"You haven't told me your name," Meowla asked indirectly, after taking off the clothes that had been covering her face.
Eldi met two feline yellow eyes and black pupils. Her expression had softened after helping the prisoners return to their homes, to recover their lives as much as possible. Some of them had suffered as much as she had, or even more, since they had been under the bandits' thumb for longer.
She could never forget the welcome from their families, the hugs and the tears between them, both for coming back and for having left behind the hell they had survived to, as well as the thankful hugs to her and Eldi. All of this had melted the cat-woman's frozen heart a little, while reinforcing the conviction in her new path. Although now there was a little less hate and revenge, and a little more of wanting to help, of avoiding harm and pain from innocent victims.
It should be said that she had also been covered up throughout the trip, her identity being one of the two people who had killed the bandits. She didn't want to feel the compassion or pity from the other prisoners, so she had reached that deal with Eldi in order to avoid being recognized.
Now, it was their farewell and, although he knew it was a risk, he decided that he should be honest with her. He took off his ski mask and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, their color had changed from green to their original golden color.
"My name is Eldi Hnefa."
Meowla's expression of surprise was comical, since she would never have expected it. She knew that name perfectly, it was in the tales that she had been told as a child. The name of a visitor who had changed the kingdom of Engenak, that of a different hero.
She smiled and cried for the first time since she had been released, holding his hands, as if she wanted to ensure he was real.
"Thank you for trusting me. I assure you, I won't tell anyone. Be careful, in Goltrenak visitors aren't welcome. I hope we see each other again."
And, after those words, she turned to the small town from which they had left to say goodbye, wiping away the tears that kept flowing. For a few hours, she forgot about revenge, not occupying her heart neither her goal nor her recent past, but the memory of the encounter with the hero of her childhood.
Eldi also turned around, still worried but hopeful. That unexpected smile showed that there was still a heart that longed to live, even if she didn't dare. He would have wanted to do more, but she wouldn't have allowed it. At least, there was hope for her. If that day came, if she managed to find a way to live beyond revenge, perhaps it would be time to worry about her name, which was somewhat...
For several days, Meowla was undertaking simple missions, mostly to pretend and have an excuse to explore certain areas without raising suspicion. She had enough money, her share of what they had recovered from the bandits, and the reward for them. The rest, they had distributed among the prisoners.
She had rejected several invitations to join groups of adventurers, because she didn't want to lose sight of her goal, several small groups of bandits. They weren't of a very high level, but they knew how to hide. And although she couldn't face them alone, she had some plans to at least weaken them.
In fact, she had already ambushed and killed two of them separately, when they came out of a brothel, already drunks. Being each from a different group, she had left false leads to let them believe that the other group was to blame. She wasn't sure if it would work, but, at least, there were two of them who couldn't hurt anymore.
She was having breakfast in a canteen next to the guild, as she usually did. There, it was easy to listen to conversations, sometimes get interesting information. However, today, all her attention was focused on a group of four who had been in her sights for some time.
"We can't do it," the one with a bow on his back refused.
"Why not? They killed our families and friends, they just deserve to suffer what they did to them," protested the young woman who was carrying a staff.
"But Disyna, if we attack, they'll know that we are going for them. We can't take a chance. We have to know where they hide," the first argued.
"We've been looking for six months! At least, let's end those!" insisted the mage.
"Even if we wanted to, and although their level isn't very high, they're more than us, and we don't even have someone who can tank. It's too dangerous, especially for mages."
Disyna bit her lip hard, frustrated, looking angry at her brother for not supporting her. He was their healer, and he wished as fervently as his sister to slay those bandits, and all the bandits in the world, but he also understood that they weren't in a position to do so. Therefore, he hadn't said a single word.
"I agree that it's frustrating, but we aren't ready," added a half-elf woman who was carrying a huge sword at her back.
"And when will we be, Raila?" The mage complained
"Maybe I can help you," an unknown voice suddenly interrupted.
Everyone looked surprised at the newcomer. They thought they were speaking quietly enough, but they didn't expect that someone would have been spying on them premeditatedly. She was a cat-woman that was somewhat familiar to them, because lately they had walked past her many times. They would soon discover that it was no accident.
"Who are you?" asked the healer, finally opening his mouth.
"My name is Meowla. I wanna kill all the bandits, it's personal. I have information about some of them, and although in the last few days I've been able to kill two of those human wastes, I could use some help. I've been watching you, and I think we share goals."
They looked at her suspiciously. It is true that, if she were an enemy, one of those bandits, it would have been easier for her to ambush them. But it wasn't easy for them to trust anyone. And less someone who had been stalking them.
"How do we know you're telling us the truth?" Raila asked.
"Tonight you can check it. There is a meeting between two gangs to try to smooth over their differences. The situation is tense, the two believe that the others are to blame for my... pranks... It would be a shame if the representatives of one of the parties fell into an ambush, and a war between them would erupt...," she explained wryly and with a wild expression.
The other four looked at her between doubtful and interested. And when she took out a map of the city, with some marked points, everyone listened very carefully to her explanations.
No one could know then that this would be the first step for a group that would call itself "Born of Wrath." Its name would instill fear in the hearts of bandits and other criminals.