Gargoyle 4

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Yuli and Reinold were hiding in a tree with the Monster Sight Disruption spell blinding the furless bear monster below them. They both ran towards the road after Elliot instructed them to do so but they were found by the monsters. Reinold thought quickly about a place to hide and the monsters luckily lost vision of them again.

The disruption spell didn't work very well if the target was moving fast. The monsters would see them touching the things around them. The bears were about to discover them when the siblings both sensed something peculiar. The Dungeon Master was dead.

"Elliot and Sam did it," Reinold whispered and Yuli nodded. The bears already had their suspicions because of their scents but the Sight Disruption prevented the bears from finding them. They were wandering aimlessly under them, not knowing what to do now. The bears weren't being coordinated so this could be their best chance to escape.

Reinold checked the rounds in his cylinder and reloaded. His pistol had twelve shots and a center high-caliber round which could be shot in a separate barrel. It was safer for Yuli to use her bow because of the sound his pistol would make. They had to run quickly after her shots.

There were two bears blocking their path. Yuli drew her bow with six arrows in her hand. She shot three arrows at each bear just as Elliot taught her. In quick succession, two arrows were lodged in their respective target's heads and crystallized, preventing their cries. Two more arrows each to their bodies ended their lives silently.

They ran after jumping down but were immediately spotted by the other bears. The bears' large bodies flattened everything they ran over. Reinold and Yuli had to run through the plants and uneven ground, slowing them. Reinold faced them and shot his revolver several times, eventually killing one as it charged him. But it wasn't enough to stop them all.

This didn't make sense. If the Dungeon Master died, why were they still chasing them with such vigor? There were four remaining bears surrounding them against a large rock as their flesh hung from their bodies, ready to pounce and end their lives. These were no ordinary monsters. Reinold noticed how these monsters were harder to kill. They crystallized, blasted, and sliced them apart but they were relentless even now that their master had died. They weren't undead so what were they?

Reinold only had two shots remaining in his revolver. He didn't bring his sword with him on this journey. He cursed under his breath as Yuli drew her bow, unperturbed by their odds of survival.

Just as the bear monsters were about to pounce on them, a sudden gust of wind followed a barrage of arrows piercing the bears from behind. Reinold held Yuli close as they witnessed dark purple crystal spikes burst out of the bears, killing them. Reinold grabbed his sister again and ran out of the forested area. They reached the road after a few more minutes. They could see their overturned stagecoach in the distance as they caught their breath. They needed their mana supply so they cautiously approached it. The other two merchants and their wagons were in pieces a distance away from them.

Their stagecoach was still in one piece, a testament to the expensive armor spell placed on it. Reinold climbed it and opened the door. Everything was in shambles inside but the thing they were looking for was nailed to the other side of the door. He took out a bag of mana gems from the door's compartment. Their mana was replenished from these gems so now they could reach Riverside safely with these, or at least the safest they could be.

After securing their arsenal, they looked around and saw the bodies of their dead protectors. Truly, if they didn't have the mercenaries escort them, they would've died. They prayed for them. A silent prayer for the dead was necessary for their spirits to be at peace. Yuli didn't know if Samuel or Elliot survived but she prayed for their peace and safe return.

"In name of the Old Gods and New, Amen," Reinold prayed together with Yuli with their hands together, hands down and his eyes closed. They finished and went to work. Yuli was trembling at the sight of the bodies but willed herself to do what was necessary. People who she was talking to only a few hours ago were dead in front of her. They grabbed their knives and headed to the body of their choosing. Reinold was first to notice the condition of the bodies.

"Someone came by and killed them after they all turned," Reinold thought out loud.

"Brother, do you know who saved us?" Yuli quickly changed the subject to what they were thinking but afraid to ask. They hardly had a moment to process what happened.

"You would know more than I would, Yuli. Didn't you recognize that it was a monster's aura?"

"A monster? I am unfamiliar with the type of aura I sensed. What was it?"

"A Dungeon Master, most likely."

"The one that ambushed us?"

"No, it was definitely a different one. We need to go before it comes for us again," Reinold finished talking and began their walk towards Riverside. However, she didn't want to leave yet.

"What about Samuel and Elliot? What about Tasha?" Yuli said in quiet distress.

She knew he was right to get to safety now but to abandon them was too cruel. The freelancers gave their lives for them and were so kind to her. The weight of their deaths finally hit her and she was shedding tears. Seeing his sister in tears, Reinold nudged her gently to encourage her to move. They had to live to honor their sacrifice.

As the two walked down the road, they sensed something coming towards them and readied their weapons. A group of people was galloping towards them on horses. They didn't know if they were friend or foe until they saw the person leading them. Tasha and a group of Riverside militiamen came to their aid.

The two siblings were relieved by their rescue but Reinold was not in the mood for celebrating. As Yuli ran up to hug Tasha, it dawned on him. He knew something was wrong with this scenario. He felt angry and betrayed. As Reinold glanced into Tasha's eyes, they had an unspoken exchange that conveyed his feelings for her. Tasha then separated from Yuli, being careful not to upset Reinold further. But the damage was done.

Reinold talked to the militiamen. They said they could gather the bodies they could and bring them to Riverside, but they wouldn't be able to cart his merchandise with their equipment. So, he requested more time to gather some essentials from his stagecoach. If he lost all his goods, he would go bankrupt and he didn't want to think about what would happen then.

***

The two merchants should've made their way to the main road by now, she thought. The slime girl returned to her wolf cub form and approached the one-armed mercenary on the burnt dirt. She poked and prodded the man.

He was in his older twenties with black hair. His gray eyes opened slowly as he felt something tickling his nose. Her tail could stretch to wrap herself for the night, it had a slightly longer reach than most people would expect.

Samuel jolted up and felt pain in his left arm. When the man reached to feel his left arm, it wasn't there. It had been amputated. He turned to his right and found a small white wolf cub. She ran away as soon as she was seen and confirmed he was no longer a threat.

She found her way back onto the road. The merchant girl was walking by as she peeked out of the bush to see through their cloaking. Everyone was on alert so they noticed her immediately and suddenly trained their weapons at her. They seemed to have moved on instinct rather than a tracking spell. The wolf flinched at the sight.

Yuli came to her defense and crouched down. She called for the child with her arms open, "It is okay now, sweetie. It is okay."

She said something in such a caring and gentle way, it almost caused her to break down. The only reason why anyone could see through her meat suit was the tracking spell and it didn't seem to work now for whatever reason. Now that she was at one-hundred percent strength, she had the choice to run away. With no tracking spell, she had the choice to stay with this girl.

Trust was a two-way street. This young girl helped her when she was hurt and she accepted her as a monster. She promised to protect her. And now, she was defending her—a monster—who should be suspect in the ambush that killed her friends.

But even so, she trusted her.

What did she do to earn this girl's total faith in her? She would cry if this body could. Was this okay? Was it okay to think she had found a friend in this world without a single exchange of words?

She didn't notice the girl's approach until she felt her hand combing the fur on her head and neck. Her stiff body relaxed and the girl took her in. The wolf cub was whimpering. It looked hurt and was crying out.

"Why?"

The sobbing voice of a young girl appeared in Yuli's head. It was the same voice as before.

"Why?"

There was no further context on what the wolf cub meant, but Yuli could guess. As they began walking again, she looked around to her brother, then to Tasha, and then to everyone else. They didn't hear it. How was she to answer? The small creature in her arms was in terrible distress. Yuli casted a healing spell for the wolf and used it as a cover for another spell she was casting in secret. She walked ahead of the group so they couldn't see her magic circle activation.

"Why, you ask?" Yuli was just as stunned as the cub as it recognized the voice in its own head. The wolf stopped its whimpering and looked Yuli in the eyes. "I want to help you. That is all."

"Why?" The slime asked the girl again.

"Well, because you are a kind soul and you needed help. Was there supposed to be more of a reason to help someone in trouble?" She said this through her telepathy and smiled at the wolf wholeheartedly. She said this as if it was the most obvious statement in the world.

"You don't know me. I've killed people. A lot of people. I don't deserve…"

"You did it to protect yourself, correct?"

Yuli interjected. The wolf affirmed her statement by nodding.

"Then there is nothing to do. You cannot assume responsibility for the blame that is not yours to bear."

The slime didn't know what more to say. But what this girl said made her more open to accepting her help. She thought and considered it, and she concluded that she would trust this human.

After a long silence and calm, the slime finally asked, "What's your name?"

"Oh. My name is Yuli Alton. It is very nice to meet you!" She smiled. "May I ask your name?"

There was no way in this world or her previous one would she ever use that dead person's name ever again, "I don't have one."

"Huh?" She was surprised for some reason. Monsters didn't have names, after all. They both paused as Yuli waited for a response. This was awkward. The slime girl didn't have a name to give her and she also didn't want to go by her previous names due to her bad experiences. Being dishonest was rude but explaining her circumstances was complicated. A single question about her name became awkward as the moment dragged on. She decided to answer with the feelings she was experiencing right now despite the conversation's broken rhythm.

"Thank you, Yuli," the slime said sincerely. "Thank you."

Yuli smiled again, "You are very welcome!"

After a few hours of walking, the sun was beginning to dip under the horizon. "Here, we are."

"Here?" The slime never did ask where they were going to.

"Welcome to Riverside!"