Chapter 12: Alliance

[ ] = main character thoughts

"Are you crazy, Lillia? Why should we go with him?" Frenya's voice trembled with distrust as she pointed at me.

Lillia, with that typical calm of the Silverwynn nobles, responded quietly: "It's better this way. We'll be stronger, and it will be harder to get into trouble."

"You're right, but I don't trust a human," Frenya retorted, her voice bitter with resentment. "Humans are deceivers. They wait for the exact moment and then kill you for their own interests."

The silence that followed weighed like lead. [I can't blame them], I thought. Human raiders had tainted our race's reputation. Distrust had become the first law of survival, even among humans themselves.

"You're right, barbarian," I conceded, trying to ease the tension. "I won't say anything about this matter."

"Good that you understand," said Frenya. "Then you can leave."

"ENOUGH!"

Lillia's shout split the air like lightning. Her eyes shone with a determination that brooked no argument. "Frenya, I order you to say nothing more. And you, Doruuk, you will come with us. If you refuse my order, when you return to the city, you'll meet a bad end."

[The Silverwynn family isn't the kind of enemy I want to make], I reflected.

"Fine, I'll come, but if I see danger, I will waste no time in running away" I yielded, then couldn't help but ask, "but is the barbarian your servant?"

Frenya snapped like a wounded beast. "Hey, watch your mouth! Have you looked in a mirror? You look like a thief!"

[I'm used to hearing that phrase by now. ]

Lillia intervened with a firm voice: "Frenya and I have been friends since childhood. Professionally speaking, she's my guard whenever I cross the portal. We're both eighth rank, and please call her by her name."

[They're stronger than me.]

I decided to change the subject. "Well, let's move. Lillia, I have a proposal."

"Tell me?"

"Since you have a magical item box that can hold objects without weight, could you collect all the void stars we find? We'll move faster without having to waste time gathering them manually."

"Excellent idea," Lillia agreed.

We collected the fallen raiders' equipment, and the other's thing's. The crossbow was now mine, while the ice sword returned to its normal form with its owner's death. 

"Where are we going?" I asked. "Do you prefer to explore the surroundings or do you have a specific destination?"

Frenya shook her head. "It's better if we stay in this area."

"Alright, let's begin."

The monster hunt began in tense silence. "Keep your eyes and ears open," I warned. "Monsters here can appear from any direction."

"We know that already," Frenya snapped.

I didn't have time to respond before we saw them: five werewolves emerging from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with ancestral hunger.

"Get ready," I whispered. "Frenya, front line, but defense only. Lillia, stay back. I'll be in the middle with the crossbow, then move to attack. Frenya, don't attack first."

"I'm stronger than—"

"Frenya," Lillia interrupted, "listen to him."

The strategy worked perfectly. Frenya, imposing with her giant sword, kept the monsters at bay while I struck the first wolf with a precise bolt. Lillia completed the work with a devastating fireball that swept away the remaining four.

"See? No need for close combat," I commented, satisfied.

The hours passed with increasingly challenging hunts. We encountered creatures that defied imagination: hybrids of alligators and tigers, beasts that seemed to emerge from the darkest nightmares. Fatigue began to weigh on my shoulders.

"I need to rest," I finally admitted. "I haven't slept since I entered the portal. Can someone take the first watch?"

"I'll do it," Frenya offered. "You both sleep."

I settled down with my blanket, using my backpack as a makeshift pillow. Sleep overwhelmed me almost instantly, but before losing consciousness completely, I heard their voices whispering in the night.

"Why aren't you sleeping, Lillia?"

"I'm not sleepy yet. But he was really exhausted."

"He fell asleep so quickly... as if he knew nothing would happen to him."

"It's strange, isn't it? Such trust from someone who should be more cautious..."

[If only you knew how much I've learned to sleep with one eye open...]

Time passed, and it was my turn to keep watch. Frenya woke me with an unkind kick.

"Wake up. My turn to rest."

I positioned myself beside the fire, scanning the impenetrable darkness surrounding us. The silence was almost unnatural, broken only by the crackling of flames. After about an hour, I caught voices in the distance. Two figures approached.

[Swordsmen, both of them. Their posture gives them away.]

I rose slowly, crossbow ready.

"What do you want?" My voice was low but firm.

"Easy, brother," said the first one. "We're not here to harm you."

"Then what are you looking for?"

"Just... a business opportunity."

The second one stepped forward. "Listen to our offer, friend."

"Speak."

The first swordsman smiled, a grin that turned my stomach. "See your companions sleeping? There's high demand for powerful mages in the market, and a barbarian would make an excellent slave. We're all humans here, you understand what I mean? Eighty percent of the profit will be yours, and your name will never be mentioned."

"That's an interesting offer," I said slowly, watching their expressions brighten.

"So, what do you say?"

My answer was as cold as the night around us. "There's only one answer for you two, and it's 'death'."

Chapter-End.