Book One – Chapter One – Part Three – An Unforgiving World And An Unexpected Ally

Servi's return to the sizzling meat and tantalizing vegetables wasn't pleasant.  She picked up a potato smothered with butter. It was hot, nearly burning her fingertips, but the pain didn't compare to what the Singi child had to endure.  She quickly bit a small piece off and powered through pain. Her stomach couldn't wait any longer.

I bet this would taste great if I had it on any other day...

Nothing. No flavor.  Servi's taste buds couldn't savor the butter or spices, which should've been covered around the potato, and she knew why. 

In her heart, she had just betrayed a young boy fighting for his sister for a potato. A measly potato was worth more to Servi than someone's life. It turned to mush inside her mouth as her teeth chewed and crushed it.  Next, she picked up a slab of meat and bit into it with tears pouring from her eyes. The savory juice spilled out when her teeth punctured and tore off a piece, dribbling down her chin and onto her tunic. 

It’s tasteless…but I need to eat. I never know when I’ll have another chance to. Too bad there's not any water here.  

Servi reached out with her left hand to grab another potato and brought it to her mouth, but there was no potato, only red crimson that splashed in her open mouth. 

The tables were enchanted with an anti-theft enchantment. If Servi could have spoken the language or read the signs plastered all over the city, she would have known that little-known fact.

Wha— 

“AAHHHHHHH!!!”  

My hand! Where is it?! AHHHH! 

She cried out in pain and turned her eyes to the ground.  

Oh, there it is.  Like it was the most normal thing in the world, Servi bent down and picked it up.

Her hand, still gripping a bloody and dirty potato, squirmed lightly. In a rush and not thinking straight, Servi made a horrible move. It was possibly one of the worst choices one could make.  

Panic.  

Her loud screams caught the attention of the group that went to watch the fight. Like a collection of single-celled organisms, they all rushed back over, yearning to see what was going on. A guard in armor trailed behind the crowd. When he arrived, the Dwarf who owned the meat stall looked at the crying woman with a bloody stump. Then noticed a bloody hand gripping food lying on the ground. He laughed and pointed as if saying the criminal deserved it for trying to steal.

His intense crackles forced the trailing guard to pick up his pace. The armored soldier rushed over, drawing his sword, a beautiful silver blade with a golden hilt. He pointed it towards Servi, who responded by shouting in pain.

“N-N-No! Stay away!” she screamed out and turned around, running away. She had no particular destination in mind. All she knew is that she needed to escape. The guard sheathed his weapon and followed in pursuit while shouting something.

With every step she took, more blood flowed from her open wound. In Servi's panic, she didn’t even think about wrapping it up in one of the numerous tablecloths nearby. It didn't take long for that one following guard to turn into ten.

Why is this happening to me?! I just wanted a bite of food, that’s all. Ow…. It hurts... 

Without knowing how, Servi soon found herself in that little intersection after running for what felt like hours. Eight paths stood open to her, but she couldn’t take long to think. The clanking and clinging of the guards’ armors were right behind her.  

Her escape up to this point wasn’t a smooth one. The blood and guards' yelling and shouting attracted a lot of attention. The only reason Servi was ahead of them in her weakened state was that the guards tripped over the same pebble she did. If one fell, they all tumbled. It was a risk of them moving so closely together.  

As of that moment, it was a game of chance. Would Servi choose the right path to escape?  

I can try to go out the way I came in. The entrance looked to be pretty popular, so people should be there. If there’s a crowd, maybe I can use them to escape the guards.  

That was the only plan that came to her dazed mind, so Servi chose it. The moment she started to run, she heard the clinking and clanging of armor grinding against each other.  

Shit, they’re right behind me. If I die, then I die.  Maybe I should... 

With negative thoughts clouding her head, Servi tripped over her feet, but she managed to keep her balance.  Her black hair violently thrashed as she shook her head, trying to rid herself of negative thoughts.   

Before long, Servi came to a place she recognized as the sky slowly turned to night.  Before that happened, she still had an hour at most left, which was her time limit.  If she didn't come across a safe place before nightfall, It was highly likely she wouldn't live to see the sunrise.

Finally, I see the city gate.

Just like when she first arrived, two long lines were waiting to get into the city.  Strangely enough, there was no wait to leave.  Not that she would ever wait, considering the current situation.

Something hit her from behind, and she almost lost her balance. It was a can, thrown by a soldier who no longer had the strength in his legs to continue the pursuit. His friend standing nearby gave him a thumbs up and a pat on the back. She recovered somewhat quickly and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Even though her vision became blurry and her head felt like someone was hammering a nail into her skull, Servi wanted to live.

Finally, the wounded girl was over the gate's threshold, walking under the portcullis. She thought she was free.  All that needed to happen was the crowd's disturbance.  Their panic would most-certainly help her escape, serving as a fine distraction.

But that never happened. 

Somehow, the guard from before that checked Servi’s tablet was waiting for her while shouting a series of commands. He had his hands out in front of him, and his sword was in its sheath. Within seconds, the crowd had dispersed with posthaste, leaving only the unattended wagons.  

Servi looked like a crazed animal, purposely starved and tortured to look menacing.  Her sweaty face clamped on to her black hair swinging against her cheeks.  The blood pouring out of her missing hand left quite a trail behind like an injured beast struggling to get to safety. Thinking quickly, she tossed her detached hand at the guard, who fell to the ground screaming.  Unknown to Servi, it was the guard’s very first day of duty.  He was a young kid who had recently graduated from the town's guard academy, someone who had never seen the gruesome sight of a battle or the horrible smell of a limb that used to be attached to a living person.   

Warm liquid dripped down his legs as he scrambled furiously to his feet.  He tried to draw his sword and attack this crazy person, but Servi was long gone.  A steady line of blood dripped to the ground.  When his buddies arrived, the guard told them all about what happened.  He mentioned how the violent criminal attacked him with her crudely amputated hand and how she threatened him with death. It was a last-minute plan to save face, but it somewhat backfired. The time he spent explaining allowed Servi to gain distance.

All of the present guards quickly reassembled after taking the lying guard's report. All at once, they hastily followed the blood trail. Meanwhile, Servi stood at a fork in the road.  She could make her way back towards the lake.  If there were people fishing, then there was a chance the red-eyed girl could get help.  In the worst case, she could have them plead with the guards on her behalf, but since she didn't speak the same language, that was a far cry. On the other hand, she could try her hand at the swarm of bees. 

I mean, if I'm going to die anyway, then I at least want to kill those who are chasing me. If I can't kill them, then maybe those bees can. Shit, but I don't want to die!!! Do I die or not?! Maybe it's for the better... I won't be in pain anymore... Yeah...maybe that's it... I'll just have to perish...

With a questionable resolve in her heart, Servi chose to meet the bees once again, even knowing she would surely die.

The loud buzzing was the only sound Servi heard. The big black and yellow bodies with the razor-sharp arms were one thing. But when combined with the sword-like stinger and the two sword-like antennae, it made for a powerful beast. The wings gave the beasts speed and flight, while everything else reinforced its fighting abilities.

Such foes were only created for war. There was no other option.

Unluckily for both Servi and the pursuers, this part of the year was mating season for these violent and brutal animals.  A group of male bees would find each other and fight, with the survivor getting to mate with the female.  

As the bees were circling and preparing to clash for the umpteenth time, Servi's brain kicked into overdrive as she thought incredibly hard.  No-- she wasn't just wasting time. Her body had already prepared itself for its impending death.  While there might have been a chance she would survive if she just gave herself up to the guards, something inside of her warned her not to.   

Do not trust the Kingdom or Empire.

A tiny voice inside of Servi's consciousness told her that multiple times while she thought, but she didn’t know what it meant. Kingdom? Empire? None of those words were familiar to her.  Maybe if she had a calm place to think and nurse her wound, she might have been able to remember, but that wasn’t the case. Death was the only option available to her, but that didn’t mean she would give up. To the very end, she would struggle with all of her might and draining strength.  It was paradoxical, that much was true, to endeavor and want to die.  It was something Servi couldn't explain, but she wasn't aware of it the clashing feelings.

I can do this! I can do this! I CAN DO THIS! 

With one last look behind her, Servi made sure that the guards were following her.  They were a few meters away, having caught up to her. The group was talking to themselves about what to do while continuously shouting at Servi. If they were to go back now, they would get in trouble for abandoning the pursuit. For their jobs and Servi's safety, they had to capture her.

Their first option was the peaceful route and something they wanted to use when capturing a criminal, but their kind words didn't reach their target.

Servi charged in through the bees, who were currently engaged in a deathmatch.

The bigger bee had one of his sharp claws inside his foe's body. He removed it slowly and allowed the crimson soil the fresh green grass below them.  Hearing an odd noise, the beast turned around, locking his sight on a strange creature they called a Human. She held one of her appendages close to her body, and the bee smelled blood.  With a feral noise, the bigger bee sent a message to the rest of the bees flying around.  He told them to attack the humans who dared to interrupt the sacred mating ritual.  The other bees buzzed as if telling the bigger bee that they acknowledged his message and began to ruthlessly attack the group of humans.   

The guards' armor was no match for the sharp claws and sword-like stingers.  A single thrust or stab was enough to rend the metal like it was made of paper or leaves. 

It was a massacre.  The guards were cut, cleaved, sliced, thrusted, and carved.  The moment they decided to follow after her, their lives were already fated to die.   

But Servi was not immune to the attacks.  Somehow, she managed to dodge the lethal blows, but she still took quite a lot of damage.  Her hand wasn't the only source of leaking crimson. The beautiful brown armor that should have protected her was no more. It fell to the ground after the first attack. Her gloves were gone, no more than a few patches of leather held together by a bit of blood that formed a sort of suction. She ripped the leftover pieces and tossed them to the ground. Her once white undershirt was now filled with holes and dribbled with blood.  

Suddenly, a bee flew up in front of her with surprising speed and jabbed its stinger out. Servi barely managed to move her head in time, avoiding an attack that would mean certain death. But it wasn’t a perfect dodge. Her cheek took some of the damage. A fist-sized portion of skin just peeled off like nothing, leaving another wound for blood to come out.  

There! An opening! 

Somehow, Servi saw an opening a close distance away, and she threw her entire body into moving.  She had to escape! 

Fortunately, the bees were distracted by the lovely smell of blood.  The guards were all dead.  Why would the bees expend energy on trying to chase prey so close to death?  After enjoying their meal, they would find the human woman and eat her for dessert.  Then, they could get back to their mating ritual.  The one who survived and killed the others would be able to mate with their beautiful queen.  

Servi did not dare to look back as she ran.  She could not spare the energy.

The beautiful blue sky and wonderfully warm yellow sun had longed transformed into a dark black night and a cold white moon.  Servi had pushed her body to its limits, and it was no small wonder she was still alive. But all things must come to an end, and for Servi, that time was now. With a heavy thud, she collapsed onto the cool-to-the-touch dirt and smiled, but she didn't know why. Death and the fear of not knowing what was beyond the grave did different things to different people. Some smiled, some cried. There were even some who took it in stride and had death parties.

But Servi? She was one of the ones who waited for it with a simple smile.

The trees surrounding her would be her audience as she prepared to leave this world.  

This is it... Death is coming for me, isn't it... I... I feel so cold...but I'm not scared... I can rest now, right? I... I won't have to worry about dying after this...because I'll already be dead...

Servi tried to breathe through her mouth and nose, but her body would not follow her instructions.  

Her eyes closed, and the dark world got darker. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind was no more.  A moment later, her heart stopped beating.   

The girl who thought her name was Servi had died.  

Sometime later, Servi didn't know many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years have passed since her last coherent thought.

In the depths of the darkness, she heard a single voice, bringing her consciousness back to the forefront of her mind.