Far from Buena village, deep in the Gaiya forest, Liraya shoved another branch aside. Her fingers were raw and bleeding in several places.
Four days in this thick and dangerous forest had turned her into something half-wild. Her clothes were little more than rags by now, the soft, golden colored dress ripped open at the front, barely holding together over her chest, and the bottom half hacked short and uneven so she could move through the thick undergrowth. Scratches covered her arms and legs, some fresh, some scabbed over. Her golden hair hung in tangled knots, full of leaves and dirt.
Every muscle in her body ached. While her stomach had stopped growling hours ago and now just felt hollow. But she kept pushing forward. Stopping meant giving up. And she didn't want to stop now to eat, as she knew she was very close to the road she had been searching for days.
Then her bare foot landed on something firm and flat.
Liraya froze and stared down at the narrow path cutting through the trees. Real wagon ruts pressed into the ground.
For a long moment, she just stood there, breathing hard, feeling the solid earth under her soles. After four days of roots, mud, and endless trees, this simple road felt like salvation. Her eyes stung with small tears without her knowing. She swallowed thickly and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
'Finally, I found the road leading out of this damn forest. Hahaha…. I might actually make it out of this forest alive. Heh..'
A tired, shaky smile touched her cracked lips. She took a few steps onto the road, letting herself feel the relief for just a second.
But before she could enjoy this moment more, the sounds reached her.
Shouts. The clang of metal hitting metal. Horses neighing in panic. It came from further down the road, maybe two hundred meters away from where she stood now.
Liraya dropped into a crouch at the edge of the path, heart suddenly pounding. Her first thought was clear: 'Turn around. Go the other way. This isn't your problem.'
She had nothing, no real weapons, no strength left, and clothes that barely covered her body. She knew it clearly that getting involved in whatever was happening over there right now would be stupid.
She started backing away slowly, keeping her head low.
But then, before she could move further away from there, she saw it.
A carriage further down the road, dark wood with iron reinforcements.
Even at this distance, the emblem painted on its side was unmistakable, a silver hawk clutching a broken chain in its talons.
Liraya's breath caught. She knew that crest. It was connected to the nobility around this area as far as she remembered.
Her feet stopped moving. She crouched there, staring, fists clenched at her sides.
She knew in her heart that walking away wasn't an option anymore.
'If that carriage is here… I need to see if that woman is here or not.'
She slipped back into the trees, moving fast and quietly. Her fingers found the crude bow she had made over the last few days, a bent sapling with cloth strips for a string and arrows fletched with whatever feathers she could scavenge. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Courtesy to her divine knowledge.
Liraya circled wide through the forest, using the trees for cover. She climbed a small rise that gave her a clear line of sight to the road below without exposing herself. From here, she could see the whole fight.
Nine bandits against five knights guarding the carriage. The knights were holding, but they were tired and outnumbered. Four bandits had pushed ahead, trying to break their formation.
One knight in particular had gotten separated, a young man, barely more than a boy, sword raised in a desperate defense. A huge bandit with a scarred face and a massive, notched blade was laughing as he pressed the attack.
Seeing this, Liraya quickly nocked an arrow, her arms trembling from the effort of drawing the crude string. She took a slow breath, eyes locked on the big bandit.
Down on the road, the young knight stumbled backward, his foot catching on a root. He barely got his sword up in time to block the first heavy swing. The impact made him grunt in pain, while his arms were shaking.
The bandit grinned widely, showing rotten teeth. "You're done, boy! No use in struggling anymore, hehehe!"
He raised the big blade high for a finishing blow, aiming straight for the knight's sword arm. One clean cut and the boy would never swing a sword again.
The knight's eyes widened in terror. He tried to scramble back, but his legs were tangled. The blade started its downward arc.
And just at that moment, from her hidden spot in the trees, Liraya released the arrow.
----
The big bandit's blade whistled through the air, ready to hack through the young knight's arm.
"Die, you little shit!" the bandit roared, putting all his strength into the swing.
The young knight raised his sword in a last, weak attempt to block, knowing it wouldn't be enough. His face twisted in fear and exhaustion.
Then, without warning….
Swrrrickkk!
A sharp arrow suddenly buried itself deep into the bandit's throat.
The man's roar cut off into a wet gurgle. His eyes bulged in shock. The heavy blade slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground. He took one stumbling step forward, both hands clawing uselessly at the shaft sticking out of his neck.
Blood poured down his chest.
He dropped to his knees, then slumped face-first onto the dirt road with a heavy thud.
For a split second, everything on the battlefield went dead silent.
The other bandits froze mid-swing, staring at their fallen leader.
"What the fuck?!" one of them shouted, looking around wildly.
The knights were just as stunned. Captain Mihawk's head snapped toward the trees where the arrow had come from.
"Arrows! From the tree line!" one knight yelled.
The young knight stared down at the dead bandit in front of him, then looked up toward the forest, his face pale and confused. His sword arm was still attached. He was alive.
Captain Mihawk gripped his sword tighter, eyes scanning the dense trees. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
But no one stepped out.
The remaining bandits started shouting over each other, suddenly nervous.
"Was that one of ours?!"
"No, you idiot! Look at the fletching, that's not ours!"
"But then where did that shot come from?!"
The knights tightened their formation around the carriage again, weapons ready, all of them staring into the forest with a mix of shock and suspicion. Whoever had fired that arrow had just turned the fight around for them, but they still didn't know if it was a friend or a new threat hiding in the trees.
The silver hawk on the carriage seemed to watch the forest silently as the tension stretched tighter.