Chapter 23: Fuzzy
After a relatively sleepless night that was mostly Sergei in a different room grieving over his recently deceased father and Rose overhearing it feeling too bad for Sergei to go to sleep but unsure how to comfort him and just laid in Boris's old bed, they left the house the next morning. Rose and the seraphim waited outside of Sergei's house while he put on his armor.
"What's taking so long?" Sighed Rose.
"It's armor with a bunch of buckles and other stuff on it." Said Edna. "He's probably tangled in them."
"Well, fancy seeing you here." They heard a familiar voice say. Rose and the seraphim looked up to see Muse sitting next to Eguille in a wagon full of goods from the sparrow feathers. Rose looked back to see a few more wagons behind them presumably full of more goods.
"Yeah." Said Rose. "What brings you over here, I thought you'd be stuck on the other side of the bridge or even moved past because of the plague."
"Well we're here to hand over some medicine that's been ordered and sell some goods." Said Eguille.
"We are merchants." Said Muse.
"So how is the bridge's reconstruction going?" Rose asked.
"Well it's going great!" Said Eguille. "Pretty amazing what they managed to do in a day thanks to you Shepherd."
"It's just a foundation."
"Oh give yourself more credit." Said Muse. "We couldn't have made it over here with everything if it weren't for you."
"Some soldiers also made it over the bridge. And it seems like they might be some of the best as they took care of some rabid dogs earlier." Said Eguille. "There are some mercenaries in town too though I wonder how well they will comply with the soldiers, as well Captain Kendra is known to have a … shaky … relationship with mercs."
"I see." Said Rose then looking over to Dezel.
"We might want to talk to those mercenaries about protecting town if you're not under suspicion of breaking people out of jail." Said Dezel.
"It might be more likely that those mercenaries could help cover for Rose." Said Mikleo "Though honestly anything if we wanna evade possible arrest we need to talk to the Scattered Bones … right in front of us."
"Hey I don't see Sorey anywhere." Said Rose.
"Oh you know with him being so prone to being sick in bed for days and this currently being a plague town he's not here." Said Muse.
"Where is he then?" Rose asked.
"With a kind lady outside of town living in a tent surrounded by blue stinky mushrooms." Said Muse.
"Leaving him with a drug dealer, great parenting." Said Edna.
"Well she did use to be a midwife so she might be good with kids." Rose muttered to Edna.
"Hm? What was that?" Muse asked.
"Shouldn't one of you be with him? I mean y'all are technically his guardians." Rose asked.
"Um … actually …" Eguille started he then looked over to Muse. "Why did you leave him there?"
"I have my reasons." Said Muse. "You could go check in on him if you want to." The two stare at each other for a moment, then two moments, then going into five minutes.
"… Take care of the wagons." He said gritting his teeth then getting off the cart and leaving.
"Zenrus is with Sorey right?" Mikleo asked.
"He is." Muse confirmed.
"He's a very powerful seraph. I'm surprised, how does an average but cocky human woman land him for a baby sitter?" Edna asked.
"He's a friend of the family." Muse stated. Edna looked over to Dezel.
"What?" He said. "She's being honest."
"Yes, and he actually raised Sorey, I just get credit for it because I've been with him the longest." She said. She then looked off in the distance. "I was there the day he was born and I knew his parents before they died."
"Really, what happened to them?" Rose asked. "And are you also credited for being Sorey's guardian because no one can see Zenrus?"
"For that second question, that is also, mostly, the reason but it's because I've known Sorey the longest." Said Muse, she then sighed. "His father was murdered in a raid in the village we were in while his mother died giving birth to him." They were quiet for a moment with Muse's hands shaking.
"Muse …" Mikleo started.
"Sorry, I need to take care of these." She said. She then left, at the same time Sergei came outside his eyes red and slightly puffy.
"Morning, hey are you okay?" Rose greeted.
"… Yeah." Sergei replied. "So what are we doing?"
"Well I got word that some more soldiers and some mercenaries are in town. Why not talk to them and see if they can protect this town?" Rose suggested.
"Did you hear which soldiers will be in?" Sergei asked.
"I think I heard the name Kendra." Said Rose.
"Okay, we're looking for those mercenaries." Said Sergei and started off walking.
"What?" Said Rose flatly following him with the seraphim returning to her body.
"Is this Kendra your crush or something?" Edna teased.
"No, we hate each other." Said Sergei.
"Isn't she your coworker?" Mikleo asked.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to like her." Said Sergei. "Captain Kendra Ferron is quite honestly too overly loyal to the council to the point of frustration. We both know that the council doesn't hold everyday people in high regard after they basically called them morons."
"That's true and I imagine that they're not popular with the people." Said Rose.
"They're not, I mean, we didn't have a choice on the men who essentially rule us they were chosen by the king." Said Sergei. "Anyway that doesn't matter to Kendra. She'll agree with the council whether they are right or wrong, and worse she will fight you over it if they end up being wrong, not just argue, physically fight you."
"Is she some stuck up noble?" Rose asked.
"Worse, she's the daughter of the head of the gel and bottle manufacturers, Ferroni medicine." Said Sergei.
"Wait, her family is responsible for the mass production of gels?" Rose asked.
"Yep." Said Sergei.
"So how is she worse than an asshole noble?" Rose asked.
"Well for starters nobles in Hyland don't have any power and hell the royal family is just merely a formality, since they don't technically run the country. In fact anything that's under protection from the king is technically under the protection and ownership of the council." Said Sergei.
"Oh!" Said Mikleo.
"Oh is right Mikleo." Said Sergei. "The council actually run things and if they have friends in business they can have legitimate sway in what happens to the country."
"So Kendra has ties to one of the council members." Said Rose.
"Yep, Bartlow to be exact." Said Sergei.
"Oh fuck Bartlow." Murmured Rose.
"What about Bartlow?" They heard a voice say. Rose turned while Sergei tried his best to suppress a groan. The woman going up to them was a soldier in the same uniform as Sergei with green eyes and black hair in a braided bun with ribbons hanging off of it. She gave off a cold yet sophisticated air about her.
"Bartlow is a … great man and knows just what to do for the country." She droned. The woman, Kendra, then looked over to Rose.
"You're the Shepherd aren't you." She said.
"What gave it away?" Said Rose.
"The cloak for one." She said. "And your sarcastic tone about Bartlow. And I remember him telling me that you called him horrible things like a fool and a piece of shit."
"Have you been with him?" Rose asked.
"How dare you!" Kendra snapped. "I'll have you know that he is the smartest and greatest man I've ever known!"
"That statistically says a lot more about her than it does him." Said Edna. Rose snorted to suppress a laugh and smirked.
"What?" She said.
"Let's go Sergei." Said Rose and started walking off.
"Strelka, should you really be hanging around an enemy of the state?" She questioned.
"Ferron she just called him names and probably lied to him, it's not that bad." Said Sergei.
"Tch, it sounds like something your brother would say. Next thing you know you'll find yourself in prison because you attacked the council." She said.
"You do know that identical appearances doesn't equal identical personalities right?" He asked before he and Rose walked away looking for the mercenary group. They headed eventually found themselves in front of the sanctuary.
"All right! We still need to restock, don't slack off got it?" They heard a voice say over the crowd gathered around.
"What happened?" Rose asked.
"Well some rabid dogs attacked the sanctuary and these mercenaries took care of them." Said a person next to her. Rose pushed herself through the crowd to a group of mercenaries with dead hellions at their feet. She approached a man with brown hair tied back, a scar across his face and wearing a white shirt, orange pants and a breast plate over his shirt.
"Excuse me!" She called.
"Look lady we're not here to do favors. If you need a baby sitter or your cat out of a tree find someone else." He said.
"Actually I'm here to talk to you about a job." Said Rose.
"All right, we are the Woodsmen and I am Lucas. What's your job?"
"I want you to protect the city for a while." Said Rose.
"Really, you want me and my men to be in this diseased town for whatever reason?" Said Lucas. "Why don't you ask the soldiers?"
"I'm a Shepherd that has done very questionable things, I'm not gonna get anywhere with the soldiers that have just come in." Said Rose.
"Wait wait wait wait wait." Said Lucas putting his hands up. "You're the Shepherd? As in the miracle bridge builder? What the hell did you do to piss off members of the army?"
"Well stole a sacred sword and ran off with it for one." Rose listed. "Also called Bartlow a fool and a piece of shit and broke people out of jail."
"And you want us to guard this town so you can take the credit and clear your name is that it?" Said Lucas.
"No I was planning to pay you for your services and give a little extra for not speaking about what I just told you and for putting up with Kendra Ferron and telling her that you never saw us." Said Rose.
"You mean that soldier that's been sucking off Bartlow?" Lucas asked. Mikleo and Edna visibly cringed.
"If I knew what they looked like that would be an image." Said Dezel.
"You don't want that." Said Edna. "Trust me on this."
"Yeah, ugh I need something to get rid of that image." Said Mikleo.
"There's a bar not too far from here Meebo. Would you like to join me in sneaking out some alcohol and getting stupid forgetful drunk?" Asked Edna.
"Wha-ah-No! No." Said Mikleo.
"The very one." Said Sergei. Lucas eyes Sergei.
"And for you this is out of spite isn't it?" Said Lucas.
"I'm not gonna deny when I'm being petty." Said Sergei. "Yes this is partly me being petty over a coworker I hate."
"Oh wow." Lucas groaned.
"How much?" Rose asked.
"I can't say, you haven't been specific on the job other than keeping quiet about your prison exploits and pissing off your coworker." Said Lucas "I can't give prices until I know what me and my men are getting into and that this isn't some sort of fucking prank."
"All right. I figured out a way to help the town get back to the way it was but it'll require me to leave town for at least a while. I need you to protect Marlind until I get back." Said Rose.
"Very well, the job plus the personal bullshit fee will round out to about 7500 gald." Said Lucas. "Now, if you're unable to pay it then all bets are off."
"Rose are you sure this is a good idea without at least haggling first?" Mikleo asked. "I mean he's probably joking about the personal bullshit fee." Rose ignored him and counted 7500 gald and gave it to Lucas.
"Here you go 7500 gald." She said Lucas looked over to Sergei.
"You're being awfully quiet about this. I half expected you to criticize me for the money." He said to Sergei.
"I've been around long enough to realize that to move up in the world you either need money or a shit ton of luck. Money is just the more practical way." Said Sergei.
"Hm, you're much less of an idealist than I pegged you for soldier. Oh and Shepherd, I have one more condition to this little contract. You let me and my men do whatever we want to this town while you're gone." Said Lucas stepping up to her.
"Rose, maybe you should think about this." Mikleo warned.
"Sure." Rose replied.
"Are you sure?" Lucas asked.
"You seem like the type that values contracts highly, even the fine print. Someone like that shouldn't be too sketchy if my instinct has been correct thus far." Said Rose. Lucas smirked and snorted a laugh.
"You pass the test." He said. He goes up to his men, "All right men listen up! We're staying in this city! Squads Alpha and Bravo I need you to make a perimeter. Charlie you guys stay in town. Don't slack off these are direct orders from the Shepherd herself!" He then turned back to Rose. "Oh and Shepherd," he tossed her a sack of gald. "Your change, we believe in giving our customer a fair price. And please, never come back to me for any of your personal garbage." Rose opened the pouch and counted 4500 gald inside.
"At least that was cheaper than we thought." Said Dezel.
"Though I think he was serious about that personal bullshit fee." Said Rose putting the pouch away. "So to the source of malevolence?" The party left Marlind after going through the security checkpoint then head towards the southwest area of the Falkewin Hillside. There they noticed a forest that was emanating quite a lot of malevolence and according to Sergei it's where the Borhs ruins reside. They entered and Rose felt a familiar pressure in her chest.
"Yeah we found it." Said Rose.
"Wh-whatever's h-here it can't be good." Mikleo shivered.
"Are you all right?" Sergei asked.
"I-I-I don't know … brr …" He said.
"Hey Mikleo, how about you stay in me until we figure out what type of hellion we're dealing with." Said Rose. Mikleo nodded and went back into her. They walked further into a forest purifying hellions along the way until they came across a ruin and a lone stone sticking up.
"What's this?" She said walking up to the stone.
"It looks like a tombstone." Sergei remarked. Rose leaned in close.
"Yeah it looks like it is. There's engravings on here." She said she then tried to read the engraving "Se … n … the rest is too faded to read." She then dusted away the stone. "Oh hey there's a bit more … according to this, this person died around eighteen years ago."
"It's in bad shape." Said Dezel.
"Things like this happen when structures are left alone in remote areas." Said Edna. "It's the way of the world."
"Well one thing for sure the malevolence isn't from this dead person here but …" Said Rose.
"But?" Said Edna.
"But we should leave our respects, it just feels like it's something nice we should do." Said Rose.
"Since when were you the sentimental type?" Asked Edna.
"Well since our detour to Elysia at the latest." Said Rose.
"You went back to Elysia?" Said Dezel.
"Yeah we should go back sometime, everyone misses you and they made a little grave for Mason." Said Rose. She then pulled out a panacea bottle.
"Rose-!" Sergei started.
"We have a lot and we don't use them so I don't think they would mind if we left it here as an offering." Said Rose. Just then they heard a child laughing and they turned. "Who's there?" Rose snapped. They heard the laugh again.
"Who are you?" Sergei asked. A blue flame emitting malevolence appeared, the laughter came from the flame and it flickered out.
"Wh-What was that?" Said Rose.
"Oh shit." Said Dezel.
"What?" Rose asked on edge.
"That's a will-o'-wisp, or wisp for short." Said Dezel.
"How is this a bad thing?" Sergei asked.
"Well according to Lailah they are rare undead type hellion but harmless by themselves. However they tend to work for stronger … much stronger undead hellions like a seasoned lich." Dezel explained.
"Well if it's a lich we're after then we can do this." Said Rose.
"Rose … he said seasoned lich so it will be far more powerful than I was." Said Mikleo.
"What?" Growled Dezel.
"So you know how Meebo was a hellion? He was a actually baby lich when we met him." Said Edna.
"Hey! Don't make it sound like I wasn't a threat, because if I recall correctly I nearly froze you all to death!" Snapped Mikleo.
"Only because you were unnaturally stubborn for a lich that young Lichleo." Said Edna.
"Come on you two, we have a thing to do, lich or no we need to keep going and can't stay here all day listening to you two argue." Said Sergei. They continued onward and right after they left the tombstone they ran into another wisp imitating a child's laughter before flickering out and then another and another. Then the wisps changed, no longer the laughter of a child but a woman's whispery voice.
"Deva…" It called out.
"Dezel, what exactly are will-o'-wisps?" Rose asked as they heard another "Devaa…" and continued, watching another wisp flicker out.
"I don't know I don't think Lailah even knew." Said Dezel as they passed a wisp saying; "Deva … Deva …" before flickering out. "There are only guesses to what they could've been and stories of dead and lost travelers."
"So they might be spirits of those that got lost here and died?" Sergei asked as they passed a wisp now saying "Gabriel?" and another wisp saying the same thing.
"That is one of the stories and I think the most popular." Said Dezel as they passed more wisps repeating the names Deva and Gabriel as well as saying "Sweetie," "My love," "darling," "my friend," "child," and "my baby" with the return of child's laughter. Rose shivered.
"Any … other stories about wisps?" She asked.
"Well the others are pretty stupid sounding in my opinion, the first one being they are residue malevolence from dead dragons in church basements, or … hellionized shit from dead dragons in church basements, the other option is memories that got infused with malevolence." Said Dezel.
"Yeah the dragon one does sound ridiculous." Said Rose
"So the second one is basically Iris gems being corrupted by malevolence." Said Edna. "That is way too unlikely."
"How do you know?" Dezel asked.
"Well in a very strange turn of events my brother came home with several other companions covered in guts and gore for some reason and gave me a hug needless to say it ruined my dress and I ended up screaming when the kidney of one of his companions that was on his head for some fucked up reason fell on me." Edna told as they passed even more talking and laughing wisps.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Mikleo asked.
"How rude Meebo I was getting to that." Said Edna. "Anyway that night we cooked dinner and his companions stayed for the night and started telling stories of their exploits and talking about time line mumbo jumbo for some reason, one of them told the story about an encounter with wisps and mentioned something about them being corrupted iris gems. Eizen said that it was impossible. This is because iris gems or the earthen historia, are bits and pieces of the earth pulse that surfaced and the earth pulse in ancient times has been known to have lots of malevolence or even transport malevolence and during those times the earthen historia has never been corrupted. Plus if it were the case if we defeated one we would see visions of the past that's carved into the earth pulse, which doesn't happen if you purify a wisp."
"So wisps are likely either dead dragon shit or dead, lost, travelers. Got it." Said Rose. As more and more wisps started appearing, talking, then disappearing.
"Does the concentration of wisps mean that we're getting closer to whatever they are working for?" Sergei asked.
"Pretty sure." Said Dezel.
"Excellent, less trouble for us." Said Rose. "With all these wisps around we're probably really damn close to the source of the malevolence." Just as Rose said that there was a swirl of blue flame that coalesced into a giant flaming ball with a glowing red eye that looked like a mix between organic material and a ruby with smaller flames surrounding it, a mix of will-o'-wisps and small versions of its eye. It snarled at them showing off its angler fish like teeth, not that any of them would know what an angler fish is. The seraphim came out and Mikleo was looking paler and was shaking and shivering more violently.
"Oh no …" Dezel groaned.
"What?" Said Rose and Sergei simultaneously.
"That's a death tyrant." Said Dezel. "In many ways they are worse than a seasoned lich."
"…Perfect." Said Rose.
"Worse how?" Sergei asked.
"Well they have larger domains for one. And they have complete control over wisps which unlike liches they will use them as part of an attack or to heal themselves." Said Dezel.
"You know if we meet Lailah again I should thank her for turning you into a hellion encyclopedi-AAAAAAH!" She shrieked as she got zapped by one of the death tyrant's gem eyes basting her straight into a tree.
"You know I don't like to admit it but Muse is right when she says that we talk too much in battle." Said Edna then promptly batting away a wisp.
"Luzrov Rulay!" Rose shouted then armatizing with Mikleo. "Two can play at the beam game you flaming eyeball!"
"Rose they're arrows not beams!" Mikleo snapped.
"They do the same damn thing!" Rose shouted. "Blue Flurry!" and a beam like arrow shot at the hellion only to have little effect.
"Sonic thrust!" Sergei shouted stabbing into the hellion but its eye shot fire at him blasting him back and the wisps ended up swarming him and he swatted at them to get to the big flaming eyeball but he quickly learned that the small hellions would quickly recover and continuously come back at him. Edna and Dezel were similarly distracted with the wisps, whacking them with an umbrella and wiping them with pendulums respectively.
"Saint's arrow!" Rose and Mikleo shouted shooting the death tyrant square in the eye which very much irritated it causing it to roar, or more accurately garglely scream, at the wisps which in turn surrounded Mikleo and Rose.
"Thank you!" Edna called.
"Hey Mikleo should I give her the bird?" Rose muttered.
"Um uh … wha- n … no. Not now!" Said Mikleo.
"Fine." She grumbled with the wisps surrounding her. "Got an- ow! Plan?" She asked as some wisps got close to her and burned her while being too preoccupied with well beating away some of the other wisps.
"I'm working on it!" Mikleo snapped. Meanwhile the other three were whittling away at the death tyrant, or rather trying to. Despite the size of the hellion it was very agile and could counter with one of its eye gems ready to shoot a beam at whoever hit it. And that whoever typically ended up being Sergei as he managed to get close enough to slash the body just falling short of the eye. And they figured out quickly that each beam that each eye shot out produces a different effect. As Sergei has been stunned, burned, paralyzed, somehow poisoned, frozen, and instantly knocked out. Causing the other two seraphs to use up panacea and life bottles as their healing artes can't cure those ailments.
"Glad we found these lying on the ground for some reason on the way here." Said Dezel.
"You said it." Said Edna casting another arte, "Rock lance!" a rock spear jutted out of the ground but the hellion avoided it. Dezel then ran up to it and tried to whip it with his pendulums, with special emphasis on tried, but the Death tyrant kept dodging his attacks even the one that involves swinging the pendulum down and hard on the hellion that he called 'high strike.'
"Get the hell back here you piece of shit!" Said Dezel through his teeth. "Why is Sergei the only one that's hitting you?!" And just as he said that Sergei hit its back. Without looking the death tyrant had one of his mini eyes zap Sergei knocking him back. Meanwhile Rose was still smacking wisps away with her bow wile may more would approach and burn her.
"Rose use bubble arrow!" Mikleo shouted.
"Really? Ow!" Said Rose as another wisp burned her.
"I have something else in mind but we need to get out of here and that's the quickest arte we can cast." Said Mikleo.
"Fair enough." Said Rose. "Open the floodgates …" They then chanted, "bubble arrow!" they then shot out an arrow that converted into three water spheres that came into contact with the wisps causing them to explode extinguishing them. Rose then ran out of the ring of the remaining wisps. However the wisps multiplied again. "So what's this plan of yours?" Rose asked.
"Well we need to use seraphic artes that cover large areas." Said Mikleo.
"Like the one we somehow learned when I punched a hellhound?" Rose asked.
"The very one." Said Mikleo.
"All right!" Said Rose. She then backed further away then pointed an arrow to the sky. "Pierce the sky… Arrow squall! Everyone look out!" They chanted then shooting the arrow into the sky while their allies ran and took cover. Several energy bolts rained down onto the death tyrant and the wisps extinguishing the remaining wisps and leaving a few holes in death tyrant. The hellion snarled then shrieked summoning more wisps. Some of them went to the death tyrant regenerating it.
"Goddammit!" Shouted Mikleo.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Rose shouted at the same time.
"I think you're somewhere with this!" Dezel shouted.
"All right, everyone but Sergei, use artes that you know can hit multiple targets and try not to hit allies." Ordered Rose. "Sergei … keep doing what you've been doing."
"…Kay." Said Sergei.
"If that's the case Rose, switch with me." Said Edna.
"Huh?" Said Rose.
"Asides from my healing artes I don't have any artes that can target multiple enimies, I need to armatize with you for that." Said Edna.
"Don't worry Rose, I have artes that can hit multiple enemies." Said Mikleo.
"All right, Hepshin Yulind!" Rose shouted causing her and Mikleo to separate and her to fuse with Edna. Everyone but Sergei went to the perimeter of where the hellions were clustered and started casting their artes while Sergei just charged in and hit whatever he could and run out of the way of any incoming seraphic arte. A while later the death tyrant was became nothing more than its main eye and it fell to the ground. Rose dearmatized and went up to the hellion remains and started jabbing it. "C'mon … purify!" She said. Not noticing the stray wisp to her right going up to her.
"Rose!" Sergei and Dezel shouted.
"What?" She said turning to the two just as the wisp got to the death tyrant. The eye started charging something. The two men ran towards her with Dezel pushing her out of the way as they got shot by beam blasting them into two trees, breaking the first one. Rose snapped her head then stabbed the death tyrant causing the malevolence to fade. Mikleo ran to the men that were on the ground. Sergei laid unconscious while Dezel groaned and got to his knees.
"You all right?" He asked.
"I'll live." Dezel groaned. Mikleo then quickly healed Dezel and went over to Sergei and started healing him and by then Rose had ran over to them with Edna walking behind.
"Did you see the wisp?" She asked. She didn't get an answer. "Rose. Did you see the wisp?" No answer. "Did. You. See. The. Wisp?" Still no answer. "Rose!" She snapped, though her voice was marginally louder, "Did you or didn't you see the stupid wisp? Tell me!"
"…No." Rose replied.
"Why didn't you?" Edna asked. Rose didn't answer. "Rose!"
"She's having vision problems in her right eye." Dezel replied. Edna looked horrified for a moment then looked to Rose.
"When did this happen?" She asked with a bit of a growl in her voice. "How long has this been going on?"
"Since the prison break, only when Sergei's around." Rose admitted.
"So you're saying the squire's pact has side-effects right?" Edna asked.
"… Yeah." Said Rose.
"… Only with low resonance squires." Dezel added.
"Why didn't you say this before?" Edna asked losing her usual dry tone. Both were quiet. "Did you think 'oh Edna here is a prime lord she makes people Shepherds she knows nearly everything on what to do and the shit that comes with being a shepherd. So she should know something about squires!' Did you remember that I am just as stupid about being a prime lord as you are being a shepherd Rose? Have you even considered that maybe just maybe I was dumped with the job while the original Lady of the Lake is running around doing fuck knows holding something that wasn't hers? That maybe there aren't resources on this shit because a lot of books and information that I could access don't say jack shit about squires or the side-effects that can happen?" Now yelling at her.
"I was hoping that we'd cut off the pact when this is over." Said Rose. "I didn't want anyone, Sergei especially, to know about this because fussing about it would be more trouble than it's worth."
"You know for someone who ranted to me about communication, you sure don't practice what you preach." Said Mikleo as calmly as he could. "Regardless if you wanted to protect Sergei or not your negligence and refusal to tell anyone but Dezel about this nearly got him and Sergei killed fifteen minutes ago."
"Well I'm not dead." Said Dezel. "She only did it because she thought the death tyrant would be quick so she could leave Sergei right after that. And if you're gonna give her shit about not talking about her eye you should give it to me too because I'm just as guilty!"
"…Rose …" They heard Sergei groan. They look over to him with Mikleo still healing him. "You don't … have to keep secrets from me. I'll be fine if you need to cut off the squire's pact for your own health." Everyone was quiet until Mikleo finished healing Sergei.
"Let's head back to Marlind before we cut off the pact." Said Rose. They then walked back to Marlind silent.
Well we are reaching the end of the Marlind Arc and we're gonna have to say goodbye to Sergei soon. Not forever but he will be gone for a long while, longer than Dezel as he has his own things to do.
As for Edna's little Eizen story I should probably write something that would help explain why he's not a dragon here. Though in story whether he's a live or not is a different matter.
And I was weak with Lichleo. I really wanted to put that in somewhere.