Tangled By Fate

Veronica was running with all her might but little Rulas was slowing her down.

At that moment, something sharp struck her back, piercing her skin, flesh.

"!!!"

Veronica stumbled and for a moment, she became blind due to excessive pain.

She stopped for a second, hugged Rulas securely, and then resumed running.

From behind, she heard someone scold the archer who shot Veronica.

"What the heck are you doing? You can't kill her!"

"She won't die from this. We just need to catch her alive right? It doesn't matter if she is injured or loses one of two legs."

"Don't forget about our master's wish."

She didn't know how long she ran but soon, she spotted the cliff.

Even though it was dark, when she saw nothing in front of her after a few more trees, she knew she was near the cliff.

Her eyes lit up with hope. She increased her pace.

Just then, another arrow hit her body. It was on his right ankle.

This time, she fell down and rolled on the ground. Due to rolling, the arrows on her back broke and pierced her even more.

"Cough!"

Feeling a ripple inside her stomach, it tried to pour out of her body, she opened her mouth and puked blood.

Her body became numb and she let go of Rulas.

"Ver?" Rulas couldn't understand why she suddenly fell down and confusedly stared at her.

"You… go first and… hide." Veronica could barely talk.

Rulas didn't notice the blood in her mouth. It was too dark.

He pulled Veronica's fragile wrist and said stubbornly, "I'm… not going anywhere… without you."

Veronica sighed. She really didn't have strength. She could feel the cool breeze on her cheek. She felt something wet.

'Water is nearby. Is that a river? But we are in a high place,' she wondered.

She learned to use her nose and ears when she couldn't see in the dark. It was a lesson from Arthur.

Looking forward, she realized they were so close to the cliff. She heard some shouts behind her.

'They are close. I can't wait any longer.'

Gritting her teeth, Veronica endured her pain and stood up. Her body swayed but the little Rulas grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

His fingers were soft. Veronica's heart melted.

'Even if I cannot save myself, I have to save Rulas,' she thought.

She bent down and took him in her arms and then without another thought, she jumped out of the cliff.

At that moment, the kidnappers came to the edge of the cliff and looked down. They couldn't catch her for a millisecond. They cursed under their breaths.

Veronica was falling and saw the kidnappers looking at her angrily.

Arthur's image flashed in her eyes. She tried her best to forget him in the past two months, but she couldn't.

Her heart ached. She yearned for him, but she still didn't have the courage to face him.

Closing her eyes, she tightly held Rulas. She wanted to secure him and use her body to shield him.

'Maybe I won't live any longer. But, I don't want to die yet. What to do?'

While she felt regretful, she passed out.

---------

A pair of blue eyes were quietly staring at the small camp. The eyes roamed around the people around the camp.

Not long after, the person jumped to other trees and went away only to kneel in front of another person.

"I have a report. There are around a dozen kidnappers and they are heavily armed. They are guarding the area. They are too cautious. The elves are exhausted and taking rest."

A pair of golden eyes flickered as fire reflected on them.

"We will attack when most of the kidnappers fall asleep," the person with golden eyes commanded.

"As you wish." The blue-eyed person bowed.

Just as they planned, they attacked when the kidnappers mostly fell asleep. They secretly went to the tents and killed the sleeping kidnappers first before taking others hostage.

Pointing a sword at the remaining kidnappers, the purple-eyed man coldly asked, "Where is the girl with silver hair and green eyes?"

"Wh-what?"

The kidnappers were dumbfounded.

"Answer or else," with the warning, the purple-eyed man's sharp blade touched one of the kidnappers' throats.

The kidnapper panicked. "P-please, don't kill us. Most of the she-elves have silver hair and green eyes. How do I know which one you are talking about?"

"She is a human woman, not a she-elf," the aloof man corrected them.

The kidnappers gulped. They only kidnapped elves as they were ordered. They never abducted humans because that's not what their master wanted.

They confessed, "We don't know what you are talking about. We only take elves, no humans."

The purple-eyed man showed no mercy. "Then, die." He lifted the sword, ready to slaughter.

Just then, a woman with a seductive body, fiery red hair, and blue eyes entered the tent.

She said, "Wait, the elves have some information. They said two nights ago someone tried to escape and the kidnappers shot her to death."

She paused and added, "Apparently since the woman was kidnapped, she kept saying that she wasn't an elf but the kidnappers seemed to ignore her and gave her the toughest task as a punishment."

Only then, one of the kidnappers said, "Yes, yes, there was a she-elf like that. She did look weird and ugly and her one foot was rotten but other elves helped her to get better."

The aloof guy's purple eye flickered. He asked, "What's the woman's name?"

The kidnappers tried to remember. "She said something like Ver…?"

Slash!

The guy didn't wait any longer and slashed the kidnappers' throats with a single stroke.

The red-haired woman behind him took a step back.

"I don't believe Veronica died," she declared. However, her voice quivered in the end.

"Ask the elves, Zinnia. We can't say she is dead unless we find her body," the man coldly said.

Zinnia nodded, "Let's do that. Ironin, go to the cliff and check if you find anything. I'll ask the elves."

Before leaving, Ironin warned her, "Don't let Arthur know before we confirm what happened to her."