I can feel your rage and disappointment at how long this update has taken, but try to contain your fury. Luckily you can't find out where I live because I didn't put out that information on my profile or anything. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long delay, but if you've read any of the other updates I've made to other stories than you already know that the reasons for my absence were beyond my control. That being said, I hope you guys are pleased with this chapter, and my return to the business.
"Now, before you say anything about moving on from this place because it has nothing to do with your mission, you are going to find a doctor, and you're going to get that arm checked out! No exceptions. Is that clear?"
Cyril and Amy stood in the center of a small rural town they had happened across roughly two days after the catastrophe with Zanshin. It was a fair deal larger than that doomed place had been, although the town couldn't have been home to more than a hundred people or so. But it still had a rather nice square, which was centered around a tall oak tree that had probably been around for quite some time.
"Yes mother, I'll be sure to do that. How could I not, with you nagging me with every step I take?"
Amy shot a crimson glare towards her far taller companion, not pleased with his response. "I'm serious, Cyril. If you try to brush this off, I swear I'll 'nag' you for the rest of your life! You don't even want to know how bad I can get when I'm in a foul mood. You won't even be able to breathe without me criticizing every moment of it! You don't want that right?"
Cyril raised his ice-blue eyes to the oak leaves above, seeming to put serious thought into Amy's question. "Well, even if you were only nagging me the whole time, you said you'd do it for my whole life, so at least I'd have you around forever right? That's not so bad."
Amy said nothing back to that, but her thoughts went wild. He's trying to seduce me. Honestly, no one says this many sweet things in such a short time. He has to be doing this on purpose, the jerk...
If Cyril noticed the scarlet blush his female companion had to fight down, he made no comment on it. Instead, he decided to honor Amy's request and scan his surroundings for anything that looked remotely like an apothecary or something else medically related. His injury didn't hurt all that much, but he did need to get it properly cleaned before his natural healing abilities mended his flesh with dangerous fibers still inside of him. Speaking of which, he needed to find a new shirt... he wasn't wearing his armor, trying to avoid attention from the populace and all, but his peasant shirt was still missing a sleeve, having been burnt away by Gungnir.
"Well Amy, it just occurred to me that there might not be anyone in this town capable of doing what we need. It is rather small."
Having had ample time to recover from her embarrassment, Amy glanced around the settlement herself. "I was hoping that was merely an excuse on your part, but I'm afraid you may have a point..."
"And if that is the case, I assume that you'll insist on doing it yourself again. Which I still vehemently oppose, by the way."
Amy jabbed a finger at the semi-immortal man beside her. "Whether you oppose it or not, you will solve this problem before we leave. So if you're so against me doing it, you'd better try very hard to find a doctor, or a witch doctor, or even a nice old lady with a sewing needle. That's clear, right?"
Cyril rolled his eyes, not for the first time a little irritated with Amy's mother hen attitude over his arm. He really didn't understand why it was of any concern to her in the first place. "Yes, overseer. I'll get right on it. I assume you'll be coming along?"
"The chances of you trying to cheat your way out of this somehow is higher without me around, so yes."
"Wonderful..."
"So, if it is impossible to know what it looks like, or where exactly it is, how do you plan on finding this Catalyst?"
Link had asked this same question, or at least one similar to it, many times in the past day or so, and Xandra still chose to answer in her usual uninformative fashion. "I have no doubt that we will happen across it, Hylian."
The two traveling companions (plus Navi) stepped past the final boundary of thick tree trunks to gaze at wide, expansive plains of tall grass that rolled with the wind. Herds of some animal or another roamed about in the distance, but they were too far to identify from Xandra and Link's position at the edge of the forest.
"How can you be so sure? Is it not reckless to have such a thoughtless plan?"
Xandra leveled her piercing gaze at the man beside her. The fact that her entire face was hidden did nothing to diminish the severity of the look. "Are you suggesting that I am thoughtless, Hylian? I have existed for far longer than you, so I advise you to refrain from questioning my judgment."
Before Link could make any response, the green-trimmed Sentinel of wind turned on her heel and walked a few feet towards the grassy plains. "Stay here, for I am going to scout ahead. I'll come back for you when I'm finished... probably."
Link was not at all relieved to hear that, considering that Xandra may or may not have been joking. You could never really tell with someone who had a personality like hers. Either way, he said nothing as Xandra morphed into a brown-feathered falcon and took to the skies. Seeing that she had safely left, Navi felt safe muttering into Link's ear.
"I don't like her. I really, really don't like her at all."
Link didn't wholeheartedly agree with that, although there were some parts of Xandra's personality he had a hard time dealing with. "Come now, Navi. I am sure that she is merely stressed over her duty. Surely she is not always so..."
"Conceited? Vain? Narcissistic?"
"Er, yes. Any of those. She's probably far more amiable when she is not tasked with saving the world."
Navi made the equivalent of a fairy sigh. "I could never understand that undying optimism of yours, Link. I'm sure you think she's some sort of gorgeous beauty under that armor too, right?"
"Well... no offense to her of course, but with how into herself she is, I do not think Xandra could be anything less than perfect, at least in her own eyes."
The two of them shared a laugh at that, but the cry of a bird from above caused them to flinch and watch the skies. Less than three days and that woman was already making them both paranoid.
Amy stalked behind Cyril's unarmored frame, fuming about the pair's lack of success in finding anyone even remotely capable of dealing with his arm. They'd been traipsing about the town looking for aid for nearly an hour now, and Amy was feeling a bit ill-tempered at this point. "What a pathetic excuse for a settlement! How can a group of people of this size live in a community without someone that has at least a small amount of medical knowledge? This is absolutely ridiculous! Nothing is ever simple, even when it should be..."
Cyril continued to walk but cast his sapphire gaze back at the petite girl. "You seem to be on a shorter fuse than usual today, Amy. Other than the present predicament, is something else bothering you?"
The redhead crossed her arms defensively. "No. I'm just irritated with all of this blundering about, that's all."
"Are you sure? Because technically you've been blundering about alongside me since we left the castle."
Amy managed a small smile at Cyril's attempt at a joke, but wasn't really in the mood to feel happy about anything. She had a tendency to entertain her bad moods for unhealthy periods of time. "Yes, but all the same this situation is bit different. Besides, you should really be worrying more about yourself right now."
Cyril turned his gaze forward again, already well aware of what the problem truly was. "I noticed that you've been trying hide a limp for the past hour or so. Have your feet blistered?"
"W-what? No, of course not! What makes you think anything of the sort?"
Cyril stopped walking, turning to face his companion so that he could level a more serious gaze at her. "Considering the life in the castle that you had been living just a short while ago, I assume you are not used to long treks through the country. Also, I do not believe the boots you are wearing were made for such things. It seems more of a fashion statement than footwear designed for long walks. Taking all of that into account, I have concluded that your feet have blistered quite badly. Am I mistaken?"
Amy tried to avert her eyes and mumble some sort of counter, but at this point Cyril could not really be deceived. Yes, her feet were blistered. Yes, they hurt like all hell. But admitting that to Cyril, who seemed physically infallible most of the time, hurt her pride. "...yes, they hurt. But it's fine, it's not unbearable. So let's just keep going..."
Cyril stared down at the girl, not severely, but with concern. "Amy, there is no need to pretend that you aren't hurting. I won't think any less of you for being human, you know."
"But I... I don't want to slow you down, Cyril. Especially with something so petty..."
"Your comfort is a worthy use of my time. That being said, if you allow me to treat that for you... I'll... allow you to take care of my arm, so long as you're careful."
If anything was going to raise her spirits, that would do it. "That had better be a promise. If you go back on that you will seriously regret it."
Cyril sighed as he lifted Amy into the air bridal style, despite her protests. "Why do you always assume that I'm going to lie or cheat? I'm not that untrustworthy am I?"
Seeing that she wouldn't be getting out his arms anytime soon, and not really wanting to anyway, Amy crossed her arms and huffed. "You just seem like the sort to say anything if it accomplishes what you want... by the way, are you saying that you don't like my boots? Because they aren't 'practical?'"
Cyril managed a small smile, wondering how the young girl had returned to the topic of boots. "I think they are as good as the girl that wears them, so in your case, very cute."
In what would likely not be the last time that day, Amy had to fight down a blush, wondering if Cyril even had to try to elicit that kind of reaction from her. He made it seem so easy.
As a general rule, Tira was an easy person to entertain, especially considering her unique ability to have a decent conversation with herself. But there was only so much to do in a jail cell. She couldn't mess with the guards, because they dutifully ignored her every word, and she couldn't really play around with so little space available. Usually she would dance, or practice her acrobatics, or climb to the highest point in the room just for kicks and giggles. None of that was an option here.
That being the case, the twin-tailed terror lay flat on her back on the cell's rough and tiny cot, wishing she could go and kill someone just to spice things up. She wasn't nearly as patient as she used to be.
Other me, I'm soooooo boooooored! Do something!
The moment you find out how to get out of this cell, I'll be sure to do that.
Tira blew a stray strand of her black hair out of her face, pondering for the umpteenth time how to escape from her dull cage. The guards were too far away from the cell door to steal the keys off of them, and by extension, they were too far away to strangle from behind, much to Tira's chagrin. She really, really wanted to kill someone.
She'd have to try some more nefarious tactics, although even she doubted that they would actually work. She had learned a thing or two about seduction in the Birds of Passage, although she had never really liked the idea of having to kiss up to someone before killing them. She'd much rather just slit someone's throat or cut them in half with Drossel. Then again, she did love the look of terror and betrayal on the target's face when their darling jabbed a knife into their kidneys. That was probably the only fun part of a seduction & assassination job.
This isn't going to work you know. Those guards would rather cut 'em off before they came into the cell with us.
Ew, gross! Just imagine it, all limp and-
OK, I get it. Just shut up and try this already. Anything to change topics, damn...
Deciding to try her hand at drawing one of the male guards close enough to get her hands on him, Tira scooted a little closer to the cell door, wondering how exactly she should go about this. Not that she cared all that much about her looks to begin with, but Tira wasn't exactly sure if she would even be considered attractive. What did men think was attractive anyway? Tira didn't have too much experience with that, but she figured that she was not along the 'attractive' lines for most people. Which was kind of depressing, although she knew it really wasn't all that important.
Deciding to go with the most basic of techniques, Tira pressed her cleavage against the bars, hoping to gain some sort of tantalizing effect for the guard on the other side. If anything, it would hopefully make her modest breasts look just a little larger. Guys liked that, right? She decided to throw in the most submissive voice she could manage while she was at it.
"Hey, Mr. Guard? When am I gonna be fed again? I'm really hungry in here..."
The guard on the left turned back to glance at his prisoner, a little wary of the sudden shift in behavior and positioning, not that he was entirely displeased with it. "What are you talking about? You just ate like an hour ago!"
Tira eyed the man hungrily. It was fake of course, but nevertheless believable. "I can't help it... I'm just really, really hungry. And I think you could help, if you're willing..."
It seemed that the man had caught on to what Tira was insinuating, and he took a few steps towards the cell. This was what Tira wanted, but for some reason her dark side came out and she had to fight back a scowl lest she ruin her look.
I swear if he actually whips that thing out on me I'm gonna rip it off.
For a moment it looked like that was going to have to happen, but the only thing that got shoved in Tira's face was the metal tip of the man's spear. "What are you, crazy? There's no way anyone would want to do something like that with you. Get back in there and shut up."
The man returned to his partner, muttering something about whores and bitches to him, and he better have been damn glad those bars were there, because at that moment Tira probably would have disassembled the man one limb at a time, painfully slowly.
That bastard! Who does he think he is? I'm obviously gorgeous!
Her gloomier side heaved a mental sigh.
Evidently not. We should have known that wasn't going to work.
Tira retreated further into her cell, thinking of all the grisly ways she would kill that guard when she inevitably escaped. Mutilation seemed to be the most promising option to her at the moment, but should she think of something better later on, the maniacal assassin would be sure to use it.
Hmph. I bet Ciri would have thought we were adorable.
Him again? I thought we agreed to forget about him.
Well yeah, but... either way, I bet he would have.
It was truly interesting how Tira could not only hold a conversation with herself, but shift from topic to unrelated topic as though she were conversing with another person. Neither sides of her were really even thinking about that foolish guard any more, far more content to let their thoughts focus on someone who she held some interest in that did nor relate solely to killing him.
See, Ciri was the kind of guy who would probably say he thought we were pretty even if he didn't because he's a really nice guy.
But if he doesn't mean it, we should still be angry.
Buuuuut, if he says it just to be nice, at least in means he cares about our feelings, I think... people lie to each other when they care, right?
But does that mean if he really did think we were cute and then said so, he wouldn't care? Does the truth mean you don't care?
Tira scratched the top of her head, having managed to confuse herself with talk of truth, lies, and affection. Understanding what was considered basic human values was difficult for her, for many reasons. She had not been raised to interact with other people on any level beyond killing them. She didn't understand other people because her only objective was usually to murder them. Then she had been malfested by Soul Edge, and her human interaction was reduced to reaping souls for the Cursed Sword.
Of course, there were a few things she understood about others. She knew they were scared of her, or, if they weren't necessarily scared, they detested her nevertheless. It was very, very rare occasion where she was accepted by another human being. In fact, there had only ever been three instances; her mentor in the Birds of Passage, her now deceased once-upon-a-time 'family', and recently, Cyril. These people had known what Tira was like, but had not hated or feared her, for reasons Tira didn't really understand.
Had they just been fools? Not aware of the monster they were dealing with, and therefore not afraid? Or perhaps they were fools of another nature, knowing what she was but believing they could change her with kindness and love and other silly things?
Either way, it was not as if this was all bothering Tira overly much. She was merely curious, and a little confused about it all. There were a lot of things she didn't understand, and people was at the top of her list. Deciding that trying to figure things like this out was too much effort, Tira plopped down on her cot and began to whistle a merry tune, biding her time until an opportunity for escape presented itself.
For the third time in the last hour, Amy nearly kicked Cyril in the face, although thankfully without her boots on. "Don't touch me like that, you idiot! I can't stand being touched there!"
Cyril and Amy sat together atop some peasant's roof, far enough back that no one on the cobblestone path below could see them. Cyril had Amy's Travel Bag of Wonders, which he had discovered contained not only bandages, but even cream for exactly the kind of blisters he was dealing with. Minus the lack of a bedroll, Amy certainly had come prepared for this adventure.
Still, right now she was acting a little childish, and Cyril couldn't quite understand why. Yes, he had her bare feet in his hands, but he did not see why that was a problem for the girl. "Are the blisters really that bad? I am attempting to be gentle."
Amy scowled up at him. "Whether you are gentle or not is irrelevant! It's the fact that you're fondling my feet that bothers me!"
"I would hardly call it fondling."
"Of course you wouldn't, you're the one committing the crime!"
Cyril ignored Amy's complaints and continued to treat her irritated skin, weaving his fingers in-between her toes, around her ankles, and anywhere else her feet had blistered, causing the girl to squirm uncomfortably in futile protest.
"If you would be still, I could finish this more quickly, Amy. Either way, I did not think your feet were so sensitive..."
Amy crossed her arms, bringing an unhappy frown to bear on Cyril. "Any refined lady would have sensitive feet. If they were rough this would be unpleasant for both of us! A-and besides... half of the reason I'm uncomfortable here is because of you."
"Am I doing it incorrectly?"
Amy's scowl deepened, but so did the blush on her face, confusing the Sentinel greatly. "You're really a clueless imbecile, Cyril. J-just finish already so I can get to work on your arm."
Cyril sported a deep scowl of his own at that, but nevertheless hastened to bandage Amy's feet once he finished with the ointment. He made sure to leave her toes unwrapped, for comfort if nothing else. "Are you really so eager to experiment on me Amy? I did not think you were the type to take interest in such things."
Amy spared the man her glare since she was busy looking in her bag for a proper tool for the upcoming task, but responded as irritably as she always did. "It has nothing to do with 'interest' you moron. Have you never heard of 'concern?' It's the only reason I want you to let me do this, since no one else around is capable, and you're too stubborn to do it yourself!"
Cyril smiled to himself, not completely sure if Amy completely meant that, but glad for it nevertheless. "Well in that case, I suppose I have no choice but to leave myself in your capable hands, Amy. Just please, do be careful. My body may regenerate, but I can still feel pain."
Amy withdrew a pair of tweezers from the bag, proving that she really did have almost everything in there. "Are you implying that I wouldn't try my best? I am trying to help you know."
"I know. And whether or not this turns out for the best, I appreciate your concern Amy. Really."
Amy scowled again, although it accompanied another blush. "J-just be quiet and give me your arm already, would you?"
"Much obliged, madam."
Darkness. Constriction. Chill. Weightlessness? What was this feeling? Her mind felt groggy, her thoughts disjointed and scattered. She could feel suffocating pressure on her chest, but couldn't tell why she was feeling it. She tried to breathe, but whatever flowed into her lungs was not air, and she rejected it, the resulting spasm shocking Talim into wakefulness.
Her eyes shot open, only to be stung by briny seawater. Frantic, Talim tried to recall what had happened. A massive wave unlike any she had ever seen had crashed into the coast, sweeping anything in its path into oblivion. Except her apparently. She was alive, suspended in the water that was slowly killing her.
Talim thrashed about for a moment, wondering why she hadn't already floated to the surface, only to discover that her right ankle was caught in tangles of rope that had been pinned to the ground by debris. Working her hands around it as quickly as possible, her chest burning with oxygen deprivation, Talim struggled to remove herself from her bonds, every vital second doing so decreasing her chances of making it to the surface alive.
After dealing with a particularly nasty knot, Talim managed to free herself, using all of her willpower to keep from simply swimming in what she believed to be up. She knew her direction could be misguided, and so allowed herself to float, for just moment, towards the surface. When she realized which way she needed to go, the young Filipino girl thrust herself to the surface, every moment of burning agony in her chest reminding her how close she was to the edge.
It felt like eternity, and perhaps it had been awhile. Talim had no idea how deep she was at the moment, and she could not see sunlight above, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the darkness beginning to cloud her vision? Regardless, she kept swimming towards what she prayed was the surface, for if it wasn't she was doomed.
Whether or not her prayers had been the reason, Talim eventually, and oh so gratefully, burst through the water into cold, biting air, gasping for breath, but only managing to spew out seawater. A remnant piece of wood from some building floated gently along beside her, and Talim collapsed onto it, continuing to heave out the water in her lungs.
After finally managing to do so, the girl rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, which was covered from horizon to horizon with threatening storm clouds. Had anyone else made it? Were Hwang and Seong Mi-na as lucky as she had been, or had they been washed away and lost at the bottom of this wretched water someplace?
The thought of their safety drove Talim to get up and search for them, but her body would no longer respond to her wishes, the trauma of the day rendering it useless. Her head lolled back as rain from the heavens above began to pour down on the desolate scene below, and before drifting into darkness, Talim silently thanked the wind this rain was warm, as she involuntarily shivered from her recent experience.
"Alright, Cyril, this is the last one. Take it like a man this time at least."
Cyril cast a sideways glare over at Amy as she proceeded to extract the last fiber of his ruined shirt from the charred flesh of his arm. Surprisingly, she had handled the whole thing relatively well, considering that she hadn't thrown up or anything, or even gagged. Still, she was no doctor, and she had pricked and prodded Cyril quite a few times, although none of them were on purpose.
"The fact that my arm is like this in the first place means I took something far worse like a man. At least allow me to gripe over the small things. Like you, for example."
Amy made extra sure to press down just a little harder than necessary at that, eyebrows twitching in annoyance. "You insufferable... you should be grateful I'm around to keep you company at all!"
"Oh I am, believe me."
"What was that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing at all."
Their usual banter continued as Amy finished her task and Cyril wrapped his arm in bandages himself, not because they were needed per se, but simply for appearances at least. It was while he was doing this that he felt a powerful disturbance, one far in the east that unnerved him greatly.
It must have shown on his face though, because Amy, astute as always, picked up on it immediately. "Cyril? Is something wrong? I hope I didn't aggravate your injury with my haphazard handling, I tried to be careful..."
"It's not my arm, Amy, don't worry. But something has happened. I cannot be sure, but it feels like another catastrophe has struck in the far east. Quite a potent one at that..."
"D-does this mean the end of the world is getting closer?"
Cyril rose from his sitting position on the rooftop and looked out to the horizon. "I don't know. I'll have to investigate to be sure."
"W-well Cyril, how far in the east are we speaking of? It could take months to get there, and we don't necessarily have that kind of time to waste..."
"That is true, and for that reason I will need to go alone."
A multitude of emotions passed through Amy's heart then, and none of them were pleasant. "Alone?! B-but Cyril, you said that you would... that you stay with me! What about me?"
Cyril looked down at the girl's disbelieving countenance, not quite understanding her reaction. "Amy, I'm not abandoning you. I'll be back as soon as I discover the source of this disturbance. I promise."
He had expected his reassurance to calm Amy down, but her reaction was exactly the opposite. "That's exactly what my father said! I'll be back! That's what everyone always says to me, and then they disappear! And what's worse is that you take the time to befriend me first and then leave! Just like him!"
Cyril did not know who 'him' was, as Amy was clearly not referring to her father, but he could tell he had chanced upon a sore spot for the girl. It occurred to him that she had been abandoned many times by people close to her, even if they had not left her with foul intent. The idea of being left behind again was probably a bitter one for her. Maybe even a deeply rooted psychological fear.
"Amy, I understand why you are angry. I know that you are afraid I won't come back for you. But I promise that I will. After all, I could never trust you to take care of yourself out here, especially with nothing but the snacks you packed in that bag of yours to eat."
Amy almost smiled at the jest, but bit it back, still irritated, and more importantly scared, that Cyril really was abandoning her. Seeing that he needed to take it a little farther, Cyril gently cupped the redhead's face and stared into her eyes, trying to get the sincerity across. He had no idea that this was fairly intimate for the Amy, as he was only trying to convince her to the best of his abilities. "We've only traveled together for a short time Amy, but nevertheless you are a very important person to me. I would not abandon you even for the sake of this world. I will be back in no time at all. I promise."
Not for the first time, Amy found herself wanting to believe him. Wanting to believe everything that he had just said. But she was still somewhat cynical, her past experiences refusing to leave her thoughts. "And what do I do while you are away?"
"Stay here. Rest until I'm back. And when I am, we'll get back on the road like we usually do, and nothing will have changed."
Amy wanted to smile, or agree, or make some one of her usual snide remarks at the Sentinel, but her heart wasn't in it. "Are you going to get me off of this rooftop first?"
"Naturally."
The next few minutes passed in silence as Cyril returned Amy to ground level and donned his armor in preparation for a Lightning Stream. He said goodbye to the girl one more time, once again promising a swift return, but her response to it was subdued. Figuring that the best way to fix that was to return as quickly as possible, Cyril headed out of the town to find a suitable jump location,leaving Amy to morosely watch his retreat from behind. She couldn't bear the thought of someone close to her abandoning her again.
OK, so there wasn't too much plot movement in this chapter, but I hope the character interactions here were good enough to compensate for that. Speaking of which, that's something seriously good about Tira. Being able to talk to herself makes developing her character way easier than everyone else.
Anyway, I know this chapter focused on a very small group of people this time, but don't worry, we'll get Ezio and more Link and all that next chapter. I just wanted to get this update out to you guys sooner than later.