I walked towards Kharie, and while I was a little hurt by the look of hesitation in her eyes, I understood it. It had to be even worse for someone in the S Rank, like Kharie, to see someone defeat creatures stronger than her with ease. She was shaken, and had no doubt been traumatized by the whole situation, even if she tried to conceal it. She was strong willed, strong in body and mind, and those qualities had an undeniable pull to them, and that made it a bit worse when seeing a trace of fear in her eyes towards me.
I stopped walking when I saw her look like she was going to take a step back.
"Kharie." I said, making her twitch, and jerk her head up to meet my eyes fully, "I promise you, you're safe. I won't let anything hurt you. Are you feeling all right now?" I asked her, my voice as soft as I could make it while still walking closer to her.
I saw some of the hesitation melting away. I had been told by Cici and Anya that Beastkin had better senses than most, and could actually tell if people were earnest in their words and their actions through subtle tells. Eye contact, slight movements in the face and body, tone of voice, and a few more suble tells. That seemed to be true for Fox Beastkin as well, which hopefully meant that was a universal thing.
Kharie still looked wary, which I understood, but the fact that I had saved her, healed her, and told her what I just did seemed to be winning over her hesitation.
"Th-thank you... for saving me. I would have died if it wasn't for you." She said, and I just smiled at her.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're okay. May I come closer, Kharie?" I asked, and I was happy to see her nod after only another moment of hesitation. I approached her until I was only standing mere feet away from her now. Her ears flattened against her head, and her tail drooped in a way I didn't like seeing.
"I'm sorry." She said, looking down at the ground, "You saved me... you came all the way out here for me... and I let what I saw freak me out a bit. I don't know you that well... but enough to know you aren't like that."
"It's fine, Kharie. I will admit that seeing you like that... it made me kinda fly off the handle a bit." I said, my words causing her to look up at me again, "All I could think about was killing all of them. I didn't hold back as much as I should have, but I wasn't about to let you die."
Her eyes softened at my words, but then once she seemed to parse through them in her head for a bit, they widened.
"You... were holding back???" She asked suddenly, which made me scratch the back of my head.
"Yeah... there's a lot to that." I said, she just continued to stare at me, her eyes unblinking.
"I can barely believe what I saw... despite it all being burned into my mind." She said, her beautiful brown eyes capturing me in their brilliance, "The raw power you emitted, the odd black and white flames that burned them away, those long... tentacle things of yours." She said, and her last statement made me chuckle.
"They're called Tendrils, and it's a skill." I said, and she paused a moment, taking in the information before she continued.
"Tendrils. That makes sense..." She said, pondering that for a moment, before she continued her earlier words, "All that being said... Elias, I've never seen anything like that. I struggled so hard against these things. Those Elites were no joke, and I don't even want to think about what would have happened if the Queen decided to attack me. You... you were already the strongest person... no, strongest anything I've ever met. That was undeniable, but this... this is so much more than I could have ever imagined. Elias... what exactly are you?" She asked me, finally taking a breath after finishing her sentence.
I honestly didn't have an issue with telling her at some point. From talking to her, as well as how her soul looked and felt to me, I knew she was trustworthy. Honestly, that really helped with keeping secrets, but even then, hiding myself really wasn't my style. I mainly thought about keeping my women safe when it came to that, but with them growing stronger, my power strengthening them to insane degrees, and me never really being too far away from them, I really wasn't worried about that. Anyone who tried to hurt my loves would wish they were never even conceived.
I focused back on Kharie after a moment, and decided.
"It's not like I hide who I am. I just don't tell people unnecessarily. Tell you what? How about we get the hell out of this shit hole, and get you back home. Once we get you some food, you clean yourself up, and you are more relaxed, I'll show you. I trust you not to say anything to the wrong people." I said, staring into her eyes as I continued, "I was worried about you, Kharie. Your brother would have gotten himself killed coming after you. Delphia is probably crying right now from relief knowing that you are safe."
"They... know I'm okay?" Kharie asked me, and I nodded.
"Another skill you'll learn about later. I can speak to Cici and Clarissa from... well, anywhere really." I said.
Her eyes were wide for a moment, before her face fell again, in what looked like guilt and shame. "Just... let me get my things and we can go." She said, walking a bit unsteadily, but improving with every step.
She only took a few steps before kneeling down and grimacing as she carefully pried the fingers of her amputated arm open, and retrieved a dagger from it. She gagged slightly, but she keep moving. I followed behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall, and also to keep her safe as she walked towards a very nice and well maintained white bow about 20 feet away. It must have gotten thrown from her hands or something.
It was in very good shape, and the lack of damage actually surprised me given the state of how I found her. I could sense the magic on it, as well as her dagger, so they were no doubt heavily enchanted weapons, which would explain how she managed to fuck so many things up despite the odds being against her. She picked up the bow with what looked like reverence, and let out a shakey breath of relief as she held it to her chest, and closed her eyes. I could tell the weapon meant a lot to her. After a moment, she threw both of them into a a spacial ring, and turned back to me.
"All right, let's get OUUU-" She began, only to squeal a moment later.
Before she could finish her sentence, I lifted her gently into my arms in mere moments, which caused the surprisingly cute noise to leave her mouth. Her arms instinctively went around my neck for support, as my left went underneath her legs behind the knees, and my right around her surprisingly toned shoulders. She was small and slim, yet built with lean muscle and feminine curves. To say I was attracted to her would be an understatement, and I was beginning to think there might be something wrong with me. I had enough women in my life already, yet the one in my arms right now, just like the others, drew me to her in a way that was hard to ignore.
"I... this isn't necessary Elias..." Kharie said, her flustered and reddened cheeks drawing me from my thoughts, and making me laugh.
"Okay, sure. I'll put you down, you can grow your fox wings that you definitely have, and we can fly back together." I said teasingly, and she just looked at me, face reddening further, before she just looked down, and actually settled in my arms, her own tightening around my neck.
"I... see your point." She said, her voice soft as she spoke, "Then please... lets go. I don't ever want to see this place ever again."
"Yes ma'am. Just give me a second." I said, seeing her face become a bit more red, and then turned around with her still in my arms.
I focused on my Manipulation skill, or more accurately, the storage space I had created with it. I then created small portals made from the Abyss under every dead spider corpse in sight. Drones, Elites, and the Queen all fell into the portals, and I made sure to store them in a space separate from things like our clothes and what food I had in there. Kinda like how I did with that Troll I killed when I first arrived to Arbigold city.
Once that was done, I looked back down at Kharie, and chuckled at her opened mouthed and wide eyed stare.
"Your face will freeze in place if you keep it like that for too long." I joked, and that caused her to blink and snap her mouth shut with an audible click of teeth.
She then turned her gaze fully to mine, her embarrassment at being carried like a princess giving way to bewilderment and amazement.
"That's... a skill... yes?" She asked me, and I smiled and nodded.
"It is. I made it myself. It comes in handy." I said, and she just blinked at me a few times, before surprisingly, she started to laugh. It was genuine, and it warmed my heart to hear it from her despite what she went through today. Plus... it was a beautiful sound.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're ridiculous, Elias?" She asked me, her laugh calming but not completely gone, and now I chuckled back at her.
"Yes. More than once." I said, and she just looked at me with a mixture of awe and amusement.
"Well, Mr. Ridiculous... can we go now? I don't like the looks of those things." She said, and I turned my head and followed her gaze.
The fog had been slowly rolling back in, but it was still fairly visible. Off in the distance, large shapes lumbered through the Dead Lands, and their forms looked like they were heading this way. I wasn't worried about anything in here, but I didn't want to waste time fighting more weird zombie creatures if I didn't have to. People were waiting for us, not to mention that this place frankly just sucked ass.
Maybe I'd come back to check this place out another day, but it wasn't pressing right now. There was still so much to do beyond this place. Once we finally got back to the city, there were a lot more things to deal with. I still planned on going to Farendell and raising hell for what they did to Valerie, and that doesn't even include what they've done to others, and what they are doing right now. I even had another reason to go there in the slim hope that I might be able to find Ezra's wife, provided one of my theories about her proved to be true. She could very well be dead, but I held out some hope. This world was fucked enough, and Ezra was a good man whose heart was clearly hurting immensely. If I could help... I'd do my best to do so.
There was also the matter of this supposed King that used to rule the territories before they split for whatever reason. What he did sounded more like an Emperor to me, but then again, this world was proving different to things fantasy stories had shown me over my years watching and reading them. I doubt what was going on here, and what he did to these lands long ago were unrelated, but what was more interesting about it is that no one has seemed to truly understand what was going on here. People avoided these lands, and for good reason. Perhaps they couldn't sense this place like I could.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I could think about this shit later. I focused back on the woman in my arms.
"Yeah, let's get the hell out of this place." I said, my wings manifesting on back.
"OH FUCK!" Kharie shouted, her words drawing a laugh from me as we climbed higher.
I felt her fluffy tail wrap around my waist, either for comfort or to keep it safe. She looked down as we ascended, her eyes wide, but there was actually not as much fear as I was expecting. Cici and Clarissa had nearly pissed themselves the first time I flew with them, but Kharie just seemed to skip straight to the awe phase.
"We're... so high." She breathed out, and I grinned as I shifted my arms to pull her closer.
"I'll fly a bit slower than normal. Everyone knows we are safe, so it should be fine. Give you time to adjust, and take in the view." I said, and once we reached a decent enough height, I flapped my powerful wings, and sent us forward, back towards the Yellow Plains Village.
Kharie just stared below us for a while, and I actually smiled at seeing her expression. Once we cleared the Dead Lands, leaving that shitty place behind, she looked genuinely excited at the prospect of seeing the lush trees, the colored plains of grasses and flowers, and the towering peaks of various mountains and rock formations as we flew. I much preferred this look on her than the state I found her in. I wanted to ask her more about it, but I also wanted to give her time to process everything that had happened, and let her talk when she was ready.
Whether she knew what I was thinking about, but most likely it was just a coincidence, she began speaking after a few more minutes of just staring below us, her voice low, and filled with regret.
"I... I didn't go there with the intentions of this happening..." She began, gathering her thoughts as her body trembled. I held her a bit closer to try and help her relax. It seemed to help a bit. "My head was... a jumbled mess of so many different emotions I was going mad. I needed an outlet to let it all out. To help me process everything I heard... everything that happened."
"So, you went to the Dead Lands? Does battle help you with that?" I asked, genuinely curious while keeping my tone even. She nodded against my chest.
"My brothers... their Classes give them an outlet. It helps them clear their mind, and it keeps them busy while they work through their emotions. With mine... it's almost the opposite. I can't concentrate on making new Enchantments when my mind is all... scrambled like it was. They come out wrong... dissatisfactory to me. It was my mother who first helped me figure out how to best clear my mind, as it was the same thing for her. Not just fighting, but hunting. Narrowing your focus, your perception, on a single prey, and allowing your mind to focus on just that one thing. It helps me to put things into perspective after the fact." She explained, and I just nodded as I listened to her, letting her speak everything she wanted to say.
"This time was no different... or at least, it shouldn't have been. I... got careless. I let my emotions control me, make me lose focus, and before I knew it, I had gone too far. Further than people ever dared to go, and then I ran into those... things." She said, before looking at me with a curious expression, "By the way... how did you find me?"
"Your brother Rory knew what you were doing. Said he followed you a few times, but never really worried since you always came home without any issues. Once I knew you were here, I just focused on the feeling of you, I heard you scream, and with both of those, I was able to find you in time." I said, and her eyes widened, before a small, bitter smile came to her lips, and a few tears began to fall from eyes.
"Of course one of them knew... always the worried and protective little brothers. And he believed in me enough not to tell anyone..." She said, tears falling in earnest now, "I'm such an idiot. I have two amazing brothers at home, and in trying not to worry them, I made it even worse."
I let her get it out for a while, content to just hold her through it. After about a minute, she regained a bit of her composure.
"I don't even know what to say about you... although I suppose you'll tell me later like you said. Given what I seen from you today... I'm not too surprised." She said, pausing before correcting herself, "Well, I'm actually insanely surprised, but... from the moment I saw you, I knew you were something different. Your power, your aura, your lack of concern when it comes to conflict. Vikoss is strong and intimidating, and you didn't even flinch when he became confrontational."
I chuckled low in my throat.
"I think him and I have reached an understanding. He's not a bad guy, he's just... emotional? I think that's the right word." I said.
She giggled, the sound warm and musical. It made my heart flutter in my chest. I much preferred hearing that noise from her instead of the pained ones I heard earlier.
"He is... easily angered, protective to an annoying degree... but I love him. And Rory. He may not be as good with people, or at expressing himself, but it's his actions that shows me how much he cares... and I..." She said, choking up as her emotions got the better of her, "I would've broken them... first our parents, then Raizen, and then... I would have.... I..."
I rested a hand atop her head and gently began stroking her hair. She cried into my chest, leaning her head into my hand as I did my best to soothe her. She was filled with so much guilt over so many things. It's like she tried to carry the weight of every burden by herself, and it almost drove her to her death.
"There was... a moment back there." Kharie said, her voice unsteady as she spoke again, "I thought that maybe... I was just facing the consequences of my actions... for failing to see what my brother had become... for failing to help lead him down a better path. What he did... it's unforgivable, I know that... and I know what you did was necessary but... he was still my brother... you know? I can't help but think maybe... My brothers and I could have done better... that I could have done better... to save him. To show him the right way..."
I let her speak, her words bringing back thoughts of the guilt I also faced once upon a time, and still occasionally did. In the end, I got my mother back, and she was safe and sound now, but before that? She had been stuck in that cage for months, being treated no better than an animal. Still, I wanted to say something, anything to help ease her mind.
"Some people, whether it's parents, siblings, or friends, "I began, my voice steady as I spoke, "They do their best to help, lead, and push those they care about towards a better life. Others, they demean, degrade, and abuse those they claim to care about, sometimes for no other reason than they enjoy it."
Kharie peered up at me, eyes still wet with tears, but now her attention was focused fully on me, and the words I was speaking.
"In both cases, that person in question can go both ways. I've seen it plenty of times. Sometimes, you can have all the support in the world, a loving family, and still grow up to be a piece of shit. Other times, your life can be hard... people can push you down... tell you you're nothing..." I said, my voice growing soft before I spoke again with conviction, "And you can still rise above that. To become what you want to be. To be better than your circumstances. To be a good person."
Kharie didn't interrupt me, she just listened, her eyes almost unblinking as she seemed to hang on to every word I said.
"My point is that... you don't truly know if what you are suggesting would have helped or not. You could have done all of what you just said, and he still could have turned out the way he did. He might not have, but he also might have chosen the same path. We can never know. We cannot turn back time, and it's pointless to say "if I did this," or "what if," when that time has already passed. All you are doing is piling guilt upon yourself over something you can't change... that's something I know all too well."
Kharie's eyes simmered with tears she held back, although she didn't have to with me. All I wanted to do was help her, although whether or not my words truly helped remained to be seen. After a moment, she finally mustered a response.
"If I may ask... what would a man like you feel guilty about..." She said, although she corrected herself a moment later, "That sounded insensitive... it's just... you're so strong, and everything I've seen and heard about you... you fight... and you kill... to keep others safe."
I smiled down at her, not at all bothered by her words. I understood what she meant, she just didn't want to say it.
"Kharie... you don't ever have to worry about speaking your mind with me. I am pretty blunt most times, and I prefer it that way." I said, my eyes boring into hers, "I killed Raizen..." I said, watching the way she flinched ever so slightly at my words, but ai continued, "While I may not feel guilt over that given what he did, it's not like I don't over other reasons. I don't like how it has affected you and your brothers. My chest aches when I see all of that pain in your eyes. I did what had to be done... but I also wish things could have been different." I said, watching as my words caused her to lose control over her tears once again. I continued a moment later once she got a grip on them again.
"Believe it or not Kharie, there was a time not that long ago when I was very weak." I said, and that made her eyes open in genuine surprise.
"You? Weak?" She asked, and I nodded.
"Yes. Hell, how long has it been? A month, maybe less? Anyways, I was sick. I could barely move. My body was weak, and pain wracked my body every waking moment of everyday. And every single day... I thought about my mother." I said, and that caused something gentler to enter her eyes, "She was the only person for a long time who truly loved me. The only person who I felt actually gave a damn about me and what I was going through. And... the man who I used to call my father... he was abusive. To me, he was mentally abusive. Called me names, told me I was worthless, that I was nothing, that they never should have adopted me."
"So... they weren't your blood parents?" She asked, something in her eyes burning with what looked like fury on my behalf. That made me genuinely smile at her.
"No. I don't know who they are... well, not really, and that's something I'll get into later when I tell you and show you more." I said, and she gave me a nod, accepting that as I continued, "With how my mom treated me though, you would have never noticed. That being said, with my mom... he was worse. He hurt her... not just mentally. He did things to her that piss me off just thinking about it. As I got older, guilt ate away at me because I was so weak... because I was unable to do anything, but then something happened and it made me who you see now. Despite that, I got caught up in my new life, and sometimes wondered if my mom actually still cared about me like she seemed to... I wondered why she would put up with such abuse, and put up with how he treated me. In the end, I was just... naive. When I finally went back for her, what I found... it filled me with a rage I have never quite felt before. He caged my mom like a fucking animal, barely fed her, and physically and sexually abused her constantly... all while I hesitated to do what I should have done sooner."
Kharie's eyes widened, and again, I saw the fury in her eyes return, and redouble, but there was also sadness in them. For me. I didn't expect that, but I was not unhappy to see it.
"That's... Elias... I'm so sorry... is she...?" She asked, and the thought of my mother smiling, and kissing my forehead as she seen me off made me smile despite myself.
"She's okay now. Perfectly safe back home with people I trust. And that helped me see how stupid I was. She never stopped loving me, and she even did stand up for herself... which is why he locked her away in the first place. She chose me over him... and she paid the price for it. One I repaid with his life."
"You... killed him?" She asked, not in a disapproving voice, more just confirming.
"I did. Here's the thing about me Kharie. Those I care about, those I love... they are everything to me. The reason I fight, the reason I breathe, the reason I keep moving forward. It's because of them. My Cici, my Clarissa, my mother, the friends and family I've met along the way, everything I do is so they can live safe and happy lives. When they feel pain, I feel pain. When they are sad, I'm sad. And the ones responsible for that pain..." I said, my voice turning into a growl so deep it made her eyes open wider, "I make sure it's the last thing they ever do."
I took a minute to compose myself, the anger settling down as I felt the warmth and affection through my bond with my loves. That only furthered my own point to myself. Without them, I wasn't sure who or what I'd be.
"Sorry, Kharie. I didn't mean to scare you." I said gently, and she shook her head immediately.
"No... it's fine. It was... different than what I expected. It helped me to see something else in you. You really are a lot different than you look. What did Delphia call you? A big softie?" She asked me with a little smirk, making me laugh.
"I guess... I can't argue with that. Believe me, if I had it my way, I would do nothing but love on my girls all day every day if I could. I would be content with that." I said, my words causing her to blush faintly, "I guess what I've been trying to get at is this. I felt guilty for letting my mom stay in that situation for so long, and even worse when I found out what was actually happening, but after talking to her, after reconnecting, after having her love and dote on me again like when I was a young boy, seeing her smile again, and her being safe... a lot of that guilt has passed. Some of it still lingers, and perhaps it always will, but... in the end, you don't choose what other people do. The things people do, the choices they make, that's on them. My father doing what he did... that was his choice to make, and he paid the price for his actions."
I left out things that weren't my story to tell. Something similar had happened slwith Clarissa and her father, and I had even said the same thing to her at the time. Of course I didn't take my own advice at the time, because it was a hell of a lot easier to give others advise and to build them up than it was to listen to your own words. I felt I was getting better at that.
"What your brother did... ultimately that was his own choice. You didn't choose that for him, your brothers didn't choose that for him, and neither did your parents... may they rest in peace. If he didn't know the difference between right and wrong by that point, then how can you say he ever would? So, don't blame yourself, Khaire. I've not known you that long, but I know enough about you to see that you are kind, you are strong, and you are fiercely protective of those you care about. I'm sure your parents would be incredibly proud of the woman you've become. Don't let someone else's poor choices drag you down." I said, then I gave a smile to the teary eyed woman in my arms, "Plus, you look beautiful when you smile, and I much prefer seeing that on your face."
My words had the intended effect, her lips quivering as she gave me a radiant smile that I could honestly say I wanted to see more of in the future. Then, her composure broke, and she buried her face into my chest and sobbed, her body shaking as she let out everything she had been holding back. I just held her close, my hand running through her hair, and I slowed my pace a bit more, allowing her to let out what she needed to before we arrived back at her village, where I was almost certain more tears would follow.