And yet again you could not save everyone.

  You could not rip them apart.

  You almost died.

  Or did you?

  Or were you hoping deep down…

  That once you took that hit

  I would come out and do what you could not?

  Well it does not matter now.

  They all died.

  You could have heard that faster

  Smelled the flames quicker

  Saved at least two.

  But you still fear it.

  The truth.

  You still fear

  Me.

  We truly are hopeless.

  But I

  Won’t let that be.

  Khain awakened from his sleep abruptly. His head aching. His claws extended yet clean.

  He scanned the surroundings quickly , still being surrounded by 4 wooden walls , in a not too big shed.

  Lori is still asleep , but the sun has risen.

  He decides to let her rest for now, at least it seems her nightmares are gone… for now.

  Walking out of the shed silently he looks around. The forest is full of life , rays of the sun shining through the trees , giving just enough light to see. The elfs are working diligently , cleaning the last night’s battlefield.

  The battle… Khain’s begins to rethink the whole thing.

  “Whatever that guy was he was dangerous… I’d have to watch out for others like him.” He says to himself , making a double check that no one is eavesdropping.

  “But whats more important is what happened to that little furbag… I get she might be agile but that was more than that… And she says it looked as if time slowed down… Eh… What did I get myself into?”

  Looking back to the shed he continues on that thought.

  “Well, there’s no coming back now… Hells… Guess I’ll have to learn how to be a parent or something. Can’t be that bad… I just have to teach her how to survive out there… She seems like a fast learner… I hope.”

  Grabbing his still aching head Khain goes back with his memories to the nightmare.

  “And that voice again…ughh… I feel like my head is gonna blow.”

  It was not the first time that happened , nor would it be the last, and Khain knew it.

  “Maybe Eve will have something for that… Eh she probably does, that damn gremlin ,She has something for everything but sells only healing potions… Then I have to give her money… at least she’s handy to have around.”

  He was still feeling distaste after her last experiment.

  “Next time im gonna push dried mandragora down her fucking throat.”

  With a deep sigh Khain relaxed again , putting a hand up his chin to think as he realized his claws where still out.

  With a few shakes he manages to hide them again , it would be quite bad if he accidentaly cut somebody.

  “And yet im getting her another gift… speaking of… where is that elf?”

  Said Khain moving deeper into the village.

  Eyes of the citizens darted to him and away , some looked at him in awe , some in fear , some just avoided looking at him all together.

  The Village itself seemed brighter than last night , not just because of the light.

  It was as if the houses themselves regained some colors , as if a curse was lifted from them.

  But then again it might have been a literal curse , who knows what that thing has done to the village before death.

  Looking around Khain could not spot the young elf.

  However he did spot the Elder of the village.

  Who also spotted him , and was making his way in his direction.

  Before Khain could avoid the talk the Elder spoke.

  “Hello Warrior! Did you sleep well? I wish to thank you yet again for saving our village, you have our deepest gratitude.”

  “Aye , sure, yeah… Where is that other young elf? “

  “Oh? Schinael? He headed into the forest quite some time ago now , he should be back soon.”

  “Great. Thanks. –Said Khain turning around.”

  “Wait, I must ask… what do you intend to do with your young companion? She is clearly in pain… What happened to her is terrible…”

  Khain sighed heavily.

  “Why do you care? Im gonna teach her some things , so she can survive.”

  “That might not be enough… She needs some comfort, Would you consider staying here for some time? We could help her recover…”

  “Thanks for the worry , but I know a place where she can recover , as I said before we are heading to the nearby town , I have a house there. And I know she needs comfort… You don’t need to remind me.”

  “I will not force anything on you , she seems to trust you, and so will I.”

  With that the elder turned back and returned to the others of his kind.

  Khain meanwhile went back to check on Lori.

  Upon reaching the shed he looked inside to see her still sleeping soundly.

  She looked so calm now , he envied her rest, for his nightmares did not allow him to get much.

  And his body did not hide it , he felt heavy and slow , he knew he was stretching his timer already , he had to get back to the town soon.

  As he stepped away from the shed he noticed the young elf heading towards him.

  The air was filled with smells of many different plants and flowers as the elf got near.

  “I assume you upheld your part of the deal? –Asked Khain when the elf got close.”

  “Naturally, it was only normal that I did. Your help was immeasurable, here. – Said the elf giving Khain a basket full of many different flowers , plants , roots and all kinds of plants.”

  “Looks good enough. Thanks Schnel.”

  “It’s Schinael.”

  “Sure whatever.”

  The elf narrowed his eyes but after a moment just shrugged.

  “Its nothing. How is your companion doing?- He asked looking over to the shed.”

  “She’s getting some much needed rest, leave her be.”

  “I have no intention to wake her up. But what about you , why are you not sleeping still?”

  “Decided I need a walk.”

  “Certainly. You seem to keep a lot to yourself.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Yet I will still ask. Why do you hide your true self?”

  Khain turned in his direction letting out a deep sigh.

  “It’s easier to talk with people when you don’t scare them to death.

  “Oh so that is the case… I see then. That does make sense.”

  “Any more annoying questions?”

  “Do you think those like you are treated too harshly due to your looks? Do you wish people would not fear you?”

  “Oh? Oh , no. That would be ill advice. There is a reason people should fear those like me and its better if it stays that way. Not every…”monster” is as nice as me.”

  “Well at least you are honest. Very well. I shall not bother you any longer- Said the elf waving his hand , slowly walking away.”

  Khain observed him until he disappeared behind the houses of the village.

  “Damn point ears… Always trying to dig into problems of others…”

  Said Khain to himself, resting against a tree, keeping an eye on the shed.

  “Don’t sleep too long…Lori…” mumbled Khain , closing his eyes just a bit , to rest his mind.

  As he closed his eyes he drifted into an ever embracing void , which slowly grew brighter as he felt warmth , his mind cycling back to and old, old memory.

  A welcoming touch being the anchor to that memory , touch from a person he longed to forget…but why?

  Then , as a flod of cold rain it showered him.

  The despair , the pain.

  He was reliving it again , a cold body in his hands , no longer granting him that welcoming touch.

  Flames surrounding him , eating away at his eyes , rubble falling onto his back.

  He could not let go.

  He refused to accept this.

  And there he saw it.

  The one that caused all of this.

  And so all the despair gave way to rage.

  Then a shiver of satisfaction , before another fall into despair.

  For she was still dead. And revenge did not bring her back.

  And worst of it all…

  You could have saved her.

  Suddenly as if a spear piercing his mind, he hears a familiar voice calling out to him…

  “Khain….Khain…Khain” Suddenly his eyes shoot open , only to see Lori , standing in front of him.

  “Are you okay Khain? Why are you sleeping outside?-She asked surprised.”

  “Sleeping? I just… closed my eyes for a moment… damit…-Answered Khain while standing up and shaking his head.”

  “You should rest some more ,we could stay here and…”

  “No. I will rest once we reach the town, we should move out.”

  Without another word Lori just nodded , she looked fine but Khain could feel she’s still not doing that good.

  “Let’s head out already. Sooner we get there the better.”

  “Are we not gonna tell anything to the elves? We’re just gonna leave like that?”

  “We shouldn’t waste time here. We did what we came here for.”

  “But…”

  “No but’s. Come on , I hope you are well rested.”

  “Okay… I am.”

  Without any more words they begun walking , slowly losing the village in the forest behind them.

  They found their way back to the path without much issues.

  Their adventure was going smoothly , Khain knew the village was just ahead when suddenly between his exhaustion a sharp pain chimed in.

  It forced him to stop as a hard deep coughing started tormenting him out of seemingly nowhere.

  And with each cough a decent amount of blood shoot out of his mouth.

  “Khain are you okay? What’s wrong?-Asked Lori in terror.”

  Khain knew exactly what that was , and quickly connected one and the other…

  “So that’s what that dream was…”

  “Dream? What dream? What’s happening?”

  “It’s nothing… I just have that sometimes…its uhh… yeah I get that from fights…”

  “Are you sure? It does not look okay…”

  “Lori please , I will be fine , we are very close to the town.”

  “Well… If you say so then okay...”

  Lori was still sick worried , she didn’t want to lose the only person she really knew right now , and Khain was really not looking too well.

  But they didn’t halt for long , going back to their normal pace.

  Within mere minutes they finally saw it , the town.

  It was the first time Lori saw anything like it.

  It was massive compared to her village , large buildings, surrounded by walls, smoke coming out of seemingly each house... It was something she has never seen before.

  They reached the entrance to the city , it was a big old wooden gate with a sign next to it reading “Mundvik”.

  Under the massive gate two men clad in metal armor stood , holding spears.

  “Uhm…Khain? Who are these people?”

  “Uhh…Guards. Oh. Right you probably don’t know what a guard is… Well they…”

  “I know what a guard is. I read books. I just imagined them more… shiny? Grand”

  “They are what they are paid , and they get paid poorly.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I asked them , the guards can speak you know?”

  Lori did not say anything more , giving Khain an annoyed stare as he shrug and made it to the guards.

  “Halt! Who goes there!? –Yelled one of the guards stepping forward.”

  Lori got behind Khain.

  “Are they gonna let us in Khain?”

  “Yes. I know the password.”

  Khain walked up to the guard looking him right in the eyes with a smirk.

  “Fuck off.-He said calmly.”

  The guard looked back to his comrade and shrug.

  “Not in the mood for some jokes today Khain? Well, welcome back.-Said the guard turning around to get back to his original position”

  “Not really, just open the gate.”

  The guard lifted his arm , signaling a different guard standing on the walls surrounding the town.

  The guard on the wall was much taller than the ones in front of the gate. Lori could see him start pulling on a chain as the gates begun to open.

  “By the way Khain , who’s your cute friend? Never saw her before. –Asked the so far silent guard before getting poked by his now clearly annoyed friend.”

  “What? Im just asking.”

  Khain turned his head to the guard with a really tired expression.

  “Ask again and you’ll get to fly over the wall.”

  “Fine ,fine grumpy. Go in already Eve will be happy that you’re finally back.”

  Khain grunted moving into the town as Lori followed right behind him.

  She was not ready for what she saw.

  Wide streets with houses everywhere , people walking around , carts pulled by some animals going around , the whole scale of it scared her.

  Just on that street alone she could count more people than she has ever met.

  The buildings were made of logs and wood , holding together , looking better than anything she has ever seen… how was this even made?

  And the smell… From bad ones that could just be trash and possibly even rodents, to some very nice aroma as if something very tasty was being cooked.

  Khain did not seem to even register all the sensation , or maybe he was just too used to them as he marched forward without stopping for even a moment.

  Lori quickly snapped out of her trance from all the new things surrounding her and caught up to him.

  “Khain… This town is just so…big… its amazing…-She said whilst still looking around.”

  “There are bigger ones that look and smell better.”

  Lori could not even imagine something even bigger than this.

  “Really? Can we see them some day?”

  “Eh? Oh. Yeah… maybe? I guess.”

  Lori was hopeful they would , but soon something else got her attention.

  They walked into a bigger open area , filled with many stools stuffed with foods and various items.

  “What is all this? –Asked Lori in amazement.”

  “That’s the trading yard. You can buy stuff here for money. Like food , or whatever else someone else might want to sell.”

  “What is money?”

  “It’s a form of currency… Like uhh… You just use it to trade… Eh… , I will explain later.”

  “Oh okay…”

  Lori did not feel the need to know what money is now , for the sheer amount of new things surrounding her was enough to take her attention off it.

  The constant bombardment of new flavours , new faces , new objects… it was overwhelming to say the least.

  The stools had items she could not recognize among those she did , reality and fiction blending together.

  But it was all real ,alright.

  The buildings surrounding this area made her feel small, they were made of stone as opposed to wood , yet were so tall , how did they not crumble? And the windows had something on them… some sort of crystal? She could see through it but she could notice it easily…

  And the people? People here looked different , some beast men , some had scales , others tails similliar to hers , and then some had much different ones.

  Tall and short , she even saw some shorter than her , where they kids just walking around? They didn’t look like ones aside from their height.

  They all somehow moved around her , as if avoiding her…no… as she looked onward she quickly realized it was not HER they were avoiding , it was Khain.

  As he moved forward they all went out of his way , not one person dared to even look at him.

  Yet Khain moved forward and she did not dare to stop , last thing she wouldn’t want was to get lost in a place like this, drown in the ocean of people.

  However Khain stopped suddenly. His head turning to one of the stools.

  There stood a wobbly man with his back turned to them.

  Khain approached him and spoke only when right behind him.

  “Hello there Vikram.”

  The man turned around clearly terrified.

  Lori could not help but chuckle , she found his fear…amusing for some reason.

  “Ah…Khain…hehe…long time no see…how have you been? Need anything? Can I help you somehow?”

  “Why yes! You can help me out real good my favorite little trader, I need something for… nightmares. Got something that can help?”

  “Well…umm…Y..yes. I uhh...”

  The unassuming man turned to his stool and picked up a small blue medallion.

  “This charm will um… ward your mind and…and… bring back only real memories… should help with nightmares.”

  “Wonderfull , how much for it?”

  “Oh…Uh…for you Khain its just 5 gold pieces! Y..yes.”

  Khain took out a small pouch and from it he picked off 5 coins , gold in color.

  Lori watched closely.

  Just as he was about to give it to the man he suddenly grabbed his hand and the man jolted in terror.

  “Vikram tell me… this charm won’t explode when I put it on right? It won’t suddenly catch on fire on anything , correct?”

  “Ah…Uhh…Well…I…Ummm…”

  “Vikram. Should I break your leg again?”

  “Hold on! This one might be from a bad batch , here take this one instead!”

  Said the funny man switching the charm with another one looking exactly the same.

  “Pleasure doing business”.-Said Khain giving him his 5 gold and taking the charm.

  Lori observed as the man took a run for it to hide behind his stool as soon as Khain turned around.

  “Let’s go Lori.-He said as he started walking deeper into the town.”

  Lori switched her walk to a jog to catch up with him.

  “Khain…wait…why was that man so scared of you?”

  “Oh Vik? Yeah he sold me some things that…”malfunctioned” and I kinda broke his leg for that. Got carried away, but he had it coming.”

  “Malfunctioned?”

  “A lantern. It…exploded. With like… actual spirits coming out of it , long story.”

  “Can I hear it someday? “

  “Eh sure why not.”

  “Yay. Oh and uh… he was funny when he got scared.”

  “Oh I know right? I love when he’s scared. Guy cowers in fear like some rodent. But he’s a good person , just selling shady stuff that can sometimes explode or something.”

  “Also um…where are we going exactly?”

  “Oh. To my house , we will stay in the town for some time.”

  “Really? You live here?”

  “Yeah. It’s a nice place, mostly calm people. Im gonna get some sleep and we can start your training.”

  Lori’s eyes shined with enthusiasm.

  “My training?! So you are going to teach me?”

  “Yes , I already said I would.”

  “Thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou! “

  “Aye , calm down , you won’t be thanking me once it starts , it’s gonna be hard.”

  “Im ready for it!”

  “We will see about that.”

  Khain seemed to drift into thoughts after saying it, Lori wanted to ask him if something is up but before she could…

  “Oh here we are.”

  They stood infront a pretty big house made of hard bricks , it was near the wall that surrounded the town , quite a bit away from other houses. It had a pretty big garden on its side and the door were much larger than any other house Lori saw so far.

  “This is your home?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s massive!”

  “Is it? Eh , maybe you are right. But forget that , come , you need to meet someone.”

  As they approached the house Lori noticed a sign atop the door saying “Healing Potions and Medicine”.

  As soon as Khain reached the door he opened it without hesitation and entered inside , signaling Lori to follow.

  Once inside Lori was struck by a powerfull combination of aromas and views , it was as if the inside of the house was a whole different world than the outside.

  Smells of herbs , some cooking some not , some meats , and a whole lot of other things Lori could not even make out , or maybe she just never smelled them before.

  The house itself was full of pretty furniture , said herbs that caused all those sensations where everywhere , and among them some potions of different sizes in different bottles.

  Was all of this Khain’s?

  Speaking of whom, he walked forward until he reached what appeared to be a counter. Behind it was a heavy looking metal door. He looked around and suddenly spoke in a heavy tone.

  “Would be a real shame if there was somebody actually checking if people enter their shop, Eve.”

  Suddenly something clearly started to shuffle from deeper into the house. Lori heard hasty footsteps getting closer. Light footsteps.

  Then as if thunder , the metal doors slam open , and a woman runs out into the room.

  Lori observed her closely. She had short dark hair , wore black leather clothes that might have been a size too small , her face was round and looked quite soft , but more than all that two things caught Lori’s attention , first was her height , she was tall , Lori would barely reach to her chest , and most of said height was her legs. The second thing where her pinkish eyes.

  The woman looked around with clear shock on her face, but also… excitement?

  Then she spotted Khain , and Lori heard a scream in such a high pitch that she could swear her ears would bleed.

  -KHAAAIN!

  The woman screeched rushing to him, for Lori it was a pleasant surprise when instead of attacking him she embraced him.

  “Where have you been!? I was sick worried You were supposed to show up yesterday! “

  “Relax and stop screaming you wench. I just had a little detour.”

  “Tell me all about it then! Want some tea? I got a new type.”

  “Later Eve. Later.”

  Lori observed their interaction with curiosity, “who is that woman?” she wondered.

  Then the woman finally noticed her. She stared at Lori with complete shock for a moment , then looked back at Khain , then back to Lori.

  “Well well Khain , you finally found someone? No wait , she’s too young… is she your kid or something? DID YOU NOT TELL ME YOU HAVE A KID?! KHAIN EXPLAIN! I NEED TO KNOW KHA-“

  Before she could spew out more word Khain grabbed her head, covering her mouth and lifted her up , leaving Lori quite surprised.

  “SHUT.”

  He said in quite a commanding tone, then looked over to Lori.

  “Give us a moment , need to explain stuff , wait here.”

  His tone back to normal , or even a bit…nicer?

  Still holding the woman he walked through the wide open metal doors and closed them, leaving Lori on her own in the room…or…shop?

  Lori could hear them start talking behind the door, she couldn’t hear everything as it was quite muffled , but she understood the context.

  Khain was explaining to that woman what happened to her. She could hear about the village , the Oni’s, the Elves….

  She felt her head grow ten times heavier when she heard him say something about her mother….

  After a few minutes the door opened again and they walked out, the woman approached Lori and kneeled in front of her.

  “Um… Hi , Im Eve , Im Khain’s friend, you are Lori right?”

  “Yes… It’s… nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too… Umm… If you have any questions just ask, okay? I will see what I can do , and um… feel at home I suppose.”

  “What are you doing in Khain’s house? –Lori asked bluntly with childish curiosity.”

  “Oh well…um… we share this house and-“

  “Nah , house is mine , I just let you live here and allow you to make and sell those potions of yours.” –Added Khain cutting her off.

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  “I was about to get to that! Besides im helping to pay the rent and everything!”

  “Yeah , you pay like , 20 percent? Maybe?”

  “Not my fault potions don’t sell that well anymore is it?”

  “No , but they would sell more if you actually started selling more than just healing ones.”

  “Oh we talked about this , first I sell some strength potion or some smartening potion and then they come over asking for love potions or some crap!”

  “Eh , whatever , So yeah , She’s Eve , lives in my house , keeps it together when im on my little adventures , makes and sells (healing)potions.”

  “And just to be clear I can make MUCH more than healing ones for you sweetheart , just make sure nobody learns where you got them from. –Said the woman , patting Lori on the shoulder and standing up.”

  As she stood up Lori got a good whiff of her scent.

  It was full of different perfumes made of different kinds of flowers and herbs , but under it all , a small tint of something else…something that stinks like… rotten eggs?

  As she walked back to Khain she signaled Lori to follow by waving her hand.

  “Come on Lori , let me show you around the house.- She said in a welcoming tone.”

  “Oh right , I got something for you Eve. –Said Khain before they could enter through the metal doors.”

  He pulled out a basket full of different kinds of plants and flowers from behind his back and gave it to her.

  “Oh devils…Khain… where did you get all these?”

  “Got them from some wood elf in exchange for a bit of help , I’ll tell you later.”

  “Oh these will come in handy hehe… -She said putting them on a shelf nearby.”

  Then they all entered deeper into the house. Khain closed the metal door behind Lori and walked off into a different room , leaving her in a pretty long corridor with Eve , who immediately took initiative.

  “So, uh, first room on the right is the living room , we have a nice sofa and a table and uh , some nice crystals and stuff to look at.”

  Lori looked into the room , and indeed it possessed quite a large sofa , a nice sturdy table and rather nice decorations including pretty crystals and flowers , all with the same color theme of black and purple.

  “I did the decor myself , Khain never really…cared about it.”

  “It’s pretty.”

  Eve’s gaze suddenly snapped to Lori surprised.

  “Oh? Oh. Why thank you.”

  She smiled awkwardly.

  “Well then uhh… the next room on the right is the kitchen , come and see.”

  Lori took a peek into the next room over , it had another table , some bags , and a small furnace with pots all around it.

  “We have some salted meats in the bags in case you would be hungry.”

  “Salted? –Asked Lori with curiosity.”

  -Like…with salt, to preserve them.

  -What is salt?

  “Uhh… its like a white block you grind into dust , it makes meat spoil slower and is uh…salty. Oh and you can add it to other things to make them salty too.”

  “Where is salt from? “

  “Ehhhh…mountainssss…? Minesss…? Im not sure we just buy it on the trade yard.”

  “Oh okay.”

  After a few moments of awkward silence Eve spoke up again.

  “Well uh , the next room on the right is my room , that’s where I brew all the healing potions , the one at the end of the corridor is the bathroom , next to it is our little storage room for all kinds of stuff , the two first rooms on the left are empty and the last one leads to Khain’s uhh…burrow?”

  “Burrow?”

  “Yeah it just leads down into a small tunnel with Khain’s actual room being at the end of it , a few meters underground.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah… well anyways , you can choose one of the empty rooms to be your room.”

  “Wait. Really? “

  “Well duh , you will be staying here for some time from what Khain said.”

  “Thank you! –Said Lori running over to check the rooms.”

  Both of them where pretty much the same , a bit dusty , with a simple but big bed , a shelf , a wardrobe and a single window.

  “You can decorate them however you like once you chose one by the by.”

  Lori already had some ideas , but for now it was not her priority.

  After some thought she decided to chose the room that was closer to Khain’s room. It made her feel safer.

  “I want this one.”

  “It’s yours then, feel free to get some rest if you need it.”

  “Can I see Khain’s room?”

  “Uh , I would have to ask him… nah he probably won’t mind. Come.”

  Eve lead Lori to the doors leading to Khain’s room , when they entered there was in fact no room , but an actual tunnel leading a bit underground. It was wide enough for both of them , and pretty high too , they walked down deeper into in and within moments found another door.

  Eve opened it non chalantly.

  “And this is where the old bear sleeps and keeps his stuff.”

  The room itself was quite… a mess to say the least.

  It had weapons of all sorts laying everywhere , a few shelves and wardrobes full of them.

  From swords to axes and hammers to even shields , all of varying sizes.

  In the middle was a small hole filled with pillows , was that where Khain slept?

  Speaking of whom , Khain was in the room , throwing around all the armaments , as if looking for something.

  “Khain what are you doing?-Asked Eve.”

  “WHERE THE HELL IS THE FUCKING AXE, WOMAN?”

  “Why would I know? I don’t mess with your stuff.”

  “UNTILL YOU FUCKING DO.”

  “It was months ago! I didn’t see nor touch your damn axe.”

  “HA ,FOUND IT!”

  Khain proclaimed in victory as he pulled out a massive axe.

  It was quite unusual , it’s whole head made of some black metal , almost resembling obsidian. It’s handle full of runes carved into it’s sturdy frame. The whole axe was truly massive , it was bigger than Lori herself.

  “Wooow. What do you need it for Khain?-Asked Lori in awe.”

  “A test , follow me.”

  Both Lori and Eve followed Khain back into the corridor in the middle of the house.

  Suddenly he let go of the axe , letting it fall and lodge itself in the floor with a very loud crack.

  “What the hell? – Yelled Eve shocked and annoyed.”

  “Shush. –Said Khain shortly before turning to Lori.”

  “Listen Lori , im gonna go get some sleep , in the meanwhile , I want you to try moving this axe.”

  “Just move it?”

  “Yes , once you manage to do that , and I wake up , your training will begin. Take your time , and don’t break something a healing potion can’t fix.”

  “I will do it. I swear.”

  “Good, im leaving you with Eve for now , If you need anything just ask her.”

  “Okay…”

  “And as for you Eve… Keep an eye on her , im counting on you. Don’t make me regret that again please.”

  “Fine fine devils dammit. Just go and slumber in your hole.”

  With that Khain gave Lori one more head nod , before disappearing into the door leading to his room , and closing it behind him.

  “Well there’s that.” –Said Eve shrugging.

  “I will be in my room , if you need anything just ask.”-She added , heading to her room.

  Lori just nodded her head , all of her focus was on the giant axe lodged into the floor.

  Could she actually lift it? She thought to herself.

  No, she had to , there was no other option.

  She approached the axe and grabbed it’s handle with both hands.

  It was rough to touch yet surprisingly warm.

  She prepared herself and pulled , with all her strength , yet the axe did not budge.

  She tried and tried and tried , yet the only thing she achieved was scratching her hands on the handle.

  But she did not yield.

  At least not for the next hour.

  After which however she didn’t have much choice.

  Her hands where all bloody , her arms ached like never before and she was exhausted to the point she had to lay down on the floor.

  As she was resting she noticed Eve in the doorway of her room , looking at her.

  “Im surprised you kept trying to be honest , but do consider a break , you will seriously hurt yourself if you keep going like that. “

  “But I have to do this… for my training to begin…”

  “You actually believe Khain will train you?”

  “Well he promised…”

  “Did he now? That’s interesting….”

  “Uhm…why?”

  “It’s rare for him to make a promise… but if he did then I have no doubt he will…even though… why would he give you a task like that first is beyond me.”

  “Maybe it’s some sort of a test?”

  “Maybe. But I can say for certain that you my dear , need some rest now.”

  “How long does Khain usually sleep?”

  “About a day or two…or three…”

  “Wait what? That long?!”

  “Yeah , he goes around for a few weeks , sleeps for a few days , and before you ask… no clue how he even works.”

  “I see… Can I ask you something?”

  “Oh by all means , ask anything you want.”

  “Are you and Khain…close?”

  Eve couldn’t help but chuckle , following it shortly with a sigh.

  “Depends… compared to everyone else then yeah , im one of the few people that can touch him without risking their lives…. But If you mean in a romantic way then…well… not really… And don’t get me wrong , I tried , and I am certain he does care about me in his own way… it’s just not “that” way.”

  “I…see… is Khain considered dangerous?”

  “Extremely dangerous. And Im not even gonna pretend otherwise. –Said Eve whilst taking a more serious expression.”

  “Does he kill people often?”

  Eve chuckled again , yet it just felt…wrong.

  “How many have he kill since you met him?”

  “He didn’t kill people.”

  “Oh? Then what did he kill?”

  “Three Oni’s and some dark evil elf… just monsters.”

  “I…see… well uhh… how about this… I carry you to your room and put you on the nice soft bed so you can rest and get comfy , and you… tell me all about the fights Khain had.”

  “Okay… -Said Lori as suddenly Eve lifted her from the floor and begun carrying her to her new room.”

  The smell she noticed earlier was still there , something that smelled like rotten eggs , hidden under many perfumes. Now that she was right next to Eve she could make it out better.

  Eve put her down on the bed gently , despite her looks she was quite strong.

  “So , what about those Oni’s first?”

  Lori got comfortable on the bed and started telling Eve what happened in her village.

  It was still painfull to go back to these memories , but telling it all to Eve made her feel better , even if just a little bit.

  After finishing her story she looked over at Eve to see her deep in thought.

  “Umm…Eve?”

  “Ah! Yes? I was just… thinking… You said that Oni almost killed Khain?”

  “Yes… he was just about to…”

  Eve’s eyes wandered around , but she was not searching for anything… her gaze was look past everything.

  “I…uh… well Im glad you saved him then… I uh… well I dunno what I would do without Khain.”

  Lori did not say anything , she felt off seeing Eve react this way to her story.

  “So umm… what about that dark elf or something you mentioned?”

  This part was way easier for her to talk about , in fact , she felt some level of pride for killing that bastard.

  Upon finishing her story she was nearly smiling , remembering the fear that decorated the eyes of that monster.

  “Intresting… also you said Khain’s armor…cracked? Like when the claws struck him.”

  “Yes. He said these claws could get through stone , so it’s not that surprising…right?”

  “Yeah…yeah… well… thanks for telling me the story. Khain isn’t really up for talking about his adventures.”

  Despite the thanks Lori could see that Eve was worried about something.

  “Is something wro…”

  “Nothing you can do about it , don’t worry. It’s just… I will have to talk with Khain for a bit when he wakes up.”

  “Okay… and um… Eve… can I ask you something?”

  “Oh? Yeah sure , I told you that you can ask me anything my dear.”

  “You know Khain for way longer than me so I wanted to ask…I just… I saw what he can be like in a fight… he seems like two different people in and out of a fight… so I wanted to ask… what is he REALLY like?”

  Eve froze for a moment looking at Lori.

  “What is Khain… really like? “

  She repeated , her eyes opening wide , she was frozen , frozen in fear.

  Whatever the question did Eve was now terrified , her gaze was looking past Lori , her eyes shaking.

  This fear was NOT funny.

  Lori could literally feel it.

  It was clawing at her mind , surrounding her like an endless void.

  For a moment she could feel something.

  There was a presence… a memory… something traumatic looming over her.

  She felt small… weak… hopeless.

  Surrounded by cold darkness.

  Or was it all what Eve felt?

  Suddenly Eve gasped , snapping out of it , her hand covering her mouth.

  In mere moments Eve went back to her usual self , and replied.

  “Khain can be difficult , but he’s not a bad person when you get to know him better , he is just… hard to read.”

  “Eve… are you allright?”

  “Yes… I just dozed off for a moment there , happens sometimes , you know , potions and stuff , side effects , nothing to worry about ha..ha…You should take a nap now , get some rest and all that.”

  “I don’t really want to sleep…”

  “Why not?”

  “What If the nightmares come back?”

  “Oh. Well that I can understand… listen I know this might not help much but, at some point, you will have to face your own nightmares , beat them up , you know? And the sooner you do that the better for you… or something like that… well just try to rest in any way you can, you know where to find me if you need anything.”

  Lori nodded her head.

  Eve gave her one last smile and stood up , turning around on one leg and walking out of the room.

  Whatever happened during that conversation did not seem like a normal reaction , but Lori knew better than to push it , especially since she barely knew Eve.

  In fact she barely knew anyone now , but she did not even dare start thinking about that.

  She decided to deal with the matter at hand. Getting some rest.

  She knew there was some truth in what Eve said , if she does not deal with her nightmares she won’t get to sleep , and that’s not a good thing.

  She decided to give this nightmare beating a try.

  She closed her eyes , the warm blanket covering her aching body giving it some respite.

  Despite her worries sleep came in easily… however as soon as her mind drifted away it suddenly got pulled back as if by a cold metal chain.

  Yet she was not in the cozy room under a blanket , but on the cold ground , surrounded by flames and screams of agony.

  She could see them , the monsters towering over her , laughing.

  She felt hopeless , weak and scared.

  The towering shadows drew closer and closer , she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, she tried screaming but no sound came out.

  “What should I do?” she asked herself. She felt small and pathetic. She knew there was nobody that will save her.

  Finally a new question came into her head.

  “What would Khain do?”

  He would fight them , he would beat them , kill them.

  But she couldn’t , she was too weak , to scared.

  The arms of the shadows loomed over her.

  She felt so scared , so weak so…no.

  She did not want to feel like that ever again.

  She would NEVER feel like that again.

  The fear was replaced by something else.

  Anger.

  She couldn’t stand being that weak. It was pathetic.

  She was not going to let anything like this happen. Not now. Not ever.

  She gritted her teeth , and in pure rage threw a punch at the shadow hand.

  The strike connected , the shadows dissipated and she was back in her room , standing up.

  Arm extended forward , her small fist held firmly in Eve’s hand.

  After a few seconds of Lori’s confusion Eve let go of her hand and shook her own as if in slight pain.

  “Ouch… That was quite a punch you know, Guess you don’t like getting woken up, could shake hands with Khain on that one. Well anyway, I asked if you want something to eat.”

  Lori was still trying to process everything that happened, however despite focusing on something else entirely a mere mention of food was enough to get all of her attention.

  “Food? Yes!...oh um…please.”

  “Okay then , come on , let us go to the kitchen , and no more punches. Save that for when Khain wakes up.”

  Lori followed her without another word , wondering what kind of food she would get , after all a town like this had to have something else to eat than her village.

  Yet to her slight disappointment what she got was boiled eggs.

  But that did not deter her from eating them in a flash.

  “You sure are hungry, want one more?”

  Asked Eve putting the last egg on Lori’s plate.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” –Asked Lori , barely stopping herself from eating it.

  “Nah , don’t worry , im fine.” – Said Eve nonchalantly.

  Lori was not going to ask again as she ate the egg and drank some water.

  She looked around the kitchen , it looked simple , yet was way more advanced than anything she ever saw , in normal circumstances she would start asking question after question but now, many other thoughts filled her head. The whole dream and what happened after it , the axe still waiting to be moved , and… well… everything. Is this house and these two going to be her life from now on? It could be , and she wouldn’t mind. She was already getting used to it.

  While Lori drifted into thought Khain stirred in his sleep.

  The charm he got from that half honest merchant hanging next to him.

  He looked around , gazing into the darkness surrounding him, when suddenly a bright flash of red flame, combined with a deafening blast snapped him into focus.

  “Cannons on the hill!” someone shouted before being silenced by another blast.

  He looked onward seeing the blazing iron barrels , sending down death onto those around him.

  Each salvo taking lives of many man. Their bodies being torn apart by the sheer force of the impact.

  “Humans.” He thought to himself with a slight chuckle as he pressed onward, stepping on bodies of those who fell six feet under.

  He saw some of these “soldiers” running away in terror , trying to save their lives, only to run straight into another salvo, utter fools.

  Then , another flash , another salvo , aimed at him.

  Some of the shots did hit , yet all they did was cause him to take a step back.

  He did not feel much pain , but what he did feel was irritation , his ears ringing from the blast.

  His march switched to a charge forward, rushing towards the cannons.

  Some smarter humans going right behind him , using him as cover.

  He could see those men behind the cannons trying to reload in panic as he drew closer.

  But they were too slow.

  He reached them and smashed their priced weapons out of the way , they flew as if feathers pushed by the wind , as if they weighed nothing , yet their landing crushed a few enemy soldiers.

  Then , as if cannons themselves , he swung his arms ,and the enemy soldiers could not do anything as their bodies fell apart from each strike.

  Those who followed his advance went straight into the enemy forces , breaking their formation and pushing with the charge , maybe 15 men , yet they were pushing back over 50.

  Meanwhile Khain finished up the remaining members of the cannon squad, getting his hands dirty.

  All this death , all this slaughter… all of it…brought a smile to his face.

  This is it. This is what he lives for. A thrill of battle , where life and death dance together among warriors , judging witch one deserves to live or die.

  The only thing that can impress them being your own skill wits and power.

  Yet as Khain relished in this warm sensations another call threw him back into the hell on earth.

  “They have a wizard!”

  Someone yelled as the sky went red.

  The sun’s where a plenty as they all begun falling from the sky, covering soldiers in flames of destruction.

  Well , maybe not actual suns , but close enough.

  And amidst all the flames , just beyond the hill , a single man stood , and old mage , raining fiery death down on those who opposed him.

  Yet despite what most would assume , he was not feeble , he stood proud , knowing those on the hill where beneath him.

  Khain took a step forward , fully intended to end this madness and face the wizard, but just then , he noticed a swordsman duel.

  And a great one at that , truly a dance of death. Yet it was about to be cut short , as a flaming sphere closed in on them, none of the warriors noticing it as the focused on their battle.

  It was then , at that time that the one who truly have not cared about another for years , decided to go out of his way to help.

  Just as the fireball was about to struck right between the two swordsman Khain stepped in , taking all of the blast by himself.

  As the two swordsman took notice of it they halted their duel momentarily , and Khain could get a good look at them.

  One , clad in full armor , yet stood unsure , hesitant , he feared for his own life despite all the advantages he had.

  The other? Wearing mere cloth , no armor whatsoever , his survival only a testament to his skills.

  And within a mere moment as Khain absorbed all of the fireball , the swordsman who was his ally in war made a move , finding a weakspot in his adversary’s armor , and finish the duel in one slash.

  The armored warrior have fallen.

  Impressed by the complete lack of hesitation despite the situation they found themselves in Khain asked.

  “What is your name?”

  As the swordsman lips opened , Khain suddenly heard something loud , snapping him out of his trance, it was… as if a wall got shattered.

  His eyes shot open as he found himself in his room , broken from his dream.

  He was surprised by what he just experienced , but he did not have time to think about it at all , as Eve’s scream ringed in his ears as if a cannon on its own, filled with shock and… despair?

  Rushing out of his room to the corridor he was met with a shocking scene, stunning even him.

  The axe he told Lori to lift was wedged into a wall , deep.

  But just as he looked right he saw something that made his heart stop.

  Lori was on the ground, in a pool of blood as Eve was panicking out of her mind.