With heavy, painful throbs, my blood flowed along the foreign blade with each heartbeat, abundantly drenching the ancient, yellowed stone beneath my feet. I felt life leaving me, but I was so exhausted that I had no power to resist it. Only my hands, already in the beginning stages of agony, like mechanical clamps, didn't release the hilt of the foreign sword. The sword that killed me. My consciousness began to blur, and I heard a quiet laugh. An ordinary laugh, not mad, just plain. Blood flowed from Ridan's broken nose down his face, and yet he smiled.
"Thank you," said the five-time champion of the Deytran Arena, not taking his eyes off me. "Thank Geruda that, after many years, I have finally met a worthy opponent."
For some reason, I felt immensely offended that the last thing I would see in life was this sincere smile of the one who killed me. Although, it slightly pleased me that my killer would not outlive me for long. Nulgle's curse was still with me, and that meant that upon dying, my body would rise as a Mithril Zombie. And against such an opponent, even the skill of a multiple arena champion would be of no help.
Fate could sometimes be an incredibly ruthless bitch...
Ridan threw his head back and, not even trying to free his hands from my convulsive grip, addressed the sky:
"Oh gods, accept my repentance for doubting your choice of my Path! You granted what seemed long lost and irretrievable... The joy of battle! Oh, go..."
He didn't have time to finish. An arrow appeared out of nowhere, seemingly materializing in the air behind his head. One moment, it wasn't there, and the next, it was. As if it emerged from nothingness. Its tip was as dark as the pitch-black night. In slow motion, I saw the arrow pierce Ridan's head, literally splitting the skull of the great warrior into two uneven parts. The hands holding the sword that killed me released their grip, and deprived of the last support, I fell onto the blessed stone of the First Road. With this fall, the sword in my body twisted, and the incredible pain paralyzed me, blurring my consciousness, granting the long-awaited oblivion...
"Wake up!" A sharp slap burned my cheek. "You can't pass out!"
Opening my eyes, I realized I had been unconscious for only a few seconds. My body below my neck was completely paralyzed, and I couldn't move even a finger. The only thing I could control was the movement of my eyes and lips. But my mouth was so dry that I couldn't utter a word. Through the deathly haze clouding my eyes, a stranger's face emerged. Someone was leaning over me, slapping my cheeks, not letting me sink into the saving oblivion...
"Wake up! Did I waste Katkar's Arrow for nothing?! That won't do! If you die, I'll kill you ten more times!" Someone swore above me.
Katkar's Arrow? That sounded familiar... My head shook from the slaps, but for some reason, it seemed more important to remember who Katkar was. And then I remembered.
Katkar was Da'Nnan's right hand, captain of the Wild Hunt. But he perished before the first Demonic invasion, killed by Evelan. Could it be that his arrow survived somewhere, and most astonishingly, someone managed to find it after countless ages?! Impossible. To make such a find, one would need the luck of the Shards.
The Shards?!!
This thought momentarily cleared my mind and wiped the deathly haze from my eyes.
"Don't pass out, you bloody drongo! Hold on!" hissed the one I least expected to meet.
Strong fingers, accustomed to holding the bowstring of a drawn bow, pried open my jaw and poured some potion into my mouth. From the characteristic taste, I realized it wasn't the first potion poured into me.
"Just don't pass out! I'll get you through this! Look at me! Listen to me! My stock is enough to bring even a dead man back! Just hold on. The only thing keeping you in this world is alchemy and your mind. Remove one, and the other will stop working."
"A... a... e... e... e..." I tried to say something, but a strong girl's hand immediately covered my mouth.
"Shut up, you idiot! The wound hasn't closed yet!" Scully snapped back immediately, but I saw a smile on her face. "Listen to me. Listen, don't talk. And don't close your eyes! Don't close them, I'm telling you, you wombat's spawn!!" More slaps kept me from slipping into oblivion. "Why are you so dumb? You don't have to do anything but stay conscious, I'll do everything else!" She stopped cursing and switched to a calming tone. "It's going to hurt now... I've removed the sword, but I need to open the wound and pour in another potion. Hold on!"
The incredible pain twisted me so much that I would have screamed my head off if I could. I thought I was paralyzed, but no, I was just completely immobilized by something. If I were paralyzed, it wouldn't hurt so much!
"Scream if you want. Yell. But don't pass out!"
Despite the pain, I felt a foreign hand plunge into my body, and something burning cold poured into me, freezing all my insides and making it hard to breathe.
"You were clearly wounded by no ordinary weapon," said the Australian, removing her hands. "An extraordinary blade. It seems designed to kill us specifically, humans. Like the arrow I spent to save you."
It still hurt a lot and was hard to breathe, but I felt the crisis had passed. I didn't know what Scully had pumped me with or poured into me, but she had indeed managed to pull me back from the brink. So why couldn't I move a finger?
"Stop! Are you out of your mind?! Just lie down! Don't even think about moving, you oversized wombat. You've grown so much, but haven't gained any sense! You're fine! Your spine isn't damaged. I just wrapped you up with my rope. Remember it?" I blinked slowly. "Good. I wrapped you up not because I was attacking you, but so you wouldn't thrash around in pain, you galah."
So, my spine was intact? What a relief! Even with an adamantium body and the local potions, it would have taken at least a week, maybe two, to recover if Ridan's sword had severed my spine. Amazing, I was literally pulled back from the brink of death, and yet I was already dissatisfied with something. This thought brought a smile, and this simple, fleeting movement sent a new wave of pain through my entire body.
"You're so restless!" The Australian immediately hovered over me. "Can you just lie still?!" She produced a nondescript cloth and pressed it to my forehead, staring at something only she could see for a few seconds before breathing a sigh of relief. "If you don't pass out, you'll live. Basically, it's all up to you now. But if you decide to sleep and ruin all my efforts, honestly, I'll find a way to revive you and kill you myself!" It seemed like a ridiculous threat, but for some reason, I felt she could actually carry it out.
I blinked slowly, signaling that I understood her words.
"Well, at least your brain is working!" Scully smirked, noticing the movement of my eyelids. "Stay quiet for about ten minutes, then I'll add another mixture, and you'll be able to talk."
I blinked again.
The Australian moved out of my line of sight. Not daring to move, I listened carefully, though the constant ringing in my ears from severe blood loss made it difficult. After some time, Scully reappeared. Sitting next to me in a lotus position, she took something out of her bag and started eating. Her arms were elbow-deep in blood, she had just been rummaging through my insides, but such trivialities didn't seem to bother her. She sat there, eagerly eating something that looked like roasted rabbit. This woman had nerves of steel. Adamantium ones!
Such behavior I'd only seen in movies about military surgeons, who, after a complicated multi-hour operation, would sit down and light up without even washing their hands. Only instead of a cigarette, the girl was holding a roasted rabbit. I barely held back a laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Biting off a large piece of meat, with her mouth full, Scully started to talk:
"I dropped by Katiyer this morning," she said. "I've wanted to visit for a while and see that gathering of earthlings-strangers that the whole area has been buzzing about for weeks. So, I pretended to be a local hunter. I walked into the first tavern I came across..." She took another bite and continued. "And what did I hear? Five people, clearly ours, were lively discussing someone named Raven. And they were spinning such tales that I got completely engrossed... He's the winner of some big tournament. He's the chosen one of Light. And he's got countless Adamantium achievements. He can take on a hundred men alone and win." The girl leaned over me. "Can you imagine such stories? Not even their beloved Arien has such tales about her. And as I listened to these stories, I felt awful. It turned out, I'd killed such a downright folk hero! Honestly, I couldn't even eat, and the beer tasted like plain water at that moment."
She paused briefly, moistened my lips with a damp cloth, and continued her story.
"To be honest, after I left you there in the Wicked Woods, thinking it was certain death, I couldn't find peace for a long time. You probably think I'm a soulless bitch for what I did to you, but... No, I have a soul and moral principles, too. You may not believe it, but I do have them. But then there was a choice: either you or me, and I chose. Don't frown, I understand how it looked and what my action really was. I have no illusions about being a good person. On Earth, I was a killer in the service of the state... A sniper in a special unit. Even before being transferred here, I had taken more than one human life. Even my comrades turned away from me, considering me excessively cruel. However, that's not important. I know what I did, and I'm not looking for excuses or forgiveness. And yes, I digressed... So, I was listening to these tales at the next table, couldn't swallow a bite, and then suddenly one of them said that you left their camp yesterday. At first, I thought I misheard. I stood up from the table and asked them to repeat, to confirm if Raven from Seattle was here yesterday. Instead of simply answering, they rudely told me to mind my own business. My nerves were already frayed... well, let's just say I lost it. Right there in the tavern, I explained to those five that they shouldn't treat unfamiliar girls like that."
I barely held back a laugh, imagining what she had done to them.
"No, I didn't kill anyone. Just had a bit of fun. I was about to leave when this chick walked into the tavern!" Did she just lick her lips? "Even though I prefer boys, at that moment, I almost questioned my sexual orientation. But this prima donna ruined all her charm by demanding I apologize for the damage to her people. They were the ones who started being rude, and yet I should apologize? Can you imagine the nerve?"
I couldn't hold back and started laughing. Somewhat familiar with both Scully's and Arien's personalities, I already knew how it ended.
"Why are you cackling? I can see you're in pain, but you're still laughing. You're such a wombat!"
Biting my lip, I stopped laughing, but it took a lot of effort.
"That was a good tavern... I guess..." The Australian shrugged. "At least it was definitely popular with the locals... Anyway, I can't go back to Katiyer now. Not a big loss, though, I was planning to head west anyway..."
I felt my tongue starting to obey me, and my breathing allowed me to speak, so I asked in a quiet, barely audible whisper:
"How did you survive?"
"Hey, you!!!" Jumping to her feet, the Australian threw up her hands in genuine indignation. "Maybe it was me who kicked her ass?"
I responded with a smile full of sarcasm. If they had met in the woods and Scully had initiated the encounter, I might have had my doubts. But meeting face to face in a tavern like this, the huntress didn't stand a chance.
"So... you know her. This Arien... She's on Fire. And also Lightning, Wind, Water - she seems like all the elements at once! Honestly, I got beaten up worse than even the drill sergeant did to me in training. Can you imagine, I couldn't even get close to her or reach for my bow. And you know how fast I can be! But... it didn't help." Scully rolled her eyes, recalling the recent fight, and it was strange to see a genuine smile on her face at that moment. "In short, I apologized. What else could I do?! She's truly like fire! In every sense of the word, fire! I wonder, is she like that in bed too?" Asking this question more to herself, she saw something on my face, leaned forward, froze, and then burst out laughing! Sincerely, with peals of laughter! "No, well... No... It can't be!.. Well... Man! I'm jealous! Honestly! Ha-ha!!! Is she really like that?" I didn't need to answer, due to being doped with potions, I could hardly control my facial expressions, and she read my face like an open book. "Unbelievable! You're not a wombat, you're... Ugh, I can't find the words! Ha! Even I wouldn't be able to hit on someone like that, she's too... Ladylike... As if she was born to command. She has such an aura of authority that, for a moment, I even wanted to join her guild... So she could command me... Can you imagine, what nonsense sometimes comes to women's minds from lack of fu... from the absence of physical pleasures, I meant to say."
I was simply amazed by her incredible sincerity; she didn't pretend or lie, she really was like that! Most likely, her colleagues didn't avoid her because she was some kind of monster and killer, but because of this unclouded straightforwardness that emanated from her. From experience, I knew that such people almost never have friends. In early youth, they might still have some, but the older people get, the harder it is for them to be around those like her. And it's not easy for them either! I knew someone like that, and he went off to Siberia and lived in some forest, preferring not to interact with others at all. He had been spat on so much for his openness that his soul couldn't take it anymore, and animals became dearer to him than other people.
"Did they let you go?"
As far as I remembered, Arien responded very harshly to those who dared to raise a hand against her people. Not just harshly, but even cruelly.
"We made up."
"I don't believe it..." The words came hard to me, but I really didn't believe it.
"And yet! Can you imagine, I was lying face down, unable to move because my whole body felt like it was dipped in clay. And she came up and extended her hand. You know, once a maniac caught me, I was acting as bait, and my cover got blown... And that maniac wasn't alone, but part of a whole cult... Or that pursuit by the Sidhe... You've seen, it's not easy to truly scare me. But at that moment, when this girl extended her hand to me, I almost soiled myself. It was like looking into the mouth of an active volcano. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about because I've seen active volcanoes."
"Don't hold a grudge against her." The last thing I needed was a war between Shards!
"Me?" Scully was genuinely surprised. "She turned out stronger; I was weaker. What's there to hold a grudge about? The primary law of evolution? I'm not that stupid. You've actually upset me now."
"I don't want someone else to kill you." Oh damn! Did I say that out loud? Damned potions!
"Ha-ha-ha!" The future goddess of who knows what, but probably Hunting, began to laugh. "So that's what it is! Don't worry. We really managed to find common ground. I happened to have something her guild needed, and Arien accepted it as payment and closed all grievances between us."
"Gray nend fur?" At this moment, even breathing became harder for me.
"Whose fur?" Scully was surprised. "No, not fur, the scales of an adult wyvern, a whole pouch of them. Found it on a corpse... And don't think anything of it. Yes, sometimes I hunt people, but only criminals, and I have permission for that!" Before my eyes, the Sign of the Bounty Hunter swayed on a long chain. "All according to local laws!"
"Start killing earthlings, and I'll find you." Damn potions, whatever was on my mind came straight out.
"Hey, what's gotten into you?" Scully bristled. "Tired of living? You know, I think we're even." And then she added, "At the moment, we're even. I set you up, and I saved you. One to one. That's how I see it, and I don't care how you see the situation! Got it? The only thing saving you right now is that I know some of the potions in you are said to cloud your mind. And besides, I still value my efforts."
To avoid saying anything unnecessary, I bit my lip.
"That's better." Noticing my reaction, the Australian snapped her fingers. "Let's dot all the i's. I really felt guilty for leaving you there. When I found out you were alive, I rushed after you... I wanted to see with my own eyes that you were the same Raven I left behind then..." Did she genuinely feel guilty? Unexpected!
"Have you seen?"
"Made it in time." She cut me off.
Stepping to the side, Scully disappeared from my field of view. Judging by the sound, she leaned over the road. The sound of metal scraping against stone followed.
"What is this place?" she asked, appearing in front of me, looking around as if noticing the surrounding strangeness for the first time. "Something's not right here. Just a minute ago, the forest around us was different, and Seguna in the sky shifted a bit. The aura here is also strange."
"The remains of the First Road," I replied.
"The First Road? So what?"
"A sacred place of Sundbad, the god of Roads."
"Somehow, I don't see any pilgrims or priests here!" Scully hemmed, puzzled.
"The locals consider this place a myth, a fairy tale, a legend."
"Wait a minute!" The girl's face took on an extremely focused expression. "Can we leave this place?"
"We can leave, but there's no guarantee that if you leave the road, you'll be able to find it again."
"On Earth, I would have laughed at your words. But in this world... I'm not sure, but it seems you know what you're talking about."
"Check it out, step off the road." Damn, I couldn't hide my smirk, and she noticed it.
"Yeah, right. I'll run off and leave all the trophies to you. Find another fool! By the way, who was that guy who pinned you like a butterfly to his sword?"
"I've only heard of him, but I saw him for the first time." In essence, I wasn't exactly lying, and it seemed I'd gotten used to the fog that the potions had clouded my mind with.
"You know, I saw you when the fight just started."
"You could have helped earlier then. Not let it come to the point where I got pierced." Ah no, I still hadn't fully gotten rid of that fog in my head, not completely.
"Hey! I'm good, but not that good!" the Australian huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You should have seen your fight from the side! No arrow could have kept up with your movements. Damn! What on Earth are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Once, I witnessed a duel between two Sapphire fighters. I was just passing by. Compared to what I saw today, those warriors, mind you, warriors of the Precious Coil, moved like flies in molasses. Even with all my experience, I could only make out half of it; the rest was a blur of motion. Making an accurate shot in such conditions? With a bow? Impossible. Trust me. Besides, I felt that an ordinary arrow wouldn't have taken down your enemy." She sighed heavily. "And that Katkar's Arrow… You can't hold it for long; it's filled with so much Darkness that while I aimed, it drained half my energy! To just store it, I had to wrap it in three meters of thick enchanted fabric, which, according to the priests of Ishid, was supposed to protect me from the emanations of Darkness. Even then, through all those layers, I could still feel that cursed arrow dreaming of killing me. An arrow… dreaming… Don't think I've lost my mind..."
"I know. Dark artifacts are very dangerous. I've dealt with them."
"Then you understand what I'm saying."
"Yes."
"Good. Anyway, I shot when I was sure. Got it?"
"Thank you."
"Finally! I saved him, and he didn't even thank me. Raven, have you ever thought that you're an ungrateful bastard?"
"Thought about it? I know it." No, I definitely had better keep quiet.
"I don't get it - how did someone like her fall for someone like you?" Scully smirked, then leaned over me and said with complete seriousness, "Actually, I lied. I do get it. Especially after seeing you in action today." She clicked her tongue. "During that encounter, if I hadn't caught you off guard by pretending to be badly injured… Now, I think you would have killed me, and no special forces training would have helped."
"Your rope…" I began, but bit my tongue.
"That's true... Good point." The Australian smirked. "My precious… you wouldn't believe how many times it saved my gorgeous butt!" She leaned in closer again. "And you really are good. It's a pity you're already with her."
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"We're not together. It was once, and it won't happen again."
"Is that so? How interesting. Although, if I had to choose between her and you..." The girl shook her head. "My choice wouldn't be in your favor... Now, hush. It's time for another potion."
This time, I had enough strength to open my mouth myself, and the bitter, thick liquid flowed into my throat. Immediately, my larynx began to burn as if molten lead had been poured into it.
"Endure it. I know it's awful, but it works excellently. By the way, I bought it from your beloved, after she healed those burns she left on me with this nasty stuff. Turns out she's quite good at alchemy too. Yes, don't roll your eyes like that, I already understood she's not your beloved. It's just so funny how your face changes every time you hear a mention of this Arien... There it is again! No, seriously, you should see yourself in the mirror!"
"You were looking for me because I'm a threat?" I asked once the pain in my throat subsided.
"Oh, wow." Scully pulled back from me. "I didn't think you'd get it."
"Knowing I was alive, you didn't want to leave such an enemy behind. So you hurried to catch up with me, choosing an area where there are almost no people or prying eyes."
"Damn, and we were chatting so nicely." The Australian said with a hint of resentment in her voice. "Yes, you figured me out."
"And now what?"
"I already told you. One to one. That's how I see it, but I don't know how the situation looks to you."
'Crossroads! Grant me the right choice!' I pleaded mentally and immediately realized that I had already used my choice. I didn't know when, but I had. It felt somewhat disappointing... However, if that choice had allowed Scully to find the Road to the Crossroads, then it was probably worth it. It was a pity, of course, but life was more precious than any divine blessing, especially a one-time one. So, it meant that I had to find the answer to the girl's words on my own.
I wasn't planning to kill her anyway. But was I ready to truly forgive her? That was the real, unasked question she was waiting for me to answer.
Was I ready? To forgive?
Was it really "one to one"? And I couldn't lie; because of the potions' effect, she would read any lie on my face like an open book.
She had left me for certain death back then. And this time, she had sought me out not to apologize. Yes, it had turned out differently, and instead of killing me, she ended up saving my life. But that was probably a spontaneous act on her part. And she hadn't shot for so long not because she was afraid to miss, although that might have been true as well, but because someone else had taken it upon themselves to solve her problem. Yes, in the end, she had changed her mind. Perhaps because Ridan had made himself such an obvious target when he called upon the gods, and Scully simply couldn't resist?
Scully was anything but a naive girl. All her words, all this openness on her part. People behaved like this either with a friend or… beside a dead man. If it hadn't been for the potions, I would have lied through my teeth and sweet-talked her. But now, I couldn't.
"Peace." A single word escaped my lips.
"What?" Scully wasn't expecting such an indefinite, largely half-hearted answer from me, and now she's visibly confused.
"Peace," I repeated.
"So, not friendship, not gratitude for saving your life, just peace?"
Maybe honesty through potions wasn't such a bad thing? I clarified:
"I don't know how to forgive. But I value my word. You tried to kill me twice." She winced at these words but nodded, acknowledging my correctness. "I won't forget that, no matter how much I want to. But I value my word more. And here's my word: don't kill our people, and there will be peace between us. Take even one contract on an earthling's head, and I will find you. Find you and kill you."
"Oh, wow." Her expression changed, and she looked at me differently, not like before. "You're tough. Lying here half-dead, completely at my mercy, and still making demands. Funny. Honestly, funny. Are you even a real person or the hero of some cool action movie? Do you even understand that people like you don't exist? Or rather, they do, but only in movies or children's comics!"
"You haven't seen Nate yet." I blurted out.
"Who?"
"Never mind."
"Who's Nate?"
"One of ours, and I'm nowhere near his level."
"Interesting."
A bloodthirsty smile involuntarily appeared on my face.
"Got it. Noted. I'll stay away. One encounter with your mistress was enough for me."
Quite the intuition she had! If only she'd gone looking for the future Warrior God, her hunting thirst would have ended there. Reading something in my eyes, she said:
"I've used so many potions on you. Spent a unique arrow, and for what? For nothing, because we didn't come to an agreement." She leaned in so close that I could feel her breath on my cheek. "I'll kill the monsters that only pretend to be humans, no matter if they are locals or, as you say, 'one of ours.' For me, there are no 'ours'!"
And where was she wrong? By the same logic, I had killed three earthlings myself, one of whom was a girl, and my hand did not tremble.
"Amendment accepted." These words came to me incredibly easily. "Agreed."
Noticing a dim gleam of steel in Seguna's light, and I suddenly realized that all this time, a sharp dagger was just a few millimeters from my throat.
"So, peace it is." Scully stepped back and, stretching, noisily inhaled the night air. "I didn't want to kill you. Not then, nor today, when I was following your trail. I was rather forced to. And this decision was not easy for me, not then, nor this morning, when I found out you survived. You know yourself that you're dangerous. And I was taught not to leave living enemies. And I think you're the same. I see it. You're the same. That's why..." She didn't finish the sentence, waved her hand, and turned away.
She didn't need to finish; it was all clear. Her logic was transparent, like spring water.
"Since we've agreed, how about you take off this rope?"
"So that your internal bleeding got reopened?" Scully smirked. "I'll take it off when the wound heals."
Was she lying or not? I couldn't tell.
On the other hand, there wasn't much of a difference for me at the moment whether she was lying or telling the truth about this. Ridan's sword was quite a nasty weapon, and wounds inflicted by the dwarven blade were not easy to heal. So, even without the rope binding me, I still couldn't move without the risk of reopening the bleeding.
"Interesting..." Scully stepped back a few paces and sat down next to the body of the multiple champion of the Deytran Arena. "Very interesting..."
Slowly, without making any sudden movements, with great difficulty, grimacing from the pain, I turned my head to see the huntress. She had indeed frozen next to Ridan, took an arrow from her quiver, and poked the dead man several times with the tip. What could I say, commendable caution, apparently, she had been burned before, so she was being very careful.
"This armor looks expensive," Scully said with a slight note of interest.
"Yes, worth its weight in gold." Considering the avalonium plates and valirium shoulder pads, I didn't think I was far off in my assessment.
"And it weighs..." Lifting the edge of the armor with her arrow, the huntress listened to her sensations and estimated. "About ten kilograms."
"Give or take half a kilogram," I agreed with her assessment.
"Raven," without getting up, Scully turned sharply to me. "I see you're bringing me luck..." She rummaged through her belt pouch, took out a pinch of some powder, brought it to her lips, and blew the silvery dust onto the dead body. "There are no curses or protective spells on this armor," she said after a brief pause, her voice filled with excitement. "Too bad this corpse is much larger than me; I wouldn't mind such armor." Then she asked, "Do you think the local craftsmen can fit this armor to me?" She stood up, got on her tiptoes, and twirled in front of me, showing off her flawless athletic figure.
"They can, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why not?" Scully frowned.
"This armor, as well as his sword, is quite well-known in Ain."
"So what?" the huntress said challengingly, crossing her arms.
"Do you even know who you killed?" I replied with a question.
"The one who pierced you with his sword," she snorted.
"Can't argue with that." The memory of the foreign blade sinking into my body caused a pang of pain in my abdomen.
"Stop it," the huntress said, looking at me sternly. "You started talking, now finish."
"Ridan the Honest Sword, five-time champion of the Deytran Arena. So this armor and his weapon are quite famous."
"And how do you know such details?" Suspicion flickered in her eyes.
"I won the Great Alchemist Tournament in Tries, and seriously considered arena fights as a way to elevate my Rank." It was hard for me to lie because of the potions, so I told the truth, but not the whole truth.
"And you did some research on the best you might face on that path." Scully nodded, and the distrust disappeared from her eyes; apparently, she was satisfied with the explanation. "Logical and prudent." She smiled and, winking cheerfully, continued, "The more I talk to you, the more I realize you're not as simple as you seemed at first glance."
"Neither are you the country bumpkin you pretend to be."
"Pf-f-f..." Scully waved her hand dismissively, sat down by the body again, and almost immediately looked up at me. "Oh, wow! Raven, tell me about your belt." She noticed. Well, how could it be otherwise?
"It was crafted by orcs. Despite being made of leather, it's as durable as metal. It also enhances the Perception Aura."
"Orcs? I thought they were only left somewhere far to the west, on some plateau." The huntress looked slightly surprised.
"I got mine in a dungeon, but I don't know where Ridan got his. You can't just buy and wear orcish items; you can only obtain them in battle by killing or defeating the previous owner."
"And what did I do?" Scully smirked. "Does it have curses and protective charms on it?"
"Only if Ridan put something on it himself. Orcs don't bother with that because their items are usually only obtained from a corpse."
"Got it."
Taking another arrow from the quiver, the girl incredibly deftly unfastened the belt without touching it with her hands, then spent another pinch of silvery powder. Apparently, this powder somehow determined the enchantments placed on items, and she had said something similar before. I wondered where the huntress got such rare alchemy. However, if she really was a Shard, it was a foolish question. She could have just walked through the forest and found it, or bought it for a pittance from a trader who didn't know its true value. Trying on the orcish belt, the girl cursed quietly:
"I could fit two of me in this!"
"You are very slender."
"Are you mocking me?" Spinning sharply in place, the huntress pointed one of the arrows at me.
"No. But you do look funny in it."
"So it's for sale then..."
"Such items are not easy to sell."
"I have a merchant in mind who collects various unusual items." Scully dismissed my words.
She silently examined Ridan's body for another five minutes, then looked up at the sky, seemingly realizing something, and stepped toward me.
"You need to drink another potion. Don't scowl, it's the last one."
Not resisting, I allowed the sweet liquid from the vial to be poured into me. Judging by the taste, it was a regeneration potion. Quite an expensive medicine, by the way. Stepping back, the girl carefully examined me and, apparently satisfied, smiled.
"You'll live. Now, for sure."
"Thanks again." I could have stayed silent, but I thought it best to thank her once more.
"I'd say 'you owe me,' but considering our last meeting..." She smirked, turned sharply, and resumed examining Ridan's body.
For the next half hour, the huntress stripped the corpse down to his undergarments, occasionally asking me about the price of various items found on the body.
"Even if we do as you suggest, dismantle the armor and then give the avalonium and valirium for reforging to strengthen my armor," the girl thought for a moment and continued, "there's about seven thousand gold worth of stuff here. Not counting the five hundred I found in his belt."
"Will you share? After all, I fought too." I dared to ask.
"You lost," Scully cut me off. "And if it weren't for me, you'd have been lying here dead long ago."
"Was it necessary to remind me?"
"Don't get cheeky. These are my trophies." Approaching me, the huntress asked in a sly voice, "Or do you have any objections?"
"Still, it's better to keep the sword," I made another attempt.
"The weapon is certainly notable and clearly not simple."
All this time, by the way, she hadn't even touched the People's Bane, avoiding the sword lying on the rocks.
"It's not a great artifact. Moreover, this sword was forged for only one purpose – to kill people. And you're right, the weapon is quite notable... Many will recognize it and want to test the mettle of the one who managed to take this blade from the five-time champion of the Deytran Arena."
"If you think that will scare me..."
"Do you like it when adventures find you?" I said slyly.
"Raven, have you ever tried working in sales?" The huntress laughed. "Fine, you've convinced me, I'll leave it to you."
"I don't need it; I'll have it melted down. It's just that I'm a Sheriff of the Tunnellers' Guild, and if someone sees this weapon with me, they'll still think I'm within my rights."
"You want it to be melted down?" Scully doubted.
"That's right. I'm not going to keep this nasty thing for myself, and I won't sell it to fall into the wrong hands either."
But giving it to Katashi so he can appreciate the dwarves' work would be very useful. Knowing the future god of Labor, he would be able to learn all the secrets of this weapon and then destroy it.
"So you mean have your own principles."
However, she didn't intend to listen to my answer. She immediately turned away and began packing the trophies into a travel bag. After filling the bags, she tied the knots, then, sitting directly on a stone, raised her head and said:
"I don't like this place. I feel an aura here. Not dangerous, not aggressive, but it makes me nervous. Don't you feel the same?"
"No. I think with those potions you fed me, I'm hardly able to feel anything like that now."
"What did I feed you? Yes, those potions have certain drawbacks, they cloud the mind, but they heal just as well as regular ones!"
"And they cost about three times less in shops because they're considered defective," I couldn't help but correct.
"True enough," Scully didn't deny. "But I've spent a lot recently, so I didn't have much choice. Either staying with a half-empty first aid kit or filling it with such 'medicines.'"
"After you sell the trophies..." I started, but then coughed, grimacing from a bout of pain in my stomach.
Carefully looking at me and reckoning that there was no threat to my health, the huntress patted her backpack and said:
"Well, I definitely won't sell everything. Some of what we found will be useful to me personally."
I wouldn't mind taking a couple of items from Ridan's body myself, so I completely understood her. Even the Earth Magic ring alone, which Scully had pulled off the corpse's hand, similar to the one Larindel gave me, would have given me a nice boost. And the matching bracelets made of wyvern skin would have protected my forearms as reliably as steel chainmail. But the girl was right, those were her trophies, not mine, no matter how bitter it was to admit. So all I could do was sigh, with a slight sense of regret, watching such treasures float right past my nose and disappear into someone else's backpack.
"Where did you find Katkar's Arrow?" I was genuinely curious.
"Where I found it, it's no longer there," Scully replied without even turning her head towards me.
"Is it so hard for you to tell?" I insisted. "We are newcomers in this world, any information about Ain can suddenly become important and one day save a life, even if it seems useless now."
"Interesting approach." This time, the girl turned towards me. "Alright, I'll tell you." Dusting off her hands, she took a sip of water from her flask. "In the Wicked Woods, in the lair of one of the giant spiders. But where that creature got it, I don't know."
"You went there again?" I couldn't believe that after the hunt the Sidhe had on her, she dared to venture into that forest again!
"Just around the edge." The huntress smiled openly. "Honestly, I'm not so foolish as to go into the thicket... a second time... And by the way, I answered you honestly, so maybe you'll tell me how you managed to get out of there?"
"With my legs." I didn't want to mention Reygyana.
"I didn't think you could run that fast." Scully laughed.
Was my answer enough for her?! Surprisingly, but apparently, it was! It seemed she really decided that I managed to simply run away.
"Crap!" Scully suddenly cursed, shivering. "This feeling of being watched is getting more and more unnerving!" She jumped to her feet, grabbing her bags. "Raven, I honestly wanted to spend the night by your side and wait for you to recover. But I have a strong feeling that I'm not welcome here. You mentioned Sundbad, the deity of Paths... Either he doesn't like me, or something else is going on, but it's better if I leave... No hard feelings?"
"Some premonitions are better trusted." I thought her intuition was far better developed than mine, so such feelings shouldn't have been dismissed. "And what hard feelings? As you said, it's 'one to one'."
"So, I checked your potions, and they will definitely suffice for your full recovery. Remember, you need rest. Don't even think about getting up before dawn!"
"Got it."
"Here's what we'll do: I'll step off the Crossroads and sit nearby for a few hours." She looked around and pointed towards a large pine tree. "Under that tree over there. You should get some sleep."
"Wait. You said you have fabric that protects against Darkness. Leave it with me."
"Actually, that roll cost me thirty gold coins!" She laughed sadly. "You do a good deed, and they immediately take advantage of you!"
"You misunderstood. I have gold in my purse, take the full price."
"Why do you need it?"
"It will come in handy."
"Alright." Scully stepped closer, bent down, and untied my purse. "Don't worry, I won't take more than necessary. Last time, I considered you a corpse, so I took your money, thinking the dead have no need for it. And notice, I've already returned that money to you... With the potions I used today."
"Fair enough."
"Exactly thirty," the huntress said, pouring the gold from hand to hand in front of my eyes, then laced up the purse. She placed the roll of greenish fabric on the stone pavement and shivered again.
"You sleep, and I'll sit over there."
"Still, why did you save me?"
"Raven!" Scully laughed sincerely. "Can't a woman just change her mind?" Then she blew me a kiss.
Did she like me as a man? Sure, she had said something like that, but those words seemed like ordinary chatter to distract and dull my vigilance. No, no, no! She was, of course, beautiful and attractive, and besides, she was my type. Athletic, toned, and even her simplest movements were incredibly graceful. But I didn't really want to become the object of desire for the future goddess of the Hunt, especially when considering her character! There would be no running or hiding from her!
"I hope next time we meet under much calmer circumstances." I tried to wave my hand but couldn't.
"Actually, I'm not saying goodbye yet." With a snap of her fingers, Scully freed me from the rope and stepped toward the forest. "As I said, I'll wait by that tree until morning, and you try to sleep."
Having said that, she quickly walked in the indicated direction, left the Crossroads, turned away, and immediately vanished, as if she had never been there. Besides, the forest around had slightly changed.
Local legends didn't lie. Sundbad's Crossroads was indeed a strange place! It appeared to be able to move through the forest on its own. That's why I hadn't found it where the earthlings' stories, heard in the Last Cycle, indicated...