[Randall's POV]
… The last four days passed by rather quickly.
Our stay had allowed the villagers to regain their developmental foothold. Additionally, my involvement in the defense of their territory was useful in more ways than one.
Those worth noting being, acquisition of materials and extending the guardsmen recovery period.
In the end, we chose to return once things seemed well-off enough. Someone was kind enough to give us an initial ride to one of the larger cities, allowing us to take a similar route.
'We still had to cover some distance on-foot. Good thing someone found us on the way...
"Aight, this is where we part ways."
The two of us hopped off the wooden cart's back.
"Thanks, mister!" practically yelled Jean, who waved one of her hands at its aged driver. The horse leading the cart slowly made its way into the depths of Fegendale's crowded capital... Leaving us here.
"… These two weeks were quite exhausting, to be honest."
"Randall, you do realize you didn't have to stay behind, right?... Come to think of it, why did you stay behind?"
... Perhaps I knew deep inside that sleeping would have been harder if I had guilt keeping me awake.
"I just wanted to."
I stretched most of my body, starting with my arms. These joints of mine had a rough re-awakening, and they made sure to let me know by making cracking sounds.
'Once we're back on the palace, we're getting a well-deserved rest.'
And no more sounds were heard. Whether it was because I had finished stretching right then or because that calmed them down, only they know.
"Come on Randall. We may be in a safe area, but we aren't anywhere near the Palace yet..."
In spite of Jean's attempts to get me to catch up to her, I opted to go at a brisk pace. I still had to let my eyes feast on this... city.
A weird, bustling place ridden with buildings made of all sorts of materials. Wood, stone, metals, solidified earth, something resembling... straw??
Point is, there's a lot of variety. And not just material variety, but the people too.
As far as I could tell, these beautifully decorated streets had a lot of human-like beings walking around. Paying close attention to their movements revealed that most were busy doing their own thing.
A silver haired male crouched slightly, as he kept his gaze on the window of a certain store, whose outsides had been mostly made out of wood and stone. His slender hands scratched his strange, pointy ears, as he focused on a certain item.
He sure resembled the group of elves from Danpold. At least in general traits.
Meanwhile, a small, chubby female with a massive beard clumsily ran towards him. She jumped while trying to tap the male's arm, but her height didn't help much.
On the other end of the street, a tall and bulky female rested her back on a relatively small tree. The crimson horns that poked out of her long, red hair came in contact with the lower branches of the tree several times.
Putting her skin under scrutiny revealed that her skin wasn't quite... smooth. No, in fact, it had a lot of pink scales that looked awfully similar to human skin.
'What an amusing place… Wait, what??'
The pointy-eared guy from earlier wore blue jeans. Earth-like jeans, with buttons.
'Since when do jeans-'
A slender, well-maintained hand took a hold of mine. My walking speed was forcibly raised, and a large set of towers slowly "rose" in the near distance.
The increase was almost unnoticeable.
That... that was definitely the palace.
"So... This place is quite lively," I voiced, in an attempt to get a conversation going. It'd help me to learn more, too.
"Maybe for you... Though, Fegendale has seen much better days."
"Really?"
She let out a sigh. The melancholic sort that I was... quite familiar with. "Yeah. In the past, a carnival would be hosted every month's end..... Do you know when was the last time one took place?"
I shook my head.
"Ten years ago. My 16 year-old self thought sleeping all day was a better idea than going out... If only I knew."
By the end of that last sentence, she kept her gaze ahead of us.
"... I miss those days."
The seemingly bright girl's expression remained darkened, in spite of the radiant sunlight pouring down on her. As for mine, it kept most of its light, despite the veil of shadows' attempts to cover most of it.
We continued walking for about... thirty minutes, I think.
In spite of how crowded the whole place seemed to be, with the buildings and inns lying around, trouble almost seemed to be avoiding us.
At one point, we had left the bustling streets.
'... Definitely not a main venue. This is far from an alley, though.'
And I knew this wasn't an alley due to the other alleys surrounding us.
"Are you sure this is the correct path?..."
"It's a shortcut, don't..."
Almost inaudible, animalistic yells drowned her words. My feet stopped instinctively.
"Jean, can you hear that?"
The lass turned back to face me rather curiously. "No. Why do you ask?"
"I think someone is being attacked," was the reply I delivered, as my eyes fixated themselves on the dark alley.
It didn't take long for me to go in.
'Maybe I shouldn't be doing this.'
'Is it really my issue?'
Walking down this alley into unknown trouble was the last thing I should be doing... Yet, my feet refused to stop.
It quickly dawned on me that the yells were real. Hard to hear, but they did exist.
About thirty steps later, a turn to the left allowed me to see what was happening.
... In the dead end after the turn, the remains of a poorly built hut rested on the floor. A group of four people donned in various types of clothing kicked down upon the body of something that resembled one of the earlier humanoid beings.
'I knew it.'
"... Fallen Cups," mumbled Jean, as her brows furrowed.
"What is that?"
"One of the 'Great Houses' from Weildener, which is one of our neighbouring kingdoms. A territory known for its violence against monsters and beastkin alike..."
As soon as Jean uttered that last phrase, I caught notice of some white hair on the fallen individual's head. Not the type that comes with age...
This one resembled snow.
The four humans continued beating the stranger down.
I didn't even need to peek out of this corner to be aware of that.
Jean's hands were curled up into a fist. Perhaps our thoughts are the same.
"... We should help."
"Are you craz- no, you just don't know what you're getting into..."
At first, her widened crimson eyes almost seemed to be on the brink of popping out. Muttering that second phrase, however, changed that.
"Look... The Great House you're planning to face head-on is one of the most dangerous organizations in the world."
"So? It's not like this place is led by the 'might makes right,' mindset."
That rendered her speechless for a moment.
"... You can hide. However, I refuse to silently approve of something like this," I told her.
I quickly revealed myself before the other humans. A light gust of wind blew close to my neck, followed by a grunt.
One of four humans, an armored blond man, kicked down his target. Two of the other three watched, while the last one finished up wrecking a small box.
"A worthless beast has the audacity to step into this beautiful heaven? Not even a thousand years of repenting would make up for it!" screamed the blond, while slapping the beast's shadow-clouded cheeks.
"Not like they know how to repent," stated one of the armored men.
"Yeah, right-"
At that moment, the eyes of a man wearing some mystic-looking robes met mine.
"It looks like someone arrived at the wrong place... at the wrong time."
No, it was the right place. And the fallen one still seems to be alive.
"Far from it, stranger." A calm, yet serious tone accompanied the answer given to this group.
According to Jean, I shouldn't use violence...
"Right time?" The blond leading the team groaned. "Don't tell me you are one of those monster guardians... We're already had to deal with five of them this week!"
Yet, his expression quickly went from annoyed to threatening. "However, I don't have a shred of an issue in getting rid of you if that's the case. I'll be glad to do so and help Fegendale to usher in the glory it once had."
I think I know exactly what to say.
"That won't be needed, stranger. I merely came here to warn you and your group about some guards that are searching for you."
The blond's attitude changed at the flip of a coin. "Aha, really? I'm sure they'll give us some sort of award. You heard him guys, right??"
The one wearing clean robes showed some doubt. However, the other two supported his claim without a shred of a doubt.
They're going to be rather disappointed...
"No, rather
"Are you with them?!"
The blond and the other two raised their weapons nigh immediately. Yet, the words of the one dressed in robes didn't take long to reach them.
"If he was, I'm sure he'd have simply attacked us. It's rare for guards to not attack their targets when catching them red-handed."
My eyes slipped towards the hands of the whole group. Only the "reasonable" guy, wearing a green pointy hat, had a pair of clean hands.
"In that case..." muttered their leader
"I came here to warn you. Run away before the others arrive," I interrupted.
"We can not leave our rightful duty to torture and murder beasts to run like cowards from a pair of cuffs!" scoffed one of the armored guys.
"Yes, we can. Ever heard of the phrase [Retreat today to fight another day]?" muttered the green wizard.
The guy from earlier acknowledged his words, before nodding and agreeing.
"I understand. Brothers, let us perform a tactical retreat!"
... Well, the green hatted guy has some convincing power.
"If we ever see you again, you'll understand what true agony means!!" Yelled the blond while pointing his finger at the fallen individual, as a last warning.
The 4-man group ran past my body.
I looked around this alley's dead end. There wasn't much to see, besides the cardboard boxes and makeshift house (now in shambles.)
'... I can't hear them anymore.'
After ten seconds, I moved forward.
This allowed me to stand in front of the wounded beast-woman.
Turning my head, I put the rest of the now silent alley under visual scrutiny.
... Indeed. They were gone.
Then, I directed my gaze towards the mess of a panda-woman that laid on the floor. Barely breathing, and... almost not moving.
The only thing I could see was her two eyes.
Her two hazel eyes, asking for a shred of mercy.
"H,help..."
Only a lone whisper reached my ears. In spite of her barely audible voice, her particularly broken English caught my attention.
... Merely looking at her filled me with despair, or hopelessness.
'Doesn't look like she can survive on her own. Not in that condition.'
I looked back, ready to tell Jean to come over, but she was already jogging to get here.
Her movement speed smoothly transitioned to zero. A crimson gaze befell the panda and, to a lesser extent, our current surroundings.
Dust piled over the concerningly pale body. Her four black paws spread out on the dirty floor.
Black fur covered most of the areas between the left paw and its shoulderblade. The same applied to her legs, but I was unable to tell how far up the pelt went.
The hardly noticeable round ears mounted on her head twitched. They blended in quite well with the strands of snow white hair that shielded her from the cold.
... Most of the stuff here, which consisted mainly of a tent and some wooden boxes, had been fully and thoroughly destroyed. No matter where I looked, I'd find traces of blood...
'Most likely from the panda.'
"... What do we do with her?"
I may have voiced that question subconsciously. Unfortunately, silence met my inquiry.
Jean alternated her gaze between the stranger and me. About five times.
"Can't we bring her back to the palace?"
"She wouldn't be allowed to stay," she answered.
I further racked my thoughts. There had to be a way to convince her... All I had to do was find that path.
... Though, that fortunately didn't prove to be needed.
"If you really want, we can bring her back."
"Th-"
"But if anything happens, it's your fault." The follow-up from the woman arrived quickly.
... I couldn't leave her back there, could I?
'Moreso when I became a factor. If she dies in this condition... I'll be a part of the reason why she died.'
... Yeah. Even if bringing a stranger with me is unreasonable, letting someone die like this is unthinkable.
'Besides... She sure reminds me of someone else.'
"... Ren."
Hope she and the others are doing well.
With Jean's help, we lifted the famished panda up and placed her body on top of my back. My arms, which ensured her legs wouldn't be dangling around, held on fairly well.
'Doesn't look like she's heavy,' I thought while I walked with the stranger.
As we left the darkness of the alley behind, a fairly old memory resurfaced.
'..... Right.'
It was true.
***
... A couple of years ago.
A tree's leaves rustled with the flow of the wind, severing the link one of them had with a branch.
Sun showered its lushful surface, as it rode along the autumn currents. The lime surface came in contact with a long, wooden seat. Occupied mostly by two teenagers, and the leaf that landed by the male's side.
Small bread crumbs fell on the guy's lap, thanks to his two rows of sharp teeth cleanly biting off a part of the loaded sandwich. His closed eyes did not even bother to acknowledge the crumbs.
"Oi."
The guy turned to face his companion, though the food in his mouth forced him to stay silent.
A girl about as tall as him, whose orange hair meshed perfectly with the light of the sunset. It also contrasted heavily with the green blazer protecting her clear arms.
She lifted a half-emptied plastic cup, and sipped some of the soda remaining in it.
"You remember that train dilemma we were discussing yesterday?" voiced the girl, who had just finished the drink.
He swallowed the food remaining in his mouth. His brown eyes reflected a tinge of annoyance. "... Again with that, Soph?"
"No, it's not just an 'again with that,' but a fair counterpoint!"
He sighed, and she paid no mind to it.
"To claim you are free of guilt for not changing the train's course is dumb."
"Why?"
The girl explained her reasoning to him, but he refused to listen.
"You really took three days to come up with that?"
"Yep!... Ah, look at the time! I have to go!" exclaimed the girl, who spared a glance at her phone's clock.
"Right when you were cornered...."
"That's your opinion, not a fact," she answered quickly, as she placed her phone in her rather sizable handbag.
She made a cheeky face before running off.
"Ah, wait..."
Her steps came to a full stop. Taking out a box out of the handbag, she flung it in her friend's direction.
"Catch this gift!"
He barely managed to do so.
"What..."
"Later!"
She ran off, leaving him alone with the sun setting down.
He opened the box curiously, finding a blue scarf inside.