Murim Recurve

Chapter 8 - The Settlement

"Hahh…hahhh…" Re'Kha staggered with every step she took, lacking the energy to move. Her body was laden with injuries, and adding onto the recent injuries sustained during their escape, she felt weak.

Moreover, she couldn't see anything, the sounds of rain hindered her auditory senses, preventing her from grasping any detail of value around her. So, she had to tread with caution, only taking short steps less than half a pace.

The hands holding the tree branch shivered as the rain splattered atop it upon contact, with each tiny slam of water droplets adding onto her numbness. She already could no longer feel her hands, only moving forward in blind.

She neither knew the length she had to traverse nor if she was still proceeding in the right direction. All she could do was hope she was still on the same path the three-headed beast had pointed towards.

"I have to avenge master; I cannot die until I achieve that. I should survive. Mother too won't be able to bear my absence." Re'Kha muttered words that firmed her will to live, taking one step after another. She felt the strength in her sapping away, the freezing cold hacking away at her life.

Re'Kha didn't know for how long she persisted in such a manner, even continuing to walk despite coming across many water channels. She slowly entered each, feeling the water level sometimes even reach her neck, continuing to walk with unwavering determination.

For she knew, the moment she stopped would she freeze to death in the cold. The only way to survive was to walk and hopefully come across a means of salvation. That was all she thought, even when she was once submerged underwater for a couple of breaths.

Having persisted in the same setting for quite a while, she no longer felt any fear. Since it was guaranteed that she would face death as a consequence of inaction, she charged forth with undying will, even in situations where it seemed like she would die.

Thankfully, she didn't come across any water channels where she had to be underwater for more than three breaths, thanking the heavens whenever it came to pass. Soon, she could smell a couple of scents in the air, even through the rain.

The moment she did, Re'Kha lit up in joy, "This smell means a settlement is near."

She didn't hurry even through her excitement, for she knew an accident could come in any manner. She treaded at the same pace as before, feeling a sense of warmth pervade the air. Soon, when she lifted her leg and brought it forward, trying to probe before taking the step forward, her foot hit a wall.

"Help!" Re'Kha shouted at the top of her lungs, mustering all the strength she could amass. She felt the texture of the wall through her hands, noticing the familiarity of the style used. It meant the settlement was a place she was accustomed to, or a place that she could use to return home. Only after she confirmed this fact did she shout for help.

"I am Burkurel Re'Kha, daughter of Burkurel Re Clan's West Lake Head." Re'Kha probed the walls through its indentations, trying to find the entrance to the settlement. The walls seemed to scale beyond where her hands could reach, so her only option was to search for the entrance.

"I hear some shouts for help. I'll check it out."

"Wait, it could be a Sha for all we know. Don't respond. Let me summon a Harmoniser to lead us."

Faint voices resounded from the other side as Re'Kha continued to call for help, occasionally stating her identity. Soon, she heard rumbling sounds as faint vibrations coursed through the wall, after which the sounds of marching resounded, drawing close within three breaths of time.

"Halt, state your identity!" A booming feminine voice resounded as the source of the voice stopped a fair distance away from Re'Kha. Though, the moment she gazed at Re'Kha, she realised her identity, despite her messed up condition, "…Re'Kha?"

"Yes," Re'Kha nodded, frowning a bit as she seemed unable to recognise the identity of the voice. Still, a sense of relief washed over her, at the fact that she had made it safe to a settlement. The moment this thought resounded in her mind did she lose all strength in her legs, plopping to the ground as she fell unconscious.

Footsteps resounded around her in a flurry as the people quickly carried her into the settlement, closing the gates upon their entry.

…

It was a rocky hill, from the top of which a sea of forest was visible. A pleasant wind blew while the chirping of the birds followed through. It was a picturesque scene, until the leaves of the trees began to fall one by one.

Trees were uprooted through unnatural means, crashing on the ground, killing every living being nested in its foliage. Birds chirped in panic and took off to the skies, wailing helplessly when their flapping wings failed to lift them off.

The rocky hill began to lose its lustre from the bottom, the scene extending to the peak slowly. Seated on the peak, and watching everything was a person. She noticed her hands turn pale, the colour of white being dominant while red, violet, and black smudged within. Her skin peeled off while her vision turned a shade darker, constricted by the hair that continued to fall bit by bit.

The colour of the world was soon dyed yellow, with streaks of white and black that zoomed past, increasing in intensity as time passed, soon overturning everything.

"Aah!" Re'Kha screamed, getting up in confusion as she noticed everything around her was dark. It took some time for her to realise that she was now blind. Only then did she notice her body was no longer numb, the coldness replaced by some warmth.

She felt the softness of a fabric over her that contained her warmth. She clenched her right hand, feeling some strength in it, followed by her left when she noticed something amiss, shouting in a fluster, "The bag!"

She tried to get up but stumbled, her body still frail, lacking the strength to move. She then calmed herself, realising that even if she could move, she couldn't see, so it wasn't possible for her to locate the bag.

She then sniffed with her nose, smelling faint traces of blood in the room. Just when she planned to follow it, the sounds of footsteps resounded.