So this update is super long compared to the last few, holy crap! I also took a bit longer to write it, though, so it balances out, I think.
Hmm usually I like to babble on at the start of these things, but this time I surprisingly have nothing to say! I'll save it all for the end of the chapter I guess.
Anyway, thanks for reading so far! Enjoy :)
It wasn't much later that Alvin and Milla came strolling over to us. Alvin had his arms outstretched, hands clasped behind his head as he loudly complained about the captain's constant badgering.
"That captain needs to lay off a bit," he said irritably. "Is he planning to grill us the entire voyage?"
"What do you expect?" said Milla. "We don't have any sort of identification."
"We also all watched your guys' spectacle on shore," I added helpfully once they reached us. "So naturally your excuses aren't going to hold up very well."
Alvin waved a dismissive hand before training his gaze on Jude. "What about you, kid? How are you making out?"
"Fine." He offered Alvin and Milla (mostly Milla) a half-assed smile before looking back out to sea. "I just...can't believe we're going to Auj Oule."
I couldn't even imagine what Jude was going through right now. While it was true that I'd been forced to flee Fennmont as well, I also hadn't been forced to abandon a medical school I'd worked for years to be admitted to, consequentially most likely ruining my future. It would be the equivalent of me breaking into Parliament and then fleeing the country to France or something. Overall, just not a good situation. He was bound to be pretty bummed no matter how many stupid jokes I threw his way.
I looked up at the sky. Slowly, but surely, the emerald stars were beginning to fade away in place of late evening sky, the sun slowly dipping low below the horizon and painting the ocean in gold hues.
"Look," said Alvin, nudging Jude. "We're leaving Fennmont's spirit clime."
"Finally!" I said happily, leaning back on the railing. "It feels like I haven't seen blue sky in forever."
Jude remained silent. It was pretty clear that he didn't need any more reminders that we were leaving Fennmont.
"Hey, uh, can I ask you something?" Jude said suddenly, turning to Alvin.
"Fire away."
"Why did you save us? What's in it for you?"
"Well, cash, of course." Alvin smirked, as though it should be the most obvious answer in the world.
Milla crossed her arms. "How does saving us make you money?"
"Simple," Alvin replied, and he began pacing around. "I figure you must be in serious trouble if the military's after you. Now that I've swung to your rescue and impressed you with my derring-do, I can charge you for my services."
I gaped at him. He'd just saved these two from being arrested, and now he was going to make them pay for it? What a swell, caring guy. I shook my head and gave him an incredulous look.
Jude shared my sentiments. "Charge us what?" he asked, patting down his pockets. "I'm nearly broke."
"Same goes for me, I'm afraid," said Milla. I gave her another once-over. Well, she certainly seemed to be travelling light. I didn't even see a bag – nothing more than the sword on her hip. Perhaps being the "Lord of Spirits" made you exempt from personal hygiene and paying for things?
"Seriously?" Alvin glanced between the two of them, frowning. "I take more than just cash, you know. Don't you have any precious metals? Jewels? Rich relatives about to croak?" He dropped a good-natured wink after this, but it was clear that he was seriously grasping for straws.
"Nothing on me," said Jude. His gaze found its new home on the ground once again. "Everything happened so fast. Most of my things are back in Fennmont."
Milla thought for a minute, but ended up shaking her head all the same. "I doubt I have anything that would sell for a high price either."
"Is this how you make a living?" I asked him. "Saving young folks from being arrested and then charging them money for it?"
"Yeah, what exactly do you do, Alvin?" Jude asked. "You look like a soldier, but...well, you sure don't act like one."
Alvin chuckled. "Heh! Well, you're on the right track kid – I'm a mercenary."
"So hired muscle, huh?" I said. All I could think about were those thugs people sent after you in Skyrim when you stole an apple or something from their house.
"Something like that," he said, giving me an amused look. "Regardless, it's a hell of a lot better than being a soldier. We don't have to follow orders. We set our own hours – and we help people! For a price, that is."
How noble.
"Well, it would seem like you helped us for free," said Milla, pretty much settling the fact that neither one of them were going to pay him.
"Ah well," he said forlornly. "It's a risk of the trade. Maybe I'll find some paying customers in Auj Oule, huh?"
"I'm sorry about that," said Jude, and I knew he genuinely felt bad.
"Well, you helped me too," I spoke up, digging through my bag. I pulled out one of the coin purses Keegan had given me and loosened the drawstring. "The least I can do is pay you a little extra to make up for it, right?"
His eyes widened. "O-ho! Check out moneybags over here. Get that from your big brother, did you?"
I ignored the sly dig, but only because he'd gotten my ass out of some pretty hot water. "Well, yeah. So, how much for saving three people?"
"M-Maggie!" Jude placed a hand on my arm before I could start digging through the pouch. "I can't let you do that. That's your gald – you hold on to it."
"Jude is right," said Milla. She offered me a small smile, and the action made her usually cold face look much more approachable. My heart did a little flutter. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I cannot accept it."
"You guys don't have to," I said, and then turned to Alvin. "Well, Alvin?"
"As much as I'd hate to do this, I agree." He slung an arm around my shoulder and grinned. "I wouldn't feel right taking so much money from such a pretty little lady like you."
I scowled, shrugging away from him. "Fine! I guess that's fine. But Jude–" I pointed a finger at him and made my voice stern. "Once we get to shore, you're going to let me buy you some new supplies, okay?"
"Okay," he said with a smile. My voice wasn't the least bit intimidating, but he knew I wouldn't give up until he said yes.
"Now that you mention it..." Alvin grabbed my wrist and started leading me away from Jude and Milla. "How about you and I discuss your payment?"
"Of course," I said. I held the pouch out to him. "Like I asked – how much?"
"I'll make you a deal," he said, dropping his voice as we passed by some sailors. "I'll only take 800 from you, but in exchange, I'd like some information."
"Information?" My stomach stirred a bit. I don't know why I'd bothered playing dumb – I knew exactly what kind of information he wanted. It was the kind that I'd started to divulge, but only because I'd thought that we'd never meet again and I'd never be put in the situation where I'd have to finish.
"Yep."
I chewed on my lip, buying a few seconds of mental preparation while I stared at the churning ocean waves. There wasn't much point in trying to lie like I'd done with Jude – Alvin knew the guards were after me. He knew I was terrified of them – I just had to think of some reason why.
"It's...a long story," I said sheepishly. Yeah, right. As if he was going to buy that.
"Is that so?" He hoisted himself up onto a pile of wooden crates and patted the space beside him. "Lucky for us, it should take until at least tomorrow afternoon to reach Auj Oule. Plenty of time for 'long stories'."
I groaned, reluctantly jumping up beside him. Hopefully halfway through this conversation the top of the crate would break and we would fall through into a bunch of smelly fish or something.
"It isn't just long," I said carefully. "It's...I don't know. I can't really tell you the full version."
"Aw, c'mon. What's wrong? Don't you trust this face?" Alvin flashed me one of those same dazzling smiles he'd used to convince me to let him buy me lunch, and despite all of my nerves it was enough to make my face flush.
"Oh, I don't know." I forced myself to laugh, hoping it would alleviate some of my nerves. "Look, it's not like I don't want to tell you – you saved me from those guards, so you seem pretty trustworthy. But..." You probably wouldn't believe me, even if I did. I barely believe it myself. "I...just can't explain it all. The details, I mean."
"Then just give me the gist of it," he suggested. He opened his bag and pulled out a couple of packaged potato salads, the kind with the plastic fork attached to the top. My stomach stirred, both with hunger and the complete familiarity of the sight. It was just...normal. Comforting. "Over a nice, lukewarm meal, huh? How about it?"
"You found my weakness," I said with a sigh, grabbing the package from his hand. "Okay? You're lucky that potato salad is in my top five favourite foods or this would not be happening right now."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future," he said cheerfully. Taking a bite of his own food and giving me an expectant look, he waved his hand for me to begin.
"Okay, uh...um...hm." I popped the cover off of my food and took a huge bite. Alvin was right – it was pretty lukewarm from sitting in his bag for God knows how long, but it was still delicious. It reminded me of home, filling me with a sense of comfort. "I...don't know how much Milla has told you about what happened in that lab, but basically, the Rashugal military is...well, it's not a good situation. They're...experimenting on people."
His eyebrows flew up. "Really? That's the first I've heard of that."
"Mhm. A-Anyway, I wasn't just...going to school in Fennmont. I-I was...hiding out. From the guards."
"I've figured that much out," he said, nodding thoughtfully. "The guards looking for a girl who looked just like you, with the same name? I'd say that's a little bit more than a coincidence." He sighed, stretching his legs out and taking another bite. "So then, what is it? You're an escaped test subject, then? They're looking to stop you from leaking what happened?"
Huh. That wasn't a total lie, was it? From what I'd gathered, the only way anyone would be able to tell I didn't have a mana lobe would be to use some kind of spirit channelling to check. As long as Alvin didn't do that, I was safe to latch on to the lead he'd given me. The thought of that needle plunging into my neck and sending fire through my veins was enough to cause a lump to form in my throat, and I knew it wouldn't be difficult to sell the story.
"Y-Yeah," I said quietly, staring down into my potato salad. "They...captured me, from Sharilton. I still don't really understand what happened, but I ended up in Fort Gandala, strapped to a table with some freak poking needles into me." My voice had grown shaky. I was on the verge of tears, so I hastily sniffed them back and laughed. "S-Sorry. I really shouldn't be telling you all this."
"Don't worry about it," he assured me. He made a zippering motion across his lips and winked. "My lips are sealed. That was plenty enough payment for me."
I sighed a shaky sigh of relief and smiled tiredly at him. "Thank you, Alvin. But, um, can I ask you a question now?"
"Hm? Sure thing. What is it?"
"Who's this 'Jill' that I was impersonating?" My tired smile gave way to an innocent one as I tried to pick some of my own information out of him. "Some kind of girlfriend?"
He looked super surprised to hear me mention that name – and I mean really surprised, like he'd just seen a ghost or something. He quickly recovered though, smoothing his expression back into that same carefree smile of his.
"Who says it's anyone at all? Couldn't I have just thrown out a fake name?"
"Maybe. But that would have to be some quick thinking. Usually when I'm saving random girls from sleazy guys at the bar, I use the name of someone I actually know." When his expression gave him away, I dug an elbow into his side. "See? I knew it. So who? Your girlfriend? Or maybe an ex?"
"Something like that," he said cryptically. "A bit of an old flame, you know? It was just the first name that came to mind." He finished off his salad in one, huge, bite and then hopped up from the crate, stretching his arms out. He smirked. "Why, jealous?"
I blushed, turning my head away. "Obviously, Alvin. You caught me."
He shrugged. "Hey – you better watch the sarcasm. Some people tend to interpret it as the truth, you know."
"Well then those people are clearly not very smart," I said, jumping down as well. I started shovelling the rest of my meal into my mouth, hoping that maybe if I choked on it he would feel bad for me and stop teasing me. Regardless, I definitely hadn't missed the way he'd smoothly deflected my own teasing jab by sending it right back at me. This "Jill" girl was clearly a soft spot for him, but he was such a master at embarrassment that I was never even going to get to use it against him.
"Hey, guys."
And cue Jude, clearing up the awkward moment.
"Hey, Jude," I said happily. "What's up?"
"Not much," he replied. I noticed he was holding a couple of pillows and some blankets. He held them out to us. "There are no beds they can spare us, but they did have extra bedding so we can set up camp on the deck."
"Cozy," Alvin commented, glancing up at the sky. "At least it doesn't look like it's calling for rain."
"Aw, well this will be fun," I said optimistically. "It'll be like a little slumber party, and we can tell ghost stories and play truth or dare–"
"Truth or dare with Milla," said Jude, and the very thought forced a laugh out of him. "That would be pretty interesting, I have to admit."
"Then let's get to it!" I looked up to the upper part of the deck (the, uh, port? The starboard? I'd never been good with parts of the boat) and saw that Jude and Milla had already set up their makeshift beds. Milla currently stood nearby, staring thoughtfully out to sea. The way she was so serious all the time struck me as odd. She looked around the same age as me, and yet she acted like some kind of sombre, old sage or something. Then again, Jude had told me she was apparently the "Lord of Spirits", so that probably wasn't too far off the mark.
Alvin clapped me on the back. "Well then, shall we go? We should try to set up close together, in case it gets cold tonight and you want to borrow my body heat."
"You're awful." I rolled my eyes and elbowed him lightly in the gut to distract from the stupid blush that had formed in my cheeks yet again. "You don't want to get too close to me anyway – I'm a squirmy sleeper."
I didn't offer much more room for banter. Instead, I took the bedding from Jude and headed over to our little campsite. I definitely wasn't looking forward to sleeping on hard, wooden planks, but it was just for one night. I'd never slept under the stars before, or next to an ocean, so at least the combination of the two would make for an exciting sleep.
I gave a quick hello to Milla and started unfolding the blankets. To my surprise, she actually left her spot to come stand by me, giving me a curious look.
"So, you and Jude are classmates?"
Milla was the type of person who, when she looked at you, it was with her full, undivided attention. Her stare was a bit arresting, and I found myself getting flustered trying to return it. Instead, I focused on setting my bed, cheeks burning.
"Uh, yeah! Well, I mean...not anymore, I guess."
She placed a hand on her chin. "Why is it that you were on this ship? Jude seemed surprised to see you."
"That's...a long story, I'm afraid." I laughed, running a hand through my hair. I'd only told Alvin because I sort of owed it to him. I wasn't about to recount the whole thing to this stranger. "Um, I basically got into some trouble with the guards as well – a total misunderstanding, but I didn't feel safe there anymore. Hopefully...I'll be able to find my brother once we reach the shore."
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thanks."
Annnnnnnnd awkward silence. For me, it was awkward, anyway. For Milla, she had simply finished saying everything she wanted to say. I got the impression that she didn't really concern herself with how others viewed her, which was pretty admirable, really, but made for awkward conversation.
About 20 minutes later, we were all set up and tucked in to our cozy little beds. I had pretty much collapsed against the deck upon setting up my bed, feeling the day's events take a sudden, harsh toll on me. The ocean crashed gently against the hull of the ship, instantly soothing my frayed nerves. As I stared up at the starry sky, I mulled over the day's events in my mind, and thought about what was going to happen once we reached our destination.
Getting a hold of Keegan somehow was going to be my first objective. I took the pendant out of my dress and held in front of my face, watching the moonlight glint off of the emerald. This thing had gotten me aboard this ship, and pretty much every sailor I'd spoken with knew who "Gamble" was. Going by that logic, it wouldn't be too difficult to find someone to help me out, right?
I sighed softly, turning over on my side. I'd, for some reason, decided to replace the gorgeous view of the sparkling sky with the back of Jude's coat. I followed the pattern on it, hoping the motion would lull me to sleep before I started to think about the more frightening aspects of the day.
But, of course, it didn't. Left to myself like this, the reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. Keegan's plan had failed, and now I was wandering blindly into Auj Oule. Was I just going to be stranded in the seahaven? There had to at least be an inn or something there, right?
I squeezed my eyes shut. Okay, deep breaths. I had to keep looking on the positive side. As long as I was away from Rashugal soldiers and not captured, that was what mattered. Anything else, I could deal with as it came at me – as long as I was alive, there was hope of returning home.
Alvin hadn't been too far off the mark – it had to be a little bit past noon when we reached Aladhi Seahaven the next day. The sky was tinted a pale pink colour, and I had one of the sailors explain to me that it was because of the spirit clime here. The sky was pink during the day, but, thankfully, still darkened to give way to stars and moonlight at night. Good. If I was going to be staying here for a little while, then I was glad I wouldn't have to put up with that eternal night, however pretty it might have been.
The four of us gave our thanks to the captain (well, mostly me, considering I was the only one who'd actually been given permission to sail) and disembarked, coming to a pause just outside the gates of the loading area. Jude was looking around, a thoughtful frown on his face as he took in the sights of the seahaven.
I followed suit and gave the place a once-over. Layout-wise, it was pretty similar to the one back in Fennmont, with the exception of what was clearly an inn nestled into the tall, walled gates of the place. It was certainly lively, with many people crowded around the shop stalls and sitting on benches with their luggage.
"It's hard to believe we're in a whole different country," Jude finally spoke up, looking back at Alvin and me. "It feels just like home."
"This part of Auj Oule is hardly what I'd call exotic," Alvin said casually. "The further into the mainland you go, the more differences you'll probably start to notice."
Jude nodded, and that same, sad look I'd been noticing more and more crossed his face. However, this time he seemed to notice it on himself – he gave his head a shake and looked back across the port, towards a bulletin board.
"Hey, there's a map! Let me check it out for a bit." And with that, he'd rushed off to examine it, if only to give his mind something else to focus on other than his own misfortune.
Alvin shook his head, looking impressed. "Brave kid, the way he plays it cool."
"Decided to make the best of it, has he?" Milla commented. Her pink eyes focused curiously on him. "He's not as immature as he looks."
"Would it kill you to show a little concern?" Alvin said suddenly, and while his voice didn't drop the carefree tone, he almost sounded a bit scolding. "You dragged him into this, right?"
"He insisted on helping me," she said simply. "I told him again and again to go home, but he wouldn't listen." She glanced away from Alvin, back to where Jude stood. "He's here of his own accord."
"That sounds like him," I agreed. "Helping people is his thing – he's a good kid."
Alvin took in our words before laughing and giving his head a shake. "I see. He believes he got himself into this mess, so now he has to put on a brave face."
She didn't reply, instead choosing to join Jude by the map.
"Either way, he's acting like an adult," Alvin continued under his breath.
"I get what you mean," I agreed. "Jude really is pretty mature. More mature than me, anyway."
"That can't be too hard! You're...what, 12? 13?"
I gave him a rough shove, scowling over my shoulder at him as I hurried to join Milla and Jude.
"North of here..." Milla was murmuring, trailing her finger along the map.
"What's up?" asked Alvin once he'd caught up as well. "You leaving now?"
"No..." She turned around to give Alvin a thoughtful look. "Alvin, you must be well-versed with a sword. Mercenaries like you must have some battle chops."
"Well, yeah, of course," he said proudly.
"Could you teach me how to use one?"
"Huh?" He blinked slowly, looking pretty confused. Not that I blamed him – after that impressive show back in Fennmont she'd given, it was hard to believe that someone like her needed sword training.
"I don't have the Four to back me up anymore," she clarified. "If I can't wield a sword, what's left?"
"The Four...?" Alvin trailed off, looking hopelessly between Jude and me. "Not sure I follow, but I'd be more than happy to teach you...if only you had some cash."
I rolled my eyes, pacing away from the group a bit to stare up at the sky. The inn was my first destination. From there, I would try to think up some kind of plan as to what to do next – perhaps write a letter and get it sent to Keegan somehow? Considering in a place like this, a quick text message or phone call was clearly out of the question.
"So you won't help?" Milla asked.
Alvin thought about it for a moment before coming to some kind of decision. "Here, why don't we make some moolah while I train you?"
"What do you mean?" asked Jude, finally tearing his eyes away from the map.
"Well..." Alvin gave the seahaven a quick scan. "There's got to be some paying customers here in the seahaven, right? Let's take a look around and see if anyone has any problems that need to be taken care of. You know – gathering things, killing monsters – that sort of thing."
"Sounds good," said Jude, and he looked over at me. "What about you? Are you going to come with us?"
"Sounds a little too dangerous for me," I said hesitantly, having shrunk back at the mention of monsters. Keegan had explained to me that such a thing was a reality here – that taking a walk on a highroad between cities was a lot more dangerous here than it would be back home, but I still didn't plan on coming face to face with a monster unless absolutely necessary. "I'm...not really one for fighting. How about I get us some rooms at the inn, instead? Considering I'm pretty much the only one here who isn't broke."
"That would be very generous of you," said Milla. "Are you sure you don't mind doing that?"
I waved my hand. "My brother gave me more gald than I know what to do with while I was in Fennmont. It'll probably just sit in my bag forever if I don't put it to good use."
"Thanks, Maggie," said Jude, smiling at me. "Maybe when we get back I can teach you a few punches or something in return."
"That would be wise, if you are unable to fight," Milla agreed. "Given your current situation, being able to defend yourself is an important skill to have."
"Sounds great! T-Thanks." I gave both of them a grim smile. No, it certainly did not "sound great". Just the very thought of having to be in a situation where fighting would be necessary made me want to throw up. Still...I could see their point. Being stuck alone and defenceless really hadn't worked out so well for me the last time. Maybe I should learn a few punches...buy a weapon from the merchants, pay Alvin to help me use it – anything to keep what almost happened in Fennmont from happening again.
"Oh, wait, Jude!" I said suddenly before they could walk away. I reached into my bag and handed him one of my coin purses. "Go get yourself whatever you want for supplies. You can just give me the rest back after."
"But–"
"Hey. What did I say?" I shoved his hands away from me and stepped back before he could try and give it back to me. Even when he tried to protest again, I gave him a short wave and turned away to start heading to the inn.
"We'll see you later then!" Alvin called, drowning out Jude's voice completely.
"Yeah, see ya!" I snickered to myself and kept walking.
The inn was, as I'd mentioned before, built into the wall of the seahaven gates. Approaching the door, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of the interior, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that it was actually really nice, and well-lit with lamps and ceiling lights. The lobby contained a long, curving main desk, with a set of couches surrounding a table in one corner and a bar in the other, with tables and chairs lining the wall. The floor was a mix of hardwood and stone, and my boots made a light clicking sound as I approached the front desk.
"Welcome!" the man at the desk said kindly. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hi! Um, let me see...I'm going to need four rooms," I told him. "How much will that be?"
"That'll be 200 gald per room," he replied, and began rummaging beneath the desk, presumably for room keys.
"Perfect." I brought the second coin purse out of my bag and counted out the right amount, and in return he handed me four room keys.
"You'll find your room just down the hall, and then turn left," he told me. He then glanced down at an envelope sitting on the counter in front of him. "Ah, yes, by the way – your name wouldn't happen to be Maggie, would it?"
My heart skipped a beat. "Um...it depends what's in that envelope," I said nervously. Of course, that pretty much had answered his question right there, but he was an innkeeper, right? If I decided to keep up the charade of being "Jill", then who was he to ask questions?
"It's a letter we received this morning," he replied, naturally looking a bit wary at my reaction. "From a Mr. Gamble. It was delivered on the off-chance that you ended up stopping by. Is...that the kind of thing you're interested in?"
"Yes." I let out a huge sigh of relief and grabbed the letter from him. It was from Keegan – perfect. "Thank you so much, sir. Um, would I be able to leave three of these keys at the desk? My friends are going to be coming later, and it would just be easier that way."
He nodded. "Yes, of course. Have a nice stay."
I nodded back at him and, adjusting the strap on my bag, headed down the hallway located to the right of the desk. I followed his instructions and was safely inside my room within minutes. The room wasn't nearly as nice as my luxurious accommodations in Fennmont, but it still wasn't bad. There was a double bed with a nightstand, as well as a couple of armchairs and a table. There was also a small (and when I say small, I mean small) bathroom with your regular bathroom stuff – and a shower stall that didn't even look big enough to fit me inside of it.
I sighed heavily and sank into one of the armchairs. I wasted no time in tearing open the envelope and pulling out Keegan's letter. My eyes blazed through the contents.
Maggie,
I've written several versions of this letter and sent it to several seahavens in Auj Oule, in hopes that one of them will reach you. News of what happened to you in Fennmont quickly reached me, and while it's unfortunate that it happened, I can't say I'm surprised. As I'd feared, it's clear that Exodus has some pull with the Rashugal army.
I understand that you're probably terrified, now that this plan has fallen through. The most important thing is to stay calm. I have, thankfully, devised a backup plan in case of something like this happening. What you should do now is find a way to make it to Sharilton. While it's still in Rashugal, I have a lot of business contacts there – enough that you will be much safer there than in Fennmont. The journey will be dangerous alone, so I suggest using some of the gald I've given you and hiring someone to take you there. Being alone at all right now is probably a bad idea – I'm sorry that I ever thought otherwise.
I would suggest looking into getting yourself a lilium orb, as well. I don't like the idea that you'll have to fight, but at the very least a lilium orb will allow someone even as inexperienced as you to defend yourself if needed. You can usually get one from any weapons or armour merchant.
I'll have someone waiting to receive you in Sharilton. Aside from that, your only worry now should be reaching the city itself. As for me, since the plan to throw Exodus off your trail was clearly a failure, I'll continue to look for a spirit fossil to help get you home. If there are any updates, I'll let you know.
Keegan.
My first reaction to the letter was to laugh. Leave it to Keegan to write such a dry, formal letter. It was so like him. Still, I was thankful to hear from him, to have some sort of plan formed in my head thanks to him.
"Sharilton..." I dropped the letter on the table in favour of rubbing my temples. Well, at the very least, going to Sharilton would fit with my cover story – it would make sense for me to want to return to my hometown after everything that had happened. And even though it would be going back to Rashugal, I trusted Keegan's judgment – despite the fact that it had been totally awful the first time around.
But now I needed to find someone to take me there. Alvin, maybe? I mean, he was a mercenary – that was his job, after all, and I already knew I could trust him. Hiring some random person from the seahaven just didn't really sit right in my stomach. Plus, Alvin was decent company, so I knew I wouldn't want to throw myself off a cliff if I had to go on a long trip with him.
"Okay," I murmured to myself. "So, I'll ask him when he gets back, then."
With that much...well, kind of decided, I started digging through my bag to take stock of what I'd managed to haphazardly throw inside. I had one spare dress, which took up the majority of the space in my bag as it was. I hadn't bothered to bring any school books, but I had shoved in a couple of the novels I'd bought in Fennmont. There was a toothbrush, a hairbrush, my coin purse...other than that, nothing. What kind of provisions would a trip to Sharilton require? I would probably need to buy some food or something, right? Some medical supplies, maybe? Whatever. That was something I could sort out with Alvin. He had experience with this kind of stuff.
Speaking of "experience", that reminded me of Keegan's comment about the lilium orb. Jude had sort of briefly explained his to me one time – it was basically something that, when you wore it, it...brought out your inner potential, or something like that. It basically made you stronger. Definitely something I was probably going to need if I was going to survive in a world like this.
I glanced out the window. It was a little hard to tell with the rose-tinted sky, but I knew I still had plenty of time to kill before Jude and the others got back from doing whatever it was they were doing. I grabbed my bag off the table, making sure I also took the room key with me (because, let's face it – getting locked out of my room would totally be something I would do). Hopefully I'd be able to go find a lilium orb, and not almost get arrested in the process.
So, that's what I was up to a little while later. I'd wandered over to the merchants and had ended up finding an accessory-dealer who had a few lilium orbs for sale. The orb itself was set into a silver ring, and when I twisted it, the translucent, shimmering image of a spider's web projected from the orb.
"The more you use the orb, the more of your inner potential it can unlock," the shopkeeper explained to me. "Developing the orb, in turn, helps to make you grow stronger."
I listened to his words, transfixed on the beautiful image of the web. I couldn't imagine something like a tiny ring making me feel stronger. Still, as soon as I slipped it onto my finger and began playing around with it, I felt some kind of change...it wasn't really something I could explain. More of a bounce in my step, a bit more energy – then again, I also could have been totally imagining it. Either way, I thanked the guy for his help, paid him, and then wandered down closer to the water.
I plopped myself down on a bench and gazed out over the ocean. The sun sparkled off of its surface, and the sight of it reminded me of home. In my hometown, there was a huge, wide river that cut through the middle of it. It was hard to go anywhere and not be able to see it. Sitting here, focusing on nothing but the water, it was easy to imagine I was just sitting at the waterfront back home, watching the sunset. Never mind the fact that the horizon was seemingly endless. Never mind the fact that I couldn't see the huge bridge connecting the two sides, or the bright lights of the mall, the fast food restaurants, the movie theatre. Ocean, or river – it didn't really matter. I breathed in the sea air and let it soothe me. I pretended things were fine. I pretended I was home.
I sat like that for quite a while, absently fiddling with the new ring on my finger. Every so often, I would turn around to check if Jude and the others were back yet. My stomach growled periodically; I was getting pretty hungry, and it was probably getting pretty close to dinnertime. Still, the polite thing to do would be to wait until the others got here. Or maybe I could order something now so that it would be ready by the time they got back?
Either way, I didn't have a chance to make a decision, because I glanced over my shoulder and was able to see that the trio had just arrived, and were now speaking to a girl standing by one of the tall columns. Jude and I caught gazes, and I smiled and waved at him. As soon as they were finished, the three of them headed over to see me.
"You're back!" I said happily. "How did things go?"
"Not bad," Jude replied. "Even with everything that's happened, Milla's a fast learner. We got paid pretty well, too." That being said, his eyes lit up as he remembered something and his hands rooted around in his pockets before pulling out my coin purse. "Here's your money back. Thanks, again."
"You're welcome! I got us some rooms at the inn, by the...way..." I trailed off slightly as my attention was drawn to Milla. She stood a little behind Alvin and Jude, and she seemed to be swaying slightly. "Um..."
She fell right over, pretty much face-planting on the ground.
Jude and Alvin both jumped in surprise, and I hopped off of the bench to hurry over to her. I crouched down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her back.
"Milla, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
Jude crouched down as well, slowly turning her head to the side to press the back of his hand against her forehead. "Hmm, no fever. How are you feeling?"
"I don't seem to have any strength," she said, her voice shaky and weak. Then, as if on cue, a loud, angry growl erupted from her belly.
The look of concern on Jude's face dimmed significantly after that. "Um, have you been eating properly?"
"I've never eaten."
My eyes widened. Wait, what? She couldn't have been serious, could she?
"Ever?" said Jude in disbelief.
"Through Sylph, I drew life from the air," she explained simply. "With Undine's power, I received sustenance from the water."
I guess what she said kind of made sense. If what Jude said about her being some kind of all-powerful "Lord of Spirits" was true, then wouldn't that mean she was technically a spirit herself? Spirits wouldn't really need to eat food, would they? Didn't they eat mana or something?
"What's she talking about?" asked Alvin. He crossed his arms and gave Jude a nudge in the back with his knee.
"I guess the spirits gave her all the energy she needed," said Jude. As if that was supposed to answer Alvin's question. He looked back down at Milla and started to lift her into a sitting position. I did my best to help. "Well, now you're going to have to nourish yourself the old-fashioned way."
"I see," she said, and to my surprise her lips pulled into a smile. "So this is what you call hunger." Then, she actually laughed, which threw me for an even bigger loop. It was seriously out of place coming from her, but also charming. "Fascinating."
Once I was sure Jude and Alvin wouldn't have a problem hoisting Milla to her feet on their own, I stood and stretched my arms out.
"Let's head back to the inn, then. I got rooms for each of you, and we should be able to order some food, right?" I smiled at Milla, who was currently being kept in balance by Jude and Alvin. "I'm pretty hungry too, but I mean, probably not 'never eaten a meal in my life' hungry."
"Now that you mention it, I could use some grub myself," said Alvin. He stepped away from Milla and gave her a once-over. "You think you can make it to the inn?"
"That shouldn't pose a problem," said Milla. She stepped away from Jude to test her balance, and while her face was particularly white and she still was still swaying all over the place, she nodded and began leading the way to the inn.
"Welcome back!" The innkeeper greeted me with a smile as we approached the desk. "I see you've reunited with your companions. Would you like those room keys now?"
"Yes please," I said with a polite nod. "Um, would it also be possible to get something to eat, please?"
"Oh, my apologies, but our cook isn't in yet," the innkeeper replied with a frown. I noticed him lean around me to look over my shoulder with a worried look. Naturally, he was looking at Milla, who continued to sway back and forth and was barely standing on her feet. She let out a frustrated sigh and hung her head. "Uh...hey, is she okay?"
"Can we at least use your kitchen?" Jude asked desperately.
The innkeeper took one more look at Milla and nodded hastily. "Yes, please do. Your friend here looks like she's about to pass out."
"My stomach," said Milla, and she didn't sound bothered at all, but rather brimming with curiosity. "It really is growling. And here I thought that was just a silly human expression."
While Milla laughed to herself, Alvin shook his head in disbelief. "I can't tell if that's just her personality, or if the hunger is making her delusional."
"You guys wait here," said Jude. "I'll go make us something to eat." He followed the innkeeper down a nearby hall to find the kitchen, leaving Alvin, Milla and I to hang around and wait.
"Let's get you sitting down before you fall over again, hm?" I took Milla's arm and led her over to one of the tables in the corner. I helped her slide into the bench and then scooched in beside her. Alvin sat on the other side, letting out a sigh as he leaned back.
"I see you got yourself a lilium orb," he commented, his eyes honing in on the ring on my hand.
"Oh, yeah." I started fiddling with it once again, allowing the web to bloom to life in front of my eyes. "I figured after everything that happened, it would be smart, you know?"
"I definitely have learned the advantages of having one since starting my journey," Milla mused, admiring her own. "After losing the power to control the Four, it has helped considerably in furthering my abilities."
"What about you?" Alvin asked, nudging my foot under the table. "I know Jude promised to teach you to throw a punch, but how about I show you a few moves with a sword? Put that new baby to work, huh?"
"Uh..." My eyes trailed down to Alvin's sword, and the very thought of having to fend that off caused me to sweat. What if he accidentally impaled me or something? Could I even lift a sword? I had basically no muscle whatsoever – it was probably a lost cause.
"Jude's probably going to take a while," he insisted, hopping to his feet. He walked around to my side of the table and held his hand out. "C'mon – we'll get some cheap wooden swords from the market so that you won't hurt yourself. Just to get the motion down."
I gulped, and then looked at Milla from the corner of my eye, hoping that maybe she would speak up with some kind of wise advice like "Teaching someone with no experience in fighting to wield a sword is probably ill-advised. She is likely to only injure herself and others."
Unfortunately, all she was thinking about at the moment was probably how hungry she was, so all she said was, "That sounds like a good idea. I shall wait here for Jude to finish cooking."
Dammit, Milla. Aren't us girls supposed to stick together? Can't you sense how much I totally do not want to do this?!
I sighed heavily and took Alvin's hand. "Fine. I guess a few lessons couldn't hurt."
"Perfect!" he said with a grin, and yanked me to my feet. "Then let's go work up a good appetite, shall we?"
I muttered under my breath while Alvin cheerfully bid goodbye to Milla. We headed over to the merchants, where Alvin was able to cheaply procure a couple of practice swords that, while not wooden, had rounded edges specifically for practicing. I wasn't really an expert on swords, but it looked to just be a simple sword – not too long in length, and one I would probably be expected to hold in one hand. I'd held replica swords before in my life, and while I'm sure the weight couldn't be compared to a real sword, they were still heavy enough.
So, when Alvin handed me the sword, I wasn't too surprised when the weight of it dragged my body down a bit, and I had to struggle to steadily hold it up in my right hand.
"Heh, you really are a little weakling, aren't you, squirt?" Alvin said teasingly. He'd abandoned his actual sword in favour of the practice one, but even that one seemed to rest naturally in his hand.
"You don't have to say it like that," I said with a scowl. "Even if it is true. And don't call me 'squirt'."
He raised his free hand in a sign of surrender. "Sorry! I'll try not to do it again. Now then, why don't you start off with just a simple stance? Just try to hold the sword up properly."
"Uh..." I shifted my grip around the handle, doing my best to keep the muscles in my arm tight enough to keep it steady. I tried to straighten my posture, spreading my feet apart slightly to help me keep more balance. Really, I was just trying to copy anything that I would have seen in a movie, so who knew how well it was actually working.
Alvin circled around me, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hm...well, it's a start. Try spreading your feet a bit more – and keep your shoulders a bit more square." He used his free hand to guide me, using the flat of his sword to press against my back and fix my posture. "Balance is pretty important – wouldn't wanna fall down and scratch up that pretty face of yours."
As he spoke, I could already feel my arm beginning to shake with the weight of the sword. I bit down on my lip, using the pain to distract me from the growing ache in my upper arm.
"It'll take a while to get used to," he said, letting out an obvious laugh at my discomfort. "The lilium orb should help you build up muscle a bit faster, though."
I did notice that, while putting strain on my arm, the sword was not nearly as heavy as I imagined it was supposed to be. I'd been holding it steadily a lot longer than I'd expected of myself, so the lilium orb was the only explanation I could really think of.
Alvin paced around me once more before coming to a stop in front of me. "Alright, now try a couple of swings."
"Um...okay..." I did as he said – I tried a couple of short swings, to the best of my ability. As soon as I added movement to my already-shaky grip, the sword wobbled horribly, resulting in some of the most pathetic swings either of us had probably ever seen. "Ugh, shit. I suck at this, don't I?"
"It's your first time, kid. Obviously you aren't going to immediately be a master at it."
"I don't think I like 'kid' much, either," I muttered under my breath, but the sound of it went unheard as Alvin commanded me to try again.
Our little training session lasted about half an hour before Jude stuck his head out the door to call us inside for supper. My muscles screamed their thanks to him, and I had to resist the urge to drag the sword along the ground as we made our way to the door.
I pretty much collapsed into my chair inside. Four steaming bowls of what looked to be some kind of stew sat on the table in front of us, and I saw that Milla was already eagerly digging into hers.
Well, I guess there was no point in waiting; I followed her example and took a huge bite of mine, not even caring that it was still extremely hot and pretty much burning my mouth. I was too hungry to care at that point.
"Hey, not bad," Alvin said, looking more than impressed as he took his first bite.
"'Not bad'?" Milla repeated in awe, hardly audible with her mouth as full as it was. "It's good!" She swallowed a large mouthful and then gave us all a surprisingly warm smile. "I quite enjoy ingesting calories with you. Humans should learn to cherish these simple pleasures."
"Oh, trust me, I do," I said with a laugh. Her amazement at food was hilarious, but I really couldn't blame her – there really was nothing like filling your belly with an amazing meal when you were super hungry. To think that she'd never had the chance to experience such a thing – it was sad, really. I felt pretty bad for her.
"How did training go, by the way?" Jude asked. He was given pretty much an immediate answer when Alvin's lips pulled into a shit-eating grin pointed in my general direction, and I let out a heavy groan.
"Terrible," I said shortly, giving a large chunk of potato a moody stab. Huh, maybe I could just use a fork to stab enemies to death.
"Hey, now, give yourself more credit!" Alvin's tone was just oozing sass. "You did about as well as to be expected of a beginner."
I rolled my eyes in Alvin's general direction. "That's funny. You sound about as sincere as to be expected of someone like you."
Milla glanced between the two of us, frowning. "So, I take it the lessons will not continue?"
"Oh, they're going to continue," I told her, although it was very reluctantly. "As shitty as it is, I know that it's necessary. And this lilium orb should help me a bit. I'm going to have to just put up with it."
She nodded deeply. "I empathize with your resolve. If we always gave up after the first try, then nothing would ever be accomplished. Perseverance is necessary to complete our goals. I wish you well in your learning."
"Thanks, Milla," I said in surprise, my lips giving way to a smile. She sure did have a way with words.
Aside from that, there wasn't much else conversation as everyone gladly finished up their meals. Before arriving in Rieze Maxia, I was what you'd consider a picky eater, without a doubt. But since arriving here, I'd come to be a lot more adventurous with my food choices, so I ended up cleaning my bowl – even eating the vegetables I would have normally pushed to the side.
It didn't take long after finishing our meal for Milla's head to hit the table, a light snore coming from her throat as she experienced what was probably her first food coma. I absently played with my fork while we all watched her in amusement. It was funny, really – while my first impression of her as a cold, serious, mysterious beauty wasn't too far off the mark, she definitely had her quirks as well, which I was quickly finding out. Seeing her do stuff like this made her a lot more approachable, in my opinion.
"This might be her first time sleeping, too," Jude remarked drily.
"And apparently she never ate before today, either," said Alvin, looking, as always, lost as to what was going on with her. "Who in the world is she?"
"She claims she's Maxwell," Jude said quietly, his amber eyes falling on Milla's still form.
Alvin's mouth fell open and he gave him an incredulous look. "That Maxwell?"
"Yeah. She's apparently a spirit in physical form."
"Not just any spirit." Alvin took on a lordly, wise tone. "The Lord of Spirits, Wielder of the Four Elements, the Eldest Spirit...Maxwell has many names." He gave his head a shake, his wide eyes flitting from Jude, to me, and finally, to Milla. "And now we add Milla to that list? She's supposed to be the Spirit Maxwell? You gotta be kidding me."
"Is Maxwell really that mighty?" Jude asked in wonder.
"Of course. That's why this is so hard to swallow." He gave his head another shake and gazed at Milla, this strange woman who'd just passed out after inhaling her food. "I grew up hearing bedtime stories about Maxwell."
"And now 'Maxwell' is snoring on the table beside you." My voice held a sort of dim amazement to it. I definitely understood his disbelief. In my mind, I tried to compare the situation to something back home. I guess it would be sort of like someone claiming that they were God in physical form? I mean, if somebody tried to tell me that, I would just write them off as crazy. Putting that into perspective, I gained a new clarity on just how crazy this situation was. Except that it was real, because Jude had witnessed the proof – her summoning of "the Four", back in Fennmont.
"What in the world would a spirit like that be trying to destroy?" Jude murmured to himself. Despite telling me himself how amazing Milla supposedly was, I don't think he'd actually quite realized just how important of a person...er, spirit, she really was, and now he was just kind of staring off into space, lost in a daze.
"Trying to destroy?" Alvin gave him a curious look. "What're you referring to?"
Jude looked up at him in surprise, as though unaware he'd been speaking out loud. "She called it a spyrix, I think. The device from the laboratory."
"Hmm..." Alvin looked away, seeming to be deep in thought over the matter. I doubted he had any clue what Jude was talking about though, as he failed to provide any sort of insight.
"Maybe I should just ask Milla about it..."
"I don't know," said Alvin, snapping back to reality. "You have a nasty habit of poking your nose where it doesn't belong. Your accursed curiosity made me a wanted man, too, you know."
"I think your love for money did that," I added helpfully, while Jude heaved a heavy sigh. "You're acting like Jude dragged you into it."
"Details, details," Alvin said dismissively. "My point is, think hard before asking, okay?"
Jude smiled at him regardless, doing his best to make it genuine. "Yeah, you're right."
"I usually am," he shot back with a smirk. He stifled a yawn before glancing out the window. "Well, it's getting late enough. Guess we should try to get the sleeping beauty back to her room, huh?"
"I'll take care of it," Jude offered, as I'd suspected he would. He was quick to leave his seat and hoist Milla to her feet, slinging her arm around his shoulders so that he could bring her to her room without waking her. He nodded his head at us and whispered, "I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit."
I watched him go with a barely-hidden smile on my face. I wasn't sure how I hadn't noticed it before, but now it was perfectly clear – poor Jude had a huge crush on Milla. In fact, I wasn't sure what was cuter – the fact that he had a crush on her, or the fact that he actually thought he was doing a good job of hiding it.
Not that I blamed him, really. I think I had a little bit of a crush on her too, to be perfectly honest.
"Poor kid has it bad," Alvin said with a sigh.
"Oh my God, I know," I said, shaking my head and trying not to laugh too loudly. I started gathering up the empty bowls to bring them back to the kitchen to be washed. "Don't you dare tease him about it, though. I swear, I'll hurt you." I pointed a fork in his direction for good measure.
"You're not even a little bit scary," he said matter-of-factly, reaching across the table to pluck the fork out of my hand. "And while we're chatting, what's up with the weird slang you keep using?"
"Weird...?" I trailed off, frantically combing back through what I'd said. What was so weird? And then my stomach did a tiny flip because I realized he was probably talking about me saying "oh my God". That was pretty much one of the most common sayings in the English language back home, but here? Was there even a "God" in Rieze Maxia? Or did they all just sort of worship Maxwell? Either way, I'd definitely fucked up somehow, so I quickly tried to backpedal. "Oh, um, that. Yeah, that's just something some of my friends back home used to say all of the time. I guess it must have rubbed off on me."
He said nothing; he simply raised an eyebrow at me, clearly skeptical.
"A-Anyway." I cleared my throat and focused my eyes on the bowls I was stacking. "I actually had something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Oh?" His curiosity was piqued enough that he decided to momentarily drop the subject. "And what might that be?"
"Well, I was wondering what your plans were...I mean, now that we're all in Auj Oule."
He shrugged. "Beats me, kid. I'll go wherever the wind takes me...and wherever there's a profit to be made, of course. Why do you ask?"
"I actually have a proposal." I had to clear my throat then, because, for some reason, I was getting really nervous and flustered, which usually resulted in a string of gibberish spilling from my mouth. "I wanted to return to my hometown...to Sharilton. But, since I can't really protect myself or anything, I was thinking of maybe...well, uh, hiring your...services?"
"You want me to escort you to Sharilton?"
"Uh, yeah." I stared avidly at a particular pattern in the grain of the table. "If you don't mind. I can pay you and all, so it's really just depends if you want to or not."
He thought about it a moment before scratching the back of his head and shrugging. "Sure, I don't see why not!"
I let out a sigh of relief. "Really?"
"Yep!" He walked around the side of the table until he was standing next to me. He held his hand out. "Sounds like an easy job, and I know you're good to pay me. Should be fun! I'll get you there, one way or another."
"Great." I smiled and shook his hand happily. "Then, I guess we'll wait and see what Jude and Milla are planning before leaving...tomorrow?"
He nodded. "That's probably for the best. I'm sure Milla can handle herself on her own, but Jude..."
I didn't bother filling the silence. We both knew how that sentence was going to end. It wasn't that I didn't think Jude was mature enough to handle himself, but after everything he had just gone through, I was definitely worried. He was only 15 years old. When I was that age, I was just getting my braces off and still going through my vampire phase. My biggest concern was finding a boyfriend now that my teeth were free from their metal prison. This whole thing had to be hard on him. I wasn't sure how much I could help, but I definitely didn't want to take off for Sharilton without knowing he was safe.
"But, hey," Alvin said suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure you wanna be going back to Rashugal right now? I mean, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing for you in Fennmont, now was it?"
"I have to," I insisted, even though I knew he was right. "There's no where else for me to go. And it's my home."
He didn't say anything right away, and I had to wonder if it was because he could tell that last part was a huge lie. To me, it sounded like I was dreading "returning home", like it was the last place in the world I wanted to go. Maybe it was. Being in Auj Oule held a lot more potential for being safe than being in Rashugal did, especially if it meant being as far away as possible from that bastard, Elias.
"Whatever you say," he said at last. "As long as you know what you're doing."
"Yeah." I sighed heavily and gathered up the remainder of the dishes, giving Alvin a small nod before heading off to the kitchen.
This ends super abruptly, but I honestly had to stop it somewhere or it would have went on forever haha
The game never really gives us a description as to what a lilium orb looks like, as far as I can remember, so I decided to just kind of make my own version of it up
Also, sword training will be the death of me - OC Maggie and I have that in common for sure (I mean we have everything in common, we're the same person, but shhh)
Such a long chapter and we're still at the seahaven. Next chapter, we'll get things moving! So long until then!