She had a perfect life, at least that’s how she has seen it back then. Born into a rich family, being popular at parties and around her carefully selected few friends. She did fine in school, but it didn’t matter to her. It didn’t seem like she ever has to work what so ever. Even the biggest problem she ever faced was nothing more than choosing a dress from a fancy shop for a single event. But times changed.
She couldn’t accept the truth it was too hard for her. Each night she cried herself asleep. Each day when she woke up tears formed in her eyes. Day after day she told herself it was just a bad dream and she will eventually wake up, but every sense of hers betrayed her and told the opposite. Her hope giving lie slowly faded as days passed. Leaving her desperate. She was a miserable sight. This is how Louret described her.
The barns door was halfway open, light escaped from the inside illuminating the dirt road. Louret was peeking into the barn from the dark, thinking about the best way to calm her down for the upcoming conversation. while she took a good look at the outsider.
She looked unnatural almost exotic, a combination of a minotaur and a human. Half-breeds exited but it was nothing like this. She had separated parts of the races and not a combination of them. She had a cow like tail and below her waist, she was covered with light brown fur with white spots and it was completed with hooves at the end of her legs. Except for a pair slightly curved horns on the sides of her head, her upper body was human in every aspect. Brown hair, round face with a small nose. She seemed to be a little chubby and telling from her big round breasts it looked like she was blessed with a child at least once in her lifetime.
Overall, she looked weaker than what Louret hoped for, but her height and build showed potential as a frontline fighter. Even better, if she had some minotaur blood in her veins, then the training will be easier. With a little muscle gain, she could easily knock off others. But if that didn't work she could use her wide hips to it. The thought seeing someone being knocked to the ground by a cow ass made Louret chuckle a little and her stored air escaped, her cover was blown.
“Who's there?” Th barn girl’s voice was filled with fear. Louret cursed, her skills used to keep emotions at bay.
There was no point to hide any longer, it only could make thing worse. She was not ready, she had no plan and it was the middle of the night. The odds were not in her favour and there was no such a thing like making a friendly smile, not with what she had. It would have made her look like a monster greeting its dinner. These thoughts filled her as she opened further the barn door.
“Clive, It’s that you?... Did the neighbours *snip* complain again? I stop the crying, I swear, just don’t make me sleep outside. Please!“
This was the outsider, this wimp in rags was one of the many whose future achievements would save her from the mad god? It had to be a joke. Anger settled on Louret’s face as she stepped into the light.
“You are not Clive.” The stranger's weapons caught her eyes. ” Did they *snip*. Did they sent you to get rid of me?” She pushed herself into a corner and used her arms to cover her face and sobbed.
Louret walked closer and closer, she knuckled her hands to release her tension somewhere. She tried to take a few big breaths, but it only made her sound like a rage-filled bull. A few moments passed by as she stood there. The girl’s cries were quiet and high-pitched, her eyes red and she tried to be as little as possible while she crouched in the corner.
“Agh!” This was heading nowhere Louret thought. She crouched down and pated that pile of wretch’s head. “It’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you.” She tried to make her best mysterious kind traveller impression. Sobbing died down a little, but Louret had to make her talk or she would be here all night in this messy barn instead of the cosy inn. “Say, why the long face? If you tell me I might be able to help.”
This was a mistake. Louret did not know what she just did. She messed around the wrong space and time, and now the box of Pandora was opened in a form of a pampered teenager’s mouth.
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She spaced out a couple of times in the solid half an hour lecture about how she missed the beauty salons, the clothes, the parties, her friends and so on. She was about to start a new topic on magazines when Louret stopped her out of fearing her own sanity.
“Alright, alright I got the picture. But what happened in the recent days? What are you sleeping in a barn on hay and how come you aren’t started polishing your ‘welcoming gift’ as an outsider?” Louret had quite a few questions that needed answers and on the other hand, it helped to calm her down.
“Well… People were nice to me and tried to help except the miller whom I still own a new table.” She chuckled a bit. “But at the end, nothing seems to go my way.” She hugged her legs and laid her head on her knees. “Each day, they offered me a job or two here and there, after they found out that whole system thing doesn’t exist in my homeworld. ” It caused a hiccup for Louret, but she didn’t stop her. “But each day I made more trouble than good. It’s hard to get used to these legs. The first day I lost my balance and dropped some eggs, then later afternoon I stepped on a bucket… poor bucket it didn’t have a chance against these.” She made a light stomp. ”The second day they offer me some work where I don’t need to move around but before noon the old leatherworker told me it’s better for both of us if I find something else to do. So that day I watched the cows.”
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The list went and the mistakes just pilled on each other. At the end, Louret had a pretty good idea why she was crying when she heard a growl from her.
“Sorry. I didn’t eat much today. I couldn’t get myself to ask for food after today.” She made a weak smile, it was heart-breaking to look at.
“I know its sudden but I have to ask you something. Something that is really important to me.” She looked at her, waited for a response which she didn’t get, so she continued. “Would you like to travel with me?” This seemed easier than asking her to train, fight, level, and embrace a challenge from the mad god that she had no idea what it was.
“No.” The answer was instant.
“No? Why?! The village hate your guts, you have nothing to eat, you wear rags and you have no coins on hand. Let alone you sleep in a barn. Then why?” Another outburst.
She changed her tone, back to the little princess “First I don’t know you, second I’m not stupid I’m not going to end up as a sex slave and Third Din told me about you and how kind you are as you almost strangled him.” She stood up and back away from Louret. “He is one of the few who is still kind to me in this place. Now I if you would, leave me alone or I scream.”
The barn door creaked as both doors opened. A small group of men stood in the dim light.
“Don’t worry princess, you don’t have to the cavalry is here for your rescue, hehe.” Said the man in front holding a metal coved cudgel as the rest. They wore crude leather shirts, the rest were just rags.
“Thanks, Din. But she was about to leave anyway.”
“This is Din, this perv? He could have drowned me in his own drool.” Said Louret.
“Oh, Lookie-lookie this one has sharp tongue boys. How about we give a free lecture on manners?” Said Din. The group entered the barn and formed a half circle around Louret. Arrogance on their faces.
“Guys what are you doing.” She had a bad feeling about this.
“Don’t worry dear, after we took that monster’s eyes we will live as king and queen.” Louret placed her hand on the longsword, aiding the sheath with the other.
“We?” Asked the barn-girl while she tried to cover herself with her arms.
“Yeah, we. I’m not picky, you will do just fine.”
“But I don’t want to be with you.”
“Don’t worry. You will learn to like in time.”
Five on one. If they grappled her it’s over. The barn didn’t have much room to dance around. It would come down to the first strikes and winner take all. Louret waited.
Din turned back to Louret. “How we gonna do it the easy way and let you go blind or the hard way.”
“I choose the hard way if it makes you shut up.” Louret rolled her eyes.
Din face went red from anger. “Get her!” He shouted.
The four men launched themselves at Louret while Din stayed back. She unsheathed her weapon and with that momentum, she slashed down into the right one from above. The sword stuck him between his neck and left shoulder, cut through the leather and went deep into his body then stopped in his chest midway. She quickly tried to raise the sword to block something at least but the sword became heavy. It stuck. Flashed into her mind. She released the sword and the first one felt forward dead with his newly acquired weapon in his chest.
It was too late, they going to hit her, there was no space to move backwards. She raised her right arm above to shield herself while she bent her knees little. The three reached her and swing after swing they chippered her right arm piece by piece as her stone like body gave in. She reached for the mace on his side, took a good grip on it and lunch herself forward. She miscalculated in the heat of battle, she used too much force, she hit the middle who lost his balance and she landed on him. His bones broken like dry twigs, the sound of cracks was followed by a huge splatter as her weight and momentum combined into deadweight and quizzed him, like slush under a boot.
The atmosphere froze, the heat of battle was replaced by disgust and terror. The lightly swinging lantern hanged on a beam, it’s made the hay shine in the barn as it wore its new fresh colour, red. Both men stepped back a little as their nightmare stood up from her gore-fest. Bone pieces and bloody chunk felt from to the ground while she had to force some off as it almost fused with her clothes.
“What the hell are you waiting for, don’t let her just stand up.” Din shouted at them, but it was too late. The damage was done, their will was not strong enough. They dropped everything at hand and run. “Useless fucking bunch. Do I have to do anything?” He charged at her. Louret turn to her side, the mace was on the ground. She took a stable position with her clawed feet and with one kick sent Din flying.
“Aaugh.“ Din hit the wall next to the girl and managed to keep himself from falling. He coughed some blood up. “Fuck… Good kick there.” It seemed to over. He slowly reached to his stomach and pulled a dagger out from his belt in a flash. He grabbed her future wife, put her head in a headlock and place a dagger to her throat. “You monster just had to ruin my day. How about this? You let me go and she can keep her life.” Everything was just too fast for her, she was scared.
Louret didn’t seem to be moved by this, she picked up the mace and started walking towards them.
“Do you think I don’t remember how you acted back then, I knew she is precious to you in some way.” Louret halted. It was true and she couldn’t afford to risk it, she had to keep the girl alive. “Ha-ha. Better.”
“That poor bucket.” Louret said and the girl looked at her.
“Wha?” Din said.
“That poor-poor bucket.” She said it again.
She slowly lifted her leg. “Shut up. Do you think you can buy som….” A loud stomp interrupted him which sloshed his foot, the pain was immense. He stooped and the girl broke free from his weakened grip. Louret didn’t need more, she made a full smile and with two big steps, she closed the gap. Din didn’t have time to look up when the mace appeared in his vision before everything went the dark. His head splattered and covered a wall behind him with his last thought.