21 A Damsel in Too Much Distress (Friesha's note 18)

"Finally, I'm finished," I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I stood up and looked at what I did. "You did not deserve this, I'm sorry."

Slowly the sun emerged from behind me, casting my shadow towards the graves I just made. It somehow felt nostalgic looking at a grave I just did, same as how I buried my mother. As the sun rose, so did my shadow reverted back towards my feet as I looked at the remains of what was once an old rundown house. This area, which became a battlefield three days ago, was once the home of a little boy and his mother living their peaceful days, only to be ruined by those who claimed themselves as justice.

I then knelt down in a praying stance and whispered to the spirits to take care of the souls who died for no reason. Just after I finished, the voice of a nuisance creature can be heard talking to itself as it went up towards me. I pretended to still be praying as it came closer and knelt down next to me in a praying stance as well.

"May Jhurai watch over their souls and lead them to eternal happiness," he then clapped twice and stood up.

"So Jhurai really is being treated as a god, despite being human," I spoke as I, too, stood up.

"Something wrong with our beliefs? You mages don't even have gods. Why not worship the first Astral Mages you spoke about last night?" he said as he turned back to head back down.

"Hmmpph! Us mages treat the Great Astral Mages with respect but not as gods," I too, turned my back from the graves and started heading down. "To us, having someone to lean on in times of trouble like gods would only either make us less independent, or curse them if we felt like our prayers weren't answered."

"Hee?! You really have your reasons, huh?" I felt like he was being sarcastic and gave him a very cold expression.

"O-oi, what's with you?"

"Nothing... So my staff really was left behind huh?"

"Like I told you, I was in a hurry! Didn't you find it?"

"No, maybe the soldiers took it with them."

"So, does that mean your powerless right now?"

"No. It just means my magic is very unstable to control."

"Unstable, how?"

I took a deep breathe and sighed, "it's too bothersome to tell you."

"Oi, you think I'm too dumb to understand? Is that it?" he was quite annoyed and gave me a stare.

I then got too irritated and began explaining what I know, "You know what a funnel is?" He nodded in agreement.

"Think of the staff as the funnel. Without it, transporting water from one bottle to another would be difficult, the water may be wasted. Thus, without my staff, casting spells would either cost me a huge amount of wasted energy with only a small output, or hurt myself with too much power as the spell might leak out of my body in a very disarrayed manner."

"Ahh... I see," he was nodding in agreement. "Makes sense indeed," and obviously he was just nodding.

"Anyway, I'm completely very unable to use magic, so I need to make another staff," was what I said which made him halt his steps before thinking to himself.

"Oi! I can help you make a staff! I created my own sword as you can see," he then showed me his perfectly imperfect wooden sword with a huge smile on his face. ""Of course, immediately after its made, we fight!"

"A mage staff isn't easily made by just simply forming it. If so, I could just pick up a stick and make it magic-effective," I spoke with truth. I remembered I destroyed my staff once due to an unstable skill usage. It took my mother about three days to make another.

"Is there a specific wood to use? I think I can manage as long as I know what wood type," we reached the bottom of the slope as he said this. I thought to myself and then pointed at a tree behind him.

"Ah, look! That type wood!! That would definitely become a staff!!"

"Really?" the fool looked behind him and went close to a tree. "This one? Are you sur-" when he looked back, what he saw was merely a distant figure of me running away.

"OI!!"

I ran as fast as I can away from him with a plan this time. I took out from under my robe a few blue starberries I just picked this morning. Blue starberry juice react to air and expand into a sticky substance which made the fruit inedible in the first place. As soon as he gets closer since he's so fast, I'll throw these at his feet immobilizing him. However, on the contrary to what I was expecting, he did not follow this time. I got tired from running and stopped to catch my breath. I sat down on the ground looking up at the clear blue sky past the canopy of trees when suddenly my stomach gave a growl of despair. "Now this is a bother," I complained without anything to complain to. I began to count how many times have I tried to run away from him where he would always catch up. As I was thinking to myself, a voice of a girl suddenly can be heard wailing.

"Aah! The pain! The despair! Oh! Woe is me! Woe is me!"

The voice was somehow not convincing but out of curiosity, I peeked from a bush. There was a girl, about my age or older, in a royal blue dress whirling around from place to place. She had long golden brown hair with a gorgeous looking mini hat on top. Her accessories were quite in number and size from her humongous earrings up to her glittering glass slipper. Her every movement gave off elegance and class as she danced with head held high and fingers on pinky up.

"Oh, how excruciating! How intensifying! Oh, oh!"

For some reason watching her was annoying and I decided to just leave her be until I accidentally stepped on a branch which made a sound. Startled, I looked back to where the girl was to see if she heard it. But what I saw instead was her face looking extremely close to mine.

"Kyah!" was the sound that came out of my mouth as I fell down in shock. She just looked at me with her emerald green eyes for a few seconds before...

"Oh, Oh! Oh oh oh oh Oh! Dear heavens have not really forsaken me! Could you be lost in this wilderness like I? Ah, the coincidence! The dictation of fate!" she was placing the back of her hand on her forehead, closed her eyes, and spin from time to time. "Little girl, it is truly a marvel to have met you!" She then held her dress on the sides, crossed her legs and bowed down as she stated her identity, "My name is Millavuenoghatthendillia Edelvoughahndi Mayoubhoughergoise. It's truly delightful to meet you."

I was left in awe as she stated her extremely long name, and her elegance like that of a doll was indeed astonishing. I marveled at the sight of this beauty in front of my very eyes (without a hint of jealousy).

"Are you not supposed to tell me yours little miss?" she then stood firm with her hands together as she waited for my response.

"F-friesha Mir-miraden," I answered her suddenly.

"Then miss Fifirisha, to what dazzlingly sad reason were you brought here like I, in this realm of danger and fear," her voice like that of a songbird asked me.

"Huh? Oh, I was running away from someone," I slipped my tongue and answered her.

"Oh, oh! My my! Oh, the tragedy! The horror it might have been! Oh, how pitiful you are on your current state! Oh, sadness!" she took a delicate lace handkerchief and silently blew her nose on it.

I don't know what kind of situation this might lead to so I decided to leave saying, "Indeed, truly tragic. So I'll just leave you be and not lead the chaser to you. Bye bye!"

"Dear me please don't leave! Oh, oh! How kind you are to think of others before you! Splendid! Marvelous!" she then suddenly grabbed my right hand and held tight before I could leave. "We helpless girls have no one else to lean on but ourselves now. Let your danger be my danger, and your fear be my fear. Indeed, let us rejoice of this joyful encounter! Oh my, how marvelous!"

For some reason I wanted to pummel her on the head and leave. Just then from the bushes, emerged my chaser. With leaves on his head, he came close saying, "Oi why'd you run away like that?"

The damsel then set her sights on Felgard for a few seconds before screaming like a hummingbird, "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" I covered my ears from the sound and saw Felgard did the same. Just as she finished, she shouted, "Sebastiaaaaaan!!!"

Immediately after a few seconds the sound of intense running and trees rumbling, as well as birds fluttering, can be heard coming close to us. Then, out from the trees leaped an old man in a clean tuxedo.

"Miss Millavuenoghatthendillia Edelvoughahndi Mayoubhoughergoise!! Are you alright?!!"