Atherum without Letha - not a request

Because I'm sure some of you are wondering how the others do without Letha around to scare them/hold their hands while exploring the creepy ghost ship.

Well, you can read this between chapters 31 and 32. I suppose technically it starts just before the end of 31, but it won't make much of a difference as long as you've reached the part where Letha goes off on her own again. Before anyone points it out or complains, I'm pretending that there is another door off camera in one of these rooms...explanation for this in chapter 32's author's note. Wait for that, m'kay?

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FTaBV Omake: Safety In Numbers

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"Alright, we'll see ya back on the ship," the unkempt man spoke loudly to be sure his voice would carry through the wooden door.

At his side a younger boy who'd been shifting his weight from foot to foot in unease added, "Be careful going back, okay?" Behind the two males was a girl in red, trying to look impatient and bored while standing with her arms crossed, but coming off as vulnerable and defensive instead.

The voice that answered their concern was muffled and sounded calm, but the three of them knew the speaker well enough to catch a hint of anxiety hidden under it, "Yeah, I will." There were one or two creaking footsteps and then nothing from the other side of the door. She never did make much sound when she walked, which together with her weirdly macabre tastes made her fit into the abandoned ship's atmosphere all too well.

Still, the sudden lack of her presence made the ominous air of the ship press in all the more around the trio. At least she'd been another warm living body and friendly face. Unlike the skeletons they'd had the misfortune of running into earlier.

"G-guess we should get back ta lookin' for the others," the older man gulped.

"Y-yeah, you can lead," the girl ducked behind him.

"Why me? If anything, the kid should lead!"

"Wh-what?" the boy's eyes widened in unconcealed fear. "But you're older, Raven! You should be the responsible one!"

"Yer the guild boss! Ya need ta take responsibility fer yer members!" the man shot back.

"Ooh, I don't care who goes first, just go already!" the girl snapped, landing a blow on the boy's head since it was easier to reach than the archer's.

"Ow! Why'd you do that, Rita?" Despite his protests the boy took the lead while holding up a spiked mace the size of his head in his shaking hands. Rita and Raven fell into step behind him, eyes darting whenever they heard so much as a creak of the wood. There'd been no warning when the skeletons had come out, Letha's reflexes when shutting the door in one's face the only reason they'd had any time to prepare for the first encounter.

The hall of mirrors they were in didn't have anything in it, certainly nowhere any skeletons could be hiding. There weren't even holes in the floor for them to crawl up through again. Though Raven wasn't especially reassured by that. When Letha had checked the last room and declared it empty, he'd also taken a peek and confirmed it. But then their bony attackers had still come pouring out of that room moments later.

Moving skeletons, empty rooms suddenly full of enemies, doors closing and locking on their own... No doubt about it, there was something seriously wrong with this ship.

The trio stopped at the next door, and in unspoken agreement Karol and Rita stood back, mace and scroll at the ready, while Raven used his longer reach to open the door and quickly jump back out of the way.

With a slight thump, the door hit the wall and bounced off a bit before stopping. There was nothing waiting on the other side. Cautiously Karol poked his head through, mace still at the ready. Still there was nothing, just a room with a stairway and more mirrors. All three of them, remembering how the last door had slammed shut during the few extra seconds Letha had taken, crowded through all at once.

They eyed the stairs and the other two doors in the room suspiciously, and at just that moment the door on the wall to their left, opposite the wall with the mirrors, swung open. For a moment none of them remembered how to breathe, and then a familiar figure in black stepped through. Close behind him was a blue hound and two graceful women.

"...Thank goodness..." Karol sighed as all of the tension flew out of him. "You're okay." Yuri was here, so everything would be okay again. Yuri could handle anything.

"Hey hey, you decided to come along for the ride, too?" the swordsman grinned carelessly, as if it was all nothing more than one of those pleasure cruises the nobility liked to host sometimes.

"Are you kidding?" Rita snapped, though her voice was a bit to high to sound truly angry. It sounded more like when she was trying to play tough, Yuri thought. "How can you act as if nothing's wrong?"

"Well it's hard to get excited when nothing happens," Judith said reasonably. "It's a shame, I had hoped we'd at least find a ghost or two."

"'Nothin' happens'?" Raven caught, and stared at the krytian as if he thought she was pulling their legs. "Judith darlin', don't tell me those skeletons were 'nothin'' to y'all!" Sure, he knew they were all formidable fighters and the princess had some impressive magic, but fighting an opponent who was already dead was no easy feat.

"'Skeletons'? You guys were attacked by skeletons?" Rita bristled at the swordsman's tone. Was he playing along with Judith for one of those stupid pranks again?

"Of course we fought skeletons! They were all over! You must have seen them too!"

"Rita..." Estelle said softly, trying to calm the short tempered mage. For anyone else it would have been futile, but Rita took a shuddering breath to steady herself and listen. "We haven't seen any monsters at all."

"What? But-but...!"

Repede gave a bark, and they all looked up just in time as the door Karol's group had used slammed shut on its own.

"Woah! How'd that happen?" Yuri walked over to tried the knob, but it refused to turn and the door rattled uselessly in its frame.

"Y-you gotta be kidding me!" Rita's voice was weak, as if her brave mask had worn thin and she was on the verge of breaking out into tears.

"Not again," Karol groaned, hanging his head hopelessly.

Judith looked at her boss, "You mean this happened before?"

"Yeah, and Letha got separated from us last time."

"What?" Estelle gasped. "You mean she's all alone? Somewhere on this ship?"

"Nah, she said it would be a bad idea ta keep splittin' up the groups so she'd head back first." Raven cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "She's probably already back with Kaufman."

Yuri nodded, "She can take care of herself for that long. Right now we should worry about ourselves, and how we're going to get out of here." He rapped a knuckle on the door that had shut on its own. "Neither of the ways we came are any good anymore."

Estelle clasped her arms and shivered. "This ship's evil spirits are surely at the bottom of the ship, plotting to make us one of them..."

The scaredy cat trio did not like that theory.

"D-don't make up stories like that!"

"N-no way that's p-possible."

"C-c'mon Estelle, Letha was bad enough, don't you start making things up too!"

Yuri rolled his eyes a bit. He should have known... "We'll just have to look for another way out."

"Right on. Let's go!" Full of energy now that she had proof of something unusual on the previously boring ship, Judith happily led the way up the groaning stairs. The rest had to hurry not to be left behind; the guild boss, archer, and mage all scrambling not to be the last in line. Sighing, Yuri took the position of rear guard on himself.

Though when he thought about it, being right behind them gave him the perfect opportunity to have some fun of his own. He supposed he couldn't really blame the trouble maker this time for getting the first shot at scaring them.

Bwahaha!

Right, I was going strong for chapter 32, then hit a bit of a snag at a...certain point. While trying to settle on the best way to do it, I wrote this as a way to keep writing and maintain the mood. And my only problem with it is that Raven comes off a little too scared. Yeah, the ship spooked him, but once the group is all together and everyone's safe he starts playing pranks on Rita. I'm a little disappointed I didn't work that in at all. Oh well.