Shirou got up, stretched and walked out into the balcony, then did some callisthenics while looking down at the river bed. He had been in this world for a little over three weeks now, and genuinely felt the worst was over now.
The beginning had been specially awful. This world has so much magical energy he was almost immediately down on his knees, retching after puking his stomach's content. Thankfully, he had been attacked by a bunch of strange, squat ape... things. He felt better almost the moment he began projecing and firing off swords, which was a pretty big hint as to what the problem was.
Really, a magus as mediocre as him would have died if he hadn't had an easy outage for all the extra mana entering his body. Even now, this world is so rich on it, he has two weapon racks filled with projections of the largest swords that could still fit inside the house. Of course, the lack of worldly erosion on the constructs meant that he still had to project some of the more mana-intensive weapons before bed so he wouldn't wake up coughing blood in the middle of the night.
But, the worst was over now. He hoped.
He followed the river downstream all the way to the ocean. It is, after all, a well-known fact that doing so will almost always lead you to civilisation, and he did indeed find a massive city, but sadly it was already nought but jungle-covered ruins. Still, the principle was well-known enough he decided to build his very visible base in the river's mouth and wait for Rin to find him.
'I bet she'll be God-like here.' He thought with a smile.
~O~
Rin was absolutely miserable. As happy as she had been about the wealth of magic-flooded crystals on every surface in the cave, those very same crystals also made it hell to walk (barefoot) in there, and getting thrown about, smashed into, and stomped against said crystals while her fair body was entirely unprotected by even the flimsiest bit of cloth had not been a fun experience, at all.
Yes, describing it as awful would have been woefully inadequate for the amount of hurt she took inside the cave, but it wasn't why she was miserable right now.
"Miss Tohsaka, I made some stew. Try and sit up, alright?" Luvia's voice was warm, soft and gentle as she helped her adjust her position on the improvised futon. It was actually a sleeping bag, though.
"Hng..." Rin moaned softly.
That and 'Ow' had been the full length of her vocabulary for two days now. Sure, the cuts, bruises, torn ligaments and chemical burns were awful, but having to lie still and helpless while Luviagelita took tender care of her? Now that was making her miserable.
Where and when did the insipid blonde learn to make aloe-infused healing bandages out of leaves and wild bits? And she covered the bottom of the cave with firm, polished-smooth flooring, sewed them warm, soft sleeping bags out of hides and hemp thread, got a fireplace going, and built a solid wall and an (admittedly rickety) door at the entrance of the cave to keep them safe while she healed.(1)
Being tenderly nursed by Luvia was making Rin uncomfortable on ways she hadn't imagined. She washed, fed, changed bandages, and most humiliating of all wiped her clean as needed without so much as a complaint or sarcastic remark. She was supposed to rescue her, not the other way around!
"I found someone to talk today." Luvia said while holding Rin up gently. "He says the 'ghost wall' kills anyone wearing a bracelet as they try to go through it."
"Hng." Rin moaned softly once she swallowed the bit of stew Luvia had spoon-fed her. The tone and colume convinced the blonde that it was a 'please continue,' so she kept talking.
"We could not find any country or even continent names familiar to both of us, so we are in a parallel Earth quite far from our own. As a sailor, he was familiar with a fair bit of shoreline, but when I looked at his doodles in the sand, I did not recognise any of it."
Luvia was thankful for the fact that Rin's wounds were healing fast. As expected of a strong young magus, the overwhelming mana of this Earth nicely accelerated her healing, and the soothing bandages kept her from wracking in pain. The smaller cuts had closed and scabbed without leaving any scars, and her bruises were already gone.
Luvia had taken full advantage of the abundance of magically charged crystals in the cave, and built numerous healing arrays to speed the process along, too.
The larger wounds were t, specially the chemical burns, but thankfully not worrisome. It seemed obvious Rin would heal enough to move in a couple of days.
"We spoke for quite a bit." She continued. "There are cities full of treasure hunters, wanderers and exiled criminals to the north, and it was at that point in the conversation that his two companions came back and forced me to kill the lot of them in self defence. We now have some armour bits, two iron swords, a bronze spear and quite a few cooking pots. Even a couple of brass cups and this spoon, in case you were wondering where it came from."
Luvia reached over and showed Rin a tall brass glass. The brunette was actually thankful she couldn't speak, right then.
"I am keeping the spear." The blonde continued. "We can always gandr things, but walking around unarmed sends the wrong message to the locals."
"Hng." Rin tried to put as much consent as she could in the sound.
Luvia finished feeding her the stew, and gently lowered her unto the furs to let her rest, then stood up and went out to wash the bowl and spoon. An underwater river kissed the surface of the cave in the form of a small pool, but the blonde had yet to see any fish on it, so she choose not to drink or use the water in it.
She walked out and to the river in order to do the dishes, as it were. She checked her fish traps, and was thankful to find two large fish had wandered in and were unable to get out. She pulled the traps out of the water and flipped them over, then made her way back to the cave.
Well, it didn't look like a cave anymore. The bracelet had indeed been a tool meant for communication before it was cursed somehow, and it held quite a bit of useful knowledge and functions, both magical and otherwise.
To begin with, it acted like a chinese holding ring, letting her store all sorts of things inside a parallel space. Unfortunately, she still felt the weight, though distributed evenly all over her body, which made it much more tolerable. Maybe more importantly, it guided her through weaving, tool making and masonry. It even taught her to infuse aloe essence into Rin's bandages, for which Luvia was genuinely grateful.
'That idiot, getting herself killed to come save me.' She looked around herself, and made sure there was nobody around to see what she was about to do.
"Stupid miss gorilla!" Luvia grabbed her head with both hands and messed her hair while screaming out loud. "Why did you come help!? If something happens to you, what should I tell Sherou!? You stupid flat-chest!"
A hyena trotted over, lured by what sounded like a dying cry. Luvia killed it with two gandr to the face, sighed. She considered the beast's corpse for a moment, then reached into the bracelet's inventory and pulled out an skinning knife. They had food, but Rin could use another fur between her and the floor.
'Who would have thought the chosen heir of the Edelfelt would have to dirty her hands this way.' She skinned the beast, then got some meat out of it. Not as much as she could have if she had butchered it from the start of course, but better than nothing.
She threw the waste and carcass into the river so it'd float away from their little shelter. Better to keep scavengers as far away as she could. On a brighter note, she found she could finally draw more use out of the bracelet (2). She empowered its carrying capacity, and immediately felt the weight on her body lightening up.
Apparently, it was possible to have the bracelet assist her strength and endurance as well, but she felt disinclined to have it do so. Its not as if she had an interest in fighting crocodiles and cannibals hand to hand, thank you very much. A good few gandr to the face had been working just fine, so far.
She sighed as she arrived at the entrance of the cave, pulled out the fur, and started to cure it. This was the sort of knowledge she would have been perfectly happy without.(3).
Such moments have an odd tendency to clear the mind and bring forth a wellspring of ideas, and so it was that Luviagelita Edelphelt suddenly felt inspired to go chop some wood and crack some stones. The entrance would do perfectly fine at keeping out roaming animals, but people?
'Hmm.'
As soon as she was done with the fur, she went searching for materials.
~O~
"Ah..." It was an improvement, a brand new sound. "Lu... bah...?" Her tongue hurt. She had bitten it pretty bad when the monster pushed her face-first through the stalagmite.
Rin ached all over, but she felt like an exhausted, sore and badly sunburn human now, rather than tenderised beef. So you know, progress.
She heard chopping, then clanging and more chopping coming from outside.
Was Luvia building something? Rin vaguely remembered hearing the same kind of sounds when the blonde built the stone platform she now rested upon.
"Lu... biha..." She called out softly, and winced. Her everything hurt from the effort. How exactly was talking related to the injuries on her leg, she had no idea.
Showing off her force of will, she rolled unto her side. Her side protested loudly at the abuse, but she wanted to face towards the entrance, just in case. She'd deal with pointing her hand and trying to cast a gandr if and when needed, though the idea was enough to send a jolt of pain up her spine.
Now that she was facing away from the wall, she could see the crystal arrays that Luvia had left by her side. She could tell they were helping, and felt better knowing things would get better.
The cave was actually not that big, now that she looked at it with calm. About big enough for a compact car to drive inside, maybe? The roof was tall near the back, though, which helped keep claustophobia at bay. Rin could also hear running water nearby, albeit faintly.
She looked down at the furs she was laying on.
'I wonder if she traded for them.'
And then she remembered Luvia's story about the 'sailor' and his companions.
'I guess these were theirs? No, wait. That happened earlier today, and I've been on these for days. She said it was the first time she found someone to talk to, so she couldn't have traded for them, and what would she have offered, anyway?'
As soon as she thought so, she did come up with something they could trade for, but refused to entertain the possibility.
'So... she actually skinned something? Her?' Rin didn't know if she was amazed or horrified. At least the furs were soft and light brown to yellow, with clear brown spots on them, so whatever they were, they didn't come from the things that attacked them.
The idea of using those things' skins seemed innately disgusting. They looked too close to human.
'Odd... I think I wouldn't like ape furs either, but I could certainly accept it.'
She looked down at herself, and studied the bandages wrapping her like a mummy.
'She made these, too? My impression of the Edelfelt house is changing in weird ways. I never even imagined she'd have such interests. I mean, sure, basic alchemy can make weak healing oils, but weaving?'
Luvia opens the door and walks into the cave, wearing a firm-looking leather armour chest and kilt over her hemp clothes. She's wearing sandals with a think sole, though they are rather obviously large for her.
"Miss Tohsaka!" She calls out as soon as she sees Rin is on her side. "You shouldn't move!"
Luvia rushes to Rin's side, and tries to have her lie on her back again while looking oddly angry yet relieved.
"Lu...bhia. Thancs"
"P-please tell me that lisp is from pain...?" Luvia looks quite worried as she imagines a brain-damaged Rin
"Oh cussit ish!" Rin replies with as much indignation as she can.
Luvia's relief is literally audible.
"Thanks goodness. If you were mentally deficient on top of a brute, I'd feel bad about all those miss gorilla jokes."
"..." Rin just stares at the blonde. Its not like she has nothing to say, but rather, she's too tired to properly articulate the rain of insults and worse she really wants to, right now. In the end, she decides to just be honest. "Thancs."
"...thank you, miss Tohsaka."
They are quiet for a bit.
"Do you want me to help you lie on your tummy? You have been on your back for two days now, so I am sure you must be sore and cramped."
"Thanc yû."
"Hm... I am not really sure on how to do move you... I apologise, miss Tohsaka, but I am fairly sure that it will hurt no matter what, so..."
Luvia slips a hand between Rin's shoulder and the furs beneath the brunette, then takes hold of her other shoulder, and flips her slowly unto her stomach, then does the same with her hips and legs.
"Hng!" Rin does her best to hide her pain.
"Are you cold? I am soaking another fur, but it'll be a while before its ready, even if the bracelets speed up crafting some."
"Whuyt?" Rin turns her head to look at the blonde.
"Ah... I skinned another hyena and got its hide-" Luvia starts to explain, when Rin interrupts her
"Nh. Brras-led?"
"Oh, the bracelet? Yes, you have not experimented with it yet, miss Tohsaka. It is actually quite useful, and should provide a good distraction while you recover, so... please do?"
"Hng..."
"Here, a couple of things to play with once you figure out the storage function."
Luvia places a brass cup in Rin's upturned hand, then sighs in relief again.
"I thought I would have to try and explain to Sherou how you died." Her voice cracks a little bit. "Don't do that again."
"Hn."
Luvia studies Rin's exposed back. She smiles as she notices that pretty much all of her wounds have finally closed, though it seems obvious they are still healing, and the brunette shouldn't force them.
"Whut ch do-in?" Rin whispers the words. She's surprisingly tired after such a short conversation.
"I was thinking you have a rather feminine figure when seen from behind, miss gorilla."
"..."
"Just rest, alright? You can sass back all you want once you are alright."
"A-ight."
Luvia waits for a bit, and takes the brass cup from Rin's hand after the exhausted girl falls asleep. She leaves it within easy reach, and goes back outside.
She picks up the stuff she was working in, and moves to work a little further away, though still within a stone's throw of the cave, keeping the door well in sight.
She cuts and polishes the stones, prepares a primitive concrete, and molds it all into properly-sized bits and parts. She's genuinely surprised by how relaxing it is to work with her hands, even though the Edelfelt heiress had never needed to lift anything harsher than a nail brush before.
'My nails are going to be a mess.' She realises with a sigh. 'Well, it is not important.'
She places the foundations for a sandstone cabin against the cave's door, making them double to reach as high as she can without making it suspicious. Yes, just high enough it looks like she's worried about crocodiles and hyenas (which, to be fair, she is), then adds a ladder and starts to work on the walls.
A few hours later, as the wind begins to pick enough force to blow a hail of sand, twigs and little stones over the area, she stops her work and enters through the brand new floor trap she set up to hide the cave.
Yes, Rin hasn't seen it yet, but an enormous, ridiculously powerful sandstorm scours the entire region on a daily basis.
"Miss Tohsaka, are you awake?" She asks calmly while making her way into the cave.
"Yus."
"Do you need to use shell?"
"...yus." Rin's reply is more a whimper than anything else.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about, miss Tohsaka. You are injured."
Rin never imagined she'd ever think of Luvia as sensitive and caring, but as the blonde helps her lift her hips and slides a vacant turtle shell under her and between her thighs, she can't help but feel thankful, even if she has to hold back tears of shame at the same time, especially when Luvia takes away the shell and wipes her clean.
"...thanc-you." She whimpers the words
"No." Corrects Luvia. "Thank you for coming for me, miss Tohsaka."
"...allight."
"I'm going to change your bandages, alright?"
"Yus."
The blonde studied Rin's body as she worked. The wounds had closed nicely, or at least were scabbed over. At this pace, the brunette should be able to move by tomorrow, though there's a big difference between 'moving' and 'moving around.'
"These are surprisingly effective." Comments Luvia as she starts applying a new round of salves and bandages. "You may not even have a scar to show in a few days."
"Thad's good." The brunette sounds quite relieved.
It may be a serious situation, but as a girl, she can't help but worry about such things.
"Did you experiment with the bracelet yet?" Luvia stores away the dirty bandages so she can wash and boil them later, then wipes her hands clean and rubs some plant sap on them to use as cream and soap.
"Yes. Dis is how yu made cloth's."
"It is. It has quite a bit to tell and teach, though it does so slowly. So far I have focused on weaving, masonry, and medicine, so if I can, I would like to suggest you pick something else. Round us up, you know?"
"Hm. Was waitin' for you' feedbac'." Rin looks at Luvia, then turns away. "I'll go widh a'mo'smith and cookin'."
"Much appreciated. You are speaking better now. Are you tired?"
"...yes."
The storm rages outside, tearing at the world, a tyrant that oppresses man and beast alike, forcing them into shelter and destroying any who'd dare challenge its mighty rule. Inside, two girls lay together and wait for it to go away.
~O~
1 - Yes, I am aware that in-game you can't build inside that cave, but that's because terrain is indestructible in-game, so taking over a cave with such a conveniently small entrance would give players a very easy-to-defend base. It made no sense story-wise, and so I decided to hand wave that restriction away.
2 – Yes, she leveled up. Rin too has a bunch of unassigned points after she committed genocide on the imp population at the south of the river.
3 – I recommend you don't look it up, either.
Personal Note: Much to my delight, I found a 'build anywhere' mod. My immersion has been restored.