NOVEL WEB Chapter 3: Complicated events
"It seems the dragons did a number on this place," Rory said, her fingers thoughtfully pressed to her chin as they walked through what used to be the elf settlement.
The scene before them was heartbreaking. Homes that had once been beautiful tree houses were now nothing but charred wooden skeletons. The elegant bridges connecting the trees had collapsed into ash-covered streams below. Smoke still rose from several buildings, creating a gray haze that made their eyes water.
Leon's heart sank as he looked around. 'So much for heading to the nearest settlement. What are we supposed to do now?' he thought, stepping over fallen branches and debris.
The settlement looked like a ghost town. Not a single elf was in sight. Even the birds had fled, leaving an eerie silence broken only by the crackling of dying fires and the distant sound of falling timber.
'At least there's a well to put out some of these fires,' Leon thought, spotting the stone structure in what used to be the village center. Most of the buildings around it had been reduced to rubble, but the well itself seemed intact.
As he approached the well, Leon noticed something that made his blood run cold. A pale hand was visible at the edge of the opening.
"Hey Rory, I think someone is in the well!" Leon called out, his voice tight with concern.
Rory hurried over, her black dress swishing as she moved. When she peered down into the well, her eyes widened. A young elf woman with golden blonde hair floated unconsciously in the water. Her skin was deathly pale, and her pointed ears were barely visible through her wet hair.
"She's been down there for a while," Rory observed, studying the unconscious elf. "Her lips are blue. She might not have much time left."
"Can you jump in and rescue her?" Rory asked, turning toward Leon with an expectant look.
Leon pointed at himself, confused. "Me? How do you expect me to get back out? That well has to be twenty feet deep!"
"But you could jump that high in the sky when fighting that dragon," Rory reminded him, covering her mouth with her palm in mock surprise. "Surely a little well shouldn't be a problem for someone with your... abilities."
Leon's teeth clenched. He had forgotten about his enhanced stats for a moment. Still, jumping into a well felt different from jumping at a dragon. What if his powers didn't work the same way?
"I could do it easily myself," Rory said with a casual shrug, "but I think it'd be better if you do it. Consider it practice."
Leon sighed in defeat. The elf woman was dying, and he was the only one who could save her. He braced himself at the edge of the well, took a deep breath, and jumped down.
The landing was surprisingly soft. Leon's enhanced endurance absorbed the impact completely. 'That didn't hurt at all,' he thought, amazed at how different his body felt now.
He carefully lifted the elf woman from the water. She was lighter than he expected, but her breathing was shallow and irregular. As he adjusted his grip, her eyes fluttered open weakly.
Through her blurred vision, she caught a glimpse of his face. 'White hair...' she thought weakly, noting the stranger's unusual appearance before her eyes closed again. Leon didn't notice her brief moment of consciousness - he was too focused on getting them both out of the well.
With the elf woman secure in his arms, Leon bent his knees and launched himself upward. He cleared the well's edge easily, landing gracefully on the stone rim.
"See? That didn't hurt, did it?" Rory questioned with a knowing smile.
Leon shot her an intense stare. "Next time, you can be the one to test my abilities."
"We should get her somewhere safe," Leon said, looking down at the unconscious elf. "She needs warmth and medical attention."
"The next settlement should work," Rory said, adjusting the massive halberd strapped to her back. "I don't think the dragon reached that area."
Leon's eye twitched. "Are you sure that settlement wasn't burned too? Because I'm not ready to carry this woman on my back for miles just to find another ghost town."
Rory fell silent for a moment, her finger tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Probably not, because I had been chasing that dragon for a while now. It was heading in the opposite direction, so I don't think it should have reached there."
When Leon heard this explanation, he wanted to shout in frustration. "That's not exactly a solid guarantee," he said as politely as he could through gritted teeth.
"Is that so..." Rory said innocently, then shrugged as if his concerns were trivial. "Well, we'll find out when we get there, won't we?"
She began walking toward the forest path, leaving Leon no choice but to follow with the elf woman in his arms.
---
**Meanwhile, in another part of the realm...**
The thunder of hoofbeats echoed through the countryside as a group of armored riders pushed their horses to the limit. They moved with the urgency of people racing against time itself.
"Princess Pina, do you think the goddess of death will still be in this area?" asked a blonde-haired woman with bright red lipstick. Her horse struggled to keep up with the others, partly due to her heavier armor and partly due to her obvious discomfort with long-distance riding.
"I don't know, Beozes," replied the red-headed woman leading the group. Princess Pina Co Lada sat tall in her saddle, her royal armor gleaming despite the dust of their journey. "The information we received says she went after the dragon an hour ago, and she's known for wandering quickly from place to place."
"But this is our only opportunity," Pina continued, her voice carrying the weight of desperation. "We have to find a way to fight against those green military people. And don't forget - we still have to deal with the threat from the other empire."
Beozes nodded grimly. The situation was more complex than most people realized. They weren't just dealing with dragons. Three different factions were converging on their land: the mysterious forces from another world, the rival empire that had been their enemy for generations, and now these otherworldly creatures that seemed to appear from nowhere.
"We have to get the goddess on our side," Pina said with determination etched across her face. "No matter the cost, we can't afford to suffer heavy losses in the upcoming battles."
Her father, the Emperor, had summoned her just days ago with a simple but terrifying command: find a solution to their impossible situation, or watch their kingdom fall.
Princess Pina had studied every military strategy, consulted with every general, and reviewed every possible alliance. In the end, there was only one answer that made sense: they needed someone with power beyond normal human capabilities.
"Your Highness," called out another rider, a young knight with a scar across his cheek. "What if the goddess refuses to help us? What if she's already chosen a side?"
Pina's jaw tightened. "Then we'll have to convince her. Our people are counting on us, Marcus. Failure isn't an option."
The group rode harder, their horses' hooves kicking up clouds of dust as they raced toward an uncertain future. Behind them, smoke rose from distant villages, a constant reminder of what they stood to lose.
In her heart, Princess Pina knew this was their last hope. If they couldn't secure the goddess's aid, their kingdom would fall to forces beyond their ability to fight.
The sun was setting, painting the sky the color of blood. Time was running out for everyone.