The village who requested aid from us goes by the name of Fara. It was located on the western side of the Enchanted Forest, where the Otherworld Society resided. It was about a day's journey by carriage from where we are.
"So, I don't see a carriage or anything. How are we getting there?" I asked the group.
Hannah spoke up to reply. "Don't worry, we're going to go over that now. You should be capable of this even with your limited magical training." She said. "Everyone is usually capable of casting enhancement spells. Can you surround your body with a thin layer of your mana?"
I focused on my core, and slowly permeated my energy until I felt it enveloping my body. "Okay, I think I got it, and then?"
"A lot of magic is based on imagery and focus. I want you to imagine increasing your stamina and strength in your legs." Hannah said.
I focused on the thought at hand, and slowly but surely, I started to feel lighter than usual. "Wow, this feels kind of weird." I did a few jumps to get a feel for the weight difference.
"Yeah, it takes some getting used to. Okay! We're running! I'll be leading us with a wind spell in front to provide a slipstream effect. Please try to keep up!" Hannah exclaimed.
We're what?! I didn't really have time to get upset before the others used their own auras and started booking it. As soon as I started running, I could barely feel the effort required. It was like I was a bird soaring through the sky. The speed that we were traveling at was quite insane. Now I realized why we weren't taking something like a carriage. This trip was going to be a breeze.
While I had the opportunity, I was taking in the scenery as we ran. There wasn't much open land, as we were in a forest, but the flowers and trees were stunning. I was used to trees just being green and only changing colors in the autumn, but everything here was so colorful. I didn't see any animals while we were speeding through, but I felt some presences vanish as we probably scared them off. As we kept going, I realized I didn't feel any fatigue and we'd been running for several miles at this point. We were being dragged along by Hannah's wind spell as well, which required even less effort on my part.
After a few hours of travel, we finally reached the village of Fara. We were greeted at the gate by a few guards who let us through as soon as they saw Anna. One of the guards led us to the center of the village where we entered what I assumed to be the village chief's residence. There was a woman at the front desk who seemed to be a secretary, and smiled as we entered.
"Anna! What can I do for you today?" She asked.
"Hey Jaime, we received a tip that you guys needed some help fending off attackers. Is the chief in?" Anna asked the woman. The woman's eyes lit up and she immediately stood up.
"Oh! Of course! One moment please!" She stood up and scurried off upstairs. The building itself was nice, sure, but nothing too fancy. Seemed about right for as small of a village as this was. After a few minutes of us hanging around, the woman returned followed by an older gentleman, probably in his fifties if I were to guess.
"Welcome back, Anna! Thank you for responding to our request so quickly." He began, "we no longer have the means of sending out our own to investigate, unfortunately. I won't waste too much of your time, but this is no place to discuss this. Please follow me." He brought us upstairs into his office and sat us down.
"So what can we take care of for you, Edgar?" Anna began the conversation. The chief sighed and slumped down in his chair.
"Well, as of two weeks ago, our village started getting attacked by monsters out of the blue." The chief said. "We've fended them off a few times, but I'm losing fighting folk very quickly. Soon we won't have the means to get rid of them, and we may have to abandon the village."
"That's awful, chief. Where have the monsters been coming from?" Anna asked.
"They've been attacking from the Northwest, but there's something strange about their activity." The chief continued, "it seems that they retreat after short attacks, I'm not quite certain we're the ones who send them packing."
Anna pondered the thought for a moment. "So, you think they're being controlled?"
The chief nodded. "Precisely. But, it is a hypothesis, after all. I have yet to find anyone who could be responsible. As I said earlier, I'm beginning to run out of manpower."
Anna was being very casual with the village chief. Did she happen to grow up here? "Thanks for the information, chief. We'll begin searching the forest immediately."
The chief bowed his head. "Thank you so much! The last thing I want to do is attempt to relocate my people! As you know, this forest isn't kind to the weak."
"Don't worry," Anna began, "we'll find the ones causing this and put a stop to it."
We got up and left the building, and made our way to the gate where we came in. The guard at the gate was sleeping when we walked by so Anna gave him a smack on the head as we walked past. He sat up, startled, looking around for a second. When he didn't notice his boss around, he fixed his helmet and got back to watching.
I couldn't help but be nosy about why Anna seemed so comfortable with the people of this village. "You seem to be at home here. Did you grow up here by chance?" I asked her.
She looked at me as if she was thinking about even answering the question, but answered after a short while. "No, but the chief of this village fed me for some time when I was younger. He was very kind to me. Now, I do what I can to return the favor."
I had heard Anna was a native of this world, but I wasn't really informed on her upbringing. It makes sense why she has trust issues if she basically grew up alone. It'd be best to help her to the best of my ability to get her to open up more. We stopped as we reached where the village ended and the forest began.
"Alright, we'll fan out from here. Freya, you'll stay with me. Can't have you taking on an unknown when we haven't taught you a ton."
"Yes, Captain!" The others said as they immediately whisked themselves away. Man I've got to practice magic more…
We walked for a few minutes when we came across broken branches, as well as bushes and plants completely ripped from the ground. We were never told what kind of monsters were attacking the village, but they were probably quite large. Anna quickly aimed her rifle to my left and obliterated an arrow that was flying my way.
"Watch out, Freya! We're not alone!" She yelled. She chanted some words and erected some cover to rest her rifle on. I began to sense the auras of multiple people surrounding us. I pulled out my bow and started slinging arrows at the nearest people I could sense. A man jumped out of the bush I was firing at, tackling me to the ground. I grabbed his forearm just before he could lodge the dagger he was holding into my chest.
"Eat shit, barbarian!" Anna exclaimed as she blew his skull open.
"Thanks!" I shouted as I got back on my feet. As I observed those surrounding us I assumed they were barbarians or tribesmen based on their simple, animal pelt outfits. I pulled out my spear to intercept the next attack. There were fourteen people surrounding us- well, fifteen if you count the one without a skull in front of me. Fourteen on two, huh? We got our work cut out for us here…
Many arrows were now flying our direction en masse. Anna was trying to protect me the best she could with earth magic, and I managed to bat a few arrows away with my spear. Suddenly, vines grew out of the ground, binding me so I was unable to walk. Anna was able to kill another barbarian, but then we heard large footsteps. Four barbarians joined the fight while riding large lizard looking beasts. To say I wasn't shook by their appearance would be lying. Anna was too busy defending herself to help me out of the vines. I was first pierced through my left arm, and then another arrow was lodged behind my right knee. Holy fuck that hurts. I've been shot before on Earth, but this is the first time I can say I've been shot with a damn arrow.
"Augh!" I shouted in pain. I observed the arrows and realized they had been coated in something before they were shot. I immediately felt dizzy and I began to lose consciousness. I heard Anna shouting my name before I lost sight of her.
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When I awoke, night had fallen and my hands were bound. Anna and myself were tied to a tree, and it looked like we were in a camp. I was also wearing a collar, or maybe some kind of restraint? One of the barbarian men realized I had regained consciousness and started walking towards me. He crouched in front of me and brought his hand to my face, caressing it. Yuck.
"You're a fine woman. I might just have to take you for myself." He said, a lustful smile encroaching his face. Before I could even reply he was bonked on the head with a bow by a female barbarian.
"Enough, Bleit. Not only is she my capture, but we have to bring them back in one piece. You're always too rough with slaves." The male barbarian scoffed and went back over to the others. "Not that you can understand me, but had I let him continue, you'd wish you were dead." The female barbarian said as she walked back towards the crowd. She doesn't seem to know I can understand them, so I'll keep that to myself.
I nudged Anna a few times and she groaned as she woke up. "Sorry, Freya…" She began, "I should've taken more precautions."
"It's okay, at least we're still alive. They had several opportunities to kill us." I responded. "What happened to the others?"
"I tried to contact them after you lost consciousness, but something was interfering. I'm unsure where we are now, but Hannah is probably capable of tracking our location." Anna sighed. "I'd say for now, we have to play along with these guys. Wait, are these?" She felt her neck and tried to cast a small earth spell. "Shit. The collars they put on us block mana use. Trying to fight a group this large without being able to use our abilities wouldn't be wise."
"Hear me, hunters! Time to move, pack up and get on the road." The female barbarian from earlier shouted.
"Already, Dhae? I haven't even got to properly rest yet." Bleit responded.
"We can't sit in one place for too long, you of all people know that." Dhae said, annoyed. "We'll be back at camp soon enough. Stop complaining. I know you're still upset I got put in charge of this hunt, but you can take that up with the elders." Bleit begrudgingly started to help pack up the makeshift camp that had been set up while another barbarian walked over to Anna and I and began chanting some kind of spell. A wave of tiredness washed over me and I passed out yet again.
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The feeling of being tossed onto the ground is what next awoke me. I looked around for Anna and found her being carried in. Please tell me she's just asleep, I need her. We had arrived at the barbarians main camp. The scent of smoke and sweat infiltrated my nostrils as I regained myself. The camp itself was surrounded by a tall wall made of logs, ending in a large spike on top. Inside the camp I saw an array of tents made from animal hide. A fire at the center crackled violently, its orange glow casting a dance of shadows on the rough faces of the warriors sitting around it, their broad frames outlined against the night.
The men and women of the camp are an intimidating sight: tall, wild-eyed, and scarred, their bodies adorned with fur and bone, tattoos twisting across their skin in intricate patterns. Weapons of all kinds are strapped to their sides. Axes, swords, spears, bows, and shields bearing the marks of countless battles. Some are sharpening their blades, others are laughing loudly, their voices rising over the crackle of the flames.
A large man noticed the patrol that brought us here, and walked our way. His face is hardened and weathered, his long, braided hair streaked with dirt and blood. His crimson eyes, cold and calculating, examined us like a beast sizing up its prey. He grinned, showing teeth that seem too sharp for a man. His voice, when he speaks, is low and gravelly, but filled with authority.
"This is all you've brought today? I could've sworn I asked you to wipe out the village. You've been widdling them down for a week." He asked Dhae.
"I apologize, Andralk. We were about to attack the village again, but a group of stronger folk started snooping around. I figured you'd want us to get rid of them first." Dhae responded. "We have two of them here, but we're still searching for the others."
The large man scoffed, and began to walk back towards the fire. "Put them with the others for now. Bring the boy. They won't be useful to us while they're injured."
Dhae brought us over to a larger tent and ushered us inside. Several other folk lined the tent with the same collars that we bore. We were forced to sit down and Dhae soon returned with a boy. He had short, dark maroon hair and horns atop his head. Horns?
"Heal their wounds, and then return to me." Dhae ordered him and left the tent. The boy crouched beside me without a word and held my arm in his hands. I winced at it being moved but I was more curious about what he was doing without any medical supplies. Then, his hands became covered in aura. The pain I was feeling just moments ago was sated, and my wound began to close. Holy shit, is this healing magic? Adam said this was quite rare. The boy did the same thing to my leg and went to move onto Anna's injuries. I thought Otherworlders were unaffected by this worlds healing? Do I not count because of Iris?
"Hey, thanks." I told the boy. He quickly looked at me, almost confused.
"You- you speak Demon-tongue..?" He asked me. Whoops.
"I guess so?" I responded. The boy finished up with Anna and got up to go.
"Uhm, you're welcome, miss." He said and walked out of the tent. I began to wonder if my slip up would get me in some kind of trouble, but I pushed aside the thought as Anna awoke.
She groaned and then observed our surroundings. "I take it this is the main camp?" She asked me. "What happened to our wounds?"
"They seem to have someone who can heal." I told her.
"Really? A barbarian with a talent for healing magic?" She asked.
"I don't think he was a barbarian, he had horns and seemed to be taking orders from them." I responded.
"He had horns? Are you sure he was taking orders willingly?" Anna asked. "That sounds like a demon. I don't know a single demon who'd willingly take orders from another. Especially one who wasn't another demon."
"I mean, he didn't have a collar on. But he was the one who healed our injuries, didn't you say the collar blocks mana?" I asked. "Wouldn't that mean he's working with them in some capacity?"
"Demons aren't capable of working with humans. There's no way this isn't some kind of con." Anna replied. "Well, anyway. We've got to get out of here as quickly as we can. Ain't no way I'm going to be a barbarian slave." Anna began to look around the tent. "Let's split up and see if anyone in here can get us some good information about this camp."
"Sounds good. We'll loop back together in the morning." I responded.
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"Any sign of them?" Hannah asked Oliver.
"Nothing where I searched, what about you, Kenji?" Oliver said.
"I found remnants of a fight in the general direction they went. It's possible they were overpowered and taken by someone. Although, Anna would've put up a decent fight." Kenji said. "I think we should contact Adam and let him know what's going on."
"Sounds good." Hannah responded. "We can scout around in the direction they went after we make the report. I can't imagine they got too far."
Adam, it's Hannah. Freya and Anna have been missing for a few hours now. We've picked up the trail on where they might've gone. Permission to pursue?
Hey Hannah! Anna was captured too? Ha! You may pursue, keep me posted.
Hey! Not funny Adam! How could you be so lax when two of my team members have been captured?!
Don't worry. There shouldn't be anything nearby that they can't handle. They must've been outnumbered. I know of a hunter camp near your location. I'll send you the details. Check there first. Good luck.
Thanks Adam! We'll keep you updated.
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I can't say I got great sleep last night, being on the floor and all, but we got some good intel from the other occupants of the tent. Firstly, the tribe that kidnapped us was known as the Karth. They were the largest group of barbarians in the forest, though they weren't the only ones. Second, the beasts they rode were most likely responsible for the attacks on the village we were sent out from. They were being kept in line with a form of necromancy by a barbarian shameness named Rhan. Lastly, we were going to take part in some kind of 'placement test' today by the Karth leadership. This test would determine how we would be of use to them, be it labor, craftsmanship or fighting.
"So," I asked Anna, "how do you think these guys plan to test us?"
"Well, I'd imagine they'll put us against one of their own, throw us around, and assign us to manual labor. Or, something of the sort." Anna said. "I can't imagine they'd actually trust us to fight alongside them."
"Not that we could even do so with these damn collars on." I added. "I haven't been able to do any core work because of this damn thing."
"Well, let's just hope you don't fall out of practice because of it. I'll have Kenji test your might when we get out of this!" Anna said, laughing.
"Anything but that, please!" I exclaimed just as Dhae burst into the tent with a group in tow.
"Alright, chumps! Get outside, it's time to see what you're made of!" She interjected. "C'mon! Move it!" They ushered Anna, myself, and two other new additions outside.
As we walked to wherever they were taking us I observed the layout of the camp. The many tents that substituted buildings were arranged in a loose circle. At the center of the camp lay a large communal firepit where folk seemed to gather day or night. Dotted around the camp were various trophies from great beasts the Karth have slain. There was an open area where groups of men and women alike were sharpening their combat abilities. The children of the tribe could be seen almost anywhere, some running around, others watching their elders spar, or even shadowing crafts like clothesmaking or weapon crafting. I even heard a ritual of some kind going on in one of the tents. Finally, we entered something that looked like a small arena. There was a circular pit dug out in the center spanning about forty feet in diameter.
"Let's see how well you guys can fight when it's a fair match up!" Dhae exclaimed. "Redhead! You and goldilocks are up first!" Anna rolled her eyes as she was sent into the arena. The man she was up against was almost twice her size, which didn't seem like a fair match up to me when she doesn't have any equipment. When Anna passed the circle, her collar lit up, and she seemed to have a smirk on her face. Oh? Can we use mana here? The man across from here was given a short sword and a shield. Anna refused any weapons.
"Oho? We got a confident one over here!" Dhae said. "Alright then, begin!"
The man started to rush Anna right after he was given the go, but Anna was already casting. Spears of rock formed in front of her and were being flung at the golden man. Although he was large in stature, he was dodging quite well, almost like he was dancing. He began to charge her. Anna, becoming frustrated, changed her approach. She encased herself in earth, effectively acting as armor to block the incoming barrage of attacks. Is this the full-body aura she mentioned during the spar with Adam and Kenji? The man continued to beat down on the armor, and it began to crack under the force of his swings.
Anna then turned the ground below the man into a thick mud, throwing him off balance. Now dropping the rock armor, she forged daggers from her magic, and began to take down the larger man with quick, nimble strikes until he fell to the ground in forfeit. There was cheering coming from above the pit as I then noticed many of the tribe members had come to watch the fights. Dhae called Anna back as I saw the maroon haired boy tend to the blondie on the sidelines. I know Anna said that demons were this awful, terrible thing, but I couldn't help but think this kid was different. Why would he be helping barbarians? What would his end goal be? I couldn't think about it for too long before it was my turn.
The person I was facing was also male, half a foot taller than me, and not very muscular. From what I could tell, he was probably a mage, as he, like Anna, refused weapons when Dhae offered. I opted for the spear, as I was already confident in my shooting capabilities. This would offer great practice. Dhae then signaled for the fight to begin.
The man flicked his wrist, and a ribbon of fire began to envelop his arm. He swung elegantly as if the fire itself was a whip which came flying towards me. With every swing I attempted to close the distance. I had great reach with my weapon, and mages need space. The mage attempted to shoot a burst of pure flame at me to which I rolled away from, grabbing a handful of sand in the confusion. I feinted left, drawing out a strike, and tossed it in his face. This managed to disrupt his concentration, and his flames dissipated. He screamed and lashed out blindly, unleashing a desperate explosion of heat. A blast of fire erupted outward almost like a tantrum, but it was too late. I dashed behind him and drove the butt of my spear into the back of his knee. Before he could form another spell my blade rested against his neck, and he was forced to give up. There was shouting from our spectators before Dhae chimed in.
"Aww! You didn't kill him? I wouldn't have put it past you!" She exclaimed. "Thanks for the entertainment! You'll get right to work tomorrow!"
"I don't get to know what I'm doing, at least?" I asked.
"You- you speak our language?" Dhae asked. Ah, shit.