The aggressor fell to the ground with a thud, yet Ms. Moto still seemed to be in a battle stance, as though expecting the attack to fail.
"Good work, I didn't know you were so strong," The knight said interrupting her shock. He nodded in approval.
"Thanks, but less talking and more running, there might be more still on our trail," She said, turning away to run.
"Agreed," The knight responded, dashing off after her.
The next few hours until sundown were spent hiding, observing their hunters following their trail, then running. They repeated this process like a never-ending game of cat and mouse.
More than a few times the hunters came into their view, but Moto's quick thinking got them out of an encounter.
Finally, as the sun set, they had stopped being pursued.
They had run so far off the intended course that they were somewhere in the snowy hilled mountains. Snow crunched below their feet as they climbed uneven stones, shivering due to being unprepared. Their legs burned with each passing step.
Inside a cave which they had searched for frantically upon their dropping temperatures and quickly exhausting bodies, so high in the mountains it was hard to breathe, the pair sat utterly drained in front of a campfire.
Their clothes were drenched in sweat from running full force for the last few hours. They shivered as both huddled close to the fire.
They staved off the lingering cold before the fire, taking a long sentence of silence before the unspoken agreement of rest vanished.
"Why had they chased us so aggressively? Even bandits would've gone for easier prey" The knight asked earnestly.
"They're clearly not bandits. Capturing, much less defeating a dragon is something only people of legend were said to do!" Ms. Moto said, remembering the depiction of a captured dragon.
"We have seen something today that we were not meant to see." The knight added.
"Clearly, that crazed man talked about us being spy's, Only large Clans and other organizations would have those issues"
"Speaking of which, why hadn't you killed him? He's seen our face and now they'll know who to look for"
"I struck a non vital pressure point… If I had intended to kill him he would've sensed my killing intent immediately, and I would've most likely died"
"He was that powerful?"
"No, even more"
Silence filled the room.
"So, what now? Does your map of this place include the path back on course?"
"No, It'll be difficult, and this definitely has set us back a few days, but as long as we can find a familiar land mass or identifying object matching the map we should be able to continue on course."
"That's good news, I guess. I'll keep first watch. Go ahead to sleep" The Knight said, sitting up.
"Gladly" Ms. Moto responded.
She took out some sleeping bags and new clothes from her storage ring. She stopped a moment to think, then took bandages out of the ring.
"We've been too focused on running to patch you up, but unless you want an infection I suggest you bandage that wound across your forehead," She said, throwing a bandage over the fire.
The knight caught it, and with a nod expressed his gratitude. He quickly wrapped it around his forehead and tied it off, suddenly looking like a battered soldier.
Moto rolled out the sleeping bags, then began to enter it before a shiver rolled up her body. "Ew, this is disgusting. My bag is gonna be dirty and smell of sweat… I want to wash up so badly…"
The knight laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You're actually acting like a female"
That day, the Knight lived through a near-death experience twice.
When Shin Buki had woken up his entire body ached from the farthest part of his foot to the ending of his scalp.
The so-called practice bouts he had with his master yesterday turned out to be genuine life and death for Shin.
"The Armour is a curse!" he thought at the time. His master did not hold back as usual, and he had a sneaking suspicion it was due to his shiny new protection.
Exiting his tent, he saw his master sitting on a rock near a calm flowing river. Nagai whistled a tune as he recast-ed his pole.
He held a makeshift fishing pole that was made of a skinny tree branch and some string.
"How did you manage to make that?" Shin asked earnestly.
"Skills of the trade, skills of the trade," He said continuing his tune.
"Fish's for breakfast, get a fire started." Nagai said a second later, as if he almost forgot.
After they had breakfast and packed up their tents, Shin did his thousand practice swings and then headed off with his master.
"What's today's mission?" Shin asked as they walked alongside the riverbed.
"Yesterday during our sparring I felt a strong killing intent Coming from higher up in the mountains." His master responded.
"Well, isn't that normal? We're surrounded by beasts. Speaking of which, how can we sleep so peacefully without the fear of being gobbled up?"
"I have attained mastery over a certain skill which allows me to always be aware of my vicinity, even when I sleep. You know not how aggravating it is to constantly wake up and slay beasts…"
"That sounds cool! Your ability, I mean " Shin replied with excitement.
Nagai quickly karate-chopped his neck.
"No, if you understood a sliver of the work I had to put in to achieve it you'd call it a curse"
"Ahhh! What was that for!?" Shin said rubbing his neck. "What's a curse is this Armour you gave me, you're not even trying to hold back"
Nagai chuckled.
'He's admitting it!' Shin thought. "So, we're going to investigate that killing intent you felt yesterday?"
"Yes. To be very clear, though, we are not fighting anyone! The killing intent I felt yesterday was from a trained professional who's skilled, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to feel it from this far away. What's more concerning is the blatant disregard for hiding it," Nagai proclaimed, looking up as though he was still experiencing it.
"Got it, don't have to tell me twice." Shin responded.
Snaking along the riverbed, they continued along its path until they ran into a waterfall surrounded by a steep slope of boulders. Misty water patted down on the pair's face; leaving it moist with droplets threatening to drench their dry clothes.
"Less we want to spend all day hiking we'll have to take a shortcut up this waterfall," Nagai said, slowly gazing up the medium-sized waterfall.
"Surely we'll fall? it's not too far to the top but rock climbing wet stones is still a strenuous task"
"Luckily, we train. Get to climbing, Shin" Nagai said, resolutely. Then, like a mutated frog, he jumped half the distance up in one strong bound.
Shin stared up in shock, then slowly climbed the rocks.
When they had reached the top, Shin almost falling a few times, they continued on through a thick forest. The lake that fell into the waterfall below veered off the to right, but Nagai continued on seemingly, to shin at least, in a random direction through the forest.
After a long bout of running and breaks of fast-walking between, Nagai came to a sudden halt.
"Stop," He said, a serious undertone. Shin paused immediately.
"what is it?" He asked concerned.
"It was a mistake to bring you this close. A dangerous, murderous aura emanates just a little further into the forest. Much stronger than I could sense from afar." He told, gazing forward as if he were daydreaming.
"But why did you feel a murderous intent so far away from the supposed camp? Could they have been hunting?"
"I doubt it, and if so it'd be humans. Look, messy footprints leading here from away, then another leading from the source a little way away from those. Then they combine, those from the source trampling upon the pairs. Just further down another group of footprints combine with those a little farther ahead. Someone was being chased, and feverishly."
"What if they're in trouble?" Shin asked worriedly, not understanding how his master had deciphered that. His astute observation made his head hurt.
"If they were, they're dead by now." Nagai told solemnly.
"Surely you'd not forsake those in need, maybe it's just my curiosity, but you're just about the strongest thing in these mountains. There's almost nothing for us to fear. And, besides, even if you say we can't go directly to the source we can still investigate trails leading away from it."
Nagai almost responded immediately with a no, but then a moment of hesitation cut off his sentence.
"Shin, I am but a droplet of water in a raging storm compared to the strengths that lie here. I know you think I am invincible, but simply put, I am not." Nagai said, putting a hand on Shin's shoulder.
"Maybe so, but if you have the power to do something, we should. Good deeds pay good deeds."
Nagai paused for a second. He furled his brows and scrunched his face, thinking. Finally, he said "Shin, your ignorance is going to be the death of us. As long as you promise to be extremely careful, and run the moment I say, fine."
"I solemnly give my word!"
"Then, let's go,"
And so they continued on, Shin beaming at the prospect of an adventure, and therefore the procrastination of his hellish training. Nagai wasn't as happy about the situation, but his demeanor lightened with the positivity exuding from his student.
Ms. Moto had awoken fully rested, which startled her. The last time she woke was when her Knight shook her awake for her turn to keep watch.
After her time was up, she went to change shifts.
They switched every two hours to stay vigilant.
When it was time for the Knights hours, she woke him and he stood blearily, looking delirious as he denied that something was wrong with him. She'd assumed maybe he was a heavy sleeper, and with time he'd grow fully awake.
Now she knew something was wrong. She was supposed to have been woken up for last watch, but the sun loomed happily in the sky indicating she'd slept much longer than intended.
"Knight? Knight!?" She yelled, concern growing with each repetition.
She pushed herself from the ground and surveyed the cave, the fire had simmered to a smoky trail. Just in front of the fire, the knight lay slumped, against the entrance of the cave wall.
Ms. Moto quickly ran towards his side, putting a hand on his cheek. His forehead's bandage was stained red, though it wasn't moist as the blood had dried.
Sweat trickled down his face, he breathed heavily but abruptly, stopping mid-inhale as though the air pained him, and his temperature boiled like a lidded pot.
Just then, the knight rolled his head over his shoulder, making eye contact with Ms. Moto.
His eyes barely open, speaking in a tone softer than a whisper, he spoke "I've been poisoned, hel—"
And then he fell unconscious.