Fantasy Wherever the Wind Takes You

[ShredKnives]

"... But this is a memory... T-Tch. Hey, Laila.",

Laila oop'd.

"Hi, Reeve!"

"I don't know if Tomoe meant it for the real Alina or not, but... Your heirloom. Unsheathe it and place it on your hand like this.", he grumbled and pointed at his knuckles, the same way her mother had shown him the day they set out. "I can't tell you anything more than this. But you should get to it, just in case."

"Huh...? Alright, then."

...

Alina grinned, flashing her straight white teeth. "You ever casted randomized flower gardens? It's also pretty useless, but it makes for a killer farm for magic ingredients."
"Never, uh...Had the time to learn that."
"Know what, maybe you should. Just saying!"

She did so.

...

The memory suddenly cut off, returning them into the pitch black hole they had been falling in for several minutes by now.

...

A broken voice pierced the darkness. "...Tomoe?"

Laila stared at Reeve with wide eyes, before turning to the darkness.

"ALLY!!"

Naturally, Laila was going through a torrent of emotions. Confusion, shock, relief, heart-clenched. There could've been a thousand words to describe her emotions, but there was nothing more compacted than the single name she just uttered.

"Hah...Laila? Shit...Why did you come here...?"

"To stop whatever was happening here, dumbass!! Are you okay?! Where  were you?! How are you here?!"

"You'll find out in a minute..."

"That doesn't help, asshat!"

"Fine. I'm fine. Kind of."

"...No you're not, tell me how to get the hell out of this bottomless pit!!"

"Tilt in one direction until you feel the wind resistance, cast Detect Magic, then grab on. Whatever you do, don't cast Light."

Laila glanced at Reeve; unfortunately, now that they were no longer in that dreamwalking state, he couldn't convey his thoughts, but she didn't care. For her, it was do or die.

"Grab on."

Slowly but surely, she'd tilt her body into a single direction, waiting for Reeve to either follow or hold on to her.

 

[Gary Sue]

The two's freefall started once more, and Reeve let out another gasp. He was getting used to this feeling over and over again, but there was something foreboding about this event repeating this time once more. So looking over at Laila, he quickly heard a voice and took his sword out, before realising it sounded like- "L-Laila, we don't know if it's the real Alina or not, don't do anything stupid!", he tried to warn her, but Laila and Alina continued to talk like normal. No matter how much he tried to protest and stop her, nothing seemed to get through to her. "Hey, I'm talking to you! What if it's the shadows, I-"

With a frustrated huff, he realised that now in their drop again, he was completely useless in terms of actually communicating with his companion once more. He furrowed his brows, looking down at his sword and trying to focus. If he didn't know, she would. But still, even his sword seemed to be the same as before. "There's someone around, but where..? Why can't you be more helpful, you stupid...", he groaned and watched Laila do as 'Alina' instructed her.

He was skeptical, but if she were doing it, he couldn't do much but follow suit. So he quietly unsheathed his sword, tilted his body slightly, held onto her wrist and with a shaky breath, gave her a nod as if telling her to cast her spell and see where it got them. "God damn you... Tomoe, how the hell do you know everything going on..? I have questions for her once we get out of this, if this isn't a trap by whoever is casting all these illusions to begin with..."

 

[ShredKnives]

Of course, Laila didn't seem too interested in following Reeve's protests, only eventually catching onto his suspicions once his sword seemed drawn.

"What the- why are you..." Laila began, before her eyes focused on his body language.

She hesitated; of course, it seemed like a dream come true. This was all boiling down to something planned; she accepts the quest with a new partner, they break through and dive into her memories, and use the voice of her missing friend to lure her into "escaping the hole." In her eyes, this was the perfect chance to reunite with her friend. But for an outsider like Reeve, this could've been the peak of a manipulation tactic.

...She stopped casting anything, hesitating as she sheathed her sword. "You're right...It could be a trap, it could be a trap...How do we know it's not a trap..."

...

"There's no way out, though..."

Laila took a deep breath; now she was panicking, potentially getting manipulated into her own demise, right as soon as they were closing in on the ritual and stopping this village once and for all.

This could've been the last step of it all.

Laila glanced at Reeve. "Thanks. I forgot that in here, we've got all the time in the world."

"Hey, Ally."

"What."

"How do I know you're not tricking me?"

"Fuck, do you want my life story? I've been stuck in chains with a missing arm, trying to stop some fuckwits from starting a cult. So when you cast Light or Detect Magic or whatever lame-ass spell you have while falling down a hole of your own memories, you're going to be in for a real shitty visual aid on what that looks like."

"Tell me something only Ally would know!"

"That wouldn't fucking help if ol' Alina here, which is me, jumped into this hole and got memory dived as well, shitnugget. If this is some kind of fisherman's bait to you, I'm about to really let loose some sailor talk, dumbfuck."

Laila blinked, glancing at Reeve.

She doesn't sound like she knows you're with me.

"Okay, but what about the sword gesture, what's that all about?"

"Verdina and Tomoe had a dumbass argument about casting methods. Verdina liked material, Tomoe preferred somatic...So after calling each other whores for seven minutes, they got drunk and made up a stupid method type that combined the two."

"I didn't know about that," Laila commented.

"Because you weren't supposed to  know about it. Tomoe, Verdina, and I swore secrecy, because Verdina turned it into a sequencing spell that telepathically links to my voice. Fucking shitlipped asshole..."

"Which one?"

"Whichever one leads you to getting me out of here. Are you just fucking brainstorming if I'm a fake in there, or are you making small talk? Hoho, so cute, you get to talk to a fucking wall in pitch darkness. LOVE IT HERE! Couldn't be better, myself. My day's going great! Get your ass in here and throw me a fucking bone. Know what, go fucking cast Light, I don't give a shit."

Laila glanced at Reeve. "What do you think?" She whispered.

 

[Gary Sue]

Whatever the two were talking about, 'Alina' was right. If she did get memory dived, then there really was nothing only she would know and the caster wouldn't. Which got him thinking, was there some way to rationalise this and make sure it was a safe move..? Just thinking back at Laila's assumption they had all the time in the world was making him panic a little bit, uncertain if the loop could just end, and with a splat they'd be gone. For all they knew, this voice could just be an attempt at 'calming them down' as far as the prospect of a sudden landing against concrete would go.

"Assuming all of this isn't lies... Verdina wasn't mentioned in the previous flashback, but... Ugh. Come on, think...", he tried to get his gears working as Laila looked at him, giving her a pained, thoughtful look. He was just as uncertain, so he looked down at his hip, staring at his sword. "Anything could be a trap, for all I know even Laila could be fake... We're surrounded by illusions, so who's to say all of this isn't a dream to begin with? It'd make sense, because...", he flinched slightly at the thought, but finished it nonetheless. "Urgh. There's no way Laila could have heard my voice or seen my own dream."

Another dead end. He looked down at his palm, clenching his fist. Was there really nothing? He turned it over, looking at the back of his hand, and that's when it all clicked. He raised his head and with a determined and now confident look, he nodded at Laila. He held on to his sword's hilt regardless, but he was as sure as he'd ever be. "We can't trust anything we see inside of this dream, so we have to stick with- no, I have to stick with what little information I have from beforehand. Tomoe only told me about this gesture, and if it really is just Laila's memories getting dug into, considering they've been targetting her from the getgo... Then there's no way they'd know to react to that gesture specifically. Everything kept going normally until then."

Reeve nodded with a deep exhale, although that was more of an attempt to reassure none other than himself. "This is as far as we can get with just thought, so... All she has to do is cast Detect Magic and we'll get to the bottom of it. We're surrounded to begin with, so if it's a trap, so be it. I'll do what I can to protect her.", his thoughts concluded, and his grip on her arm tightened if only for a moment. Perhaps it was for him to reaffirm his standing by her, or because he wanted to give her the green light. "Let's see who this Alina is."

 

[ShredKnives]

Well...At least Laila had a bit of backup for this occasion. With such a mysterious path ahead of her, there was something awfully comforting with knowing there was a companion at her side to hold her hand and help her through it.

"All right...Okay. Ally, we're coming."

...She, with him following, tilted her body and followed the path of most resistance.

Wind resistance pushed against them, the first sign. Next...

"Detect Magic..."

Her eyes locked onto something. Whatever it was, he couldn't see it. But she could.

She grabbed onto it. Their bodies were tugged away from the hole like they were being pulled from quicksand. Whatever was happening, it was pulling them away from a time loop.

"L-levitate!!"

They fell towards the ground, their bodies bouncing against what felt like rock like pillows. Apparently the fall wasn't much higher than two feet. The levitation wore off immediately after, as Laila and Reeve were caught in total darkness.

"Uhh...Ally?"

The sounds of chains hits the wall.

"Over here. Just cast Light and uh. You might wanna open your eyes real slow. You could vomit."

"L...Light."



The light illuminated a pool of dried blood. It trailed all over the place, sporadic like someone had been mutilated and let the blood gush all around them. The walls, spiked and grainy like the inside of a flesheater, closed in around them like a dome.

And at the wall was an Alina. Chained to the wall with a metal that looked similar to rusted silver, her arm was shriveled up, clearly cleaved at the forearm. Though she wore her tavernkeep outfit, her clothes had been reduced to ashen colors, corroded with age and frays. Her other arm was entirely missing, a chain on the other side leaving it dangling.

Next to her, a pile of arms. Judging by the decaying thumbs, the bite gaps, the claw marks, and the same thumb in the same position on the hand...

Her mouth is tainted with blood, dried and all over her throat and clothes. Her French bun undone into a dirty cascade and her blue eyes a dim teal, she let out a loose huff as she stared at the two. Her body had been long since through the wringer with bruises, cuts, cleaves, and all sorts of injuries that definitely could not be survived by a normal human. She looked like she had sat there for years.

She coughed, jutting her head at Reeve. "Who's the friend?"

Laila stared at her, having been petrified in place since she casted Light. She was hyperventilating. "What the fuck..."

"Don't cast Minor Healing. Don't cast anything even near the holy category. Conjure Water."

Streams of water from the rocks fed her thirst as it rinsed away new blood, but failed to get rid of the dry marks as she gulped it down. Was this how she was surviving?

"I- You're not Ally, I-"

"Take a look at that pile of my left hand."

Somewhere at the mess that was her arm, they could see the glimmer of a handle, clutched in one of those handles. A sword handle, to be exact, in which the blade was completely destroyed, its metal dulled and corroded from all of the blood.

...A Whale's Hair.

"You..." Laila fell to her knees. "R-Reeve...I-We should...G-get her out of those chains. Or- s-something, a-anything, I- I don't know what to do...?!"

Alina sighed. "Deep breaths. The more you panic, the more gullible you become."

 

[Gary Sue]

Reeve did his best to steel himself when he heard Laila begin casting. And they finally landed. Now on solid floor one more time, he looked around the darkness before it was lit, and when it was- if Laila was hyperventilating already, the vanguard's lungs had to be hanging out of his mouth already. He inflated and deflated constantly, looking at the pile and losing focus for a moment. In that same moment, he really had vomited just as Alina said they might.

He felt horrible, like something was churning his insides and reaching inside of him. Even so though, shaking and panicking as he were, he did what he could to glue his courage together for just a few more minutes. Through watery eyes, he looked at Alina and quietly approached her, his resolve trying its damndest to wane with every step. But he didn't let it. Once he was before the bloodied up and gored woman, he raised his sword and held it with both hands. His grip was weak, and if Laila could focus on his hands, she'd see just how much they were shaking.

The light around his blade had begun to dim by now, and what must have been the blessing on its last legs was used up with the next slash. A loud thwack echoed when he cut at the chains, and as the glow from his sword faded, so did the chains. Their rings came apart, and Alina would probably drop on the floor in the state she was. The brunette couldn't do much but quietly keep looking though, and he wanted to curl up into a ball and call it a day, give it all up. But he didn't. He looked back at Laila, tunneling on her and giving a smile as bitter as when she saw him back in the Abyssal temple.

His head had gone fully quiet, with no thoughts really making their way around. The silence was almost deafening, and he could hear his own heartbeat louder than he could hear either of the two's breathing. So with what little strength he had, physically and mentally, he took off his cloak and draped it over Alina, giving her a sorrowful look. He was disgusted, he was sad, he was scared, he was weak, he was many things. Why would someone do this? How did she survive? And why did it have to make the situation any worse?

Maybe he wasn't overwhelmed by the mere sight of it all as much as he was by the sword urging him to let it feast on all of the blood by them. Presumably, all of this was Alina's, and yet his sword was relentless, yearning for more power like it always did. He was just a few steps away from letting it bathe in all the power it wanted, and he'd be rid of this splitting migraine it was causing him if he did, too. Just moments away from making all of this go away and catching a break. He was being tested, and his patience and will really were waning, as was his resolve. But trying to stay in one piece with all he had, he didn't let them.

 

[ShredKnives]

Alina had never looked so comforted. She let loose a sigh of relief as her arm slunk back to her side, and she fell to her knees. She couldn't stand up, not yet. But she raised her head, nodding towards them.

"Thanks."

"Haha-haah-hah-haaah...Oh, Gods..." Laila whimpered, "Al-Alina, what happened to you...?"

She wasn't sure if she could've handled this alone without Reeve. Everything that they did, now leading up to this...Whatever this was.

The first thing Alina did was walk up to Laila and grab her hand.

"Relax. I'm still here."

"An...An answer would be nice..." Laila weeped.

"...I guess I'll go over the most important bit. I barged into Ruina for answers. Fucked around and found out that they've been slowly converting the bodies of their villagers into...Something different. I'm currently one of those lucky subjects, hm?"

She opened her mouth, baring her fangs; shockingly contrast to her straight teeth from the flashback, she had pure snake-like teeth, curving just slightly in towards the tongue. She had a pair of daggers for fangs.

"Got turned into a laboratory vampire. They drained my blood. You're walking around in what used to be my human blood. Got stuck here. Had a lot of guts in my first year. They tore those out. Went insane in the second year. They tore out my insanity, so I tried to rip out my arm by biting it off, escape the chains that way. Didn't work out, it kept growing back and I was too exhausted to get both arms before they'd come back and re-chain me. By the third year, I was stuck in my own thoughts. Fed off of water and my own blood."

Laila had already stopped listening by the second half, embracing Alina as much as she could, uncaring of the blood stains and the dirtiness and whatever else stood in their way. Laila was just happy. Happy to see Alina.

"Hey..." She hiccuped. "Did you..."

"Yeah, I learned a shit ton of magic. Hey, who's your friend?"

"R-Reeve..."

Alina turned her gaze to Reeve. "'Ppreciate it. I'll get you two out of here. Also, your sword is fucking with me. I can feel the energy trying to claim residency in my head. Does it take blood sacrifices or something?"

 

[Gary Sue]

The two talked and talked, yet Reeve wasn't paying them any mind. Their voices were blending in with the background, and the only thing keeping him standing was the fact that they were still stuck in this... place. He wasn't quite sure where the real caster was or how to deal with him, but that had to happen sooner or later, right? His eyes were pinned right on the pile of gore though.

His sword's voice got louder and louder, but he didn't seem to listen. Instead, Alina was more bothered than anything. He heard her when she talked to him, turning his head slightly and giving her a look that could only be described as worn out. He had no more energy in him, nothing else pushing him forwards to 'just get through this'. He knew as soon as they were safe that he was going to be taking a good, brief break to refill his mental reserves.

It didn't take much to answer her question though, but a simple nod. And with that, he looked down at his blade, the gem on its guard shining and glimmering in attempts to communicate something across to him. One could swear he was almost contemplating it with how he looked at the pile, although he was holding himself back with all he had. Feeling his body faltering slightly from all the mental stress that had made his body weak by now, his legs began to give in and got him to lean forwards. Before he even knew it, he was on his knees. It felt like with every blink of his eyes, more and more time passed than it should have.

So he turned to the other two, giving them a silent stare and shaking his head. He could try and push himself, but right now there was little he could do for anyone, himself included. His body wouldn't budge no matter how much he wanted it to, and he'd lost his voice, literally and metaphorically. He didn't have the energy or mental capacity to try and communicate anything to them, as he just continued to blankly look at the others with his sword rather weakly held in his hands. "..."

 

[ShredKnives]

So he turned to the other two, giving them a silent stare and shaking his head. He could try and push himself, but right now there was little he could do for anyone, himself included. His body wouldn't budge no matter how much he wanted it to, and he'd lost his voice, literally and metaphorically. He didn't have the energy or mental capacity to try and communicate anything to them, as he just continued to blankly look at the others with his sword rather weakly held in his hands. "..."

Laila wasn't exactly in better shape either; this entire quest had drained them more than ever. Laila had been put through a lot, only barely spearheading the journey for the sake of ensuring their despair would be delayed...But now it looks like they were at the crux of it all.

Sometimes...It was okay to turn back.

Alina glanced at the both of them. She sighed. "Let's get out of here, first."

---

In the end, Laila decided they should turn back and set up camp outside Ruina for a little bit. She casted some water-related spells to clean up the mess that was Alina, fixed up the hair, and just straight up gave her whatever Laila could take off, alongside whatever Reeve volunteered. Just in case, Alina threw up some quick disguises for them, randomly adjusting clothes to be just a little out of place. Crooked collars, asymmetric socks, and all sorts of funny details before she took some dirt from the walls and did a little smearing over them.

"They won't be as much of an asshole if you look like them."

Alina's casting of magic was far more versatile and effective. From Levitate to Light to even casting illusions over their bodies to make their clothes seemed dirtier, she had a far better grasp on magic than they might hope to ever achieve, and she was casting them all at the same time.

Escape from the graveyard was almost a piece of cake.

"Just let me deal with them."

No one touched them. Whether it was because Alina herself was now considered a creature of the dark arts or because her magic was so powerful, they feared her; well, it was a bit unknown, but Laila leaned on the former.

Leaving the village was even easier. There were less people giving them the strange looks and the crooked eyes, and when they did, Alina's glare was so dangerously sharp and furious that they looked away like they had just seen a ghost.

And then they were out of the village.

They would stop as soon as they couldn't see the village anymore, burying themselves into the trees.[/MEDIA]

Alina suddenly set fire to a pre-made bundle of sticks. The convenience of magic. Alina drops to a seat on the grass, slumping into the dirt, waiting for them all to take their breaks and relax.

"That Memory Dive spell was mine. I made it after the second year so I could get those cultists to fuck off. Fucking Tomoe. Why'd she tell you?"

"Huh? She...Didn't." Laila was too tired to push for any further contribution.

"Then why did she tell you?"  Alina eyed Reeve carefully. "Not expecting you to know the answer, I'm just...Bullshitting with myself. Hm...Did she know what I was doing...? No, no...She might've been worried Laila would do it over and over until she got a hold of me...And then accidentally push her to fall into a trap if some fucker knew our relationship. Paranoia, concern, or...She's been in the know about...Something."

Alina sighed. "Hey, Reeve. Is something bad gonna happen if I feed that sword?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Throughout their small trip going in and out of Ruina, until they camped aside, Reeve was almost hollow. He remained rather emotionless, tired and fatigued. His body was on the verge of giving up, as was Laila probably. They eventually arrived out to the camp, and he was quick to slump against a tree and slide down until he was seated. His breathing was heavy, and his body shook and shuddered with every breath. When he heard the two talk, he raised his head and looked at them.

"Then why did she tell you?"

He... didn't know. So he shook his head silently, hearing her talk about Laila's mother and squinting his eyes. She really did know something, there was no reason she'd randomly disclose such a technique to Reeve of all people. He raised a hand to hold his head once Alina sighed, feeling his slight headache return. He was too tired to be giving it that much thought. And then, he heard something that raised his hairs and got that horrible ringing in his head to start back up.

With a groan, his hand's grip became a bit firmer and he nodded at her. If she could really hear how thirsty his sword was, she'd probably be able to hear its vile pleas for more blood, more power and more action. It wanted to cut and kill, and its desire to do so had only resurfaced because of all that... the undead, the dungeon she was held in, all of this violence hit much too close to home. For as well as he'd gotten over the trauma of the Abyssal incident, reliving it the night before and then going through all this the very next day...

Images of what had gone down back then went through him. The only two people he'd ever killed, and it was entirely out of reflex too, without any second thought. The very same way Laila had destroyed those horrible flesh puppets. They weren't really alive, but... he could see himself in her movements back then. The bad part of himself, at least. "A knight with a weak stomach, and an even weaker will to kill... What a joke.", he berated himself as his eyes watered and he even started to sob.

There was no more holding back, these tears, this guilt, all of what he'd been trying not to let out for the torturous quest that was almost over. And he wallowed on and on. Sob after sob, short and sharp breaths, sniffling and his body spazzed every single time. It didn't take more than a moment's glance to tell, but... he was out of it. Completely broken, and he'd get back up on his feet... just not now. For now, he was safe, and that's all that mattered. He needed to rest.

 

[ShredKnives]

What a rough look for the both of them. Laila hadn't expected this amount of discovery in such a short time. So many things, awful things that had happened so fast...Laila was expecting a simple ritual to stop, not...Whatever they were uncovering on the spot. What was going on? What didn't her mother tell her? She was now just as confused and lost and panicky as Reeve, only resisting the urge to break down because...Of Alina...And Reeve.

Alina was stuck in thought. She was wondering what to do about that blade.

Images of what had gone down back then went through him. The only two people he'd ever killed, and it was entirely out of reflex too, without any second thought. The very same way Laila had destroyed those horrible flesh puppets. They weren't really alive, but... he could see himself in her movements back then. The bad part of himself, at least. "A knight with a weak stomach, and an even weaker will to kill... What a joke.", he berated himself as his eyes watered and he even started to sob.

There was no more holding back, these tears, this guilt, all of what he'd been trying not to let out for the torturous quest that was almost over. And he wallowed on and on. Sob after sob, short and sharp breaths, sniffling and his body spazzed every single time. It didn't take more than a moment's glance to tell, but... he was out of it. Completely broken, and he'd get back up on his feet... just not now. For now, he was safe, and that's all that mattered. He needed to rest.

"Something's going on here...Is Verdina part of this? Am I being fucked over? No, that can't be it...Motherfuckers...If Tomoe's been caught in that cult bullshit, I'm going to rip off someone's head. Doesn't make any fucking sense..."

Something clicked. Alina grabbed Laila by the shoulders, firstly.

"Conjure water."

Water slapped Laila by the face, her panic converted into sheer shock and anger.

"C-COLD!!! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Laila, who the fuck was on Ari's heat list? Do you know? Did she say anything about it?"

"H-huh!? Wh-wha-"

"Fucking- DEEP BREATHS. NOW. IN."

"Hh-ah?! H-haah..."

"OUT."

"Hooh..."

Laila relaxed within a few seconds, as Alina shot a glance to Laila's partner. She looked like she was going to swear, but quickly bit her tongue.

"Your buddy's crying. Hurry up and go comfort him. Come on. We're not about to start calling it quits right now."

Laila nodded her head slowly as she approached Reeve. Calm, collected, still shaken...But she was somewhat controlling her panic now. She wrapped her arm around him, pulling him into a soft embrace.

"It's okay, it's okay...We'll get through this. I know it's been tough, just relax and let it all out...We're still here, still okay, so just breathe..."

...

---

Feeling Alina's cold body continued to be a shocker to her, like Laila was feeling a corpse at a morgue...But hearing the voice of her newly-found friend was more than enough to keep her spirits and mentality in check. Alina was far too grounded in reality to keep Laila stuck in the vastness of her own mental space.

"Ari's heat list. Who was on it. Did she describe it, what was she tasked with, where was she?"

"I-I don't know...Someone in Veila, she said..."

Alina stood up, grinding her teeth as she punched a tree stump with her only arm, an angry growl piercing her teeth. "Mother-fucker! God fucking damn it, no wonder I got taken off the fucking shift...! Is she still there?"

"Y-yes?!"

"I knew it, I fucking knew it. Arioon sucks shit when it comes to detecting magic. I shouldn't have fucking said anything. I fucking blabbered it out to her like an idiot, and they tried to fuck my head over so I wouldn't uncover it. Arioon probably fucking reported it to her family like the dog she is and then they passed it on...To who, to who...?"

"What are you talking about??" Laila asked, still utterly confused. Taken out of her broken state, she was now just trying to figure out what dots Alina was connecting.

"I was the one who gave Arioon the report about the shithead in Veila. I was suspicious that someone was masking themselves as a person of Veila to lure them into Ruina and act as volunteer sacrifices for the ritual. Vessels, whatever. All in one package; big town gets an extra missing persons poster on their board, small ass village gets some free loot from entry fees, cult gets a free vessel to experiment on. So I told Arioon, asked her to see if she could get the Church to look into it. Probably ended up telling her family because 'they're higher-ranking' or whatever, and they ended up telling someone that wasn't the fucking Church, probably that asshat who's in disguise, and then fucked over everything!!"

"W-wait, how can you be so certain about that?" She shot a few glances at Reeve, completely lost in whatever the hell Alina was talking about.

"Because people like you can't do anything about it. Tomoe was still deployed at the time, and you were playing happy feet with the fucking fireflies. Arioon kisses her mom and dad's ass on the daily because it's the only thing stopping her from getting beaten. And you know what else? Fucking Sharena? None of the Royal Knights knew jackshit what was happening when I talked to them. Meaning that whoever Arioon reported to, either reported the wrong fucking people, or the right people reported the wrong fucking people. And now Arioon got told to play detective in a job she's not specialized in! Gods, why does everyone have problems..."

Alina's knuckles bleed as she she sighed; shortly after, her wounds already began to close up, and there was a sprouting of a new limb coming from her mutilated shoulder. "I need to get to her. I need to know who she reported to. If we stop this ritual, we're just stopping a small part of whatever they've got going on. Just go to bed. We'll make those cultists eat shit in the morning."

Laila couldn't help but ask... "Are you gonna...Burn in the sunlight?"

"'Course not, now go rest up. You too, Reeve. I'll stay watch...Since I can't sleep. Or eat, for that matter. Blah. I'll suck your fucking blood if you don't drop dead."

 

[Gary Sue]

He did his best to not be so loud when they began to almost shout at one another, but he was still too self-absorbed to be able to tell what was going on. Before he knew it, Laila's arms were wrapped around him and he instinctively leaned forwards, returning the hug and starting to cry even more. It was hard to tell, with his breathing and sniffling being all that sounded, no voice to couple them, but he was probably shouting.

This went on for a good while as she continued to comfort him, but after a good few minutes, he had settled down... relatively. He was still very upset and completely out of it, worn out like the rags he was wearing, but he had mostly managed to stay quiet because he passed out halfway through his outburst. Now left resting while leaning against the tree he was by, the two started to talk again. His mind was wandering, but... to nowhere in particular. It was odd.

Despite being unconscious, he could still vaguely hear what all was being said. Something about Arioon, Veila, Ruina... Reeve struggled, gave it his all and eventually managed to open his eyes again, looking at the two silently with a confused look. Anything he picked up from there onwards was that someone fucked up, and it probably was the 'heat list' person to blame. "... I knew it...", he tiredly commented in the back of his mind and grunted, looking at Laila as she turned to him, and then back to Alina.

The question of Alina being a vampire was... worrisome. They were meant to be these wicked, creatures of the dark, and yet... she was alright. She was just like them, and she could even joke around at this time. "... She's still alive after all that, and yet she's sane. How strong is she..?", a small hint of admiration sounded in the back of his mind as he shook his head and tried to move, to push himself up so he could go find a better spot to rest, but... his body had practically grown roots by now.

His muscles were sore and he couldn't move almost any if he tried. "Guess I'm staying here.", he sighed and looked at Laila, offering a weakened smile. And with that, he laid his head back again, closed his eyes, and went right back to sleep. Maybe to get some peace of mind, and maybe to rest so he could walk all the way back to the shrine tomorrow and take a one or two day vacation. "... As if, right?"

 

[ShredKnives]

The question of Alina being a vampire was... worrisome. They were meant to be these wicked, creatures of the dark, and yet... she was alright. She was just like them, and she could even joke around at this time. "... She's still alive after all that, and yet she's sane. How strong is she..?", a small hint of admiration sounded in the back of his mind as he shook his head and tried to move, to push himself up so he could go find a better spot to rest, but... his body had practically grown roots by now.

His muscles were sore and he couldn't move almost any if he tried. "Guess I'm staying here.", he sighed and looked at Laila, offering a weakened smile. And with that, he laid his head back again, closed his eyes, and went right back to sleep. Maybe to get some peace of mind, and maybe to rest so he could walk all the way back to the shrine tomorrow and take a one or two day vacation. "... As if, right?"

Laila inevitably was caught embracing Reeve as well, only loosely grinning; on the bright side, they were alive with Alina, the person Laila had been looking for! Her mind was drowsy, too, and now that everything had finally passed the tipping point of their journey, Laila could rest a little easier today.

...

Alina looked up at the moonlit sky. Hours have passed since Laila and Reeve would fall asleep, her arm still growing. She yawned.

...

"The fuck? I yawned. I'm not even tired."

---

Laila woke first to the sight of flowers.

Alina had been walking around the still maintained campfire, her fingers snapping into life the organic plants of roses and sunflowers, sprinkling them across the air of a morning dawn. With her eyes closed, she treated her spell-casting like a dance, humming to herself as she waved her hands around like a conductor. Flowers of different kinds sprouted from the ground as she danced a waltz around the fire, all alone.

Her body moved like a spring breeze. Floaty, never quite attainable, never quite reachable. As the apprentice of a witch, she had the moves of one perfectly; slow, yet sharp. Unorthodox, but graceful. Her other hand seemed normal once more, her eyes only opening when she sniffed.

"Your blood veins open up when you wake up. Vampires make for great night guards, huh?"

"Why don't you burn in sunlight?" Laila asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Modified variant. Named me a daywalker, because I can walk in the sun."

"You just can't cast holy spells anymore...?"

"Yep. You could probably revivify me, but I might turn to ashes, so I wouldn't wholly recommend it.. I think your buddy's waking up."

 

[Gary Sue]

The man's head had been in a weird place since before he fell asleep, but it all drew to a blank overnight. Despite all the stress and fatigue, physically and mentally, he felt no more tired than he would any other day after a short while. Any time he began to feel the wear of this adventure, he could feel the warmth of Laila's arms around him, as if she was telling him she was there and it was going to be okay. "... Why? You're not the one meant to-"



His voice was interrupted by distant talking, grass rustling and wood crackling as if a campfire was lit nearby. Reeve tried to look around in his empty dreamscape, floating in an endless sea of dark, but nothing. As moments passed, he was quick to realise that the voices were getting closer and closer, and he wasn't just floating around- he was propped against something, hugging someone. "... Right. I was..."

"... I think your buddy's waking up."

A light groan in response, as he slowly opened his eyes and eased the light into his vision, so he wouldn't get blinded by the soft glare. "... asleep. And Laila was too.", he finished his thought and turned his head slightly to look at the archer, giving her a small smile. His cheeks were burning up, but he felt... happy. Comfortable, and probably a lot safer than he should have after all yesterday put him through. Although he couldn't say anything, his expression spoke for itself- "Thank you." is probably what he would have said, if he could.

Reeve was rather slow to take his arms back from around her, letting her get up and move about if she so chose. For now, he stayed in the same position that had definitely cramped him somewhat, letting out a deep breath before yawning. He was groggy, relaxed, and a bit too much so for the knightly look he'd tried so hard to upkeep thus far. "I wonder if this is what things would be like back at home, if I hadn't been through all of this. Could have helped mother and father out instead.", his mind was quick to drift as he looked away from the other two, at the grass and leaves that were softly moving with the breeze.

"... Could have. But I don't even want to show my face to them anymore. And I can't write to them, either. I need some more time before I can show myself again. They'd... probably be heartbroken if I showed up like this."

... Why didn't he feel sad about this..? He looked down at his palm, silently staring at it in what was a mix of confusion and a small smile to accompany it. "Why am I not bothered by it..? I'd normally be feeling bad, but... It is what it is.", he huffed and looked back at the other two, giving a small grin as if to confirm he was alright (and surprisingly much so, too).

 

[ShredKnives]

Laila had a healthier smile on this time around. Things were looking up today, and seeing Reeve waking up had been the next most exciting thing on her daily timeline.

"Morning!" She said with a chipper smile. Almost seemed as if nothing had ever happened yesterday. Though she might not have received the thank you that Reeve conveyed, she seemed more than happy to keep him by her side, a subtle thank you from her part as well. Who knows what would've happened if either of the two went alone?

Alina snapped her fingers. "All right, Smiles, let's get a move on."

Laila looked up at the newly-formed vampire. "Where?"

"Inside Ruina."

"What? But what about everyone who's been looking for you?"

"Doesn't matter. Verdina will be the only one who cares. You know how people look at creatures of the dark arts. No good any way you slice it."

Laila looked at Reeve, expecting some sort of counterargument, but briefly remembered that he can't talk. Surely, he'd put on some convincing faces?

"Tomoe! What about her? She was the one who even told Reeve about the gesture!"

"Okay, maybe her too, but still, that's two out of a lot. I don't need reunions, I need answers."

Laila clicked her teeth. "Years in there really carved you into something else, huh?"

"Trusted other people and this is where it got me. I'm tired, you know. And I can't sleep." Alina stretched her arms out, eyeing Reeve in particular.

She sighed. "Want some breakfast?"

 

[Gary Sue]

"Inside Ruina."



Reeve definitely wanted to say something about that. Be it because he understood Alina wasn't any more welcome than they were, or because of all the rather traumatic experiences from yesterday, he didn't want to. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth, although to nobody's surprise, silence came out instead of a 'Hold it.' or so. A deep sighed followed when the vampire clarified she wanted little more than answers- answers that... in order to get, they'd need to find whoever locked her up.

"... Who's to say if they could do it the first time around and leave her to rot, they can't do it again..? It shouldn't make much of a difference if there's Alina alone or with me and Laila to tag along, either."

They were in a troubling predicament. If any of the horrors they saw yesterday- no. He shook his head in an attempt to not dwell on it much, looking at Laila, who seemed... well, not most excited for this either. Admittedly, both of them were concerned and by the looks of it, didn't want to go right back into Ruina for any reason. But if that's what Alina wanted and they'd left a job half finished...

The knight lowered his gaze to stare at his sheathed sword, which had finally gone quiet. Just as it had gone quiet though, its glow had gone dim and there was no more blessed power surrounding it. With an empty stomach and an even weaker will to fight, he wouldn't be able to do much but brandish a blade almost aimlessly. Hell, maybe he could parry an attack or two, provided they decide armed combat to using magic. His confidence had waned, and it emanated off of him, if it wasn't evident by the small hints of worry- rubbing his thumb on the side of his index finger, bouncing his leg slightly, biting his lip...

His train of thought was interrupted by a question he couldn't help but give an answer to immediately though. And how so? With but a growl of his stomach. As Laila was still holding him, he let out a low exhale and gestured for her to give him some room so he could stand up and... "... Breakfast..? I should have some provisions, but now I'm curious what Alina means. She was stuck down there for two- no, three? Some years. How does she have breakfast..?"

Curiously, he gave a hesitant nod and crossed his arms as he finally stood, watching her carefully and with an eyebrow raised. "G-Go on, I suppose... W-Wait, she-", his expression quickly changed when he noticed a few things. "F-Flowers, her hands, it's- What the hell..?"

Her entire arm had grown back like it was never missing, and that alone made his hands feel numb. He looked down at his own, then back at hers. "What did they do to her to make her this... immortal..?", shocked at the revelation he silently stared in awe, with wide eyes. He wasn't alarmed though... yet at least. Alina had given them no reason to worry, despite her rather freakish traits like regrowing a pile of... A dry cough from Reeve when he realised those must have all been much too recent, especially if she regrows her limbs at this rate. "F-Fuck..! Alina, you..."

 

[ShredKnives]

"Heh, you always were a good cook. And your arm..."

Alina eyed Reeve, unrelenting in her brash and partially-sarcastic tone.

"A long list of trial and error. It once took an entire month to regrow the arm. I thought I could bite down the other arm and get out, but when I lose too much blood, my fangs get weaker, give out, and fall off. Whatever kind of vampire I am, I still have blood running through me, but my skin's a lot more morgue than beige and it's sunk into my teeth. Some time with reality teaches you how to start moving the more important bits, like regeneration and turning off your senses. If I wasn't awake and thinking all of the time, I could grow this shitty arm again in an hour. Went into shock the third time I lost the arm. Forced myself to stop. All those arms were from the last three months, and since I'm half-dead, nothing wants to eat those arms, except for when I was still more human than not."

"Can you cook? What'd you even eat while you were stuck there?"

"Fed off of my own blood. Unheard of for a vampire to perpetually sustain off of themselves, but keep yourself in an mild deathrest, you could probably keep it up for years if you're immune to insanity. The human mind isn't built for loneliness. Vampires...They're a little different. And my arm tasted like shit. Don't try it."

"So...Are you still..."

Alina plopped down some large rocks over the unlit fire and a big metal-looking bowl with a wooden handle. She seemed to have conjured it ahead of time judging by its already used state. "Maintaining my humanity? Who knows. Up to you, Reeve, and whoever else I might give a rat's ass about. Once I got used to solitude, I think I lost my humanity then, but it might be different. Maybe humanity is valuing the most important meal of the day, or it's just having the desires to protect the people you find good to you. My guess is that I just turned more into a psychopath. Alina the psycho wizard."

"I was asking moreso about the cooking bit..." Laila admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, okay, asshole. Yes, I can cook. When you die and I still look the same age, I'm gonna throw shit on your tombstone. 'Laila Koiyama, she asked for fucking food. Alina.'"

"Heehee... Don't joke about that, isn't immortality terrible?"

Alina snapped her fingers as their fire suddenly burst into life. "Depends on how you look at immortality. Every fucker with a tale of old age has something real shitty to say about it. When I grow old, I wanna see my legacy. Time how long it takes for everyone to say my name for the last time. I think that stuff's fun. It's like gauging your performance in life. Can't do that dead."

Laila sighed. "How do you remain so calm about this...?"

"I've had about 62,000 hours to panic, stress, and break my mind about dogshit. Even crazy gets boring."

Laila glanced at Reeve, her face akin to someone who had just discovered an alien. She turned back to Alina.

"Is there...Anything you missed back at home?"

Alina withdrew some rabbits mysteriously found on the ground. They've been clearly sliced apart by something inhuman. "Home. Mom. Dad. My two sisters. Verdina. Arioon. Actually, fuck her. I visited Tomoe one time and she slammed a pie in my face by accident. I'm gonna get her back for that."

Laila pursed her lips. "Jeez...Her willpower is stronger than steel...Okay, but there's no way we can come back to Ruina...They know us, and you!"

"Then I'll do it myself."

"No!"

Alina sighed, pinching her forehead as she snapped her fingers twice in succession, bursts of small fireworks popping in her hand as she tossed the rabbits around on the pan. "You fucking- okay, fine, what do you want??"

"How about starting with Mom? How did she know about you being missing here?"

The rabbits get salt. "Fuck if I know. If anyone knew where I was, it would've been Verdina and Arioon. Tomoe would've had to choke their throats out. Which...I mean, isn't totally out of the picture."

"That was nearly ten years ago," Laila commented sharply. "Things are different now."

"Things were different then. Hey, how do you want your rabbits?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Alina's humanity was... debatable. But for now... "I... suppose she's not a bad person. Even though she's freakish and outlandish, if she were experimented on and left to die, it's only because she didn't comply with whatever these scoundrels tried on her... So she's alright. Human sounds... C-Close, yeah.", he pondered by himself with his trusty hand keeping his itchy neck company and rubbing at it, letting out a sigh and giving a shy nod to her comment about giving a rat's ass about him. If anything, it was nice that she didn't seem hostile to him. Her hostility actually went away in full whenever she talked to him, too.

Even after Laila had put her own sanity to question and Alina all but confirmed she was right to do so with a simple 'I went crazy.', Reeve couldn't blame the vampire. He'd seen and went through so much out of his control yesterday, that 62,000 hours sounded like nothing. That's like... a lot, right? "... Alina..."

He wanted to give her some compassionate words or to show his grief and sympathy for her somehow, but... ain't no way he could do that in his predicament. So he quietly observed the two, giving Laila's concerned look a small smile and shrug of his shoulders. The moment some tension slipped into the conversation though, he found himself trying to pick sides again. He'd met Tomoe and seen her for who she was- she wasn't evil, or cruel. Maybe Alina's statement had some merit to it, but... For Laila to get that riled up, it must have had, right..?

"After all, Tomoe knew something in advance if she told me about the gesture, so... She can't be that squeaky clean, either...", and there went his rush of bravado that was going to hopefully try and somehow argue for Tomoe. Instead turned into a mostly guilty stare, his gaze averted from the two and looking away. He didn't know their situation too well, but he had a lot of things he wanted to ask, and no actual way to do so, unless Laila decided to visit him again. Speaking of which, he should probably ask...

Frankly, he couldn't care less how Alina cooked their food, but in an attempt to answer he tried to come up with some way to spell out 'stew', and... well, he couldn't do much but point at the metal bowl and huff. Maybe that and shaking his waterskin would help get the message across... hopefully so.

While Alina was stuck decoding the mute's odd sign-speak, he turned to Laila and snapped his fingers to get her attention. And when he had it, he thought for a moment before he tilted his head, put both hands under his head as though to say 'sleep' and then moved his mouth somewhat. No real word was spelled out, but he was trying to check if she'd catch on first of all. "I still haven't confirmed if it was actually Laila or just the illusions fucking with me back then. And I don't even think Alina has the tiniest clue I can't speak, so it'd be a good shot to get all caught up... If Laila can really hear me, then maybe telepathy is one way to get things done... If we can tell Tomoe that too, I can get some answers she'll have no worries disclosing, right?"

One could really only hope, at this point.

 

[ShredKnives]

"Uh, to taste good."

"Fuck you."

Frankly, he couldn't care less how Alina cooked their food, but in an attempt to answer he tried to come up with some way to spell out 'stew', and... well, he couldn't do much but point at the metal bowl and huff. Maybe that and shaking his waterskin would help get the message across... hopefully so.

...Alina eyed Reeve with something akin to...Angry pity.

"Dried?"

"No, he wants stew."

"So fast?!"

"Lucky guess. Cursed with silence, huh? Sometimes, that's a good thing."

"You figured that out, too?!"

"Don't know how far it spans out, but for a vampire...I can feel curses. For example, right in front of me feels like someone's trying to grab my throat if I focused real hard." Obviously, in front of her was Reeve. "Helps narrow down what your issue is. Laila, give me some salt."

While Alina was stuck decoding the mute's odd sign-speak, he turned to Laila and snapped his fingers to get her attention. And when he had it, he thought for a moment before he tilted his head, put both hands under his head as though to say 'sleep' and then moved his mouth somewhat. No real word was spelled out, but he was trying to check if she'd catch on first of all.

"Duhh- uh...Is this about when I dream walked into your sleep? I know it's...Technically an invasion of privacy, but you seemed really stressed, so I wanted to jump in and-"

Alina sighed, grabbing his metal bowl and conjuring water to fill the container. "Stop talking. Okay, look, see how he's hesitating? He's trying to confirm something, so he's confused. It probably isn't about the memory dive, obviously, because that was pretty clear cut. It's probably something that happened recently and how it conflicted with whatever happened today. When you entered the memory dive, what'd you look for?"

"Uh...Conflicting images. Illusions. Uh..."

"Discrepancies. Noted. How does he know you're also not a fake, or that you weren't a fake when you dream walked? Or that you weren't a fake when you two were kicking rocks in Ruina? That graveyard was pretty spicy, but it's easy if you know their Price."

Price? Laila wasn't entirely sure how that was defined, but she felt now wasn't the right time to clarify. "Okay...Okay. To be clear, Reeve, when you dreamed of...Me, that was real. Like, I was there. It's hard to explain..."

Alina rolled her eyes. "You sleep, you go unconscious. You're awake, you go conscious. Dreamwalk, conscious goes into other person's unconscious."

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't ever fake!" Laila huffed. "Look, it was just...A test to see if I could even talk to him in his own dreams...So..."

"Oh, so if you were fake, the curse wouldn't acknowledge him as talking to someone else, huh? Or whatever. If the curse is that specific as to stop you from talking to people that are awake but not necessarily while sleeping, then it was probably an Abyssal's. They're fucking assholes, too, so I've heard."

Brain damaged Laila. "Could you even determine that from just the context...?"

"It's more like dark arts in general is always full of shitty loopholes. It's reflective of the people who make them, people who desperately want their rules to be followed because it benefits them the most. It's not like holy magic where the goal is to be consistent and equal and everything is overthought through. When it comes to dark magic, the monkey's paw reigns supreme. And Abyssals...Are pretty dirty with the monkey's paw."

Laila rubbed her chin. She had never met an Abyssal. Her mother may have, and Alina herself had never met one...But there was all sorts of bad to be thrown around about Abyssals, huh? Laila could only imagine the terrors they might be. "Well, Reeve...As long as you held my hand, that was as real as I can be, okay?"

 

[Gary Sue]

It wasn't like Reeve had that much easier a time at figuring out how fast Alina was to pick up on their conversation. So he grumbled, watching the two figure out what he wanted to say in a matter of seconds and nodding to confirm. This whole dreamwalking thing... it was good. He didn't care much for the 'invasion of privacy' as he did for the fact he could properly talk to Laila, just... had to find some way to 'invite' her over or tell her when to. They'd figure that out in due time, probably.

And it was certain that she weren't lying. There's no way she'd know about the Abyssals having laid the curse on him if it wasn't the real Laila back then. "So the King was right, telepathy is a choice... These fools, getting all these rituals to curse their next leader in line just to- t-tch, no, it's not their fault... Fucking Zel got me to pick up the sword."

A part of him wanted to just pin the blame on the Abyssals and hope that he could speak again, but that wouldn't change much. He'd been framed, and he was forced to live with the bitter truth of it all. But it looked like even the vampire knew as much without receiving a single explanation, so... At the very least, she sounded familiar with the sea and land dwelling race, and that gave him an idea.

He reached for his wondrously spacious back, pulling out the map and almost opening it up again before he heard Laila's rather heartwarming comment.

"Well, Reeve...As long as you held my hand, that was as real as I can be, okay?"

The man silently looked at her for a good minute or so, with little to say, if not a bit of tension in the air. "Laila...", he hesitated for a moment, seeming deeply lost in thought before he just offered a small, sweet smile. He couldn't say much, but it showed on his face that he did much more than simply appreciate the gesture and sentiment. "She probably didn't mean it that way, but... That's very sweet of you, Laila."

With a deep breath, he unfurled his map and looked at it silently, observing where they were and putting his finger on it. From the westermost side of Veila, Ruina should have been around... here. His eyes moved about Ceril and inspected it silently, before he gave a determined nod. His eyes were pinned on Sesseth for a few moments, before he rolled the map back up and closed his eyes to ponder for a moment or so. "... I can't go back there, and the King hasn't contacted me yet either. But maybe there's some more I can learn with a bit of searching here and there. Once we're done with Ruina's troubles, maybe..."

For all the confidence he had that they'd make it through this alive, he sure hoped that it didn't involve much of doing anything on their own. If this whole ordeal really was a matter that went into politics and authorities, how much could they feasibly do to help things..? He sure knew he was weak, and part of why he wanted to explore was it. "... There must be some way to find out more about my sword. I'm cursed with it and it's useless in anyone else's hands. So the least I owe myself is to know how it works and what it does. Right now, I don't- it's just a blade."

The admission hurt a bit, but it was true he couldn't do much to prove he understood it. It and its voices, trying to reach into his thoughts and failing to do anything short of giving him a migraine every single time. Only twice had he gotten a proper communication between him and his weapon, and it was in near death situations. If he knew more about it, maybe then he could really be able to help Laila more. Laila, and anyone else that he took a job on for.

It was at that moment that an idea came to mind, but it was selfish. It would be hard to outright signal to his companion with gestures, so he held on to that thought and glanced at Alina, just to see that she was almost done cooking. So he yawned, stretched his arms and neck a bit, and then stepped forwards to take his meal with a grateful bow of his head.

 

[ShredKnives]

"Laila...", he hesitated for a moment, seeming deeply lost in thought before he just offered a small, sweet smile. He couldn't say much, but it showed on his face that he did much more than simply appreciate the gesture and sentiment. "She probably didn't mean it that way, but... That's very sweet of you, Laila."

With a bit of patience, Laila smiled back; she couldn't quite determine everything out of him, but just the sentiment being shared back tickled her heart something fierce. She didn't say much else; sometimes silence spoke better.

Alina groaned impatiently. Whatever.

With a deep breath, he unfurled his map and looked at it silently, observing where they were and putting his finger on it. From the westermost side of Veila, Ruina should have been around... here. His eyes moved about Ceril and inspected it silently, before he gave a determined nod. His eyes were pinned on Sesseth for a few moments, before he rolled the map back up and closed his eyes to ponder for a moment or so.

Laila's eyes locked Ruina's gaze, humming as she was watching him stare at the map. He certainly looked like he had some goals in mind, but Laila wasn't too concerned with trying to piece them apart right now. They had somewhat larger concerns at hand, like trying to figure out their gameplan. For all intents and purposes, they would be heading back to Laila's mom to talk about the recovery of...Well, Alina.

It was at that moment that an idea came to mind, but it was selfish. It would be hard to outright signal to his companion with gestures, so he held on to that thought and glanced at Alina, just to see that she was almost done cooking. So he yawned, stretched his arms and neck a bit, and then stepped forwards to take his meal with a grateful bow of his head.

Stews on the table. A fresh hare broth in a tomato stew and a surrounding outline of minty leaves. The hare broth smelled like a lot of parsley and onion with a fresh buttered rabbit that wasn't too different from neckbine; it looked real hearty, but it couldn't quite compare to the tavern, huh?

Still. Very impressive work for a morning out in the woods.

Laila let loose her thanks!

Alina didn't react with much more than an acknowledged grunt as she sat against a nearby dead stump. "Fuck, just sat on a beetle."

"That's gross- Hey, let's just head back. We can look for answers in Ruina later! If we can at least tell Tomoe you're back...!"

"Priestesses like her get the message fast. Curses are like shit; they give off a nasty smell to those who don't want to sniff it out. But fine. We can head back. All in favor?"

 

[Gary Sue]

As soon as he had some time to analyze the food and even marvel at how good its presentation was, for all it's worth, he licked his lips and then dug right in. A grunt and then back to being a sailor, as Alina got unlucky. Reeve was following along with his trademark scarfing down food faster than he could even process. It was good, although it really couldn't hold a candle up to Laila's recommendation when they were in Veila. But he couldn't care any less about that.

The three went through a lot- especially the vampire, so he'd take a meal anywhere he could. As long as it wasn't just stale, crunchy bread, he was more than happy to gobble it all right down. Generally, his really un-knightly side let loose any time he wasn't directly involved in combat or trying to keep a serious front. With how badly he was mentally damaged the last encounter they had, he was far from ready to throw his bodyguard side into the fray once again.

He'd have to, but it was going to be stressful until he could catch a break for a solid minute or two. He perked up somewhat when the others proposed that they head back, and he even let out a sigh of relief without noticing. "If they also want to head back, that means I should be able to catch a breath in the meantime. Let loose and just... relax.", he exhaled with a small smile at the thought alone, before nodding and offering a thumbs up for additional confirmation to Alina's ready check.

No more than a minute or two after that, he was already finished with his food as he put the bowl back on the ground and got up. He stretched his arms, neck and back somewhat, and- "That should do it. I think I'm good to get back to travelling over to the shrine."

Glancing over at Laila with a small smile, he checked on both her and the blond while he made sure everything was still on his person. His provisions, his sword and sheath (clearly), and the few things he kept under his armor on his back. "Yup. All set here."

 

[ShredKnives]

Good to know. They were set for sail!

Upon their provisions being cleared and their stomachs filled, they'd pack up their things and set foot.

Things are quieting down. With a chance to process everything and a final retreat from Ruina, they could make their discussions happen right now.

Laila hummed. "Alina."

"What."

"Do...Do you have super strength?"

"Nah. Vampires probably get that absurd strength because they're feeding off the blood of a human, and they probably take in the effects of their
adrenaline. My blood doesn't seem to give me it since I've still got it pumping through me. Don't know what'll happen if I suck yours. I don't think dark arts discriminate, so I could suck the blood of any priest, maiden, or what-have-you."

"What happens if you try to cast Healing?"

"Gives me a heart attack."

"Good gods!!"

"No more holy spells, they're encrypted against anything considered dead. I call that racial profiling, just saying. Reeve, you religious?"

 

[Gary Sue]

After they were on the way, it felt like Reeve's nerves had finally managed to cool off. He idly listened to the conversation, keeping a hand ready by his hip and ready to draw his weapon, although that would most definitely not be necessary with the party comprising of this scary trio.



The nature of Laila's questions was probably just to normalize herself with the whole sentient (and sane) dark arts creature being on her side predicament, but... Alina's responses were as funny as they were thought provoking. Putting aside the religious aspect of everything, the living and the 'undead', so to speak, had always been differentiated by one main factor.

"The undead aren't really natural. So when people resurrect deceased ones or try to give life of their own through magic, it tends to be ugly... manipulated and distorted images of what's meant to be a person. All to the caster's whims, to fill a purpose and then be disposed. That's why nobody likes the dark arts, save for those that manipulate them."

His own blade and style had an affinity for the 'holy' in this case, but... he shook his head at Alina's question. "I've thought about it many times, but there's definitely some form of god up there. If it's many, if it's one and who it sides with, I do not know. But I'm assuming anything allowed by nature was 'intended', unlike the dark arts. Unless there's something I'm missing at least.", a huff of frustration as he crossed his arms, giving it a moment's thought and then shrugging. "It's not like I know what or who calls the shots in the world, so... I respect the authority, but noone in particular. Not sure you call this religious or indifferent, really."

Come think of it, this did get him curious about Laila. If she were a head priestess, then clearly she must have some form of theological expertise that he clearly lacked, being a village bum too obsessed with swordplay to think about any of this in proper depth- or care at all, really. He was far from religious, although he was sure the theories held some merit to them... Each one representative of the races, and the humans' alterations to the Abyssals', the Trolls' and so on... Not to speak of the other races further out of Ceril and on the neighboring kingdoms. Curious to see the other two's response, and especially Alina's, he reflected the question with a point of his hand at each one of them before he tilted his head.

 

[ShredKnives]

His own blade and style had an affinity for the 'holy' in this case, but... he shook his head at Alina's question. "I've thought about it many times, but there's definitely some form of god up there. If it's many, if it's one and who it sides with, I do not know. But I'm assuming anything allowed by nature was 'intended', unlike the dark arts. Unless there's something I'm missing at least.", a huff of frustration as he crossed his arms, giving it a moment's thought and then shrugging. "It's not like I know what or who calls the shots in the world, so... I respect the authority, but noone in particular. Not sure you call this religious or indifferent, really."

Alina stared at him.

"You seem like an agnostic about it. People always have trouble deciding where they lean towards the question of faith. Whenever they do decide, it usually leans towards the neutral. No one really wants to leashed up by a god, so I'd guess considering your circumstances, you're somewhere around the indifferent side."

Come think of it, this did get him curious about Laila. If she were a head priestess, then clearly she must have some form of theological expertise that he clearly lacked, being a village bum too obsessed with swordplay to think about any of this in proper depth- or care at all, really. He was far from religious, although he was sure the theories held some merit to them... Each one representative of the races, and the humans' alterations to the Abyssals', the Trolls' and so on... Not to speak of the other races further out of Ceril and on the neighboring kingdoms. Curious to see the other two's response, and especially Alina's, he reflected the question with a point of his hand at each one of them before he tilted his head.

Laila was about to start questioning how Alina was making these detective-level deductions, but once Alina gestured at Reeve, Laila realized the question was now pointed back at them.

"Gods...Well, I can't say they're really real. Our faith considers them long gone. All that remains is the gifts we are supposed to cherish, like the abilities to protect and serve the way holy magic does. The Church still believes in their existence, but people like ourselves treat them like a part of reality. Cycling through the dead and life the same way we all do."

"Gods can bite me. Gods want what gods want. Whether you want to indulge into their religious oaths and their righteous judgements...Or be caught in the never-ending arguments about what's the perfect way to create a world...Doesn't change the fact that all they do is watch you. Test you. And when they're done, they give you a rating and leave you in the dust to brag about."

Laila pursed her lips. She didn't quite like it, but...She didn't want to push it, so she moved on to a different question. "Are gods responsible for what made you into a vampire?"

"No. That's just the result of people selfishly interpreting what a god wants. We all want a deity to vouch for us. And sometimes, that leads into some awful cycles of righteous values. You either become the over-zealous witness of revelation, the abused victim of a system only you're enlightened to, or the deaf protector of a cult built on verbal lies. Just because a family, a dynasty, or a religion stands the test of time doesn't mean they were ever more right than the one before it. It just means they got better at surviving."

The maiden glanced at Reeve. "Are...Hm...Do you think we'd be better off without...Religions and the holy realm setting our ideals?"