Maya was leaning against one of the wooden pillar of the Trade and Crafts building, the chill salty air of Peltrach brushing against her skin, the cold tinting her face reddish. She was lost in thought, glancing at the few fur cloaks carried out of the building to be distributed to the most needy ones. She had a bittersweet feeling. It would help a few of course, but it wasn't enough for sure, even with the bears furs that amazing dwarf provided them with. The hunt for furs took a weird turn despites the unexpected help. There was this strange fog, and then, among this eerie feeling, it was like they were suddenly surrounded.
The last thing Maya wanted was to see one of her friend meet a similar fate to the one she went through. She knew she would never be the same, and the thought that Millie or Marvin could carry the same burden...
And so they left, with so little furs... Only to come accross some big tiger. The two mens escorting them were confident despites how powerfull the animal looked, his muscles rolling under his skin as he was moving back and forth in front of them. If this thing was a cat, they were definitely mouses.
As fast as he appeared, the tiger ran away, not without having stared at them pretty intently. Maya couldn't help but feel some kind of dread, remembering old stories. There was something way too intelligent in that animal eyes... Something that made her heart squeeze, thinking about all the creatures she got killed for furs. What if...
Maya was looking down at her reddish knuckles, the skin of her upper hand in a pretty bad state. The salty cold air was not helping. It was nothing that a bit of balm could fix, but somehow, she needed that pain. Like a reminder. Or a warning.
Culpability was squeezing her heart, making her breathing harder. She clenched her fingers, squeezing her fists tight, letting the back of her head rest against the wooden pillar as she closed her eyes. The scene was dancing in her head, the memories way too vivid.
On their way back to Peltrach, Marvin and her took that usual stone bridge, only to get stopped by some grim man in armor, his fingers wrapped around the handle of a pretty long sword, his gaze displaying a threatening glow.
A bandit... It was almost obvious. Maya was remembering his grinning face as if he was straight in front of her. She did what she was always doing in theses kind of situation, she evaded the fight, trying to appease the man and find a way that wouldn't lead to violence and suffering. Marvin and her ended up being free to go as another man looking some kind of veteran showed up and glanced at them as if they were unsignificant.
At this time, in her head, this was a victory. The proof that under the right circumstances, there was always a way out of violence.
"It was a slaughter, they killed everyone, womens, childrens..."
Maya's head started to spin really badly as the young cookie elf explained what she went through. Maya's mind was connecting slowly all the puzzle pieces. Theses bandits never intended to let them go out of kindness... They were waiting for a bigger target... And they found it. Her stomach started to ache, seeking to release its content. Keeva and Marvin's words were barely making sense anymore, just some blurry noise in the background. Lost in some painfull thoughts, she slowly stood from her chair, ignoring the waitress coming back with some drinks. "I need some fresh air..."
Outside of the inn, a maelstorm of emotions was spinning in her head. Her eyes were starting to water, her feets pushing her forward, almost instinctively. Before she could really realize it, she was standing in front of the city gate. Anger was boiling in her veins, making her fingers trembles. The fire in her chest needed something to consume. She looked up in the distance, toward Nars pass, and reached for her leather gloves, a dreadfull resolve in her eyes.
The bandit was holding watch, grunting with bore, barely concealed behind the stone wall ruins surrounding that barely standing tower. He kicked some piece of stone, making it roll further, then swing a bit his old iron sword. His bored expression turned into a grin as he noticed the feminine shape standing in front of him.
"Oh my... What do we have here... ?"
His appreciative grin was cutted short by Maya's determined steps. He barely got time to lift his sword that she was punching in the metal plate of his armor. CLONG The iron part covering her knuckles digged in the protective cover, distorting it, taking the bandit breath out. Maya was raw fury, forgetting about any kind of defensive or controlling movements. She make use of his surprise to hook his foot with her right ankle then twisted her hips, uppercutting his chin. The bandit barely got time to react, he was already tasting his own blood, a few of his teeths knocked off, his head spinning hard as he hit the floor.
Maya kicked his sword away, leaning over him, her knee pressing on his armor as she grabbed his collar with her other hand, looking down at him, her eyes watering, her expression distorted by rage. She struggled to align her words in a straight way, locking her gaze on the barely conscious man's one.
"You could have done everything... But no... Even childrens."
The man was too stunned to answer, and even with a clear mind, considering the state of the campment around, it was obvious theses ones probably came here after the battle to claim the unoccuped area. But whatever was driving Maya, it was not logical at this point. She pulled him up just enough to elbow his chin and take him out completely, before standing.
"This area is not safe."
Fenia, the cookie elf, was there, standing, her bow in hand. Maya frowned, aknowledging Marvin and Keeva's presence. She answered with a tone full of spite.
"It isn't. Go back to Peltrach, i don't need any of you."
They didn't. Neither they really tried to change her mind. They were here, simply here, despites the unleash of violence that followed.
Maya pushed herself away from the wooden pole, lost in thoughts. She still had much to do. The pain in her hands and in her forearms was feeling almost muffled, and yet the culpability was still lingering. She wasn't feeling better. She didn't wanted too. That weight on her chest was pretty similar to that burning feeling in her limbs ; a way to remember that there is always consequences. A token of her promise. She would never walk away anymore.
