Runaway Maiden

The rain continued throughout the night. Artemis and the dwarf he had met spent the rest of the evening together. 

The dwarf was by no means an ill-willed person. In fact, he was a kind dwarf who knew a lot about the smithing of weapons and tending of the land he ruled over.

He was also a good farmer, or so he claimed. Artemis made it clear he was not adapted to a life in the fields of crops and so his first job was to cut down some trees to make a clearing. 

It was simple enough for Artemis to accept. He was to start by the break of dawn. If the rain was still not over by then, Artemis would start at any hour after the rain had stopped.

The dwarf went to sleep after eating his share of the soup he had made and snoozed in his bedroom. Artemis was left alone in the living room, ever gazing through the windows into the trees that surrounded the hut. 

The hut was a few meters from the lake. Quite close, if the lake was to ever overflow, the hut would be swallowed by the water. 

The hut was sturdy. Withstanding the ever increasing intensity of the downpour all the while as lightning struck the lake at random intervals.

Artemis didn't need to sleep. He walked around the hut and even ventured out to take a closer look of his surroundings. 

His night vision was working which was more than welcome. His thermal vision also worked along with the night vision, giving him a good look of almost everything around him even in the night.

He saw the fishes that swam at the lowest reaches of the lake. Gathering into several colonies while the big fish, the predators who feasted on the smaller fish, wandered by themselves. 

When he turned to look at the vast forest surrounding the lake. There was nothing but foliage. No animal was present. Maybe because it was the rain? Artemis thought. 

Wart said to him this is the Forest of Death, he heard about it, a place where regular travellers didn't step in this place because of large amount of monsters and predators roaming around, there are also a few Fortress cities in the end of the forest, one at north, east, west, and the south, only Adventurers or Hunters travel in this forest for hunting monsters and glory or other stuff what these humans do.

Talking about monsters and predators, why they ain't roaming in the lake, and he didn't feel a slight trace of their presence on the forest, was it magic? Or did he kill the remaining ones. He would never know.

Artemis sighed. 

He returned to the wooden hut soaked with rain water. He sat again on the chair he was given and tried to force himself to sleep. He could have dreams but those weren't forced so be thought maybe he could trick his body into doing the same exact same thing.

This way, technically, he was skipping time. He was dead bored at this point.

Although he closed his eyes and did not move for an hour. His body refused to enter the state of temporary paralysis. 

He opened his eyes and looked at his right hand. A machine covering with an artificial organic tissue. Streams of red lit up the crevices of his body, his eyes glowed a red hue that could even be visible even in the rain.

"Help!" A muffled voice shouted in the distance. It was the voice of a woman in distress but Artemis had trouble triangulating where exactly the voice was coming from.

"Help!!" She cried out over and over. Wart came running from his bedroom with an axe in his right hand. 

Where the heck is your sword, Artemis thought.

"Come! We must see where the voice is and save whoever is in danger!" Wart announced as he ran into the rain.

"Don't go on charging so suddenly!" Artemis said but his words did not reach his newfound master who was already deep into the forest. 

Artemis took out both his Energy Swords which he held on both his hands and dashed into the night. He followed the vague tracks of Wart who cut down trees and grass and strength Artemis did not imagine a dwarf would have. 

"Help!" The voice was closer. Artemis was surprised. Wart actually found her before he could even know where the voice was coming from.

Suddenly, the women's plea for help was accompanied by more voices. This time, the voices were from multiple men. 

"Get her!" One of them shouted. 

Artemis then realized that the Woman was being chased by a group and he doubted that Wart could be a match for them. He tried running faster but his body was still not able to keep up with his thought process and so, was limited. 

By the time he was even remotely close to where Wart was, the sounds of battle had already erupted. 

Wart had finally caught up to the woman. She was a blonde, dressed in a tattered maid's uniform, and badly bruised. She tripped on the roots of a tree and fell on the ground. He pursuers quickly surrounded her, they were men clad in armor. All were drenched and all were out of breathe. 

The woman cried by her tears were swept by the rain that blurred her vision further. Just as the man leading the knights was about to strike his sword into the woman's chest, Wart appeared from the side and blocked the strike.

"Fool! You dare go against Imperial Law?!" The man shouted as his men around him pointed their swords.

Wart looked back at the woman who lied on the ground behind him. Muddied, bruised, bleeding, yet, she was still alive. 

"I know your Lord to the core, I know she's innocent of whatever wretched law this God-forsaken Empire has! Begone from my land or I will not hesitate to kill you all!" Wart angrily said as he held his axe with his two hands.

"Pah! You traitor, thinking you can go against Lord Rism? Off with your head!" The man shouted. His men all charged at Wart.

Wart held his axe firmly and swung around in a tornado-like fashion. Two of the knights that got too close were slashed in half by his axe. This frightened the remaining knights that numbered 12 in total.

"Tsk! That woman you're defending was caught in a pervasive act while doing her job as a maid! Lord Rism has ordered for her immediate execution!" The man announced.

"I, don't, give, a damn!" Wart said. Staring down his opponent.

"Tsk, then you leave me no choice," The man said.

He raised his hands and said a chant.

A white circle appeared over his palm that he pointed at Wart.

"I will blast the both of you and end this right here," He announced with a smirk. 

"Di-" The man suddenly halted his casting and began to frantically look around.

The other knights did the same.

Wart was confused, he too began to look around. As if they were sensing something he couldn't. 

"Be on your guard!" The man announced. 

"I see it!" One of the knights shouted. The other knights looked at his direction but saw not what he told them he saw.

"What did you see!?" The man barked in frustration.

"The eyes!" The knight replied.

"Shit! Is it a hobgoblin? Tell me! What color were they!?" The man barked once more.

"AGHHH!!!" Another knight screamed.

"They're red!" Were the knight's last words as two powerful, glowing blades penetrated his chest, completely ignoring his armor. 

The rest of the knights watched in horror as the blades spread and the body fell in two pieces. Standing behind him were a pair of red eyes that glowed even under the heavy rain. His silhouette showing his body. 

"W-Who are you!?" The man asked with his sword pointed at the mysterious figure.

The eyes simply squinted and the figure replied.

"I am Wart's servant,"