Chapter 11: The Giant and the Yak?

  The sunlight was high and unforgiving. The rocky mountain path was long gone, replaced now by a vast, unending meadow of tall grass that swayed in the hot breeze. A lone figure could be seen running with a desperate urgency, another person held securely on her back.

  This was Lin and Kun.

  I need to hurry, Lin thought, her own breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. Dark, heavy bags hung under her eyes, a testament to her exhaustion. She was carrying Kun in a piggyback ride, his unconscious head lolling against her shoulder. His face was flushed a deep, feverish red, and the bandages on his legs, once clean, had long since gone dark crimson, unreplaced due to their dwindling supplies.

  How long had she been running? Two days? Three? She didn't care to count anymore. All she could think about was finding some semblance of civilization, a village, a healer—anyone. Her satchel and bow were long gone. She had tossed them away hours ago; their food had run dry, and the empty bags had become nothing more than dead weight.

  She felt his forehead against her cheek. It was burning. Oh no, he's heating up, she thought, a fresh wave of panic cutting through her exhaustion. I need to run faster.

  Please, Kun, just hang in there, she pleaded silently, pushing herself to her absolute limit, her legs screaming in protest as she carried the unconscious man.

  She tripped.

  Her foot caught on an unseen root, and with a cry of surprise, she and Kun came tumbling down, rolling through the tall grass and landing in a heap on the dirt path. She tried to stand, reaching for Kun who had been sent sprawling a few feet away, but a sharp, blinding pain shot up from her ankle.

  No, she thought, horror filling her eyes. She looked down. Her ankle was already swelling, bruised. The cumulative exhaustion she had gathered while running nonstop for days finally crashed down on her. Her legs, which had carried them so far, refused to obey.

  To make matters worse, she suddenly heard it. The rhythmic clip-clop of hooves and the rumble of heavy carriage wheels growing closer and closer. Are they here? she thought, her breathing becoming shallow as she grasped for what little air she had left. The search party.

  She readied the small dagger she had kept hidden, her last line of defense. Sorry, Kun, she whispered, crawling toward his still form and pulling his head into her lap. I guess our journey was short-lived after all.

  As the carriages came to a stop a short distance away, she could see they weren't the standard, gilded weaponized carriages used by Jinlun's military. They were sturdy, practical merchant wagons, built for long journeys. But that didn't make her any less worried. They could still be bandits.

  From the most ornate of the carriages—one not drawn by horses, but by a massive, brown-furred yak—a man stepped down. He was so large he could have been mistaken for a giant, his thick, grey beard hiding the lower half of his face, his skin dark and sun-kissed. He approached them with a steady, unthreatening gait.

  "Hohoho, don't be wary, young miss," the large man said, his voice a deep, gentle rumble. "You two look like you could use some help, and I can provide that. What do you say?"

  "Who are you, and what do you want from us?" Lin asked, her dagger still held tight, her guard not dropping for a second.

  "Hohoho, where are my manners," the man chuckled. "My name is Boban Said, but you can just call me Bob, like everyone else. I don't need anything from you. I'm just offering a hand to the two of you. A simple kindness. You certainly look like you need it, judging by his condition." Bob pointed a thick finger toward the unconscious Kun.

  "What's in it for you?" Lin's voice was sharp with suspicion. "Is this a trap? To lull us into a false sense of security?"

  "Yeah, Master, why are we stopping for these two?" a woman's voice called out from the carriage. A young woman with brown skin and a massive greatsword strapped to her back leaned out. "It's not like you to help strangers on the road."

  "Don't be like that, Mila," Bob said, still extending a hand toward Lin. "I always help people in need. And don't call me Master, people will get the wrong impression of us."

  Mila just shrugged, but she kept her eyes fixed on Lin, her expression wary.

  A dilemma raged in Lin's mind. Option one: refuse them, and die with Kun on the road. Option two: accept their help, and die later if they turn out to be bandits. Heh, she thought, a bitter, humorless smile on her face. Looks like I have no other choice.

  "Can I have your word that you will help us?" Lin asked, her voice quiet but firm.

  "Of course, dear," Bob replied, his own smile kind and genuine. "Bob always keeps his promise."

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  "Then fine," she said, her voice full of a reluctance she couldn't hide. "I'll accept your help."

  Bob nodded. "Men!" he barked, his voice suddenly booming with authority. "Quick! These two need first aid! Then we shall move towards Moulang! Time is of the essence!"

  Immediately, multiple men came pouring out of the other carriages. One, clearly a medic, rushed to Kun's side, cleaning his wounds and applying fresh bandages with a practiced hand while another tended to Lin's swollen ankle. Once the initial first aid was complete, they gently lifted both Lin and Kun and carried them to the main carriage. As they placed her inside the spacious wagon, the cool shade was an immediate relief from the unforgiving sun. The air inside smelled of spiced wood, old leather, and something exotic she couldn't place.

  She leaned back against a soft burlap sack, her exhaustion a heavy weight on her bones, but her silver eyes never left the giant of a man who now held their lives in his hands. Her body screamed for sleep, but her mind refused to surrender. Who is this man? she thought, her hand never straying far from the dagger still hidden at her waist. And what does he really want?

  As the caravan began to move again, Bob settled into the driver's seat, the massive yak letting out a low grunt.

  "So, where are we going?" Lin asked, her voice still wary.

  "Moulang, young miss," Bob replied without turning around. "It's the closest village that is also on our way."

  "Will there be a healer there?"

  "No idea," Bob admitted. "But it's better than camping out in the open, don't you think?"

  Lin couldn't deny it. Being in a village, any village, gave Kun a much better chance of survival than being out here in the wilderness.

  "Look," Bob said, his voice softening. "I know you're still wary of us, but don't worry. I just want to help. I can promise you that." He paused, then added, "Especially when your boyfriend is in a critical condition like that."

  "He's not my boyfriend," Lin rejected instantly, a faint blush on her cheeks. "...not yet," she whispered, so quietly that no one could hear.

  "Master, are we sure these two won't bring trouble?" Mila asked from her seat next to Bob, her hand resting on the hilt of her greatsword.

  "For the last time, Mila, it's Bob, not Master," he sighed. "And I don't know. I just... I really want to help. No matter the trouble, I have to."

  "Master, you're still..." Mila started to say, but she trailed off, her gaze falling on Lin. They do look somewhat similar, she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly. But she knew who this woman was. Mila kept her guard up, her wary eyes fixed on the girl who was now clearly starting to doze off, her head slowly slumping against a sack of grain.

  Can't sleep, she thought, fighting the heavy pull of her eyelids. Must stay awake. Kun needs me, in case... Her train of thought started to trail off. To keep herself alert, she decided to make small talk.

  "So who are you, really, Bob?" she asked, her voice a little slurred from exhaustion.

  "Me?" Bob chuckled. "Hohoho, just a humble merchant from Zarateph. I sell rare exotic fruits, wares, and spices."

  "And how do I know you're not lying to us?"

  "Well," Bob said, his voice full of amusement, "you aren't dead yet, right?"

  Lin couldn't answer, because he was correct.

  "Are you done interrogating me, miss?" Bob asked. "If you want, I can say more. I have nothing to hide." He gestured with his thumb to the woman beside him. "That woman over there is Mila Kaine, a mercenary, my caravan guard leader. I've told her multiple times not to call me 'Master,' but she keeps doing it."

  "Because you are my employer," Mila stated, her voice flat and logical. "Therefore, you are my master. Is that not correct?"

  "See?" Bob sighed. "Please, I can't prove it to you, but you can trust us." He turned his head to look back at Lin, but she was already passed out, her head slumped against a sack of grain, her exhaustion having finally hit its limit.

  "Since when, Mila?" Bob asked, his voice a low rumble.

  "Oh, the passing out thing?" Mila replied with a teasing smirk. "Since you started talking to me."

  moments later,, the entire caravan came to a screeching halt. Tama, the massive yak, let out a deep, guttural growl, its body tensing.

  "Mila," Bob said, his voice losing all of its earlier cheer.

  "I know." Mila was already on her feet, jumping out of the carriage with her greatsword drawn before it had even fully stopped.

  Lin jolted awake, her hand instinctively going to her dagger. "Are we there?" she asked groggily.

  "Not quite, dear," Bob said, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "We have a tiny problem."

  Lin's eyes widened. A blobous, melting, monstrous creature stood in the middle of the road. It was a shifting mass of black tar and twisted limbs, with multiple, glowing red eyes that fixed on them with a malevolent intelligence.

  "Fallen," Lin shouted, a wave of cold dread washing over her.

  "Oh, we know," Bob said, his voice surprisingly calm. "Don't worry."

  Don't worry? Lin thought, her mind reeling. This man... he knows what a Fallen is? Why isn't he shocked by this creature that's only supposed to exist in fairy tales?

  "There's a reason I hire Mila," Bob continued, a proud smile returning to his face. "I only hire the best of the best. Just watch."

  On the dirt path, the setting sun glinted off a shimmering green crystal embedded in the pommel of Mila's greatsword. A Gust Core, Lin realized with a shock. She's a Core user.

  "Best of the best in all of Zarateph," Bob added.

  In a single, fluid motion, Mila activated her Core. A powerful current of wind enveloped her greatsword, the air around it shimmering and letting out a high-pitched whistle, so fast that it sliced through the leaves that drifted past it. She lunged forward, and with a single, devastating cleave, she cut the Fallen completely in half, killing it instantly.

  The display of raw, effortless power was something Lin had only ever seen from one other person: her master, Zhu Lihua. There are people as strong as her out in the world? she thought, her understanding of her own place in the world suddenly felt very, very small. And to make matters worse, she couldn't see a single bead of sweat on Mila's face. She overcame the fatigue... and she's just a human.

  Mila sheathed her greatsword and walked back to the carriage, her expression unbothered. "It's done, Master. We can move again."

  Bob nodded. Mila sat back down, her gaze falling on Lin. A small, knowing grin spread across her face. "Liking the show, Miss Snow Flower?"

  Lin could only sit there, helpless and exposed. A mysterious merchant who knew of ancient monsters, a powerful Core user who could rival her master... this was too much for her to process. The only reason she was still with them was because of Kun's critical condition.

  If there really is a god out there, she prayed, her eyes falling on Kun's still, feverish face, please let these people's help be genuine.