Chapter 41

After Camilla had left, Anette turned to me again.

"Are you okay Frey? You look like you have been trough hell, and you stink." She was looking me up and down, as she clenched her nose with her fingers.

I didn't even notice that my cloths was full of dried blood.

"I have been in one of those portals, it became a little messy. Do you have some place i can wash?" I asked her, wanting to rid myself of the stench.

"Certainly. Come with me." She left the tent and i followed after her, telling Erik to join me. He was reluctant to leave Emma, but he obeyed my command.

Anette led us to an adjacent tent where they had gathered buckets with water during rain time.

"Wash here." She pointed to some chairs next to the buckets.

Before she left the tent, she stopped, "this is the second time you have helped me in some way Frey, i wont ever forget that. Thank you."

Erik dropped all his platemail and undressed his clothings underneat. I removed my cloak and threw it in a bucket of water, the leather items i had been using i simply threw in a pile. I would check the store for replacements after washing. 

As we sat there on the chairs in our nude, splashing water under our arms, Erik started to speak.

"Commander. You said i could tell you, or ask you, anything i wanted." He looked at me with pleading eyes.

Erik was an impressive knight clad in his armor. But even in the nude he was the embodiment of raw male power. His blond hair reaching his shoulders, glinsing with water. His thick brown eyebrows over his deep blue eyes that seemed to contain all the stars in the skye. His broad, muscular shoulders, strong torso, arms and chest made him look like a condensed power-house. Yet he was taller than myself and athletic. Any woman from the times before the shockwave, would be drooling over his nude appearence.

"What is troubling you Erik?" I spoke calmly, trying to approach him as a friend, not as his commander.

Erik was washing his arms, looking down before he spoke.

"That girl. Emma. I know i just met her. But my whole body is in pain when i'm not near her. Even right now, i can't think of anything else than finish washing so i can go back to her. What is wrong with me?" 

He had stopped washing again. Looking at me with plain confusion in his face.

I thought about it while washing my legs and toes.

He had reminded me of Aya. She was allways in the back of my head.

At the moment i felt an overwhelming urge to start my travel, i had postponed it for too long allready. The road to her would be long and harsh.

Erik couldn't be in love could he? He just met the girl, and the circomstances of which, was far from favorable. He was a summoned human. Granted, he had awakened to his own conciousness, being fully aware of himself. But he looked as an fully grown man in his mid-twenties. Emma was just a child. Even if he was in love, could i allow such a thing to happen?

"Remember what i tould you when you first awakened. About the sexual urge?" 

A shadow fell on Eriks face as he seemed to remember. "But this isen't like that commander. The feeling is far stronger, i would never allow anything to happen to her!"

However strange it might seem, how fast it had occurred, i was certain that he now loved the young girl.

"To tell you the truth Erik, i currently have the same emotion for a woman. She isen't here and you have never met her. She is now on the other side of our world, and i do not know if she is even alive..."

Erik looked at me with his eyes wide open, he had noticed that i stopped talked as a knot in my throat had prevented me to continue.

My feelings for Aya had burned my body, gathering in my throat, threatening to form tears in my eyes as i uttered words about her.

"What can we do, commander?" Erik understood quite well allready, he spoke compassionate, as only true friends can speak when they are alone.

I tried to gather myself, finishing my wash by my neck and hair. 

"Love is a strange thing Erik. I have never loved anyone as i love Aya. You told me that you would do anything for me, as your commander. Unconditionally you would throw your life to save mine. That is how i feel for Aya. If i am your commander, father or god. She is mine."

I thought a bit more as Erik seemed to digest my words.

"I can't tell you what to do with your own love, Erik. And i don't want to. Just know this. Emma is a young girl who have just been through the worst hell imaginable to women. She needs time for more reason than one. She needs to grow older, she needs time to heal."

Erik inhaled deeply, fortifying himself mentally, as i had done so many times in the past when facing the harsh reality.

"Whatever you choose to do Erik. I will support you, as i expect you to support me in finding my own love. The legion is allways with you."

Erik lightly cleaned his platemail and donned it while i simply bought new leather armor from the shop to replace the bloodstained armor.

Leaving the tent we saw Camilla had gathered the remaining survivors near the gate.

"The women are awakened, we are ready to leave with you." She simply said with her piercing gaze. 

Erik looked at me, and i simply nodded. I watched him as he went to the tent where Emma and Anette was.

"I will walk ahead and make sure there is no danger on the road. Erik and the spearmen will escort you." I said to Camilla as i approached the gate.

But she walked up to me and her entire bodyframe started shimmer.

"whhhaa..." I gasped as there suddenly stood two of her side by side. Completely identical!

"It is my skill. I can clone my current self for one hour. When the time is up my clones memories and experiences will merge with my original self." She explained quickly.

"I will accompany both you and the group. If anything happens to either party, i will cancel the skill, and one way or the other, we will know that something is wrong."

I accepted her choise. But i was not worried for Eriks abilities to safeguard the group, nor at all for my own safety.

With Camilla walking with me, we left the camp behind and entered the woods.

The forrest had become dense. Huge roots protruded the forrest floor. Large bushes and strange looking ferns was covering the ground. A tiny clearing between the trees, where large beautifull flowers bloomed, petals as large as my hand. Strange and large, orange bees, were busy sucking the flowers nectar and the suns rays falling down made it look magical as we walked past.

"Tell me about yourself Camilla. I feel like i have seen you somewhere before." I wanted to know more about her to occupy my mind from straying back to Aya.

Her pace slowed down a bit, as she took in the forrest scenarie around us.

"There is nothing much to tell. I have lived here all my life. I was a local politicians student and did some model jobs in my spare time to afford my education." She shrugged her shoulders and continued her pace.

"None of it matters now. Everyone i know is now gone, and i simply try to survive."

I didn't ask further about it. So many had died in the past week.

I did remember where i had seen her though. There had been a poster, an advertisement, around the city some months back. Where a pretty young lady had been sitting at the new coffeeshop. It had been a popular resting or study area, for the university students.

"Did you attend the university by chance?" I asked. I thought she was older than that, but again, it might just be her piercing eyes that told of a mind much sharper than her age.

To my surprise she just giggled a little bit and her slim lips formed a smile.

"Is that such a surprise? Actually i am only 23 years old."

We had some smalltalk as we went through the woods. The mood between us had become very friendly. I thought that this would be how it felt like to have a proper loving sister.

A branch snapped nearby.

"Wait!" I said, as she didn't seem to have heard it.

"What is it?" She was on guard at once.

"Shh. Somethings up ahead."

A huge brown boar, with tusks too large even for its impressive body, emerged between the trees.

Forrest boar. Level 5

Health: 95. Mana: 40. Fatigue: 145

Class: Common monster

Skill: Charge. Crunch.

I smiled at Camilla, who seemed to be frightened, yet standing firm. She gasped as i seemed to vanish in front of her eyes.

"Look now, our dinner has appeared!"

I focused all my attention to my run as i charged the boar. The differences in attributed let me close the distance and pierce its heart with my demon sword, before the boar could even react to it.

"Wauw Frey.. How did you become so strong? I know how the levels work, but i dont think i could ever do what you just did!" 

Camilla had joined me next to the boar. Standing next to it while it was dead on the ground, it still reached to her stomach area. It was that big.

"It's a long story. Enough to say that i have been in many portals allready. But i'm sure that with time, you will be able to do the same."

Her gaze still pierced me, but i could tell she had a newfound respect for me. Happy that someone strong could now help her protect the people.

I grabbed the boars front legs and slung it on my back. It was so large that i had to drag the hind legs on the ground behind me. We walked in silence. My walls couldn't be far now.