Fantasy Wherever the Wind Takes You

[Gary Sue]

With Tomoe presenting a chest for the man to stash away his armor in, he grinned. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of not handing his sword to Laila, but her mother instead, he gave a hesitant nod. "... I have a feeling I won't like it if it's used for more of her acrobatics once again...", he mentally sighed and only straightened up once he felt the atmosphere almost get heavier at Laila's request to give him the family heirloom, even if it was just for this one job. He was in the process of taking off his gauntlet, but feeling rather unwelcome all of a sudden, perhaps on his companion's behalf, he stopped and buckled it once again.

Rather idly observing and following along the conversation, he realised they used terms a bit unfamiliar to him. "I thought she'd 'charge' it up, but I guess 'bless' might be an alternative term for it... Although it does sound more appropriate for non-magical tools to start with.", he trailed off before snapping back to reality when Tomoe turned her head to look at him instead. His friend was rather shaken at the request, for reasons probably beyond his understanding. It's not like her relative's info dump helped him understand that much more, but he could piece together that blessing something 'that much' with no preparation wasn't common practice.

Still skeptical but left with little choice, he nodded and followed right along with the adult, holding his blade close to his person with its sheath still on. It probably wouldn't be too long before Laila was able to make the connection that his weapon, with the way he were holding it, was probably not just 'anything'. To him at least it meant a lot, and he treated it as though it were almost as divine as her grandmother revered their heirloom to be, according to her story. "...", silence, even in his usually rambling mind.

His expression almost became stoic before he smiled bitterly and shook his head, alongside whatever was going through his head. Back to the ordinary, dashing and smiling knight that Tomoe had confused to be Laila's lovebird. "... This is a good chance to learn more about magic. The least I owe myself is to know what its deal is. Maybe then..."

The passing thoughts were quickly shaken off as the small group came to a halt, with him perking up and looking around curiously. He lowered his blade to almost be at hip height again, holding it where it would usually hang from his waist and investigating their surroundings from where he stood. "... Here? Tomoe mentioned something about war time before, didn't she?", he pondered in confusion as he turned his attention fully to the mother, raising an eyebrow and holding his other hand on his hip. He didn't need his voice to make it clear he wanted to know some things- his posture and expression did all the speaking, this once.

 

[ShredKnives]

They were outside. Matter-of-factly, nearby the weapons and armor that were leaning against the stone bricks of the shrine, scarred with practice swings used to chip the rocks.

Still skeptical but left with little choice, he nodded and followed right along with the adult, holding his blade close to his person with its sheath still on. It probably wouldn't be too long before Laila was able to make the connection that his weapon, with the way he were holding it, was probably not just 'anything'. To him at least it meant a lot, and he treated it as though it were almost as divine as her grandmother revered their heirloom to be, according to her story. "...", silence, even in his usually rambling mind.

Laila definitely felt like there was a connection; she hadn't really observed it yet, but now that she and he were here together, it was a lot more obvious now. She was somewhat making her own theories, but it could've been anything. Saved his life. Could've been a gift from his mom. His grandma. Maybe it's actually his own personally tailored weapon. She wasn't going to ask, yet.

Tomoe discarded her playfulness, the craziness, and the general quirkiness she had earlier. Holding the heirloom close to her, she eyed his blade. "I'm glad you look at that blade the way you do. I think everyone should. Sacred or not, a man's sword is his sword, none other like it. A man's life will find salvation with a weapon in his hand, right?"

She wasn't really expecting an answer; that was more of something to be interpreted. Laila followed behind, already putting herself to her knees as she listened to Tomoe.

"Magic is something none of us can truly understand. A step just outside of the reach of humanity. But we are getting close, when we touch divinity and see the path of religion, it often funnels into the ideas of magic itself. The closer to spirituality, internal energy, the closer you could get to achieving magic. Understanding what a soul may be."

"When you think of yourself, closing your eyes and attempting to identify where your soul is located...We usually find nothing. Inside a body that holds our flesh, bone, and skin. Beyond that is a mind that can only comprehend nothing."

"Lilac. Please, pass me a gohei." Laila nodded and stood up, getting it promptly without so much as a peep from her.



Again, she drew her blade; flick of the thumb, just a few inches of the metal protrud-

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A black discordant disc expanded from the gap in the scabbard, widening further and further until it looked like a split in reality, its center a shimmering bright white, right where her blade still remained. Shortly after, it condensed back into the metal, as if it was a beast that had gone rabid immediately recluding into its safe place.

"Blessings have no place for a killer, Reeve," Tomoe said softly. "And neither do curses. Blessings are designed to protect. Curses are designed to punish."

As Laila placed the gohei along a nearby stump and promptly moved away, Tomoe took a good glance to make sure the general area was clear, before slowly, extremely slowly, gracefully, unsheathed the blade. The blade was transitioning colors, getting lighter and darker based on how much slower she was unsheathing.

"This...Was designed to stop."

Her foot slid back so fast, the sand had practically exploded behind her, her arm having swung so drastically forward, she could've cut the air in half. In a perfect idle stance into a signature vertical slash, her blade was unsheathed; it was one swing, sure, but it was almost a swing that had been done over the course of tens of years, perfected down to the gaze in her eyes.

Next slash, diagonal; it got harder to see what had happened, her feet had shifted out of normal stances, her blade had caught on a dark hue, distorting the air as it hummed and pulsated at the edge. She held the scabbard in one hand, blade in the other. Her eyes scrunched in concentration as she-

Horizontal; like a ballet dancer, her feet had taken her another pace forward to the gohei. The horizontal slash went full circle, ending right at the idle stance again in such a perfected craft that it appeared nearly as a mirage.

She swung her blade around her, treating it like a third arm as her feet twirled on its tips, moving to the balls of her feet and then to the backpart as she arced around her in several different angles, splitting the air around her in a trail of soft purple gray and a beige white that contradicted the afternoon sun. A dance that involved no spinning, instead treating the blade as an extension of herself promptly until she held the blade up into the air, as if to let the sky grasp at it just for a moment.

A step forward before she rotated it upside down, let it fall to the ground and crossed her finger past the edge of the blade. A string of blood lines from her thumb to the edge like the metal was hungrily grasping at it, tasting it. Tomoe gripped the blade before the tip even hit the surface of sand, spinning it back around her alongside the trail of blood, letting it fill the steel-colored edge into a deep crimson red, almost swinging it down to slice the gohei in half...

And stopping just short.

The blood threatened to drip. It wished to be shed from the blade. It held on. Blood shed from Tomoe's finger. It didn't want to be shed from her. It did regardless.

The gohei hummed with a disastrous glow.

"Blood. Sweat. And tears. Risk was everything, it was death, it was life. It took, it gave, pulled, and pushed. A weapon is a risk. Your body is a risk. But this was supposed to be a guarantee, a guarantee to a chance to save everyone was what people wanted." Tomoe stood there in a thinly-lined circle and spiral of beautiful blood.

Laila eyed Tomoe, who only gave her a smile and a nod back. Laila grabbed the gohei, rubbing it over with a curiosity. She swung it, but nothing happened. "Uh...Mom?"

"Laila, it's intended for enemies. Meaning you have to swing it with someone you intend to...Stop." She glanced at Reeve. "I guarantee your weapon won't get hurt during this technique. Because even if the technique fails, it'll injure me to the point where it'll force me to divert the end-result. It's a design intended to guarantee a weapon will be blessed properly, even at the cost of the person's health casting it." She held up her thumb, which she pressurized with a napkin from within her chest pocket. "But I guarantee you, your weapon will last you an entire day's worth of swinging with this technique. Far surpassing of the more...Well, sub-optimal talisman. Are you okay with it?"

 

[Gary Sue]

As Tomoe shifted her character almost immediately, Reeve didn't have the focus to find it jarring from focusing on his sword much. What she said was right- this really was his sword, with none other like it. And before he knew it, there it was, that stoic look on his face again as he looked down at it, tightening his grip around its leather scabbard slightly. "... It's because of that that I can't accept to use this heirloom, isn't it?"

But before he had time to dwell on it, Tomoe moved on to start talking about magic and got his attention, although it... made sense. "... So that's why I don't get magic, huh.", he let out a rather disappointed sigh, slumping somewhat and looking down at the ground with half shut eyes, discouraged. Divinity, religion, spirituality... he didn't know what any of that meant, he never did and he knew it was too late to get to know it. Maybe the reason why Laila was so strong at magic is because, unlike him, it runs in her family tradition. These values that form the core of magic, at least the magic they use.

It was bittersweet. Knowing that the reason they could use magic was family tradition, yet... he was a bit left out. This sort of feeling was evoked often when he was on his bodyguard duty, getting to look into the lives of everyone around him and sometimes their more personal, vulnerable moments. All the while he continued to wander around Ceril a vagabond. And now, started the ritual. As she moved around gracefully, using techniques that seemed rather otherworldly, he observed quietly for the demonstration.

This feeling of loneliness only dug deeper when she mentioned blessings and curses. Despite Laila having seated herself, he stood tall next to her and watched silently, with a hurt look on his face, as though he'd been pierced by a sword. The spectacle in front of him was truly one to behold, and the perfomer's words only added to the emotional turmoil he was trying to figure out inside of him. At least it didn't get too much worse from there. No more killing, no more protecting and no more punishing. "... I don't like it. Everything was so... normal, before we came. I don't like it at all."

Despite his entire being refusing to come to terms with their stop by the shrine being as mandatory as he initially thought it to be, he stayed, stood and watched. And when Tomoe was done and turned to him, he looked at her thumb. "If anyone should be getting hurt over this, it should be me. She barely knows me, she can't just...", his sense of responsibility felt like it was only rubbing salt in the wound, as he bit down on the inside of his cheek and lowered his head, looking down at his sword.

Shaking. His hand shook while it held the blade, the clanking barely not heard from his gauntlet. Was he angry? Sad? Guilty? He couldn't tell. But something Tomoe did, something she said, anything- it didn't sit well with him. If during the ritual it seemed and felt like the heirloom was clutching for more blood, then- he didn't want to think about it too much. Clearly hesitant, if not outright doubtful and skeptical, he gave a slow nod and held his sword out, trying to stabilize his hand as much as he could. Cold sweat slowly made its way down his neck one bead at a time, and his posture was more stiff, less like him.

After this, I need a break. Maybe a bath and a long rest. That will do... right?

 

[ShredKnives]

"Life and death are brother and sister, Reeve," She said slowly, taking upon it herself to hold his blade with as much revere as Laila had done the heirloom. "I can tell you don't quite understand. Frankly...You shouldn't need to. None of us should need to look upon divinity to make judgements that are good. Yet, we must, because the things we do to each other are more cursed than the gods we say plot our demise, one story after another."

She held his blade up to the sky, letting it bask in the afternoon setting sun. "When we said the gods gave us life, we then denied the gods, end it when we saw fit. Then we say we were cursed, the gods manipulated us to doing evil, but now we may do right by following the purity of their instruction, handed down by the prophesiers. Now, we just say we create life itself, ergo we can choose to end it. What is the price of life to you? How many will you kill to save one? And will you kill one to save many? And now cities stand, attempting to judge the right from the wrong, the honor from the wicked."

"They're all questions, difficult to understand, more difficult to think about. Belief is important, Reeve. Belief in your sword is important. Belief is often judged by how it preserves the life of man. How we can further as humanity rather as one human. And in a sensible world, that makes sense."

She glanced back at him. "But I would also like my brother back."

She placed his sword on the stump.

She followed the movements again. The disc, it expanded. Reality tore apart in front of them, while all Laila could do was watch, unwilling to interrupt anything Tomoe did or said.

"Techniques for swords are the same. The swords simply ask for a different condition. Swords don't stop like our tools do. They cut."



As she said so, the blood lifted up from the ground, surrounding her and rapidly forming slicing motions until it turned into a perfectly crafted outline of a sphere. "And swords cut each other."

The blood splattered along the sand, creating a vine-like path from her to the stump where his sword remained. "Always sharpening, always clashing, always eager for blood."

"M-Mom, can't I do this with my blood...?" Laila asked.

Tomoe glanced at Laila for a long moment, her blade still slowly unsheathing. "Of course you can, but talismans are better for you. This was something intended to stay behind the doors of war, no more, no less. But if it's you, him, and against an entire graveyard...We have always made exceptions. And the heavens tend to seek out new blood. It's not the right time for you."

The split in reality her metal created, it got bigger; it was hungry, desired for more from Tomoe, a powerful contract between divinity and man, with the human nature of tool becoming the intermediary. One slash. Two slashes. Three. Four, five, six, seven. They kept coming, her footsteps shimmying closer to his blade while her offhand smoothly passing by each and every slash, just inches away from the metal edge.

"Each slash a new charge. Blood will see blood, a pact with the living, to conquer the dead, we are to become those that we once revered. Why worship legends against having the opportunity of joining them? Hell is always others."

Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, all following the lines her blood circle made. The movement in her feet, they amplified, they circled around his blade, and her flourish was far more than just the playful spin of a duelist; her flourish could force the flowers to bloom.

"Through blessing death protects us, and it is through curse death punishes them, but in our hands will be the ability to stop ourselves. Kamino-Kuroi-Gatana, blade and soul, let not the heavens observe us, but our deeds."

It's not exactly elegant. It's smooth. The key part of this entire technique was how absolute the path seemed, as if the next step in the blade was the only step that made sense, in which any slight diversion from what Tomoe did could destroy the beauty of the movement, similar to the off-note of a piano. Her blood, which initially took the shape of a circle with an inner-spiral, was now following her in a path like a vine, thorned at the stalk and ending in the look of a rose right in front of Reeve's signature blade.

Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty. She was still slicing the air around her to the point where her figure was nothing more than a blur on the sand, blood and wind having diluted the air to the point of concealment.

 

[Gary Sue]

"Each slash a new charge."

Although there was nothing extraordinary or illogical about this one sentence, he began to worry. Ordinarily, he'd never have to use his sword's magic more than once or twice. So to require seven... No, ten- fifteen... Now twenty- twenty five, he was struggling to keep up. The more she continued to slash and charge his blade, the more he felt himself get tense and sweat. "This is... What the hell is Laila up to?", he turned his head slightly to look at Laila, biting down on the inside of his cheek again. "If Tomoe is onto something and preparing this much, then it can't be an 'easy' job."

It looked like the equivalent of little more than suicide, if they hadn't gotten her mother to help out. The ritual continued before his eyes regardless, with neither of them finding any of this to be... excess? Overkill? Worthy of reconsideration? It became clear to him that he lived in a whole different world as a non-magic user, although he couldn't tell what he was watching for the life of him. "This has to be the peak of 'magic', right? It can't keep going forever, neither can it get better than this... It should be impossible to escalate any further, otherwise towns would all run on magic, especially Velia."

But here he had it, a mastered technique passed down from generation to generation. Not a sight he'd seen before in his life, and neither was it a sight he'd see again for a long time, if ever, something told him. "The most I've had to use my sword was... five. Five times back then.", he repeated in the back of his mind, flinching somewhat at the thought and faltering slightly before he snapped out of it. "No, it'll be different. This time it will not be the same. I'm not on my own.",

Curiously, he tried to pay attention to Tomoe's hand, remembering that her thumb was bleeding. If blessing his sword was going to cost someone's blood, then- ah shit. It wasn't like Tomoe had ever seen Reeve's sword at play before, and neither had Laila, bar their little encounter earlier today. He hadn't thought of this himself either, but with how 'selective' it was with what power it accepted and what it didn't, they might have grossly overestimated just how well the blessing would work, let alone hold on to the blade. It'd be effective, no doubt, but... he could already feel hair on his back raising as he noticed the rose forming.

Though Laila had seen it come into play and even emit nothing purer than light, even she could probably tell that something felt... off, about the sword. It almost called out for the blessing, begging for Tomoe's ritual to be over so it could absorb the feast laid out before it. Not out of malice, but a thirst for what ultimately was just power, even if it would fade by the end. Knowing that something was up for himself, Reeve took a step closer and raised a hand, as if to ask her to stop. He opened his mouth, but- nothing. The man cringed at the realisation, aware she were much too busy to pay him any attention if he couldn't speak up. "I shouldn't interrupt her, but... T-Tch... I didn't think about this ahead of time."

 

[ShredKnives]

Laila was more of an over-preparer, to be fair; even she was having her doubts on whether this technique really required that much complexity...However, Tomoe tended to know best about their issues; if it so happened this was actually a lesson that she needed to understand, well...It certainly might take a minute to understand what the idea was. Most fights tend to end in three moves. Maybe it might be different this time around.

Curiously, he tried to pay attention to Tomoe's hand, remembering that her thumb was bleeding. If blessing his sword was going to cost someone's blood, then- ah shit. It wasn't like Tomoe had ever seen Reeve's sword at play before, and neither had Laila, bar their little encounter earlier today. He hadn't thought of this himself either, but with how 'selective' it was with what power it accepted and what it didn't, they might have grossly overestimated just how well the blessing would work, let alone hold on to the blade. It'd be effective, no doubt, but... he could already feel hair on his back raising as he noticed the rose forming.

Though Laila had seen it come into play and even emit nothing purer than light, even she could probably tell that something felt... off, about the sword. It almost called out for the blessing, begging for Tomoe's ritual to be over so it could absorb the feast laid out before it. Not out of malice, but a thirst for what ultimately was just power, even if it would fade by the end. Knowing that something was up for himself, Reeve took a step closer and raised a hand, as if to ask her to stop. He opened his mouth, but- nothing. The man cringed at the realisation, aware she were much too busy to pay him any attention if he couldn't speak up. "I shouldn't interrupt her, but... T-Tch... I didn't think about this ahead of time."

The technique was nearing into fifty. She was slowing it down, too, easing the movement in all one great, elegant arc, like the dance was now finally losing its steam and it was hitting its conclusion. The wind was settling, the blood now fully crafted in its picture and the blade soon to enchant Reeve's sword.

This was it, the swing; where the blood would hang onto the blade-

Tomoe paused just before she even connected her thumb to the edge, her eyes staring at Reeve's blade for an uncomfortably long moment, her eyes peering at Reeve just as he had seemingly requested to stop.

Laila's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "Mom?"

"...That's odd." The rose of blood rose, just a little, as if beckoning for the final swing. Tomoe raised an eyebrow, her curiosity now very piqued. "What's with your sword? Lilac didn't already enchant it, I assume, so...You, you look like you have some explaining to do, but I don't think there's a way for you to properly voice it, hm?"

 

[Gary Sue]

The moment she stopped, he already knew she had picked up on it. Swallowing dryly as he felt both Tomoe and the sword judging him, the beads of sweat only got heavier as they continued their way down his neck and head. "Sh-She's onto something already. I didn't realise it would be that easy for them to. Th-Thank god...", he let out a deep sigh of relief, lowering his hand and taking a step back again.

Laila probably hadn't understood anything, but Tomoe's look and curiosity clearly hinted otherwise. Reeve would have loved to explain- he really wouldn't have-, but it was just like the swordmaster before him said. With the same defeated look on his face, he closed his eyes slightly and nodded, lowering his head to avoid eye contact with her. For all it mattered, there... was a way. Now was far from the best time, but he reached behind him at the ledger Laila had seen a few times today, pointing at it and making movements as if writing with a pen.

"I don't know how to write too well, but... O-Once this ritual is over, however it ends, I can try to write down any answers they want me to...", he nodded at Tomoe as if agreeing to write down, if she got that much of his sign language at least, before looking to his side at the maiden while his hands stashed that god forsaken crumpled paper one more time. "... I owe it to her, too. She spoke so openly, I can't just... stay quiet. I'll make up for it Laila, I promise. Even if...", his mind trailed off as he flinched, looking away for a brief moment before focusing on the head priestess again. "No matter. I'll be honest about everything."

 

[ShredKnives]

The moment she stopped, he already knew she had picked up on it. Swallowing dryly as he felt both Tomoe and the sword judging him, the beads of sweat only got heavier as they continued their way down his neck and head. "Sh-She's onto something already. I didn't realise it would be that easy for them to. Th-Thank god...", he let out a deep sigh of relief, lowering his hand and taking a step back again.

Laila probably hadn't understood anything, but Tomoe's look and curiosity clearly hinted otherwise. Reeve would have loved to explain- he really wouldn't have-, but it was just like the swordmaster before him said. With the same defeated look on his face, he closed his eyes slightly and nodded, lowering his head to avoid eye contact with her. For all it mattered, there... was a way. Now was far from the best time, but he reached behind him at the ledger Laila had seen a few times today, pointing at it and making movements as if writing with a pen.

Laila looked as confused as a confused person could get. She didn't really know what was happening, especially because she just generally had more trouble reading Reeve than Tomoe did, apparently.

Tomoe sighed, perhaps in relief. She brought her smile right back again, politely placing her sword next to his blade. "Luckily, there are no warnings before or after the ritual." Like a magic trick, she swiped parchment and pencil from within her robe. "A sword can feast whenever the wielder tells it to."

Laila ended up behind Reeve's shoulder, just curiously watching his every move now, as if trying to study him to get the same deductions that Tomoe could achieve. Damn it, she was jealous; Tomoe was far more of a wild card than Laila could be, but Tomoe absolutely knew her way around a weapon moreso than Laila ever hoped to; whether it be from the trial and error of a genius or the research of a dedicated woman, Laila was outmatched in this sense, only surpassing her mother in ambition.

Tomoe pressed another napkin into her bleeding thumb, compressing it tightly as she handed the parchment to him. "Take your time. I do have errands to run tonight, though; Arisaema wants to duel me at the lake, but I broke my belt when one of those warthogs attacked me earlier this morning," She said with a sigh. "I'll head out in an hour or so to pick it up at the leatherman's. Until then, you've got me!" Tomoe said with a polite grin. "Tell us what you're able."

Laila whispered, "That's Arioon."

 

[Gary Sue]

Using the same abilities that Reeve did to just hide half of her belongings in her clothes, Tomoe took out all he'd need to write, and handed it over. As he gave a determined nod and looked at Laila, he offered her a small smile, in an attempt to apologise for not disclosing everything before like she did. Then, the man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Once he opened them up again, he made his way towards the shrine and sat on one of the wooden steps, placing the pen down to take off his gauntlets. There was no way he'd write anything legible with that hunk of steel around his fingers.

"Alright... I should probably start with the sword...", he tried to plan things out, stretching his fingers and wrist, grabbing the pen and spreading out the parchment before he started.



The moment Laila saw him start though, it was clear he struggled. Writing had his full focus, yet his hands were somewhat shaky and slow, with every stroke needed for the rather complex lines he was trying to jolt down taking a while. At a quick glance, his letters were... genuinely, unreadable. They looked like gibberish, a child's drawings at best for what hoped to one day become actual letters.

But that hadn't stopped him, he already knew his own shortcomings and would do anything he could to work through them. So he continued on, writing and writing. One sentence, two sentences, three... Once he reached four almost ten minutes afterwards, he re-read through the parchment at his own pace, nodding slowly in confirmation and smiling, although nervously. "This should do it, for a start...", he chuckled almost to himself as he turned around, walking back up to Tomoe and looking between her and her daughter before holding the parchment out for one of them to accept.

There was only one issue. Taking the parchment back into their hands, it wouldn't take more than a quick glance to notice that these letters were not letters. They were runes. Rather than the common letters anyone from Tarlan, Picket Fort, Kohr, even Veila would use, these were more akin to Abyssal runes. Not even their modern rendition of their own language that was still kept between clan members and royalty, but the same runes used centuries ago that can only be found in ruins. Very few people knew to decipher it, and even less so to speak it fluently.

Still, Reeve quietly exchanged looks with the two with an expectant, rather hopeful expression. His arms were crossed, and he was hoping that they'd understand his situation. Maybe the most cruel part of all was that he was unaware what he wrote wasn't in common speak. Ever since picking up the sword, he was cursed with many things, and this was but one of them. Talking to others, in any form, was near impossible. After all, curses are used to punish.

"... Is something wrong..?"

 

[ShredKnives]

Using the same abilities that Reeve did to just hide half of her belongings in her clothes, Tomoe took out all he'd need to write, and handed it over. As he gave a determined nod and looked at Laila, he offered her a small smile, in an attempt to apologise for not disclosing everything before like she did. Then, the man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Once he opened them up again, he made his way towards the shrine and sat on one of the wooden steps, placing the pen down to take off his gauntlets. There was no way he'd write anything legible with that hunk of steel around his fingers.

Laila pursed her lips, too tired of trying to read him to bother pushing him around; she was just more curious to see how he would write, following behind him as Tomoe patiently sat on a nearby stump, perfectly stilled and breaths evened to a near silent point.

The moment Laila saw him start though, it was clear he struggled. Writing had his full focus, yet his hands were somewhat shaky and slow, with every stroke needed for the rather complex lines he was trying to jolt down taking a while. At a quick glance, his letters were... genuinely, unreadable. They looked like gibberish, a child's drawings at best for what hoped to one day become actual letters.

Laila gave him encouraging pats on the shoulder. Clearly, this must've been trouble, so she happily pushed him to do his best!

But that hadn't stopped him, he already knew his own shortcomings and would do anything he could to work through them. So he continued on, writing and writing. One sentence, two sentences, three... Once he reached four almost ten minutes afterwards, he re-read through the parchment at his own pace, nodding slowly in confirmation and smiling, although nervously. "This should do it, for a start...", he chuckled almost to himself as he turned around, walking back up to Tomoe and looking between her and her daughter before holding the parchment out for one of them to accept.

Tomoe slowly opened her eyes, smiling at the sight of Reeve back with his progress. "Welcome back! Let's see what you expressed." Tomoe beckoned him over and grabbed a hold of the parchment once available.

There was only one issue. Taking the parchment back into their hands, it wouldn't take more than a quick glance to notice that these letters were not letters. They were runes. Rather than the common letters anyone from Tarlan, Picket Fort, Kohr, even Veila would use, these were more akin to Abyssal runes. Not even their modern rendition of their own language that was still kept between clan members and royalty, but the same runes used centuries ago that can only be found in ruins. Very few people knew to decipher it, and even less so to speak it fluently.

Still, Reeve quietly exchanged looks with the two with an expectant, rather hopeful expression. His arms were crossed, and he was hoping that they'd understand his situation. Maybe the most cruel part of all was that he was unaware what he wrote wasn't in common speak. Ever since picking up the sword, he was cursed with many things, and this was but one of them. Talking to others, in any form, was near impossible. After all, curses are used to punish.

And obvious that happy look transitioned into confusion, some mild form of suspicion, then her glance got a lot more picky, her gaze staring at him with something almost akin to a little hostility before it eventually neutralized into a final emotion: full-on confusion.

"Well."

Laila blinked. "That's not good. Well, what?" She asked, peering over her mother's shoulder to glance at the writing. "What...The?" Next thing you know, Laila was then looking back at Reeve with something akin to morbid curiosity, confusion...And a mix of fear.

"Right? I haven't seen this in decades. Look, you recognize this, don't you?" Tomoe asked, holding it up for Laila to really peer at.

Despite how fiercely Laila gazed into the runes, it was clear her mind was drawing blanks. "I...I-uh...No, I don't. But they're runes, right?"

"None that we know about. Do you know the last time there were runes like that?"

"No?"

"When your great-gran-papa fished along the shorelines of the northern border, he caught a leather boot filled with rocks of the same runes. Gran-mama drew it out for us so we could look at it. No one knew what it was, so he turned it into the capital for investigation, and that's when it got turned over to a different branch. Never heard it again, and neither of our families know any touch of deciphering these, though; they're far too old...And they're not in even in the same realm of our specialties. Which sounds like you've found yourself a very special boy, hm?"

Laila froze on the spot, staring between her and Reeve, still at a loss as to how to comprehend this. "I- Uh- S-so how do we talk to him? I can't even read what he writes, he can barely speak, I- what do we do? There's gotta be a way, can't I use divine energy to translate?"

Tomoe blew some raspberries from her tongue. "Pfft. If it was that simple, these runes would've already been translated; only the high scholars would know how to decrypt it. I say, Reeve, you must have had a terrible encounter with fate, haven't you?"

"It's a curse, then, right? That sword? Maybe it cursed him?" Laila asked, rapidly turning to Reeve for a confirmation. "Or did someone steal it, gave it to you as a gift, and you got punished for it?"

"Slow down, Laila, one question at a time. Let's start with the curse part, then. Can you describe what caused...This?" Tomoe asked, holding up the parchment. "I can't understand any of it, but this narrows it down quite a bit, so please, give me a nod for yes, a shake for no, and a quick wiggle of the hand for somewhere in between."

 

[Gary Sue]

They weren't making any sense. Reeve's expression mirrored their own as not only did he not see what issues they had with this, but also- they weren't runes. His writing wasn't so horrid that it would be confused as ancient tongue, but... he only saw it as normal. He really did have a cruel encounter with fate. As Tomoe asked him that exact question, he lowered his gaze down at the ground and nodded, looking discouraged once more. "What are they talking about though..?"

As the duo tried to ask him questions, he moved his head to peek at the parchment again and looked at it silently, able to make out what he wrote just fine. The letters were a bit shoddy, but it was legible just fine. He raised his head again, looking at Laila as she asked for an explanation. Asking more questions than he could answer at a time though, he scratched the back of his head and agreed with Tomoe's plan.

Somehow, they'd figured he was cursed, but not from what he wrote. Although shaky, Reeve could... somewhat, get behind it at least. "Can you describe what caused... This?"

A nod. Although rather saddened and guilty, he pointed at himself and then looked at the same sword that was still craving the blood rose splattered on the floor before it. Maybe that was a bit confusing- he shook his head, raising a hand to hold it and pointing at the sword. "E-Even if I caused it, the curse was on the sword. It's because I picked it up that it passed on to me, yeah...", he huffed, squinting his eyes and looking back at the head priestess.

No matter what responses he gave them, he could only help them narrow it down and figure what happened for themselves- and with how specific these circumstances were, it was impossible. He thought writing things down would work, maybe he'd manage to explain right and get a good shot at this. He hadn't bought any tools to note things down because they were expensive, and he lived on a very tight budget with his bodyguard work not being the most famous in town. Now that he knew it were ineffective, he felt a bit relieved, but equally discouraged. "You won't be able to talk to anyone again.", the same deep voice from back then echoed in his mind.

Reeve shuddered before he reached behind him for none other than his only possession, that crumpled piece of paper bearing his name. He held it close to his face and quietly inspected it, the lower part especially which bore some signatures. One of which was from the Mercenary Association of Sesseth- he wasn't helping much, but. Pointing at it, he turned the paper towards the other two so they could see the signature for themselves. "That's close to where I got the sword. Sesseth.", he nodded quietly and after making sure they'd seen it, he pointed at his sword once again. Hopefully, it got some message across, right?

 

[ShredKnives]

They weren't making any sense. Reeve's expression mirrored their own as not only did he not see what issues they had with this, but also- they weren't runes. His writing wasn't so horrid that it would be confused as ancient tongue, but... he only saw it as normal. He really did have a cruel encounter with fate. As Tomoe asked him that exact question, he lowered his gaze down at the ground and nodded, looking discouraged once more. "What are they talking about though..?"

He doesn't get it. Meaning he's either seeing something else, or we're seeing something else.

Tomoe held up a hand for Laila, keeping the both of them quiet as they patiently waited for him to finish everything he had to say.

Somehow, they'd figured he was cursed, but not from what he wrote. Although shaky, Reeve could... somewhat, get behind it at least. "Can you describe what caused... This?"

A nod. Although rather saddened and guilty, he pointed at himself and then looked at the same sword that was still craving the blood rose splattered on the floor before it. Maybe that was a bit confusing- he shook his head, raising a hand to hold it and pointing at the sword. "E-Even if I caused it, the curse was on the sword. It's because I picked it up that it passed on to me, yeah...", he huffed, squinting his eyes and looking back at the head priestess.

He pointed to himself, then his sword. Shook his head, then pointed back at his sword and held it.

Tomoe's gaze intensified, eyes watching every single bit of Reeve's movement as if a cougar on the prowl. Laila ended up having to watch as well, trying to figure out what exactly she could deduce from him...

Reeve shuddered before he reached behind him for none other than his only possession, that crumpled piece of paper bearing his name. He held it close to his face and quietly inspected it, the lower part especially which bore some signatures. One of which was from the Mercenary Association of Sesseth- he wasn't helping much, but. Pointing at it, he turned the paper towards the other two so they could see the signature for themselves. "That's close to where I got the sword. Sesseth.", he nodded quietly and after making sure they'd seen it, he pointed at his sword once again. Hopefully, it got some message across, right?

A paper. Laila looked ignorant; she had never been to Sesseth, so she didn't really know too much of it.

Sesseth. Then he points to the sword again.

Tomoe snapped her finger to get his attention, grabbing a second pencil within her robe, and two sheets of parchment; she must've had a whole arsenal under there. She beckoned him to the shrine again, gesturing him to get on the floor and have the parchment and pencil in front of him. She would've followed next to him.

"What are you doing?" Laila asked, still a bit lost; Tomoe hadn't said a single word of what she was doing yet, so this was probably very confusing to Reeve again.

"Reeve, write down your sentences again. Go extremely slow. I'm going to follow your movements, stroke by stroke. You looked just as confused when we mentioned that we couldn't understand your writing, but you obviously can read the signature made by the Mercenary Association. That doesn't make any sense from a realistic standpoint, meaning that the curse must be affecting your words when you finish writing it down."

"..." Laila felt the realization hit her like a brick. "You're going to follow his movements and copy his writing?"

"Unless his curse is actively distorting his movements in front of us, this should serve as a substitute. Reeve, please be patient with me." She held up her pencil, watching him closely. "I'm going to narrow down every single rule of this affliction down to the grain of sand. If all else fails...It seems like a journey to Sesseth may be the only other option. Lilac, grab the sheet of his original sentences too. Watch him and see if his writing is accurate to the writing we see on the original parchment. If it isn't, that means the curse is an active hallucination, deluding us into seeing something that isn't actually there, or the curse changes his writing right as soon as it appears on parchment, meaning..."

"We could have him write in the air to see if we can mimic that movement instead..."

"Exactly. Are you with us on this, Reeve?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Reeve looked between the two as they tried to decipher, frowning as he realised his efforts were mostly going to waste. But then, Tomoe snapped her fingers and- th-there was another... pencil and... Sure. Disregarding that, he nodded and followed behind her, kneeling down and holding the pen in his hand. He looked up at the other two, quietly following along their train of thought and nodding. "This is... I didn't even know I was cursed this way until now, hearing this just feels bizarre... But it's worth a shot. If this means I can talk with them, then it's worth trying."

So slow and steady it was. With a determined nod once again, he looked down and coughed to clear his throat, starting to write everything down letter by letter again. "Okay... Let's see. My... sword...", he reread his sentences in the back of his mind as he made sure to slowly stroke out every letter as he wanted to write them, although something was... off. An M didn't take that many strokes, neither did it have curves, so why..? The paper clearly said exactly what he had written, 'my sword', but his movements were off.

Something really was happening. To Laila and her mother though, the confusion didn't make any sense. He looked up at the other two rather tense, feeling himself sweating bullets and swallowing dryly before he lowered his head again. "I-Is affli...", he shakily tried to write down, noticing much of the same as before. There was no swirl motion required to write out an 'i', capital or not. Likewise, no letter needed any square shapes. Stopping a rune half-written, he put down the pen and raised a hand, rubbing his eyes and groaning. "Why..? That's not how the letters are written, so why do I see..?"



Completely forgetting about the other two's presence and trying to figure this out himself, he picked the pen back up and holding it tightly (maybe too much so), he slowly stroked out 'sword' again. Too complex. The movements were very complex, and it felt like he'd written out two letters instead of five. No, not even letters, two... something. He couldn't see them, but they were too complicated to be letters. In defeat, he clenched his hand and groaned, putting down the pen and raising his head to look at Laila. Unlike the Reeve she'd seen back when they were both hunting the boars and wyvern, he wasn't smiling anymore. He didn't look confident or sure in the slightest. He was frowning, defeated and almost scared.

Upset, just like when Arioon sneaked up on them in the tavern, and with a look in his eyes, same as when the wyvern almost fried them both. He shook his head slowly and in utter loss, figuring all of Tomoe's theories were wrong. The only one affected by the curse was Reeve, in more ways than one too. He could only write in abyssal runes, while unable to see them for himself. But then- a glimmer of hope.

A thought ran through his mind, and although his whole being was telling him it was a bad idea, he had to try. Setting down the ledger from before, he placed it very close to the parchment Tomoe had asked him to write into, looking frantically for something. He found it. Picking up the pen again, he lowered himself closer to the ground and put the tip of his pen onto the surface. With a shaky breath, he could feel his hand starting to tremble as he tried. It was horribly disfigured, but he managed to write out a letter. 'm', as it were, although his breathing got much sharper and he felt adrenaline coursing through his body.

It was almost like his fight or flight response had triggered. As he spotted the next letter he wanted to write down, he tried to mimic it too, his shaking getting worse this time around. A botched 'y' was written on the paper and with the feeling crawling on his back now more than ever, that he was breaking some form of rule, a law he shouldn't have, it came crashing down on him like a wave. A dizzy spell with nothing short of a migraine along with it washed over him, making him drop the pen right away as he raised a hand to hold his head, grunting and almost keeling over.

Trying to pace his breathing, he gasped for air with only his other hand in the way of him and a good night's kiss with the floor. "I can't do it- I a-almost fainted on the spot... Fuck.", Reeve had almost isolated himself and his senses from all of his surroundings, looking down into the ground like he'd just seen his entire life flash before his eyes, open wide and watery near the corners. The more he stayed knelt over like that, the lighter his back felt again. But something Laila and Tomoe would have noticed by now, was that the same stench, bad feeling that the sword was giving off, now emanated from Reeve, although to a lesser extent.

 

[ShredKnives]

So slow and steady it was. With a determined nod once again, he looked down and coughed to clear his throat, starting to write everything down letter by letter again. "Okay... Let's see. My... sword...", he reread his sentences in the back of his mind as he made sure to slowly stroke out every letter as he wanted to write them, although something was... off. An M didn't take that many strokes, neither did it have curves, so why..? The paper clearly said exactly what he had written, 'my sword', but his movements were off.

Something really was happening. To Laila and her mother though, the confusion didn't make any sense. He looked up at the other two rather tense, feeling himself sweating bullets and swallowing dryly before he lowered his head again. "I-Is affli...", he shakily tried to write down, noticing much of the same as before. There was no swirl motion required to write out an 'i', capital or not. Likewise, no letter needed any square shapes. Stopping a rune half-written, he put down the pen and raised a hand, rubbing his eyes and groaning. "Why..? That's not how the letters are written, so why do I see..?"

Tomoe continued to watch; indeed, so the easiest curses to fix were off the table. Laila and her mom could confirm it.

Completely forgetting about the other two's presence and trying to figure this out himself, he picked the pen back up and holding it tightly (maybe too much so), he slowly stroked out 'sword' again. Too complex. The movements were very complex, and it felt like he'd written out two letters instead of five. No, not even letters, two... something. He couldn't see them, but they were too complicated to be letters. In defeat, he clenched his hand and groaned, putting down the pen and raising his head to look at Laila. Unlike the Reeve she'd seen back when they were both hunting the boars and wyvern, he wasn't smiling anymore. He didn't look confident or sure in the slightest. He was frowning, defeated and almost scared.

Upset, just like when Arioon sneaked up on them in the tavern, and with a look in his eyes, same as when the wyvern almost fried them both. He shook his head slowly and in utter loss, figuring all of Tomoe's theories were wrong. The only one affected by the curse was Reeve, in more ways than one too. He could only write in abyssal runes, while unable to see them for himself. But then- a glimmer of hope.

Tomoe pulled Laila aside. "Hush, let him experiment for himself."

Laila sighed. "What should I do...? I can't....How am I gonna be able to have a genuine conversation with him if he can't even..."

"Relax, Lilac," She said with a soft smile. "There's a chance for everything. Besides, I don't think his ability to talk should divide your desires about him. As long as you keep your head steady and we work out these conditions, we'll figure out how the curse operates. Look, I think he has an idea."

A thought ran through his mind, and although his whole being was telling him it was a bad idea, he had to try. Setting down the ledger from before, he placed it very close to the parchment Tomoe had asked him to write into, looking frantically for something. He found it. Picking up the pen again, he lowered himself closer to the ground and put the tip of his pen onto the surface. With a shaky breath, he could feel his hand starting to tremble as he tried. It was horribly disfigured, but he managed to write out a letter. 'm', as it were, although his breathing got much sharper and he felt adrenaline coursing through his body.

Both of them didn't like this. Laila was inclined to pull Reeve back, stop him from going any further, but he seemingly pushed on, regardless of what this effort was doing to him.

It was almost like his fight or flight response had triggered. As he spotted the next letter he wanted to write down, he tried to mimic it too, his shaking getting worse this time around. A botched 'y' was written on the paper and with the feeling crawling on his back now more than ever, that he was breaking some form of rule, a law he shouldn't have, it came crashing down on him like a wave. A dizzy spell with nothing short of a migraine along with it washed over him, making him drop the pen right away as he raised a hand to hold his head, grunting and almost keeling over.

Trying to pace his breathing, he gasped for air with only his other hand in the way of him and a good night's kiss with the floor. "I can't do it- I a-almost fainted on the spot... Fuck.", Reeve had almost isolated himself and his senses from all of his surroundings, looking down into the ground like he'd just seen his entire life flash before his eyes, open wide and watery near the corners. The more he stayed knelt over like that, the lighter his back felt again. But something Laila and Tomoe would have noticed by now, was that the same stench, bad feeling that the sword was giving off, now emanated from Reeve, although to a lesser extent.

...

Laila was quick to support him by the time he collapsed, glancing at Tomoe for more answers. What do we do, what do we do, that was only thing Laila was thinking about as she kept him as comfy as possible.

"Hm. So talking to anyone wasn't just taken literally..." Tomoe commented, contemplating. "I suppose we can't just assume telepathy would work...Then, perhaps memories? If we can get access to his memories, there could be a chance, no? I assume his curse must be something to do with communicating, and people."

Laila took a deep breath, "Mom, I don't think we should press on any further."

"You might be right." Tomoe took a long look at him. "There's a journal in that chest I placed earlier. It was intended to keep a record of the items you had...But I'll hand it off to you. What I think you should do is write down your thoughts, personally to yourself, see how that curse of yours operates. And if the opportunity arises, you should...Well, I'd recommend getting that blade to someone who really knows their touch of arcana. Gran-mama could've done it, but she's gone now. She does have a few granddaughters here and there, though...The most we could do is attempt some form of temporary dispelling. Because of the nature of your curse, my technique could end up with some...Conflicting conversation with your sword. Either way, I'd rather not risk it, especially in front of Lilac. What do you think, Reeve?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Even with Laila helping support Reeve, he was out of it. Blanked out and looking at the floor intently, as he heard his partner's voice again he raised his head slightly, looking to the side to notice her at last. "... Laila's... here too.", he tried to compose himself again, grumbling and pulling his legs closer to help sit down rather than stay on all fours, barely holding himself up. As he finally managed to sit and look up, Reeve looked at the head priestess with the same ghastly look on his face from only moments ago, unresponsive.

It took a long moment of silence before he turned his head to look at his sword, still resting in that tree stump and trying its best to reach for the rose on the ground. Reeve wanted to tell them everything, but he couldn't because it wouldn't let him. He wasn't given a chance to begin with, but- another wave of fatigue washed over him, as he wavered and groaned, almost falling on his back. His heart was racing again, and he was sure it was from fear of the curse deciding to make its rounds on him again.

As he exhaled shakily and turned back to Tomoe, he shook his head. He hadn't ever tried to challenge or 'disobey' his punishment like this, and he didn't want to do it again either. He wasn't challenging the authority all those generations of Abyssals had cast down on whoever were to pick up that blade, not now that he realised just how strong it was. With a hand on the floor and the other still on his head, he turned to look at Laila and managed to put on the most heart wrenching smile, filled with sheer exhaustion.

While interesting to explore, it was equally exhausting for him and he had already been worn out from earlier today. Perhaps it would be ideal to tuck in from now, because even in the early afternoon as it were, he had a long night ahead of him. Laila's request to go take on the graveyard and whatever hid within it sounded urgent, so if there was a chance Reeve could be well-rested enough by tomorrow to set out... he'd do his best to. Successfully resting is a whole other matter, but he had to give it his all. There was nothing he could do but cause everyone, and especially himself, more harm by staying awake and investigating this longer.

So he tried to push himself on to his legs, putting a good amount of his weight on to the rather scrawny ranger. His entire body felt weak, shaky, as though he had been sapped of all of his energy. His hands and face felt like they were freezing, and he seemed slightly paler than usual, as though he were sick. To think all of this physical exhaustion was caused by magic only helped scare him away from it in the first place. His fate had been sealed, and he'd have to live with these rules- that much he knew. But until now, he hadn't known the severity of trying to break them. "I should lay down and get m-my energy back. Let Tomoe decide if she wants to wrap up... And just rest. Gather back my strength for tomorrow..."

 

[ShredKnives]

Even with Laila helping support Reeve, he was out of it. Blanked out and looking at the floor intently, as he heard his partner's voice again he raised his head slightly, looking to the side to notice her at last. "... Laila's... here too.", he tried to compose himself again, grumbling and pulling his legs closer to help sit down rather than stay on all fours, barely holding himself up. As he finally managed to sit and look up, Reeve looked at the head priestess with the same ghastly look on his face from only moments ago, unresponsive.

It took a long moment of silence before he turned his head to look at his sword, still resting in that tree stump and trying its best to reach for the rose on the ground. Reeve wanted to tell them everything, but he couldn't because it wouldn't let him. He wasn't given a chance to begin with, but- another wave of fatigue washed over him, as he wavered and groaned, almost falling on his back. His heart was racing again, and he was sure it was from fear of the curse deciding to make its rounds on him again.

As he exhaled shakily and turned back to Tomoe, he shook his head. He hadn't ever tried to challenge or 'disobey' his punishment like this, and he didn't want to do it again either. He wasn't challenging the authority all those generations of Abyssals had cast down on whoever were to pick up that blade, not now that he realised just how strong it was. With a hand on the floor and the other still on his head, he turned to look at Laila and managed to put on the most heart wrenching smile, filled with sheer exhaustion.

Tomoe sighed; unfortunately, time was limited, even now, so it was better off to leave it here, with Reeve finally having a little more clarity on his own situation. Laila would still have to suffer with trying to figure out how to communicate with him, but at least the idea that this curse wasn't just any small-time affliction was affirmed. The more information they could gather, the less intimidating the curse itself would get.

Laila gulped. "Listen, Reeve, if you have to draw in the air and start making up an entirely new language to talk, I'll do what it takes. I'll write down words left and right and if we have to start teaching me those...Runes, then I'll do it."

She sounded 100% serious about this, legitimately willing to sacrifice the time she had in this world to help his case out. She didn't want to see that any more, not a smile like that.

While interesting to explore, it was equally exhausting for him and he had already been worn out from earlier today. Perhaps it would be ideal to tuck in from now, because even in the early afternoon as it were, he had a long night ahead of him. Laila's request to go take on the graveyard and whatever hid within it sounded urgent, so if there was a chance Reeve could be well-rested enough by tomorrow to set out... he'd do his best to. Successfully resting is a whole other matter, but he had to give it his all. There was nothing he could do but cause everyone, and especially himself, more harm by staying awake and investigating this longer.

Tomoe read his face well. "Sleep comfortable tonight. If you don't mind, though, I want to take your sword. There are a few ideas I happen to have in mind that don't extend to your participation."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Hm...Perform the technique with this blade instead, perhaps?" She said with a light chuckle.

"Mom, please don't do that."

"Of course not, I'm a high roller, not a suicidal maniac," Tomoe laughed, to Laila's own distress.

So he tried to push himself on to his legs, putting a good amount of his weight on to the rather scrawny ranger. His entire body felt weak, shaky, as though he had been sapped of all of his energy. His hands and face felt like they were freezing, and he seemed slightly paler than usual, as though he were sick. To think all of this physical exhaustion was caused by magic only helped scare him away from it in the first place. His fate had been sealed, and he'd have to live with these rules- that much he knew. But until now, he hadn't known the severity of trying to break them. "I should lay down and get m-my energy back. Let Tomoe decide if she wants to wrap up... And just rest. Gather back my strength for tomorrow..."

Laila immediately helped him up, clicking her teeth as she asked, "Mom, I'm gonna bring my winter clothes as well."

Tomoe quietly walked away and sat criss cross on a stump. "Don't ruin them, I spent good time on them. For now, I'll see if I can get someone who wants to study his blade a little...It'll give me a chance to get my dueling belt, anyway."

 

[Gary Sue]

"Listen, Reeve, if you have to draw in the air and start making up an entirely new language to talk, I'll do what it takes. I'll write down words left and right and if we have to start teaching me those...Runes, then I'll do it.", Laila's sentiment lingered in his mind for a few more moments, and he felt... something. His eyes watered before he could tell what it was, but he tried to suck up any tears. He never tried so desperately or felt 'horrible' for his situation, having accepted it since the curse was put on him. So why did she feel so strongly? He didn't know, and he never would probably, but... it was endearing. Someone caring and looking out for the selfless bodyguard, this once.

Glancing over to Tomoe when she mentioned taking his sword away, the thought made him feel... uneasy. He bit the inner side of his cheek, debating if he should let her or not for a good few moments. With a lot of hesitation and worry, he eventually nodded at her and exhaled shakily, feeling his stomach churn up. It was only going to be a night, but the thought of his sword being out of his sight, and in someone else's care was... not nice. It felt unsafe and he didn't want to, but if he wanted answers- and he did-, there weren't many choices.

With Laila mentioning heavier clothes though, he turned back to her and shook his head, trying to keep a smile on his face, although he failed quite badly. "There's n-no need, I have my cloak... Some warm sheets will be more than e-enough.", he tried raising a hand as if to tell her it was unnecessary, continuing to shake his head and tugging at the cloak's collar. He didn't realise how cold he was himself despite his teeth chattering every so often, until he brought a hand to his face.

Even so, he was going to be alright, right? So he turned the help down, instead looking around and waving at Tomoe before he began to walk further into the shrine, where he assumed the beds were. It wouldn't make much sense if they were out in the open. Beds, futons, whatever they had... And so, he walked, limping almost, with Laila helping keep him standing. His eyes were heavy and gravity was trying to almost pull Reeve into the floor, but it wouldn't be more than a minute or two before he'd finally rest. So he endured, trying his best to not look that shaken and weak. Laila didn't like it, after all.

 

[ShredKnives]

Glancing over to Tomoe when she mentioned taking his sword away, the thought made him feel... uneasy. He bit the inner side of his cheek, debating if he should let her or not for a good few moments. With a lot of hesitation and worry, he eventually nodded at her and exhaled shakily, feeling his stomach churn up.

"Hmm...I don't like that look either. I hope this sword isn't giving you a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome," Tomoe said, chuckling. "Kidding! Just ease your mind, you're facing a swordmaster."

With Laila mentioning heavier clothes though, he turned back to her and shook his head, trying to keep a smile on his face, although he failed quite badly. "There's n-no need, I have my cloak... Some warm sheets will be more than e-enough.", he tried raising a hand as if to tell her it was unnecessary, continuing to shake his head and tugging at the cloak's collar. He didn't realise how cold he was himself despite his teeth chattering every so often, until he brought a hand to his face.

"Shut your mouth, you're shivering right now and we haven't even started walking!"

"Lilac, be nice...Also, he can't talk."

"I know!!!" Laila sputtered.

Even so, he was going to be alright, right? So he turned the help down, instead looking around and waving at Tomoe before he began to walk further into the shrine, where he assumed the beds were. It wouldn't make much sense if they were out in the open. Beds, futons, whatever they had... And so, he walked, limping almost, with Laila helping keep him standing. His eyes were heavy and gravity was trying to almost pull Reeve into the floor, but it wouldn't be more than a minute or two before he'd finally rest. So he endured, trying his best to not look that shaken and weak. Laila didn't like it, after all.

Tomoe waved back, her eyes peering over at the blade. Though the blood on the floor had finally started to dry and dissipate, she had to wonder about this blade. Those runes were familiar, but even she had no experience tangling with something as mysterious as the Deep. Who was the last person she knew who tangled with big things underwater?

...

Tomoe picked herself up, grabbing the blade with a scientific glimmer in her eyes. "Let's get you somewhere appropriately appraised."

---

Laila uncomfortably bit her fingernail once she finally got Reeve resting and in bed. To be fair, some part of her was blaming herself for this occasion; had she not helped, maybe had she just stopped after getting the drake, they wouldn't be getting into this mess and Reeve could just live his life as usual. Now they were upending the root cause of a curse that could potentially do more than just make him exhausted. The danger of death loomed closer than ever and she hadn't even started blessing their weapons yet. What was the secret behind his sword, his inability to talk? What happened to him?

She didn't know, she wasn't sure, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. It weighed heavily on her, maybe not moreso than Reeve because he was the one shouldering the burden, but now she felt like she was out of her league in all of this. What could a small-time forest shrine priestess do for this mercenary from Sesseth, with a blade she couldn't even understand?

A clink sounded off on the front entrance of their bedroom. Laila, perked up, investigated, only to find the heirloom in her hands.

"Take it with you. Gran-mama would be proud of you," Ushered a soft voice before footsteps trailed off; it was safe to assume Tomoe had passed the heirloom down to Laila.

"Hah..." Laila didn't know what to do, now; lost in a field of something she thought would've been simple enough...Now there were just one too many mysteries for her to dive into. She didn't like it. "Just rest up, Reeve...I'm gonna figure this out." And she waited patiently for him to fall asleep, mostly just to make sure he wasn't going to have some kind of death experience like cardiac arrest or something.

 

[Gary Sue]

Even though he couldn't talk and Laila didn't understand everything he said, she was still able to pick up on his thoughts. Tired as he were, he couldn't help but appreciate it and feel happy at the thought that even if he couldn't talk to her... she knew some of what went through his mind. While the two were interacting with one another, the blade and Tomoe had been left to themselves, with Reeve's sword feeling as though it got a bit heavier for a moment once she picked it up, before it went back to its usual.

It was almost like it rejected her request momentarily, before 'deciding to give into it'.

As Reeve was put into bed, he grunted and looked up at the ceiling silently, feeling and looking drained. He turned his head to the side to quietly look at Laila, who held the heirloom silently. Despite having seen her only use her bow so far, it fit her. Even tired, he smiled for her and gave a trusting nod before he felt his eyelids force themselves down on his eyes. Within moments almost, he fell asleep, breathing heavily, but steady. Some of the tears that had welled up in his eyes managed to escape from the corner, and although it didn't become immediately apparent, Reeve was out of it.

Asleep in the real world, and in for a run through of everything that had transpired a few years back, when he got cursed. "I grew to terms with this curse as if I was always this way, because there was nothing more to know about it. I didn't have to think back to it, but Laila wanted to know. So why am I interested in my own situation now more than ever? Is it because Tomoe and Laila know how to deal with magic? Am I hoping for it to be dispelled, or is it just morbid curiosity?"

He didn't know. And if he didn't, who did? He felt a soft breeze brush against his skin as the environment around him almost painted itself one brush stroke at a time. Near the coastline of Sesseth from further out the walls, there was a cave. That's where Zel'kath wanted to explore that day. Standing before it quietly, he looked at it and furrowed his brows. He could already hear the exchange from further on inside.

"Hey, what's so special about this place again?"

"Come on now Reeve, you'll see. But I can guarantee you it's special enough to warrantee needing you around to keep me safe."

"You don't give yourself enough credit sometimes, you know."

The irony in that last statement he'd made stung, in hindsight. It stung so much that his body shuddered as he laid down, and his mouth twitched slightly. With his body heating up, he twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable for the long night ahead. A battle mentally, much more so than it would be physically.

 

[ShredKnives]

While the two were interacting with one another, the blade and Tomoe had been left to themselves, with Reeve's sword feeling as though it got a bit heavier for a moment once she picked it up, before it went back to its usual.

It was almost like it rejected her request momentarily, before 'deciding to give into it'.

...

Maybe Great gran-Papa was lying. Hm.

As Reeve was put into bed, he grunted and looked up at the ceiling silently, feeling and looking drained. He turned his head to the side to quietly look at Laila, who held the heirloom silently. Despite having seen her only use her bow so far, it fit her. Even tired, he smiled for her and gave a trusting nod before he felt his eyelids force themselves down on his eyes. Within moments almost, he fell asleep, breathing heavily, but steady. Some of the tears that had welled up in his eyes managed to escape from the corner, and although it didn't become immediately apparent, Reeve was out of it.

Laila sighed. There was nothing more to do aside from doing what she could...

If she could access his dreams..She could try that. A classic idea of a priest to try to access the dreams of people to look into what ails them, it was an idea that was in the realm of their possibility; poison tended to travel everywhere. It was a magic that few people touched upon, due to its unreliability and most people preferring to go the more advanced route of accessing memories...But this made a two-way channel, and that was less dangerous than the concept of diving into someone's head.

So she did so; with a couple of the pre-made talismans she had, add some purified salt, and a cup of water, she made a little circle around his head, with the cup of water sitting next to her as she bent to her knees and pressed her hands together.

...

Let's go dreamcatching.

 

[Gary Sue]

As Laila managed to enter his dreamscape, Reeve started to move into the cave the voices were coming from. Despite knowing fully well what the place looked like from back then, everything was relatively hazy, as if it had been drawn with watercolors. After all, it could have been just any forest with a cave entrance and it wouldn't make a difference. What had really been etched into his memory, was the layout of the interior. As he walked through the dimly lit, rocky corridor and his silhouette moved just barely out of sight for the ranger to look at, the two voices, audible to both of them, kept going.

"Was that all? I could have sworn on my life there would be another booby trap."

"Hey, Zel... Do you often find rigged caves to explore..?"

"Oh, hush. When have I ever brought you over to an adventure that's no fun at all?"

"I'm not saying it's not, I'm saying it feels out of my league. I'm a bodyguard and an adventurer, not a tomb raider or... whatever this is."

And then, silence. Zel'kath didn't say anything to that, although the corner of his lip had formed a small frown. The two of them came into sight as Reeve finally entered what would be the 'fateful' room. And there he was, standing before himself and leading the way for the Abyssal behind him, wearing a leather coat and slithering across the floor behind him, with a hat donned on his blue head. "... If only I knew.", one of the two voices Laila heard coming from down there echoed as if in her own mind, from nowhere in particular. It wouldn't be too hard to tell that this rather soft, young voice belonged to Reeve.



Once she stepped into the room, the light was probably blinding to look at. But after a moment or two, she'd be able to admire the light blue temple-like feel of the room. Columns all lined up on what was a long room, with small rivers of water by the side and the occasional, more deeply colored pattern here or there. The walls had a few murals, although it was hard to make out exactly what they said. Now that she had seen Reeve's handwriting though, she could tell one thing for sure- they were Abyssal runes. The room was lit up with rather bright lanterns, strengthening its blue hue that much more. They were probably fueled by magic, as the flames inside bore the same color as the Abyssal's scales standing next to the mercenary.

The one that was still capable of talking, at least. The one observing from further behind, although he looked similar, stood out somewhat. He was a bit taller, and even bulkier, but the clothes were mostly the same. Looking over his shoulder, it was definitely Reeve, who had heard Laila walking in. Frowning upon seeing her though, he shook his head. "... No, you weren't here. This was many years ago, and I had never seen you before.", that same voice ringed once more, before he sighed and turned back around at the scene unfolding before him to revisit. "It's not like you can change what happened either way. Watch."

Suffice to say, the knight hadn't realised Laila wasn't quite a figment of his imagination or a part of his dream. As for the other two, they never even paid attention to Reeve, let alone the new onlooker. Like they were in a room on their own, uninterrupted, they continued.

"What's that at the end of the room?"

"That's the end goal. Make sure to check for booby traps along the way, Reeve. Once we're there, we grab the artifact and run off with it."

In the far end of the room, there was a stand. Almost like a throne, but something was stabbed in it. Like the fabled Excalibur, a sword with a purple edge stuck out of it, resting and waiting to be picked up. It felt almost like a vault, although there was regrettably noone protecting it.

"... Interesting. Are you going to sell it off, or keep it for yourself?"

A light chuckle sounded from Zel'kath, rather sinister. "Heh. We'll see once we get it, won't we?"

"Have you understood what's going to happen?", Reeve asked, clearly directed at Laila as he looked at her over his shoulder once more. "How things became the way they did?"

 

[ShredKnives]

As Laila managed to enter his dreamscape, Reeve started to move into the cave the voices were coming from. Despite knowing fully well what the place looked like from back then, everything was relatively hazy, as if it had been drawn with watercolors. After all, it could have been just any forest with a cave entrance and it wouldn't make a difference. What had really been etched into his memory, was the layout of the interior. As he walked through the dimly lit, rocky corridor and his silhouette moved just barely out of sight for the ranger to look at, the two voices, audible to both of them, kept going.

Like wading through water.

Laila believed the best decision was to just prowl, lurk, and scour. If the curse truly affected communication, then it was very likely that dreaming could count as an attempt to communicate, and she wasn't willing to try to bend further into the rules, unlike the more risk-taking Tomoe. In essence, gathering information was more important to her, maybe she could appraise the curse herself and figure out how to dispel it without even going to the origin point. Or even meet Reeve. Just for a little, hear his voice.

I wonder who they are.

Once she stepped into the room, the light was probably blinding to look at. But after a moment or two, she'd be able to admire the light blue temple-like feel of the room. Columns all lined up on what was a long room, with small rivers of water by the side and the occasional, more deeply colored pattern here or there. The walls had a few murals, although it was hard to make out exactly what they said. Now that she had seen Reeve's handwriting though, she could tell one thing for sure- they were Abyssal runes.

Ow...Lights hurt, even in a dream. Still, at least their confirmations were settled, these were absolutely the type of words on a page they could never hope to decipher with the current tools they had now. Tomoe was definitely onto something when it came to searching for a high scholar...She wondered who could fit that bill, though.

The one observing from further behind, although he looked similar, stood out somewhat. He was a bit taller, and even bulkier, but the clothes were mostly the same. Looking over his shoulder, it was definitely Reeve, who had heard Laila walking in. Frowning upon seeing her though, he shook his head. "... No, you weren't here. This was many years ago, and I had never seen you before.", that same voice ringed once more, before he sighed and turned back around at the scene unfolding before him to revisit. "It's not like you can change what happened either way. Watch."

Reeve!

To be very frank, she wasn't expecting to be caught this early, but dream catching wasn't a quiet operation. Upon his order, she indeed, observed, a quiet and blank expression on her face. Dreaming tended to take the emotion out of things, and she was frankly getting tired herself after this whole afternoon.

In the far end of the room, there was a stand. Almost like a throne, but something was stabbed in it. Like the fabled Excalibur, a sword with a purple edge stuck out of it, resting and waiting to be picked up. It felt almost like a vault, although there was regrettably noone protecting it.

"... Interesting. Are you going to sell it off, or keep it for yourself?"

A light chuckle sounded from Zel'kath, rather sinister. "Heh. We'll see once we get it, won't we?"

"Have you understood what's going to happen?", Reeve asked, clearly directed at Laila as he looked at her over his shoulder once more. "How things became the way they did?"

She watched, walking closer to the sword to perhaps, well, get a better gaze at it. She wanted to rub her hand over the handle, but decided against it; Reeve could just describe it for her, anyway. Eventually, she came back until she was next to Reeve, still contemplating on his question.

Finally, she answered.

"You have a nice voice. You would've made a pretty good bard."

 

[Gary Sue]

'This' Laila's mannerisms, the way she moved around and investigated as if she'd learn anything, even the compliment at the end... they all sounded like things she really would do and say. With a snicker, he just gave her a smile. "That sounds like Laila alright.", and with that, he turned back around to watch the other two, taking a few steps closer and stopping around halfway through the room, slightly ahead of them now. "... A bard, huh?"

Even though he dismissed her comment earlier, he seemed to be pondering over it. It wasn't like anyone was going to be reading his thoughts, either way. It was all a dream, void of consequence.

The Abyssal and younger Reeve moved forward together, with nothing getting in their way even once. There was nothing to clear out, and no monsters or guards emerged out of anywhere either. As the two walked ahead, they eventually stopped before the altar. Zel'kath was a few steps and good bit further behind, watching with his arms crossed. "Let's pick it up and go, if there's nothing to take care of then."

"... Sure thing, c'mon.", the knight responded and stepped to the side and next to the altar, giving the Abyssal a smile.

"... Huh? Why aren't you taking it so we can go?"

"It'd be safer if you held onto it, wouldn't it?", a rather simple sentence although he was clearly being somewhat sarcastic with the demihuman.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Of what? The fact you led me to a cave filled with traps and what looks like a temple room, or that you're so much farther behind for no reason? What are you up to?", he asked and slowly slid his sword out, holding it pointed at the floor silently.

"Me? If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so while you were leading the way already. Can you just get going with it?"

"Trying to pressure me into picking up the most suspicious sword in the middle of a 'royal crypt' or whatever this is, doesn't do much to prove your case, Zel. I know you can be sneaky about things. I overheard some people in Sesseth talking about you yesterday, after we finished our expedition."

Finally, a sigh from the taller, deeper voiced Abyssal while he slithered slightly closer. "And what did you hear exactly?"

"You tell me, explorer from Tarlan. As if, right? Because there's oh so many poor Abyssal families in the center of the only landmass most of us have ever known. Hailing from a humble home and setting out to travel- there's not even any chasms or ravines near Tarlan. The story wasn't believable, but it wasn't hard to understand why you cooked it up the more people talked about you. They don't like you, and you don't like them either, do you?"

"And who's that they, Mister Windsor?"

"Are you really playing stupid now? Which was the last Abyssal clan that damn near lopped your head off after we last ran into them?", he clenched his grip on his sword, walking down two steps and glaring daggers at the indifferent cheat before him.

"Fine, you know everything, I get it. So do you understand where we are now?", Zel'kath asked, putting a finger on his chin and tapping it lightly. "Ancient writing on the walls, royal colors all around, take a guess.", he raised his shoulders somewhat, leaning his head in before he snapped his fingers. "Say it with me, come on Reeve-"

"... Do you expect I'll just leave you be and tell noone that you tried to break into your own people's royal tomb to steal... I'll assume an heirloom?"

"Mm... I do think so, yeah. You wouldn't kill anyone, from what I've seen, even if they have no hesitation holding a dagger to your throat."

Everything stopped moving momentarily, as both Reeves flinched. With the younger one ready to jump head first into a battle with the Abyssal and stuck in time almost, he walked up to him and looked down at his sword, crouching to even get a better look at it. "I used to love this sword. It felt just right to swing, and I had bought it with the money I earned from working at dad's workshop back in Tarlan. Not that the one I use right now isn't comfortable, but... I miss it."

Pushing himself back onto his feet, he dusted himself and looked back at Laila. "Your mother and you can sense magic, right? Does anything ring a bell here? Set any alarms off? Or are you 'blessed' with my awareness for it, too?", he asked and tilted his head, inspecting her from the small distance the two had between one another, before he moved back to the halfway point of the corridor. And truthfully, the sword was stacked with curses on top of curses. But perhaps due to this being a dream, there was nothing off about it. No weird smell, no funny feeling or hair raising... it just stayed where it was, quietly inside of the altar, resting undisturbed for a little while longer.

 

[ShredKnives]

So this is the taste of his history with the blade...It was like reading something out of legend, what Reeve had to tangle with...It certainly gave off the vibrance of a hero's tragic tale.

"I used to love this sword. It felt just right to swing, and I had bought it with the money I earned from working at dad's workshop back in Tarlan. Not that the one I use right now isn't comfortable, but... I miss it."

...Swords must've been important. Tomoe cherished the blade as if it was Laila as well. It saved lives, but it saved its wielder, even at the cost of others.

Pushing himself back onto his feet, he dusted himself and looked back at Laila. "Your mother and you can sense magic, right? Does anything ring a bell here? Set any alarms off? Or are you 'blessed' with my awareness for it, too?",

"Unfortunately, dreams don't work like that. It can only play the way you experienced it. Too unreliable for any real curse appraisal, especially since your dream is just a process of comprehension while you sleep...It's snippets of information at best."

Laila, judging from her expression, had seemingly tried to do it before and it went sour.

"But, this is good."

She smiled.

"I can talk to you this way. I guess even a punishment like a curse has its loopholes. Maybe magic will advance and we'll somehow figure out a way...Or we might even end up asking someone for a little guidance."

...

"Arioon's family, when they married into the blacksmiths to create the ego-weapon...They never succeeded in that generation or the next one."

"Mom seems to think our heirloom was a step forward in the direction though. I have a step-cousin. Arioon's father's brother's daughter, I only remember because Arioon wouldn't shut up about it. They work together to study the forging process...And...I think they might have a chance to look into your sword and figure out how to alleviate the curse. Tomoe might be asking about her, and if it comes down to it...After this quest, we can look for them. I'll help you out, mmhm?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Although Reeve was hearing Laila loud and clear, he didn't say anything and instead lowered his head, looking at the ground somewhat saddened. Although he didn't say anything in particular to her, she could still hear his thoughts loud and clear. "Of course you can talk to me. That's just what I'd want to hear, isn't it?". Tormented by this curse, getting forced to watch the scenario play out before his eyes again, he now had this cruel image of Laila teasing him with actual back and forth dialogue like this. But she hadn't said anything new- maybe this whole cousin shtick sounded believable enough... "Keep watching."

That seemed to be the final response from him before a shaky sigh followed, and everything resumed once again. As everything came back into motion, the younger Reeve walked towards Zel'kath slowly and carefully. "I won't kill even if you deserve it, but I will wound you enough so you can't resist and then turn you in. You can't go around stealing ancient treasures and escaping the blame for it- and that's not all, either. There's something else."



No response. Only a grin, as the Abyssal pulled out what seemed like a machete. "Something else? Like what?", he asked with a cocky hum to his voice before he launched himself at the knight, who also lunged at his opponent. The two crossed blades, although Reeve managed to quickly break the two's contact and attempted a flurry of attacks, all blocked with surprising dexterity. He was almost swept off his feet by the Abyssal's tail, looking down at it just to get slashed at. Although he managed to dodge the hit, his arm was grazed and he found himself grunting, some blood starting to stream down it.

"I told you before, didn't I? I needed you for this.", the mocking tone only got to the mercenary more as he clenched his sword's hilt with both hands, going in with a heavy upward slash. It was enough to knock Zel's weapon away as he blocked the attack, and just when he was going to go for a clean hit on the traitor, something seemingly hit Reeve's shoulder and left a burn on his clothes. The demihuman slithered further away, cackling almost maniacally as Reeve turned to see nothing, initially at least. After a few seconds though, a dome started to fade, revealing another Abyssal with slightly darker colored scales and what looked like a focus in his hands.

"I meant it when I said I needed you. You'll have to pick up that sword if you want a fighting chance, Reeve."

This egging him on was starting to get to him, as Reeve looked at his shoulder and tried to assess the situation. Zel had brought an ally over, that seemed to be capable of using magic. In a one on one situation, he already seemed to be stronger than he had let on the past few expeditions together, but with someone providing cover fire... it was going to be tough. That didn't seem to do much to dissuade him though, as he widened his stance and glared right into Zel, who was reaching for something behind him. "You're biting off more than you can chew, don't tell me I didn't try once I'm done with you."

Big words for sure, and... frankly, the result wasn't too pretty. Any time he tried to attack Zel, he got struck with weak magical bolts that burnt to the touch, leaving marks or even slight burns on his skin, thankfully not permanent scars. Whenever he tried to shift focus and catch them by surprise, the trickster threw all sorts of tools his way, including throwing knives, needles or even darts. Just when Reeve could have sworn he was getting a feel for how to move forwards, he heard something from behind him and giving a quick peek over his shoulder, he felt something slashing his back and wounding him, although not fatally.

There was a third Abyssal, lurking in the shadows up to now- one with a dagger in his hand, dressed more lightly and slithering around like he were swimming. "Take it or leave it, boy. I'm sure you'd rather take a sword than lose your life though, isn't that correct?"



The assassin had backed off, but he was practically surrounded. Before he got the chance to even compose himself again, Zel abruptly made a run straight for him, slashing forwards with his machete. What Reeve hadn't noticed, was a rather dim, pitch black glow around his sword. The caster had enhanced it, and the power of the attack was felt when he managed to block it by the skin of his teeth. How so? His sword was cut clean, like it were a sheet of paper. With his eyes widening, his fight or flight instinct fully kicked in and he ran back and up the stairs, standing before the altar. "Now or never, Reeve. I'll give you to the count of three."

Everything seemingly came to a halt once more, as Reeve turned to look at Laila. Squinting, he tried to hold himself from tearing up. "... This hurts. I could have been smarter about everything and not taken the job with Zel since I knew he wasn't good people, yet I did. I lost my sword, and then...", silence. He stopped talking, looking away and raising a hand to wipe his tears on his sleeve before he looked at the tragedy just waiting to happen. Reeve was frozen with a hand already reaching behind him to grab the sword's hilt, and that image... it hurt him. "I brought all of this upon myself that day. Urgh. I thought I could rise up to the occasion on my own, but I couldn't. They weren't even seriously trying to kill me. They were just toying with me to coerce me into cooperating. And it-"

He choked up, clenching his fist. "... It worked."