Ashley
My Dragunov rifle felt heavy after so many hours of marathon running. I hadn't complained because Azumi was leading. I forced my body to move, at her terrifyingly fast trot. My eyes burned and I couldn't feel my hands. The urge to vomit drove me mad with every step I took, but I kept running, like a machine. The sound of the rocks crunching beneath my feet reverberated in my eardrums. At this point, I wouldn't give anything for a blessed horse.
When Azumi finally stopped, I fell to my knees, desperately gasping for air to fill my lungs.
—I… I can't take it anymore… —Azumi said with difficulty.
I looked up, my body shaking, and noticed that some of Azumi's wounds had opened; she was bleeding a little and struggling to breathe as much as I was.
—These wounds… they're keeping me from using all my magic to run.
My body feels like it's on fire, my heart is pounding so hard my chest feels like a drum. How long had we been running? I answered that question when I looked up at the black sky, considering we'd set off at dawn. We'd been running for about 12 hours.
I grabbed my canteen and drank from it desperately. As soon as the water passed my lips, my body accepted it as if it were a miracle drink. Even though my body ached and I felt truly weak from the fatigue in my muscles, a surge of adrenaline coursed through me.
All my training pushed my body to the brink of exhaustion again and again, ignoring the pain and all my body's warnings. I took myself to another level. Azumi ran with magic. Sean himself was now running with magic.
"How far away are we?" My body was still shaking, and my muscles were still spasming, but I was slowly regaining strength with each breath.
—About another 12 hours... At this rate —Azumi was still agitated, by this point she looked in a worse state than me.
"We have to keep going..." I said, comforting her with my hand on her shoulder.
She gave me a look of horror.
"I... I barely have the magic to keep up..." she replied, breathing heavily and looking at me, feeling like she was about to cry; her cat ears drooped slightly.
—Azumi... I'm not a human of this world... I don't have magic.
Reminding her of this, I think Azumi paled even more than she already was, as she already knew that I was actually much weaker than average overall.
"I'm starting to think this is a lie," he said as he stood up.
As soon as we started running through the woods again, I quickly regretted my decision, but I don't know how long it took me to get the antidote in a lawless city like the one they'd described to me, and even if I did, I'd have to take the same route. Extreme exhaustion made me stop thinking, and although I couldn't see a thing (probably because I was on the verge of fainting and it was nighttime), I could make out the trail of blood Azumi was leaving along the way, small red drops of blood spilling out.
We went in and out of different forests, crossed several rivers, and I swear something even chased us, but it got tired and gave up.
When dawn broke again, Azumi completely collapsed, I of course collapsed beside her, I couldn't help but fall asleep, my eyes were heavy.
Azumi's desperate screams woke me up. I have to admit that I didn't feel like I was being tossed around like a rag doll, it was still daylight.
"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Azumi asked, a little worried.
I stood up quickly, feeling like my strength had fully returned, although my glutes and legs were aching, but that was normal when exercising. (I'm ignoring the fact that the pain is enough to make me think I'd actually hurt myself.)
"Why? What?" I answered hoarsely.
That's when I noticed the taste of vomit... I understood everything now. I must have vomited while I was sleeping, and she was scared... The only dangerous thing about this hadn't happened (choking on my own vomit). I calmed Azumi down; thanks to the fact that the vomit was still wet, I had hopes that I hadn't fallen asleep too long. I used a little water to wash my face and drank the rest.
—How long have you been awake?
—I woke up minutes after collapsing, I let you rest, but at least three hours later you vomited and I got scared, it's not normal.
—It's not specifically normal for us either, but Azumi, for anyone where Sean and I come from, it would be impossible. Considering I feel amazing, let's eat and get ready.
She nodded, and we ate in silence. We did need to talk, but we were too hungry to stop eating and talk to each other. It wasn't even tasty; it was stale bread and canned soup; Grayson had made it, and Tech had canned it.
I had prepared the plan in advance, choosing an entire outfit specifically for the venue. It was clothing that deliberately showed off my midriff and back. I have to admit I didn't ask Azumi for her consent when I packed the same outfit for her.
I undressed in front of her and put back on the clothes I had brought. It's worth noting that they were mercenary clothes, but it's not like they can come and demand them back.
The fabric was leather, and I think the gap in the back was more a matter of storing fabric than aesthetics, mainly because the lady I removed this from was wearing a traveling cloak. The pants clung to my skin, gave me a strange feeling, and made me miss my military clothes, which were actually, to my liking, very comfortable. But I finally put on my boots and let my hair down.
"I'm not going to wear that..." Azumi pouted, having already finished eating.
I laughed.
—Oh yes, yes you will…
"I refuse. What's the point of this? They don't even look comfortable. I swear they'll hinder me when it comes to fighting. What if my sister and mother see me from beyond the grave?"
—Little girl, we're doing this for Jane, in the lawless world, or rather, in the real world, you have to use all your tools at your disposal, and I remind you, miss, that you are very attractive.
She blushed a little.
—It's part of the art of manipulation; these people aren't the smartest sperm.
She tilted her head like a dog (Wasn't it a cat?).
—I'm not going to give you a biology lesson, Azumi. I mean, they're idiots, and more than half of them think with their heads—and I'm not talking about the top of their heads. For a change, we're outsiders; they'll undress us with their eyes as soon as we arrive. If we go covered up like nuns, do you know what they'll think of us? That we're weak, insecure women. We have to go in as if we live with them, confident in ourselves and confident in what we have.
—I understood that you are a… —
I didn't let her finish, I kicked her and threatened her.
—Put on your clothes and pretend you like it, or else I swear I'm going to leave you here with more open wounds. —I looked at her with a mean look as I picked up my Dragunov from the floor and took out a small vial from the bag Azumi had carried the entire trip.
Azumi reluctantly put on her clothes, though she was on the verge of hiding to get dressed. She remembered I didn't do it and quickly abandoned the idea. Obviously, she and I smelled bad, that's what the bottle was for. It was an alcohol-based perfume and who knows what, so I put it on and poured it on Azumi too.
—The perfume doesn't smell good and it doesn't hide either… —Azumi complained.
—You may have a very keen sense of smell, but they don't. They all smell bad; this perfume is an interesting difference.
Azumi pointed at the city, visible from here. Calling that mess a "city" was a compliment, given that it was on a coast; there were stranded ships everywhere, the rotten wood and stranded boats used as structures forming a jumble of different buildings.
As we started walking, Azumi asked.
—Are you sure we can do this?
"Azumi, even though this is another dimension, scum still behaves like scum, powers or not. I've lived in this world long enough to learn how to navigate. I just want you to keep one thing in mind: your ears stick out... And this is the same world that held Jane between its putrid gums." I replied as, with a determined stride, I set foot at the entrance to the city.
Well, this one had a certain elevation from the ground, for when the tide was high, so a moldy ladder was used.
It wasn't long before the glances started to appear, women and men undressing us with their gazes, analyzing us, wondering what they could do to us and searching in their empty minds to see if they had already known us in this giant labyrinth.
A man approached from behind and said in a flattering voice.
—Miss, you're not from around here, are you? You haven't paid my tax...
I interrupted him. I approached him and whispered in his ear.
—Don't try to be smart with me.
That man was disgusting no matter how you looked at him.
—Why don't you be useful and tell me where there's a bar?
—Excuse me, miss, I…
The stench of his breath was unhealthy. The man took advantage of the proximity to place his hands on my body, but they were quickly intercepted. I turned my back, and the dangling Dragunov rifle was pointed directly at his head, my hand orthodoxly on the trigger. I winked at him and let a soft sigh escape my lips.
—Bang.
The man understood, put on a sour face and pointed to a corner, the man left defeated without saying another word.
The main street wasn't specifically ugly, but it was run down, with multiple alleys leading from one side to the other. There were also businesses lining the other side; however, the place was relatively empty for a main street. That might have to do with the corpses piled up within my walls, but hey, things happen.
Entering the bar, the familiar stench filled my nostrils. I managed a smile as I scanned the poorly maintained bar and the people's alcoholic beverages. People in this world don't get drunk, but they love alcohol just as much, if not worse, than where I come from. The place was dimly lit, but I didn't expect anything else. However, the masochistic smile I was wearing became genuine when I saw a table playing a game I knew very well: dominoes.
They had it on a silver platter. I approached them.
—Guys, can I play?
One of the men at the table, without taking his eyes off the table and taking a long drag on his cigar, answered
"What are you betting on? Your body?" His raspy voice matched his gaunt appearance, masked by a long, unkempt beard. Although the man wasn't badly dressed, he wore a bandit outfit, as if he were from the Old West.
"Oh no, honey, that's what I have her for." I smiled and pointed at Azumi, who made a surprised face that she quickly hid.
But that was enough to catch the attention of the six players at the table; upon noticing Azumi's ears, they all became excited, invited me to have a drink, and sat down.
The bet came true, and I bet Azumi's ass on the first roll, the poor girl trembled and surreptitiously pinched me behind the shoulder; she didn't have a seat.
"You have an incredible specimen. You must be a great warrior to have him with you. I see his wounds haven't healed," said one of the men, whose name I refuse to learn.
—I have to say I'm lucky. I heard the fire god killed them all. Luckily I got one.
I grabbed Azumi's buttocks and shook them like I owned them. The chips were distributed among the seven players, and the game had begun.
She was a bundle of emotions, but by suppressing them she had given the impression of being submissive, and had become perfect among the beings in front of her.
"Amazing! This actually made my day," said one of the men as he banged his domino against the table.
The game began, and although I drank what they had bought me (a whiskey that was honestly delicious), I tried hard to stay calm, something I managed to do quite successfully, I must admit.
I knew how to play this game a lot, from experience, given the moment, I already knew what pieces my opponents had and how I should play to win.
As the chips hit the table my first win became apparent.
Dominoes was relatively simple; the game consisted of placing a tile that matched the one on the table, either to the left or the right. The game ended in two ways: if no one had a tile with the same number to continue the game, or if someone reached a point where no one could continue. If the game reached a point where no one could continue, the player with the fewest tiles won.
I knew the exact number of pieces and their combinations by heart, so after a while it was very easy for me to predict my opponents' moves.
When they realized I was a good player, I gained respect, the game became entertaining, and I caught the attention of everyone in the bar. Some came, others left, but after a few hours, it was just me and that first man left. I got up from the table, collecting my newly earned money.
—It was a good afternoon, but it's time I started making my arrival count.
—Oh... May I ask what that lady came for?
The filthy guy treated me with respect, after I had been killing him all afternoon at the game.
"I'm here to buy poison," I replied jokingly.
—Oh, so you're here to see the watchmaker… Do you know where he is?
I shook my head and the man gave me some directions as he stood up to guide me, the whole bar saying goodbye joyfully.
We made our way through the city's corridors, and the man let us continue on our own. When we were clear of anyone, Azumi stepped on me and yelled at me in a low voice.
"What do you mean, your slave?! What were you going to do if you lost? You bet me!" The poor thing was hysterical.
—As you can see, I'm confident in my playing skills. I'm very good at dominoes.
"It was my ass on the line, and on top of that, you treated me like your slave," she continued her tantrum.
"Little girl, you're like an exotic animal. If they think I defeated you, it's strange that they're trying to attack me. Besides, you're hurt. The best thing that could have happened happened; nothing went wrong. On top of that, we built up quite a reputation."
"Shove your reputation up your ass." Azumi took the opportunity to kick me in the ass.
—But what a foul-mouthed young lady, what would they think…
—Don't you dare. —I dare you, Azumi.