“I guess after today we’re done.” Sanora muses as she walks down the street, holding Mari’s hand. A huge smile is plastered on the girl’s face ever since she woke up.
“Guess we are. Mari and Sanora against the world.” She chuckles.
“The Valley better braces itself!” Sanora laughs.
They are in full gear. Mari in her usual robes and with her staff, Sanora with a dagger on each side of her waist. The mail weighing down her shoulders feels comfortable, like a blanket covering her.
“It better does.” Mari nods as they pass the guards and the masses of people, leaving the city. “You know I was really nervous at first, but now I kinda can’t wait to see what’s out there.” Her gaze wanders over the grassy plains spreading before them all the way to the distant mountains.
“Same here. There’s still so much I don’t know about this world.” Sanora agrees as she follows Mari’s gaze. “Especially that thing you don’t want to tell me.” She mumbles.
“Hm? What did you say?” Mari turns to look at her, but Sanora just waves her off.
“Nothing. But I really hope my sword is still there. I don’t know what I will do if it’s gone.” Dread fills Sanora as the thought crosses her mind. If someone found her sword and took it, she might never see it again. And even if she does, there is no way whoever has it would just give it away again.
“We’ll get to that when we’re there. Don’t worry about it too much for the time being.” Mari smiles at her and squeezes her hand.
“I’ll try.” Sanora sighs, but ultimately smiles back at Mari.
The walk to the cave takes quite a while, as it did back then with Justicia. They got up early to manage the trip in a single day. Since this time, they won’t have to clear a whole nest of giant spiders it should be a lot faster than last time though. They will likely be back a while before sundown. They walk on the road for a while, passing carriages, travellers, and the occasional fellow adventurer. After some time, they stray off the road, walking through the high grasses until they finally see the small hill. The ground is littered with skeletal remains of critters below the torn webs fluttering in the wind.
A cold shiver runs down Sanora’s spine as she lays her eyes on the pale maw that leads down into the cave.
“Alright.” She says, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go.” And heads onward with Mari right beside her. Her legs feel like they are made of lead and her hair stands on edge as they enter. Mari lights a torch as the light shining through the entrance is eaten away by the ever-present darkness that lingers. The walls are still covered in white even after the spiders are gone. After a bit of walking a smell of rot wafts at them.
“Gods.” Sanora says as her stomach churns, threatening to return breakfast.
“I don’t think I ever smelt something this awful.” Mari pulls a face as well.
But they press on, deeper into the cave. With every step she takes Sanora can feel her legs growing heavier and her heart beating faster. With her hand clenching a dagger her eyes keep darting around. She can’t feel anything moving with her flesh sense in the cave ahead, but she is still antsy, afraid that something might jump out behind every turn ahead of them.
“Are you alright?” She jumps when Mari speaks. “You seem tense.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m a bit nervous, being back here.” Sanora mumbles.
“So am I.” Mari nods. “It’s weird being back here. But we don’t have to worry. Giant spiders don’t come back to dead nests. If a queen dies, they avoid that place without exceptions. They probably know it isn’t safe or something.” Mari shrugs with a composure Sanora is a bit jealous of.
“Yeah, makes sense.” Sanora nods stiffly and they keep walking.
An eerie silence hangs over them, only the crackling of the torch echoes through the cave as their footsteps are silenced by the blanket of webs on the ground.
The stench of rot grows stronger the deeper they get and after a while the first corpses of spiders appear in the tunnel ahead. A layer of mold covers the dead bodies. Sanora stops, covering her mouth as her stomach reaches its breaking point.
“Is it getting too much?” Mari asks her as Sanora bends forward and holds her stomach. She can feel the vomit rising into her throat already. She tries to take a breath to calm herself, only to realize how bad of an idea that is. The smell overwhelms her, and she can’t hold it any longer, barfing out breakfast.
“Poor you.” Mari says, rubbing Sanora’s back as Sanora tries to breathe with shaking hands and a cold sweat on her face. “We can come back another day if you want.”
Sanora shakes her head and wipes her mouth.
“No. Better just get this over with. I really don’t want to come back again.”
She isn’t feeling a lot better, but at least there isn’t anything left in her stomach anymore which is somewhat of a silver lining. “Let’s just hurry.” She says as she pushes herself to keep walking. Mari just follows wordlessly, her face creased in worry as she looks at Sanora.
The ground below them is wet, making a sickening sound with every step they take. Sanora forces her eyes straight ahead, trying not to look at the carpet of rot below. The density of corpses keeps increasing and they can’t avoid stepping on bodies anymore. Goosebumps rise on Sanora skin with every crunch she feels below her feet. Her breath is shaky and the grip on her weapon is so tight her knuckles are white.
She doesn’t know how long they have been walking, but it feels like hours have passed already, every moment stretching endlessly.
When something touches her shoulder her heart stops for a moment. She jumps aside, drawing her weapon and looks at Mari who is standing there with her hand outstretched. She blinks a few times and tries to calm her quickened breath.
“Are you sure you’re up to this? Your face is really pale.”
“It is?” Sanora says and she realizes her face feels really cold, like all the blood just drained from it. “Guess so.” She sighs as she lets her hand sink. “I’m… not fine to be honest. But I need to get my sword no matter what.”
“It’s that important to you huh?” Mari says with a gentle smile. Sanora nods.
“It’s one of the few things that connect me to my home, my friends. I can’t leave it here.”
“I understand. Don’t worry, I’m with you. And, well better not look around, but there is nothing alive down here anymore. It’s not comfortable by a long shot, but nothing is going to attack us. And even if, you handled it once, you’ll manage again.”
Sanora looks at the girl who is smiling at her. Seeing her face helps to calm her nerves at least a little.
“Right, yeah. There’s nothing down here.” Sanora nods, her breath still shaky. “Let’s finish this. Fast.” She says and they turn ahead to keep walking.
After what feels like an eternity to Sanora, they finally see a change in the corpses. She recognises the guardian spiders among them, and her spirits lift ever so slightly. Not only because the number of dead spiders decreases, but also because the presence of the guardians means they are finally getting close to the core of the nest. She forces her heavy legs to walk faster. She wants to finally leave this place behind her. The nausea is making her feel lightheaded and every breath she takes feels heavy and suffocating. She wants nothing more than turn back and bolt out, feel the sun on her skin, fresh air in her longues. But they have already gotten this far, turning back now would be a waste. So, she forces her way forward, stepping past dozens of dead eyes that seem to bore into her very soul.
But her persistence pays off as she can finally spot an opening in the tunnels ahead. With hasty steps she walks into the cavern where they were almost killed by the broodmother.
“We’re here.” She says quietly. The cavern still looks just as she remembers. The charred spot on the wall, the path burned into the ground by her spell. The only thing missing are the legs that were left of the broodmother. But her relief only lasts for a moment. Her legs grow weak and a wave of dread overwhelms her mind when she recognises the spot she passed out in. She grips her chest. Her heart is beating so fast its hurting.
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With shaky breath she tumbles through the room and tries to find those three stones on the ground. She scans the ground through a blurry vision until she finally spots three small rocks lying next to each other. She falls to her knees and hastily digs into the cold earth with her hands until she feels something hard. She digs even faster until she can finally pull the sword out of the dirt. She presses the weapon to her chest and closes her eyes, still hyperventilating.
“Finally.” She says as a tear rolls down her cheek. Mari kneels down beside her and gently lays her hand on Sanora’s back.
“Feeling better?” She asks after a moment.
“A bit.” Sanora nods, her voice still shaky. “Let’s get the fuck out of here now.”
“Nothing I’d rather do.” Mari nods as they get up and turn to leave. As they walk back Sanora doesn’t ease her grip on her sword for even a moment.
Her feet are getting lighter as they finally leave the sea of corpses behind them. The smell of rot makes way for fresh air, and they can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Sanora is about to start running towards it but stops dead as she picks up something with her flesh sense. She holds out a hand, stopping Mari who looks at her confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone outside.” Sanora says quietly and pours some magic into flesh sense. “Five people, around the exit.” She takes the torch from Mari before tossing it on the ground and stomping it out.
“Five people? Could just be other adventurers.” Mari says but Sanora shakes her head.
“No. They’re crouching, probably hiding in the grass.” She clicks her tongue. “Just after we got out of one mess, we walk into the next one.”
“What do we do?” Mari asks Sanora whose foot is tapping. She looks at the sword in her hands, then at the light ahead and lastly at Mari.
“You wait here, I’ll see what’s going on.”
“What? I won’t let you go alone.” The girl protests but Sanora shakes her head.
“No. These people are probably here for me, and I won’t expose you to any danger. I’ll handle this.”
“But-“
“No buts. You stay here.” Sanora says with finality in her voice as she walks off, leaving Mari behind.
She holds her sword tight as she takes step after step. She didn’t have any problems fighting with the daggers, but that time she had the advantage of taking her enemy by surprise. She isn’t overly confident she can fight five people at once with a weapon she has never trained with. But with her sword things are different. She knows how to fight with it as if it is a part of her very body and she has yet to meet a foe that can handle this blade in her hands.
She finally steps out into the light and takes a moment to enjoy the fresh air rushing into her lugs, leaving behind nausea the cave has caused her.
“I know you’re there. Stop hiding.” She says after a moment. The people in the grass stir a bit. After a short moment they leave the cover of the high grasses. Five people stand in a semi-circle around her. The path behind is blocked by the cave entrance, they have left her with nowhere to run. She looks over the people and sure enough, these aren’t adventurers. They wear light armour and masks on their faces. Each of them a spitting image of a criminal.
“The famed kingslayer.” The in front of Sanora starts. “We finally meet. It is an honour.” Sanora can feel the grin below his mask as he speaks.
“You must’ve been waiting awfully long just for a meeting.” Sanora’s voice is even as she keeps tabs on every person around her with her hand on the handle of her weapon. “What do you want?”
“Now now, no reason to be on edge.” The man raises his hands. “We’re just here for a talk.”
“Sure. A talk. And you just so happened to take along four people armed to the teeth for that.”
“You know how dangerous the plains can be. It’s just a precaution.” The man smiles.
“Whatever. So, what do you want to talk about so badly?”
“A lot of things. But this isn’t a nice place for a conversation. Our leader has a few questions to ask you.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Oh, I want asking.” The man says.
“And I don’t care.” Sanora shrugs.
“Don’t be like that.” The hands of everyone around slowly wander to their weapons as the man speaks. “You’re coming with us either way, so don’t make it hard on yourself.” His voice has grown cool, as have his eyes.
“The only one who’ll have a hard time will be you. You came here well knowing who I am. You really think you can make me go?” Sanora says as her muscles start to tense. She is ready to spring at them in a moment’s notice.
“We outnumber you five to one girl. You’re clearly outnumbered. Last chance. Come along, or we’ll take you along.”
“Five to one…” Sanora mumbles with squinted eyes. “I like those odds.” Before breaking into a grin. “I may be outnumbered, but you are clearly outmatched.”
“Would have been boring otherwise.” The man responds with a grin as well and the fight breaks loose. Not hesitating for a moment Sanora storms at the man in front of her, drawing her sword in the same motion. He manages to evade backwards in the nick of time. Before Sanora can follow up, she feels a tingle in her head and ducks sideways. A crossbow bolt whizzes right past her. She looks at the man who is pulling back the strings on the crossbow. She darts at him while he is open, but another one intercepts her. She parries the shortsword swinging down on her. But another bolt flies at her from behind and she has to retreat again.
“Still think we’re outmatched?” The group’s leader calls out.
“Just getting warmed up.” Sanora scoffs. The first archer has already finished reloading his crossbow again. They have paired up one archer with a fighter each. And they aren’t stupid either, neither of them moving out of formation, keeping Sanora in the middle. It’s as the others said. These aren’t just stupid monsters, they are hunters. And right now their prey is Sanora. If she moves in to attack the leader or one of the fighters the archers will shoot at her, and if she tries to take those out the fighters will keep her busy until the archers can shoot again. They put some thought into their formation, keeping Sanora at distance where she is most vulnerable. It seems they did some research on her.
“Your boss wants to talk with me that badly huh?” Sanora says as she looks around the attackers.
“You’ve made quite a scene the other day after all.” The leader responds. “Boss is pretty insistent that you come over, and if you’re tied up in ropes or missing a few toes.”
“In other words, your boss would be pretty pissed if I was dead.” Sanora smirks.
“Already thinking about taking the easy way out?” The leader laughs. “All that talk about the kingslayer, but you’re really just some scared girl.” The man scoffs.
‘In other words, they can’t kill me.’ Sanora thinks, her grin growing wider.
“Oh, I’m taking the easy way out.” She points her sword at the leader. “Killing you all, that is.”
“Sure sure.” The man just shakes his head with a laugh.
The next bolt flies at Sanora, but this time she has been waiting for it. She dodges it and bolts towards the man that hasn’t shot at her yet. His eyes widen and he lets loose a bolt at her in panic, only for Sanora to dodge it. With that she has opened herself a short window where both of them have to reload. She changes her target to the fighter already moving to intercept her. With a loud clang their blades meet as the man parries the swing. Sanora keeps pressure on the blade. These people know they can’t win a head on confrontation, so they fight defensive. They may have had their fair share of fights, but they are cowards. They fight only when they have the advantage, using their numbers whittle down their enemies while keeping their guard up. And most importantly, they didn’t have Bawarag training.
Keeping pressure on her blade Sanora steps forward with her left foot and slides her sword up on her opponents until it passes over it and cleaves right through the neck of the man. Before his head even hits the ground, she is in front of the archer and impales him through the chest. She tilts her body, evading another bolt flying at her.
“Still think I’m outmatched?” She asks the leader with a grin. He stares at her with wide eyes.
“Dammit, change of plans!” He shouts and they regroup, starting to close in on Sanora, all with close ranged weapons now. She squints her eyes.
‘Are they for real?’ She thinks with a raised eyebrow as she looks at the men, all standing next to each other as they come towards her.
“Even you can’t dodge three blades at once. Just a scratch and you’ll be out cold until we’re back in the city.” He grins.
“I mean, I probably can’t get away without at least a scratch” Sanora sheathes her sword. “But I don’t think you’ve done enough research on me.” Wisps of flame gather in her hand, gathering into a fireball in a split second. Even Sanora is surprised at how fast the magic flows. There are even a few tongues of blue fire among the red as it flies at the group.
“Huh?” The leader just looks at it perplexed before he is blown apart in a fiery explosion. The flames spread, licking the sides of the other two who are flung away as they scream in pain. Sanora walks to each man, lying on the ground and groaning in pain. Their sides are completely burned. She ends them both with a quick stab in the head.
“Should have started with that…” She mumbles as she sheathes her sword and walks back to the cave. She frows when she finds Mari peeking out.
“I told you to stay inside.”
“I was worried!”
“I told you I’d handle it.”
“I know but… I was worried.” Mari mumbles. “But you really did handle that.” She adds, looking at the scene outside.
“Of course I did.” Sanora grins at her. “Kinda expected them to put up more of a fight. But whatever. We should head back. It might be best if we leave town today already. We’ll be in the dark before long, but if they already came after us all the way out here, we shouldn’t stay another day in the city. It won’t be long before their boss notices that these guys aren’t coming back.” She nods in the direction of the corpses.
“Whether we leave today or tomorrow probably won’t make such a big difference anyways. We’ll have to camp a few times either way.” Mari nods.
“Alright. Let’s go.” Sanora stretches out her hand with a smile. Mari takes it happily and they head back to the city.
They hurry back, beating the time it took to get out to the cave by quite a bit. They stand in the line to get into the city for a bit, and once they are finally in the city, head to their house to pick up what they already packed before leaving again. As fast as they arrived, they leave through the gates again and head eastwards.
They turn back one more time, looking at the city that has grown small in the distance.
“So long.” Sanora says with a smile before turning to Mari, taking her hand. “On to adventures?”
“On to adventures.” Mari smiles at her, and they turn to the road again, walking towards their first destination; Way’s Crossing.
============================================
“They still haven’t returned?” The man sitting at the desk raises an eyebrow.
“Not a word from them, boss.” The man standing in the door shakes his head.
“Useless bunch.” The boss clicks his tongue. “It doesn’t matter. Het some capable men ready, we’ll pay the kingslayer a visit tonight. Scout out her house.”
“About that, I already sent someone there, but the house is empty.”
“They bailed.” The boss sighs. “No matter. They can run, but they can’t hide.” He gets up from his chair.
“You’re going yourself?”
“What else am I supposed to do if you lot are so incapable. Ready my horse and tell Kishi to gear up, we ride in thirty.”
“Roger that.” The man nods before leaving the room.
“Let’s see how the kinglsayer holds up against the fury of a storm.” The boss mumbles.