Chapter 3
"Sorry, lady." He mumbled under his breath, looking embarrassed. She sighed and shook her head, "It's alright," then paused, "And why are you calling me...'lady'?" He stared at her like she grew an extra head and she thought he was going to hit her. "Boss told us to treat you with respect. Are you not happy?" He asked sounding exasperated. She shook her head again, this time more vigorously. He didn't say another word and went back to applying the foul-smelling gel onto the angry red welt, much to her relief.
After what seemed like forever, she spoke softly, "You can just call me Gumiho." He dabbed the last bits of the salve onto her wound and finally wrapped a clean red cloth tightly around it. He groggily stood up from his seat and stared at her again. Miho gulped and suddenly felt self conscious. He was slightly burly and about twice her age but undeniably handsome. "I-I can't do that," He muttered before adding, "Lady." She opened her mouth to say something but the tent flaps fluttered open and Shino walked in, looking cleaned and stunning as always.
The man gave him a brief nod and bowed politely before the girl before turning his back to them and exiting the tent. Shino examined her wrist with eyebrows furrowed. "T-Thank you for getting your men to treat me." She said, her voice tiny. He simply nodded in response and plopped himself onto the vacant seat beside her. Neither of them said a word. The silence was unbearable and finally she couldn't help but speak up.
"Will you answer my questions now?" She gathered up all her bravery and asked in a fairly demanding voice. He did not reply immediately but stared at her, as if trying to memorize her features. She gulped but her expression remained stoic. He was handsome. Clad in a stunning white navy coat and dark slacks tucked into high buckled boots. She might've even mistaken him for an imperial guard. "Go ahead." He said finally, clearing his throat. She jumped slightly at this and quickly regained her composure.
"First of all, who are you...people?" She started, motioning to his group of followers outside the tent. "I think I have told you this before, but I'm Shinosuke and the guys you met earlier are my guild mates. We're just normal travelers, but I have contacts and I know how to stop the invasion." He spoke in a low voice. Miho raised her eyebrows and leaned closer to him, as if afraid she would be overheard, "Invasion?" "The Black Mage. He's coming for our land. He put all our creatures to sleep and without them, we are completely vulnerable." He placed a hand on her head, making her tremble, "That's why we need the sacred egg. If it is summoned, we will be able to awaken the rest of the creatures and we'll at least stand a chance. Sorry."
She let out a deep sigh and nodded in understanding. Who knew if she could trust this stranger, but there was nothing left to do besides agreeing. "Then why am I here?" She blurted out suddenly, almost forgetting her most important query. The boy shifted uncomfortably, "I brought you here because you are-" He paused for a split second, "Remember when I pinned you down in the temple? You said you were nothing without it, didn't you? I-I just thought you wouldn't want to part with it. And you'll get to see the outside world more as well."
Blood rushed to her cheeks, making her light up like a ripe tomato. Had he actually taken her words to heart and did such a thing for her sake? She hardly encountered anyone other than passing travelers and never has she felt the concern of another. "Don't get me wrong. I just felt sorry for you then." He added in a quieter tone before standing up. On instinct, she stood up as well and trotted behind him towards the flaps of the tent. "Gumiho." She quickly said. He turned his head, confused. "That's my name." She burst out, embarrassed at the lousy introduction.
He only smiled and nodded. "Little fox. Come out in a bit for dinner." And with that, he left her standing alone in her tent. She plopped down onto her rumpled blankets and wrapped them around her lithe body. Her face was burning and she couldn't help thinking about his deep voice. Little fox. She replayed it over and over again in her head until she fell asleep.
She didn't realize until she felt rough hands shaking her by the shoulders. She swiftly sat up, coming face to face with an unfamiliar boy. He looked to be around her age and was crouching in front of her. The tent was dark and she could see silhouettes gathered in a circle outside. "You wouldn't want to miss dinner, little fox. This is probably the last meal we're having for the next three days." He spoke expressionlessly before strutting out of the tent. She wrapped her blankets around her tighter. She crawled over to the edge of the tent and peeked outside. The air was cold and lonely. She slowly walked towards the guild around the campfire, still wrapped in the protection of her furs, feet freezing. Their voices grew louder as she approached.
"Little fox is finally joining us." One of them yelped excitedly as he noticed her coming up behind them. She shivered at the sound of that. Soon enough, everyone's eyes were on her and she couldn't help feeling small and exposed. Her eyes desperately darted to find the light haired boy. "Hey, say something!" Another rascal yelled from among the crowd as the whole lot erupted in chatters.
"Are they bothering you again?" A voice came from behind her. She spun around and loosened her grip on her blankets in relief. "S-Shino." She greeted, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. He gestured to her to sit and she did. They sat huddled around a fierce fire, wrapped in many layers. "Get well rested. Tomorrow we head east to the valleys and there will be no stopping until we reach the town there." Shino announced, earning groans and nods from the rest. Miho turned her head to face him, mind blank, "Valleys? Where are we exactly?" "We're in Minar. Not far from the temple. There's an acquaintance of mine in the Wyvern valley east of Minar who knows about the sacred egg." He replied almost immediately, his glistening orbs fixated on the licking flames and expression unreadable. She nodded silently and went back to nibbling on her hard loaf of bread.
The girl remained mute throughout the entire meal, feeling awkward and out of place. The men chartered among themselves about great adventures and women and as soon as they knew it, the fire had slowly ebbed away and what was left was a pile sad dark logs. "Time to go to bed, bros." One of them said as he yawned, standing up from his seat on a log. The rest ambled towards the tents along with him. The temperature had dropped drastically and Miho contemplated in her head if she would even survive the night.
The ice mage appeared before her to help her up from her seat. She thanked him but stood up by herself anyway. Even with her powers sealed and being left completely useless, she at least did not want to show it. "I'll walk you back to your tent." He said and she nodded back in response. They walked towards the clump of tents in silence. "Will this be a long journey?" She broke out suddenly. "About two days if we don't lose our way," he shrugged before turning to her to examine her face, "Why?" "N-Nothing. I'm just afraid the weather would get out of hand and," She shook her head, stammering slightly. She didn't want to make herself look like a little princess.
"Can't stand the cold?" He guessed before turning back, a small smile playing on his face. Miho blushed and it took all her strength to tear her gaze away. "Something like that..." She said quietly, almost in a whisper, ashamed. "I have some fur. I'll wrap you up in a more layers tomorrow morning before we set off." He assured her almost teasingly. She found herself giggling as well and nodded.
They reached her tent sooner than she'd hoped, but she was already yawning away. "Have a good rest. You'll need it." He said finally before trotting off towards his own. "Thank you." She breathed after a split second before pushing open the flaps and retiring for the night.
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