Eris sighed, tilting her head up to look at the star-filled sky. The fact that this was a beautiful night was quite possibly the only thing keeping her from going insane and sending a messenger back to General Gismor that stated, in the most kind fashion that she could think of, "Piss off." Why? Not because he had summoned her half way across the world. Not because he had left without as much as a warning. And not even because the sole reason she was summoned was because Gismor, himself, forced Nowe to leave the Knights. No, Eris was mad—no, livid—because Gismor had summoned her half way across the world without an airship to use, because all of the ones they had were in battle. Gismor had summoned her halfway across the world without an escort, because all able-bodied soldiers were in battle.
Not that Eris needed an escort, mind you.
Oh, and Gismor had summoned her to Heaven's Clock Tower for more than likely the sole reason of stopping—and possibly killing—Nowe. In light of these circumstances, were Eris not as dedicated to her cause as she was, she would have up and left the Knights herself.
She tightened her grip on the leather reins of her horse. What nerve the General had to do this. What had happened to the airship he, himself, used to get to the Clock Tower? What had happened to his escorts? Why were they not sent to pick up Eris? An annoyed scowl tugged at the Knight's lips.
What annoyed her the most, she decided, was the fact that Nowe was the centerpiece in all of this.
Letting a growl escape from the back of her throat, Eris kicked her horse into a faster pace. She stood up in her saddle to keep balance, letting the wind hit her face at full speed and keep the bottom half of her battle dress flowing behind her. She fixed her sight straight ahead, trying to keep her mind on her course rather than, well, anything else at the moment.
Trees and stars rapidly fell behind her, and everything within her peripheral vision fell into little more than a blur. The only thing that mattered was what lay directly ahead of her, nothing more. Not being on the road, as the roads were dangerous with revolting townsfolk, Eris had to keep a sharp eye for anything that may block her immediate path, especially at this pace. Maneuvering her way through the brush and weaving in and out of trees, she caught a glimpse of... something. It was a way in the distance, and though unsure at first, at second look she noted it to be a fire. How strange, she thought, for a person to be awake at this hour camping in the woods, especially during such a dire time of war.
Not needing any second thought on the matter, Eris headed towards the sight of the fire. She was a Knight of the Seal after all, and even though the townsfolk weren't quite so happy with the Knights at the moment, it was still her job to make sure that everything was alright.
She came to a very small clearing where, indeed, a small fire was burning. Surveying the area, she saw a long sword propped up against a tree and a small knapsack sitting next to its owner. He was no normal country bumpkin, Eris knew right off the bat. He was, in essence, tall, dark, and handsome, yet old enough to be Eris's father. Well-kept and dressed in all black, the man's long black hair fell down over one eye and down to his shoulders. He sat back up against a tree, with his left knee bent and his arm resting on it. Eris thought he hadn't even noticed her, at first, as he just stared into the small fire at his feet. But surely enough, the man lifted his head. Eris instinctively pulled her horse back a few steps at what she saw.
One of his eyes was a brilliant hue reminiscent of the sea, but the other... was gone. So clean, or perhaps even old, the wound was that no remnants of even an eyelid remained. Only clean white bone shown through the hole in his head.
As if disregarding her entirely, the one-eyed man scratched the whiskers on the left side of his chin, and went back to gazing into the flames. Hesitating, Eris dismounted her horse and placed one hand on the spear she kept strapped to her back. She took a step forward.
"I didn't expect any civilians to be in this area," she said, despite the fact that she knew that this man was definitely not a civilian. "What business have you here? Are you lost?"
The one-eyed man said nothing, almost as if he hadn't heard her at all. Eris pursed her lips and took another step forward.
"Speak," she said sternly.
And still the one-eyed man said nothing. This time, he at least acknowledged her presence, as his one eye turned up to look at her out of its corner. A few seconds later, it dropped back down to the direction of the fire. Eris scowled and pulled the spear from her back.
"If you do not speak, I will hold you in contempt of the Knights of the Seal."
Silence held heavy in the area. Still the one-eyed man did not speak, and now it began to bother Eris. No one had blatantly disregarded the Knights of the Seal before. Even those who were not fond of the Knights at least acknowledged them, be it with a few unpleasant words or a fight. But this man simply stared into the campfire he had built, not even caring about anything Eris was saying.
She twitched slightly in discomfort as the fire crackled. The sounds of the forest seemed to close in around her, and though everything had been silent just a few seconds ago, everything seemed to be deafeningly loud now. She hesitated, but did not step back.
"Very well then," she said as confidently as she could. "You will come with me. On your feet!"
And to her surprise, the one-eyed man did push himself to his feet. She grinned smugly with satisfaction and gripped her spear with both hands... but her satisfaction plunged in the next second when she saw the man reach over and grab his long sword, and he unsheathed it as he let out the most weary sigh she had ever heard. Whoever this man was, it was obvious that he had just wanted to be left alone. It was a point Eris had realized too late, and taking into account the size of this man, the size of his sword, the amount of his scars, and his age, Eris realized that he had more experience in battle than she had.
Much more.
Understanding that this was a fight she definitely should not have picked, but also understanding that she was a Knight of the Seal, Eris stood her ground regardless. She was one who always tried to look for the good in situations, and right now, the only thing coming to her mind was that if she died here, she wouldn't have to make the rest of the journey to accompany Gismor as he killed Nowe... or tried to.
The one-eyed man approached her slowly, sword held downwards in one hand. In contrast, Eris gripped her spear so tightly her knuckles turned white. She would fight until the death, if need be, but that doesn't mean she wasn't nervous to the point of shaking. She always got like this during one on one battles, knowing that there wasn't anyone there to pick up the pieces if she failed. Regardless, Eris stood her ground and waited for him to strike first.
And strike first he did. It was nothing special, just a quick overhand slash at her torso, which she easily blocked with her spear. She eyed him curiously. Was he just playing with her? She tried a quick upwards stab at him, which he effortlessly knocked aside.
And then he came at her. With speed that almost caught Eris off guard, he came at her from the left, right, and then slashed upwards at her. All three attacks were blocked, but the third one sent Eris reeling back until she lost her balance and fell on her rear, spear knocked out of her reach on the grass to her right. He looked down at her, his empty socket almost hypnotizing. Tearing herself away and trying not to stare, Eris pushed herself backwards a few inches. The one-eyed man turned and walked towards her spear. He bent down and picked it up. After studying it for a bit, he forced the blade of his sword into the ground and turned back towards Eris, now armed with her weapon. She continued to back up, though unable to stand, until her back hit a tree. He approached her slowly, and stopped at her feet. Her heart stopped, and she shut her eyes tight. So this was going to be the end...?
Expecting the one-eyed man to run her through with her own weapon, Eris couldn't help but gasp when she felt the cold metal head of her spear against her neck. She opened her eyes and looked at him. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He tapped the flat of the head against the bottom of Eris's chin, as if telling her to stand. She complied, although with some hesitation. She looked up and met his gaze, and suddenly her heart stopped again. There was something about this man that chilled her to the very core, that rattled her soul. The smirk faded from his handsome face. He lowered the spear to his side, and then held it out to her. She tore her gaze from his and, with an all-too-puzzled look on her face, took the spear. He only shook his head slightly and headed back towards his sword.
"Why did you..." Eris started. She paused immediately after, searching for the right words. "Why didn't you kill me? I am so weak compared to you..."
Still the one-eyed man said nothing. He snorted and pulled his sword from the ground, wiping off the dirt with his hand.
"Who are you?" she asked. She began walking toward him. "Why do you—" She was cut off by his sudden raising of his sword, as if to create a barrier between them because she had gotten too close. She took a step back and continued. "Why do you not speak?"
He lowered his sword and scowled, looking up at the stars. She almost looked up with him, but realized that it was probably just a reaction from frustration. It was a bad habit that Eris always had. She had always asked too many questions and pried too deep into other people. The one-eyed man shook his head once and then turned towards her. To her surprise, he opened his mouth... and showed her his tongue. It looked as though he had some strange tattoo on it of some odd tribal symbol.
Eris gasped when she realized what it truly was.
"You are a pact-partner," she said. "And the price for your pact was... your voice?"
The man closed his mouth and gave no indication either way of whether her assumption was right. He simply just scowled again and walked back to the tree he had been leaning against when Eris disturbed him and sat down. She, on the other hand, only stood where she was, amazed by the thought. This man was a pact-partner. No wonder he had thrown her off her feet with only three swings. He probably could have done it with one if he truly wanted to. Hell, he probably could have killed her in one swing if he had truly wanted to. But it was strange for other reasons, too. Why did this man have a pact? The only people that Eris knew of that did were the lieutenants and...
"Caim!" Eris yelled, in spite of herself.
Caim's scowl deepened and he seemed almost disgusted by the sound of his own name. Eris quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, ashamed at herself for such an outburst. It was a problem she had when she was a little girl, but in the presence of such authority as General Oror and the Hierarch, she had learned to contain it for the most part. Regaining composure, she let her arms drop to her sides.
"Forgive me," she said. "But it's you... isn't it? You're Caim, the voiceless hero from eighteen years ago. You were the prince of the Union; your sister was the Goddess. Am I not correct?"
He only continued to stare into the fire, although annoyance clearly showed on his face.
"You saved the world," she went on. "I read about it in the books in the Shrine. Why are you so secretive about it? Why do you live away from humanity? Everyone in this world owes you their life."
Still with a disgusted look on his face, Caim reached over to the knapsack beside him and brought it into his lap. He opened it and pulled out a flask of whiskey, closed the sack, and threw it back to the ground. He unscrewed the top and took a swill, still trying to block Eris's words from his mind. Upon seeing that, she paused, and then lowered her head.
"Forgive me," she said softly. "I did not mean to pry." She paused again, slowly becoming consumed by her thoughts. "This must be how Nowe feels..."
Caim took another drink at the mention of Nowe's name. It went unnoticed by Eris, who seemed to be deep within her own thoughts. A few seconds later, her head snapped back up, and she clenched her fists.
"Nowe," she said. "I wish he could understand what he's doing to the world... what he's doing to me! You understand, don't you, Caim? The havoc and calamity that will befall the world if Nowe and that... that... witch succeed in breaking the seals?"
Caim only stared deeper into the fire.
"Oh, the nerve of that woman!" Eris growled. "I will kill her for what she's done to Nowe, what she's doing to the world."
Caim rolled his eye in his head and screwed the lid back on his flask. With a smirk, he tossed it to Eris, who caught it just before it hit her. She looked at him, confused, and then looked down at the silver flask in her hands.
"Are you implying that I drink this?" she asked.
No hint of a response came.
"I'm sorry, but alcohol is a disgusting drink that poisons the mind and inhibits the body."
To this, Caim smiled and gestured for her to drink.
"No, this is absurd!" Eris walked over to Caim and held the flask out to him. "Take it. I am a Knight of the Seal; I must be in state of mind at all times."
He only continued to smile and made no effort to reclaim his whiskey. She sighed and looked up at the sky. It was nearing midnight. This little "encounter" had set her back far longer than she had liked it to. And the way it was going, it seemed as though she and Caim were sharing camp for the night. With a scowl, she looked back at the flask, and then over at Caim, who gestured for her to drink again.
"Fine," she said, unscrewing the lid. "But if you dare try take advantage of me in any way, shape, or form, I will not hesitate to strike you down."
She put the flask up to her lips immediately after that, but stopped when she heard a faint sound of irregular breathing accompanied by some snorting. She lowered her hand and glared at Caim.
"What are you laughing at?" she near-yelled, face turning red. To this, the one-eyed man only laughed harder. "S...Stop laughing at me!"
Frustrated and embarrassed, Eris put the flask up to her lips again and threw her head back, taking a long sip. She nearly choked and she fell to her knees, her head spinning and her entire mouth going numb. The whiskey was much stronger than she thought it would be, and she learned that large sips were not the way to drink it. She coughed, feeling a swelling in the back of her throat.
Caim, on the other hand, simply took the flask out of her hands, took a small sip, and then screwed the lid back on. He placed it at his side and went back to watching the fire, giving Eris a little time to recover.
Taking a few deep breaths, Eris fixed herself into a sitting position. Her entire face felt warm and her head felt light. And yet, she felt happier somehow. Suddenly General Gismor's orders didn't matter, and getting to the Clock Tower on time didn't matter, and even Nowe and his little witch didn't matter. At that moment, all that mattered was Eris sitting at a fire with Caim.
"I never wanted to be a Knight," she said, her voice not sounding like her own. "Well, I did, but I never wanted to have such influence over them. Authority is for Generals and Hierarchs and Priests... not for women. I wanted to be a soldier, and I wanted to fight for what I believe in. But now that I'm high in rank, I have the knowledge to question what it is I believe in... And that scares me. You know what I'm talking about, don't you Caim?"
He merely glanced over at her.
"I'm scared for the future," she went on. "I've always had this feeling that I was different from everyone else... special in some way. Maybe it's because I was a woman... but I don't know."
To this, Caim took another drink from the flask.
"Maybe I should have listened to everyone when they said that my place in the world was to cook, clean, sew, and bear children. I've tried. My cooking ends up in flames, my cleaning is mediocre at best, and I nearly lost a finger on a loom once... And I've never been intimate... with anyone."
Getting the distinct feeling that Caim didn't care, Eris decided to take the flask from him and have another sip—a smaller one, this time.
"Have you?" she asked suddenly.
He slowly looked at her. First only with his eye, but then he turned his head to look at her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but it was a gaze with a distinct "Are you kidding me?" look behind it.
"I'm surprised," she said, more uncomfortable than ever. She took another sip, and felt a bit more relaxed. "You're very handsome."
He snorted and looked back to the fire. Eris shifted and leaned up against the tree next to Caim. She chuckled slightly thereafter.
"I thought that the hero of the story was supposed to end up with the princess or something, or at least with women throwing themselves at him like bears to honey," she laughed. "Unless, of course, you prefer men, which I completely understand."
He turned to look at her again. She was still laughing. He took the flask from her and took another sip before shaking his head.
"I'm merely teasing," she said, reclaiming the flask for another sip. Her cheer subsided. "Though... This war could mean the death of us all. And this may sound childish, but I don't want to die without having the simple pleasure of experiencing my first kiss. I always thought Nowe would... but now he's bewitched by that... that woman... and... Damn."
Silence overtook the two warriors. Eris shifted uncomfortably. Caim sat as still as a statue. Crickets chirped on all sides of the clearing and were the loudest sound at the moment. The fire cracked and twisted, and the smoke danced up into the stars.
Caim wasn't exactly sure what happened then. The whiskey had gone to his head, or he had a firm desire to stop this woman from complaining, or perhaps maybe, just maybe, he truly wanted to grant her wish. But the next thing he knew, his lips were touching hers in a way too gentle to be deemed "taking advantage."
Eris's head spun and it was all she could do to put her hand on the base of his neck and kiss him back. His lips were soft and his touch was gentle, and it took every ounce of strength that Eris had to not melt right there.
But as soon as it happened, it was over. The two parted and Caim looked into her eyes... eyes so reminiscent of his sister... a soul behind them so much like Furiae's when she was younger...
And that was the exact reason Caim hadn't killed Eris to begin with.
Feeling disgusted, ashamed, and sickeningly sober again, Caim turned back towards the fire. Kissing a woman young enough to be his daughter while he was tipsy was one thing. Kissing a woman who reminded him of his sister was a completely different one all together. In fact, his blatantly unrequited feelings for Furiae in that respect were the reason she was dead in the first place. Still he felt sickened somewhat for the way she did feel for him, and kissing Eris somehow made it worse.
Much worse.
"Never would've expected that out of a guy like you..." Eris trailed off. Caim looked over at her. She was asleep.
Eris awoke the next morning to find that the fire had been put out. There was a horrible churning feeling in her stomach. Her joints ached. She had a splitting headache that was only made worse by the sun. Shielding her eyes, she surveyed her surroundings.
The only traces of the one-eyed man were an empty flask at Eris's side, and a lingering pressure she still felt on her lips.
Author's Notes:
When I originally thought up the premise for this story, it was going to be called "Life's Not Fair", wherein Eris meets up with Caim and talks mostly to herself (as she did here) while slowly coming to realize that yes, she will eventually become the next Goddess, and that yes, Nowe will end up with Manah. Don't ask me how this whole kiss thing happened, because it wasn't originally going to be a pseudo-romance.
Review and give your thoughts while keeping in mind that I've only gotten the first ending of Drakengard 2 and would greatly appreciate it if no one spoiled the other two for me. :)