The Beginning After The End (Early Years Book 1) (9 page)

With his good leg, the guy who
swung at me leaps out of my range before I can further damage.

“Danton, be careful!  I think
this brat is a mage.” Cries the fighter whose tendon I just ripped.

I see Danton pulling out his sword
from its sheath and get in a defensive stance.

“You see all sorts of crazy things
these days!  Looks like a huge sack of gold just showed itself in front of
us huh George!  I bet he’ll get us almost as much as the elf girl.
 It’s a pity he’s not a girl.”

These bastards don’t even care that
I just killed their party members.

Danton reinforces his body with
mana and walks towards me, a confident grin etched onto his scarred face.

George is going to be out of the
fight with that disabled leg, but this Augmenter is going to be trouble.

The Augmenter named Danton suddenly
disappears from my sight and blinks above me, preparing to throw a punch.
 He seems to not want to use his sword directly at me so I won’t get
scarred and be worth less money.  That makes it easier for me.

I jump back in time to avoid the
blow that left a small hole in the ground and I throw my knife.  I use the
same trick as I did with the conjurer I dragged down with me off the cliff but
this mage is a little more experienced.  He disrupts the mana string with
his sword and grabs the knife with his free hand.

Shit.

I’m in a pretty bad position right
now.  Danton doesn’t seem to be too tall for his age but his reach is
still a good amount longer than mine.  He also has a sword, which further
increases his range.

Danton dashes toward me at this
time and throws the knife that I just launched at him.  I dodge, but not
in time to realize that it was a diversion and he gets a hold of my ankle and
flips me upside down.

This is my chance! I reach for the
hand that’s holding unto me while concentrating mana.  I use a fire
attribute technique, releasing all of my concentrated mana located in my fist
and aim for his wrist.

*CRACK*

“MOTHER FUCKER!!”

His now broken wrist lets go of my
ankle and land on my back.  Quickly jumping up to my feet, I pick up
Pinky’s knife and dash towards the wounded Danton.  While he was still
preoccupied by the pain from his wrist, he angrily shouts, “You’re DEAD now you
piece of shit! I don’t care if I can’t sell you anymore!”

His left wrist is wounded, leaving
a gap in his defense.  I will more mana into my feet and arrive in range
to land a hit to his side, when I see him swinging his sword down.

He fell for it!

I quickly pivot with my left foot
in place, spinning to my right.  Dodging the swing by a hair’s breadth, I
enter into my knife’s range to his right side, open because of that last
desperate swing.

He immediately tries to jump back
but I place my right foot behind his legs so he loses balance.  In one
quick thrust, I stab my knife right below his armpit, through the gap between
his ribs and into his lungs.

He was easy to finish off after his
breath was gone from the wound.

I was now left with an immobile
George.

I couldn’t use Danton’s sword
because it was too big for my body so I made use of Pinky’s knife one last time
and swiped George’s jugular.  The poor fighter couldn’t really contest or
run away with his useless leg and died with a look of disbelief.  Much
like his two comrades, fed to the hounds.

I think the elf girl knew that there
was fighting going on because it was eerily quiet now.

I climbed up unto the back of the
carriage where she was and I spotted her shivering in the corner with only rags
minimally covering her.  She looks up at me in doubt, her eyes almost
saying, “He’s the one who saved me?”

I untie her while she remains
silent, her turquoise eyes never leaving my face.

Tired and feeling gross, I help her
up and simply say, “You should go back home now.”

“Hic…hic…”

She probably didn’t know whether I
was an enemy or friend until now because once I said that, a look of relief
washed over her tense face and she broke down.

“Hic! I was so scared! They were
going to sell me! Hic! I thought I was never going to see my family again! Hic!
WAAAAAA”

It
felt like a good hour before the little elf girl settled down.  I don’t
blame her.  Being taken away like that is a traumatic experience even for
adults, much less a child.

I
just sat there waiting for her to settle down, sitting cross-legged, patting
her head every so often.

*Sniff*
*Sniff*

“What
happened to those bad guys?”  She manages to say.

Not
knowing what I should say to a 7-year-old about killing, I just dismissed it by
telling her, “Er… I took care of them so we should okay.”

She
looks at me with a slightly confused face.  Looking closely at her now, I
would imagine she would be quite the beauty later on in the future.

This
girl, who looks around 7, has long glowing sliver hair that gently cascades
down past her shoulders parted unevenly to the sides.  Looking closer, her
hair wasn’t exactly pure silver but more of a bright gunmetal grey color.
 Paired with her unique turquoise eyes that were shaped beautifully like
almonds, this elf girl emitted a very mysterious, almost phantasmal feel about
her.  Her perky nose was slightly red with crying, as were her eyes that
still had tears in them, her rose-colored lips that contrasted her fair skin,
still quivering.

I
shake my head.  This is no time to be checking out a child (As if there
are times later on when checking out the child is okay)!

I
help her up before talking again.

“Those
people that tried to kidnap you aren’t going to chase you anymore.  Do you
think you can make it to your home by yourself?”

Instantly,
her eyes turned wide with panic and the tears welled up came flowing down while
both her hands clench tightly unto my shirt.

She
doesn’t say anything but her actions speak loudly enough.

*Sigh*
 “Look, I need to get home too.  Aren’t elves generally safe in this
forest?”

She
violently shakes her head in disagreement.  “Beasts only scared of
adults…Parents warned me that children will get eaten by hounds or tree
golems.”

I
would normally be pretty amazed about something like a tree golem, but it’s
pretty hard to find something that surprises you after seeing a demon king turn
into a dragon.

I
rub the bridge of my nose, trying to think of the solution to all of this.

“How
long does it take to get to where you live from here?”

“…”

Still
holding unto my badly worn shirt, she looks down and mutters, “… I don’t know.”

Great.
 I let out a sigh in defeat before telling her that I’ll go with her.

The
Kingdom of Elenoir is quite a bit north.  My only hope is that there will
be a teleportation gate there that can send me to Sapin.

I
tell the elf girl to wait in the carriage while I gather some necessities.
 I also don’t want her to see the mangled carcasses of the slave traders.
 Even I found it hard to stomach.   Finding a backpack obviously too
big for a 4 year old, I carefully fold and stuff the small tent inside, along
with a leather water bag and some dried rations.  I pick up Pinky’s knife
from the ground where I fought Danton and George.  Before heading back
into the carriage, I free the forest hounds.

“Let’s
head out now.”

“En!”
She nods after hopping out of the carriage.  I make sure she doesn’t go to
the other side, where all of the bodies are and we head out.

______________________________________

The
elf girl’s name is Tessia Eralith and she just turned 5, meaning she’s about 1
year older than me, physically that is.

From
the conversations I had while talking to her while walking, I conclude that
she’s a pretty reserved, if not shy, girl.  She’s very polite to me,
considering that I’m only 4, and is all in all a very agreeable traveling
companion.  Perhaps if I weren’t traveling in the opposite direction of my
home, I would be in a better mood.

It
was getting dark so I suggest we stop and pitch the tent for the night.

There
were no rods supporting the tent.  Instead, it relied on a long line that
had to be tied between two trees and hung over to keep it up, the ends weighed
down by rocks.  After I finished setting up the tent, I take out a couple
of tried rations from out of my oversized bag and hand some to her.

“…Thank
you very much.”

“You
know.  You don’t have to be polite with me.  I am younger than you
and I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you do.” I say, half chewing with a
cheek full of dried food.

“O-okay,
I’ll try!”

I
scratch my nose in defeat and I go back to stuffing my food.  She must
have very strict parents.  Maybe it’s just an elf thing?

We
sat against a tree next to the tent while chatting.

“C-can
you tell me about the human kingdom?”  She suddenly asks with eyes
sparkling in interest.

“What
do you want to know?”

“What
is a human town like?  How are humans?  Is it true you male humans
are perverts and have more than one wife?”

“Pbbt!”

I
spit out a mouthful of the dried fruits I was chewing on.  This girl!

*Cough*

“No,
although it isn’t against the law, only nobilities and the royal families tend
to have multiple wives.” I say, while wiping my mouth.

“I
see now!” Her eyes seem to say, still sparkling.

Do
you really?

I
go unto explaining a bit about the town of Ashber and my family to pass the
time before I ask.

“What
is it like living in Elenoir?”

“Mmmm....”
She ponders before explaining.

“I
don’t think it’s too different, except the children all have to go to school to
learn about our history and how to read and write.  When we awaken, we get
teachers assigned to us and we become their disciple.  From there, a lot
of it is just training with your master.”

“I
see…”

I
get up from the ground and I hold my hand out to help her get up as well.

I
notice her turning a little red, but I think it’s just my eyes playing with me
in the dark.

“Sleep
in the tent, I’ll keep guard next to you outside.”

I
see her thinking for a little and her eyes look at me, full of resolve.

“I
don’t mind sh-sharing the tent, if you’re okay with it.”

“It’s
okay.  I’m not that sleepy right now anyway.” I instantly shut her down.

Did
her ears just droop a little?

“…Okay”

She
goes into the tent and I lean against it and begin meditating.

I
start inspecting my mana core.  Sylvia left me with something she calls her
“will” but how does that affect my mana core?  Inspecting even closer, I
notice, ever so faintly, some markings in my mana core when,

“A-Arthur?”

I
see Tessia’s head poking out of the tent.

“Is
there something wrong?”  I asked, turning my head to face her.

“W-well!
 You see… beasts will more likely appear if they notice you because they
will see that you are a child.  Therefore, I propose that for our safety,
that it would be better for you to c-come inside the tent.”  At this
point, Tessia covers her face with the tent’s opening flap, showing only one
eye.

“Pft~
Tessia, are you scared to sleep by yourself in the tent?” I chuckle.

“A-absolutely
not! I am just suggesting, for both of our safety, what the best choice would
be to do!” She pops her head out.

I
decide to continue teasing her, “If that’s the case, then I’ll hide up in the
tree and continue to be on the lookout.  You know… for ‘our safety’” I
wink.

“Uu…”

By
this time, she covers herself completely inside the tent before muttering
softly,

“…I’m
scared to sleep by myself.”

Ahh
I should stop teasing her now.

I
open the flap and go inside the tent.

“Eeep!”

She
immediately lies down, turning her back to me, but I see clearly that her ears
are bright red.  I should avoid the habit of teasing her so much before I
get addicted to it.

A
couple moments later, she peeks behind her back and turns around.

“Can
I hold unto your shirt?”

I
forget that she’s just a child.  How hard it must have been for her;
getting kidnapped, separated from her family and carried off, not knowing if
she’ll ever see them again.

Scooting
closer to her, I pat her head softly and nod.

Her
eye close in content and she grabs the end of my shirt.  A couple minutes
later, I hear her breathing get rhythmic, and I start drifting off to sleep
too, still sitting up.

I
open my eyes awake and I look around.  I look down to see Tessia’s head on
my lap, her body curled up.

I
gently shake her awake, “Tessia, we should head out now.”

She
slowly stirs awake, but when she realizes the position we’re in, she shoots up
with a surprised shriek. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to… was I heavy?”

“Haha…
don’t worry about it. Let’s fold up the tent.”

Her
cheeks slightly pink, she nods and we pack everything up before heading back
out.

A
few more days pass by pretty uneventfully.  A couple of forest hounds
tried to get close once, but I threw my mana-reinforced knife at one of them
and they all ran away scared.  Nights were spent with me sleeping in the
tent with Tessia and her getting more comfortable around me.  Fortunately,
we didn’t run into any tree golems or stronger mana beasts.

“Can
you tell how far we are from Elenoir now Tessia?” I ask on the 4th day of our
journey?

She
looks around her eyes seeming to glow and her ears slightly twitching.

“Yes!
We’re not too far anymore! I think that if we quicken our pace a little bit,
we’ll be able to make it by tonight!”

“Sounds
good.”  The faster I drop her off, the faster I can make my plans to
somehow get home.  Although I admit I’ll probably miss her after this.

“Arthur?
 You said your family and the people close to you call you Art.  D-do
you mind if I call you Art as well?”  Tessia suddenly asks while we cross
a log bridge across a stream.

“Hmm?
Yeah I don’t mind.” I flash her a wide smile.

“Hehe
okay! Umm please call me Tess as well…” She says while her head was slanted
down, her eyes looking at me in an upward fashion, shyly.

This
girl is going to be dangerous when she grows up.

We
continued on the rest of the day, with only a couple of quick stops to rest
ourselves and replenish our stomachs.  I wasn’t too tired because I was
constantly using mana rotation, but it was obvious that Tess was getting
exhausted.

After
our last quick stop, we continued forward for the last stretch.  Tess and
I got a lot closer on this journey.  The once shy and reserved elf girl
showed bright smiles that made even my heart thump.  She would tease me
too at times, saying that I should call her older sister since she was 2 years
older than I was.  I teased her back, imitating her when she was crying,
rubbing my eyes and yelling, “WAAA
~  MOMMY
, I’M
SCARED!”  This seemed to turn her bright red and she hit my arm before
pouting with her arms crossed and lower lip protruding. “HMPH! Meanie!”