Chapter 5 – Rest
Ouch. Pain fills my body. I open my eyes. Sunlight shines in though the open window. Where am I? My swords lay scattered on a chair next to the wall. They are stained red, very worn and dented. They don't seem to be usable unless repair is made.
Oh... I'm in my room. My arms are bandaged up. My upper body is also wrapped up. I try to move my arms...
"Hrrrrnnggh..."
No good. They won't respond. It hurts to even attempt moving...
"You're awake!"
I turn my head to the direction of the voice. I see a girl sitting down beside the bed. It's the oracle.
"Yesterday, at the bell tower..."
The girl looks away, her eyes full of tear.
"I... I didn't have the chance to thank you. It's because of you I'm even alive. And yet, I wish..."
She shakes her head gently.
"Never mind that. Please, what is your name?"
"...L-Le...th..."
I somehow managed to get half the word out of my mouth. The girl takes my hand and looks earnestly into my eyes.
"Leth. Thank you. For yesterday."
She then let my hand drop and made a sigh.
"I only wish I could've save him too..."
I ask who she means, and she looked startled.
"Why, the spider, of course. Who else?"
She walks toward the window and looks out.
"He didn't mean to, you know. He's not usually like that. But he was scared. There's an evil taking hold of the land. I... I don't quite understand it. Yet I feel as if I should."
Her voice sounds pained. Then she turns from the window, her honey blonde hair flutter from the gentle breeze.
"Oh. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tieve, the town oracle. I will be taking care of you until you're better.
I have duties to perform right now. The townspeople must be rattled from yesterday. I must attend to them. I'll be back later."
She starts to gather her stuff together, but turns back to me.
Tieve: "I'm really grateful for your actions. If there's anything that you need, or anything that I can do, please, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll do everything I can to help you out. You are my savior."
Overwhelmed by fatigue as well as unable to reply, I drift to sleep once again before the oracle has even left the room.
"Lethita."
Hmm? Who's calling me?
"Lethita!"
Let me sleeeeeep...
"Lethita!"
Sigh... I'm so tired right now...
"Open your eyes you fool!"
An indistinguishable voice shakes me awake. It sounds familiar. No...familiar isn't the word. Nostalgia.
"Lethita!"
It's a dream, isn't it?
"Lethita!"
Yeah it is. There's no other reason why he is here at the moment.
I open my eyes. I see my brother. I see the bell tower. I am currently standing on the bell tower. The same place where I fought the spider... But everything looks distorted and shaky. Well, of course it is...
My brother can't be alive. Ah... It seems like I still hadn't gotten over his death...
A loud screech pierces my ears.
"Gah...!"
My body is shaking. I can't stand up properly. The spider. It has appeared on top of the bell tower.
"Prepare yourself."
"Eh?"
I look at my brother. No. The image of my brother who is before me. The transparent figure speaks to me.
"That was pathetic."
What was pathetic? What's he talking about?
"Until you can conquer this spider you have encountered already, I will not let you rest."
"Huh?"
With a snap of his fingers, the spider immediately jumps off the highest point and dives towards me.
"SHIT!"
I scramble to get away, dragging my weary body with me. It was difficult, but I somehow got away.
CRASH.
The spider landed on the ground, cracking the floor underneath it.
"Until you can completely dominate this, I will not let you rest, not even in your sleep."
"...What is going on...? Why is... -!"
I didn't even get to finish my thought before the spider lunged at an incredible speed. No... I couldn't move! My body doesn't respond properly in dream! I see it diving towards me, yet I just...stood there...unable to defend... I have never felt so helpless.
"UWAAAAAAH!"
Being crushed like an ant was the last thing I remember before waking up in cold sweat. My death felt real... My death felt real even though it was a dream...!
"Haa... Haa..."
I breathe heavily. It's still day time. Though the sun is setting.
What did he mean when he told me to conquer the spider? Does he want me to kill it by myself? No... I can't. I can't do it!
"..."
No... I'm such...a coward... Why do I say no? This isn't right. Fear. I'm in fear once again. How can I possibly avenge my brethren if I'm constantly in fear for my life...?
I clench my teeth. How...? How can I become stronger...?
"..."
I close my eyes. I think back to the fight against the spider. What exactly happened near the end? I was scared...and tired...and injured...
Yet I managed to come out alive...
What miracle saved me? Was it even a miracle? Yes. The ballista saved me. The arrow at possibly the last moment of my life saved me from death. But...what happened before that?
Argh! Dammit! I can't remember! I blanked out, didn't I? Am I just over thinking it?
"... Tch..."
In another room, Tieve was bandaging up an injured girl resting on the bed.
Tieve: "Haa... I can't believe you would try to defend against His attack with just a wooden buckler."
"..."
Tieve: "Oh come on Fiona. At least say something! I was so worried!"
Fiona: "...Sorry for making you worry... Sorry for being weak... If I was stronger, I would have handled the attack..."
Tieve sighs again and continues wrapping her broken arm in bandages.
Tieve: "What were you thinking? That was so dangerous. If Leth didn't... Never mind..."
At the sound of Tieve's discontinued thought, Fiona looked at her curiously.
Fiona: "Leth is the new merc on the day of the bell tower?"
Tieve nods in silence. Fiona continues.
Fiona: "After I fainted, he took it down all by himself?"
Tieve nods once again.
Tieve: "I don't know how he did it, but miraculously he came out of it alive. Especially in the last fee moments of the battle, he stood there while Wendshardt was about to kill him, yet somehow a stray ballista landed perfectly on its claw and pinned it to the ground. It was as if he knew that would be happen..."
The oracle came by a bit later to spoon feed me because I can't move my arms. She sat down by my side until I finished all my food.
It seems like now is the perfect time to ask her questions about my injury.
"Oracle."
Tieve: "Hmm? You can just call me Tieve."
"I... I can't. You are the town oracle. Calling you by your name would be disrespectful."
Tieve: "I give you my permission to use my name."
The girls says that with a smile.
"Or-Oracle..."
Tieve: "Tieve!"
She says that with a pout on her face.
Tieve: "No one calls me oracle anymore. Everyone was like you the first time meeting me. And I especially will not let my savior call me 'oracle' like I'm someone really special."
"...But being the oracle IS special."
Tieve: "Just call me Tieve!"
She slaps my bed as she raises her voice ever so slightly. I see... She's trying really hard to break down the social status between the two of us. No, not just us two, everyone else as well. She is just...too pure. How fitting for an oracle.
"Alright, Tieve."
Tieve smiles at my caving in.
"So...why am I all wrapped up in bandages? I'm sure I wasn't injured badly."
Tieve looks at me with an astonished face.
...Why is she looking at me with an astonished face...?
Tieve: "Uh... Don't you remember? Your chest had a couple of ribs broken and your arm muscles are strained by overusing them. Then... Wenshardt clawed your chest open..."
She looks down and lowers her voice as she got closer to the end of her sentence. She's still grieving over the death of her 'beloved spider.'
Wait. What. I was definitely not that injured. How can I be when I don't even realize it?
"...Wow... I certainly do not remember. Wait... How long will I be healed up?"
Tieve: "Well, normally it would take weeks or months but..."
"But...?"
Tieve: "We had the town magician heal you with magic. So you should be up and good to go in a few days. Take it easy though..."
What. Magician...? What.
"Magician?"
Tieve smiles at my wondering.
Tieve: "Yes. Brynn came to heal you while you were gravely wounded."
Brynn, I'm guessing he's the magician, huh...? What. Why didn't he come to help us mercs? I'm sure shooting the spider with magic would CERTAINLY BE EASIER THAN US GOING 2v1!
I shake my head is disbelief. Of course, I wouldn't dare to share my current thoughts with the oracle. But seriously though...unbelievable.
The image of the slender and silent merc getting crushed by the spider suddenly pops up in my memory.
"How's the other guy?"
Tieve stands up, stretches her slender arms, grabs the tray, and prepares to leave.
Tieve: "You'll see."
"Huh? So he's alive then?"
Tieve smiles at my curious face as she leaves the room.
Tieve: "You'll see!"
Then she closes the door.