A Drop of Moonlight

Chapter 11: Wonder

While she found and retrieved her bag in the wreckage, Denise found this young little guy whom she does not remember being part of their entourage. But there was something about him that just seems too familiar to her. So without thinking, she took him by the scuff and brought him along on her way to meet up with Rufus.

Along the way, she encountered a few assassins but she was able to take care of them easily. Using the terrain which she had utterly familiarized with magic as an advantage, she simply blindsided them, making sure they would no longer be a threat to her. Though this time, she made sure that there will be no blood in her hands by letting them wander to the beasts territory and be a food reserve.

People might consider that her method is sinister and too cruel, but for survival she thinks her actions are justified. If they aim to harm her, they should also be prepared to be striked as well. At a young age she knew that for people not to take advantage of her she had to make others know that she is not an easy target. Getting back at them is one of the many ways to let them know of her strength.

Not minding the occasional screams of pain she hears, Denise was able to find Rufus after wandering in one direction. As she had seen back then, the guy was utterly pissed off that the blackened clouds she sees are not a fragment of her imagination. They are literally moments away from materialization and be a devastating rain that would wash the land anew.

“Rufus.” Denise greeted the elf who was seconds away from releasing a catastrophic nature magic. “Get a grip of yourself. These people are not worth it.”

Rufus stopped for a moment before he took a deep breath and calmed down. He restored his stoic expression. The darken clouds that Denise sees were slowly dissolving away like it was only a mirage in the desert.

First thing he did was to approach Denise and examine if she was in any way harmed. As far as his eyes could see, she only looked messy and not wounded at all. It displeased him and so with a wave of his hand, the casted a cleaning magic to remove all sort of dirt and restore Denise clean image.

“You’re unbelievable.” Denise said as she felt no longer as sticky as earlier. “Was that really your first thought after this disaster?”

“Like you said, these people are not worth it.” Rufus said as he was more or less satisfied that the girl no longer looked dirty and disheveled.

“And I am worth it?” Rebutted Denise without much thought. Her eyes searched Rufus’ eyes, probing at any sorts of emotions that she might get.

“You’re worth it.” Was all Rufus said before his attention was attracted to the child Denise was carrying. “Who is this?”

“I found him near the wreckage.” Replied Denise. “I remember no child on the carriage when we were there. Considering our unfortunate circumstances, it was the right thing to take him out of there. He will die if I leave him alone.”

“You’re not as saintly as I know you.” Rufus said as he trained his eyes on the child. “What really made you save him?”

“Well, other than he was unfortunate, he reminds me of someone.” Denise said as she looked around and mentally recounting her memories of where the best route to get out of the forest was.

“Who?”

“Someone back home.” replied Denise as she remembered that the streams seem to lead to a well-maintained road. If they followed that road, they might encounter some traveling merchant or a carriage that they can hitch a ride with.

Thinking so, she asked Rufus if he would be found with them heading in that direction. There are some distance away from that road and they might spend the night in the open before reaching that road. Asking him, the elf was silent and brooding for some reason.

“Rufus?”

The elf seems to snap out of his state and says that he is fine with her arrangement. There is no problem staying out in the open and he will take care of their accommodation if needed. This delighted Denise as she knew that Rufus is quite skilled as Fedikano has boasted about it with pride on his tone. Elves are rarely boastful and when they do, there is merit and truth in them.

“Great, let's get going!” Denise said as she dragged along her unconscious baggage.

Seeing how she carelessly treated the child, Rufus took the child out of her grips and carried him himself. Denise was about to voice out her opposition, but a look from Rufus tells her that she cannot convince the other to hand the child over. At this point, she just learned that there is no need to argue and fight Rufus all the time when the guy was only doing her favors.

Relaying on her memory, Denise led the way with Rufus following her faithfully. Being the one who is doing the leading, a question came to her mind so suddenly.

Why is Rufus so intent on following her with almost no question? Why did Fedikano easily allow Rufus to leave with her a stranger who coincidentally saved him once? And why does Rufus seem to care and seems to take special attentiveness towards her?

Cautionary words of her brother come to her mind. No one will be kind to strangers without any reasons. They are either bastards who are after something you have or they are people who are waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of you. He was always the wiser one between the two of them, and growing up beside him made her absorb some of his teaching.

Giving a side glance at Rufus, Denise thought that perhaps there was something that he needed her. There is nothing she had that an elf would fancy to approach and covet, thus the first was impossible while the later was a possibility. Thinking that he seems to not be an excessive person, perhaps if it is something she can do she does not mind doing him a favor in the future.

Thinking back of her easy going thoughts at this point of time, she just never imagined that the favor that Rufus would ask her was something too heavy she did not account for.