No, stop…
The scene was so horrifyingly familiar to Melina that she wanted to scream. Why was Alistair always protecting her like this? Why has fate deemed that he needed to risk his life to protect hers? She couldn't even help him with magic.
Hobgoblin roared, continuing his onslaught. The only thing Alistair could do was defend, holding his shield desperately while his arms threatened to give way with each hit. But how many more blows could he take? Occasionally, one or two of Hobgoblin's attacks would be deflected back and Alistair used that opportunity to follow up with a strike of his own.
She knew that he was trying to build up the attack chain for his skill, but how many attacks did he need before he could deliver the finishing move? At its highest rank Alistair had needed merely five, but at this age—it would definitely require more.
Each blow that Alistair takes, pushes him back. How long until his arms break under the force? He isn't yet strong enough to take on a Hobgoblin. I have to do something. Anything.
Melina jumped to her feet, frantically looking around. The mage stood back, unable to even conjure a proper fireball out of fear. Meanwhile, the elf looked helplessly at the sight, her arrows being completely useless. Melina was about to reach out and grab her bow when Gilbert's strong hand pulled her back.
"He'll manage," he said sternly.
"But Master—"
"Just look," Gilbert pointed at the scene. Melina glanced back and saw how Alistair's golden eyes glowed with his ancestral storm power. It surrounded his body and flowed to the tip of his blade, the energy crackling.
"Take this!" Alistair yelled and hit his shield with his sword sending a shockwave at the hobgoblin, stunning him in place. He instantly took the chance and began slashing at it, one attack after another. His whole blade crackled with electricity, and he unleashed the built-up energy of in a single powerful attack.
The hobgoblin didn't even have a chance to retaliate, held firmly in place by the paralysis. As the attack hit its chest, the hobgoblin's life was snuffed out and it fell face-first into the dirt.
"Are you alright?" Melina jumped off the cart, driven purely by instinct. She looked nervously over Alistair, examining his hands, body, and face for injuries. He winced when she grabbed his hands, no doubt injured from the hobgoblin's attacks. "He needs a healing potion."
"I'm fine, Miss Melina—"
But Melina didn't listen to him, instead looking at Leon and Remi. Remi was the first one to understand her words, pulling a potion from her bag and handing it to Melina.
"Bear with me for a moment," she said, gently pulling off Alistair's gloves. He winced as she removed them. Both of his hands were heavily bruised and bleeding, but the left one—the one that held the shield—was especially bad, blood dripping down from the battered knuckles and fingers in a steady stream.
Melina uncorked the potion bottle and slowly poured its contents on his left hand. The liquid was instantly absorbed into the skin, wounds closing up before her eyes while the bruises disappeared. She did the same with his other hand and then offered the remaining half a bottle to him.
"Drink the rest," Melina instructed. He took the bottle, somewhat dumbfounded, the glow in his eyes slowly disappearing. As he drank the rest of the potion, she saw the remaining bruises slowly disappear, his skin regaining its normal coloration. Melina exhaled in relief.
He's alright. He's fine.
"I've never seen anyone pour a potion on injuries like that," Alistair noted, and Melina felt like she just had a cold bucket of water poured all over her.
Dammit! This is not something a clueless orphan girl would know. This is not something even most System users know. I only know because I accidentally spilled some health potion while I was bottling it onto a cut I had on my hand.
"I saw my parents do it when I was little," she said, trying to smile along with her lie.
"I thought you were an orphan," Alistair arched his eyebrow.
"I wasn't always an orphan. Everyone has parents, I just happened to lose mine when I was five." That was not a lie. Although in reality, Melina didn't remember a single thing about her parents.
"I see… Were your parents alchemists or mages?" Alistair asked, relaxing his expression.
"I don't remember," she replied honestly. "I just remember seeing them pour potions on wounds of injured people."
"Boy, am I glad that everyone is alright!" Leon suddenly spoke up in a somewhat shrill voice. Melina barely managed to contain a polite expression. To think that people like that were allowed to call themselves mages. Even a rookie mage at the Church could have done more damage to the hobgoblin.
"Yes, that was a close one…" Remi said, awkwardly scratching her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't provide better support."
"I'm glad you took care of him, Lord Sinclair, otherwise I would have unleashed my ultimate attack on him and I fear it might have caused a forest fire," Leon said in an annoyingly loud voice.
"That is very thoughtful of you, Leon," Melina said sweetly, adopting her naive girl persona.
[Your skill has ranked up. It is now Rank E.]
Oh, hush. It's not like I'm doing this because I like it.
A flash of disappointment appeared on Alistair's face, and he turned away from Melina.
"We should dispose of the corpse before we keep going," he said, turning to Leon and Remi.
"Leave it to us," Remi said and ran into the forest to retrieve the corpses of slain goblins.
"No problem. This is what fire magic was made for," Leon boasted, then turned to Melina. "Miss Melina, perhaps it's best that you wait by the cart. This won't be a pleasant sight. Or smell."
"Of course. I won't get in the way," she said and retreated to her Master's side.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"You just can't sit still, can you, girl?" Gilbert grumbled as he tied Nightmare back to the cart. When did he untie him? Was he preparing to send his familiar against the hobgoblin should the worst come to pass?
"Sorry," she mumbled. Knight, on the other hand, looked more amiable as he didn't glare at her once she approached the cart like he usually did.
"Don't encourage her, Knight," Master Gilbert grumbled, clambering back on the front of the cart.
"I acted before I even realized what I was doing," she said sheepishly.
"Have you met that boy before?"
"No. Why?" Her conscience itched at this lie, but Melina had no intention of revealing her past to anyone. Not even Master Gilbert.
"Because you acted as if he were your lover about to get killed," Gilbert raised his eyebrow suspiciously.
"No. How could an orphan like me even know a nobleman, much less have one as a lover?"
After all, Alistair was already married when I first met him last time. He was a good, loyal friend, but a lover… No. The thought itself is insulting to him. He deserves far better.
"I suppose you're right. But you need to be more careful if you don't want to go to you know where," Master Gilbert whispered.
"I won't slip up again, Master. I promise," she said not just to Gilbert but to herself as well. He looked at her for a few moments, then nodded solemnly.
"Alright, I'll trust you."
It took a bit of time for Remi and Leon to collect and burn monster corpses. The smell that rose from them was putrid, the mage often running over to Melina and asking whether she was alright and offering her a wet handkerchief to cover her nose with. It hadn't really bothered her all that much—she's smelled much worse than burned goblins before—but she took the handkerchief anyway. Just to keep up the appearances.
Once the unpleasant task was done and the fire put out, they hurried on their way. Master Gilbert allowed Knight to pull the cart as fast as the unsteady road allowed without knocking him and Melina out of their seats. At one point the adventurers even had trouble keeping up with the nightmare. But it was unfair to compare a regular horse to it.
At this rather rushed pace, they managed to reach Pertia a little bit after sunset. The horses were completely exhausted while Knight looked no worse for wear. No, in fact, the nightmare was almost glowing—so pleased he was with this exercise.
"Master Gilbert, I have to say—that's an amazing horse you have there," Leon said tiredly, patting the neck of his horse which looked like it would collapse at any moment.
"Of course, one of the best!"
"If only we could have such sturdy mounts," Remi noted as they approached the outer wall of the city. It was much more weathered than the one in Sunglow, clearly it was built a long time ago. Some parts were already crumbling away, and Melina believed it could use a bit of renovation.
The guards at the gate also appeared much more lax than the ones in Sunglow, half dozing at their post and merely waving them to enter without checking for any documentation.
However, once they were inside it was clear that Pertia was definitely a city, unlike little Sunglow. Cobblestone streets were lit up by magitech lanterns, houses were tightly packed together while many people still bustled around despite the late hour. Higher up the hill, Melina saw what undoubtedly looked like a Church.
"There's a Church here?" Melina asked, trying to mask her nervousness behind curiosity.
"There used to be, but not anymore. Apparently, they lacked funds to upkeep it. I heard that they're still using the building itself as a school of sorts," Remi explained.
Good. It'd be quite troublesome if there was even a small Church branch this close to Sunglow. Even if technically Pertia is a part of a different region.
"It's too late to get anything done today. Let's go to the inn and rest," Gilbert said, redirecting Knight into one of the smaller side streets.
"Wouldn't there be better inns along the main road?" Leon asked suspiciously.
"If you have the money to pay for those luxury inns then be my guests. I don't care where you adventurers stay, as long as you are there to escort us back," the old baker grumbled.
"I'm going with Master Gilbert. I trust his judgment," Remi said with a smile, following the cart.
"I don't see a reason to split up," Alistair noted, doing the same.
"Alright, alright. Don't leave me behind," the mage whined and followed along.
Melina eagerly took in the sights of the city—the bustle of the evening and how people sang and chatted in the taverns. Some street merchants were still out, offering food for passersby, while the lights were on in many houses, indicating families coming together after a day of work. It was more lively than Sunglow which seemed to go completely silent in the evening.
Along the way, she was also surprised to see a bakery still open. Admittedly, it was much larger than Gilbert's store and there was an outside terrace with elegant tables and chairs where some people were enjoying their pastries.
Wouldn't that be lovely—turning the bakery into almost a restaurant of sorts? It would surely take a lot of work. Two people probably wouldn't be able to manage something like that. But maybe if we hired somebody?
Before long they reached the inn called "Under the Moonlight" which had the appropriate sign of a large crescent moon above their entrance. It was a bit larger than Fireside Inn, and judging by the rather sleek and minimalistic design, more luxurious.
"Welcome to "Under the Moonlight" inn, weary travelers," a man dressed up in an elegant, dark suit greeted them at the entrance. It seemed a bit over the top for an innkeeper to wear such elaborate clothing, but it wasn't Melina's place to judge. Perhaps, it was the theme of this inn. Some inns liked to adhere to specific themes in order to stand out from the competition, like for example, sticking to an all-natural theme.
I wonder why the Master chose this inn. Maybe it's cheaper than others due its remote location?
"We'd like to rent out five rooms." Gilbert got straight to the business, appearing somewhat grouchy from the long road.
"I'm afraid we only have three rooms left tonight—two double rooms and one luxury room," the innkeeper said.
"Beh. Disappointing, but I suppose it can't be helped. We'll take them," Gilbert grumbled.
"Perhaps, we should go and find a different inn," Leon suggested.
"I'm too old to be running the city looking through every inn. I'll be taking one of the double rooms. You, young ones, can split the rooms among yourselves," he said, throwing down two gold coins on the counter. "We'll be here for three nights."
"Wonderful. This will cover the price of the rooms and the breakfast for all of you," the innkeeper said with a smile as he took the coins and retreated behind the counter that stood in the middle of the lobby. It was far larger than the one in Fireside Inn, with polished marble floors, large windows, and several unusual paintings lining the walls. The most impressive thing was probably the carved wood staircases which circled the counter.
Gilbert impatiently hobbled up to the counter, tapping his finger on it and before long the innkeeper produced three sets of keys.
"Master Gilbert, perhaps you'd like to take the luxury room," Alistair spoke up, but the baker had already grabbed the keys to one of the double rooms.
"I don't like that stuff. I'm sure a young lord such as yourself will find it more suitable to your tastes than an old man like myself," he grumbled, hobbling upstairs.
"I agree that Lord Sinclair should take the luxury room, but how are the three of us supposed to share a double room?" Remi asked.
"It'll be a tight fit, but if we push the two beds together, I'm sure we'll manage," Leon said with a lecherous grin on his face. Before Remi and Melina could protest, Alistair grabbed the mage by the scruff of his shirt and began dragging him after himself.
"I'm sure there's a couch or something in the luxury room you can sleep on," the nobleman said, grabbing the keys from the counter.
"But what if there isn't?" Leon protested desperately.
"Then I'm sure the carpet will be soft enough for you to sleep on."
Remi snickered at the sight and waved Leon goodbye. "I guess we're having a girls' night."
"I suppose so," Melina smiled and took the remaining set of keys.
"Enjoy your stay, ladies," the butler said, but then suddenly his eyes widened in shock as he looked at Remi. "M-Miss… A-Are you an e-elf?"
Right. Nobody in Sunglow really reacts to Remi or other elves, but it is different in Pertia. This could cause some problems.