ACH: Side Story
Canon to Main ACH Timeline: No
Halorian Nights
The peaceful life could be pretty boring at times. Sure, I don't have to worry about whether or not the town survives to the next day, but with that assurance came a sort of… blandness to everything. Which is why I was here, walking down to the forge. It was late, and most people were either in their homes sleeping or going to bed. The moon shone brightly, the nearly empty streets allowing for a calm quiet to settle in.
It made the walk to the forge enjoyable, as I wouldn't have to wander around with women who were above average on the hotness scale. And the traps too. You'd think I'd get used to that last part, but nope. It's a good thing the women here are such bombshells, otherwise I'd be way more concerned with accidentally eyeing up a feminine guy.
That's just not how I do business.
My mind began to wonder once again, this time landing on a topic that had been dominating my thoughts for a while now. I wonder if Emery was in the forge tonight? It was something that I've really begun to look forward too lately. Sure, she was mildly annoying at first, her incredible shyness and discomfort with social situations being something that really grated my nerves at times. But to be honest, it's gotten almost endearing.
It's probably because of how adorable and wholesome she is. She's like a puppy. A cute, wholesome, and surprisingly stacked puppy. Sure, compared to some of the other forestkin here, she was a bit petite, but these forestkin women are way more attractive than any other type of race I've seen so far. It's almost weird, but I'm not gonna complain.
I stopped in front of my destination, the large closed sign dominating my view of the door. Reaching my hand out, I grasped the door handle and gave it a light twist. I didn't meet any resistance, and grinned. So, she was here today.
Entering the shop, I closed the door behind me. The shop itself was empty, Avery having left to go home for the night. Probably for the best. I don't think she enjoys it when I hang out with Emery. Probably thinks I'm a bad influence or something, which is just so not true. I mean, I'm the best influence I know.
It was almost an unconscious action, making my way through the store and into the back room. I've done it so many times at this point, that I may as well have a mental map of that specific path. I don't even think I've ever actually explored the back room, only using it as a path to the forge.
Speaking of which, I gripped the handle of the door and pushed forward, a grin on my face as I gave Emery my greetings. "How's it going Emery? Still going at it with that forge?"
"Gah!"
She jumped, slamming the large chest at the back of the room. Her eyes landed on me, and they flickered with some unknown emotion, before settling with annoyance. "Hon-Darius! Don't scare me like that!"
Chuckling, I gently closing the door behind me and walking up to her. "So Emery, you seem extra excited today. What, you get a decent tip at the tavern?"
I watched as she giggled, covering her mouth in what was probably an effort to seem more ladylike. Weird, considering she's never cared about it before. Not that I was complaining. It was adorable.
"Nope! I'm just happy to see you! Is that so bad?"
Huh. That's surprisingly affectionate of her. And straight forward. I must be an absolutely stellar influence if she's already so far out of her shell. Go me. "Well, I'd be happy to see me too I suppose. Anyway, what were you doing before I came here? You looked to be in a rush?"
She leaned back, sitting on the large chest at the back of the open room. Kicking her legs out, she just gave me a strange smile. "Nothing much. Just... cleaning up. What about you? I saw you talking with Evanora earlier. Were you giving her a... hand, or something?"
It sounded like the punchline for a joke, though if it was, it wasn't very funny. Regardless, I just shrugged and sat down on the force's workbench right across from her. "Not really. We were just chatting for a bit, since we're pretty much bored out of our minds at this time of day. Hang on a sec, I didn't know you knew Evanora?"
Emery just gave me a flat look. "I talk to other people you know. You're not my only friend."
Eh, fair enough.
My nose caught a hint of a metallic smell, making me wonder where it was coming from. "Hey Emery, what's with that metal smell? The forge looks to be cool still, and I don't see any metal around. Did you just put them away or something?"
She blinked, before looking away and clearing her throat. "W-Well, I'm a little tired from today's activities. So I didn't work the forge for very long. Really, I was just getting ready to head home for the night."
A pause, before her eyes landed on my face once again. "But I mean, if you want, we could spend some time together tomorrow morning. You know… just the two of us. Maybe go for a walk, eat some chocolate cake and have a picnic."
That was… very specific. Just as I was about to agree to her proposal, my eyes noticed a silver gleam coming from her neckline. She was wearing a thin chain necklace, a silver ring with a green gem topping it off. My throat tightened suddenly. "So uh, not to get too off topic, but uh, what's with the engagement ring?"
Her hand immediately went to her neck, grasping the ring in her hand. "Oh this? It was my mother's before she… passed away. I usually keep it in my pocket, but I felt like wearing it today."
Ah, right. That makes sense. I relaxed a bit, letting out a sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Maybe I should relax with the forge for a bit? "Well then, if you're going to go home for the night, I may as well do some smithing. You mind getting off the box? I'd rather grab some scraps than use the new stuff."
For some reason, she stiffened. Her smile grew slightly strained as she stood in place. "N-No! I mean, you should probably get some rest too! I'd rather you not be tried during our… outing tomorrow."
That's… unusual. Scratch that, this is worrying. Something's not right here. "Emery, I'm just going to spend a little bit of time here. An hour at most. So please, get off the box."
I went to reach for the box, before her hand suddenly gripped my own with a surprising amount of strength. Her grip felt… wet. More than just sweat. My gaze turned downwards, staring directly at where our hands were connected. Right around the edges of her hands, was blood.
My eyes narrowed, and they flicked upwards. "Observe."
Emery Artifice
Title: The Widow
Race: Forestkin
Age: 20
Health: 30/30
Magic: 40/40
Levels: ERROR
Experience: ERROR
This… what was this? Who was this? This wasn't Emery, it couldn't be. What was going on? What was-
"…Why? Why did you have to do that?"
Her forced smile had faded to a sad frown, and her eyes looked to be almost watery. I tried to pull my arm free from her grip, but I wasn't able to escape. Her hand tightened around my own, holding me in place. "I… I don't understand! Who are you?! What did you do with Emery?!"
The imposter's other hand reached forward, caressing my cheek almost lovingly. "Shhh, it's okay. I am Emery, So you don't need to worry, okay? Just… just lie back and let me show you."
Her hand began to travel downwards, caressing my chest and stomach as it moved southwards. This… I had to stop this. "Reinforce- "
This action had been blocked by the Administrator.
What?!
"It's okay honey, you don't need to fight. Please, just let me love you again. Don't leave me, not again."
She leaned forward, standing on her toes as she captured my lips with her own. Her grip on my hand loosened as she grew more and more enraptured by the kiss.
Taking a chance, I quickly pushed her to the side and gripped the chest's lid. I threw it open, staring down as the contents of the chest revealed themselves to me.
Oh god. Emery.
There she was, stuffed into the too small box. Her body… it was beaten and broken, stab wounds and burn marks littering her corpse. Her eyes, dull and empty, were wide. The last remnants of fear visible on her features. I reached a hand out, touching her cheek. There was still a bit of warmth in them. She… she died recently.
My arms fell limp at my sides. A warm, wet sensation ran from my eyes, all the way down my cheeks. I… why… not Emery. Anyone but her. Why did it have to be her?
"I didn't want you to see this. Oh gods, you're probably in so much pain right now! I wanted to properly dispose of the body, but I heard you coming and I panicked!"
Slowly, I turned to face her. My throat felt tight, and it hurt. It hurts so much. My chest, it feels like it's going to explode. I could barely breathe. My body felt numb, even as it began to run at her, a fist clenched and ready to strike.
"Admin Override: Cease Bodily Movement."
And just like that, I was a puppet with its strings cut off. I continued to move forward, slamming into the ground unable to move. The only things I could move were my eyes and partially my mouth, anything else was unresponsive.
The imposter sniffled slightly, knelling down in front of me as she began to tear up. "I-I don't understand. Why would you hate me? I-I'm her, aren't I?! What's so wrong with me that you'd rather hurt me then be with me?!"
My own tears began to flow freely, the grief and anger finally breaking me down. "Y-You… killed… her."
Her sobbing grew louder, and she clenched her fists in despair. "I am her! Why… why can't you ever accept me like you do her. Time and time again, you reject me because of some other Emery! Why?! It's not my fault Darius! It's not my fault!"
She cried harder, a hauntingly familiar ebony parrying dagger appearing in her hand. "See! I still have it! I still have the dagger, even after all this time! So why, why did you have to leave me! You said you'd be back, you promised you'd never leave my side! But then you did! You left on some journey to find a cure, and you never came back!"
I didn't understand. I couldn't understand. She wasn't making any sense.
She lifted the dagger, her hands shaking as she stared at the bloody blade. "You're so cruel. You reject me, time and time again, leaving me to wither away on my own. Do you just enjoy causing me so much pain? Do you enjoy breaking my heart over, and over again? I thought you loved me? Please, love me. Because… I love you. I love you so much. You're my everything, and you always will be."
Her eyes sharpened, and her grip on the dagger steadied. She stared down at me, a mournful expression on her face. "That's why it pains me so much to have to punish you like this. But… but it's not my fault Darius. It's not my fault you left. It's not my fault you… died. No, no it can't be. You promised to be with me. Even though I begged you not to, you promised that I'd be okay? That everything would be okay. Well guess what Darius! You broke that promise! I'm not okay! I'm… I'm not okay without you."
The dagger reversed its position in her grip, pointing downwards as she held it over me. "I love you so much Darius. I miss you so much. Why can't you come back? Why did you have to go? I would have rather died then live without you. I still would. You used to be the same way. You used to hold me when I was scared, and comfort me when I was alone. But now? Now I'm all alone, and so scared, and you look at me with hatred. Why… why?!"
She thrust downward, the dagger piercing my back. I could feel the warm metal dig into my back, blood spilling as she ripped it out and jabbed it back in. The blade kept stabbing into me, and my vision began to blur.
"Why can't you love me?! Why did you have to leave me alone?! It didn't matter if I was sick, I would have happily died just to have a few more moments with you! You're the love of my life! My existence is hollow and unfinished without you! We were supposed to grow old together, and finally raise our baby!"
She finally stopped thrusting the dagger downward, leaving me a bloody mess. My mind was barely conscious, the only thing I was able to think of was Emery in that box. Her soft, almost angelic form, bent and squished into a small chest. She was too pure for such a fate, too kind. So why did it have to be her? "…W-Why?"
As my vision began to darken, I could just barely make out the imposter's answer just as I drew my last breath.
"Because… I love you."
…
Not all stories have happy endings I suppose.