Something was wrong.
Ryu gathered himself, and stole closer to the sound, blending into the shadows and cloaking himself with his magic.
“Found her!”
A harsh male voice, and a twanging sound, like anarrow—
Ryu moved faster without even realizing he meant to do it.
He burst onto the forest path a moment later, facing a man standing over a fallen female. Her face was in the dirt, and three arrows stuck out of her back.
Blood was pooling around her body, and she was letting out pained gasps and whimpers.
The human man looked up at him, astonished.
“An Elf?”
Another male joined the first, holding aloft a bloody sword.
“What’s an Elf doing here?” He grinned. “No matter. Grab him for the slavers, he’ll fetch a good price.” Another man materialized out of the darkness to join them, grinning nastily as he looked at Ryu.
Fools.
Ryu unleashed his magic. He had been itching for a fight after his run in with Azuma, and now with all thispowerthrumming in his veins, the humans didn’t stand a chance.
His claws extended without thought, and he slashed his way left and right without caring for the blood he spilled and the screams that rent the night.
A few minutes later, he stood over the fallen bodies, unsure if the men were alive, or dead.
No matter. They were bandits, or worse.
Attacking defenceless women! These humans had no honor.
He bent and turned the woman with a careless hand. Blue eyes looked up at him, and Ryu blinked in shock.
It was the human girl.
Well, she was dead, or close to it.
He turned to go, but stopped when a small gasp slipped out of the girl’s bloodied lips and her eyes locked onto his.
She had tried to help him, powerless and ignorant human that she was. His honor demanded that he help her in turn.
Ryu knelt in the dirt and snapped the shafts of the arrows off. Placing his hand over the wounds in the girl’s front, he lent her some of his power, and pushed the tips of the arrows back out of her flesh.
The girl screamed, one hand digging into the dirt while the other scrabbled at his hand, her nails clawing at him.
As he poured more of his magic into healing her, Ryu was struck by a thought.
His father had given up so much of his Elven essence to Ryu because of his half-human nature.
So, what if he took hishumanessence and gave it away?
He could rip it out of his body and give it to this girl, who surely deserved to be healed.
His mind made up, Ryu closed his eyes, instinctively reaching within himself. He tightened his hands on the girl’s midriff, disregarding her screams and the blinding light that erupted from under his palms.
The girl screamed one final time before her body went limp, and Ryu nearly collapsed as the light went out. He felt drained and sweat broke out on his forehead. He wiped it away with impatient hands and straightened.
