Somewhere in the forest

Erduas tosses the young woman into the water.

“Wash quickly”, he said in a dead voice. He sniffed his body and scowled at the lingering stench of human sweat and blood. He notices a smear of Narya’s blood on his knees and silently went to the mouth of the waterfall to clean it off. He aggressively rubs the already scrubbed smudge, a stern look painted on his face. Undenyingly hates the idea of capturing a human astral who needs to live for the coming hunting season. He turns around to see the now-relaxing human astral doomed to die this year. But before any of that, Erduas can’t stop thinking about the embarrassing moment from their clash. He shook his head from remembering how he got his manhood hit by a woman…for the first time. He unconsciously touched his penis from the unforgettable pain and immediately cupped water to wash it gently and to distract himself.

Narya was floating on her back, reminded of the day she arrived from the lake portal in the catacomb. That was 2 years ago when she was greeted by the eerie chamber within the burial site illuminated by the feeble glow of the green viscous water of the said forbidden lake. Unlike that day, this very moment was welcoming, at least from the dramatic sky with an orange hue from the setting sun. It reminded her of the sunset view every time she arrives at her minimal apartment.

On the other side, Erduas, blank-faced, walks out from the water and went to grab his clothes laid on the bare crown of the dwarf tree. Erduas could be mistaken as a naked random man in the distant sight only if the gray scales lined on his spine are not that bright. And if an audience missed noticing the almost invincible grey-white scales on his left forearm’s lateral side, he could be identified as a Noma, an unscaled white-blooded human belonging to a minority tribe found on the outskirts of the Kingdom Lotva. But the latter is somewhat fact as he himself is a Noma from her mother’s blood.

“Let’s go”, he said. Another short phrase in his domineering tone but unheard because of the burbling background of the falls. He picked a cobble and directly throw it- supposedly at the woman’s head who was resting freely on the pool, he missed, so he pick once more, bigger this time… and he missed. An assassin and a hunter like him, a master archer, a known swordsman from the noblest kingdom, a daring warrior, and a dangerous foe? He’s obviously awful at simply throwing a rock to hit a close target.

“I should just kill her”, He mumbled and pick his quiver on the ground, and choose the sharpest arrow.

*SWOOSH

“GOT IT!”, shouted by the smirking target whose hand suddenly caught the arrow aimed at her head while she remains floating on her back, opposite from Erduas. She waves the arrow in the air but before she faces him, Erduas shoot another arrow which again, Narya was able to seize before it hits her eye. Narya was surprised but not at all scared. She smirks and raises her eyebrow while looking at the straight-faced Erduas. ‘Such a waste’, Narya thought

“What?”, Narya shouted, still on the water expecting her captor to shoot another arrow. Erduas took a deep breath, “Let’s go now”. And withdraw his bow with a stern face.

Narya did not move, still cautious. She slightly moves her eyes on the corner, looking for an escape. The surrounding is filled with dense trees, as well as wild weeds and red soil. She was familiar with them, similar trees that surround the citadel, wild weeds she used to eat, and the red soil common to Mountain Ard. ‘Am I in the mountain?’, She thought, the very mountain she trekked together with Monk Sailo just to get down to the nearby town named Diran Na, where she roamed around and lost...and got captured by this man.

Narya looks up and makes a low-pitch whistle. Erduas shook his head, recognizing the bird sound which is only used by Kari creatures. “He won’t hear you, no one will hear you.”, he said

“Where are we?”, Narya asked on a wrinkled brow.

“You deserve no answer, outlander”, Erduas simply replied. “Now get off the water and let’s go”, he said.

“No.”

“Don’t let me get over there and kill you at once”

The sky is getting dark, and is an advantage to the hybrid Erduas, as he could see in the dark. And the human astral, not gifted with such ability will have no escape. Narya swam towards the bank and grab her wet clothes, no choice but to wear them again. Her cloak is missing, she gazed at the other side where Erduas stood, and there it is! The cloak laying on the ground, still feasted by the bugs. Erduas notice her staring in that direction and he walks towards it. He uses his bow and cast the cloak into the water.

Narya went to fetch his soaked cloaked and complained, “Are you a child? Like seriously?!”

Erduas ignored her and went on his way, expecting the woman to follow her. It was a chance for Narya to run, and she did. But… before she goes any further, a poisoned arrow struck her on her buttocks and immediately knock her out. Erduas went to fetch her on his shoulders and marched into the deepest part of the Mountain Ard under the moonless night.

Meanwhile…

Inside the lodge carved from a single giant tree, monk Sailo and his old friend Nakuka, a Sovis scaled person distinguished by their tiny sharp teeth filled in their mouth are joyfully talking about their youthful days… teasing each other to who has sharper memory after their 400 plus years of life. They drink eat and chat while the other guests are distasteful of their loud voices.

Afterwhile, Nakuka asked the monk about the apprentice that he only got to see last night. “So, I never saw the novice since this morning”.

And the monk replied, “She runs away. I shouldn’t have brought her here.”

“If I were her, I would also run. Why would I stay with a dying old man”, Nakuka jested.

“I know”, the monk laughed

“You should stay here old bird, enjoy the real life. Find a wife, breed before you die”.

“I should. I should, I am a quite charm, can’t you tell?”, Monk Sailo jokingly replied. But in his mind, he is worried about the human astral who might expose him and he’ll be executed for keeping her. Because deep down, he knew… he knew that he is the mere reason why Narya was captured in the first place, but in hindsight, he believes it's the only way to help the astral.

The monk grabbed a mouthful of fermented berries and focus on his friend who was more than happy to see him after a very long time. And throughout the night, not a single subject about his ‘apprentice’ was talked about.