Moon Glaive

Chapter 4: Indu

"Ah..." Indu's mouth hung open. What a pretty name it was. Simple, straight to the point. Brutish, like the way he killed the troll. She liked the name a lot.

"My name is Indu." Without a dress, she couldn't perform a curtsy, but she did manage to give a slight bow.

"Indu."

"Indu."

"Indu."

"Indu."

Axer repeated the name with a smile. His eyes shone brightly as if enjoying the pleasant sensation of her name rolling off his tongue.

"Indu, like the moon? What an accurate name. Your beauty does rival the moon."

*Thump*

What was that? Why was he saying that? She liked it, no, she loved it, but she knew it was false. Deep down, she knew. But then why was her heart reacting like this? It rapidly beat against her chest like a war drum, yet her mind told her it was a lie. It had to be a lie. No, it was a lie. He was complimenting her. Yeah, he was only complimenting her. There was no need to get worked up over something so simple.

Indu took a deep breath, letting the mysterious creeping upon her face recede. Axer gave her a confused look. He must have seen the myriad emotions flash across her face and was laughing at her internally. The only use for something ugly like her was to be laughed at and scorned.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir."

"What's with that stiff way of replying?" Axer raised his eyebrow. Indu looked away, realizing her regal attitude, which she used when interacting as the daughter of the town chief, came out. Her negative thoughts must have triggered her to use it subconsciously.

"Sorry. Thanks for your words, anyway." Indu meekly looked down.

*Groooowl*

The blush Indu worked hard to erase rushed back. She held her stomach in embarrassment. The last thing she had eaten was jerky; after all the excitement, her body begged for energy.

Axer covered his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh, but it was painfully obvious for Indu. He turned away and rummaged through a sack on the floor.

"Eat this." He pulled out an ungodly long piece of jerky, longer than her arm. It was round and girthy like a log, its width as long as her thumb, yet he split it in half like a twig. She knew it was jerky because of its rough texture, but the more she stared at it, the more she was unsure.

"I know it looks weird, but this has everything you need to survive in the wild." He handed her a piece while chewing the other half.

"Thank you." Indu gracefully accepted the food and leaned against the rough cave wall, ensuring the blanket didn't fall off. The outside chill that mingled with the campfire's heat cozied up the room. Although the shadows dancing along the wall from the flame's light seemed eerie, they were a pleasant distraction for Indu. For minutes, the two sat there without saying a word, enjoying nature's serenity.

"What business does a young lady have at this ungodly hour?" Axer broke the silence with his abrupt but justified question. Yet, Indu still felt uncomfortable.

What would he think when he heard his answer? An idiot? A gullible country bumpkin? He would surely ask her what she could have done if the monster were real, and she would have no response. He would be beyond flabbergasted and regard Indu as a being of lesser intelligence if she told him it was to satisfy her curiosity – who the hell risked their lives to satiate their curiosity?

"What do I say?" Indu panicked as she tried coming up with a somewhat plausible response. She could tell him that her father was critically ill and he needed medicines only found deep within the mountain, but who would believe that? Not only that, but Indu hated those lies – ones that placed loved ones as objects of misery. She believed using those lies would build up karma until the lie became truth. After losing her mother, she never wanted to lose another family member.