A gigantic horse, some kind of beast, was standing over its fallen master and protecting him, while two dark elves attacked it. They seemed surprised by the animal's strength, questioning how a mere pet could be so powerful, while one of them suggested simply creating an opening to strike.
Soon after, they began chanting magic, using necromancy and summoning malevolent spirits.
Watching this, Turan hesitated about whether he should help, thinking that perhaps the man had provoked the attack in the first place. But he soon realized that these dark elves were cannibals.
Faced with that, he decided to act, hiding himself with his magic while he observed.
At the moment the elves were distracted, one of them suddenly had their head destroyed, and the summoned spirits disappeared instantly.
The other elf managed to defend herself using her own spirits, blocking the next attack with one of them, and immediately ordered them to find whoever was responsible. Then she summoned a monstrous bull, which began smashing through trees as it searched, and found nothing.
Realizing it was a case of concealment, she summoned another spirit, one capable of revealing presences in the area. With that she managed to locate Turan, which surprised him for a moment — but he reacted quickly, destroying the first spirit with a burst of fire while dodging the bull's attack, though with difficulty.
In the middle of the fight, without noticing, his leg was bitten by a fox. That created an opening, and Turan was struck head-on by the bull's horns and hurled violently against a tree.
The dark elf began laughing at the situation, mocking him, saying that now he would have to beg for death.
But before she could do anything further, she was hit hard by the giant mare, taking a direct blow to the head and being practically crushed by the animal's strength.
Even then the fight was not over, because all of the summoned spirits turned on the mare, taking advantage of the moment she was exposed. And in that instant of distraction, the dark elf was struck precisely by a stone launched from Turan's sling. He had managed to react even while severely injured.
With her death the spirits lost their form and returned to being mere shadows, disappearing shortly afterward.
The mare was unharmed, but Turan was in critical condition, so badly injured that he almost fainted on the spot. Even so, the animal came over to him, showing gratitude for the help.
Some time later, the man who had been protected woke up in a panic, and realized that he was safe, beside a lit campfire, next to Turan. Confused, he asked who his savior was, and Turan explained that he had seen the dark elf's attack and had decided to help him.
The mare, called Tilly, approached her owner as if to confirm the story, showing that she truly did recognize Turan as an ally. He commented that she was extremely intelligent, capable even of understanding her owner's needs and moving to ensure his safety.
The man expressed deep gratitude for the help, and introduced himself as Aziz Burke, a member of the Burke family.
After that, Turan asked whether there was any reason for the conflict with the dark elves, and Aziz Burke explained that there was none. He had simply been on a pilgrimage with his servants when he was suddenly attacked. He remarked that he had heard other races could be violent, but he had not imagined it would be so extreme.
Visibly shaken, he revealed that he had lost very important people in that attack — knights and servants who had been with him since childhood, and who had practically raised him.
Perceiving the situation, Turan concluded that he was a good person, and informed him that he had killed the two dark elves. Aziz Burke replied that there were probably no more enemies nearby, but to be sure, Turan used his tracking magic and confirmed that there were no more hostile presences in the surroundings.
The next morning they buried all of the bodies, and Aziz Burke commented that deep down he wished he could send them all back to their homeland, but he knew that would be difficult. Turan agreed. It really would not be simple.
Even so, Aziz Burke thanked him for the help, and also for not laughing at the situation, since for a noble, crying over the sacrifice of one's own subordinates could seem strange. That mindset came from his father's teachings. Those who die in a just battle go to the celestial palace with the gods, and mourning would be a sign of weakness. A true noble moves forward despite the sacrifices.
Even so, Aziz Burke admitted that if being strong meant not suffering over the death of someone close, then he would probably never be strong.
Turan replied that it was not weakness. It was kindness.
From that point on, Aziz Burke suggested that they speak more casually, since they would be traveling together and did not seem to have much of an age difference. And so the two of them began to consider each other friends, with Turan confirming that he could count on him from then on.
Later, during a rest stop, Aziz Burke showed him a refrigerated box where he stored plenty of food from the last city. Turan found the cold interior unusual, and Aziz Burke explained that it allowed food to be preserved for about a week without any problems, as long as it was reheated if it got too cold.
He also showed him other magical items. One that released water at the press of a button. Another that automatically created a shelter when it was supplied with wood. One that emitted an alarm when someone approached. And even the clothes he was wearing, which had a self-cleaning function.
Turan found all of this impressive, since magical items were not usually so common, and commented that the clothes alone would already be enough payment for saving his life.
Aziz Burke disagreed. They were not worth that much, he said, and he promised to reward him with something far better when they got home — even if he had to make it himself.