Chapter 102 - Day CCLXXI

When I woke up Hailwic was already eating her breakfast. Just staring into the air in front of her with empty eyes. I stretched, and yawned loudly, which broke her from the strange trance she was in.

- Morning. Is everything ok?

- Yeah. Everything is fine. Eat your breakfast, and let's go hunting - she said forcing herself to smile briefly.

There was definitely something going on. If I didn't have so much confidence in my skills, I probably wouldn't allow her to go hunting that day, but I was sure I can keep both of us alive. I finished my food pretty quickly, then we made it to the cliff. I told her to wait until I clean up what's below. She listened. I was quite sure that I saw her relax a bit after that information. A couple of minutes later we were fighting with the first cart, to take it to the bottom.

Hailwic wasn't as strong as Will, so it was a more challenging task, but we made it with a little bit more time, and my increased efforts. Then we headed deeper and finally came across the first encounter as a team.

Orcs were far enough for us, to park the carts, and prepare for battle. I grabbed my pudao and started to march straight at them. Hailwic stayed a bit behind with an ax at the ready.

The group was 12 big, and very eager to fight. They charged, sprinting the last few meters. I swiftly made the first sleep past me, so my partner would start with facing only one. The next one got cut in the leag, deep enough to immobilize. I wasn't stopping with my movement, and from one slash went to another, making my weapon fluidly swim thru the air. I was cutting while dodging their heavy swings.

The clear understanding of their moves allowed me to not only quickly finish a couple of them, but also keep an aye how Hailwic was doing. It was rather a showdown of pure power than skills. She had the strength of at least a heavy weightlifter. Almost on par with her opponent. Their axes clashed spitting sparks left and right. They didn't move a lot, just exchanged blows aiming to either break or knock out of hand enemy weapon.

Hailwic was gritting his teeth, and growling with every strike. Eventually, with a help of an unexpected feint, she managed to get the hand of her opponent, and then it was just a formality. In the meantime, I massacred the rest, leaving for her one, so she could earn at least two crystals from this group.

I kept dodging his strikes and luring him closer to her. Slowly. Letting her catch a few breaths before the next duel.

- You ready?!

- Yes! ARGH! - She yelled and charged.

I swiftly evaded, kicking orc in the shin, and making enough space for her, to take over. Her tactic was identical to what I observed a moment ago. Just a simple and brutal exchange. This time though, her opponent managed to disturb her footing and create an opening.

She fell on her back. I quickly put two barriers in the air like a short staircase, sprinted, and jumped to cut from above. From the left side of his neck to the right armpit. He turned into smoke, leaving a cristal, that dropped on the ground a moment after I did.

- Are you okay?

Her eyes were wide open. She was panting loudly with an open mouth. Supporting herself on the elbows, with an ax lying on the ground next to her. It took a moment before she responded, turning her eyes on me, and nodding profusely.

- Y-yeah...

I helped her to stand up.

- It's fine. You just need a little bit more experience - I assured her.

- Yeah. Just a little more experience - she said, then grabbed her ax, and picked up two crystals from the ground, to throw it all on her cart.

Her expression was blank. She clearly wasn't ok.

- Hailwic. You will do just fine. Let me give you few pointers. You just rely too much on your physical strength, and they can match you with you, unlike rats or goblins.

She cleared the sweat from her face, and noded. I began to show her how she should move. The knowledge clearly came from the skill, because I never trained in any martial arts. It took few minutes, but she was picking up pretty quickly. It was nothing special, just basics. I told ger to avoid strikes, and we practiced that for a while, then ate, and went back to hunting.

This time though, I wasn't gonna let her fight more than one orc. At least not until she got a bit more experience. I engaged with the whole group, telling Hailwic to wait. I didn't allow any of them to engage with her until there was only one left. I tired him down a bit, then finally lured him closer, and told her to finish the job.

This time it was a way cleaner fight on her part. She moved a lot more and only struck when necessary, not wasting energy on pointless exchanges. The fact that orc was a bit slower allowed her to practice what she learned, and polish the skills.

We kept proceeding in this manner until it started to get darker. Only then I led us to a safe spot and surrounded it with barriers, so we could rest without worries.

- I'm dying - said Hailwic.

She was drenched in her own sweet. Panting heavily couldn't even stand without supporting herself by leaning on the cart side.

- You did great. You just need to grit your teeth and survive the beginning. As you get more efficient in fighting those orcs, you will be way less tired.

- I hope so - she was breathing loudly, greedily even.

- Drink some water, and eat something. Oh, and this night you should go to sleep.

After saying this I proceeded to grab some food. As I was in the middle of finishing few dried pieces of meat, she came by and sat next to me. I looked at her curiously.

- I wanted to apologize - she said bluntly.

- Wor what? You did nothing wrong. If it's because you lost to that orc, then...

-No - she interrupted me. - It's because... Not too long ago, I was so damn full of myself. I thought I'm ready. I thought It will be easy like hunting rats, but it wasn't. I knew it yesterday. I just felt it, and couldn't make myself tell you I'm so damn, fucking afraid. I thought I've changed. I thought I'm better, but I was wrong.

- Hey - I looked at her. - It's fine. You just need to change your ways a bit. If I thought you can't do it, I wouldn't agree for you to join me. Do you understand?

She noded with a hint of hesitation. Then silence happened. She broke it after a quite long moment.

- Do you ever get afraid? I saw you fighting, and... It's like you are taking a walk or something. They cant hit you, and just run around like mad morons. You make it look so easy...

- I do. I'm a way bigger coward than you are. Just... I didn't have a choice. I could either give up, or keep pushing, and I kept pushing. Now I can't stop.

Memories flashed in my mind. Nacho, Mark, Blitzkrieg...

- When I first got here I easily found myself a crew for hunting - she started suddenly speaking as I was drowned by flashbacks of the past. Probably because I became si quiet, consumed by thoughts. - We were doing pretty good, but then Mark showed up, and they left me. One night few guys just came to me and put a sharpened piece of bone to my throat. They told me to come with them, and I just couldn't refuse. I was paralyzed by fear. Then they put me into that brothel. It was hell, and every day I told myself that if somehow I will manage to get out, I'm gonna change.

Her voice cracked, and she took a long pause to collect herself.

- I thought I changed, but I didn't. It was all Aisha. She made it so easy for me. Took care of me. Made me stronger, but I didn't really change. I still remember the night she joined us. She broke the nose of one of the guys who threw her in the room. They tried to rape her, but she just wouldn't allow them to. I thought they are gonna kill her, but they didn't. I started to admire her after that.

She clearly needed to talk. To get this weight off her heart, so I listened patiently to every word, and when she finally ended, I started talking.

- There was an evening, or even a night when Aisha walked me for a bit to my house. We got away from the center of the city, and Mark showed up. I didn't know him by then. He was armed and had few guys with him. He started to threaten her, and she eventually agreed to come with him, telling me to go. I was so damn afraid, that I just agreed. I only wanted to run away. That's how big of a coward I really am, but here we are right now. Hunting orcs, while Mark is dead. I killed him. A coward.

I looked at her, and she didn't avert her gaze. She still had some tears in the corners of her eyes.

- Stop thinking if you changed or not. Just keep pushing. Keep doing what you think is right. That's it. There is nothing more. You will either win or lose, but if you won't do it, then you will definitely lose.

She touched my cheek and smiled.

- Thanks.

Then she got up and headed to her cart, to crawl under, and go to sleep. I stayed a bit longer, watching the night sky. Thinking about the past. Asking myself if I changed, but not for the better. Rather for worse.

Day ended with 255 771 points remaining on my account.