Chapter 9 - Sunlight.
The crisp forest air buzzed with the warbling of insects. Bright rays of sunlight emitted by the summer sun hanging high in the cloudless sky above pierced through the sparse canopy of lush green leaves. The world was calm and tranquil, with not a single stray gust of wind to disturb the gratuitous peace that reigned over the various critters living and thriving in the depths of the overgrown Bors Ruins.
It was a peaceful day.
An enclosed body of water filled with soft, crystal-clear liquid rested in the middle of the forest of green; a small lake gently nurtured by a collection of small bubbling streams weaving in and out of the shrubbery from places yet unknown. Waterfowl quacked and warbled as they jointly landed and took off from the surface of the lake at irregular intervals, leisurely fishing in the warm sunlight. Insects buzzed and converged on the plants growing on the edge of the water, idly searching for sustenance in the cool shadows of the leaves. Small mammals skittered through the underbrush, quickly dabbling their noses in the blissfully refreshing water of the lake before smoothly taking off once more, vanishing into the trees.
Surrounded by such faucets of nature, groups of ancient, manmade stone pillars protruded haltingly outward in groups from the surface of the lake. The remnants of various chiseled carvings, having long since succumbed to the elements, peeked out from behind the thick strands of shadowed ivy wreathing the crumbling pillars. Their obscure, mysteriously etched lines seemed whisper softly into the summer air, reminiscing about forgotten times long since passed.
It was in this calm place, underneath the shadow of a tall oak tree leaning lazily over the lake waters, that the Shepherd's group stopped for a much-needed rest after a long morning of non-stop travelling.
"…Crap."
Everyone blinked and turned away from what they were doing at the moment to watch as Mikleo shook his head in dismay and heaved a sigh, slowly dropping his opened travel pack back down onto the ground. Without looking over his shoulder at the others, the dejected seraph stated glumly, "…There's a hole in my pack."
Alisha's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't mean…?"
"Yep."
The water seraph rubbed his forehead tiredly, running his fingers over the golden circlet hidden behind his hair. "It looks like all the groceries we bought back in Marlind fell out at one point or another on the way here." He explained dejectedly.
Sorey ran a hand through his hair in consternation. "No way. That was all of our food!" He exclaimed. "Talk about bad luck."
"Hm." Edna hummed. "I guess we'll starve to death." She shrugged, idly twirling her closed umbrella around in her left hand. "Oh well."
At this point, leaning behind them all against the oak tree, Velvet couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"…We won't starve." She pointed out dryly, causing the rest of the group to turn to her. "We're in the middle of a forest, and a lively one at that." She waved a hand towards the winding game path they had followed to get here by the side of the lake. She elaborated, "I saw animal tracks as we made our way here. It looked like a pack of prickleboars to me."
Sorey perked up. "Oh, I saw those too!" He recalled, turning to Velvet with a growing grin on his face. "Well, if that's the case, then we should have no problem hunting some food for ourselves for today." He nodded to himself. "Groceries aside, I suppose there's nothing quite like a bit of hearty prickleboar stew on a day like this."
Alisha abruptly balked, hugging herself with one arm and taking a defensive step back. "If that's going to be the case… Might I…" She found her voice. "…Request that someone else cook prickleboar stew this time?" She proposed shyly, her gaze darting to her side briefly.
Next to her, Mikleo groaned, muttering under his breath.
"Oh!" It was amazing how quickly Lailah's eyes brightened at the opportunity. She raised her hand enthusiastically. "I ca-!"
POOF.
Edna suddenly opened her umbrella in a surprisingly noisy manner, conveniently blocking Lailah and her raised hand from view entirely. The earth seraph turned to Velvet with a dry expression. "You." She said bluntly. "It's your turn to cook now." Her eyes narrowed, apparently daringthe therion to disagree.
Velvet raised a single eyebrow in response, holding the impudent little seraph's gaze evenly.
Getting over himself, Mikleo seemed to take the idea to heart. "…Hey, that's true, Velvet." He pointed out. "After all this time we've been traveling together, you've yet to do any cooking so far."
He cocked his head curiously. "You think you're up for it?" He asked. "If you're not, that's not a problem. I can handle it if need be."
She gave the seraph a disdainful look in response. "…I assure you there won't be a problem, thanks." She put shortly.
"I can help hunt the prickleboars for you!" Sorey offered brightly, breaking the abrupt tension in the air as quickly as it had formed.
In response, she turned and gave him a look, crossing her arms. "…You hunt?"
He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully in response to her surprise. "Hmm." He hummed. "I guess I don't really look like it, do I?" He supposed objectively.
She abruptly shrugged, waving a hand noncommittally. "I suppose you could've gone either way." She allowed.
In response, the Shepherd grinned.
Shaking her head, Velvet decided to give in. "…Alright, then." She agreed lightly, shrugging with a hand on her hip. "Prickleboar stew for lunch it is."
At her words, Edna's umbrella abruptly closed with another noisy squeal, revealing a distraught Lailah pouting petulantly on the spot.
Velvet took another look around the assembled group members, nodding to herself. "…I'll need a good fire and a good cooking pot." She announced. "Any seasonings you all can come up with would be useful as well."
The rest of them nodded amicably at her requests.
Velvet then shot Sorey a meaningful look. "…You'd better not get in my way in my hunt." She commented dryly.
Sorey blinked.
"O-oh!" He shook himself. "I'll do my best!" He promised. Discreetly, he shared a wide-eyed glance with Mikleo, panic in his eyes. Clearly, he had expected to hunt for Velvet, not with her.
All he received back from his childhood friend was a helpless shrug in response.
"You coming or not?"
Breaking out of his shock, Sorey realized with a jolt of panic that the hardened woman in question was already halfway out of camp, rhythmically tapping her index finger on her left bicep while staring impatiently at him.
"C-coming!" He yelped, breaking into a jog after her.
Not waiting for the Shepherd to catch up, Velvet went ahead and turned around, strolling at a brisk pace away from the others and out into the wilderness. The two of them quickly headed out into the wilderness, leaving the rest of them with the duty of preparing for their return.
"…Oh dear." Alisha commented, shifting on her feet and watching as the two of them walked off into the tree line. "I do hope that the two of them fare well in their hunt."
"If you're worried about Sorey, don't be." Mikleo waved a dismissive hand in the air as he turned away, instead directing his attention to the cooking utensils in his travel pack. "He was one of the most adept hunters out of everyone back in Elysia." He reassured. "I'm sure he'll hold his own alongside Velvet."
"You do have a point." Alisha agreed. "I do recall being very impressed by his form when he helped gather materials for me when I was there."
She blinked as a thought occurred to her. "…By the way, I never got the chance to ask you, Mikleo." The princess tilted her head curiously. "Were you with us the entire time? Back when I couldn't see you in Elysia?"
In response, Mikleo stuck his nose up in the air haughtily. "What, like you think I didn't have anything better to do than to stalk you two all day?"
Chuckling lightly, Alisha conceded with a smile, "You're right. My apologies."
Mikleo shook his head. "Besides, I wouldn't worry too much about what happened back then." He suggested with a shrug. "Many in the village hadn't even seen a human in years before you came along, save for Sorey. You were a sort of novelty to them at the time, I suppose."
"Well, I assure you; the feeling is mutual." Alisha responded wryly.
The princess shook her head contemplatively. "…It boggles my mind still, sometimes." She remarked thoughtfully. "To think it's only been about a month or so since that fateful day when I first met Sorey in Elysia." She gently rested her chin on her fist. "And yet since then, I've learned so much about the world. Things I never could've even dreamed to exist."
Edna strolled over and knelt down next to Mikleo, perfunctorily helping the other seraph pull out pots and pans from his pack. "That's nice." She commented dryly. "Shame that you'd be labelled as cuckoo and locked up somewhere for a long time if you breathed a word about any of it to another human."
Mikleo deadpanned. "You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"
"And you're an idiot if you think things will ever be different with humans and seraphim." Edna replied easily without missing a beat.
The water seraph put a thoughtful hand on his chin. "Strange. This coming from a seraph who decided out of her own free will to come with a Shepherd whose dream is to nurture coexistence between the two?"
Edna blinked apathetically. "Oh no, you're right. How did I not notice it before?" She said before letting out a fake gasp of surprise. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
Mikleo glared in response.
Alisha stifled her giggles as best she could with her hand over her mouth. "Come now, you two." She chided gently. "We still need to prepare for when Velvet and Sorey return."
"…That's right." Mikleo nodded, suddenly all business. "I think it would be best if you two would go out and gather ingredients while Lailah and I set up camp here."
"Understood." Alisha nodded. "We will do our very best."
Edna stood up and went to the princess's side. "Let's hope that Ms. Grouchy and Mr. Optimist don't end up wasting everyone's time by not catching anything." She commented. Together, she and Alisha set off in the opposite direction from where Sorey and Velvet had left, chatting amicably to each other as they left the shade of the oak tree and stepped into the brilliant sunlight.
As the rest of the group got to work all around her, Lailah stood there quietly for a while longer, watching the distant figures of two hunters walking away from camp with her lips pursed.
She watched the figure of the Lord of Calamity sauntering through the daylight, her long raven hair flowing behind her. Hair that had been stained a dark red with blood last night; the essence of life, ripped from the dozens of people she'd brutally murdered without a hint of hesitation nor mercy. She watched the cool, calculated amber eyes of the demon lord as she moved forward, single-mindedly focused on the task at hand just as she always was; amber eyes that had stared just as unerringly back at her last night when she'd finished her rampage.
Defiant, unrepentant, and resolute.
And then she watched as Sorey the Shepherd followed her brisk stride, hot on her heels like a youthful puppy, eager to earn her approval. She watched as the two of them struck up a light conversation as they walked, following the natural curves of the lake as they headed out into the forest together.
Polar opposites…
She let out a soft breath, resting her head on her palm, all while in deep contemplation, mulling over the conflicting thoughts rattling about in her head as the two of them disappeared into the vibrant green wilderness of the overgrown ruins.
Behind her, the gentle faces chiseled into the stone pillars rising out of the lake waters looked on with eternally ambiguous expressions.
Shallow, consistent imprints of hooves patterned the occasional patch of mud lying in the shadows of the tall trees that the game trail weaved around. The world was a sea of pastel shades of summer green, accented by flashes of bright yellow; expansive natural bouquets of dandelions flourishing in patches of brilliant sunlight alongside the trail.
Their boots trod lightly upon the dirt as they followed the trail of the prickleboar tracks, the gratuitous crunching of steel and leather on earth meshing seamlessly with the constant high-pitched warbling of insects in the surrounding trees. Velvet and Sorey's eyes shifted left to right constantly as they moved softly through the underbrush, gently pushing aside low-hanging branches and leaves as they followed the tracks of their unsuspecting prey. Velvet walked in the lead, ducking and sliding smoothly through the shrubbery ahead while the Shepherd followed a few feet behind her, keeping up with her and shadowing her footsteps as she forged her way deeper into the Bors Ruins.
Time trickled on as smoothly as a stream flowing in the daylight.
The repetitive crunching of her boots quietly treading upon grass and dirt punctuated the surrounding sounds of chirping birds and falling leaves; sounds that inadvertently elicited a soft, acute sense of tranquility within her. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long while, she reflected idly as she went about the task at hand. The last time she had gone hunting in such an environment had been a long time ago, under much, much different circumstances. Although…
She idly brought her left hand up to her right wrist and tightened the leather straps binding the gauntlet blade to her arm in ready anticipation for delivering a swift killing blow. A dry smile appeared on her lips. She supposed that, even after all this time, there were some things that hadn't changed at all.
The game trail they followed eventually began to incline uphill; weaving around crumbling stone structures long since overgrown with foliage. At some point, Sorey had wordlessly ended up taking the lead. He now forged his way ahead, gently hopping up the crumbling stones scattered about the trail with his white ceremonial cloak trailing behind his movements. Velvet noted with idle satisfaction the Shepherd's purposefully soft movements and keen eyes as he scanned his surroundings with a certain degree of proficiency; one that came only from considerable experience.
As far as hunting with a partner, she reckoned, having Sorey around as one was far from terrible. An extra pair of keen eyes and ears would almost certainly prove useful in attempting to track down game; especially in a dense environment such as this.
They moved softly up the hill, artfully weaving their footfalls between the patches of dry grass and gravel in order to minimize the noise they created. A dry breeze blew through the forest, accompanied by the squawking of a couple of crows lazily drifting above the leaves. Lizards, disturbed by the intruders quickly encroaching upon their lands, scuttled back within their nooks and crannies in the rocky hillside, watching in keen vigilance as the boots of the two foreign humans moved on. High up in the clouds, a hawk let out a piercing cry - the sound of another hunter that also sought fresh meat from the vibrant woods.
Abruptly, Sorey knelt down on the ground with his arms resting on his knees; his eyes narrowing as he eyed a fresh pile of droppings lying on the side of the game trail. He glanced up as Velvet came to a halt beside him, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
The two of them exchanged a silent nod in mutual agreement. Their prey was close by.
The Shepherd got to his feet, the fabric of his clothing rustling softly, and let his right hand drop readily down to the pommel of the sword at his waist. Meanwhile, tense as a bowstring, Velvet took the lead, slowly stalking down the heavily forested game trail with her gauntleted right arm bent and at the ready.
It wasn't long before they came upon them.
The three prickleboars were there, leisurely drinking from the small, clear watering pool surrounded in all directions by sparse tree coverage. Patches of ruined walls were present all around this area as well; long-overgrown husks of ancient stone buildings mingled with the trees, casting dark shadows where insects thrived. Bushes and flowers flourished in proximity to the pool of standing water, populated by fluttering butterflies.
Crouched behind a patch of bushes on the opposite side of the watering hole to their prey, Sorey and Velvet, having effectively gauged the situation, exchanged silent, meaningful looks. Without a word, Sorey pointed to the left side of the prickleboars and sharply gestured inward, before giving Velvet an inquisitive look. The woman responded with a short nod. And with that, satisfied that the Shepherd would do his part, she turned away and quietly slinked into the underbrush, careful to use her surroundings as cover in the process.
As his companion's footfalls faded into the silence, Sorey, now alone, took another careful visual survey of the situation from his vantage point. Ultimately satisfied, he turned to his left and also began to move into position, opposite where Velvet had gone.
The sun slowly moved in the sky as time passed, gently shifting the shadows of the forest.
The three prickleboars continued to rest in the cool shallows of the watering hole, softly sucking in the clear waters underneath the bright blue sky. All around them, the cool overgrown stone walls stood watching in quiet anticipation.
And then the hunters pounced.
Sorey came first, charging from out of the brush alarmingly close to the boars with his sword held close to his body pointing outwards. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth gritted in fierce concentration as he sprinted straight towards the animals in the shallows as quickly as he could. His boots smashed loudly onto the grass and mud, with all pretenses of stealth abandoned.
Instantly, the three prickleboars jerked in surprise, scrambling to find purchase in the muddy shallows of the water with their hooves. Squealing loudly in alarm, the animals instantly turned tail and charged directly away from the attacking human, their bodies splashing wildly in the waters as they leapt from the shallows onto dry land.
As one cohesive unit, the three prickleboars charged away from the human with adrenaline surging through their veins, snorting and panting in primal terror.
And then, from atop of one of the ruined stone walls, a blur of black fell swiftly to earth and slammed directly onto the largest of the boars at the back of the pack, eliciting a sharp squeal of agony and causing the animal to tumble over itself in the grass. Velvet fell into a graceful roll and quickly recovered from her pounce; her extended, bloodstained gauntlet blade held carefully up and away from her body as she did so. She jerked her head, clearing a few errant strands of raven hair from her eyes as she lifted herself from the ground with one hand, briefly surveying the results of her handiwork.
The bloodied corpse of the prickleboar she'd stabbed in the broadside laid in the grass surrounded by specks of blood, wheezing its last few breaths. Beyond it, the remaining two prickleboars had ground to a complete halt, letting out utterly enraged squeals with all notions of escape having been forgotten as they turned as one to charge at Velvet.
At the monster that had killed their mother.
Eyes narrowing at the expected response, Velvet slid backwards onto her feet, tensing her body and holding her gauntlet blade readily at her side. She whirled around as the two prickleboars neared, sweeping her foot to the side to slam into the flank of one of the animals while simultaneously using the momentum to jerk her body out of the way of their charge. When the other prickleboar went to gore her in the stomach, she leapt backwards in an agile backflip, her raven hair whipping behind her as she did so. As she landed, in retaliation, she let out a fierce cry and slammed her iron boot straight into the beast with sheer force, hurtling it off to the side, causing it to tumble on the ground and struggle around trying get its feet underneath itself.
And then Sorey arrived at the scene just in time to sink his ceremonial sword deep into the boar's broadside.
A clean, ethical kill.
Without missing a beat, Velvet burst into a sprint and jerked her arm, slashing her gauntlet blade at the other boar that had begun to charge furiously at Sorey, forcing it to dodge lest it wished to be cut. Heaving and snorting in fury, the boar scrambled back and away from her sword, turning its glare upon her instead. Pure hatred blazed within its eyes as it glanced between the body of its mother and sister at the hands of these two murderers. Tendrils of purple had begun to emit from its hide.
It charged at her.
And then it all ended in a flash. Once the adrenaline had faded, Velvet blinked, belatedly recognizing what had just happened.
Two swords impaled the boar's body from two different directions. One was ceremonial, the other purely utilitarian. Both had gone through the skin and lungs to pierce straight through the animal's heart. Sorey had charged over to come to her aid, lunging forward and intercepting the prickleboar just as it had neared her. At the same time, she had fell into a cartwheel, smoothly dodging the animal's charge and thrown her gauntlet blade into the animal's opposite side as it had passed her. Catching her breath, she met Sorey's exhilarated eyes from across the animal.
Both of them shared a soft chuckle as the thrill of the hunt passed through them in the wake of it all.
High above the watering hole, the circling hawk let out another cry as the two began to move about the area, collecting their bloody spoils. They worked smoothly and efficiently, field dressing the wounded animals and gathering them up in nets in preparation for transporting them back to camp.
As they worked, Sorey glanced briefly over his shoulder at his companion before refocusing on his task at hand. "That went really well." He commented brightly.
"Yeah, that wasn't bad." She agreed, tying some gauze around the prickleboar's body with a firm tug.
"You had the exact same idea as I did." He pointed out, rolling his prickleboar onto a net laid out on the ground. "You knew that once one prickleboar goes down, the rest almost always stop running and come to attack you."
"Of course. They're familial creatures." Velvet remarked, gathering up her own net. "If you hurt one, the rest of them will want to hurt you back. That's also why prickleboars are often considered dangerous to hunt."
"Does that bother you?" Sorey asked curiously, finishing up his work and turning to her curiously.
Velvet gave him a considering glance over her shoulder. "…Did it ever bother you?" She asked back.
Sorey openly nodded, sheathing his hunting knife and settling back on the grass, staring contemplatively out into the calm watering hole. "It did for a long time." He admitted. "It took a long while for me to get used to the idea of hunting. Especially hunting animals that obviously care about one another. Doing stuff like this…" His lips formed into a soft grin. "I don't think Mikleo ever really got the hang of the idea, even at the end. But he does agree with me that it's how the world works, ultimately." He glanced down at the body of the animal before him with a soft expression. "Sometimes… you just have to do what you have to do."
Velvet looked away, back at the bloodied corpse in front of her and was quiet for a while. The soft scrunching of her knife in boar flesh filled the silence that followed.
"…Were you taught?" She asked abruptly, without looking at him.
Sorey blinked. "No," he shook his head, "not really. While there were a few seraphim in Elysia who had a few tips for me here and there… For the most part, I figured it out from reading books about the topic."
She let out a scoff in response. "Of course." She commented dryly.
He grinned sheepishly at her. "I guess that was kinda predictable, huh?" He cocked his head. "I take it you were?"
Velvet nodded distantly in response. "I was." She replied shortly.
Entirely unconcerned with her lack of elaboration, Sorey got to his feet and walked over to the edge of the watering hole, reaching into the waters and beginning to scrub his bloodstained hands clean.
"I wish I'd had someone to teach me." He commented conversationally. "My first time out, I was so noisy that I didn't so much as see a single prickleboar in all of Elysia even after a whole day of being out in the forest." He grinned nostalgically. "Gramps rolled his eyes and just waved me off with a rare smile when he saw me tromping back into the village with nothing but muddy boots and empty hands. I don't think any of the seraphim in the village saw me as a viable hunter back then, and for good reason."
"You got there though, in the end." Velvet pointed out as she too finished her work, tying up the net encompassing the prickleboar on the ground. She gave Sorey a nod of genuine recognition. "You're a great hunter."
Sorey grinned brightly in response. "And you're not too bad yourself!" He complemented. "I don't think I could ever pull those moves on retreating prickleboars, even in a few thousand years."
Velvet gave him a nod in response, accepting the complement.
Smoothly, she drew herself to her feet, surveying both her and Sorey's handiwork, evidently satisfied with the result. She met his eyes. "Time to go back."
He nodded in response, also getting to his feet. "I'm sure the others are starving by now." He glanced down at the corpses of the family of prickleboars at their feet with a more serious expression. "Let's make absolutely sure these guys don't go to waste."
"Of course." Velvet agreed.
And with that, the two of them began to lug the field-dressed prickleboars back the way they'd came. The sun continued to shine brightly over the vibrant watering hole, and the forest returned to serenity.
Chunks of meat bubbled in the stew, slowly but thoroughly cooking in the large, partially covered pot perched over the hot campfire built in the shadow of a tall oak tree. The smoke of the low-burning fire wafted lazily into the air above the lake, accompanied by the distinct, mouth-watering scent of meat expertly mixed with various, well-proportioned seasonings.
Alisha couldn't help but glance over her shoulder once more and stare hungrily at the stew cooking over the campfire behind where she was sitting, where Mikleo was artfully managing the flames.
"Be patient. It's almost done."
The princess, despite herself, couldn't help but let out a soft sight of disappointment and turn away from the stew to face the bemused expression of Velvet Davidson, who was idly sharpening her gauntlet blade beside her at the edge of the lake.
"…I know." Alisha shook her head ruefully, fisting her hands. "I just wish it would cook faster!" She muttered sourly. "It smells so good…"
Edna sat down next to her with a wry expression. "Looks like going from a princess to a traveler takes some getting used to, huh?" She shrugged. "Typical."
Alisha glanced at the seraph and slowly nodded her head. "…You're right. It does."
Her back straightened. "Nevertheless." She furrowed her eyebrows in determination. "If I can't manage something as minor as this, I'm worthless as both a knight and as a princess." She pushed her gaze straight forward, her chin tilting upwards proudly. "I shall soldier through it, just as anybody else in this realm. For that is the duty of the knight." She declared.
Behind the princess's back, Velvet gave Edna a dry look. "…You know just what to say to her, don't you?" The therion remarked with bemusement.
Edna shot back with a dry look of her own. "Speak for yourself."
Velvet let out an amused huff in response and turned back to her work, running the grindstone down the length of her extended gauntlet blade with a soft, level screech once more.
Turning back to the other two women, Alisha found her eyes drawn once more to the weapon strapped to Velvet's arm. She laid her head on her fist as she followed the movement of the grindstone along the razor-sharp edge of the weapon.
"…Hunting for one's own food." She murmured contemplatively.
"I went with Sorey on a hunting trip of his back in Elysia and experienced it firsthand." She recounted. "Yet even now, I could never imagine myself sustaining such a lifestyle." She abruptly turned curiously to Edna sitting beside her, who was fiddling with her unopened umbrella. "Lady Edna, might I ask how you sustained yourself in the past, being a seraph and all?" She inquired.
Edna shrugged in response. "…My brother did most of the work in the beginning." She explained with a soft tone.
"He taught me most everything I knew before he left. How to maintain a small garden. How to cook and ration my own food. How to take things from the local human town in ways that wouldn't be noticed." She twirled her closed umbrella in her hand idly. "I never hunted, though. I never felt the need to do something that drastic." She finished.
"I see…" Alisha blinked. "Wait, before your brother left-?"
"As for me," Velvet interrupted, drawing Alisha's attention away from Edna, "hunting was a source of both food and income." She idly angled her sword away from her and began working on the other side with the grindstone. "Since my village was in the frontier, there were plenty of people who did something similar, all to support their own families."
"You mean to say everyone did the same thing in your town?" Alisha tilted her head to the side, eager for more firsthand knowledge of her subjects.
"Not at all." Velvet clarified, her eyes growing distant as she perfunctorily continued her task. "Most everyone in town had a different trade that they specialized in, and in turn offered services to the rest of the townsfolk. Some merchants, a few innkeepers, farmers…"
A smile began to creep up into her expression, her grindstone sliding slowly across edge of the keenly sharp blade glinting in the daylight.
"I had a friend of mine whose family were tailors by trade. She could effortlessly sew things in minutes that I could never even dream of making." She recounted softly, her lips upturning into a gentle curve. "On the other hand," she remarked warmly, "she was utterly hopeless as a hunter. Not only could she not bring herself to hurt so much as a fly, but her clumsiness would've driven game out of the whole woods the moment she set foot in them. All she could do was ask me or one of the other hunters in town for meat whenever she needed it." Soft nostalgia had seeped into her expression, while her sharpening stone had slowed to a perfunctory speed.
Alisha and Edna exchanged glances.
Finding her voice, Alisha tilted her head in acknowledgement. "…I see." She said simply. "It seems it was wrong of me to assume that all rural dwellers are of the same cut of cloth." She smiled brightly. "It sounds like this friend of yours is quite the character! I'd love to meet her someday. It sounds like the two of us might have more in common than one would first think."
"…Yeah." Velvet replied softly, letting her eyes fall back onto the grindstone and the sword in her hands.
Alisha glanced over her shoulder at the simmering pot still hanging over the campfire and noticed Lailah sitting silently behind her on one of the protruding roots of the oak tree. "Lailah?" She asked, cocking her head curiously as she pivoted her body to include the fire seraph in the conversation. "How about you? What was your lifestyle like back in the day?"
"Oh!" At Alisha's prompt, Lailah blinked rapidly, her eyes refocusing on the world before her as she was torn from whatever was distracting her. "Me?" She put a hand on her chest, evidently confused.
"Is there anybody else here called Lailah?" Edna asked dryly, rolling her eyes.
Covering her mouth with her casting cards, Lailah let out a chuckle. "Ah, yes. You do make a good point." Her smile soon faded and instead she turned to the rest of them in thought as she considered the question seriously. "…What I did back in the day…" She mumbled to herself as she put a thoughtful finger to her chin, her eyes once again growing distant.
After a moment, her expression fell.
"I… I'm afraid I don't… actually remember too well." She confessed softly.
Velvet blinked, her grindstone abruptly halting on the blade. "You forgot how you lived?" She asked incredulously.
Lailah met her eyes with an unreadable expression. "…It comes part and parcel with being as old of a seraph as I am, I'm afraid." She explained softly, shaking her head. "Given enough time, some things are so unimportant that they just… disappear, eventually."
"…I see." Velvet said after a moment, before resuming her task.
Beside her, Alisha seemed profoundly influenced by the notion.
All around them, the bright summer day continued. The sparkling waters of the lake bubbled and lapped against the land while the softly glowing fire continued in the shadows of the oak tree, encouraging the pungent, aromatic scent of boiled meat to waft higher into the crisp air. A paddling of ducks at a distant end of the lake quacked in the daylight, accompanied by the whisper of wind rustling the surrounding foliage occupying the overgrown ruins.
Abruptly, Velvet's blade sank back into its gauntlet sheath with a quick squeal of metal on metal.
The woman got to her feet and dusted off her clothes, idly rolling her shoulders as she looked around, eventually finding Sorey and Mikleo a ways away from their camp, opposite the lake talking about something or other. "Edna." She prompted without looking away.
Edna looked up at her idly.
Velvet glanced over her shoulder at her. "Don't let Alisha have any stew until I say it's ready." She ordered dryly, before breaking into a brisk, purposeful trot down towards the Shepherd.
"Sure." Edna answered as she left.
Alisha flinched. "I-I wasn't going to!" She denied unconvincingly, quickly snapping a glance at the extraordinarily tender-looking stew visible under the partially covered lid on the pot, and the exquisite aroma that constantly beckoned her toward it.
Shaking her head in exasperated amusement, Lailah watched idly as Velvet Crowe sauntered up to Sorey and Mikleo in the distance, putting a hand on her hip and striking up a conversation with the two of them. Eventually, the three of them came to an agreement and Mikleo walked off to the side, crossing his arms in ready anticipation while Velvet and Sorey got into positions, preparing their weapons.
It wasn't long before Velvet made the first lunge, her sword flying out of its sheath only to crash roughly into Sorey's hastily made guard as he raised his ceremonial sword. The clanging of steel on steel began to ring in the air, ebbing and flowing naturally with the course of the sparring session.
Lailah leant back in her seat, letting her long hair gather in front of her before resting her head on the weathered oak trunk behind her. Her eyes went up to the leaves covering the blue sky above, distant and contemplative.
The ducks continued to quack as they paddled through the sparkling waters, the sound mingling with the sound of deadly weapons clashing against each other ringing noisily over the lake's surface.
"SAINT'S ARROW!"
CRASH!
The jet of razor-sharp water mana flashed across the area, throwing the heavily shadowed overgrown stone plaza into stark blue lighting for a split second before the projectile pierced through the violet pulsating skin of the massive plant hellion, eliciting a horrific, ear-grating squeal that echoed off the surrounding walls and trees.
Steel armored boots slammed on the vines covering the ancient brick floor as Alisha charged the wounded monster with unmatched ferocity, her spear singing through the damp air.
Accompanying her charge, Lailah spun around in a circle and jerked her index finger into the sky with a cry, letting off an explosion that sent a strong shockwave flying across the surrounding woods, rattling trees and ancient overgrown structures built within the deepest part of the Bors Ruins.
The towering armed plant hellion jerked back from the explosion, hissing vehemently as it was scorched by the flames, only to cry out once more as Alisha's spear slashed right across its right appendage, causing a spout of what could best be described as green blood to gouge out onto the floor. In retaliation, the plant pivoted on its rounded body, bringing its other appendage around to bear and smash it into Alisha's body, sending the princess flying.
"Ah!" Alisha cried, tumbling over herself as she landed, keeping a firm grip on her spear despite herself.
A human hand suddenly slammed onto her shoulder, forcibly wrenching her body up and to her feet, causing her to belatedly register the massive hellion slinging one of its extended appendages straight at her prone form.
"Move!" Velvet snarled, half pulling, half dragging the princess out of the way right as the prickled fist of the Evil Plantasm smashed onto the ground where she just was. In retaliation, the woman twisted around jerked her sword into the air where the extended appendage had landed.
With surprising agility, the hellion twisted its body, avoiding Velvet's sword with its left arm and bringing its extended right arm around, attempting to slam it into her back.
CRASH!
Only to squeal in dismay and recoil away from another azure projectile as Sorey, armatized with Mikleo, let off another shot from behind it, directing its attention away from the two women. This was compounded as Edna slammed her foot onto the stone floor, eliciting a ferocious tremor to shake the plaza, thoroughly disorienting their foe.
Trusting the rest of the group to take off the heat for a while, Velvet turned around and knelt down next to Alisha who was lying on the stone floor, heaving for breath. Quickly and efficiently, Velvet zeroed in on the damage; a quickly-forming bruise on the princess's stomach.
"Sorey!" She yelled out, her voice carrying across the clearing, barely auditable above the charges of mana exploding as the plant hellion retaliated against the group with its own artes.
The Shepherd let out a grunt of acknowledgement as he dove to the side to avoid a violent spike of earth jutting out from the ground, his long golden hair of his Armatus trailing behind his movements. "What do you need?" He yelled back, getting to his feet and drawing his bow once more in retaliation.
"Healing artes!" She replied shortly, getting to her feet and jerking her sword at a flying appendage that was getting too close to her and Alisha. "Get Mikleo over here!"
"Right away!" In a flash of bright yellow light that lit up the darkened clearing, Sorey once more reappeared in his normal human form, his white cloak flapping wildly in the artificial breeze. He swiftly reached down and pulled out his sword, stepping forward and holding it out horizontally above his head as one of the Plantasm's fists came hurtling down upon him.
CRASH!
"Mikleo! Go!" He yelled, heaving with exertion as he fought the monster's unnatural strength as it bore down upon him and his sword. He let out a grunt as the monster lifted its fist only to slam it once more back down upon his sword, his boots digging painfully into the ground with his entire body feeling as it were being crushed.
Having reappeared at the same time as Sorey, the water seraph followed his orders. "Edna!" He shouted urgently as he broke into a dead sprint towards the other side of the plaza where Velvet was defending Alisha from the monster's simultaneous assault.
"Learn some humility!" Edna demanded, twirling her umbrella around sharply as the mana swirled around her body, whipping the ribbons on her outfit. "Air pressure!" She declared, conjuring four hovering beams of light surrounding the Phantasm that was assaulting both Sorey and Velvet.
BANG!
With a grunt, Mikleo slid to a kneeling stop before Alisha's prone form, conjuring up his staff and quickly taking in the situation as Edna's arte detonated over their adversary, relieving Sorey of the pressure and allowing Velvet to charge forward, capitalizing on her enemy's distracted state. With swift movements, the water seraph held his staff out horizontally before the injured princess. "You'll be fine, Alisha." He promised. "First Aid!" He recited, letting the mana flow through his body in a brilliant flash of colorful light.
Coughing, Alisha pushed herself up to her knees as the light faded, giving Mikleo a grateful look as the pain began to die down. "I apologize for being so careless." She intoned, readjusting her grip on her spear once more. "Thank you, Mikleo."
The seraph gave her a nod in return, holding her gaze for just a while longer before turning away.
Meanwhile, Velvet and Sorey ran forward together, facing down the monster at close range with their swords singing through the air. Explosions and tremors shook the world around them as seraphic artes crashed into their adversary at dangerously close ranges. Chaos reigned supreme, and yet all that mattered to the two of them was the monster before them.
Struck by an utterly random thought, Sorey found himself grinning as he leapt backwards, dodging one of the plant hellion's fists as it slammed into the ground in front of him.
Panting, he remarked, "Oh yeah, Velvet!" He yelped as another fist went flying inches in front of his face, causing him to duck and slash his sword up in retaliation, eliciting a bellow of agony. He glanced over his shoulder briefly. "I forgot to tell you earlier; your prickleboar stew tastes really good!" He grinned brightly, sweat running down his forehead.
Velvet couldn't help herself when she shot him an incredulous look, even as she gracefully leapt over a low-sweeping appendage, her sword singing through the air as she swung it at her foe in retaliation. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" She demanded.
"Well, I had a thought. I was wondering-" Sorey's eyes widened and he quickly leapt back, his sword held out at a canted angle to deflect a harsh punch. "-if you could possibly give Mikleo some pointers next time?" He gave Velvet a grin. "He was really impressed by your cooking earlier but was too shy to ask you for help." With a grunt, he lunged forward, driving a deep gash on the monster's flank, splattering the ground with even more blood.
Velvet couldn't help but roll her eyes at that as she too lunged forward, driving her sword through an equally deep gouge in the opposite side of the monster's body. With a sharp exhale, she leapt forward and dodged the hellion's wild retaliatory swing, landing close to Sorey who too managed to avoid the attack. "If he wants pointers all he has to do is ask. The worst that can happen is that I say no." She pointed out dryly before the two of them split up once more to flank the monster as more seraphic artes bombarded its body.
Alisha let out a yell as she too joined the close-ranged assault on the hellion, driving her spear deeply across the monster's skin before quickly leaping back and out of its range, having learned her lesson from last time. She glanced at Velvet. "I must confess, however, that I do understand Mikleo's reluctance to approach you regarding the subject." With a grunt the princess rolled out of the way of another fist flying at her. "You… do simply seem to exhibit a sort of… dangerous aura, I guess… you could say." She remarked, panting for breath as she regained her footing.
Sorey let out a laugh while leaping backwards and out of range. "That's putting it lightly, Alisha!" He breathed, glancing around and gauging the situation. "I don't blame him at all, really."
Velvet rolled her eyes once more at the two of them. "Please." She drawled easily. "It's not like I'm going to eat him alive for annoying me."
She blinked abruptly, freezing on the spot.
"Velvet!" Alisha and Sorey yelled together in abrupt alarm.
CRASH!
It was only by pure instinct that Velvet managed to avoid the worst of the impact as the plant hellion slammed both fists directly onto her position. Shredded rocks slammed into her body, tearing at her skin as she leapt backwards, having come extraordinarily close to being smashed onto the stone by the full power of the monster's fists. Hissing in pain, the woman managed to spin around in the air and find the ground with her feet, landing hard on the stones a way away from the Plantasm.
"PURGATORY OF FLAME!"
FWOOM!
The world abruptly lit up in a blinding hue of blazing orange as Sorey, having suddenly armatized with Lailah, smashed his great sword onto the ground before the plant hellion with a tremendous bellow, followed by an earth-shattering detonation centered at the tip of the sword. Flames shot out in all directions, encasing the weakened Plantasm and wreathing it in a cloak of blazing flames. Its screeches echoed throughout the Bors Ruins, grating on the group's ears as it suffered from the continuous gout of flame pumped through Sorey's Armatus.
Eventually, the screeches faded and the fire died down, revealing the smoldering fallen body of the Evil Plantasm on the scorched bricks of the plaza at Sorey's feet.
"You alright?" Sorey was the first to reach Velvet's kneeling form in the aftermath of the battle, gasping for breath as he dispelled the Armatus from his body.
Velvet shook her head, standing smoothing back up to full height with an unreadable expression. "Don't worry about it." She dismissed shortly, pushing the dirt off her knees. Her eyebrows narrowed.
"…I was careless." She near growled under her breath, looking away.
Sorey blinked in confusion at the raw frustration evident in the woman's dark expression.
He ultimately chose not to comment on it. "Well," he said, turning back to the rest of the group as they regrouped around the two of them, "now that that's taken care of, the blessing should return to Marlind." He concluded, giving his followers a smile with his hands on his hips. "Nice work, everyone. Together, we took down quite the formidable opponent today."
"Indeed." Alisha nodded, walking over to his side. "I must say, we've all come a long way when it comes to quelling hellions." She remarked.
Mikleo came to a halt next to them all, a satisfied fist on his hip. "Indeed. I'd say Sorey in particular has gotten quite proficient at fighting hellions off, even without the aid of the Armatus." He commented.
Edna twirled her opened umbrella perched on her shoulder. "Not bad." She remarked. "As far as Shepherds go, you're not the worst to ever live, I suppose."
Sorey scratched his cheek wryly. "I'll take that as a complement." He supposed happily. He turned to face them all. "Thanks, all of you." He addressed them. "But we still have a long way to go, I'm sure."
"Of course." Lailah commented softly, a small, happy smile on her face.
A damp breeze blew through the clearing in the wake of battle, rustling the thick leaves above and causing rays of light to flicker briefly through the tree coverage before being once more obscured as the breeze died down.
And it was in the silence in the wake of the breeze that Velvet, standing away from the rest of them with her enhanced senses, heard it before anyone else did.
She turned around in what felt like slow motion. The information slid into her brain slow as molasses as the elements registered.
Sorey, his body turned with his left side facing the group.
There, behind him, the monster that they thought they had defeated rising silently as a ghostly specter in the darkened plaza, a single, bloodied fist poised high in the air and ready to fall upon the Shepherd, crushing him in one fell blow as all of his companions' backs were turned. And as for the Shepherd himself, for some reason, he apparently did not perceive the threat despite it being well within view of his right eye.
She didn't hesitate.
"SCARLET EDGE!"
BANG!
Blood pounding in her ears, Velvet belatedly registered what had happened. What she had just done. There she stood, her sword drawn and held high in the air, having expelled a gout of flame out of her sword while feeling the expelled mana surging through her body in the aftermath of the expulsion of a hidden arte.
Too much mana.
A massive crater had formed in the wake of the detonation, with the fallen body of the hellion lying in the middle, its faint twitching showing that it was still alive, albeit barely so. The blast of the overcharged hidden arte had been enough to rupture the canopy of the forest above, causing charred leaves and twigs to rain down into the crater and leaving a wide gap in the tree cover through which blindingly bright sunlight now streamed through with impunity.
A shocked silence fell in the wake of the explosion.
Mikleo was the first one to react. "Velvet…?" He asked in a shaky voice. "Was that… you?"
Velvet's mind raced for a way to escape this predicament she'd stupidly brought upon herself. There was no human in the world, regardless of arte proficiency or knowledge in seraphic artes, who would've been able to expel as much mana she had just now. She mentally floundered, seeking a way to retain her cover.
"That was partly my doing as well."
Velvet blinked in surprise.
Together, the group turned to face Lailah at the back of the group, who appeared to be wavering on her feet with a tired expression. She gave them an easy, albeit exhausted smile. "It would seem that Velvet and I had the same idea at the same time. Our simultaneous artes must've inadvertently compounded to produce such a… potent result." She explained thoughtfully.
"…Incredible." Mikleo remarked, impressed. He turned to Velvet with a disbelieving smile. "You know, for a moment there I thought that all that power came from just you."
At his side, Edna rolled her eyes as she twirled her umbrella. "A human with that much power? Yeah, right. Typical Meebo, always jumping to the kind of conclusions that make absolutely no sense."
Mikleo's eye twitched in response. He opened his mouth with full retaliation in mind.
As the two of them began to bicker and the topic slowly shifted away from the freak incident, Velvet's eyes subtly moved to meet Lailah's.
Subtly, ever so subtly, the aged fire seraph gave the Lord of Calamity a small nod. Nothing more needed to be said.
Velvet stared back.
Abruptly forcing her eyes away from the reserved fire seraph and forcing her thoughts to focus on something else, she found herself zeroing in on Sorey, thinking back to what had just happened.
And just like that, the frustration boiled over.
Jerking her arm to sheathe her sword, Velvet stalked straight up to Sorey, interrupting the meaningless chattering of Edna and Mikleo and stopping directly in front of the Shepherd, scowling deeply at his questioning expression.
"Just what the hell is wrong with you?" The harsh words came out almost as a growl.
Sorey blinked in confusion. "Wh-?"
"Your right eye." Velvet crossed her arms forcefully, tapping her bicep in agitation. "You can't see out of it, can you?" She raised an eyebrow, daring him to deny it.
Sorey looked away slowly, his lips pressed firmly together.
Edna lazily lifted a hand. "You can't hide it anymore." She pointed out. "It's obvious you didn't see it coming." Her eyes narrowed. "…If it weren't for Velvet and Lailah, you'd be dead." Her statement was firm and unrelenting.
Lailah stepped forward urgently, her expression set. "So. The Squire's pact is affecting you…" She breathed. "Oh, Sorey. Why did you hide this from us…?" She asked helplessly.
Alisha's short intake of breath in response to Lailah's comment was not lost on anyone on the group. The princess covered her mouth in horror as the full implications of the revelation sank in.
Mikleo glanced over at Alisha quickly before taking an impassioned step forward. "Sorey was only hiding it for Alisha's sake!" He insisted. "You can't fault him for that!"
"…Oh, I sure as hell can."
Everyone turned as Velvet turned her glare upon Mikleo. "And more than that, you're telling me," she growled, "you knew about this, all this time?" her eyes burrowed into his. "And you didn't do anything about it?" She demanded.
Mikleo, despite being clearly intimidated, swallowed and stood his ground.
"…It was Sorey's choice whether he wanted to do anything about it. I respected that." He stated.
"Then you're a terrible friend." Velvet's words were harsh and pointed.
Mikleo flinched as her words hit him, staring at her incredulously.
"If Lailah and I hadn't been fast enough just now, Sorey would've died." Velvet emphasized sharply. "And if he had died, then it would've been purely because of a poor decision he himself made… one that you had allowed."
"How would you have felt?" She demanded, taking a step forward. "How would you have felt, living with the knowledge that your best friend is dead because even though you knew he was making a mistake, you let him keep doing it? How would you have felt, knowing that it was ultimately your decision to prioritize your friend's feelings rather than your own damn sense that led to his death?" Her words were soft but charged with righteous fury and disbelief.
"…More than that, apparently you seem to have forgotten that he's the Shepherd." She added lowly. "By letting him do this to himself, you're an abject failure as both a friend and a sub-lord."
Mikleo seemed to grasp for words but came up empty handed.
Velvet shook her head harshly and continued. "…I don't know him well enough to tell these things about him." She admitted quietly. "Nobody here does but you." She held his gaze with an iron grip. "And despite that, you chose to do nothing about the danger he's been putting himself in." She waved a hand in the air. "I guess in the end, you don't actually care all that much about him, do you?" She asked sardonically.
She let out a sigh, turning away from Mikleo's shaken expression and meeting Sorey's eyes with her own livid ones.
"As for you… You need to drop this act." She growled lowly. "You can't pretend to be capable of saving the world if you aren't even capable of recognizing what needs to be done to save yourself."
Sorey opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He was speechless.
"Don't." Velvet swatted her bandaged hand in the air in response. "I have nothing else to say to you."
Sorey's shoulders slumped more as the true weight of what Velvet was saying sank in. "…I see." He intoned softly.
Watching the boy in front of her lower his gaze shamefully before her, Velvet just huffed sharply. Abruptly, she turned on her heel and began walking towards the exit of the ruins. Just as abruptly, she stopped next to Alisha and looked over her shoulder at the distraught princess.
"…It's not your damn fault." Velvet assured her lowly. Her eyes flitted disdainfully to Sorey behind her.
"It's the Shepherd's."
And with those words, she turned and stalked off, leaving the rest of the group to follow in her wake. Behind them all, the sunlight continued to shine through the hole in the canopy, illuminating the fallen burnt body of the plant hellion slowly bleeding onto the floor of the ancient ruins.
Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!