Village Trouble

Katarina and Zahn agreed to help Nier, whose attendant - Layla - was not very keen on getting involved in any kind of problems in the Kingdom of Anneternia. However, seeing how her lady convinced two locals, who were a sorceress and a strong fighter, she lost all arguments for stopping this dangerous excursion.

Fortunately, as the dusk was slowly approaching, Layla managed to delay their plan to visit bandits' hideout for the next day. Since it came to this, and none of them thought of staying in the village until now, they had to find some lodgings. Usually, the tavern was the best place for that, but it turned out there were only three rooms here and all were taken at the moment.

- We could always make use of carriages and stables - suggested Nier - Ours is quite comfy.

- That is out of option - Layla immediately shot down the idea - The carriage is made of wood, while stables are located just by the gate and full of hay. If those bandits were to attack, that's a first place to target.

- Setting fire is common tactic for raids - said Zahn - We should move carriages to other spot, possibly to where we will be sleeping.

Kat found a place to stay at village chief's house. Annex was the place used by his son, currently living in the capital, thus staying vacant at the moment.

- This place looks much better than inns we stayed at until now - commented Nier, while looking around - Don't you think, Layla?

Layla nodded, and started walking from one window to another. The building was built out of stone and wood, and windows were made of crystal mined in the region - it allowed to see quite okay from the inside, but outside view was blurred.

- What is she doing? - asked Katarina, observing miss Naekt's companion.

- Don't let it bother you, Kat - Nier did not seem surprised - She takes her role really seriously, acting as my bodyguard, though it's not something I expect from my attendant. You know, I'm a mage after all.

- Speaking of which, what you used before was a strengthening magic, right?

The face Nier Naekt made after hearing that question was hard to read - for a moment, Katarina even felt a weird, cold tingling down her spine.

- Something of the sort - the way Nier said that seemed mysterious - It's like a trade secret so I don't want to tell too much.

- Oh, so this is a family spell, an original sorcery?

- Well, you could say that.

Kat did not pry any more in this topic since she learned quite a bit about mages' society. Specialized sorcery, handed over generations was something every family kept secret. Sophors also had something like that, though it was not limited to a single spell, but Katarina did not reach the point where she would be able to use her family's trademark magic yet. If she could, it would have been possible for her to deal with whole groups of opponents at the same time.

Since it was late, Kat went with Krista to their room. Zahn stayed in common room with Skipper, since they were both males, and the annex had only two separate bedrooms. However, they could not just go ahead and sleep as two Kounbeans still did not go to their bedroom.

- So, are you and Kat the thing? - Nier asked him out of the blue - With these two foxmen kids you look like young parents.

Zahn laughed.

- Katarina is attractive, but we have only met recently - he explained - We travel together because of having the same destination, and traveling in group is simply safer.

- I see. I feel like you would make a good pair - miss Naekt seemed to enjoy this conversation - If what I read about the Sophors, she should be a great help for any knight. But, to be honest, you seem to be skilled enough to manage on your own in a tight spot. Where did you learn to move like that? I didn't see anything like that in my life.

- My master was a skilled swordsman. I've been trained since a young age.

- I'd like to meet this master of yours.

- I regret to say that, but it won't be possible, not in this world.

- Oh, sorry about that, I didn't know your master already...

Zahn actually did not know what happened to Calidor after being brought to Anneternia. What he meant was literally that he is not in this world, but - obviously - it was not something he could tell anyone at this point.

- I don't mind. I have really good memories of him. I'm grateful to my father for arranging such a great teacher.

- Are you also a royalty? Swordmasters, especially with such skill, are expensive.

- It's not like that. My master owed a favour to my father, that's why he took me in as a trainee.

- Right, and where did you live until meeting Kat? She's mentioned you are both from highlands. I'd like to visit different places around the world, and learn about them since our country is kind of the same all around, it lacks variety. What's the place where you lived? How was it?

Nier was really inquisitive and this converstation started to feel a bit like an interrogation.

- I lived in Gargantuan Mountains and liked the place, though I heard people think it's quite dangerous.

- Sure they do! - Layla joined in the talk. It seemed she finally checked all the windows - I heard draeges live there.

Mentioning draeges, she was just like Skipper before, anticipating some amazing story, but Zahn had nothing of the sort to tell, obviously. However, to keep his current profile, he told them what he learned from Kat, and it turned out that was enough - the knowledge of Anneternia both Kounbean women had was rather limited.

- So it's the same story as with sand wyrms on B'nthara Desert - Nier concluded - Everyone knows about them, but seeing one is a completely different thing. Nomads call them nightmares, and no wonder, considering sand wyrms devoured whole caravans in the past. I heard Anneternian daeges were even worse since some can fly. It's good thing they are not coming out nowadays, and people are safe, though I still would like to see one in the flesh.

"This Kounbean mage surely likes to get herself in trouble", Zahn thought to himself, remembering his own world, where creatures like draeges or sand wyrms would have been mentioned only in fairly tales. And here, despite knowing the danger, some people wanted to meet something so dangerous out of pure curiosity.

- Miss Nier, we have to be rested for tomorrow - Layla informed miss Naekt - The young attendant already fell asleep.

Skippy must have been really tired, as he really wanted to here about draeges and sand wyrms, but drifted away only a moment after Nier brought up the topic.

- Have a nice sleep, Zack - she said, going to her bedroom.

Layla bowed slightly and also left. Zahn covered Skipper with a blanket, turned off the lamp and went to sleep himself. However, the rest he had was much shorter than he expected.

Sound of the alarm bell echoed, and Zahn immediately raised his head. Normally, he would have reached to turn the lamp on, but there was a light source outside, bright enough to illuminate the interior of the annex they stayed in.

Hearing the steps coming from outside, he quickly picked his sword and shield, ready to fight. The person who went in was none other than village's chief.

- It's a raid! - he shouted - C'mon, youngsters, need to get away from here.

- No, we will fight - the one to reply was Nier, who just appeared - Chief, you take the kids to safety and we will make sure to put this to stop.

- I can't let you. We've already lost several good men because of those ruffians. Come to shelter with me.

Zahn put a hand on chief's shoulder.

- Please, leave it to us. If we just run, they might find the shelter, and that's the worst thing to happen.

Katarina was the last one to leave the annex. As a precaution, she set a barrier spell, in case they would have to retreat.

- That was a good idea, Kat - Nier praised her - Can you use barriers on people too?

Kat shook her head.

- Sadly, no. I've only made stationary barriers, and putting one is already a pretty big strain.

- Should you care about that at such moment?

- Kat went through magic exhaustion not long ago - Zahn interrupted their discussion.

Hearing what Zahn said, made Nier stop complaining. Apparently, going through magic exhaustion was a pretty big deal anywhere people knew about magic.

- Watch your suroundings! - Zahn was ordering others around - Don't stay in the open!

After seeing a movement in the distance, using hand gestures, he showed the women to hide behind to buildings. Bandits were setting houses on fire one after another, but with no rush - it looked like their intention was to scare the people and not to kill them. Obviously, those ruffians wanted to leech on the villagers, though destroying houses would still mean a big hit to the people.

- I'm so gonna break their necks! - said Nier angrily.

- Miss, please, calm down!

Layla stood next to Zahn. The woman was wearing completely different set of clothing right now, with metal plating serving as an armor, and wielding two short swords. No one would say she was a fighter type based on her behavior so far.

Two bandits moved close to the spot the group was hiding at. Zahn and Layla acted quickly and incapacitated both opponents.

Layla tied them down before they were put into the crate. Since they made their move, it was only matter of time when bandits would notice some of companions suddenly disappeared.

Though fire was illuminating the area, no one from Kat's group could tell how many enemies they were up against. On the other hand, going out of hiding without being careful would mean causing an alarm among the ruffians.

In this situation, Nier's and Layla's skills came in handy, though it required a bit of diversion. Katarina and Zahn agreed to be a bait, while Kounbeans approach the enemies undiscovered.

Having the sturdiest armor and a shield, Zahn started walking directly towards the spot with the most bandits gathered. The three of them were completely focused on stripping some poor girl naked, for the obvious reason, while others were observing, laughing loudly, not paying much attention to their surroundings - Zahn started wondering if they actually needed to plan diversion in such circumstances.

By the time he was noticed, five enemies were already down, making it four against seven.

Nier and Layla, despite their different behaviors, fought in a really similar way - when it came to movement at least. Nier relied on her magical attributes, while Layla was an agility-based fighter. Kat, on the other hand, kept all opponents at distance, giving others more space.

For Katarina, it was actually the first time she could show her abilities. Before, she was either scared or exhausted, but now she had much higher magic capacity and people to rely on. When Kat gave a signal, other three jumped back, allowing her to imprison bandits inside a flame cage.

- It looks like using fire turned against them - Nier smiled, looking at ruffians' futile attempts to break through.

- But I doubt it's all of them - Zahn kept looking around, and suddenly - Take cover!

Arrows cut the air, and Zahn shielded Kat at the very last moment.

- The cage won't hold up if I'm not around - she immediately informed her companion.

- Then we need to take or the rest soon. Layla, stay with Kat. I'll go with Nier.

Layla was not very happy, but she nodded, and Nier followed Zahn, who kept defending against arrows with his shield.

- It's like mosquitos for you, huh? - miss Naekt commented, running behind him.

- It's harder than it looks!

They both got close enough to spot the archers. However, archers were not alone, and a dozen of swordsmen attacked them at once.

- Damn, they waited for that! - shouted Nier - Any ideas!?

Zahn quickly looked around, and pointed to a yard between two houses.

- There, it's narrow. We'll have a better chance there!

While facing the enemy, he signaled Kat and Layla to watch their backs.

- Now, it's chance for you to show off, Nier - Zahn smiled to Kounbean mage.

- You can bet on that, Zack!

Miss Naekt said this, as she bit her lip, and jumped forward. Zahn did not have time to see what exactly happened to her, focusing on enemies in front of him.

Kat and Layla kept previously caught bandits in check, while providing whatever support they could in this situation, though it was mainly limited to some light spells and throwing knives. Still, even if this only confused the opponents, Zahn was no longer the only one to pay attention to projectiles swishing through the air.

It was this kind of event for which he decided to obtain a shield. Though Calidor trained him mainly in sword fights, master was quite a forseeing man, showing Zahn how to handle the most common combat tools, including shields.

Shield type he used the most was buckler, since this type was light and handy, and Calidor's personal favorite. However, Zahn preferred pavise and the one he obtained on Metal Market at Valator was something in-between buckler and pavise - light as buckler, sturdy and shaped like pavise. In narrow space, he could limit enemies' movement just by pushing forward.

Cover, push, attack, step backwards, and repeat - that is how Zahn was dealing with subsequent attacks, while Nier kept running around, and beating up whoever did not pay enough attention to their surroundings. This Kounbean mage definitely knew how to strengthen the body - the speed she had right now could not be matched by any of ruffians they fought. In a matter of minutes, bandits started to fall into chaos.

Seeing the opportunity, Zahn charged at full force. Focusing mainly on defense so far, he nearly forgot how much stronger his body became after coming to Anneternia. With disordered enemy ranks, having Nier by his side, and Kat supporting with Layla, they have quickly beaten the remaining bandits.

- Why do you run!? Cowards! - Nier screamed, trying to follow them, but Layla stopped her.

- Miss, please don't! We've got our hands full here!

Some of bandits indeed ran, which did not change the fact even more were caught, incapacitated or simply unconscious. Additionally, Katarina could call off the barrier she pre-prepared just in case, having more energy at her disposal.

- Looks like it's over - she said, breathing a sigh of relief - Though we still need to lock them somewhere.

- Oh, it's definitely over, but for you!

The voice belonged to village chief, who came out, holding Krista and Skipper hostage. Zahn swore under his nose, but it was nothing in comparison to Nier's reaction with a face full of rage and blood dripping of her mouth:

- I'm going to fucking kill him!

Even Layla did not speak a word despite this unsightly behavior of her lady. However, Kat's eye caught something else.

- Drop your weapons! Now!

Zahn was ready to do what the chief wanted, but Katarina showed him otherwise.

- What, you don't care about the kids!?

Village chief looked desperate, holding a long knife. Zahn kept looking at Kat, confused, when she suddenly snapped her fingers, making sparks, and then, at the very same time, a loud clank could be heard, following the chief falling down on his face.

As it turned out, their coachman followed the man whose behavior seemed fishy, and acted seeing what was happening. Not exactly the finale they would have expected.

- I can't believe the chief worked with bandits - said the coachman as he put away the shovel - He always seemed to be a caring person.

- Well, this saying "you shouldn't judge the book by its cover" suits this situation perfectly - Katarina pointed out - I wouldn't have thought person responsible for the whole village could be capable of something like this.

- I wonder if you would have said the same being in my shoes - the village chief was no longer completely out apparently - If your family had trouble, I'm sure you would do everything for them.

Nier was about to fume.

- Oh, so having family trouble means you can help others rob and kill people!? Guys - she turned to others - how about we just tell the villagers? They could just hang him somewhere!

The whole idea of killing was not something Kat could agree with. Despite her own anger towards the man who put his hand towards hurting so many people, as a future student of the Mage Academy and in order to return Sophors family to former glory, she had to abide the country's law.

- While I understand how you feel, Nier, doing something like that would make us worse than him - she said - And the people from this village to have their former chief on conscience, tha would've been way too much for them to bear. We have authoritiesto deal with criminals.

- You are right - miss Naekt unexpectedly agreed - No point in dirtying hands with the blood of such scumbag. He didn't even have guts to fight, contrary to the rest of those ruffians.

Village chief chuckled.

- You believe in authorities and you will end up same as I did. This country, no, this world. Mark my words: the time will come when you understand, but it's likely to be too late.

- Enough of this nonsense - to much surprise, Layla punched him in the gut - Losers have no right to complain.

- We will take care of the rest - Nier declared to Kat and Zahn, as she started tying up the bandits - It's our mess to begin with, and we are going to clean it. I'll make sure to pay you back in the capital.

- Thinking back, it might have been for the best - said Zahn - If it weren't for you, who knows how much longer would this continue? You sure you don't need our help?

- Don't bother, just go and rest. You both did more than enough already. Besides, it must've been hard on your attendants. I get you may not want to use the chief's house anymore so feel free to sleep in our carriage.

Indeed, Skipper and Krista looked both tired and scared - leaving them by themselves did not seem like a good idea, given what they just went through.

Surprisingly, Nier came to them, shaking their hands and thanking for the help. As she did that, more villagers came, hearing about the situation, and finding out the vilage chief was the actual culprit. It looked like many people would spend the night putting out the fires, repairing damages and taking care of caught ruffians.

- It's hard to believe - Kat left with Zahn and the foxmen kids, looking at all the destruction - If it was chief of my village, I'd have been devastated.

Unexpectedly, he put a hand on her head. At first, she was about to move away immediately, but it actually felt comforting, thus she just thanked him for being there for her.

- Wherever you go, it's always the same story - said Zahn - People hurt each other for a simple gain. No matter what happened to this man, what he did was no solution. What's important is that he got caught, and lives of the villagers may get better from now on.

Kat sighed.

- I hope you're right.

- You beat the bad guys, you should be happy! - Skippy, who was quiet until now, finally spoke - Miss Kat, I'm sure everything's going to be fine, so don't worry, please.

Katarina smiled and hugged Skipper and Krista.

- What's the most important is that you are both fine.

They took those little kids with them to keep them safe, and give them a better chance at life. She would have never forgive herself if she let anything happen to the,

- By the way - Zahn continued the conversation - Seeing another such event, I wonder if you attract incidents, Kat. Is this some kind of special ability you have?

Katarina pouted, and kicked Zahn's shin.

- It's not the time to make stupid jokes.

- Sorry, the atmosphere got really thick, so I wanted you to loosen up a bit. Don't get mad!

- More like, I feel really sad. It's the first time I could finally leave home and travel. Something that I really always wanted to try, and suddenly it becomes apparent not everywhere is as quiet and peaceful as my backyard. I knew that, but it's still much bigger shock than I could imagine.

Carriage belonging to Kounbeans stood near their own, and was visibly distinguishing when compared to the once used throughout Anneternia.

The first important thing anyone would immediately noticed was the shape - carriages made in Anneternia had coachman's seat outside passenger's area, while Kounbean one was fully cased, allowing anyone to drive from inside, making it safer for everyone in case robbery attempts. Moreover, Nier's carriage was much bigger, and could easily serve for sleeping whenever needed.

- I guess it's because of nomadic roots in Kounbe - Katarina concluded after checking out the interior.

Aside from the shape, materials used for the carriages differed - while majority of elements Anneternian carriage was built with was made of wood, Kounbeans applied more metal, thus their construction looked sturdier.

Last thing to list for differences was suspension - wheels were typically used in Anneternia, but cariage from Kounbe also had two platforms used for pulling it on sand when needed.

Basically, Nier's carriage was an all-rounder adjusted for long distances and different terrain, while the one Kat drove with her company was prepared to simply travel within Anneternia.

- You could probably drive this into the battlefield - Zahn was really impressed as seeing such vehicle was the first such experience for him - It looks sturdy and heavily armored, but seems its much lighter since they need only one more horse than in case of ours.

However, for the remainder of the night, interior proved much more important. Couches inside the carriage could be adjusted, creating a lot of space to sleep on. The mechanism was actually pretty intuitive, and Zahn had no trouble in preparing the bedding, though Skippy - really excited with this invention - made it a bit harder task.

Finally, after a night full of tension, they could have a relaxing sleep.

But the morning came way too fast, and the whole group wake up after hearing a loud knocking. The person, who woke them up was none other than Layla, and the reason for her coming so early proved to be quite unexpected.

- Sorry to wake you up so abruptly, but we've got a bit of commotion and it doesn't look miss Nier will manage on her own.

Wondering what it could be, Katarina and Zahn went with Layla, leaving Skipper and Krista in the carriage to have more rest.

- What's this about? - asked Kat as they started following Layla.

- Villagers woke up, and they're not exactly on the same page about dealing with the chief. And us being from different country doesn't help.

As they reached the spot where villagers gathered, there was already quite a commotion.

- Just hang the bastard!

- Chief must be innocent! Those foreigners want to cause a stir, I tell you!

Villagers kept shouting for a longer while, even after Kat and Zahn stood between them.

Hating the quarrel, Katarina finally shoot some sparkles in the air, shifting the focus of the crowd.

- Ok, I see you have a trouble understanding - she started speaking - If I were you, I would've been the same. I get it's hard to believe, but I can testify that chief took our attendants hostage after seeing bandits losing.

- So, we are to believe you because...? You may be a mage, but you are still an outsider!

- I can also testify - Zahn backed up Kat - But I get you won't believe us or Kounbeans, so let's just keep the chief locked and wait for authorities to care of it.

Some villagers still wanted to go at it, but apparently the sight of Zahn's sword made them reconsider. Moments later, chief was imprisoned with two village men standing guard.

- I should've seen this coming - Nier sighed after the crowd left - It's not Kounbe after all.

- I don't think it would've been any different in your country - said Katarina - And you can't blame those people. It's a small community, and everyone here probably knows each other for a long time now. For them, it's like learning their father or brother betrayed them.

Miss Naekt nodded.

- I hope it ends a problem with bandits for some time at least. I'd like to say it's done for good, but I'm not that naive - Nier looked at the building, where chief was locked - Now, to close this case, we need them judged. I don't want to rely solely on people from the village on this matter, thus I have yet another request.

Kat expected what would that be, but waited for Nier to say it:

- We are all heading for capital, but those people can't be left with the problem alone. I won't ask you to stay, but please, when you reach the closest outpost on the way, let them know what happened here. We will stay here to make sure everything's ends well.

- I don't see a reason to decline - Katarina knew they had to pass through three cities on the way, so using a moment to pay guards a visit was not much - Though, are you sure you can manage it here?

- Sure. I think that your help was enough to make them understand. And since it's my fault things went this way, it's only natural for me to see it through.

Following this short conversation, they all went to eat a breakfast. The atmosphere among the villagers was thick. Still, everyone had to work to makes the ends meet, and the tavern opened as usual.

Talk they had by the breakfast was focused on moving to city of Anneternia. Mage Academy had its own lodgings available to students, however, there was quite a number of students, especially coming from powerfult families, who would rent places outside of Academy premises, as to not being obliged to its rules at all times.

Obviously, Nier Naekt came from well-off family, and given she was a foreigner coming from a country which did not have good relations with Anneternia for years, her lodgings were prepared out of premises.

On the other hand, Katarina - whose family went into disgrace - could not afford that much, while the whole situation got even more complicated after she summoned Zahn and agreed to take in foxmen kids. Knowing that, she hoped to find an employment in order to afford living in the city until she graduates.

Despite the differences, both Kat and Nier seemed to get along, and both groups parted ways in good relations.

- See you at the Academy!