Refuge

[Soldier's pov]

"You're safe now–" I hushed, letting a girl with long white hair rest on the floor, my sword drenched in fresh velvet that dripped to the floor. Her breathing was slow and calm, her beaten state a sore sight for my eyes.

"Honestly- coming out all the way out here, even if you're a mage that's really stupid–" I groaned, rubbing my temples in annoyance. 

"You're interrupting–-" I heard the monster call out to me, her hand cut clean off, the missing limb by her feet, staining the ground of this beautiful village. I got up from the ground, my blue eyes staring right at my new opponent. I turned my blade, showing the reflection of my new target. 

"You're battle is with me now," I declared, dashing forth without a moment's hesitation, the creature stepped back, trying to make distance between us but it was futile, with one clean swipe her other hand flew into the air, causing her to stagger backward.

"You're not getting away that easily," I murmured, trying to get up close again, only to see her arms regenerated in an instant and reach out to grab me, I bent my knees, sinking below her grasp before I raised my blade, cutting through her forearm like it was nothing but butter.

She looked up in shock and awe at what was happening, watching as her hand continued to fly, and before she knew it, blood trickled from her lips, my blade through her heart.

"I-" She managed to squeeze out, before smiling, her arms regenerating once more, I tried to pull at my sword, hoping to get it out of the wound I had dug but it wasn't budging. 

"Tch-" I hissed, hopping backward and watching as the sword was pulled out and tossed aside.

 Her smile widened, bright yellow eyes gleaming with malevolence. She lunged forward, her regenerated limbs moving with blinding speed. I barely had time to react, stepping back and pivoting to the side to avoid her gruesome blows. The impact of her fists would just miss me, as I would feel the air rush past my ear in a deafening howl.

"You're quite fun! Keep it up, keep it up!" She spoke like a child as I danced this dance with her, one hit away from ending this fight entirely, as I had no idea what her weakness even was…

I narrowed my eyes in fatigue as adrenaline coursed through me, finally getting a fair distance as she took a break from her assault.

I panted softly, my gaze not leaving her's even for a moment, for as simple-minded as this beast seems, I know that one slip-up may cost me my life.

We circled each other, the tension thick in the air. She lashed out again, and I leaned my body as far as I could to the side, rolling before quickly recovering and dashing for my sword. The creature turned to me, grinning once she realized what I was doing, seeing me pick up the sword and get ready to fight once more.

No more words were shared between us as we both dashed at each other with all our strength, my weapon clashed with her fist, her skin running off her flesh as my blade made quick work of it, cleaving and cutting her arm as if I was cutting harsh waves.

I saw her teeth grit as we fought, she was starting to struggle. Her arm regenerated once more, striking me with all of her force, and pushing me back, I gritted my teeth as I endured the blow, looking back up to see that she was gone.

I go to chase after her in hopes of finishing her off, only swayed by the sound of that girl murmuring in her sleep.

"Right-" I sighed, putting my weapon away.

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[Fran's pov]

"So that's what happened to him huh-" I pondered, looking at Mihalis before me, some of the guards found him in the forest and dragged him back to the palace where most of the citizens sought refuge from the chaos outside. After the raid had been taken care of, he was beaten to the point of near death. "This makes no sense–"

"I thought she came here for him, is there something you're not telling us, Fran…" I heard a voice muttered my voice as they entered, a guard with red hair and blue eyes staring at me with a look of suspicion and hatred.

"I'm just as confused as you are, Landon, don't try to pin the blame here on me, alright?" I said with a teasing smile, sticking my tongue out in a playful manner. However, my playful demeanor quickly fell as I noticed a girl he was carrying, a girl that looked familiar.

"Is that… Ayla?" I muttered, walking over to her, Landon looking at me in a surprised manner.

"You know this girl?" He pondered, slowly resting her down. 

"Somewhat.." I muttered, looking down as she was slowly lowered, she was wounded pretty badly, I could tell that she must have faced one of … her generals-

"So… what do we tell the king," Landon wondered, looking up at me.

I thought for a minute, the whole situation seemed weird in itself– not only did the monsters seem less than last time– but they didn't capture the guy they said they were interested in, and considering the circumstances, he got off scot-free… so why?

"I see, so even you don't know…" I heard Landon sigh, knocking me out of my thoughts before looking down at Ayla once more, "This might turn into another war…"

"Yeah, possibly." I nodded, seeing Landon giving me a sideward glance.

"You know, for a black market dealer you're quite hands-on, not to mention brave for coming here, in a room full of guards considering your title, and past feats…" His hand rests on the hilt of his blade and his gaze stares me down. 

"Are you saying you can take me on?" I muttered, eyeing his hand and watching his actions.

The room was silent, the tension between us high before he let off a soft sigh, his hands moving from his blade. "Forget it…I know I can't–"

"That's what I thought–" I muttered, letting off a victorious smile before looking back down at Ayla. "As for your question earlier- " 

"I'll talk to him, see what he thinks. If this turns into another war between us…then—" I paused, my mind racing with the implications.

"Then?" Landon prompted, his eyes narrowing with curiosity and concern. 

"Then," I continued, choosing my words carefully, "you could be in another fight with the dynasty as well. This isn't just about your village anymore. If the monsters aren't after Mihalis or this prophecy, it only means they're after the princess,"

I kept on thinking and thinking, a thought just kept clawing away at me, for some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that we were on the brink of something monumental. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but the picture they formed was one of imminent danger and uncertain alliances. We had to be ready for whatever came next.