Worse Than The Reported News (Part IV)

As the original group around Xander left, the duo entered the house together. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious. However, the arrangement of the furnitures felt off-putting. 

Mikhail glanced around as he suddenly felt a cold breeze graze his cheek. It was close to sundown by now. The thought of keeping the windows open was unfathomable.

"S-Susie... why is the window open? It gets cold in the evening." Mikhail asked as Susie's eyes widened.

She pondered an answer before she smiled, blinking her eyes sweetly as she continued slicing the bread.

"Ah... it was hot all afternoon. And there was still some heat from the oven. So, I'm letting that heat out." 

"Is that right?" Xander interjected as he glanced around the room. 

He walked forwards and found a creaky part on her floor. His lips pulled to a frown as the creak was replaced with a hollow thump. He then bent down towards the floor as he knocked on the floorboards.

Susie's eyes widened as big as saucers. She immediately rushed towards Xander as she invited him for tea, trying to throw him off guard.

Mikhail stared at her with a confused expression as he pulled his cloak tighter around him. He glanced at Xander who seemed somewhat unaffected by the cold and questioned himself. Was he really just, weak?

Upon further inspection, it seemed like Xander was shivering a little. Mikhail sighed in relief as he turned his gaze back to Susie. "Hey, Susie? Can I shut the windows? Its getting colder."

Susie pulled her lips to a slight frown before she replied with a "yes". He wasn't sure why she looked somewhat upset. Her outfit was one with long sleeves and a long ballooned skirt. It seemed warm, but unsuited for her current work. She was merely slicing the sour dough bread, why the need to dress up?

As Mikhail shifted to shut the windows, Xander silently observed Susie's expression. There was a flash of anger in her eyes before she noticed Xander staring at her. She then smiled sweetly as her eyes fluttered shut, any signs of her hidden emotions covered just like that.

Despite Xander's suspicion towards Susie, he turned away from the creaky floorboards and headed for the door. He called his army's general as he instructed him to tell the soldiers to set camp as well as a separate instruction to confine the village men in a nearby house. The man then bowed as he walked off towards his troops, laying out Xander's orders. 

Suddenly, frantic looking soldiers rushed in front of Xander. There were four men from the initial six and they took off their helmet as they gasped for breath, struggling to speak.

"Your... High... cough... there were... cough..."

"Slow down! Breathe!" Xander instructed, as he tried to calm one of the men down.

"Hah... hah... There... beast..."

"Beast?"

"There were beasts in the forest! Two of us got taken unexpectedly! We couldn't even draw our swords!"

"Are they alive?"

"I... I'm sorry... I... we... don't know. We ran out of there before we could even think to save them..."

Xander's lips pulled to a frown at the man's word. He dared to leave his comrades behind? This was the problem with bringing the castle guards with him...

Xander sighed before nodding his head. He then instructed the man to inform his general regarding the situation. It was a good idea to plan ahead instead of marching blindly into the forest.

Despite his initial disappointment towards the soldiers, he restructured his thoughts and accepted that it was a good idea for them to return. It was a shame for the two, but losing all six men would be the worst choice possible.

The family and friends of the fallen would be devastated... It seems to be for the best that they managed to escape. It is also beneficial that they could inform me of the matters. 

Xander then headed out of the house, embracing the cold autumn breeze. It was already starting to get cold due to the changing of the month, however, here in Tefflander Village,  the weather was much colder at night since the village was located on a mountainous terrain.

As Xander approached a nearby house, lit by the soft glow of the oil lamp, he twisted the crude wooden knob as he entered. "Richard. What do you have planned?"

"Your Highness! Where are my manners... Good evening. We were just discussing about our course of actions." Richard said as he bowed. 

"That's fine. This is an emergency. Wild beasts so close to a village... not to mention, two men down."

"Two?! I didn't hear anything of the kind!"

Knitting his brows, Xander glanced at the men huddled up in the corner. They noticed his gaze and frantically kept bowed, keeping their heads down.

"It seems they didn't tell you. Well... we need to officiate a rescue mission. If they're still alive, it's best if we leave soon."

"I agree... However, the terrain and weather is currently not to our advantage. It's also dangerous at night."

"Wise words. That's why it's crucial that this rescue mission be done soon. I doubt they can last long in such cold weather. Especially if they are injured. The blood lost with the cold...."

Richard glanced briefly at Xander from the corner of his eyes. Was this the man they called a cold blooded serpent? His concern on the men that were probably mauled to death was inspiring. Sacrifices were usually exactly as it sounded. However, his King wouldn't even let one of his men die if he knew he had the chance to save them. Richard felt his chest swell with pride. He felt proud to work beneath such a great man.

"Richard?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"There's no other choice. We're pressed for time. I'll go."

"What?! No! It's too dangerous! Even for you, Your Highness!"

Despite Richard's "advice", Xander went ahead and grabbed a torch. He gave a reassuring smile to his soldiers as he headed for the door, his free hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"It'll be fine. I'm blessed by the Holy Light of the Divine Dragon."

***

Mikhail stared warily at Susie before he headed for the door, thinking to follow after Xander. Just as he was about to head out, he heard a thumping sound from below the floorboards. 

His attention was piqued as he immediately turned towards the direction the sound was coming from. His eyes scanned the vast room as he wondered to himself what the noise was, only for Susie to suddenly fill his vision.

"I dropped something... Sorry if I startled you."

"Oh... it's fine..."

"Why don't you join me for tea? Just the two of us?"

Mikhail stared at her for a short while before turning to gaze out the window. The soldiers were rowdy and there wasn't much he could do to help, so he turned his gaze back to Susie and nodded an affirmation.

"Sure. It's cold out." Perhaps he'll join her for a quick cup of tea, he can find Xander after anyways, a man like him is hard to miss. It's also to reassure Susie, since her father was brought home tied in ropes.

Susie clapped her hands in glee as she headed straight for the kitchen, grabbing a pot of water as she set it to boil. Her eyes glanced warily from Mikhail to the floorboards as she got two tea cups ready. She fished around in her pockets, touching a paper as a slight grin crossed her lips.

As soon as the water was ready, Susie prepared the tea and set a few biscuits on a plate as she placed them all on a tray, tottering towards the dining table. Her lips pulled to a grin as she then placed the plate of biscuits and empty tea cups on the table. She then poured the tea into the cheap crockery. The steam wafted through the air, filling the room with the delightful smell of ginger.

"It's ginger tea?"

Susie smiled sweetly as she nodded her head. "Yes it is! You guessed right!"

With a slight smile, Mikhail took a whiff of the tea. His eyes fluttered shut as he breathed in the somewhat sweet and spicy smell of the tea. He then took a sip and then another, before the whole cup was finished. He blinked in surprise as he sheepishly set his cup down.

Susie smiled and poured more tea for him. Before long, the entire pot had been finished. Mikhail sighed contently as he moved to stand up. His vision then doubled before everything drew to a blur. He held onto his head in confusion before he passed out. The last thing he remembered was a sly smile and gleaming ruby eyes.

***

The cool wind assaulted Xander as he pulled his cape around him tighter. The flame of his torch flickered in the dark as he glanced into the thick forest. Beyond its entrance, heavy fog obscured his view. It wasn't anything different from what he had experienced before, still, he had to be wary.

Xander drew his sword, the blade gleaming from the glow of the torch as he headed into the dense forest. As soon as he stepped into the forest, it was almost as if he were in a whole other world.

The cold wind was no more, yet the heavy fog remained. The atmosphere grew silent, akin to the void of sound you'd experience at the bottom of the seabed.

He drew a wary breath as he wove the torch ahead of him, stepping deeper into the forest as his sword slid across the gnarly and rough tree bark. With each step he took, he anticipated an attack from the wild beasts he had heard about. 

"...elp.... me...." a soft whimper was heard as Xander turned toward the voice. His foot carried him deeper into the forest as he followed the low echo of the voice.

As he reached the source of the voice, he found himself surrounded by four glowing eyes of gold. The flames on his torch flickered as he clicked his tongue, his blood began to pump strongly as he raised his sword. The dark and the fog rendered his vision akin to blindness.

He breathed in slowly as he shut his eyes. He had undergone training similar to his current predicament. Fighting blindly requires an acute sense of your surroundings.

Just as the beast was about to pounce on him, he twirled his sword and in a swift line, as if guided by the glimmer of moonlight, his blade sliced the belly of the beast. A loud thud was heard, as the ground beside Xander shook. 

He swiveled and readied his sword as he heard the alarmed and threatening growl of the remaining beasts. He pulled his lips to a frown as he thought about how he was harming the wild beasts. His original intention was to rescue and release them back to their original land. It may be too late now as he too, had to survive. 

Xander then cleared his thoughts as he headed straight for the low groaning that sounded like men. He reached out his hand, touching a slimy texture. It was hard to grasp as it kept slipping from his hand.

He pried his eyes open, adjusting his eyes to the dim lighting. One of his man lay unconscious on the ground, his arm that was held by Xander was coated in blood. 

Xander frowned as he surveyed his surroundings. There were three glowing pair of eyes on him, low growling emanating in the dead space. As he reached for his sword, he noticed another man pressing a hand onto his shoulder, his eyes squeezed shut.

Xander slowly rised up, slinging the wounded man across his shoulder as he lifted his sword in preparation for an attack. Just as he was about to reach the other man, a voice suddenly echoed through the silence, replacing the previous growling.

"Son of Man... Can't you help us? ... We didn't mean to hurt you."

Xander's eyes flitted about, searching through the crowd of trees as he held his firm voice. "Who's there?"

"We didn't mean to harm them. We thought it was that man... Ikhid was the bravest... he wanted to help us out of here... We originally were out hunting... then, a human found us. He befriended us... and then.... took my mate and children..."

Xander kept his silence as he warily eyed the darkness. The glowing amber eyes were still heavily resting on him. His sword that was still soaked with the blood of their brethren must have weighed heavy on them.

"I may be as bad as the man that you described... Why place your trust in me? I just killed one of your kind."

Silence filled the darkness yet again. The amber eyes stayed fixated on Xander as he awaited their response. His eyes however, kept glancing at the soldiers by his side. It was getting colder. At this rate, they will die.

"Son of Man... we see great virtue in you... your eyes shine clear and despite being in the presence of multiple enemies... you worry about your kind... We will allow passage for you to leave... we trust that you will return to rescue us..."

Xander clenched his jaw as he nodded his head. With a swing of his arm, he rid the blood of his sword before keeping the blade back into its scabbard. He then slung both of the soldiers arms across his neck, as he headed for the prior marked trees.

The hostility in the air was now filled with a heavy feeling of hopefulness. One that he knew all too well.