Before the either of us could react, the unknown man wrapped his arm around the teenager and pulled her out of the tent. I bit my lips. I had crushed my smoky crystal in time, before the brute got in, but the one I handed to her lay on the ground. 

Smoky Crystals. Used for any and all stealth operations; or so I thought. They make you invisible for a certain duration, depending on how it's activated and it's quality. Crushing a raw crystal should give me a minute to sneak out. 

I tried to carve myself a way out of the tent to escape unnoticed when the girl screamed in my direction, "HELP ME!"

I swore under my breath. What an idiot...!

"Oh? Who's in there, hmm? Your knight in shining armor? HA!" The brute laughed. In the stillness of the forest, I suddenly heard him cock a gun. Who was he aiming at? Me, or her? It was impossible to tell from inside the tent. I crept to the entrance of the tent and peeked out.

Her.

"PLEASE, HELP ME! I'M SORRY! I--" She cried out, before groaning in pain and a loud thud. I furrowed my eyebrows.

What could I do? Now that he knows I'm here, he'll be more aware of any attempt to exit the tent, any sound, any sudden movement. I have the revolver, but I can't guarantee a clean shot from here; he's holding her like a meat shield. If I hit her, he won't take any damage, and it'll just give away my position.

My other options include a knife and machete. I could throw the knife, but I don't know the exact location of the man's armed hand or head. If I missed or shot the girl, I'd get shot. And obviously, there was no way I could just randomly charge in with the machete without a distraction.

Gah, this tent must be cursed! No matter how hard I try, there was no rest for the wicked. None. I took a deep breath and reached for my bag, unzipping it wide open.

"What's taking so long? Is your prince is a little coward, like you? Well, I'm getting tired of waiting, so-- ARGH!" The man swore. I could hear the girl growl like an animal. Did she bite him? Ah, no matter, doesn't matter!

An opening!

Immediately, I charged out of the tent and looked at the man. I threw my bag at him, its contents spilling out. The sudden burst of motion threw off the man, and he couldn't get a clear shot with everything in the air. His first shot missed, though only by inches.

He had a very bulky frame. If I tried to cut him with the machete, he would either stagger, or retaliate. I might miss completely, and I, a much weaker man, would lose in an instant. So instead, I threw my knife at his wrist, causing him to let go of the gun and the girl as crimson red spewed out of his wrist and into the air. His face contorted as he pulled out the knife, taking in sharp breaths. As he did so, I tossed the revolver at the girl. She owned it, and we'll need both of us to take this guy down. Her eyes gleamed at the sight of it.

The girl then swiveled as soon as she hit the ground, and grabbed the gun. I smirked. Maybe she wasn't a total amateur after all. The man now had two to fight. If he tried to fight me, he'd get shot. If he tried to fight her, he'd be cut by me and even if I couldn't cut through his thick, muscular body, he'd bleed to death eventually. No matter what he would do, he would meet his maker.

Feeling the pressure, the man quickly broke into cold sweat.

"L-Look, I was just sent here by your father! Please, let me g--" Before he could even finish, the girl pulled the trigger. What happened next made me feel like I was watching a film in slow motion. As the loud bang echoed throughout the forest, the bullet penetrated his throat, making blood gush out like a fountain, glistening like crystals under the moonlight. In a sickening way, it was a beautiful sight. Then, to end it all, his eyes rolled up to his head, and his mouth opened, blood dribbling down his chin as he dropped down into an unceremonious heap on the ground, dyeing everything on the ground nearby to a dark red.

How disgusting. Disgusting, but necessary. Less enemies to face. I faced the girl. She was panting, sweat trickling down her forehead like a string of pearls. Ah, still young. Still weak inside.

"Good job." I said in a thankful tone, smiling. I had thought all was lost when I saw his hulking body tower over me. He would have been impossible to overpower alone. "But, to be honest, you didn't need to shoot him. I could have done him in myself."

"I-- Well... I had to. I'd wanted to do it for ages." She explained, before plopping down onto the ground, sighing. "He... I let him go once. And well, look what happened. To make matters worse, it's not the first time he tried to kill me, or, uh, someone.... who used to be with me."

"Ah... I'll just presume that this is a very personal matter." I replied. Her response wasn't what I expected at all. Back home, when I saw a young heart like her be given a gun, they would cry and trash around, refusing it. Though I suppose that man had somewhat hardened her. Ah, what to do with her...

"You know, I sort of owe you now. M-Maybe I could um, help you out or... something." She said, looking at me. "It's not like I could go home anyway..."

"Really now?" I said, laughing as I offered her my hand. "I thought I owed you."