Shut up and listen

"I told you that I gave up on the life years ago. Too many to care anymore but... I can't let you go through all of that honesty and leave you there alone" She took a deep sigh before finding the words to continue. Though it felt **** at first, Yura slowly fell into into a comfortable speech.

"It was my partner and I. We spent years training together and eventually set out from home together. My brother and I. For four years we traveled and fought together. We learned everything we could about the villages in the areas we found ourselves in. No matter where we went though... we always had each other's back."

"He... he was the calm one. Always having to calm me down before a big fight. We found this group of humans who were robbing people on the road. They'd killed this merchant and his wife hired us to find them. No more, no less. But when we finally found their camp I... I couldn't help myself. I saw their handiwork. I saw how they treated peopoe and how they acted even among each other. So damn violent. These weren't people trying to make a living. These were murderers in it for the love of causing pain."

"So... I gave them their due. Used my bow to pick the stragglers before aiming my bow at the leader finally. Big bitch of a woman. Easily a head taller than even you. She swung this big ass sword and was said to kill four men in a single swing."

"I don't know if she saw me, or saw her people dying off, or just fucking sensed it somehow, but she caught my damned arrow. Just snatched it out of the air like a bug bothering her. That set off the longest fight he or I had ever gotten into. Two hours of running and fighting. They chased us forever. I picked them off from a distance whenever I could. But he... he got close and personal."

"His sword... Hamshiel, he called it. Such a corny idiot. It wasn't big enough to handle two or three opponents at once. He managed most the time, but it wasn't big enough to really keep them at bay. He..." She choked up for a moment. Having to swallow her pain, her discomfort

"He got took out six of them before it became too much. He was too tired. When the boss showed up with that big ass sword. She came at him like a damned animal. Charging him with that savagery. She missed the first two tries. He managed to get some hits in himself. Big cuts at her legs, but she just wouldn't go down."

"Then... th... then she got him. Didn't kill him immediately. She swing her arm and knocked him back. Threw him into his ass like he was nothing. He lost his sword in the hit and... I tried to protect him. I was still firing on the remaining shitheads. Taking them down one by one until it was just the two of them."

"I watched as she approached. I was running. Fast as I could. I was out of arrows. Out of anything to help. I ran so fucking hard and... it... it... She looked at me and fucking smiled. The fat bitch smiled at me as she cut him down. Stabbed him with that big ass sword. Right through the gut."

"I broke into a full on sprint. Didn't care about my own injuries or the lack of weaponry. I needed to help my brother. He..." I could feel damp pain seeping into my chest. The strong woman didn't try to hide her pain as she spoke or as she cried into me.

"She tried to go after me too. Finish the job. But... he wasn't done. Fucking idiot pulled himself up her sword and grabbed into the cross guard. Fucking impaling himself more so she couldn't use it anymore."

"It caught her off guard long enough for me to jump on her back. I took one of her loser's daggers and... I stabbed. Stabbed her fat fucking neck until her head fell off. She slammed me against a tree so hard it broke two ribs and damaged my spine. But I didn't care. Not until she was fucking dead."

Yura stopped talking for a short while. Composing herself before speaking futher. "The dumb asshole was still stuck on her sword when I found him again. He'd managed to wrap his arm over the handle and was damn near standing with it stuck into the dirt through him. The... I tried to help but he just told me to stop. Asked if I'd gotten her. Asked me what's for dinner? Fucking dinner! He died on that sword. Asking me if I wanted duck or fish. Can you believe that shit? My brother, my Jora's final words were on if we had any lemons for fish."

"I tried moving him. Couldn't get the sword out of the ground with him on it. Ended up taking her head as proof. Once the widow heard... she paid us... me. And paid for Jora's funeral. I took some guards and friends back and we managed to get him down from the sword. He ended up being buried with it at our family's village."

"After... after losing him. I couldn't bring myself to do it anymore. Not alone. Not without my brother. Not anymore. We had become close with the tavern owner and he offered me a job. Decent pay, and I used what we earned to buy my house."

"Thought those days were behind me until a certain idiot came into the bar one night asking dumb questions." She looked up at me with watery eyes before falling back into my chest.

"I'm not sure why I helped you, to be honest. Maybe it's your goal. Maybe you just remind me of simpler days."