Author's Note: Just to make it clear, the story takes place after Cold Steel 2. This means Estelle and Joshua are both adults.
Always bright, optimistic, shining like the sun. That's the girl I fell in love with.
From the moment he had met Estelle all those years ago, Joshua could always count on her to lift his spirits — and those of everyone else around them — whenever things seemed tough or even outright hopeless. She was his sun, his biggest source of happiness, and his saving grace. If Estelle of all people cried, it was because she had a damned good reason.
And those rare occasions would always break Joshua's heart. How are you meant to comfort the sun when its light goes out?
Their combat link only made this particular situation even worse. The feature, unique to the ARCUS model Orbments, was meant to facilitate better coordination in battle by allowing two linked users to (for lack of better terms) share their minds. Because of that, Joshua felt all of Estelle's relief but also all her heartache. Joshua didn't know what she had faced by her lonesome all this time, but the scars on her face served as stark, gruesome hints. Oh, Estelle. My brave, strong Estelle. If only I had fought by your side all this time.
Joshua tried to stop himself from crying so he could whisper words of comfort in her ear, but ultimately allowed his emotions to flow freely. He didn't know how long his tearful embrace with Estelle lasted, nor did he care. What mattered the most was that after an eternity alone in this hellhole, they were finally back together and ready to continue their promise to walk side-by-side for the rest of their days.
Eventually, the two of them calmed down just enough to form coherent words. They spent the next little while half-sobbing and half-stammering out apologies and how much they missed each other. Finally, after Aidios knows how long, the crying stopped in its entirety.
"I missed you." Joshua tilted his head forward and touched his forehead against Estelle's, his fingers gently wiping away the remaining tears in her eyes.
"I missed you too," Estelle said as she returned the favor with her own hands, and Joshua relished the sensation of her breath tickling his face. "We need to make up for the missing two months, mister."
Estelle then planted a kiss right on Joshua's lips, and he savored the taste and the familiar texture of her lips. As he slowly moaned in satisfaction, she suddenly shoved him against the wall and began to unzip his jacket. Any objections Joshua may have held died down as the flames of his longing were fanned by Estelle's own cravings, which were overwhelming his mind. The collected, logical side of him was telling him the combat link was trapping them in a feedback loop, and to stop because there were more urgent tasks at hand. Yet he persisted.
He suddenly gasped as one of Estelle's hand snuck under his shirt, tiny waves of ecstasy erupting wherever skin met skin. The intoxicating feeling of Estelle's touch and lips added to the brewing firestorm in her chest, and Joshua felt all of it combined with his own raging desires. His hands slid from her shoulders all the way to those perky, toned buttocks and –
"HEY!" a stranger's voice called out.
"The hell do you want?" Estelle whipped her head to the side, an almost-murderous glare accentuating her crimson eyes. "We're in the middle of…oh." Her harsh tone soon faded as she remembered they weren't alone. And realised the mild state of undress she and Joshua were in.
Joshua took a deep breath in relief as the tidal wave that was Estelle's fierce passion retreated from his mind. He noticed that not only had Estelle began to undo his belt before the interruption, but his own thumbs were dug deep into Estelle's waistband. Joshua felt his face grow warm as Estelle's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
Okay, that could have turned out to be really embarrassing, Joshua thought as he and Estelle untangled from each other and turned off their ARCUSs' combat link mode. These combat links do their jobs a little bit too well.
"I'm all for romance and reuniting lovers, but isn't it a tad too soon to put on that kind of spectacle?" said the voice's owner, a man in a red jester outfit. "At least wait until you can get a room at the Tavern."
"Y-yeah, you're right, sorry. I guess we got a little carried away," Estelle said sheepishly, though she winked at Joshua. The message behind it was quite clear: We'll continue this later. "A-anyway, say hi to our new friends, Joshua!"
"Hello, everyone. I'm Joshua. As you might have noticed by now, I'm Estelle's lover," he said as he zipped his jacket back up. "It's a pleasure to make an acquaintance with you all."
"The pleasure is all mine. My name is Sarmenti, and I'm a Jester and bard extraordinaire." He bowed with a flourish. The way in which he spoke and acted reminded Joshua a bit of Olivier. And just like Olivier, he probably has a hidden side. Those weapons do not look like stage props. Judging on his thin build, he probably relies on speed and agility in combat.
"I'm Bigby, wandering scholar," said the barely dressed man in chains. Unlike Sarmenti, he seemed quite curt and very reluctant to talk about himself. Bigby's disheveled appearance, coupled with the fact he had introduced himself as a wandering scholar, set Joshua on edge. I hope I'm wrong, but that sounded suspiciously like Weissmann's old cover story when he first met Estelle and me. Anyway, I suppose he could use the chains as an improvised weapon but there has to be something else that I can't quite pinpoint. Not very threatening otherwise; just a tad unnerving.
The third man, a much older individual with an eye patch and dressed in armor, slumped against a wall with his head in his hands. He paid no heed to the others around him, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. This one is more straightforward than the other two. He seems dressed for frontline combat and the oldest in the group. If there's a leader, it must be either him or Estelle.
"Come, Barristan. No need to be so dour!" Sarmenti poked him. "Come introduce yourself to our new friend!"
Barristan refused to budge and mumbled something under his breath. Sarmenti grunted in frustration and threw his hands in the air before stepping away, complaining about the dour man ruining the mood.
"What seems to be the matter?" Joshua asked.
"It appears something about our previous battle has badly shaken Barristan," Bigby remarked. "I hate to say this, but this is an alarmingly regular occurrence among those who venture from the Hamlet."
"So what can we do about it?" Joshua asked.
"Whenever someone has such a breakdown, we bring them back to the Hamlet if we can and have them treated, be it worldly pleasures or spiritual comfort," Bigby said. "But there's nothing we can do for our friend here except keep him on task and reassure him as best as we can."
"Then allow me!" Estelle piped up before Joshua could say anything; he was going to suggest Estelle help out their companion anyway. She trudged over to Barristan and got down on one knee, with Joshua following closely behind.
"Hey, look at me. Look at me, okay?" Estelle put on her best reassuring face and firmly clamped one hand on Barristan's shoulder. After a couple of shakes, he finally tore his gaze from his lap to Estelle. "There we go. That's the spirit."
"Please, just leave me alone. I'm a broken old man with nothing more to offer, especially not against that man-shaped…thing," Barristan said wearily. "My plans and efforts to keep us all alive…they were worthless. My time should have come long ago."
"Loewe's a monster, but you still put up the best fight you can and made it out alive. That's something to be proud of!" Estelle said. "Everything you did, you gave it your all and kept us alive long enough to reach Loewe in the first place. Joshua and I finally reunited because of you."
Barristan simply mumbled weakly, but slowly nodded.
"I don't know your story, and I won't pry it out of you. I'm just letting you know that if you do want to tell it one day, I'm all ears," Estelle continued. "In the meantime, let's just focus on finding a way back to the Hamlet, okay?"
"Forgive me, but I feel I am no longer capable of leading this mission. Too many have already died under my command over the years, and you will be no different," Barristan said. "I am too burdened with despair, and the only thing left for me in this hopeless realm is to die in combat."
"That means you'll keep on fighting, right? Then that's all it matters until we get out of here and get you back to the Hamlet. We'll figure out who'll take over from you real soon," Estelle said, seemingly undeterred by Barristan's hopeless statements. "Just stay focused and don't quit fighting on me, and I'll make sure you stay alive whether you want it or not. Now, why don't you play nice and introduce yourself to Joshua? Finding him was part of our mission, remember?"
Barristan sighed, his good eye settling on Joshua. He grunted as he attempted to stand up, only for Estelle to gently push him back to a sitting position and telling him to take it easy. "Young man, finding you truly was a worthwhile sacrifice. The name's Barristan, and I'm glad I survived long enough in this hell to meet you."
"Joshua, it's a pleasure." He nodded before turning to Estelle. "So…what now?"
"I don't know about you, but I think we're all pretty worn out from that fight," Estelle replied. "Loewe was just as tough as I remembered."
"So, we'll somehow make camp here and recuperate? All we're missing is some firewood," Sarmenti said. "We can have a decent conversation over dinner, and I'll play some romantic ballads to get you two in the mood. Just make sure to indulge in that crazy little thing called love after we fall asleep, okay? And keep it down too. I don't perform well when I'm tired."
"Thanks, but no thanks! Joshua and I aren't just going to jump all over each other, especially not in this dump." Estelle's face turned red once again, and Joshua ended up restraining her just in case she decided to get violent. At least, that was his excuse considering how quickly he moved his hands towards her chest and between her legs. It didn't help that Estelle was leaning into his hold and wordlessly goading him into getting even more frisky.
"You two really aren't helping your case, you know," Sarmenti chuckled, which only reinforced how much he was like Olivier in Joshua's mind. Quite the obnoxious fellow. "On a more serious note, we do lack the firewood to make a campfire."
"One of us can always use our Orbment as an emergency stove," Joshua said as he grasped Estelle's hand. "It's part of our advanced survival training."
"That may not be necessary," Bigby said as he strode over to the fireplace which, save for the crystalline formation growing on it, still looked intact amidst the ruins of the Farmhouse. "Did anyone else notice how this fireplace seems functional and even a tad…inviting? Perhaps this may solve our problems for a campfire."
Bigby put a hand on the fireplace, only to recoil a split second later as it roared to life with a blue flame. Amidst the cold, empty void Joshua was far too used to, the ethereal flame's warmth was a welcoming touch. Between the five of them, he was the first one to rush to the fire's side, eagerly warming up his hands to feel something for the first time in an eternity.
"Interesting. I had expected a more esoteric method to activate this fireplace," Bigby remarked. "I suppose this is a good time as many to make camp, then."
Being too tired to make small talk, the five of them ate their meal quietly, save for Estelle and Joshua who huddled next to each other and exchanged sweettalk as they ate. Joshua didn't mind the fact they were talking about trivial things; he was just glad to finally hear Estelle's voice again. After cleaning out and packing away their utensils, Bigby settled into a meditative position while Sarmenti started telling jokes to Barristan in an effort to cheer the older man up. As for Joshua, he pulled out his harmonica and played his favorite tune: The Whereabouts of Light.
"Joshua's amazing with the harmonica, and this is his favorite song," Estelle explained as she rested her head on Joshua's shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist. Her warmth was something Joshua had sorely missed, and it was enough encouragement for him to keep playing.
"It's quite the soothing tune. Would I be correct if I say it's some kind of lullaby from your homeland? It has all the trappings of one," Sarmenti asked, and Joshua simply nodded as he kept playing. A minute later, the tune gently reached its conclusion, and everyone present including the depressed-looking Barristan clapped at the performance.
"You're quite the virtuoso, my friend," Sarmenti said. "Perhaps we could perform a duet if we do manage to find a way back to the Hamlet."
"Not 'if', 'when'. We will find a way out of this place," Estelle said before suddenly letting out a loud yawn. "Okay, maybe after we get some shuteye."
Joshua and the others nodded in agreement. While Estelle and the others wanted to settle on a watch schedule, Joshua quickly chimed in and explained that certain areas in the Farmstead, including the room they were in, appeared to be sanctuaries from the monsters. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, knowing all of them could have a full night's sleep at last.
As the fire died down and everyone tucked into their bedrolls, Estelle and Joshua huddled together in front of the fading flame. They didn't say anything, nor did they need to. They simply savored the warmth of the fireplace and each other, taking turns resting their head in the other's lap. Estelle combed Joshua's dark bangs, while Joshua twirled the silky strands of Estelle's pigtails in his fingers. They cuddled as long as they could until their eyes grew heavy. Then they withdrew into their bedrolls, bidding each other sweet dreams.
The first thing the team decided upon after waking up was appointing a new leader for the expedition. After a brief discussion, it was decided that Joshua would lead the team due to his familiarity with the Farmstead after being trapped there for so long. Although Joshua himself was somewhat apprehensive about it, Estelle endorsed the appointment with her usual enthusiasm, encouraging and reassuring him that he'd do great.
After Estelle's teammates gave Joshua a breakdown of their skillset, the talk turned to the task ahead and how to get out of the Farmstead.
"I'm sure all of you have noticed by now, but the landscape is an utter mess with no rhyme or reason. Traditional methods of navigation are of no use here," Joshua explained. "Even I have trouble making my way around this place despite my experience in this realm. Furthermore, this places also contains, for a lack of better term, fragments of other areas as well as their inhabitants. So far, I have encountered herds of mutated pigs, aggressive tribes of fishmen, fungal horrors, and…"
"Let me guess. You fought a bunch of walking skeletons, right? I ran into them too, plus all the other freaky creatures you mentioned," Estelle said, and Joshua raised an eyebrow as he wondered why she was already so familiar with those creatures. "Did you also come across a creepy guy who's holding his own severed eyeballs and a hooded fella who can summon skeletons?"
"Yes, I have," Joshua said. "Judging by their behaviour and my difficulties in taking them down, it appeared they were ringleaders of some sort for at least some of the monsters. How do you know about them?"
"I dealt with both of those guys too, but outside whatever messed-up bubble this place is," Estelle replied, and Joshua could practically see smoke coming out of her ears as she tried to put two and two together. "Loewe did say there's some entity here that's beyond time and space and treating everything around it like toys in a sandbox. Seems like that's what's causing dead enemies to come back."
"Yes, he told me the same thing when I first saw him here. It's not just Loewe that's back either," Joshua said. "There's also Weissmann."
At the mere mention of the wicked scholar's name, Joshua tensed up and found himself clenching his jaw and fists on reflex. When Father Kevin had finally told Joshua the truth about Weissmann's undignified death a few months after the fact, he had believed he had finally found closure from his dark past, from Hamel and his time spent in Ouroboros. Yet Weissmann's sudden reappearance in the Farmstead had changed that.
"Joshua?" Estelle's voice called out to him amidst the sound of grinding teeth.
Joshua no longer felt light-headed and nauseous whenever he saw Weissmann. In their place was unrelenting rage; rage for orchestrating the massacre at Hamel that took the lives of his friends and family, rage for turning him into Ouroboros' murderous puppet. Every time Weissmann appeared, Joshua relished in the opportunity for vengeance. Hack him apart from limb to limb, slash his throat, bleed him dry, rip and tear –
"Joshua! It's okay!" Estelle's firm but warm grip on his own hands snapped him back to reality with a sharp gasp, cutting off the sound of grinding teeth. "Weissmann's not here, and if we do run into him, we'll face him together just like last time."
"Thank you, Estelle. I know we will." Joshua took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I'm sorry for being so distracted. I thought I was finally free, but…"
"You are free! Weissmann might give us a few scratches and bruises, but he can't control you anymore or ever again!" Estelle said. "Father Kevin made sure of that, remember?"
Joshua said nothing and slowly nodded, a smile creeping up on his face. "I almost forgot how perceptive you are."
"I'm still Libel's number one Joshua-watcher, remember?" Estelle grinned. "Just because I haven't seen you in a couple of months doesn't mean I lost my touch."
"No, you definitely haven't." Joshua gave Estelle a quick peck on the forehead before she let go of his hands. His expression turned serious once more. "Picking up from where I left off, as Loewe and the two enemies Estelle fought can attest: slaying a foe is no guarantee they stay gone for good. Be ready for anything, especially old enemies."
Joshua then produced his Bracer notebook and flipped to a section with a bookmark.
"Have a look. This is a detailed list of all the enemies I have encountered during my time here, including Loewe and Weissmann." Joshua showed the book to Estelle's companions, who all reacted with varying degrees of shock.
"This must be hell! The dead keeps returning for our blood!" Barristan exclaimed.
"All the world's a stage…" Sarmenti muttered.
"Disconcerting, but quite intriguing. All of us have fought the foes you have chronicled on one occasion or another," Bigby said. He rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought. "Your book is nothing short of a treasure trove."
"I take it all of you have found this useful?" Joshua asked as he tucked away his notebook, and everyone else nodded in agreement. "Very well. Is there anything else you would like to know before we set off?"
As expected, Estelle's hand shot up.
"The entire place is walled off by a bunch of rocks with weird crap carved on them. Bigby said one of those rocks had runes about some kind of key," Estelle said. "Did you find anything that looked like a key the entire time you've been stuck here?"
"No, I can't say I have. All I found were pile after pile of crystals, some food, and this," Joshua produced the locket Mildred had given him before her demise. He told his story from the beginning, from waking up in the attic all the way to the long-awaited reunion with Estelle. His heart grew especially heavy as he described how he came to possess the locket. As he told his tale, he found Estelle's arms wrapping around him from behind in a tight hug. Barristan's mood, still sour after even a seemingly restful sleep, seemed to turn even worse while Bigby winced in horror at how the place came into being. Although Sarmenti's features were hidden by his mask, Joshua could see the Jester trembling and twitching as he told his tale.
"Oh, Joshua. I'm so sorry I didn't figure out you were trapped here sooner. And those poor farmers. They didn't deserve to have their homes turned into…this," Estelle said. "But we'll make it right, one way or another. It's what we Bracers do. Right, Joshua?"
"Absolutely, Estelle. It seems they have suffered one misfortune after another, culminating in this calamity," Joshua replied. "It might be too late for them, but we can still figure out the cause behind this and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."
"A tragedy, followed by an act of just vengeance? There is much material for a ballad," Sarmenti remarked. "But back to the matter at hand. Bigby, care to add something to our scholarly discussion?"
"I wouldn't call my self an expert, but I do possess some knowledge in the realm of the occult. I would like to examine the locket for clues." Bigby held out a hand. Seeing no other options, Joshua gave the locket to him despite his doubts about the man. Bigby slowly turned it over as he examined it closely, eventually opening up the lid and poring over the interior. He traced his fingers all over the locket, seemingly trying to find some kind of hidden switch or compartment.
"I'm sorry, but this seems like a perfectly mundane trinket aside from some strange carvings. It doesn't seem to be the key we're looking for." Bigby gave the locket back to Joshua, who took it with a little extra haste that he hoped the older man hadn't noticed.
"So this is it, then. There is no key?" Barristan sounded weary, as if he hadn't slept a single wink after the fight with Loewe. "Will we meet our end here via a gruelling war of attrition?"
"No, Barristan. We won't. All this means is we need to keep looking," Estelle said. "As long as we're still alive, we can still make it back to the Hamlet in one piece."
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but what Hamlet?" Joshua asked her.
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting to tell you, sorry. It's where I've been holed up for the past two months," Estelle said sheepishly. "There's a noble in charge who doesn't want to give out his name because he wanted to atone for his family's past crimes or something. Anyway, he sends out adventurers all over the place to kill monsters and bring back all kinds of treasure and knickknacks. Nobody there has even heard of the Bracer Guild, so working for that noble guy is the closest thing."
"Hmm…I think I got a clearer picture now. Thanks, Estelle," Joshua patted Estelle on the small of her back, causing her to giggle happily. He filed away the information in his mind, knowing it was something that definitely needed to be followed up on. In between nobody knowing about the Guild and the fact Mildred hadn't known about the two biggest superpowers on the continent, Joshua knew beyond the shadow of a doubt they were no longer in Zemuria. Which begged the question of how to get home, assuming they could leave the Farmstead in the first place. However, it was a task for another day.
After taking some time to search the room just in case there's anything they might have missed, it was time to set off. The team took a couple of minutes to check over their own as well as each other's equipment before Estelle and Joshua reactivated their combat link.
They then advanced towards a gap in the wall. Joshua took a deep breath as he grasped Estelle's hand and stepped forward. Before the familiar vertigo consumed him and the others, he heard one last quip from Sarmenti:
"You two really need to tell your tale once we get back. I'm sure there's enough material for a new ballad or few."
The team emerged in a barren field at the base of a wrecked windmill. Joshua tensed up the moment he saw their surroundings, and he quickly pulled out his swords.
"Get ready! This part of the Farmstead hosts an extremely dangerous foe."
The others promptly readied their own weapons.
"What are we expecting, Joshua?" Estelle asked.
"The original owner of this farm," Joshua replied.
Like clockwork, a series of heavy stomping echoed throughout the land. In moments, a hulking figure emerged from a doorway in the windmill. The Miller looked the same as all the other times Joshua had encountered him, with a long beard, a menacing scythe, and dressed in tattered farm attire. His petrified flesh was shattered in various places, exposing his stony ribcage and ossified blood vessels. A new detail caught Joshua's eye, something he had always brushed off before: the poor soul wore a locket that looked exactly like the one Mildred had given him. Focus. We need to pacify him first.
"Estelle, Barristan! Frontal assault! Bigby, left flank! Sarmenti, provide support from the rear!" Joshua called out as he dashed away from the main group and hooked around to the Miller's right flank. "Watch out for any minions he summons!"
A bloodcurdling roar sounded behind Joshua, followed by a series of heavy footfalls that mirrored Joshua's own movements on the Miller's left side. As Joshua approached the Miller, he caught glimpses of the massive horned creature Bibgy had become out of the corner of his eye. Hearing Bigby's explanation was one thing, but seeing it is a different story.
As Joshua expected, the Miller wasted no time in summoning a ring of farmhands around himself. The massive husk then breathed a cloud of frigid air that turned his minions into half-frozen, half-crystalline barricades that halted Joshua and Bigby's advance. Joshua grunted in annoyance as he slashed away at the frozen farmhands, trying his best to tune out their ear-splitting wails. Although he had become somewhat accustomed to the keening, Joshua still found the noise disconcerting and assumed it would be even more so for Estelle and the others.
Amidst the howling and the sounds of battle, Sarmenti's tune reached a crescendo, joined by a new sound: the hum of Estelle's ARCUS activating. The combat link he and Estelle shared told him everything else he needed to know: "I'll use Earth Lance to clear them away and do some damage to the Miller too."
Even as he kept attacking the frozen farmhands, Joshua was already estimating how long it would take Estelle to cast that Art based on the quartz setup she had shown him and her usual casting speed.
Three, two, one…Joshua dashed backwards and called out to Bigby. "Pull back! Now!"
Bigby roared as he delivered one last headbutt to one of the frozen farmhands and shattered it completely before pulling back, dispelling any doubts Joshua had about the beast form's intelligence. As the Abomination approached Joshua, he even snarled and glared at the male Bracer in a seemingly accusatory way as if Joshua had taken away his food.
"Easy there. I just wanted to get you out of the way," Joshua said in an attempt to placate Bigby. Any second now, Estelle…
As if on cue, the ground rumbled furiously before several rocky spears shot up amidst the Miller's defensive formation. Stone met crystal as the frozen farmhands were carved apart and shattered while the Miller himself sustained several deep gouges all over his petrified flesh. Despite his wounds, he charged at Joshua's team while bringing up his scythe for a wide-arced slash.
"Scatter!" The team quickly did as Joshua instructed save for one: Barristan, who instead advanced towards the stomping Miller.
"Come! Send me to my brothers!" he roared as he beat his shield with his mace. "Let me die with honor!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Estelle shrieked on the top of her lungs before turning around and running back towards Barristan.
"Estelle!" Joshua's protective instincts overrode everything else as he dashed towards the Man-at-Arms as well.
The Miller quickly closed in on Barristan, his scythe swinging down towards the Man-at-Arms. An ear-splitting clang echoed throughout the landscape as Estelle's staff and Joshua's swords met the scythe, sparing Barristan from what would have been a killing blow.
"Why? Why do you insist on saving me?" he wailed.
"I already told you! I don't let friends die on my watch!" The strain was evident in Estelle's voice as she pushed back against the massive scythe. "Stop trying to throw your life away!"
"Listen to her and go make yourself useful! She brought me out of a very dark place, and she never gives up on her friends!" Joshua said through gritted teeth. Although he had relied on his agility to best the Miller while alone, he couldn't just roll out of the way this time around. Can't risk it, especially not with Estelle.
Bigby soon joined in the clash by holding on to the scythe's handle and pulling back as hard as he could, yet Estelle and Joshua were being pushed back even with the Abomination's intervention.
"Damn it, Barristan! Do something!" Joshua called out, becoming serious irritated at how the Man-at-Arms was frozen in place. There has to be a way out of this. Wait, hold on. Mildred's locket! It's worth a shot.
"Estelle! Bigby! I'm going to try something!" he called out. "Cover me!"
"You got it, Joshua!" Estelle replied. "Do what you gotta do!"
Joshua sheathed his blades and unzipped one of his pockets before whipping out Mildred's locket. "Hey, you! Does this look familiar?"
The Miller cast his gaze on the locket, his eyes and mouth widening in shock. Good, I got his attention. "Your wife gave this to me before she died! You two must have loved each other dearly, and I'm sure she would hate to see you suffer like this."
The Miller kept up his clash against Estelle and Bigby for a few seconds before he relented and collapsed to his knees, wailing in despair. The glow in his eyes began to flicker, as if he's trying to resist the control of the entity which had wrought this cruel fate on him. Estelle and Bigby backed off, bewildered at the emotional display.
"You…you're the young man from the field…Joshua?" The Miller said weakly. "I heard and saw everything in our past encounters…but I could do nothing…to resist…"
"Easy there, sir. I'm just glad you could come to your senses and –" Joshua said as the Miller suddenly shot up.
"Look out!" Estelle cried out as she parried a sudden swing from the Miller's scythe.
"I'm…sorry…" The glow in the Miller's eyes returned in full force, and he simply roared and grunted as he frantically swung his weapon.
"Now's a good time as any, Sarmenti! Finale!" Joshua called out after all four of them had struck. I'm so sorry it has to come to this…
"Here we belong!" Sarmenti shouted as he charged with his spear in hand. "Fighting to survive in a world with the darkest powers!"
The Jester jumped while the Miller was kept occupied by Joshua and the other three, his spear aimed straight at the farmer's heart. The spear struck true and skewered Miller straight through the chest, shattering his ribcage and sending him sprawling on his back. The five-man team quickly surrounded his prone form.
"M-Mildred…no…I…want to join you…free from this…waking nightmare..." the Miller said weakly. The glow in his eye sockets faded in its entirety, revealing a pair of human-looking eyes. "Oh Light…why? What have I done to deserve this?"
"You did nothing wrong; it was that damned comet's fault. From what Mildred told me, you were— no, are a good man," Joshua said. "I can't thank you enough for your kindness, and I'm truly sorry for all the other times I've taken you down, and for being too late to help you."
"No need…for apologies…I am just a…slave…trading one master for another," The Miller said. "It's good to see…I made just one…difference."
"That you did. I couldn't have recovered or escaped the comet's corruption if it wasn't for you and your wife," Joshua said gently as he grabbed Estelle's hand. "This is Estelle, my girlfriend. You helped me last long enough for us to reunite."
"Estelle…such a nice name… Even in this…eternal torment…I can see your bond…so much like Mildred and I…in happier days…" The Miller glanced between Joshua and Estelle before tearing off his own locket and handing it to Joshua. "The lockets…are some of the many charms I bought…nothing but dashed hopes…may it serve you better than it…served me."
Joshua brushed away a stray tear as he gingerly accepted the locket. "Thank you, sir. By the Goddess, we'll make it right and free you."
"Thank you…now finish me…before I can do more harm…" The glow in the Miller's eyes began to return as he slowly got up. "Until we…meet again…"
"Goodbye for now." Joshua turned towards the others and nodded. "Do it."
The five adventurers struck as one, shattering the Miller into countless fragments in the hopes of giving him at least some temporary rest. As the dust settled, the floating rock creature appeared once more and enveloped them in a blinding light.
"Okay. Now what?" A teary-eyed Estelle asked as they emerged in another room. It was a storage room, and at the center of which lay a pile of petrified produce in addition to an axe.
Before anyone else could produce an answer, Joshua strode towards the axe and picked it up. He roared in rage as he hacked away at the corrupted harvest, channeling his fury at the fate of the Miller's family into his axe strikes. He envisioned the pile as the comet which had caused the tragedy, and he the deliverer of just vengeance on behalf of an innocent family no longer able to fight for themselves. After venting his frustrations and anger, Joshua simply grasped the axe tightly as he panted in relief.
"Mind if I have a go at it?" Estelle asked him. "I could use some stress relief after all the craziness I've been through."
Joshua nodded as he passed the axe to Estelle, who roared with an almost feral intensity as she hacked away at the pile. The rest of the team took turns soon after, until they were all satiated.
"Now, we figure out how to get the hell out of here." Joshua said as he passed the two lockets to Bigby. After fighting alongside the Abomination, Joshua had grown to trust him a little more instead of seeing him as another Weissmann. He's a tortured soul, just like I once was.
"Intriguing. Although the two lockets look very similar, the carvings are quite different," Bigby mused as he held them each in one hand. However, they simply stayed inert, and further examination of the second locket yielded no results beyond the carvings. He sighed in frustration. "Sentimental values aside, both of these lockets appear quite mundane. I'm afraid the farmers were swindled."
A resigned groan erupted from Barristan as he slumped against the wall, mumbling about trapped in this blue hell for all eternity. The others kept their frustration to themselves, with even Estelle at a loss for words about what to do aside from keep going. Joshua rubbed his chin in thought. Mildred and her husband both compared Estelle and I to their own relationship, and they each handed me their own locket. It's a long shot, but what if…
"Bigby, I need you to give me the Miller's locket and the other one over to Estelle," Joshua instructed. Bigby simply shrugged and handed them over.
"Got a plan, Joshua?" Estelle asked.
"More of a hunch," Joshua replied. "That, and pray real hard to Aidios to let us out."
"Better than nothing," Estelle said as Joshua grasped her free hand with his own. "You want to do the honors or should I?"
Before Joshua could reply, bright glows came from both his and Estelle's Orbment holsters. Unlike the blue glow that surrounded them, the new lights seemed far more natural. The bright glow quickly spread to the lockets. Soon after, the eerie blue glow faded from a gap in the wall and formed a path.
"Is this what I think it is?" Bigby asked, his jaw dropping in surprise. "How?"
"I'm not too sure either. Seems like our Orbal technology is somehow reacting to the lockets," Joshua said before turning to Estelle. "I want to try something. Let's turn off our links."
As the two shut off their combat link, the path was drowned out by the eerie blue glow once more. Upon reconnecting their combat link, the path returned.
"Bigby, it appears this is exactly what you think it is," A smile crept up Joshua's face. "A way out."
"What if it's a trap?" Barristan asked.
"Then we'll kick the asses of whoever laid the trap and keep looking for the key," Estelle said. "We won't find out unless we actually follow the path."
"Then let us be on our way," Sarmenti said. "I want to break free!"
"Onwards, then," Joshua said as he stepped towards the path, with Estelle following closely behind. "Follow us."
The team advanced down the glow-free path, past various husks who ignored them and the barren field. As he walked hand-in-hand with Estelle, Joshua prayed. Merciful Goddess, thank you for letting me reunite with Estelle. Please guide us towards a way out.
After a few minutes, the field gave way to a forest path, and Joshua noticed Estelle grinning ear-to-ear. Soon, the team approached a strange wall made up stones with esoteric carvings, with the stone in the middle being the tallest and having a circular hole in the middle.
"Gentlemen, we made it," Estelle said in her best posh aristocrat impression, and the entire team cheered (including Barristan). Joshua pulled Estelle close for a kiss. One by one, they filed through the hole.
After being trapped in Gehenna for so long, Joshua finally made it out.
To Estelle, the trip back was a blur. All she could focus on was how nice it was to hold hands with Joshua again, and him making comments about how the Hamlet seemed straight out of a history book about the Middle Ages. She eagerly introduced Joshua to Mr. Heir, who was quite surprised about their return. It turned out they were gone for no more than a single day, which Estelle chalked up to the Farmstead's weird time-bending properties. The meeting afterwards was quite dull, with the team providing an account of what they had experienced before depositing their spoils in exchange for their pay. After all was said and done, Barristan hurried towards the Tavern and Estelle wasted no time in dragging Joshua there as well.
Although the topic of becoming physically intimate did crop up from time to time back home, Estelle and Joshua had been quite shy about the idea. They wanted to take things nice and slow, and the fact Renne and Schera kept teasing them about it didn't help matters any. After their ordeal since their arrival, something had changed. Their separation kindled a longing even stronger than the first time the two had been apart, shortly after Colonel Richard's failed coup. Because of her harrowing experience so far, Estelle felt like she couldn't wait until some point in the future that might never come to do the deed, and she knew Joshua felt the same way. The two had turned off their combat link on the way back, lest they start going at it right in the Weald.
She introduced Joshua to the Tavern's owner, who suggested they rent a guest room to consummate their desires. The two lovers opted to forgo any drinks with their meal, wanting to experience their first time to the fullest without anything numbing them. After the two finished eating, they rushed up the stairs with the room key in hand.
The moment Estelle locked the door behind her, she was spun around and pressed against the door by Joshua. She felt his lips on hers, and a growing heat blossomed in her chest as well as between her legs.
"Oh, Goddess. Joshua…You have no idea how much I missed you," Estelle gasped after breaking free of their kiss. "I want you. I want you so badly right now."
"As do I." Joshua touched his nose against hers, his breath tickling her face as he spoke. Like an owl, he whipped his head around as he followed Estelle's gaze towards the bed. The two of them grunted in unison with shared annoyance as they let go of each other to slip off their boots and clothes, followed up by Joshua applying the necessary precautions.
The moment Estelle and Joshua resumed their embrace, they began to shuffle towards the bed while kissing furiously. With a push from Estelle's toned, powerful legs, they collapsed onto the mattress as one. Amidst moans and grunts, Estelle yelped in surprise as Joshua gave her glutes a firm squeeze before deftly slipping two fingers into her. She returned the favor by massaging Joshua's groin. Inhibitions followed clothing as they were thrown aside, and the night was soon filled with heat and passion.