Chapter 37: Pushing Forward
Guide trudged painfully down the hall, carrying a battered Hero on his shoulder. Despite his lack of armor, Hero was still incredibly heavy. Well, heavy for Guide anyways.
"I fail to see why we cannot rest for several hours and wait for the venom to wear off. I am not built for this sort of work," Guide said indignantly.
"I carried you on my shoulder for the better part of two hours. Man the hell up!" Hero replied, and lazily spurred Guide with his leg.
"Fair point, but could we please rest? I've been carrying you for only a few minutes and I already need to sit down and reconsider my methods," Guide said.
"I side with Nicholas on this issue. We are far safer when your limbs are not mostly paralyzed. If we encounter any more monsters, we will need your expertise," Neptune said.
"Of course you side with Nick- Guide I mean! I'm too floppy to assert my will, and I assume two are already making out when my back is turned, or something," Hero said bitterly.
"We are not! What makes you leap to such a conclusion?" Neptune said offendedly. Hero snorted.
"Oh come on! I'm not completely oblivious! There's obviously something between you two nerds. You spend every waking moment fawning over each-other," Hero said. Guide thought strongly about dropping him.
"Can we please not talk about this right now? I remind you that I am currently holding you above the disgusting, spore infected ground," Guide replied.
"Hey! Calm down, I was half joking," Hero said. He coughed. Guide silently counted down from 10. Just as he hit 3, Hero piped up again. "But seriously- are you two going out or something?"
"Would you like to answer that question, Neptune?" Guide asked. Guide took her silence as a negative. "Fine. Dear lord, I hate explaining things to you," Guide started. Hero grinned.
"Lemme guess- it's complicated," He said. Guide thought for a moment.
"Not really. This would be a lot easier if Neptune weren't five feet away," Guide said. Neptune smiled uncomfortably.
"Yes or no answer: are you two dating? Please, I'm really curious," Hero said.
"Yes, I suppose," Guide said. Hero chuckled.
"See? It wasn't that hard, now, was it?" Hero said. Guide considered him very lucky for not getting a face-full of floor.
-Break-
Guide took a long, deep breath of clean, pure, jungle air. Sure, it was an underground jungle, but the air was still a thousand time more pleasant than the thick, spore infested stuff in the mushroom cave.
"Well, I guess this is as good a stopping point as any. You can put me down, Guide," said Hero. Guide ungraciously dumped Hero on the floor, and fell onto his back.
"Oh thank lord Redigit. My shoulder was nearly dislocated by the burden it bore today," said Guide.
"Who is Redigit? You keep saying the name in place of 'God' and it's starting to drive me nuts," Hero said.
"No one of any concern!" Neptune shouted before Guide could start explaining.
"Okay! Just asking!" Hero said bewilderedly, "it's not like I need to know about the world I live in!"
Guide, meanwhile, was greatly relieved. He didn't know anything about theology, so he would have been obligated to explain it like a normal, relatable human being! He shuddered at the thought.
Eventually, the part decided to get to business. The next hour passed quickly and uneventfully. Neptune, who was familiar with the jungle, set up camp. During her preparations, she came across a small temple, with a golden treasure chest. Curiously, it had already been looted of everything save a small golden pocket-watch. Guide later claimed it as his own.
Once camp was set up, Guide tended to Hero's wounds. He had been hurt badly during the fight, and Guide suspected the damage extended to his mind. He didn't speak much as he was operated on. Everyone was currently just too nervous and bewildered to talk about the events which had so recently unfolded, traumatic as they were. Perhaps this is why they were not discussed.
Eventually, Hero dozed off, leaving Guide and Neptune awake beside a small camp fire. Neither could work up the courage to sleep.
"So, would you mind first watch? I'm feeling tired from all the Hero carrying," Guide said, setting his watch. He couldn't see the sun, but based on his calculations from the past few days, and accounting for brief unconsciousness, the time was around 3:15 PM. When he got down to it, his mind was quite efficient at these useless sort of functions.
Meanwhile, Neptune ignored his query, and stared into the fire.
"Did you mean what you said today? About how you loved me, I mean," Neptune asked. Guide looked up from his watch.
"Why wouldn't I?" He asked. Neptune sighed heavily.
"Because you're a human, and humans tend to do things they don't mean. Even someone like you makes rash decisions sometimes," Neptune replied. Guide sensed bitterness in her statement.
"I... Take it you have a reason for thinking this way? A previous player or guide, perhaps?" Guide asked. Neptune nodded.
"Your take on the situation is correct. Several months before I met you, I served under a woman who went by the name of Rosalyn. Her Guide was named... Well, he was also named Nicholas. Your name carries much weight, I'm afraid," Neptune said.
"Why is that?" Guide asked, fiddling with his watch. He cared about Neptune's story, but was deeply invested in getting the possibly imperfect time just right on the watch.
"I will explain in time. Now, Rosalyn was deeply in love with Nicholas. I did not know this as our story begins, though I should have determined it far earlier than I did," Neptune said.
"I assume you also liked Nicholas?" Guide guessed.
"While your deductions have thus far proven to be correct, this is no excuse to interrupt me. Yes, I was also in love with Nicholas. And, when I professed this to him, he seemed to share the sentiment. He told me he loved me as well, and I believed him. However, after some time, I began to realize something off. Nicholas always acted strangely around me, and I could not determine why. Until, one day, I happened to find Rosalyn and Nicholas... Well, based on your previous detective work, I suppose you can see this predictable turn of events," Neptune said bitterly. When Guide failed to make a witty comment, or produce anything other than a look of mild horror, she took a deep breath and continued. "Angered and hurt, I ran off, cursing both their names. I know now I should have been far more mature about the situation, and that Rosalyn was likely just as clueless as I. However, when I finally came to my senses, it was too late to reconcile. Both of them had disappeared, and I can only guess what happened to them."
"Is that all there is to the story?" Guide asked. His watch had been fully set.
"Yes, I suppose it is. Remember, this all happened just over a year ago, and for me, a year is not a long time. I haven't been able to bring myself to truly trust again since then, and being stabbed in the sternum by that horrible maniac upon my friendly greeting did not help my case with humans," Neptune said, laughing a little. Guide smiled.
"Neptune, I'm surprised you were even willing to approach me after how badly your last encounter with humans went. If you aren't ready for a relationship, you don't have to be," Guide said, smiling. Neptune shook her head.
"Nicholas, as considerate as you are, you seem to have missed the point of all this. I am not trying to push you away, I promise. I just wanted you to know why I've had such a difficult time with this subject until very recently. And, of course, to explain my former question," Neptune said. Guide gave no response. "Which, of course, is still relevant."
"Oh, What? Sorry, if you're asking a question, I've kind of lost you," Guide said, drawing a blank.
"Do you truly love me, Nicholas? Do you mean what you said earlier?" Neptune asked, aborting her previous attempt at subtlety. Guide hugged her in response.
"Yes, I do. Truly. And I promise you I am not secretly dating Hero, nor have I any plans to do so. Can you stop being insecure now?" Guide said playfully.
"I can certainly try," Neptune said, and kissed him on the cheek. Some time passed, and Neptune added, "Oh, and please do not date with Hero on the side. That would be strange."