Chapter 11: This Is All Backward

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The man fell backward as my knife lodged in his throat. 'I have a staff, a few scrolls, five knives and a sword.... scratch the sword the damn bandit has it!' I watched with wide eyes as Kallen, Aaron, and Nerr fought valiantly. I tried to scream a warning as Kallen got stabbed through the stomach with a sword. My sword.

I struggled against my captor, but he held me by my neck and wrists, cutting off my air. I was gasping for air, and barely managing to get any. I was going limp, unable to fight back as hard as I could before. I threw the rest of my knives, killing four. 'Only two left.'

I grunted as the man's grip on my throat tightened. "No more movement." He purred into my ear. My skin crawled. 'Aisu! Help me!' I saw Aisu turn to me, as tall as the man that held me. He growled and bared his teeth. Kallen lay on the floor, clutching her stomach. I wanted to help.

"Hey! You! Let her go!" Aaron shouted, his sword glittering. Nerr had one of the bandits in a headlock, a knife just above his heart. I could feel anger overwhelming me, making the temperature drop dangerously low. The bandit chuckled.

"I don't think so..." The man pulled the hem of my shirt up. "I could get good money for this one." I let out a cry of outrage, and pulled my shirt down. Laughing harshly, the man tugged me closer to him, his arm around my waist now, too. My fear was beginning to blind me.

I snarled, my instincts turning animalistic. I writhed, trying to bite and claw the bandit. The man pulled a knife and stuck it deep into my calf as I pulled away from him. I let out a howl of pain, and turned toward him. Any thoughts of mine were sinking further and further into my subconscious.

I whipped around, and I felt... different. My senses were sharper, I felt more agile. I snarled, baring my teeth. The man's eyes widened before he launched himself at me. I bit him, over and over, until his blood filled my mouth. I shivered at the taste of his blood. It was bitter. I gasped, and proceeded to vomit blood.

Not just the bandit's blood. Mine as well. The bandit smirked. "What did you do?!" I looked at my torn shirt, and gasped at the hole in my stomach. The bandit grabbed my throat and held me against his chest.

"Let my friend go and I won't kill the girl. " My captor hissed. I gulped. Aaron and Nerr exchanged a look, and glared at the captor with pure hatred before releasing the bandit. As soon as my captor's friend was within two feet, I was thrown to him.

"Let her go!" Aaron shouted. The bandit smirked, before throwing me on the ground, straddling my hips, and grabbing a hold of my neck. I shivered at the unpleasant contact. " I said I wouldn't kill her. My friend here might." My former captor said with a grin. "We can get good money from that one. " I struggled against the bandit. Aisu snarled and stepped toward me. I choked as the bandit's hands tightened sound my throat

I couldn't breathe. My vision began to darken and my need of air began to wane. I could hear voices, but I couldn't make them out. I struggled one last time, in the hopes of getting free. I was using the last of my strength. "Stop moving. " The bandit's grip tightened and I instantly relaxed. Air wasn't important to me anymore.

I closed my eyes, my heartbeat slowing. 'Is this the end?' I thought. Everything melted away.

Suddenly, air flooded my lungs. I gasped, greedily for air. I croaked, trying to speak. "Don't talk. Your vocal cords are damaged. You can't talk for a day or two, even with my healing." Nerr's concerned face flooded my vision, swimming in and out of focus. I croaked again.

"Kallen." Nerr smiled wanly.

"She's all healed. She's just resting right now. "

"Aaron?"

"We'll go after him in the morning. Aisu's here. I need to heal your leg or stomach. Choose one. " Nerr stated. I pointed to my stomach. Nerr placed her hand over my stomach and murmured to herself. After a moment, it glowed blue. "I'm sorry." Nerr said. "I can't heal the whole thing, but I got most of it." I smiled to show her it was okay.

I pushed myself up, ignoring my injuries. As a Sacrifice, I'd gotten much worse. Nerr bandaged my calf and my stomach. I smiled my thanks. I crawled over to Kallen, only to be stopped by Aisu. 'I'm sorry I didn't protect you. ' He murmured.

'It's okay. ' I replied. Aisu laid down in front of me. 'Sleep. ' He ordered. I sighed and climbed into my bedroll, casting a worried glance on a sleeping Kallen. I laid down, a content sigh escaping my parched lips. I snuggled into the bedroll as Aisu curled up around me, protecting me from the outside world with his body.

I slept for approximately twenty minutes, only to have my eyes fly open. Moving faster than I should've been able to move, I slammed the hilt of my throwing knife into Nerr's skull. A shaken Kallen stared up at me. "Thank you. " She murmured. I nodded I response.

"What was that about?" I asked. Kallen sighed.

"Every month, for a few days, Nerr's memories get mixed up. She goes berserk and tries to kill everyone she can." I nodded, tying Nerr up with a length of rope. "The reason this happens is because Nerr's brain is making room for new information that she can copy. So for another day or so, we need to hold her captive. " I sighed. My stomach and leg ached viciously.

"I see. " I murmured. Kallen groaned, clutching her gut. "Let me take a look at that." Kallen sent me a strange look before un-bandaging her stomach. My eyes grew wide. "How is this already infected?" I murmured. Kallen fell back.

"We can't go anywhere until your infection dies down, and I need Nerr to help me with that. " I said with a sigh. Kallen nodded, deep in thought. I grunted; the pain coming from my stomach was nearing unbearable. "We should get some sleep. " I said, groaning. "We'll need our strength tomorrow. " Aisu clambered over to me and nudged me onto his back.

He slid me down so that I lay on my bedroll, and curled around me, his eyes wachful. 'I'll take watch. Sleep Milady. ' He thought softly. I snuggled into his warm flank.

'Thank you. ' With that, I fell into a troubled sleep.

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October here. Sorry it's do short, I wrote I on my iPod and so I have no clue how long this is. I apologize for any typos I made in the last three chapters. Enjoy!

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