Venture back.

You journey back in the direction of Avana. After walking for the rest of the day, you set up camp once again, and fall asleep. Nobody's watch is eventful thankfully, and the night passes by. When morning comes, it's once again time to walk. It isn't long before you near the hills you previously encountered the harpies, so the party is ready and alert. You keep your eyes to the sky.

"If those birds think they can get the jump on me again, I'll show them how wrong they are," Niki grumbles.

"Then why are you shaking?" you ask as you look her over.

"I-I'm not!" She clears her throat. "And if I am, it's because my body is so tired."

Eva sighs. "Me too. I don't want to live off rations anymore, even if they aren't soggy anymore. What little taste they had was still washed away."

"I know. Same here," you say. "But we'll be back in a couple more days."

You then see a silhouette above, shrouded by the rays of the sun. Recognizing the sight, you draw your sword and ready yourself for yet another harpy attack. However, you and your party quickly notice that something is off. It isn't coming in your direction, but going past instead. You recognize it as the deep purple, shorter girl--the one with a black tube top, matching shorts which are cut up the sides, and hair tied back with a white ribbon. Not only that, but she looks injured. She struggles to fly, and is losing altitude rapidly.

When she finally hits the ground, she looks to your party in panic, and starts scrambling backwards through the grassy soil.

"Huh? She's hurt," Niki says, lowering her mace. "Well now I don't feel much like attacking."

"Oh no. She's bleeding," Amara says. "She must have been attacked."

They attacked us before, but to be fair, they weren't planning on killing us... They still weren't the good guys, but seeing her scared and injured like this doesn't exactly inspire me to take ****.

"Hey. Just tell us what happened," you say.

The party steps closer, and she backs up against the trunk of a tree. "It's my sisters..." she mutters. You hadn't heard her speak before. Her voice is high and it's quiet, though not in the same embarrassed, shy manner as her pink-haired companion. It just seems to be how she is.

"You're siblings?"

"Not by blood, but they're my family. Please... I know we wronged you before, but they're in trouble. Is there any way you'll help us?"

Niki groans, and then stomps her foot on the ground a couple times. "Damn it. We gotta help them, Kyle. What kind of adventurers would we be if we didn't? Come on. Let's kick whatever's ass did this to the poor bird-girl."

Amara kneels down to the injured bird and casts Minor Heal. "You'll still be sore, but this will stop the bleeding."

"Thank you. I'm Chila," she quietly adds.

"So what attacked you, Chila?" you ask.

"I don't know. They were red, and there was fire. Horns too."

"Devils maybe?" Eva asks. "We better hurry then."

Niki lifts her up and puts a wing around her shoulder. "Last time we met, you were the one grappling me."

Chila looks away, pink in her cheeks. "S-Sorry..."