Well… I thought it's about time for another one of Oread's musings. I was gonna put one at the end during the Act-transition but guess what! I have other things planned for that! This is gonna be short, probably…

A typo in the last chapter… by 'clipped gems' I meant 'chipped gems'. Oppsies.

-Sigh- Diiisss…claaaiiii…meeeerrrrr… (Man I'm bored of this): -Deep breath in- Blizzard owns all except characterisations etceteras etceteras yak yak yak… Yes. We all get it.

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Chapter 6.5: Sister

I didn't react in time.

I could've gone back through the Town Portal, but I was too careless. It was a mistake… a damned horrible one.

Celadon… thank God she hanged in there. Those two rejuvenation potions I shoved down her throat kept her alive. Thank goodness… Akara said she'll live. She's been using magic to mend her insides, to restructure her deformed ribcage.

Damn… Kashya, and the Rogues. This is unbearable; it's almost like back then… What I need to do now, is go out into the bushes and puke. Yes, I'm going to do exactly that.

Crap… is that blood I taste, apart from the acid and the bitterness of the potions? The hell with it. It doesn't matter now. The kid's top priority for Akara. I'll go hand Charsi the Malus.

Yes, Charsi, very good for you. You should be happy about it, not like it is for any of us… you're imbuing one of my items? Thanks. I'll save it for later. Whatever. Just repair my armour; get that damned blood off it. I look pale, do I? Am I all right? Look for yourself, do I look all right?

I'll go to my tent… and take a break there. I need to think this out… God, my head kills… I must've bashed it a little hard against the wall. Heck… what's this now? I've cracked a few bones, have I? I'll live… I just need a bit of rest. I'll go visit the kid in the morning.

The kid… she's grown a lot. She's picking things up quickly; and frankly, I seem to be rubbing off on her… heck, she's not killing herself. I won't let her. The way she chopped the Smith's hand off, the way she blocked the majority of the impact for me… she's really proved herself as a loyal merc. Maybe I want her to run off or wimp out of all this shit, just so that I don't have to take care of her anymore, or feel guilty for not doing so.

But now that she'd proved that she's sticking with me all the way through, what do I think of this? Am I pleased? Proud?

I'm thinking of her as my apprentice, it seems, or even… a little sister.

Is that so? Do I think of her as a replacement for my sister? Is that why I gave her my sister's short sword, not really for her safety, but as a medium to name her as my sister?

So… Celadon's just another person for me to protect, another person for me to live for.

I really am a selfish bastard.

Damn… this really kills… my guts and my head are aching like the end of the world. How can I expect to finish off Andariel alive, when I couldn't even do this properly? Shit… damn coughing fit… now I'll have to wash the blood of my top before anyone notices and fusses over me. If anyone, Kashya will probably be that person…

What's this? A gash in my head? Now that I've checked… My face is all bloody, too. No wonder why Kashya took a bit of s shock when I came through the portal. Blood-soaked, carrying the dead-looking Celadon, a bloody malus in my hand… I must've looked like some psychotic killer.

I won't let this happen to you again, Celadon, because you're not only my mercenary… you're a person I've set out to protect. I don't want to die anymore; not if you'll be there to watch.

I need to throw up again… damn, there's nothing left except… more blood, is it?

I won't let Celadon see this. I won't worry her. I have to stay strong, at least in front of her…

Don't die on me, Celadon…