6 6. Tetra

The morning sun provided much needed warmth for the two as they trek atop a tall steep hill along the trail. The duo had been traveling all night and were eager to find a place to rest their heads for a few hours. Looking back they see the town of Alveros far off in the distance, it looked so small you could practically grab it with two fingers.

"Wow! We're so high up!" Shiro exclaims, her cloak over her shoulders exposing her grey horns as she stretched her arms and popped her neck.

"Look up ahead. There's a small village!" Ganta points downhill towards a small cropping of building, six by his count.

"Race you." She say as they both locked eyes and take a running stance. After a short countdown they begin sprinting downhill towards the village. Shiro arrives first and takes a moment to catch her breath before giving him a smug look over her victory.

"No fair, elves are much lighter." He wheezes, but she just lets out a chuckle in response. The village is small in size with no outer walls for protection and contains only a tavern, an inn, a mess hall, a shop, and two small houses. A few people are walking throughout the village all dressed in farmers clothes or cheap tunics.

"Hurry up slow-griffin, this sign over here reads The Sleepy Boar." She says as she backpedals towards the building, humming happily to herself. He catches up to her and they enter the inn where they are immediately greeted with a tall man with light green hair and two small black horns. He's dressed in a black and white vest with a striped shirt underneath, his bottom half is hidden behind a sturdy oak desk that's covered in papers and quills. The interior of the inn looks smaller than the outside with only three doors, leading to rooms, upstairs and one door behind the man which is probably his bedroom. The decorations are lacking as most of the walls are empty with the exception of the windows and a small portrait frame behind the elf. Shiro approaches the man and greets him.

"Wow another elf! I have so many questions!" He looks down towards her as if he hadn't noticed her until she spoke.

"What of it kid, and if those questions don't involve the price of the rooms I don't want to hear it." He tells her, his voice sounding coarse and tired.

"How rude, well fine how much is a room then?"

"Two!" Ganta shouts over her with a red face.

"For you, ten coins. For him thirty." Shiro looks towards the other elf demanding to know why the price was triple for her friend. He tells her that humans are only welcomed here if they have money to spend. She turned and offered Ganta that he can bunk with her in order to save money, but is quickly met with protest and blushing.

"What's wrong? Is your scar acting up, your face is turning red again." She asks the boy, great concern in her voice.

"No no my eye isn't bothering me, it's just you really shouldn't say things like that to people you've just met." He tells her while looking towards the ceiling.

"But you're not someone I just met, you're my friend." She tells him while putting on a sincere smile which doesn't do his blushing face any favors. She reaches for her small burlap coin sack and empties the contents on the table next to the tall elf, he doesn't look amused. Counting the coins herself she realizes she only has four left, not even enough for one room.

"If you're going to share a room it'll still be thirty coins otherwise get out." She glares at him with an annoyed look before collecting her coins and heading outside.

"I guess elves are just as capable of being rude like humans." He tells her in hopes of calming her down but she only turns around and pouts.

"My first time meeting a real elf and he's as rude as a otero! Uhh I'm so tired and we still have to find a way to pay him for the room." Frustrated and annoyed she leans back on a billboard to collect her thoughts when a small piece of parchment falls off the board. Ganta walked over and picked it before reading it aloud.

"Hunters or traders wanted. I'm looking for twelve goblin ears for my signature goblin brew beer. I pay in coin or favors, whatever's available. Come see me at the tavern for more information or a stiff drink, signed Marcus the barkeep." Within seconds Shiro whole mood changes and she starts to look around for the tavern.

"This way Ganta! Come on!" She yells as she quickly runs towards an average sized building with a large metal dragon sign in the front. Without waiting for him she pushes the door open and is blasted with loud rowdy music. She gets excited now as she sees more elves inside dancing and drinking along with a musical group. She wants to join them but remembers about her friend and goes back outside almost running into him on the way.

"Ganta you have to see this, come inside!" She grabs his hand and rushes him inside slamming the door behind them. The loud noise causes the band to look in their direction and stop playing. The other patrons followed the silence and stopped dancing to also look towards the duo. Still hand and hand she leads him closer to the band when she notices them staring intently at them, which makes her to stop her approach. She tilts her head in response and can faintly hear them whisper between one another.

"Disgusting."

"With a human no less."

"...What a disgrace." Her expression changes to sorrow again and she turns around. Why are her people so mean to her, she thought to herself as she made her path away from them, towards a big husky elf shining brass goblets with a handkerchief.

"Are you Marcus the barkeep?" She asked, her voice consumed with misery. The husky man turns his attention from the goblets to them and smiles.

"Why yes. Are you and your boyfriend here for the job?" He asks.

"Yes we're looking-" She's cut off almost instantaneously by Ganta.

"Ahh no no! She's not my err...I'm not her...umm..boyfriend." She lets go of his hand and frowns like she's about to cry. With everyone being so mean to her she was at her limit.

"We're not friends?" Her voice now shaky and close to the point of tears.

"We are! We are! It's just..umm..ah..he said boyfriend and..that means something else."

"But that means we're still friends right?"

"Of course but yo-" He's cut off by the barkeep.

"So about that job? You guys want it or are you going to just keep whispering between one another like a lovey-dovey couple." Ganta can see her about to ask what that means so decides to take the initiative and leap towards the counter.

"We'll take the job! What do we have to do!?" He declares slamming both of his fist on the table. A hearty laugh escapes the husky mans mouth.

"Great to hear! Now, I need twelve goblin ears, preferably fresh like they were harvested this morning. According to travelers they've seen a few of them gathering on the outskirts of the Ateroth woods to the south-east, about an hours journey." Ganta's face dropped as he heard the word hour. He was already tired from yesterday's late night hike and more walking was like a jab to the gut. He turns around to see his elven companion deep in thought from the earlier misunderstanding and interrupts her.

"Hey Shiro you up for another long walk?" She looks at him with heavy eyes.

"You're not still mad at me?"

"What? No of course not, I was never mad. The..umm barkeep just said something he shouldn't have, so please forget about it." She gives him her signature smile and head tilt before a comforting hug which only causes the boy distress. From the background one of the meaner looking male elf approaches the two from the back.

"Don't much care for your kind here kid." The elf says, maintaining eye contact with the boy. Ganta meets the elf's stare and grabs Shiro's hand before making his way towards the exit, hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"We were just leaving." Ganta says. The older elf grabs Shiro by the hair and pulls her towards him, causing her to fall into his grasp.

"Not with one of us you are!"

"Let her go!" Ganta yells as he charges the elf but is met with a swift kick to the chest. He stumbles back and falls in between a group of the other elves who proceed to kick him repeatedly. Shiro can only watch as she struggles to get free of her captor, head butting his chest and kicking his legs, in doing so reopens her right hand wound causing blood to trickle down her fingers. Ganta, who is now surrounded by a half dozen other elves, grunts and coughs as one of the elves takes out a small knife and yells to the others to hold him still. Worried for his safety she frantically squeezes her hands into a fist in an effort to push herself to escape her captor but instead her blood starts to shine a bright red, as if it was glowing. The captor screams in pain as her blood falls from her hand wound onto his arm, melting the skin and some of the bone. He loses his grip over her and falls over reeling in pain. Just as that is happening a loud magnificent sound wave comes crashing into the group of elves that were attacking the boy. Their bodies flew across the tavern crashing into several tables along the way, knocking them unconscious. Shiro run towards Ganta and props his head up against her arm, checking to see his condition. His left eye wound had reopened and was now bleeding profoundly along with some blood escaping his mouth. She pulled him into a hug and began to cry on his shoulder, begging him not to die. A tall figure, cladded in sturdy black metal armor that housed a giant blade upon its back, approaches them from behind and kneels beside the boy. The mysterious figure reached in their bag and pulled out a small flask and a roll of bandages.

"Do you know how to set a bandage?" The stranger asked, her voice sounding feminine yet contained a strong tone that demanded respect. Shiro couldn't replied due to her sobs so instead just wiped her eyes and nodded. The woman uncorks the flask and pours a small amount on Ganta's bleeding eye, coagulating the blood within seconds, before inspecting the rest of his body. Shiro then cleans the remaining blood off his face and sets the bandage around his eye and a portion of his head. The armored woman stands and looks towards her before speaking.

"He won't die, he just needs rest." She removes her helmet revealing shoulder length violet colored hair. She was a human and looked young but not like a child more like a young adult. Her skin was tan as if she worked many days under a heavy sun, while her topaz colored eyes seemed kind and inviting.

"Help me lift him on my back we'll take him to my room." She tells her which she immediately complies.

"Marcus! These degenerates will pay for the damages. Check them before they wake if you don't want them to trouble you." He laughs and does as she says, his reaction telling Shiro that this may have not been the first time something like this had happened. Shiro follows the violet hair woman out the tavern and into the nearby inn where she see the rude elf from before. He moves in front of the woman and demands to know where she was taking him.

"I already paid for the room Tore, now move aside."

"That was for you Tetra. I see three people here!" He shouts at her.

"It's just for him, we won't be staying." She tells the rude elf who is now known as Tore.

"Hmph, very well" The elf moves aside and the three go upstairs towards the second door. Once inside she sets him down on a small red linen bed with a straw pillow, he's already fast asleep. The room is small with the biggest object being the bed and one small round window against the wall. There's no dresser or cabinets just a small trunk filled with extra sheets. The only wall decorations is a small iron hook against the the door which is used for hanging clothes. She leans against the left wall and crosses her arms before looking at Shiro.

"What's an elf doing with a human? Thought you all hated one another." She asks while checking her shoulder plate where she carried Ganta.

"He's my friend, we came here looking for rest and work to continue traveling. Oh sorry, my name is Shiro Oakheart by the way." She places a hand on Ganta head bandage, slowly caressing his hair.

"This is Ganta Lyseer." The armored woman raises an eyebrow at her actions but says nothing about it.

"The name Tetra Brazier, mercenary by trade." She puts a fist against her heart.

"You find any work before your little scrabble?" Shiro nods.

"We were on our way to hunt for some goblins ears for the barkeep." Tetra eyes light up.

"Goblins you say? I'm hunting for some myself." Tetra tells her.

"I'm doing a contract right now to recover a stolen amulet for a wealthy noble. Goblins are particularly known for hoarding anything shiny so it's a good bet they'll have what I need. How about we work together for now." She tells Shiro who's still running her fingers through Ganta sleeping head. She doesn't respond, her full attention still towards her injured friend.

"He'll be hungry when he wakes up and staying here won't help. You'll need to provide for him." Tetra tells her, catching her attention.

"I don't want to leave him, but you're right. Okay, I'll tell you what I know." Shiro tells her as she stands over the boy and grips her cloak.

"The barkeep told us they're by the woods in the south-east. I'm ready to leave immediately, I want to be here when he wakes." She was now standing next to the window, looking towards the sun. The two of them collect their gear and head out the inn ignoring the elf as he question the blood on Shiro's tunic. Once outside they see the elf who had previously grabbed Shiro, he was laying by the village well clutching what remained of his right arm.

"You! You freak! What did you do to me? You look like an elf but you converse with humans and melt flesh with your touch! Just what are you!" He screamed at her as he stood up and started limping towards her. Tetra unsheathed the giant blade from her back and held it up towards him with one hand.

"Don't even think about touching her unless you want to lose that other hand." Tetra threatened him but he just sneers and spits on her greaves.

"I've heard of you, a merc with a magical voice they say. You're no better with your banshee screams! You hurt my friends in there and I won't allow you to leave for that. I'll gut you like your-" The elf's speech is cut short by the hilt of her blade striking his face, shattering his nose. The man lays motionless on the ground as Tetra stares at him with her eyes burning like the sun.

"Come on elf, to the forest." Tetra says, walking around the unconscious man. Shiro wants to tell her that's not her name but after what she just witness, she decides against it. They make their way across the rest of town without anymore disturbances or problems. Once outside of town Shiro pulls her makeshift bandage off to look at her hand. Her right palm wound is still fresh but the bleeding has now stop. She feels the surrounding area but doesn't see any sort of damage that the other elf had suffered for coming in contact with her blood. Tetra noticed her staring as they were walking and reached in her bag before removing a bandage and handing it to her.

"Thanks." Shiro said, bandaging her wound. Tetra took this chance to try and converse with the girl.

"So what's the story with you two? I know you said you were friends but humans and elves aren't really kind to one another now a days, and you two seem...close." She questions Shiro.

"Well it's a long story but I'll try my best." She tells her before elaborating their situation. They talk for another hour before they see the forest in the the distance.

"Two runaways huh? Well I'm rooting for you two, especially him, the tension is so thick I couldn't even cut it with my blade." Tetra tells her but she's not sure if it was a complement or not.

"Tension?" She asks but is drowned out by nearby chanting. Tetra dives in the nearby tall grass and Shiro rolls close behind.

"I count seven. Three by the fire, two lookouts by the trees, and two sleeping." Tetra says, much to Shiro surprise as she doesn't even know what she's talking about until she squints her eyes. Seven short green goblins just like she described were scattered around a small primal camp.

"We can pick off the two lookouts first then ambush the two sleeping before attacking the three by the fire." Tetra coordinates to Shiro who reaches for her rusty dagger that she found in the chest back in Alveros. Tetra eyes the blade and shakes her head before reaching for her bag.

"Just use of one of mine for now."

"Thanks, that'll work much better than this." They silently approach the lookouts and draw their blades. They observe them for a few minutes before seeing a prime time to strike. Tetra takes her Bastard sword with both hands and elevates it over her head before throwing it towards one of the goblins, slicing it in half, killing it instantly. Shiro follows suit and leaps from the grass onto the other goblin, pinning it down and coming face to face with it. It was hideous, with disfigured ears that oozed yellow pus and a nose that reeked of something terribly rotten. It was covered in pieces of tattered clothes of different colors and assorted iron jewelry with multiple piercing all throughout the body. It was squirming and screeching trying its best to reach for its bone shiv but she had a tight hold over it. Her mother had taught her how to defend herself but she had never taken a life so was hesitant to strike the goblin. In her delay the ones by the fire were now alerted from their comrades cries for help and started to shoot arrows at her. One struck through her pauldron, cutting flesh and causing her to fall on her back.

During that time Tetra had recovered her sword and ran towards the goblin still on the ground. She swung her weapon and decapitated it before dragging Shiro towards a nearby boulder.

"Why did you hesitate? I thought you said you knew how to fight!" She yells at her, her free hand slammed next to shiro's head.

"I do, it's just I never killed anything before!"

"You have to focus! You can't afford to hesitate out here, you hear me. What about your friend? You can't help him if you die out here!" Shiro was hit with a giant wave of guilt with those words. She was right, Ganta was counting on her. They had no money, no supplies, no one but each other.

"Hey! Are you listening?" Shiro had closed her eyes earlier and was trying to find the meaning of her words. After thinking for few moments she opened her eyes and looked at Tetra.

"I have it. I'm ready."

Shiro leaps over the boulder and begins to dodge arrow after arrow, quickly closing the distance between the three goblins with bows. In a matter of seconds, she was only a few feet away before stabbing one of the goblins in the neck, causing it to bleed out on the ground. She roundhouse kicks another towards the open campfire and slices the other one several time until it falls over. The last two goblins were now awake and armed, heading towards her with killer intent. She took the dagger and entered a defensive stance, lowering her figure and flipping the blade downward. Just as they reached her a loud sound wave came crashing into them and knocked them down. Capitalizing on the moment, she leaped on one of them landing dagger first into its chest before stabbing the other one through the eye and into the brain.

The battle was over, all the goblins were either dead or dying on the dirt. Tetra walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That was some agility there elf. You were moving so fast all I saw was a blur. I guess you found something to focus about. What was it?" Shiro had her back towards her as she cleaned the blood off the dagger when she turned around and smiled at her.

"It's a secret."