Zizz! Zizz! pew!

The sound of bullets ripped through the air above, the soldiers cringed behind their cover, tried their best hid all they body behind the cover and prayed to whatever god that would listen to them to protect them from this barrage of gunfire. When the machine gun stopped for reload, Samuel sprung from his cover and rushed across the street under the cover-fire of his comrades.

Bang!

Loud explosions rang Samuel's ears, his stride hasten, through the debris filled square and the flying bullets, hasten from cover to cover, through the pounding shockwaves and the raining mortar shells, hasten for dear life.

Huff! Huff! Hah! Hah!

Samuel ran, ran, and ran, his heart drumming inside his chest and lungs burning like fire. Rucksack weighted down on his shoulders, his ears heard naught but the sound of gunfire and explosion from afar. Threw himself to the wall corner, Samuel peeked and checked the street beyond the corner, eyes darted from objects to objects, windows from windows, until he felt it was safe and signalled his squad mates to move forward, after his squad passed, Samuel follow through. But, sound of gunfire raged through the air as Samuel left the corner, and the next thing he know was his face smacked to the pavement, a stinging sensation appeared on his left leg out of now where, pulsed across his body and kept increasing in intensity by the millisecond. Then Samuel woke up.

Once again, the morning sun welcome Samuel back from his slumber. He lied there on his bed covered in cold sweat, rubbing his eyes, and with a sigh he welcomed the new day. Two days had passed since the attack of the village, the clean-up effort was mostly done, and everyone were recovering from the trauma. Samuel in the other hand was not, all the fighting and yelling, and the hellish sight of the temple drowning in fire, and those burned victims had triggered his... unpleasant memories of the past. Fortunately, all he felt at that moment was just annoyance, those memories were long passed and he already got over it, but it still unpleasant if they came back. Sat up and rubbed his face to fully woke up, sat on the bed Samuel scanned his eyes over the room and then casted his gaze out the windows, he about to leave this place and couldn't help but felt like he going to miss this tiny room already. Finally, put on his tunic, Samuel grabbed his luggage and headed down stair.

Came to Samuel eyes, when he reached down stair, Elesil sat on the table in the middle of the inn's tavern, Samuel couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of the Elvas, he sat there with a straight back slightly puffed chest, eye's gaze at a parallel to the ground, very proper posture, made Samuel wondered if he actually was an aristocrat or something. Surrounded the Elvas, on his table were various of things, from a glance Samuel saw a few bottles of wine, jars of jam, entire bag of potatoes and various of other vegetables, freshly baked pies, breads, and an entire roasted Kuuk, all were the thankyou gifts from the villager's he was able to saved. And shadows could be seen lurking about outside the inn, the village's girls snooping at the window and watched Elesil with curious eyes, their muffled chatter could be heard, chatter about the Elvas, chatter about how handsome the Elvas was and how his pointed ears made some of the girl felt creepy.

"Seriously, ladies, enough with the snooping already" –Casha's muffled voice came from outside the door, and moment later the girls outside dispersed.

"Casha, how are you feeling? Are you sure you fine out of bed right now?" Samuel said as Casha got back inside.

"Ah, Samuel?" –Casha said- "Thanks, I fine now, really, although missed a patch of hair like this feel kind of weird" –Casha smiled rubbed the side of her once burned head- "Beside I can't stay forever in bed like that"

"It'll grown back, I can saw them budded out already" –Samuel examined the bald part of Casha's head now already had new hairs spouted.

"Yeah, well, I still wished it grown a litter faster" –Casha smiled- "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"You can have mine," Elesil spoke, pushed the roasted Kuuk on his table toward Samuel

"Er? Isn't it the thankyou gift, everybody gave you, master Ithilon" –Casha surprised- "you don't want them?"

"I am very much appreciated their sentiment, but we Elvas do not consume much animal related food, unless the situation demanded" –Elesil explained- "I mean no offend and hope you understand, it is just a culture thing,"

"Oh, I see," Casha said.

"Well, if it's the case then don't mind if I do" -Samuel sat down on the table and snapped off a leg and enjoy the roasted kuuk to his heart content.

A few knocks came from the door, Casha open the inn's door and a little girl about seven to eight-year-old, haft of her head bald with tiny newly grown hair stuck out. She ran inside with a cloth bag in hand, came up to Elesil and presented a steamy pie inside the bag to him.

"Mr. Elvas, here's my thank you gift for saving my life, Mr. Gerrand famous meat pie, fresh off the oven, I hope you enjoy it," The little girl spoke in Bricatish to Elesil with the widest grin on her face

Caught the pie from the girl's hand with a gentle smile, Elesil thank her and took a bite while the girl watch in earnest.

"Exquisite, thank you, my young lady" –Elesil put his left palm on his chest and bowed his head- "Uhm... you seem to have something else in your mind?" Elesil asked when saw the curious look in the girl's eyes.

"Er... well, can I touch you ear, Mr. Elvas?" –with great curiosity the little girl asked.

Before Casha could say anything about her request might be inappropriate, Elesil already hunched down and let the little girl satisfied her curiosity, minutes later, the girl bowed politely and left.

"So this is one of those 'situation demanded' huh?" –Samuel munched on a kuuk wing, watched Elesil finished the rest of the pie.

"Indeed" -Elesil wiped his mouth with his handkerchief.

After stuffed his stomach with the roasted kuuk. Samuel packed his luggage on the velelis, and bade Kranwolf and Casha farewell. The pair set out, but with a little difficulty.

"Perhaps, let me lead the velelis," Elesil said, watched Samuel fumbled with the velelis's rein.

"Whoah, whoah, not there" –Samuel pulled on the rein, tried to correct the velelis's direction- "Don't worry, I'll get the hang of it... eventually."

"you never rode any animal before in your life?" Elesil asked.

"Not..." –pulled at the rein to adjust the animal's direction again- "not really, I'd tried horse once, back in my word, well... sort of, definably never got on any of this world's animal before let along this 'two legged furry dinosaurs'"

"Now could you please, stop walk into any bush you found, your bloody idiot" –Samuel scorned his velelis, finally could tell the animal to walk in straight line right behind Elesil's velelis, the animal huffed and twitched its catlike ears seem to displeased about Samuel's attitude toward it.

"Horse? Is that your world common mount?" Elesil curiously asked.

"Well, used to be, we use car now," Samuel answered.

"Car? Oh, those mechanized carriage?" Elesil said, "Uhm, your sister had told me a lot about your world, very interesting."

Through the endless wheat fields, they rode. With the splendid sun shine on the great blue sky above, cool wind swept through their hair and rattled the spouting wheat flower, dotted the fields were a few farmers now finally could return to tend to their field. Watched the peaceful countryside scenery, a great calmness reigned over Samuel's mind. It hard to believe the village just went through a great ordeal, Samuel hope these folk won't have experience anything like that anymore, and looking forward to reunited with his sister. Their journey might be long but the sceneries sure were not boring, kept unfold before Samuel's eyes kelias after kelias (Kelias = kilometres) on their travel were sweeping green plains dotted with flowery meadows, they stretched far over hills and mounds, high and low. Dotted the land were primal forests that perhaps even older than time and sheltering many secrets and wonderful wildlife. Far, far away, blurry image of jagged snowy mountaintops pilled upon each other and piercing the clear blue sky, where crystal clear rivers came from and lazily carved their way through the beautiful landscape. Absorbed the breath taking scenery into his eyes and filled his lungs with the freshest of air, Samuel wished he could explore them all, somehow it reminded him the time he was in the Middle East, although the environment there was the opposite of what he saw at this moment, but it was still a great pleasure to him to watched those majestic mountain ranges, pristine and untouched by human civilisation, especially how everything turned a fiery red hue when the sun was heading to its slumber.

When nightfall, they set up camp near a small stream, chewing on his dinner, Samuel's eyes practically glued to the night sky above him. Three months had passed since he came to this world, and without fail he always spent a good amount of time to just sit and stare on the sky after the sun had completely vanished under the horizon. Thanked to this world low development level of civilisation and of course, zero light pollution, the sky was never dark. The bright moon showered the land with its gentle light and countless twinkling silvery dots replaced the blazing sun on the heaven, being a city folk almost his whole life, rarely Samuel could saw such sight back in his world. Samuel could never get tired of the sight of a silvery river of stars slowly rose from the horizon, still clearly etched in his memory, was the first time he saw a sight like this back in his world, curled up inside a fox hole in the middle of nowhere of Iraqi's mountain, watched the awestruck silvery sky unfolding above his head.

"Ever wonder what out there?" Samuel inadvertently asked, eyes still fixated on the starry sky.

"Who does not" –Elesil sipped his cup of tea.

"Do you believe in aliens?" –Samuel asked with a smile, still gazed at the night sky.

Elesil only answered with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm curious" –finally able to pull his eyes off of the stars, Samuel turned to Elesil.

"About?" –Elesil responded.

"Uh... let see..." –Samuel went through his thought- "Well... when we fight the green-skin guys..."

"The orc?" Elesil said

"That what you call them, huh!" –Samuel curious- "Well, can you tell me about them? Eh... this world too, you know the folks I lived with they don't know much about what beyond their village." –Samuel shrugged- "Were Orc... evil?"

"Not exactly" -Elesil smiled.

"They are simply just a race of people here in this continent..." –Elesil took another sip of tea- "Uhm... From what I had heard from your sister about your world, that, your world had stories, fictional ones, and this world have some similarity with elements in those fictional stories told in your world, and there are some certain stereotypes in those stories..." –saw an agreement nod from Samuel, Elesil continue- "Well, let see if I could make things clearer and help you grasp more about this world..." –Elesil gathered this thought- "About the Orcs, like I said they are just a race of people, just flesh and blood, born and die, capable of hate and love, bravery and cowardice like any other folks in Varlaurea."

"So... how many race there are?" Samuel curiously inquired.

"Well, many, first, there are my people, the Elvas, we live mostly at the north of the continent in the Eternal Forest where we are heading right now, then there are the Uppers, a folk much like you, and like my people they live in northern Varlaure, to the northeast of the continent are the Orcs, and at southern of the continent were the Downers. Then live scattered throughout many mountainous regions of the continent was the Dwarf, and those are the most likely folks that you might easily come across."

"Wow, you know a lot, huh" –Samuel amazed- "Oh hey... when we fought the Orc with the mask, and the way you shoot lightning out of your fingers, that look so cool mate, is that magic? How do you do it? can you teach me a few trick?"

"Teach you? That... I am not so sure, if it possible" -Elesil shook his head- "Because, in this world, the ability to perform magic is innate, you are either born with it or you are not, and beside, you are from a difference world, so I cannot say for sure."

"Is that so? What a shame" -Samuel sighed.

As the splendid sun peeked out of the mountaintops afar, the men continue on their journey. About just passed midday, when the two of them were traversing a beautiful meadow stretched over a hilly landscape, dotted with tall brushes and mighty oaks. Samuel caught something within his sight, something was moving on a hill at the right-side of him about a few hundred lias away. As first, Samuel thought it was just the local wildlife, but after a few seconds tracking the silhouette Samuel started to wonder if what he saw was a human figure, but the distain was too far for Samuel's eyes to make anything clear.

"Hey, Elesil, do you see something moving over there? was that a human?" –pointed his hand to guide Elesil's eyes, Samuel asked.

Elesil turned toward where Samuel's pointed and his keen Elvas's eyes soon confirmed Samuel's suspicious, "That is not just a human, but a young lady also," and thus the two men quickly turned their velelis.

As they get closer Samuel's eyes finally could make out the detail. Indeed, that was a young lady no more than twenty, wearing an expensive looking long cobalt blue dress, although tattered and dirty. Her messy uncombed wavy red hair reached down over her hip. The young women seemingly trudging her feet forward, her posture wobbled side to side as she walked. The more Samuel got closer the more he could make out she was obviously in distress.

Heard the sound of galloping velelis, the young maiden turned her exhausted face, and she recoiled as soon as the sight of two approaching riders came to her eyes, with trembling arms she tried to held the blade in her hand up and backpedalled. Fear shown clearly on her eyes, but those, although bleary looking eyes still somehow gave of a hind of defiant. Before the men could utter any word, the girl tried to run but only resulted in her tripped and fell, rolling down the hill.

By the time she rolled to the foot of the hill, the girl was completely unconscious. Samuel and Elesil quickly set up a campfire under an oak tree and tended to her. Beautiful was her oblong face, with green round eyes and a slender elegant built, adorned and complement her beauty was various jewelleries, showing that she was a lady of high status. A fever was plaguing her as she shivered and mumbled unintelligibly. On her left arm was a makeshift bandage torn from her dress, as the men open up the bloody makeshift bandage, they found a strange and gruesome wound. The flesh on her arm was punctured and ripped by what seemingly dozens of small sharp objects arranged in haft-circle pattern. After seconds of confusion, Samuel guessed what he saw perhaps was a bite wound, but caused by what kind of animal? He had no idea. By the shape of the wound, the animal must have a flat face to leave such mark, and somehow he felt the shape somewhat resemblance human bite-mark, but was a little bigger in size.

"Was that... a human bite mark?" Samuel wondered.

"A lizardmen's bite mark to be precise" –examined the girl's wound more closely.

"Lizarmend? Uh... what is that? another race of people on Varlearea?" Samuel curious.

"It..." –After seconds of hesitation, reluctantly Elesil quenched Samuel's curiosity- "Well... you can say that" –Elesil tone of voice seemingly filled with sadness- "They are not very common in Varlaurea like other folks that I had mentioned before, as tall as an Orc, strong, aggressive and almost fearless, they live scattered throughout Valaurea in small band and tribe. But that is not what we should concern right now" –Elesil changed the subject- "The lizardmen are rarely venturing this far up in northern Bricatia, how and what had happened to this poor lady to get bit by one of them, I wonder."

"Can you treat her wound?" Samuel asked.

"Yes, I can, but the wound seem infected, it need to be disinfected and treat with medicine before use magic to heal" –Elesil stood up- "I will look around to see if I can find some herb to treat her wound, you watch over and wash her wound for me, please"

"Will do," Samuel said

Finally, after hours or so, under the benevolent shade of the mighty oak shielding her from the bright sun above, the maiden opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bedroll, with the sounds of something bubbling nearby. Her green eyes turned and saw a pair of veleles innocently gazing not far from where she lay and seemingly someone was tending for her, judged by the wet clothe on her forehead. Warm heat together with the smoky scent of a campfire came to her nose from where the bubbling sounds was, and once she turned her head toward the sound's direction, her eyes wide opened in surprise as they saw the figure of a Elvas sat next to a bubbling pot, sharpening his blade.

The sight of the strangest of stranger spooked the maiden, but it seemingly the Elvas had yet to noticed that she had awake. Why was an Elvas sat next to her in the middle of nowhere like this? What was he up to? The maiden wondered to herself. Still plaguing by the fever and haunted by the ordeal she had been through, paranoid quickly grabbed hold at her mind and the maiden immediately assumed that Elvas stranger had malevolent intention. Her hand carefully searched the ground around her until it found a rock that fit her palm, with fingers wrapped firmly at the rock the maiden raised it high, ready for a pre-emptive strike.

"Put that down, or you will regret it" -Elesil uttered a warning in the common tongue, eyes still focus on his dagger.

Heed not what the Elvas warned, with all the strength she had left in her, she threw the rock aimed at Elesil's head. In a tick of a second, Elesil eye's turned milky white and the rock stopped mid-air before fell to the ground harmlessly. A sense of chill rushed through her core as the sight of the Elvas slowly turning his head toward her. Scared she might, but still she searched for anything she could use at weapon to use.

"Whoah! Whoah! Whoah! Calm down" –came back from fetching water and saw the ruckus, Samuel ran in to prevent any violent- "Calm down, calm down, we mean you no harm, calm down," Samuel spoke in Bricatish.

Clenched a rock tightly in her trembling hands, the girl turned to Samuel and spoke with a frightful voice, but Samuel couldn't understand any of her word because she spoke in a difference language, the best Samuel could describe the sounds from her speech were they sounded somewhat similar to the French language from his world.

"Er... miss, can you speak the common-tongue?" -as Samuel tried to get through the language barrier, Elesil came near her and started to speak to the girl in her own language.

After a few exchanges, she appeared to had calmed down and let go of the rock.

"I... I'm sorry for my behaviour," the red hair girl apology in an accented common speech.

"It's alright, we know you're scared, but you're safe with us, we just trying to help" –Samuel brushed dirt off of the bedroll- "Come, you should lie down, your fever hasn't gone down yet."

"Thank you, er... sir..." –the girl thanked as Samuel wiped sweat on her head.

"The name is Samuel, Samuel Challenger, just call me 'Sam' is fine" –Samuel charmingly smiled- "Handsome boy over there is Elesil Ithilon" –Samuel pointed at Elesil, "What about you?"

"Er...uhm... E... Emma, just Emma," the girl answered after some hesitation.

"Alright, 'just Emma', mysterious aren't you" -Samuel shrugged- "So what'd happened? Where do you come from and how you ended up like this? From your accent I'll take that you're not Bricatian."

"Ah... well... yes, I'm from Celgealia" –the girl smiled- "I was... on my way to visit my relative in northern Bricatia and got into an accident."

"Does... that 'accident' of your leaved bite mark?" –Samuel raised an eyebrow- "Like I said, we just trying to help, you don't have to be so secretive."

Heard that, the girl Emma now noticed that the wound on her arm had completely heal and leaved no trace of its once existence, thanked to Elesil's healing magic. As Emma hesitated on what to respond, Elesil spoke in her Celgealia's language about something to help with her fever and handled her a cup of medicine from the pot. Emma didn't respond and just stared at the cup full of doubt, Samuel took the cup of medicine and had a sip to prove to her that it was not poison of any kind and wondering what really had happened to her to made such a young lady became so distrust like this.

The bitter taste of the medicine sent shiver rushed throughout Emma's body, she couldn't help but stuck out her tongue to loath the liquid just went down her throat.

"Alright, now lie down and rest, I'll wake you up when dinner ready," Samuel said, pulled up the blanket for Emma.

"I'm sorry, I just..." –after seconds of thought, Emma continue- "I was attacked by bandits, Lizardmen bandit, I..."

"It's alright" -Samuel interrupted- "You're scared, I get it, right now, just rest, you can tell me what'd happened when you ready."

Thus, slowly Emma slipped into slumber.

When the new day came, Samuel woke up and found Elesil was speaking with Emma in Celgealish, when he asked about it, Elesil just simply said that he was just check on her condition, Emma also said the same and thanked Elesil for the medicine. So, with her fever had gone, Emma seemed spirited and after breakfast, she finally explained her situation to the men but generally she still stuck to the narrative she'd told the previous day. By her word, she was on her way to visit relative in northern Bricatia, and got attacked by a band of lizardmen bandit, not alone on her travel she was, accompanied her were also some other family members but after the attack, she got separated from them and from that point on wandering the wilderness until Samuel and Elesil stumbled upon her. Thus was the red hair girl's story, and Samuel believed her, somewhat, but by his hunch he felt like the girl told him only part of what had happened. But if that was what she chose to share, then, he thought it would be best he shouldn't pry furthermore, "all lady has their secret" so was the saying he'd heard some point in his life. Then to Emma, Samuel offered to help her to find and reunite with her relatives, as for himself was also travel in the same direction. And with great gratitude Emma thanked and accepted Samuel's offer, soon they were on their way.

After a few days on a dirt road, they then came upon and followed an old cobblestone road about ten lias wide, elevated from the surrounded terrain with built-in drained system and led them due north. When Samuel intrigued about the road they were on, because that was the first time since he came to this world that he'd ever saw such excellently built infrastructure. Easily, Emma quenched his curiosity, according to Emma this road was just one of the many like it, a part of the road network built by the Rumunus empire, a once vast empire from across the Dragon Spine sierra to the east, used to dominated the entire of northern Varlaurea continent, and in fact the entire southern part of Bricatia kingdom was once the empire's territory, along with Emma's homeland, Celgealia and a neighbouring kingdom called Teuberii. Even Elesil, who wasn't much of a chatter also gave a few comments about the topic, as one of his remarked was, if compared to Rumunus empire's engineering then the true breath-taker in Elesil's opinion, had to be of the Dwarfs with their grand hallways that tunnelling across Varlaurea's mountainous regions.

The conversation seemed to broke the ice between them and small-talks soon happened along their way, Emma appeared to be a very knowledgeable and highly educated, from her mannerism Samuel guessed that she might be a high noble or even royalty and not just a mere rich lady. Although, Emma still guarded when the conversation was turned to her, but it seemed she had opened up a little about herself, Samuel learned that she was the youngest child and had a brother, and the family members travelling with her were her cousin-sister and her uncle.

When daylight was dwindling, Samuel breathed a relief breath and thanked that they wouldn't have to sleep in the wilderness for the night, at the sight of civilisation appeared on the horizon. As they entering the town, greeted their eyes at the crossroad led to the town was a big marble statue haft swallowed by wild brushes and vines, it was skilfully carved, depicting a male Upper in grandeur pose with short cut hair, dressed in a breastplate and draped with a toga-like garment, but neglected and haft in ruin the statue was, with part of hand and face were broken.

"Whoah... who's statue is it; I wonder" –Samuel marvelled at the marble statue under the setting sun.

"Oh, I recognized it, if remembered right then that's the statue of Comudalus the handsome, or "the Statue Emperor", an emperor of Rumunus empire. He ruled Rumunus Empire 300 years ago. Most people think his reign was what stated Rumunus's decline. He didn't care about state's affairs, only indulged in luxurious lifestyle of wine, partying, and women. He had a hobby to erect his statues with elaborate and luxurious decorations everywhere, and had nearly bankrupted the imperium family. Finally, he died in a military coup, and his statues were ransacked by the peoples," Emma explained.

"Ah, story as old as time, isn't it?" Samuel commented.

After entered the town, while Elesil registered their veleles at the public stable and rent room at the inn, Samuel brought Emma to the local tailor to buy her some clothe to replace her tattered dress, on the way Emma started to curious about him and Elesil.

"So... Challenger, do you mind if I curious about you and Elesil?" Emma asked.

"Just 'Sam' is fine, what do you want to know about?" Samuel said.

"Well, how do you know Elesil anyway? Odd company you got there." Emma asked.

"Odd company? What're you talking about?" –Samuel surprised as her question- "He's just my sister friend, that's all, how is that weird?"

"Well... It's generally... we Uppers don't get along well with the Elvas" –Emma perplexed- "So then, how do your sister get to know him?"

"That..." –Samuel paused for a few seconds- "Er... to be honest... I'm not really know."

"You don't know?" –Emma flabbergasted- "And you still went along with him?"

"Well... he had very convincing evident about his acquaintance with my sister" –Samuel tried to explain himself without mentioned the otherworldly part of him, obviously he had to, if he didn't want the young lady to question his sanity.

"What kind of evident? Can you tell me?" -Emma put on a sweet smile and tried to get Samuel to open up.

"Oh hey, we're here" –Samuel changed the subject as the tailor shop's sight came to his view- "Come, let see if we can find something to your liking."

"Mysterious, aren't you," Emma mumbled to herself, then followed him into the tailor shop.

Indeed, to Emma's eye, Samuel, an Upper folk just like her, befriended an Elvas without much of acquainting was, at the least, very odd. Since ancient time, Uppers folk had a prejudice toward Elvas, as they found Elvas were mysterious, strange and dangerous. Due to the Elvas's reclusiveness, their protectiveness of their territories and their very uncanny attuned to magic and the arcane, with countless tales about feats that no any other mages of any race in the history of the continent could ever achieved, about all the death and destruction associated with the Elvas in the "Hundred Years War", and how one might turned out if wandered into their mysterious forests uninvited. Mostly the Uppers treated the Elvas, at best, was with disdain or distrust and at worst, with fear or hostility.

After the shopping trip, they quickly settled into their room and their sleep, as the night turned late and the cool air of silent draped over every corner of the street, like a blanket, it snugged everyone into their comfy bed and peaceful dreams. The sounds of footstep of the night patrollers, steadily paced through the streets, their lantern light stood against the dark of night, deterrence those who had criminal intention, but even so, shadows still lurked in dark corners.

At the inn where the three travelers were resting they weary body, a scream of a man broke the peaceful of night. The disturbance quickly woke the patrons of the establishment and everybody stepped out of their bed to the hallway. As Samuel still wondered what was happening, until one of the patrons said the sound seemed came from the ground floor. Thus, to the stair led to the ground floor they investigated.

The moonbeams reached through the inn's windows had lay bare a gruesome scene to everyone's eyes on the upper-floor, lying on the floor and in middle of his own blood was the inn's owner, near him was a broken lantern and loomed over his lifeless body were shadows. Uncanny shadows casted on the floor, three of them and were not of human they were. Tall, and lengthy, with an unnaturally long neck. All those who witnessing the crime scene stood in astonishment as one of the shadows look up at them.

"Pieonarm!" –someone exclaimed in Bricatish.

The Bricatish word, foreign to Samuel's ears as that was the first time he ever heard it. The longneck creature stood on the ground floor bearing an extremely flat face with no visible nose and seemingly somewhat covered in scales, its big yellow eyes seemed uncannily glowing under the moonlight. The creature suddenly lowered its stance and with an amazing strength, its leapt upward to where the witnessing crowd were as everyone yelling in fear and scrambled back to the safety of their room, while those who too slow, trembling in fear watched the creatures leapt and climbed up to the second floor one by one.

"You two, to my room, NOW!" Elesil yelled, and led his companions into his room.

"P... P... please... I... I got two kids at home" –a muffled voice of a man begging for mercy in the common-speech came through Emma's room door, quickly followed those words of pleading were horrified screams of an innocent man who life was being took away from him, soon after, the only sounds echoing the hallway were footstep.

"Oh no, no, no... I'm very sorry you two got involved in this" –with trembled voice, Emma spoke to her companions once they got to Elesil's room.

"What the hell are those things, and what the hell are you talking about?" –Samuel stupefied as what he just saw and heard.

"I recognized one of them" –Emma trembled- "the bald one with the scar on his left eye was one of the lizardmen that attacked me and my relatives."

A loud "thump" sounded and turned the trio's attention onto the room's door, another and another "thump" sounded. The Lizardmen were trying to kick open the door.

"They're the lizarmen bandit who attacked you? How the hell did they tracked you all the way here?" Samuel wondered.

"Lizardmen have a great sense of smell" -Elesil explained while doing something to the door's lock- "they probably tracked the smell of blood from her wound and her scent to follow us here."

"They must be tracking me down to finished the job," Emma said

"Fret not, I had put a spell to reinforced the lock and frame, they will not be able to kick it open" – Elesil spoke with confident- "Now we just wait until the town's guard were notified."

Out of sudden, crackling sound of metal bored down on wood sounded and soon an axe's blade pushed through the door created a long crack, then another chop came and the crack widened.

"What about the door?" Samuel ironically asked.

When the crack was widened enough to look through, the lizardmen saw Emma, with the help of Samuel, was climbing out the window and about to escape by makeshift rope from bedsheets, thus they quickly changed their plan. Fast were these creatures, by the time after Emma feet touched the ground outside, the Lizardmen already came out of the inn door and charging at the girl. But a blinding light flashed and followed by a boom of thunder, a lightning bolt shot from Elesil finger raced toward the lizardmen, but sadly it only hit the ground near the lizardmen. Luck had smile upon those creatures it seemed, one of them might had become a pile of smoldering charred flesh, if hadn't for the building's awning blocked Elesil's view and striking field.

But even thought, the realization of the present of a mage, one that powerful enough to conjured lightning seemed to had a deterrence effect on the lizardmen, as they quickly halted their foot and stood still in hesitation. Elesil quickly dropped from the second floor to the ground below like a feather, together with Samuel the men shielded Emma, and thus a stare-down ensured.

Now under the moonlight, Samuel could make clear of those creatures, with a humanoid silhouette they stood there with an imposing height, perhaps two lias tall, they all have black hair except for the bald one, their neck was long, with lengthy four fingers arms haft covered in scale, and reptile-like legs. Beastlike appearance they had, but no stupid animal they were, for they were all dressed in clothing and somewhat cladded in simple light armour, to give them protection while still remain quiet for them to infiltrated the town without being detected. Samuel wasn't sure what to call the clothes they were wearing, the closest he could compare those attire to what he'd known was they looked like a backwardly wore short Japanese's Kimono.

That sound of thunder in the middle of night, woke haft the town, soon a man from a nearby house looked out of his window and sounded the alarm. Confusingly, the lizardmen looked at each other amidst the sound of the town folks awakening, and about to bear down on them with pitchfork and scythe. Then the lizardmen with chin-length hair, who seemed to be in charge, sheathed his sword and signaled their retreat, not long after they remerged back to the darkness of night.

And so the ordeal of the night came to an end, after gave their testimony about what had happened to the town guard the trio retreated to Emma room. Gathered around the small table inside the room, Emma kept sighing and finally broke the silent.

"I... I'm sorry for endangered you two like this" –rubbing the back of her neck, Emma continued- "Thank you gentlemen, for helping me in the past few days, right now, perhaps I should continue the road on my own."

"And how're you going to do that?" –Samuel turned to the girl- "Let me see, you got... no transportation method, no familiar with the road, no companion... how are you going to get to northern Bricatia along?"

While Emma still didn't know how to answered, Samuel continued

"And one more thing, why?" –Samuel stared directed at Emma green eyes- "Why would a bunches of bandits had to went through all the trouble to track down someone they robbed and what did you mean by 'finishing the job'? who are you really?"

"Lady Blachardlette, I think you should tell us all the truth," Elesil raised his opinion.

"What?" –Samuel surprised- "You knew who she is?"

"I am very sorry for my silent" –Elesil politely bowed his head toward Samuel- "I only know her true identity due to the white ring she wearing" –pointed at the white ring on Emma's left hand, Elesil continued- "But she had pleaded me to kept silent, and as for why and what happened between her and the lizardmen, she still had yet to reveal to me."

"Please, don't blame Elesil," Emma spoke, "It's true that I had made him keep silent about my identity" –After a few seconds of thinking and took a deep breath, Emma continued- "One again I'm very sorry to hide this to you" –held the white ring on her left hand up Emma continued- "My name is Emmanuelle Agrippa Blanchardlette, the youngest daughter of king Luis III of Celgealia. I was appointed ambassador of my kingdom to attend the White Ring council at the Eternal Forest, as for the lizardmen..." –gathered her though, Emma continued- "The full truth is... while I was on my way to the Eternal Forest with my delegation, I was attacked by a bang of lizardmen... and the reason I was too secretly about my identity to you two was... I don't think that attack was just a normal robbery."

"Eh... Elesil?" -Samuel turned to the Elvas, confused about what Emma just said

"It is true that my people had called for the assembling of the White Ring Council, it is a kind of peacekeeper council between the kingdoms and empires on Varlaurea," Elesil explained.

"So why do you think it isn't a normal robbery?" Samuel asked.

"Well..." –Rubbed her face and gave off tired sigh- "It's to my observation that, somehow the lizardmen known too well about my convoy's travelling route and they seem to too focus on killing everyone they can get their hand on than just took the valuables, and... to added to that were some situations happened back in my kingdom..."

"So, you think there may be some conspiracy going on, huh?" Samuel spoke.

"Yes, and you two are just bystanders so I thought it's best that you two don't know too much for your own sake," Emma gave off a long exhaled.

"So back to the previous question, how do you plan to find you delegation and get to the Eternal Forest?" Samuel asked, watched all the uncertainty and anxiety filled Emma's face, Samuel continued, "How about let we help you?"

"What... are you sure...?" Emma surprised.

"No shit," Samuel laughed, "What? so we just let you go alone and become those lizardmen's food, beside they did saw we're together, aren't they? And lucky for you we were on our way to the Eternal Forest too."

"What? you were..." –Emma surprised at Samuel's slipup, but Elesil cut off her thought.

"Lady Blanchardlette, as an Elvas, it is my duty to see you safely arrive at the Eternal Forest too, so you do not have worry about it," Elesil said.

"Very well, if that the case then I am thankful for your generosity, you have my thank and the crown of Celgealia too, owe your gentlemen a debt" –Emma bowed her head and excepted the men's help.