review replies:

LPK9: hahaha you fool! you think this is bad? I've only begun!

Bookkeeper: me too wow

Some Random Kid: thank you so much :'D your messages are always incredibly sweet and I love getting them in my inbox

"Keep up." Hero hissed, keeping a hand firmly on Olivia's wrist.

"I'm sorry if I can't move as quickly as you!" The blind girl hissed back, scowling as she was jostled by the crowd they passed through. "As you may have noticed, I don't know the way!"

"You don't have to know the way, you just have to follow me!"

"I don't want to fall on my face!"

"I'd catch you!"

"Sure you would!"

"I'm holding onto you, so I'd- okay, forget it." Olivia felt them break free of the crowd, followed by Hero's grip relaxing significantly. "Alright, we're almost there."

"Okay." Drifting along behind him, Olivia turned away from his hand on her wrist, trying to get an idea of her surroundings instead. They had moved away from the marketplace, and the stench of the city grew more and more vile as they headed towards what she assumed was the industrial area. The smell of burning coal hung heavily on the streets, along with the faint smell of charged redstone. Redstone was an odd smell, like the air after a thunderstorm.

Hero still seemed to be upset. He was always quiet, and usually grumpy, but since they had run into his brother he had been even more so. He yelled more, and held onto her a bit tighter. Although, come to think of it, maybe her near-death experience factored into that too.

Their visit with his brother was on her mind as well. Steven meant well, at least, that's how she perceived him, and she found herself wishing she could somehow repair the relationship between him and Hero. Hero listened to her, sometimes, maybe she could talk him into giving his brother another chance. Someday.

"Here we are." A tug on her arm brought her attention back to the present, and Hero slowed as they came to a flight of stairs. Carefully, she made her way up, noting the transition between the rough cobblestones to smelted, polished stone.

She really needed to get some shoes.

As soon as the heavy doors closed behind them, a hush fell over her senses, sounds and smells dulled by the cedar-log walls. Slipping his hand into hers, probably to make it look less like she was a hostage, Hero moved towards the bookshelves in search of more information.

"Excuse me." A low, female voice stopped him in his tracks. Frowning, Olivia tilted her head in their direction. A librarian? "Might I ask what is the purpose of the eye coverings?"

"It's a religious garment." Hero lied easily, even before Olivia had a chance to panic. "We're in mourning."

"Of?"

"Isn't that a bit of a personal question?" Hero turned away, tugging Olivia with him and leaving the woman behind. She didn't question them further, but Olivia leaned close to hiss out,

"She definitely suspects something."

"I could tell." Hero grumbled in response. "One of us must've been spotted - well, you were, for certain. I'm… surprised those bandits spread the story, though."

"Mm." She wasn't really sure why, but she didn't argue. Hero slowed as he neared a bookcase, releasing her hand, and she heard a book slide from the shelf as he began to read.

The library was hardly empty, but that didn't make it any less peaceful. If anything, the hush of pages turning added to the subtle ambience, reminding Olivia of the many afternoons she had spent curled up in the corner of her library back home.

A stab of loss went through her, and she shook her head a bit. Time to change the subject.

She had almost dozed off while Hero was reading, due to a combination of the relaxing atmosphere and a lack of sleep the previous night. So far, Hero had found nothing - or, at least, that's what she gathered from the fact that he hadn't spoken.

Olivia rested her chin on her arm, leaning over the table that they had chosen for a temporary base. She could feel the subtle itch of eyes on her, and tried her best to ignore it. It wasn't like it was anything new.

"Olivia." Hero murmured, and she jumped. Tilting her head towards him, she lifted her chin a bit. "I have good news, and bad news."

"Spill."

"The good news is, Orion can be wounded, and presumably killed."

"I'm guessing the manner of wounding is super obscure and/or difficult?"

"Unfortunately, yes." She could hear the roll in his eyes. "Apparently his skin is as tough as dragon scales, rendering him near-invulnerable to traditional methods of harm. He does, however, have a weak spot. We don't, however, know where that weak spot is."

"Ah. Cool. Great." The blind girl hesitated for a moment, processing this. "Are there any clues as to where it might be?"

"Well," Hero started, "Probably not in an area that would be vulnerable on a human, which is to say the face, head, chest, stomach. I say that because that is undoubtedly where he has been struck hundreds of times by those hoping to take him down. It is also unlikely that it's a finger or other less-essential extremity, as it is quite unlikely that he would die from a cut on the finger."

"Good logic. I like that." Olivia gave him a thumbs-up. "So, maybe on the back of the leg? That seems to be a sort of happy medium."

"Maybe." Hero agreed. "The book states that he was found wounded, bloodied, but evidently the source was unknown. Whoever hurt him must have been slain shortly after."

"Pity."

"I can try to find any more information here, or we-" And then he cut off. Olivia lifted her head an inch, senses immediately on edge as she searched for an assailant. Nothing. The library was quiet.

When he spoke again, his voice was very low.

"Do you smell smoke?"

"Yeah." She responded easily. "I always do. You smell like smoke."

"Other than me." The tone in his voice made her pause, sitting up straight in the plush chair. The only thing she sensed was the musty smell of books.

And then there was a crash as the doors were slammed open, and smoke began to fill the huge building.

"Now I do!" She yelped, shoving her chair over in her haste to get to her feet. The building was beginning to fill with shouts, and she could hear pounding footsteps as the once-calm library quickly descended into chaos. "What's going on?"

"Buildings outside are burning." Hero snatched up her wrist, pulling her past the table and towards the doorway. "I don't know what caused it, but I'm afraid that-"

The rest of his words were lost on her as a zombie's groan sounded from just outside.

The next thing she knew, she was being scooped up and thrown over Hero's shoulder as he started to run. It was hardly a comfortable arrangement, but she couldn't even open her mouth to complain. She only dimly heard flames hissing and spitting around her, along with the groans and moans of the undead as they overtook the city.

"Th-this i-is O-Orion." She stammered out. "J-just like m-my c-city."

"I guessed that." He snapped. "Can you run?"

"U-uuhh I have n-no idea."

"Better hope you can." Skidding to a stop, he swung her back down onto her feet, and she just managed to clasp his hand in hers before they took off running again.

All she could focus on was how his hand felt just like Isaac's.

Dimly, she became aware of zombies groaning ahead of them, getting rapidly closer.

"I-is this a good idea?" She yelped.

"We need to get to Steven's house."

"Wh. What?" Olivia almost tripped at the revelation. "I thought-?"

"I still despise my brother." Hero snapped. "But his wife and daughter are innocent."

"He doesn't have a daught-" Olivia cut off as the pieces fit themselves together in her head. "Alex is pregnant?"

"Yes!" An arrow whizzed past her head. "We're almost there."

"How do you know if the baby's a-"

"I think we have more important things to worry about at the moment!" Finally, he skidded to a stop. Pulling her hand up and pressing it to something wooden, Hero barked,

"Stay." And let go, his footsteps and aura disappearing into the noise and smoke.

Clutching the wooden pole, Olivia slid down to her knees, pressing her mouth into her sleeve in an attempt to filter out the smoke. She hated, hated being left alone here, even though she knew Hero couldn't drag her with him to try and help his brother and sister-in-law. Burying her nose in the fabric of her shirt, she curled into a ball, trying to block out the screams and the feeling of heat against her skin.

The next thing she knew, a cool hand was draped over her shoulder.

Letting out a muffled yelp, she lashed out, flailing at what must be a zombie standing over her. Instead of hitting rotting flesh, however, a thin hand caught her hand in its own.

"My my, they've left you all alone out here, have they?" Her mouth dropped open, and an uninvited tremble coursed through her body.

"O-Orion."