Here we go, back to the main plot~
Rating may change to M soon, if I go with the approach I'm thinking of. Don't know yet.
Side note: Mnem's name is pronounced 'Meh-nem'.
"Hey, Ari!" Mor called, running around their small wheat farm, grinning happily. "Got some good shit in the mines."
"Oh, good!" Ari grinned, her eyes sparkling. "I'm assuming you're asking me to help you bring it out?"
"…Yeah. Vreagon and Renel are already lending a hand, but it still isn't enough, we need an extra set of hands, even if it's from a woman," Mor joked, laughing and poking his friend's shoulder. Ari giggled in response, nodding and setting down the axe she had been holding. She jogged alongside him, wiping the sweat from her brow as she spotted Vreagon and Renel in the distance.
And heard their yelling.
"Listen, buddy. You have no right to say that!"
"It isn't my damned fault she's useless!"
"Listen here, Renel," Vreagon snarled, stepping closer, looming over the man threateningly. "If I ever hear you say that again, by all that is good, I will shove this blade so far up your ass it'll be coming through your mouth!"
"Ahem." Ari crossed her arms, brow raised. "That's… uh… that's quite the threat, there, Vreagon."
Vreagon scoffed and ignored Renel, picking up his workload. "I'll be back soon; I have to take this back."
As the blond disappeared in the trees, Ari turned her gaze to Renel, curling up her lip. "Ugh. You."
"Aw, honey, you should stop being so rude. You're cuter when you laugh-"
"Say that again, and I'm going to repeat the same threat Vreagon used. And I speak with actions, not words."
"Funny, you seem to speak with words quite often."
Ari closed her eyes, clenching her teeth as she took a steadying breath. Mor set a hand on her shoulder and smiled weakly – the girl nodded and bent over, picking up one of the many bags of minerals, groaning as she heaved it over her shoulder. "Gah, how did you even get all of this up here?"
Mor grinned and pointed at Renel, who smirked, clearly proud of his strength – Ari only rolled her eyes. "Tch. Not impressive, Renel." The smirk died into a scowl and he took his own load and walked, following the brunettes in front of him, listening to the two laugh.
Ari leaned back, her hand on her stomach as she licked her lips clean of the remaining flavor of her meal, swallowing down the long drink she had taken. "Damn, that was good," she laughed, watching Vreagon beam in pride.
"Thanks. So, let's take a look at what all you guys managed to find."
Mor nodded. "Black bags are mine, blue are his." He pointed to Renel, who yawned. Ari huffed. "I bet all he got was coal."
They searched through, finding a good deal of Gold, Iron, and Coal. Mor had even managed to secure three diamonds – Ari congratulated him with a laugh and a hi-five, turning toward the blue bags.
Her eyes widened, and Vreagon's breath hitched. "…where…"
"What?" Renel asked, growling. "I figured you'd be happy that I found something we never knew existed."
"Get rid of it." Ari stuttered, reeling back from it, eyes wide. The stone was much like the ones they had buried in their old home – and the stone that had been found shortly before her own village had been decimated.
"What-"
"You heard her; we need to get rid of this thing. Far. Far. Away."
Ari stood hurriedly, sprinting away.
Ari stopped short of the edge of the cliff, barely able to catch the tree's branches before falling to her death. She stared down, able to see their little camp, the boys below carrying the stone away, opting to take it back to the cave it had come from. The girl looked up, watching the sun sink behind the horizon.
Crunch
Ari jumped, turning sharply. The sound of a snapping twig had been so loud, she knew it had to have been behind her somewhere – yet she could see nothing. Where on Earth-
Snap
She turned again, eyes wide. In the distance, she could see a black figure leaping over trees, landing easily on branches, their hands outstretched each time they were airborne. It finally caught a particularly low branch, only to drop onto the ground. It fell in a crouch, moving slowly behind the trio with the stone. Her eyes widened and she turned, sprinting down the hill and around, trying to beat the figure to her friends.
She was just in time.
As she burst from the tree line, Vreagon jumped, dropping his end of the stone, causing Mor and Renel both to slump in attempts to bring it back up. They put it down, frowning. "What the- Ari, what are you doing?"
"Behind you!"
The three whipped around, spotting the black figure. The darkness shielded its face, the clothes on its body too baggy to tell gender, but it was undeniably human. It stopped darting from left to right, as if weighing the risks – the risks of what, none of them had the answer.
It decided to run, shooting away from them, its legs carrying them away from the small group. The others were too stunned to run after it, but Ari was not. She bolted out after it, picking up the speed in response to the other putting more distance between them. She watched it grab onto a branch and disappear into a tree.
Clearly, it didn't expect her to do the same. She grabbed onto the arm of the old hardwood tree and hauled herself up, watching the figure's eyes widen further.
They were high up, this the girl knew – the other clearly knew as well, and with every branch above them they went, the higher they became. At the top she smirked. "There's nowhere you can go! What the hell were you going to do with them!" She snapped, pulling out her blade, pointing it at the figure. The figure almost looked scared before looking out to the water below, glancing back at Ari. Ari's eyes widened as she realized what they were going to do before they did it, turning toward the water and leaping from the tree. The girl hesitated before following, closing her eyes tightly, bracing herself from the cold.
Her body plunged into the freezing river, eyes opening under it. The water was perfectly clear and she thanked the heavens for that, following the black figure as it swam toward what seemed like an underwater cave. It obviously did not realize she had jumped in after it, as it swam slowly, as if resting before going to their home. She kept her distance, watching them in curiosity, though her lungs burned.
Just as her lungs begged for air the figure swam into the little cave, Ari following suit after only a few seconds' deliberation. She could see the human through the surface as she came up slowly, breathing out of her nose to reduce noise. She watched it, making note of its swaying, listening to its ragged breathing.
Male. Definitely male.
And here I was hoping it was another girl. She sighed through her nose before climbing out of the water, throwing caution to the wind. There was nowhere else for the man to run now, anyway. "End of the road," she started, breathing heavily. The man whipped to face her, his face now in plain view. His black hair plastered to his face by water and eyes wide, he turned his head slightly, shaking it quickly.
"…you… you followed me all the way here?"
"I did."
"…Why?"
Ari shrugged, stepping forward slowly. "I need answers. What the hell was that all about? What were you going to do to them?" She hissed, flopping into one of the man's chairs, despite being soaked. The man frowned, clearly annoyed with her, before sighing and putting a hand to his neck.
"…It's my job. Look, I wasn't going to hurt them, so… so just go away." He backed up fearfully, his eyes never leaving the girl's face.
"I'm not going anywhere until you explain yourself!"
"I just did! Get out!"
"I wouldn't call that an answer."
"I responded, didn't I?"
"Not very well…"
"What is this, a test?"
"It could be, if you wanted it to be!"
He grunted, sighing and looking down. "…you aren't going away, are you?"
"No, I am not. I'm not going away until you clear some things up."
The man whimpered pathetically, looking toward a painting. A man stared down at them coldly and Ari felt herself freezing, frowning and shuddering. For some reason, it struck her with fear. She looked away, gaze falling on the other across from her.
"… Fine."
"Come back with me."
"What- No! If you want answers you're staying right here and listening to me-"
The girl pulled out the blade, stepping forward menacingly. The male backed up quickly, slamming into the stone wall as Ari closed the distance between them, pressing the blade against his throat. "H-hey! Stop! Look, I don't like to fight, so I-"
"Then follow me back."
"…Damn it…"
Ari emerged from the water with a loud gasp, crawling up to land. The male followed, his eyes downcast as she yanked on his arm. "Come on."
"I know where you guys live already; you don't have to pull me."
"you're going to run as soon as I let you go."
He fell silent, huffing.
"You aren't going to believe what I have to say, and if you do, you won't like what I have to say."
"Just shut up until we get there. I'm already frustrated enough with you. Don't make things worse."
"So. You say you have something to tell us?" Vreagon asked, frowning. The man nodded slowly, feeling Ari tighten her hold on his arm.
"I'm not going to run, damn it…"
She let go slowly, frowning and staring at him. He took a breath and sighed.
"…That stone you found is dangerous. You need to leave it be. Don't ever go near one like that again."
Ari rolled her eyes. "We already knew that."
"Which is why you're still alive." He grunted, closing his eyes.
"…What is it, exactly…?"
"…Well it's… I- I don't know how to explain it. It just… it's dangerous. That's all you need to know."
"How so? Is it poison or something?" Renel scoffed, and the black haired male glared at him. Ari smirked.
You don't even need to know Renel to hate him.
"Yes. It's poison, in a way. It will destroy everything on this planet. Everything."
"Okay, that seems a little dramatic," Mor piped up, looking up from making his newest bow. The man nodded, sighing.
"Yeah, I know. I know it sounds dramatic, I know it sounds crazy to you, but I'm telling you, it's bad news all around! If They get a hold of it and it's used to make the portals, it's all over-"
"They?" Ari inquired, grinning and leaning forward. "Who's 'They'?"
"…err… I can't exactly answer that very easily… all I can tell you is 'Don't Look'."
Ari felt her spine tingle, her mind whirring, as if attempting to remember something.
A flash of purple eyes and she shuddered.
"Ari, you okay?" Vreagon whispered, reaching over to take her shoulder. Ari nodded slowly, swallowing softly.
"I'm fine. Just remembered something, that's all."
I think.
It hadn't felt like a memory at all. In fact it seemed almost like a message of sorts, something sent to her by-
The man was staring at her, gray eyes watching hers knowingly.
By him.
How? Why? No, forget those questions – it was impossible. The stranger furrowed his brow before shaking his head, glancing at her for a moment before looking back toward the boys. "…any other questions? Or am I released?" He asked sarcastically, crossing his arms. Ari copied his actions and found herself wishing that he didn't leave. That he'd stay here; remain around them for a little while. A couple days, at least.
Everyone around the fire remained silent and the man stood, beginning to walk back toward the river.
Ari looked up. "What's your name?"
The stranger stopped, looking back at her with bewildered eyes. "…My… name?"
"That's what I said."
"…Mnem. My name is Mnem."
Then he was gone, jumping back into the river, disappearing from sight.