when you reach the capital. You will inform me of every move you made and how you made it. You will inform me of everything and anything of import concerning Eir.” She demanded. “Am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

She turned back to me, “I am your protector, confidant and whatever else I decide to be when I decide it.” Well she was a cocky brat, that is to be sure, “You wish or will it to be otherwise, but you don’t get a say, Eir. I’ll be in touch.”

And with that, she strode off into the village. I didn’t feel it until now, but she was certainly something different. Hot-headed, spirited, powerful. Those things I sensed. Yet I feel she is something…more.

“Just who is she? Hell, what is she?” I asked Taurean.

Taurean gave a short chuckle, “What isn’t she?”

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Author Corner

Spoiler :

Sorry for the late chapter, real life things (Me changing my nocturnal sleep schedule) accompanied by me scrapping this chapter a few times got in the way of a timely release.

I felt I wanted to get Elektra right, in a sense, and ended up changing her character from this and that, not to mention the way in which she acted to various things.

Even now I feel like something is missing, and the scene feels a little...flat? Maybe rushed in getting her out of Root Town?

I did feel I want to get her to leave, considering I don't have plans for her to stay other than staying for the hell of it.

I'm not sure. Give me your opinions, I guess. Thanks for reading and all that jazz.