Did she just... speak?
In a steady voice, I ask a question. "What... happened back there?" I try to make it sound as delicate and soft as I possibly can as not to put her on guard and to get her to open up.
There was no response. Once again, she stayed silent.
I notice something on her hand. It was a small cut that was bleeding a little. It must've been from when she pulled out the dagger.
I calmly walk towards her. She responds to this by lifting the dagger back up, pointing the blade back in my direction. I slowly lift my hands in the air to show that I mean no harm.
"Your hand," I point to it. "It has a small cut on it. I-I can heal it so it doesn't get infected."
I walked closer as she still held the dagger on guard. Step by step, until we become face to face. I gently take my hand and slowly push down on the dagger, lowering it, and carefully take it from her hands. Everso delicately. I place the dagger on the floor and take her hand. She pulled away a little bit, but caved in and let me treat it.
Her hands were soft. It was almost like I was holding a marshmallow. They felt so fragile that the slightest squeeze would send it crumbling.
I use the spell.
Healing.
Particles in the air started to circulate around the wound and turned into a green light. The cut disappeared. As soon as she noticed that she was healed, she looked shocked.
Had she never been healed before?
She opens her mouth and in a soft-spoken voice, asks, "How can you use healing magic?"
What... What does she mean? Can't everyone use healing magic? Wait... Maybe it's some sort of rare ability? I just probably assumed that everyone could use it since Alice could use it too. I should be careful with how I respond.
How... should I even respond?
A kind smile crept onto my face, which I used as a response to her question, trying to avoid it.
I let go of her hand and took a few steps back before sitting down on a large piece of stone on the floor in front of her. I wave my hand, signaling her to take a seat as well. She seemed worried and hesitated once again, before finally deciding to take a seat.
As we sat face to face with a little distance between us, I thought to ask her the question I've been wanting to know the answer to.
"So... what... happened back there?" I swallow my saliva nervously, creating a large gulp sound. How cartoonish.
"We were..." she begins, "on our way to a grade 3 dungeon. When we went through the forest, we heard something flying in the air, and it was the dragon. The next thing we knew, it attacked us."
"Ah... I see."
Why would a dragon attack for no reason? They're a species that humans rarely ever encounter. It's like this world's unicorn. From what she told me, it doesn't sound like they aggravated it in any way. So why did it...? Wait. Why was it flying above the forest in the first place? I've read that dragons live in habitats with an extremely hot climate. This forest is nowhere close to being that hot.
So... why...?
"Um... What happened to the dragon?" Her words interrupted my train of thought. But I shouldn't worry about why that dragon was there for now.
Fuck. What should I say? Should I tell her that I took it down? But wouldn't that just make her more scared of me? I don't want to let anyone else know of my strength either.
"Right after you passed out, I grabbed your body and hid in a little hole in the ground under the trees. I just waited and the dragon eventually lost interest," I say, chuckling, trying to ease the mood.
Did that come out right? I think... it did.
Corisa stared at me, looking a bit unsettled.
"How did you heal me without a catalyst?" She changes the subject.
Shit. Another question that I need to keep a secret.
I panic a bit, searching for the right words to say. Then I remember my battle with the mages from when I cleared my first dungeon. They were wearing gloves that had crystals on them, which allowed them to use those crystals as catalysts. In other words, it was a magic item.
"I had a magic item on me, but since I used it as a catalyst, it evaporated into the air."
"Oh. I see." She tenses up, looking more distant than before. "Why did you..." She takes a long pause, "Why did you save me? Aren't you disgusted by me?" Her fist tightened as she lowered her head with her eyes closed.
"What are you talking about? I've never met you in my life. Why would I hate you?"
Why is she asking me this?
She snaps back, "But I'm an elf-"
"So?" I ask, cutting her off.
Corisa looks up with a shocked expression.
Was it really all that surprising?
Her face loosens up as she lets out a faint smile. She turns around and lies on the floor with her hand underneath her head, using it as a pillow.
She must be tired.
I turn back around and return to looking out for potential threats.
A small smile started to form on my face.
**SLAP**
I hit myself. Why am I smiling?
When morning came, we set out for Briarhelm. We were about a couple of hours away on foot as we ventured down a dirt road. I then spotted a group of men in the distance walking on the dirt road as well, talking amongst themselves.
They must be adventurers.
Not thinking much of it, I press on but notice a change in Corisa. She sees the group and goes into a subtle state of panic, and puts her right arm across her body, holding her left arm like she was worried.
I don't say anything about her action. She must be feeling restless and just wants to go back to town as fast as possible.
As we get closer, the group of men notice me and Corisa, and their large outbursts of conversation turn into murmurs as they now whisper amongst themselves as if plotting something.
We continued walking until we stood directly parallel to each other, and I try to ignore them, passing right by. As the group stood right beside us, a man who looked to be in his 40s, wearing a large helmet with no other armor, carrying a small sword, spoke out to us.
"Hey, mister, is that elf your slave?"
I turn just my head, meeting his gaze.
"That's one sexy elf," another man says, licking his crusty lips. He couldn't be taller than 1.2 meters.
Without me noticing, a red-haired man wearing only a strap over his chest, which carried his sword on his back, along with pants that were much too big for him, crept behind Corisa and, with three fingers, gently lifted a couple of strands of her hair. He puts his nose closer and sniffs it, tilting his head back once he was finished and a perverted look formed on his disgusting face.
"How much do you want for her?"
**SLAP**
Corisa swiftly slaps the red-haired man with outrageous force, and the man stumbles back a little. The man was flabbergasted as he held his cheek with his left hand. In anger, he draws his sword.
"YOU BITCH-"
"She's not for sale. And she's not a slave." I step out in front of Corisa with my right arm in a straight position, ready to defend her, while my left hand was pressed out, signaling him to stop.
"So, she's fair game then?"
I turn to look and see that the large-helmeted man made the comment. The entire group then began to take position as their hands stooped to their waist, drawing their swords and readying for battle.
I stood there, not changing my stance. I can easily take all of them on.
Come on.
Bring it-
"Enough."
The man in front spoke out in a loud, assertive voice. He was covered in armor and had a large frame, wearing a helmet that hid his face. "Keep fucking moving." The armored man continued marching, and the others withdrew their swords, following him.
Seeing this, I loosen up and signal Corisa to keep walking. As we moved further away from the group, an uneasy feeling gnawed at me, and I glanced to look back at the group of men.
They were staring at Corisa with a menacing grin.
Corisa doesn't seem to notice, and I focus my attention back onto the road ahead.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
"What for?"
She turned her head to face me, "Nobody's ever stood up for me before. So... thank you."
I turned to look at her and was met with a beautiful smile on her face.
I couldn't help but crack a tiny smile as well.
It must be because she's an elf that she's being treated like this. But I still don't get why humans don't like other races. It's still a big mystery to me.
My legs marched on the dirt road that stretched out for kilometers...
As we continued back to town...