The Unbidden: A New World (1) (Short Parts)

Part 15

***

We still had plenty of money to lounge around in town for a really long time, and maybe practice some of my skills.

However, there was a slight problem.

It happened a few days after the excursion with the kobold settlement. During the evening after I finished practicing, I came back to the room to rest up, unfortunately, there was a girl was standing in front of the door to my room.

She looked familiar, maybe. Like I'd seen her somewhere once, and only a portion of what I saw I remembered.

Over her clothes were a leather chest piece, bracers, and shin guards. The chest piece seemed a tad small for her. A sword hung at her hip that she had one hand rested on.

She hadn't noticed me at first as I was walking down the hall, possibly lost in her own thoughts.

"Can I help you?" I asked casually.

The girl looked surprised at first, then narrowed her eyes at me before relaxing her pose.

"You're Xavier, correct?" she asked in a soft, formal tone.

"I am. Do you have some business with me?"

The girl bit the edge of her lip ever so slightly and looked away from me, the hand on her sword fidgeting with the pommel.

"I ... wanted to thank you, for helping me," she mumbled.

I cocked my head slightly. I didn't recall helping someone who looked like her, but at the same time, she looked oddly familiar.

"You're welcome, I guess? I'm pretty bad at remembering someone's face, so I'm not entirely sure what you're thanking me for," I said, lightly scratching the back of my head.

The girl's posture changed a bit. She bit a bigger piece of her lip and was looking at the floor, intently avoiding eye contact. I could tell she was uneasy at my response, but she still wanted to tell me something.

"Do you know the Kegger family?" she asked in a low mumble I barely understood.

Oh, it's one of the girls I rescued from the goblins! I was already paid by her family for her rescue, so why is she here? I wondered.

She must've caught the glint of realization in my eyes, as she looked up and finally made eye contact with me.

"I wanted to personally thank you for saving my life! I was ignorant in believing I could take on the goblins myself. They're small, dumb creatures, so I assumed they'd be easy to kill. I didn't realize they had so many."

I pursed my lips together and raised a single eyebrow.

"How did they get the upper hand on you?" I asked, crossing my arms.

I didn't really care all that much, but someone thanking me was a nice feeling, especially if it came from an attractive girl such as her.

"I was fighting with a couple when two others flanked me and hit me across the head. When I came to, I was mostly naked and being aided by you and another woman."

"I see. I'm sorry you had to endure what you did. Thank you for your gratification, but if that's all, I need to get some rest," I said, walking past her to the door.

"Wait!" she exclaimed loudly.

My hand was already on the handle and turning it when I paused. I looked back to her. She held a pleading look in her eyes.

"Please, tell me how you defeated them with just the two of you."

As I opened my mouth, I paused. I couldn't tell her it was magic. She probably wouldn't believe me, and even if she did, that might cause even more trouble. I opted for deception.

"Underhanded tactics. A little bit of sneaking around, some torches and luck. It was actually a pretty hard fight," I lied.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," I said, entering my room and closing the door behind me.

Once I heard her light footsteps against the wooden floorboards fade, I let out an audible sigh.

"Interesting," I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked over to see Thea sitting on Her bed with that gentle – albeit somewhat mischievous – smile of Hers. She had been out and about for the past several times I came back to the room, and She was never there when I awoke or went to sleep, thus Her presence gave me a startle.

Her appearance looked slightly different. I was having a hard time putting a pin on it.

"Where've you been off to?" I asked, doffing my robes once more for the day.

"I have been proving my existence to your fellow man," she said.

"How'd that go?"

"There are a lot more receptive people here. I have blessed several, and even returned a woman's hearing."

Why does this sound like something out of the bible? I thought.

I didn't bother prodding the topic further.

"What of yourself?" she asked.

"Well ..."

I told Thea about Aurias and the current situation with money. She nodded and listened, never interrupting to ask a question until I was finished.

"When do we plan on leaving? I have a feeling the next adjacent city is where we should be heading."

I contemplated for a moment, unsure. I still had no idea who the big enemy I needed to face was, and I hadn't heard of anything regarding demons or some classical good versus evil scenario with warring states and other craziness. This world seemed balanced as is, which made me wonder.

"I guess we can leave in the next few days. I want to use my private practice spot some more. I'm on the verge of figuring out something new, I think."

"I see. Then I shall retire for the evening," She stifled a yawn and nodded.

She moved under the covers, pulling it up to the top of her chest and rolled on her side to look at me, noticing I had been watching her the whole time.

"Are you finally feeling lustful thoughts?" she teased.

It hadn't occurred to me I was staring, so when she pointed it out, blood rushed to my face. I looked away for a second and mumbled 'of course not' and proceeded to get into my own bed.

It's normal to stare at someone or something when you're lost in thought, I told myself.