Chapter 3 Damsel

The silhouette of a woman sauntered through the woods of the Dark forest as if on a stroll. Her body swayed like a seductress and her feet moved like she was gliding on ice. The cloud of smoke in the distance was a telltale sign that there was a camp close by. Stopping, she ruffled her hair then bit her lower lip just enough to spill some blood giving the impression of someone who had been hit.

She removed her veil and briefly revealed her face before it changed completely to that of another person. 

"What are you doing?" A voice inquired from somewhere in the forest 

"I'm sensing something strange from this group. Something non-human."

"Me too, but you don't see me suddenly changing into a dress." The voice came again.

"I need to investigate," Sercy responded after a deep sigh.

"Fine." The voice came once more. Count, who was the owner of the other voice, was now visible.

Sercy raised a brow. "Why do you sound so disapproving?"

"I don't know Sercy? Why do you always make things so difficult? Just kill everybody then investigate later."

Sercy stared at him with a blank expression then her face slowly warped into one of complete fear. She started running towards the camp clumsily making sure  to 'accidentally'  rip her clothes in a few places.

Right at the edge of the camp, she tripped, then fell with a loud thud.

"Who's there!!?" A bandit walked towards her, she looked up at the bandit with an expression of fright  trying to back away from him. He grabbed her hair, yanking her towards the camp.

Count sat in a tree above them shaking his head. "I wonder what she gets out of doing all this? She could just kill them in one swoop... Is she a masochist? Where did I go wrong?"

Sercy was thrown on the ground and the bandits present in the camp all surrounded her.

"It's a woman." 

"A woman? In this area? Are you sure?" Came a voice from further away.

"Yes, she was probably a captive."

"Who would capture her, we told them to only take children." Another bandit said in a puzzled tone.

Just then a young man stepped forward; he had a healthy olive glow and although he wore plain cotton robes that signified a commoner status he had the air of a noble. He stooped so that he was at eye level with Sercy then asked.

"What are you doing here?"

Sercy started to reply "I-I was captured from the-" but before she could finish one of the Bandits interrupted

"Oh, shut up, who cares? A woman this pretty shows up and you ask her what she's doing here? I've never had a woman like this before, but I'm sure the pleasure would drive you crazy." The bandit who said this started unbuckling his pants then moved towards Sercy.

Thud!

Before he could get any closer, the young bandit who asked Sercy her allegiance hit him with the hilt of his sword.

Another bandit stepped forward in anger "What the f*ck do you think you're doing?"

"She's someone from my village. I know her, I already paid you guys not to hurt anyone else, are you going to break your word?"

Just then another older man who was quiet the entire time, now stepped forward chimed in, "Even though you're bandits you're not savages. Tie her up. but do not touch her otherwise."

Displeasure could be seen on the other bandits' faces, but they followed the orders of the older man.

Count watched them with interest "Hmmm..."

The bandit who tied Sercy to the tree had lust evident in his eyes,  a fake tear rolled down Sercy's cheek as she whimpered.

~Hohoho, you'll be the first to die. But not yet. That young man is interesting.~

Count  who was watching from somewhere in the shadows sent a mental message to Sercy. "How long will you drag this on for?"

-"Till I'm satisfied"

"You said we were going to wreak havoc not make a play."

-"Oh, we'll wreak havoc, but this boy seems off."

"It's still much easier if you just kill them and leave the hostage you want alive... By chance have you fallen in love with his chivalry?"

-"I'm a dark fae...People say trickery is my thing."

"Dark Fae, my ass. You just have a weird fetish."

-"And who's fault is that?"

The sound of someone walking towards Sercy distracted her. The young noble who defended her earlier approached her with dressings and a parcel of food. He examined her face for a while, his gaze resting on the self-inflicted wound on her lip. He sighed, pity evident in his eyes. "Are you hungry?"

Sercy stared at him warily before shaking her head.

"Where are you from?"

"Arcov." she replied softly.

~Arcov?~  Arcove was a village some distance away and was also considered a part of the Blenheim kingdom, one that often had run-ins with bandits. 

The young man sighed, looking at Sercy as if she was the most dimwitted person he's ever seen. "You think it's wise to tell me you're from Arcov? Don't you think you're a bit too honest for your own good?"

"You seem trustworthy."

"I'm not. My people and your people aren't exactly friends."

"It doesn't matter, thank you for earlier." Sercy said.

"How do you know I wasn't just saving you for myself?" the young noble laughed suggestively, and for the first time, Sercy actually found a man attractive.

"I can smell that you're untouched," Sercy replied with a deadpan expression.

The young noble's body momentarily went rigid and his eyes widened in shock, he then looked away awkwardly. Clearing his throat in embarrassment he stood up stiffly then walked away.  After taking a few steps he paused glancing back at Sercy, his hesitation was evident as he quickly approached her once more. He loosened her restraints so she could use her hands a bit then placed a bottle of water next to her.

"Eat before you go, when you start running head towards the west. Follow the sound of the river and when you find it, go in the direction the water flows; That should lead you home."

He also left the food and walked away.

"Wait! Why are you helping me?"

The man paused, he looked at her thoughtfully before replying. "I've seen too many innocent people die today."

"May I have your name?" Sercy called after him.

"Niyad." He replied while walking away. Sercy stared at him as he walked away, a thoughtful expression on her face. 

'So are we gonna adopt him?' Count asked using telepathy.

- 'I think we should. He's cute.'

'Even I think he's an adorable little puppy.' Count replied.

-"Count, let's try to pick up some information. Snoop around and see what you can find. We'll move in four hours."

"OK, my favorite damsel."

Niyad walked a short distance before stopping with a thoughtful look on his face...

~ For her to know I'm a virgin, she must be a cultivator, but I was unable to sense any energy fluctuations from her. She must be really strong, so why is she pretending to be weak? It's a good thing I decided to help her or else we probably would have all ended up dying. ~

He smelled his robe, then his armpits. ~Do virgins have a specific smell? Let's forget about it, she'll leave soon anyway.~