NOVEL SIMPLE 3: Obligation
Painsley picked up the open guidebook. It had been laying facedown on the ground behind a large boulder. No Jonn is sight. He had been missing for a good few hours now and the others were starting to worry. Saikhi was the first to notice something wasn't right when her master didn't return for dinner, he never missed dinner. When Talitha got wind of the situation she devised a search plan to scour the immediate area. Along with Alistar and his knights, everyone was assigned a sector to search, they were then to report back in a few hours. Painsley rejected Alistar's proposed escort and instead searched her sector alone. Well, not completely alone, she still had her beast, Jonn the Second, with her. Painsley flipped over the book and a familiar little blue fairy appeared standing on its pages.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the flat-chested Painsley." Lily said mockingly. Painsley began to close the guidebook. "Wait! You're looking for Jonn right? I know what happened to him."
"Make it quick, before I get bored and throw you in a lake or something." Painsley wasn't bluffing, she had thrown away a guidebook before.
"Oh somebody woke up on the wrong side of the beast-cock this morning. Jonn was taken by the Tracker." Lily stated.
"The who?" Painsley asked, fighting ever urge to close the book right then and there.
"No not The Who, great band, a little known fact, they are terrible playing games, especially pinball." Lily continued, "The Tracker is one of the Empire's most dangerous sorcerer hunters, a faen like you."
"Well damn." Painsley sighed. "So he is gone then? RIP I guess."
"Wow, that was quick. You are really going to just abandon him?" Lily said shocked.
"I mean, what's the chances he is still alive? Murderous Empire dudes usually don't let sorcerers stay alive in this world."
"Well I know for a fact he is still alive. I keep track of that kind of thing. You can use the compass on the back page of this book to navigate to him. Which you would know if you bothered to read the damned manual I provided you." Lily rolled her eyes.
"Hey Lily." Painsley interrupted her.
"Yeah?"
"See you later." Painsley closed the book with a thunk.
"Fuuuuuuck." Painsley groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well boy, looks like we are going to have to go find your name's sake." She looked over to Jonn the Second and gave him a pat. "I mean, he did save me from being a goblin sex slave, I best return the favour." Painsley noticed the Jonn the Second subtly nod, probably a coincidence. With a swift jump, Painsley jumped on top of Jonn the Second. "Let's get back to the others."
Painsley rode back towards camp. Loud voices, the sounds of clashing metal. Something wasn't right. She nudged Jonn the Second into a gallop. Dust and fire surrounded the camp, Alistar's knights clashed with Imperial soldiers several men on each side had been felled. Alistar's forces were greatly outnumbered, there must have been five soldiers for every one of Alistar's knights. Not to mention the Imperial brutes that were causing havoc. At the head of the Imperial forces was a sliver-haired woman dressed in a red and black robe, wielding a flaming spear. Next to her stood a large man in full black plate armour a two handed maul that matched his size in hand.
"God damn it! We just can't catch a break, can we?" Painsley charged forward with her beast and crashed into a line of Imperial soldiers.
"Thank you for the assistance, Lady Painsley." Alistar shouted as he engaged one of the brutes.
"I am no lady, but you're welcome." Painsley said as Jonn the Second headbutted another soldier, sending him flying. Painsley looked for the others, Saikhi was in the back of the formation being protected by Alistar's second in command Hoarn. Meanwhile, Talitha was deftly flipping and sliding through the ranks of the Imperials.
"This doesn't look like it is going our way." Alistar admitted as he thrust his sword into a brute's belly. "We should retreat."
"No complaints here." Painsley said as she noticed the menacing Inquisitor approaching her. Without warning, Jonn the Second reared his body up. A beam of fire originating from the Inquisitor's spear struck Jonn the Second's underbelly. Had the beast not moved so quickly, Painsley would have taken those flames straight to her face. Jonn the Second let out a loud roar and slammed his body down. The resulting quake caused all those around him to lose balance. "Get out of here Alistar. We will hold off these bastards."
"Retreat! We will live to stand another day lads!" Alistar shouted as he gave the signal to retreat. "Regroup at the northern safehouse!"
Jonn the Second limped forward, protecting his allies retreat. Rage welled up in the beast's eyes. He bucked Painsley off of him, she landed on her back. Jonn the Second back over to her and stomped it's foot, she knew what the beast wanted. 'Get out of here.' Even though no words were spoken, she could almost hear them being said. Painsley nodded and held back a tear as she scrambled to her feet. With renewed vigour Jonn the Second charged the Inquisitor as she unleashed another beam of fire which struck Jonn the Second in his shoulder. The beast did not stop, it pushed through the pain with a singular goal. But as he was about to collide with the Inquisitor, the warrior in black plate placed himself between the two. With a loud crunch the warrior caught Jonn the Second's side with the head of his maul.
Painsley couldn't look back, she knew this was her only chance to escape. She wasn't going to let Jonn the Second's sacrifice be in vain. She muttered a quiet vow of vengeance as she disappeared into the rocky terrain. It was nightfall before she stopped running. She hoped the others made it out ok.