Ch105: A Quick Fight
“Wha–!? F...! Ambush!”
Shocked confusion shifts into alarm as the men riding those two wagons are swiftly spurred into action. The one that shouted out in warning seems to be the most composed, quickly grabbing his spear and jumping to the ground.
Only for his feet to immediately start sinking into the road.
Fear fills his eyes as charging barbarian and Were-Beast reach the bottom of the short hill they had been waiting atop.
“HehehhehhahahaHAAHAHHAAHA~!” Khalia’s quiet giggling quickly changes into utterly crazed cackling, her unhinged laughter piercing through the sounds of the horses whinnying in fear and the increasingly frantic shouts of the four men.
The Drakling peels away from her precious puppy, heading towards the second wagon while Khalia targets the first, as she was ordered to.
“Go! GO!” The covered wagon jolts to the side as Krvavy’s approach sends the horses pulling it even further into panic. “GO! DAMMIT GO!” The driver roughly jerks the reins, his knuckles white with how tight he is gripping those leather straps, struggling to steer his wagon to the side. As if he was intending to go around the immobilized one blocking the road.
Krvavy’s emerald eyes narrow into thin slits. She can’t let that happen.
A faint light flashes out as Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon manifests in her raised hands, solidifying into reality high above her head. Her muscles tense as she swings that oversized thing downwards with all her might.
Wood and leather alike are torn apart with a violent crash, the whole covered wagon tilts forwards as that giant axehead bites into its front. Splinters fly through the air as shaking tremors send deep fracturing cracks throughout the once sturdy wood.
-58.62 Health
The air is forced from Krvavy’s lungs as a hoof thumps into her stomach, causing her to stagger back a step. The horses panic and thrash in their restraints, quickly snapping the remaining wood and bolting off the road, leaving the covered wagon stranded in front of her.
“B-by... mercy...!” The driver shakily swears under his breath, tossing down the useless reins and fumbling a little in his haste to pick up a round shield. He hesitates slightly, the colour draining from his face, as an anguished scream rings out from the wagon ahead, accompanied by mad and unnerving cackling. At the very last possible second, his shield raises up to meet the barbarian’s axe.
14.35 Damage dealt to [Wagon Driver]
Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon slams down onto the iron dome in the center of that shield, denting the metal with a large scraped gouge. The driver grunts in pain as his arm buckles from the force of that attack, her axe digging deep into the hardened wood from just a single strike.
-12.22 Health
The head of a spear darts out from behind the heavily damaged shield, aimed just beneath her left breast. But due to the barbarian’s resistances and defences, the weapon simply skims across her side, leaving little more than a shallow cut.
“Do...! Do something already!” The driver shouts out, frustration and fear mingling together in his voice... as he glances back over his shoulder.
That action brings Krvavy’s attention to the other man, standing up on the wagon. In his hands is a large bow, with an arrow fully drawn. Dim sunlight, filtering through the dense clouds high above, gleams across the large metal broadhead aimed towards her.
“AARRRRRAAAAAAAAGHHH~!!!” Khalia’s roar rings through the air, the sound filled with terrific joy and imbued with magic that causes both men to freeze in fear.
The archer’s fingers slip as his body shakes, loosing his arrow with a thwick of his bowstring.
Krvavy feels the slightest impact as the arrow narrowly misses its target, its rough fletching just barely glancing across her shoulder.
Taking advantage of their state of shock, Krvavy wrenches her axe back, tearing it free from the wooden shield while also pulling the man clinging onto it off balance. The driver can only look on with fear in his eyes as the giant axe comes crashing down towards him.
942.64 damage dealt to [Wagon Driver]
[Wagon Driver] has been slain!+700 Experience
Her Soulbound weapon cleaves through that man’s collarbone, cracking and snapping his ribs as the momentum of its large axehead only begins to run out halfway through his torso, coming to a complete stop with help from his hipbone.
The archer makes a choking sound and stumbles back, bow slipping from his shaking fingers as he falls from the wagon.
“AAARRWHHHHOOOOOOOOO~!!!” That energetic howl carries with it a tingling wave of warmth, which leaves Krvavy feeling invigorated and stronger than ever, heart hammering away with a fervent frenzy.
Pure and utter terror fills the archer’s wide eyes as he stares up at the slowly approaching Drakling, scrambling backwards across the ground in a panic, desperately trying to get away on legs too weak to stand on.
“N-no! Ple–!”
A certain Soulbound weapon is raised high and swiftly brought back down, chopping through fingers that fail to shield anything before cutting those pitiful pleas short.
34.16 damage dealt to [Wagon Archer]Critical Hit! 1,243.25 damage dealt to [Wagon Archer]
[Wagon Archer] has been slain!+350 Experience
Silence hangs heavy in the air as, more by habit than anything, Krvavy begins to drain the corpse of its blood. Once it is no more than a desiccated husk, she tears her axe free.
“Hehhehehahahahha~! MA-AATE~!” The Were-Beast excitedly cackles and cheers as she comes loping towards her Draconic mate. “Hehhahahhahahahhah~!”
The barbarian’s brow furrows faintly.
Her precious puppy is relatively clean, at least considering how Khalia fights, with only some blood soaked into the fur on her hands and... some flowing around a broken spearhead jutting out from her stomach, just above the right side of her hip. Between the loincloth and tight pelt top that serve as her armour.
“Stop.” An unhappy frown finds its way onto Krvavy’s face. “You’re injured.”
“Me fine!” Khalia waves a bloody hand, wincing slightly from the movement.
Krvavy simply sighs and shakes her head, taking a single big step towards her green-skinned puppy. A quick cast of Transmute Blood cleans most of that mess off of the Orc. “Stay still. This is going to hurt a bit.”
“Hahah~!” Khalia openly laughs at that, all but scoffing at her Mate’s concern. “Me stro–OWAA!”
4.78 damage dealt to [Khalia]
The Were-Beast yelps as Krvavy pulls the spearhead from her body, wincing even more as the Drakling uses Knit Flesh to close that wound.
“S-see! Me strong!” Khalia whimpers slightly, struggling to act as if that didn’t hurt at all.
“Yes, you are.” Krvavy ruffles her puppy’s hair. “Just don’t get stabbed again.”
“Yes Mate!”
The barbarian smiles at her Orc, though it is slightly soured by the sight of the very faint scar now visible at the edge of Khalia’s abs. “Good job on using your howl and roar. Probably should have opened with them though...” She chides herself, having completely forgotten about the two spells that Khalia has.
“Hehehehehheh~!” The Were-Beast happily giggles, shaggy tail wagging wildly behind her as she leans into her Mate’s petting hand. Khalia is a little disappointed when said hand gets pulled back, but the rush of victory is still fresh enough that she doesn’t mind that too much.
Breathing out, the barbarbarian turns and steps towards the partially bisected corpse that is still mostly seated on the wagon. Blood drains from that mangled body as the tip of her Soulbound weapon pokes into its side, returning just a bit of the mana she spent in this short fight.
Level Up! You have reached Level 17. As a Drakling blessed by a divine power, you have 5 attribute points to allocate and have gained +2 to Might & Toughness. If not allocated by the time you fall asleep it will be done automatically.
+1 Divine Favour, for growing in strength.
Those notifications are a bit of a surprise to Krvavy. She really didn’t expect to level up on this little adventure. Still, she won’t complain about that. Even if a tiny tinge of annoyance wells up within her as she pushes those pop-ups out of her perception. She hasn’t decided where those points are going to go just yet...
But now isn’t really the time to figure that out. They need to loot these wagons before something else comes down this road.
“Khalia, go get the bags.”
“Yes Mate!” The Were-Beast shouts back, spinning around on the spot and immediately sprinting back towards the treeline atop the short hillside.
Krvavy resists the urge to watch her precious puppy run off – she wouldn’t get much of a good view anyway, what with the pelt loincloth hiding that Greenskin’s toned ass – and instead turns to face the covered wagon. Her inhuman feet quietly plod along the packed dirt of this road as she cautiously walks around it.
A gentle breeze blows through the air, causing the long flaps of fabric hanging off the back of this wagon to rustle slightly. Nothing but darkness can be seen through the subtly shifting gap between those two flaps.
The very tip of the broad spearhead that tops the Drakling’s Soulbound weapon slips beneath that draping fabric, slowly lifting it upwards.
“Hahhh...” A sigh of relief escapes past Krvavy’s lips.
Her caution, her paranoia, seems to have been completely unnecessary. The wagon is only around half full, with its unstacked cargo tightly packed towards the front, further away from her. Unlike the other, uncovered, wagon... there don’t seem to be any boxes or crates in this one. Just a bunch of large and heavy looking sacks which, according to Inspect, are filled with flour, oats, and potatoes. Perfect...!
Krvavy pushes past the parted flap, letting her oversized axe fade back into her soul as she climbs into this cart. It is rather cramped for someone of her height. Even when hunched over, her upper horns scrape against the fabric ceiling...
To avoid bumping into any of the arched ribs that hold said ceiling up, the Drakling decides to crouch down, gently dropping to her knees. Which turns out to be quite the wise decision, as this lower position lets Krvavy spot something that she wouldn’t have before: there is a leather strap just barely sticking out from what appears to be a low bench built into the side of this wagon.
The Drakling leans forwards a little, reaching for that strap, and... finds herself in relative darkness as the flap slips shut now that nothing, not even her meaty tail, is there to hold it open. But that hardly even bothers Krvavy. She can see just fine in the dim light seeping through the fabric stretched atop this covered cargo carriage. After giving her eyes a second to adjust, at least.
With a soft shake of her head, Krvavy grabs the leather strap and... slowly pulls a backpack out from beneath that bench. Lowering down just a bit further, she sees that there is another under there as well, along with a couple bedrolls and what appears to be a folded tent. Or some sort of tarp like fabric all folded up. A quick glance towards the bench that lines the other side of this wagon shows a similar sight. Guess this –?
“Mhh...!”
The barbarian’s train of through abruptly cuts off as she hears... something. Was it a whimper? A quiet gasp? Just her imagination?
Krvavy slowly rises to her feet, hunching over a whole lot and hardly breathing as she tries to listen for that noise. And, after a few seconds, she hears it again. It is quiet, almost imperceptible beneath her own heartbeat, but there is definitely something making noise in here.
Ever curious, the Drakling creeps further into the wagon, moving as stealthily as she can. Which is not too easy considering how the wooden boards creak beneath her considerable weight...
Her gaze sweeps back and forth, piercing through the dim light and trailing across the piles of heavy sacks. She sees movement in the corner of her eye, drawing her attention towards the front of the wagon. She –!
“MATE~!” Khalia’s shouted voice shatters the silence, slightly startling Krvavy. A light bonk can be heard as a pair of horns bump into a thin wooden arch. “You in cart?” Light fills the wagon as the Orc pokes her head through the flaps. “Mate~! Me got bags~!”
“Good girl.” The barbarian breathes out, stepping away from the various sacks – while still keeping all of that loot in her peripheral vision – to take the backpack that her puppy is holding up. “Thank you. Now, go see what the other wagon has. You remember what we’re looking for, right?”
“Yup!” The Were-Beast woman happily replies. “Shinies and foods~!”
“Right. And don’t destroy anything that we might want to bring home, okay?”
“Yes Mate!” Khalia grins widely as she steps back, before immediately running off towards the other wagon.
Krvavy reaches out and stops the flaps from closing. She can see a couple of strings at the edges, which are clearly intended to tie them off like curtains. But rather than bother with that, she simply decides to toss the loose flaps upwards, letting them rest on the top of the stretched fabric above.
Now that there is plenty of light in here, the barbarian turns her attention back towards the piled sacks. Her eyes rake across that disordered mess of cargo, but... she doesn’t see any movement. Nor can she hear anything beyond the softly whistling wind...
It is almost as if her mind was simply playing tricks on her... But Krvavy knows better. She knows what she heard. Those quiet sounds... like... breathy, choked gasps... whimpering... whining...
Shaking her head, she grabs onto a sack of flour and unceremoniously drags it aside. Krvavy just needs to make a path further into the wagon. There is something hiding in here, and she is going to find it.
Shhhhn... Shhnnn... Shhhnn... Shn...
The Drakling freezes halfway through pulling a particularly large and lumpy sack across the floor. She sees something, further ahead. A bit of dark red fabric is just barely peeking out from behind a sack of potatoes. That is definitely out of place amongst the drab grey of everything else in here.
Krvavy leans forward to get a better view. Only for her brow to knit together, lips twisting down into a frown.
There is a girl hiding in here, nestled in between bags of flour. She is curled up into a ball, her knees pulled right to her chin as she shudders and trembles. Her face is completely hidden behind long and thick strands of dark blonde hair, but it is clear that the sound Krvavy has been hearing was this girl desperately trying to be quiet as... as she cries.
An unpleasant mix of emotions swirl through Krvavy’s mind. Her carnivorous teeth grind together as she all but glares down at that cowering girl.
To put it lightly, Krvavy is not happy to see her here. This girl is clearly a peasant, an innocent traveller. Sure, the four men that Krvavy and Khalia just slaughtered were almost certainly just as innocent, but Krvavy can at least justify killing them. They had weapons and armour. They fought back. They were clearly prepared to face the risks of travelling out here in the middle of nowhere.
But this girl is completely defenceless. Terrified. Probably even traumatized.
And, to make it even worse, she is tiny. The bags of flour and sacks of potatoes that have done a decent job of hiding her so far absolutely tower over this girl. Granted, that is at least partially because of how curled up she is, but still...
“Hello...? Are you okay...?” The barbarian gently asks, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The girl twitches, almost jumping in place, before going completely and utterly still. She... doesn’t even seem to be breathing anymore.
Krvavy’s expression darkens as she sees that. This tiny, curled up girl is trying so desperately hard to stay still and silent, as if that would be enough for the source of her fear to lose interest and leave her alone. That never works.
An idea suddenly pops into the Drakling’s mind. It won’t be all that effective, but it is better than nothing... Opening up her status sheet, Krvavy goes to increase her Charisma. She briefly considers putting all five points into it, but the fact that both her Might and Toughness are just a single point away from the next milestone trait is far too tempting to ignore. Thirteen points of Charisma is still better than the ten she had just moments ago...
“It’s okay...” That is, admittedly, a bit debatable. But Krvavy really does genuinely mean the next few words that whisper past her lips. “I’m not going to hurt you...”
The small blonde shudders and... “eeeiie...” A light, and rather muffled, squeak squeezes past her arms and her hugged knees. And that is it. She doesn’t respond at all.
As expected, those three extra points of Charisma just weren’t enough to matter.
Which, unfortunately, means that simply talking isn’t going to work. So Krvavy... She may as well just Inspect this girl already. That invasion of privacy is quite rude, but Krvavy has already made an absolutely terrible impression, so... It really can’t make things worse.
Huh? A few things stand out here. Like the fact that she is almost twice the level Thea was when Krvavy found that brat in the bandit camp. But that... that...
This girl isn’t a Human...?
Humble & Harmless: The diminutive ??? are rarely taken seriously or seen as a threat, and the disregard that others have for them is often justified by their meek nature.
That... What...? Just what is she...? And why is Inspect showing what is no doubt her racial trait, but not the actual name of her race...?
The tiny blonde shudders and shakes, trembling far more than before. She is clearly aware that Krvavy had just scryed her. That her privacy has just been so thoroughly violated. Yet still she remains curled up, trying to remain as small and unnoticeable as possible...
Krvavy’s heart pangs and... She pauses, her brow furrowing a bit.
This girl... this non-Human girl... isn’t hiding her face behind her hair. No, hair isn’t that solid. Does she have... large fur-covered ears...?
The Drakling delicately drags the last few sacks out of the way before carefully crouching down in front of the tiny blonde, taking a moment to make sure that she is as presentable as possible. Which is... a bit hopeful, really. Krvavy is wearing nothing but a pelt loincloth, after all. She looks like a savage barbarian, one that has a naturally aggressive face as well, and there is simply no helping that.
“Hey, it is okay... I’m not going to hurt you... I promise...” That reassurance is barely even audible, spoken so softly in hopes of not spooking this girl. “Everything will be alright...”
“Eeeii!” The blonde squeals in fear, her little body jolting up as if shocked by the finger that so very gently tapped her on the knee. With a jittery twitch, her legs kick out just barely enough for her bare feet to be visible beneath the hem of her dark red dress, confirming Krvavy’s suspicion.
This terrified and traumatized traveller is a bunny girl.
The tiny blonde’s paw-like feet frantically patter against a sack of grain as she scrambles backwards, her large and floppy rabbit ears falling aside to reveal a round face stained with tears. An already rather big pair of hazel eyes go even wider as they fill so fully with fear.
“Eeiii...! Eeihhe...! Hhhh...! Hhhhh...! HHhhhH...!” The girl immediately begins to hyperventilate.
Which, naturally, really worries Krvavy. “Shh, shh! It’s okay!” Without thinking, this comparatively giant Drakling reaches towards the panicking little rabbit... with a hand larger than that girl’s face, clawed fingers outstretched and on full display.
“EEEEIAAAAAAAAAA!” As should really have been expected, the blonde bunny girl simply screams in abject terror.
Shhhhhrrrrr...!
Sharp, rending claws tear through the fabric stretched over the side of this covered wagon. A pair of strong, fur-covered arms reach through one of those new holes, digging deep trenches into the wood as a ferocious green-skinned monster hauls itself up and climbs halfway inside the wagon, so close to the fearful little rabbit!
The tiny blonde stares up at the Were-Beast looming above her, looking deep into Khalia amber-gold eyes, before... suddenly going completely limp, her scream coming to an abrupt stop.
“Shit.” Krvavy hisses out, her hand darting forwards and grabbing onto the girl’s shoulder. Relief quickly washes over the barbarian as she realizes that this little blonde bunny is still breathing and that her heart is still beating. The girl simply just passed out. She isn’t dead.
Khalia slowly blinks, her concern quickly shifting into confusion. “Rrgh? What Mate find?” She curiously questions, tilting her head as she looks at the tiny girl lying limp in front of her Mate.
“I... don’t really know.” The barbarian replies, slowly exhaling as her own heart loudly drums away in her ears. “We should... let her rest for a bit. Did you find anything interesting?”
“Yes!” The Orc immediately perks up, nodding quite energetic. “Many shinies! Ooh!” Khalia suddenly points towards the unconscious girl. “Cute tail~!”
“Wha...?” Krvavy trails off before she can question what her puppy means.
Sticking out of a small slit on the back of the girl’s dress is a tail. It is thin and smooth, completely hairless except for a large tuft of dark blonde fur at its tip. That... is not the tail of a rabbit. It looks more like a mouse tail, if not for the soft looking hair at its end...
Tiredly shaking her head, Krvavy decides to just gently place this odd bunny-mouse girl back down, letting her rest on a relatively soft bag of oats. The unconscious girl’s tail twists around her body as she is settled in amongst the sacks.
“Come on,” the Drakling sighs, turning back towards her Were-Beast. “Show me what you’ve found.”