My head hurts terribly — again. I have to admit, I'm getting really tired of falling asleep against my will. This time, though, what I woke up on was much softer than the hard, rigid ground of the cemetery. No, this time it was much more comfortable and soft, like a blanket. For a brief moment, I thought I was back home, in my cozy bed… but when I opened my eyes, that wasn't the case.
I was inside some kind of large tipi. I remembered reading that there were still semi-humans who lived in tribes with very limited access to technology. I placed a hand on my forehead — someone had wrapped a bandage around it. I still wondered why Romuald thought I had killed his girlfriend.
I'm not a murderer. And then there was that whole dream with Doctor Ansia — the story about the Deadhorses returning to life and how I have to complete 100 trials. Why did she place such a huge responsibility on me?
Either way, my goal is to go home — back to Neko City, back to my parents. I only got mad at them, I didn't actually want to leave them forever. I just wanted to run off to the asylum to take refuge, not get kidnapped and forced into this nightmare.
So that's it — I finally feel motivated to get up. But just as I stand on my two feet, a man enters the tent. He's wearing tribal garments, and judging by the tattoos on his face and the wrinkles, I assume he's the chief.
"A Felkaï in our village, and a participant in the Deadhorse trials. I am Ursul, chief of the Borruunian tribe."
I straighten my uniform and smile at Ursul.
"Thank you for taking me in. Where am I, on the continent?"
"You are in the former Realm of Davidova."
Davidova… I'm quite far from Neko City. Geographically, I'm up north — in the tundra. This realm was once part of the Confederation, an alliance of semi-human kingdoms against the racists of the Republic. That's where my mother, Sarah, came from. She once told me her village had been invaded, and that most of its people were either killed or captured and enslaved.
Seeing me lost in thought, the village chief speaks again.
"I advise you to leave quickly… before—"
The man didn't get to finish his sentence. Someone entered the tent — a tall Borruun, but unlike the others, he wasn't wearing tribal clothing. He wore modern clothes, and his face was expressionless. I had a very bad feeling about him. About ten other Borruun men came in and formed a semicircle around me. I grit my teeth as they pointed their weapons at me.
"I was informed that this Felkaï is a murderer, and no semi-human other than Borruuns has any business being here."
Declared the imposing man. I wondered if he was also a participant in the trials.
"I apologize, Master Miodrag… A group brought her in, and I thought—"
I watched as Miodrag glared at the old village chief, who ended up bowing deeply in apology. Then he turned to me.
"Tie her up in the center of the village. We'll execute her tonight!"
The Borruuns with spears let out a war cry. There was no point in trying to run. Borruuns are huge, and at only 1.70 meters tall, I didn't stand a chance. All I could do now was complain and try to negotiate.
"I was going to leave! No need to keep me here!"
Miodrag grabbed me by the collar and slapped me across the face.
"You're a murderer too!"
"No!"
I shouted as he called me a murderer again.
"Lies! Tie her up! Now!"
One of the Borruuns came back into the tent with rope. He got behind me and began tying my wrists. I didn't resist — it would've been pointless anyway. I was taken outside to the village center, where there were several large tribal tents and Borruuns of all kinds. The man holding me shoved me against one of the poles, and a rope was wrapped around the lower part of my abdomen, then looped behind the pole. Several layers of rope pressed tightly against my stomach — even through my t-shirt, I could feel the rough texture against my skin. It was going to leave some nasty marks.
The day passed, and night slowly began to fall. I was forced to remain standing as punishment for my alleged crimes. A guard watched over me, making sure I didn't sit down. I spent the entire time reflecting on my life.
I was born as Roxanne Finspectio, in a small village in Holy Carmen — a country known for its religion that promotes tolerance between humans and semi-humans. Unfortunately, my village was attacked by monsters. These attacks are very rare and can happen without warning. But that's not the part I remember most — I was six years old and I remember hiding in my room until help arrived.
When a group of people entered my room, I thought they had come to save me. But no — I was kidnapped and locked in a lab inside a cave with other children.
Every day, someone was taken into a room, and more kids were brought in — but what I knew for sure was that no one ever came back alive. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, I was rescued by a trio — two of them would later become my parents, and the third was another Felkaï.
Sarah, a blonde Felkaï, immediately caught my attention — I admired her. The feats I witnessed were incredible. Eventually, when things calmed down, I moved with them to Neko City. I had found a new family, and I looked up to my parents. But I'll admit I wasn't the most well-behaved teenager. I committed minor crimes, and my mom always bailed me out — until a few days ago, when we had a big fight. Looking back, she was right — I was causing them a lot of trouble. But when I heard my mother — the person I admire most — say she never should've adopted me, it made me angry. And once again, I regret it.
Suddenly, I was snapped out of my thoughts by a sharp pain in my left cheek. I blinked several times. Miodrag was the source of the pain — he had slapped me. The whole village was gathered in front of me. Miodrag stood on a small platform with the Borruuns behind him, speaking loudly.
"In five days, I'll face my first trial, and I'm counting on all of you to help me! Borruuns are a strong and independent race! Glory to Taus Deadhorse 94! The Deadhorse of Trickery, of which I am the heir!"
The Borruuns behind him shouted,
"YEEEEEAH!"
The crowd erupted in a thunderous roar.
"However! We have here a Felkaï — a murderer and a potential heir to Deadhorse 94! An enemy. A rival! Do you believe she's the better heir?!"
A chorus of "No!" echoed from the crowd.
"That's why we will execute her tonight! And you will decide how we do it!"
Various Borruuns shouted out suggestions — decapitate her, cut her in half, hang her… My legs began to shake violently. Sorry, Dena… I'm not going to be able to complete your mission. I eventually closed my eyes, but then a female voice whispered in my ear.
"I'm going to try to get you out of here."
The voice spoke softly. I couldn't see her, so I assumed she was behind me. Slowly, I felt my bindings begin to loosen — but just then, Miodrag turned around.
"She's trying to escape!"
"Shit!"
I cursed, then rushed toward Miodrag and punched him square in the face, knocking him into the crowd. I turned around and finally saw my rescuer — a Zyvari? No, she wasn't a Zyvari. She had long pink hair ,wore a blue kimono and had 9 tails which was way different from a Zyvari.
"Let's run!"
I turned toward her and started running in her direction. We escaped through one of the village exits and ran for a long time, following a path that led us right back to where I first woke up — the cemetery. When I turned around, I saw Miodrag and his group of bear-like semi-humans chasing after us.
My stamina was running out, but then, stepping out from behind a tree… it was Romuald, back again with his silver sword. Had he waited here all this time, or had he just woken up?
Soon enough, Miodrag's group arrived from the other side. My rescuer and I were caught in the middle — sandwiched between Miodrag and Romuald.
"Stop right there!"
Miodrag shouted. I saw Romuald glance at Miodrag with hostility.
"She's mine! I'm going to kill her! For my gloooory!"
He yelled, sword raised high.
Miodrag readied his spear, and Romuald — overcome with rage — charged at Miodrag, ready to fight him. The Borruuns and even we were stunned. The hatred toward me was so strong, they were literally fighting over who would get to kill me.
My rescuer and I tried to flee again, but the Borruuns noticed.
"Stay where you are!"
One of them shouted as they began to surround us. My rescuer conjured a blue flame in her hand and hurled it at a group of Borruuns, forcing them to scatter and giving us an opening.
We took the opportunity and ran. As I looked back at the fight between Miodrag and Romuald, I saw Romuald slice Miodrag's head clean off. The Borruuns' attention instantly turned to him, preparing to attack.
My rescuer and I managed to escape
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Lore informations
Realm of Davidova : A country part of the north in the tundra, they were part of the Coalition against the republic, they are mostly populated by semi-humans
Neko City : Neko city is an old colony from the empire, they are home to most of the Felkaïs peoples, it's a tiny island made of a big city with the rest being fields and forest on the outskirt. It is the home of Roxy's family as well as the Saint Bathory Asylum
Holy Carmen : Holy Carmen is the Saint Country where peoples beliving in the Carmenism are. It is the birth place of Roxy .It is mostly populated by semi-humans. It is part of the middle of the main continent near the mountains separating them from the republic
Taus : The Deadhorse of Trickery, the one who try to trick everyone and sometimes even their own peoples. Their heir have the power of influencating peoples and make them believe lies
Miodrag : He is the one who took control of the Borrun's tribe, he claim to be one of the potential heir of the Deadhorse of Trickery. He accuses Roxy of murder and plan to execute her in front of the village to get Roxy out of the potential trickery heir.