AFK - Away From Keyboard

Chapter 24:

Emica's POV:

   I don't understand how Kit can laugh about what happened. And the way he told the story...Len must be feeling awful. I hate hearing Kit make fun of Len almost dying.

Kit is very different from how he used to be. He didn't use to make fun of people on purpose, but I know he tries to annoy Len; and of course Len fights right back.

   Finally Kit got tired of the story and moved on. He announced that he was going to scout ahead for goblins and other monsters.

Len sighed in relief and actually restrained himself from going too.

"Dranfall should be just up ahead." Myra announced. 

Rey let out a breath. "Thank goodness. I didn't think I would be able to walk much father. Do we have an inn in mind? No? Oh, so we have to walk all around and find one."

"Rey just be quiet, my gosh." Len smirked at me. 

"Look at me standing up to my sister. I'm sooooooo brave." Rey snapped, to which Myra giggled.

"You have to be brace to stand up to your siblings." Len agreed seriously. "They're what preps you for war. Most realistic war prep found on earth."

   Kit burst through the trees. "Uh...is there another way into dran-whatever-the-heck?"

"What did you do?" Myra demanded.

Three guys burst through the trees after kit, who scrambled over to us.

"You're going to get it you little..." The first man started.

In an instant Len and I had pulled out our weapons. I had an arrow drawn and aimed at the leader's skull.

"Hey Clinte, ain't that the girl that..." One of them looked at me confusedly.

Ken stepped forward and raised threateningly. "I don't know what Kit did, but you better get the heck out of here before the ground gets better acquainted with you." HE growled menacingly.

The guys laughed. They obviously thought the three of them could take on the five of us, although I didn't know if Rey or Myra even had weapons to fight with.

"GET DOWN!" Kit yelled as one of the guys flung something at us.

In the next minute, I was being hurtled across the grass and landed on top of Len.

"Thanks." I smiled weakly and stood up. The arrow in my bow had almost gone into him instead of one of the men. I pulled it out of the ground.

The man who had referred to me grabbed my wrist and started pulling me to his cronies. I tried to free myself, but then I remembered what was in my hand. I stabbed my arrow into the man's thigh. He let go of me with a gasp and stumbled back.

Len was beside me in a flash.  We advanced towards the men along with Kit and Rey, who had pulled a bo staff from her menu. The men glared at us and then ran off.

Rey cheered, while Kit looked relieved.

Len turned to me. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt? I swear if you did..." He spun on Kit. "What the heck did you do!?"

"Chill. I spotted Dranfall, and those guys spotted me. They were trying to make me pay them to go inside or to leave. "You gotta pay toll," they said. Then when I ran off they followed me."

"I really have to learn how to use a weapon." Myra sighed.

Len glared at Kit, who fidgeted uncomfortably, and then led us on. 

We entered the city of Dranfall. It was absolutely huge compared to Kedron or Fieryn. So huge that you could get lost extremely easily. I felt a little overwhelmed by the people crowing the streets.

The setting sun gave the world an orangey hue.

"That looks promising." Rey pointed to a fancy building.

"I don't think we could afford enough space for all of us." Myra grimaced and looked around.

We continued walking for a while. The merchants on the street were all trying to out yell each other, and that was when it came. The tightness behind my eyes, the clenching sensation in my brain. This time the emotion was an extreme version of the natural overwhelming feeling I had felt earlier.

I felt like tugging out my hair, or cutting off my ears. I used every ounce of my strength to shun the emotion and bite back pained tears. If I was allowed to be happy at that moment, I would have felt pride at how well I was golding it together. It had been a while since the last time my emotions had taken over.

"This looks inside our price range." Kit grinned hopefully, speaking up for the first time since the scuffle.

Myra nodded and led us inside. She went up to a boy behind the counter. "Is there a room for five?"

The boy shook his head. "Sorry, no. There are rooms for one, two, and three however."

"Us girls can share a room." Rey smiled. "We can have a epic sleepover parties."

"I am NOT sharing a room with HIM." Both Len and Kit said simultaneously, pointing and glaring at each other.

"Then you can both pay for your own room. Thanks" Myra rolled her eyes and took the room codes. She handed us each one and we made our way upstairs.

Rey made sure she claimed the first bed, the first pillow, and the first hit that started an entire pillow war.