Chapter 10: Stormy Night

Lux paused and dared to look up and meet Miss Crystal's gaze. He wasn't sure why, but he felt intimidated and his instincts want to submit to her. Considering her request, that was fine with him and for the other two, since there is nothing for them to hide. Lux readily agreed and escorted the miss towards the Northern side of the town, leaving the ghost town behind with the ox-drawn carriage they had. While walking, they started to give her information that she wanted to know.

"I will start with our identities: I am Lux, a commoner knight from the Human Kingdom of North; Fae is a sorcerer from the Human Kingdom of East, and Oz is a Tank from the Human Kingdom of the West. We were assigned to this mission to find and free the humans who were abducted by the Dark Witch we encountered earlier. We have been scouting the town for a few months and chance upon you Miss Crystal. You are one of the people that went missing and abducted by the Dark Witch. It took us a lot of time while being cautious because we cannot identify the witch in the crowd, only when you are around, did we find out that the mirage of the Witch slowly fades, that is why we were watching and approaching you." Lux said while walking beside Crystal.

"Originally, merchants and adventurers were supposed to be the ones to do this mission, however, when people started disappearing and getting hexed, The Three Human Kingdoms decided that this is a serious situation so they dispatched the knights for it." Fae continued while walking on Crystal's other side, she looked back at him and listened carefully.

"Who knew that the Dark Witch has a lot of monsters inside that town and the overconfident and brainless knights went head to head with the monsters, only to waste away and feed those monsters with their carcasses!" Oz, who was walking in front of her, cursed at their dead comrades that made him receive the glares and pinches coming from Fae and Lux.

"Please keep your composure and your etiquette, we have a pregnant woman with us!" Lux scolded Oz who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and apologized to Crystal.

"So the three human kingdoms sent many knights to deal with this issue... and in the end, only the three of you remain alive? If someone else hears your words, they would think you are telling them a fairy tale."- Crystal can't help but furrow her brows while assessing their stories.

"Miss, we are telling the truth. We have scoured the whole town after the first knight's squad died. Slowly we dwindle down in number because for some unknown phenomena, they keep tripping and falling to different traps and monster spawns that took their lives!" Oz defended themselves as he gritted his teeth and fisted his hands in remorse.

"It's the hex then."- Crystal can't help but shrug and tilt her head in wonder. Was the witch really that powerful? How come? That old lady looking scary, disgusting, and foolish, however, she can kill other humans like that? really? She cannot believe it!

"T-That, we have no proof of it now except the badges of our fallen comrades, and the only the ashes of the Witch was left. We also knew that this place was a peaceful town until we heard of the missing people and the Witch residing here. A-Anyways, Miss crystal do you have something else you want to know about?" Fae cleared his throat and asked her to change the topic.

Crystal breathed a sigh of relief, at least she did mingle with real and living humans until the Witch came and turned this town into a cursed place. She thought for another question and noticed the direction that they were walking and asked.

"Actually there is, why are we going North? What is happening here?" Crystal raised her suspicion and looked at them for answers.

"Miss Crystal, the direction we are going is towards the South, please look at this compass."- Lux gave her the compass in his pockets and found that the pointer was really going South!

"The reason why this mission became important is that that specific town is a secret location, away from the other kingdoms' prying eyes. Now that the other Kingdoms have heard of this place, there is no safe place left for commoners to reside if ever there is another invasion against the other beings here in Helios country. It has been here all this time." Oz explained to her and gave her a map focusing on the dwellings of the humans to explain further.

They have traveled for two weeks, from that hidden town towards the path leading to the three Human Kingdoms. Lux, Fae, and Oz were caught by surprise when Miss Crystal, a pregnant woman, can walk like a normal person while carrying two unborn children in her stomach, traveling by foot from time to time for two weeks!

"M-Miss Crystal are you sure you are fine? I-I can cast a healing spell for you,"- Fae worried about the short lady that is walking in the middle of their flank.

"I'm doing well, Sir Fae. If we are near the three kingdoms, it means that you three have to move in separate ways right?" Crystal asked them and the three looked at each other. What she said is right, but how will they each prove to their royals that they are the only three alive from the knights they all dispatched?

"We will worry about it later, Miss Crystal. H-How about your children? W-When are you g-giving birth?" Sir Lux asked with an awkward look on his face. Crystal saved him some dignity and told him that she will be giving birth within this current week.

"W-What?! Why didn't you told us? W-We could've hastened our pace- No wait, if we did you will be exhausted that is bad for the unborn children!" Fae started to panic and ramble on about different things that also made Lux and Oz anxious. Crystal looked at their expression before bursting into a fit of laughter, making the knights pause and stare at her way. It was the first time that they witnessed the pregnant woman laugh heartily when they left the village and it caught them by surprise.

Catching her breathe after laughing, she said, "Phew! Why are you all so anxious like clucking chickens? I am still fine and we are getting close to the Human Kingdoms, there's nothing to worry about." Crystal smiled at them and somehow, the three knights were soothed and they resume their travel. They walked until they were near the edge of the forest that is near the forked paths leading to each of the Human Kingdoms. The sun was starting to set and they were all relieved to reach this place on time before it gets dark.

"Miss we are very near to the path! Miss? Miss Crystal!" Oz who was excited to go back to civilization didn't notice or hear the pregnant lady and turned around to look back where they came from. She was using the tree to support her body and she looks in pain and uncomfortable. Lux and Fae saw the anomaly and Fae helped stand her up her feet, Lux rush towards the nearest house to get their help.

"D-Don't do that, M-My legs are weak."- Crystal told the two and they used an ox-drawn cart and followed Lux's direction. Lux knocked on the nearest house and found that the owner of the house was an elderly couple. They were both surprised to see him at their doorstep but Lux didn't mind it and asked for their help.

"Sir! Maam! Please let us in and help us! W-We have a lady about to give birth!" Lux was panicking and the elderly couple knew the urgency they needed so they invited them in, The old man told Lux to call the neighbor next door because the lady there is a midwife and he left immediately.

Fae and Oz laid Crystal on the bed and followed the instruction of the Old lady instruction to boil water and get towels to use. Crystal felt the contraction in her uterus, making her unable to speak, and sweat bullets from the dull pain she felt down there.

"She's preparing to give birth, is the midwife here?" the elderly lady asked Oz who was on the lookout for Lux and the midwife from the outside, Fae was in the small kitchen with the Elderly man transferring the basin of warm water next to the bed.

"The midwife is here!" Lux came back with the midwife in his arms and set the woman down the ground. She ushered the males outside and rushed to go by Crystal's side.

"Who is the father?!" The Midwife asked but Crystal cut her off immediately.

"I'm a single mother! Now please help me give birth! I'm trying not to die here!" Crystal was hyperventilating, her senses were sharper than usual, and she was agitated feeling the twins wriggling and readying to come out of her womb.