Chapter 21 – A Special Outing
"I'm sorry, Spirit Forger, but we can't accept your request at this time."
It was their second day in Keston, and this was the fifth church Reina visited.
To back up a bit, Reina had spent the remainder of the previous day in the Violet Storm Church. Bishop Valais—who seemed to have a lot of free time for someone of his rank—helped Reina understand the views and beliefs of the other sects in this nation. Those descriptions had his own biases laid in them, but Reina took what she could get.
Of those was also the belief of the Violet Church. To summarize, they were a church that focused more on magic. It's a bit counterintuitive, given how they don't like mages even more than other churches. If Reina had to guess, they viewed mages as more competition, in addition to other churches. Although, they preferred individual mages over those from the Wizard College, which was the opposite of the other churches.
Reina was also able to reveal a number of weapon forms, excluding the crosier of the High Priest. Some were beyond her current level, but the ones she did get seemed geared toward magic in some regard. Two of the ones she revealed gave interesting bonuses.
Lesser Violet Storm Crosier
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: Forge "Detect Magic"
Greater Violet Storm Idol
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: magic rating adjustment (small)
Detect Magic would allow her forged spirit to reveal the presence of magic, doing exactly as the name implied. Of course, being less than a novice in spells and magic with little practical knowledge of the subject, Reina couldn't do much with that information. Yet.
The second one gave her pause, but she was able to deduce what it meant. Some games have attacks that do damage based on the target's stats. The higher the stat, the more damage it would deal.
The fact that she got this from an implement of this church led Reina to draw a conclusion.
This church's symbol, a purple cloud, was clearly reminiscent of the violet rain clouds that occurred in this world. The bishop said as much himself. Even the statue of the Spirit Forger in the church's courtyard had the forged spirit depicted as a humanoid storm cloud. The weapon of the Spirit Forger statue was a crosier, a weapon form she noticed had a higher magic stat than the others she could switch to.
Additionally, she learned a bit more about how much violet rain affected beings here. Humans and some monsters were the most affected. Animals and less magical monsters were after that. Gromnar could walk around in it with some difficulty and shamans were close to immune. By their nature, most Gromnar can't use magic, so it would follow that they had a low magic stat.
All of that led Reina to believe that the violet rain was more like many tiny magic rating attacks. Even if the damage multiplier was small, receiving hundreds of them would quickly wear someone down. She likened the sickness that resulted from it as a sort of infection. If she received hundreds of cuts on her body, it'd be harder to keep them all clean. After all, the air around the violet rain made her sick last time she was near it and she didn't get hit by a single drop.
This also led Reina to believe Vyrdrun had some sort of high magic rating adjustment ability, despite the fact he couldn't see it in his status. It could just be a hidden skill or something like that. It wasn't like other Gromnar had something that said they couldn't form spirit contracts, after all.
She had no real proof, but that's where her train of thought had led her.
Digression aside…
During the afternoon and evening, Reina was visited by a few priests of different churches, all accompanied by their templars. Each one asked her to stay with them during her stay in Keston. Reina politely told them that Vyrdrun would need to stay with her, causing each and every one to give some half-hearted excuse as to why that would be a problem.
Consequentially, Reina stayed with the Violet Storm Church.
That led to today. When Reina told the bishop about her desire to visit the other churches, he recommended she only take Violet Storm templars with her, leaving Vyrdrun and Maria behind. Walking around with a Gromnar wouldn't have been a great look, and a mage on top of that wouldn't help any. If Maria didn't agree with him, Reina would have done otherwise.
And that's where Reina found herself right now. At the fifth church of the day. With nothing to show for it.
It was the same story every time. The high priest of every church was currently at the Cathedral of Unity for some important meeting. No one said what it was, but Reina was reasonably certain it had something to do with her. It's part of the reason she hadn't met the high priest of the Violet Storm Church yet. And, of course, the priests at the other churches said they couldn't let her copy anything without the permission of the high priest.
"I figured politics would be at play here, but I didn't think it'd be this annoying." Reina lamented.
Still, she would at least make the attempt. She'd go to the Cathedral of Unity right now if she didn't think it'd make things worse.
It also gave her the chance to look around the capital. Reina saw a few templars sporting the same braided hair as her that she heard was so popular back in the day of the empire with short men. Thinking back, she realized a few templars from yesterday were like that too.
In addition to the braided hair, Reina also saw a bit of the darker side of things here, that being slaves. It was obvious with the metal collars around their necks. Some looked like chains, but those slaves also looked worse off. Only a small handful of Gromnar were walking around with collars and distinct clothing, Reina having learned that was to distinguish them as owned.
"Where next?" She asked one of the three templars guarding her.
"That was the last of the smaller churches. The Golden Hammer Church is closest to us."
Calling any of those churches 'small' was entirely misleading. Each one's main building was more like a cathedral and looked to be able to house hundreds of people. The Violet Storm Church was no exception, even if it seemed to be the smallest of the six lesser churches. She passed the Crimson Blade Church when she first arrived and that one was massive. It was about as big as the palace.
The capital itself was huge, much larger than Savia or Lespax. As the former seat of power for an empire, it wasn't that surprising. It would need to be big to house that many giant churches and get members.
"The Golden Hammer it is." Reina had to repress a sigh. Even if it probably wouldn't accomplish anything immediately, visiting would look good later, or so Bishop Valais suggested.
"Why can't they just let me copy their stuff? They're making it hard to do my job. I'm supposed to fight the Waves…and the Demon Lord…"
Reina continued walking as her mind continued working.
"I never really thought too much about what I should really be doing. I mean, the Waves are obviously dangerous. So is the Demon Lord and his children. They sacked the capital of Savia pretty easily. My weapon's ability to teleport a large group to the Wave the moment it starts clearly means that's what I should be doing. As for the Demon Lord, he's the latest in a long line of Demon Lords. Karth was one, too. I'm sure there are others around, because why wouldn't there be? Even if the ones before I arrived were dealt with without the help of heroes, that doesn't mean I shouldn't do something about it. Especially since none after the first Demon Lord were able to successfully attack a nation's capital."
Her thoughts were cut off as she turned a corner and slammed right into a brick wall. At least, that's what if felt like. She fell back and landed on the ground, rubbing her face where she came into contact with whatever she walked into.
"Hey! Who…a girl?" One of the templars stepped forward, only to go quiet.
"Ah! Big Sis!" The voice caused Reina's body to immediately seize up.
She couldn't be here. There was no way. It was impossible. Similar ideas practically screamed in Reina's mind as she forced her eyes to look up.
Standing before her was a girl about her height, though looking to be a couple years younger. Long, light brown hair went down to her hips as golden eyes looked down at Reina. There was no mistaking it. The girl didn't have on her armor, or the cruel smile from before, but it was certain.
This was Lola, the Demon Lord's daughter.
"What are you doing down there, Big Sis?" Lola offered her hand to Reina, who stared at it dumbly.
She looked at the hand, how the palm of the hand was facing up. The hand of the girl who chased her throughout the labyrinth below Savia's castle. The same girl who was currently wearing a light blue dress with shoulder straps and light boots. It was a little bit of an odd sight in this world, but Reina couldn't think about that right now.
"You are speaking to the Spirit Forger!" One of the templars barked out. "Show her some respect!"
"Hm?" Lola looked over at him.
"I-It's fine!" Reina quickly spoke. Shaking, she slowly reached up and took hold of the offered hand. She was pulled to her feet by the smiling girl.
"You don't look so good, Big Sis." Lola said, wearing an expression of worry. "Have you eaten? Let's go eat!"
With the shock beginning to wane, Reina realized she was being pulled forward by the girl.
"Where do you think you're taking her!?" The templars rushed around them before Lola could move far.
"I'm taking Big Sis for some delicious food. She looks like she needs it." Lola said matter-of-factly. "If you cared, you would have fed her before."
"You aren't taking the Spirit Forger!" The templars pulled their weapons out and aimed them at Lola.
"Oh~?" The innocent-looking girl adopted a dangerous smile.
"Stop!" Reina shouted. She didn't need to look around to tell they were on a street filled with people. "I-I…I'm going to go eat with her."
Reina didn't know how strong Lola was compared to the templars. Her brother was able to knock around royal knights like they were flies and her father took hits from massive golems like they were an annoyance. Even if Lola wasn't as strong, Reina highly doubted the templars could compare to her. She felt like a solid mass when Reina bumped into her and she wasn't even wearing any armor. Her stats must be crazy high. If they fought, the end result would be the same: Lola would take Reina wherever she wanted. The only difference would be how many dead bodies littered the street.
"There, see?" Lola happily said, pointing at Reina. "Big Sis wants to come with me."
The templars looked between themselves. "If that is the case…" One by one, they began to sheathe their weapons.
"I—" Reina's voice hitched, prompting her to clear her throat. "I'll come back to the church when I'm done. You can go back now."
"We are here to ensure your safety." One of them told her.
"I'll be fine on my own." Reina assured him. She tried to, at least. It was hard to control the trembling of her free hand.
"It's girl time! No boys allowed!" Lola added in, showing teeth with her smile.
Reina repressed a shudder. In Savia, very pronounced fangs were quite visible in the girl's mouth. They were smaller now, but Reina knew they could be much larger.
"If you say so, Spirit Forger." The templar gave a light bow and gestured to his two comrades. They went back in the direction of their church, or where Reina assumed the church was. She hadn't completely figured out the layout of the city yet.
"Come on, let's go eat!" Lola pulled her along down the road.
They passed by building after building quickly. It wasn't that they were running or even walking that fast. Reina simply couldn't focus on what was around her.
She was able to get her guards to leave, but that was just a few people. There was no telling what would happen if she upset Lola, the demonic girl who killed her original party…of nobles loyal to Prince Johan.
Reina couldn't say she was bitter about that. They planned on using her, for what she didn't know. Did they deserve to die for that? Probably not. Maybe if she'd gotten to know them more before the attack, things would've been different. There was no way to know that now, but that was hardly worth thinking about at the moment.
Before long, they neared what was obviously a restaurant. When Reina looked around, she saw they had entered a seedier part of the capital. No guards were in sight. The people around them didn't look all that respectable. Rough looking men, plus some women, walked around or stood in groups. Other women were clearly there to offer their services to willing patrons.
"U-Um…" Reina wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to ask. Where were they? What was she planning? What do you want? She couldn't settle on anything.
"This way!" Lola pulled her into the establishment.
Light smoke filled the air, causing Reina to cough from the abrupt change. It wasn't from burned food or a fire pit but smelled of burned herbs.
"Take a seat anywhere." The barman gestured to the tables around the room, about a quarter of them filled.
Lola led her to one of the tables without other people around and quickly took a seat, still smiling happily with her hands on her lap.
Numbly, Reina moved to her seat and sat down. Her shaking was all the more obvious with her hands on the table, her nails tapping vigorously against the wood.
"What'll you be having, Lola?" A man walked up to the table and asked, seemingly appearing from nowhere.
"Three bowls of curry." Lola pulled a simoleon from her side pouch—something Reina hadn't noticed until this moment—and placed it on the table.
"Three? Isn't two enough?" The man asked, clearly unaware of the danger to him.
"One's for Big Sis." Lola answered, looking Reina's way.
"Right, right." The man casually spoke and picked up the coin before he walked away.
Then, it was just Reina and a girl who could easily kill her and everyone in the building.
"Daddy says curry was made by a summoned hero in the past." Lola told her as if nothing was wrong. "This place has the best out of everywhere I've been!"
Reina simply nodded, never removing her eyes from the girl.
"I really like your armor, Big Sis. It looks really cute on you!"
Reina had gotten used to wearing it at this point. The appearance of it didn't bother her anymore.
Lola plopped her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her interlinked fingers.
"You shouldn't look so nervous around a kid, Big Sis. Someone might think something's wrong and step in. Then things would get…messy." The girl showed her teeth again.
Fingers curled up into fists. It wasn't out of anger or preparation to fight. Reina simply didn't know what else to do.
"Joking!" Lola stuck out her tongue. "Daddy doesn't want us fighting openly in cities. Besides, it's not like anyone around here would want to help anyone else."
It was all Reina could do to not flee from how this girl seemed to be toying with her.
"S-Savia…" Reina let the name fall from her lips. "You attacked Savia…"
"Oh, that." Lola shrugged her shoulders. "Daddy was upset someone went and summoned you. He had lots of plans, but then the Waves started, then that old guy found one of Daddy's places, and then everything went wrong! Daddy had to fix things quickly."
Spoken so casually, one might think she was talking about a misplaced book and not the deaths of thousands of people.
"Here's your food, Lola and friend." The man came back carrying a tray with three bowls of curry.
"Quick…" Reina absentmindedly whispered.
"Hm?" Lola already grabbed the wooden spoon that was set down for her. "What do you mean? It took like five minutes. I mean, I know it takes long to cook, but they have a bunch ready since it's so popular."
Reina looked up from the bowl that was placed in front of her. "T-That long?"
"You've just been staring at me. Am I that cute~?" Lola held a hand to her face. It looked like she was trying to mimic what she's seen adults doing. That would have been cute from almost anyone else. "Well, let's dig in!"
As the girl started to wolf down her food, Reina took a second look at her own bowl.
"Rice…" She saw the fluffy white grains in her food.
The foods she'd seen here were mostly similar to those she thought of from European countries. Rice was not among them, but she didn't really think it would be. This was a different world, after all. Seeing it here…
"Why're you crying, Big Sis?" Lola asked with a stuffed mouth.
"Oh…" Reina didn't realize it until she spoke. "I'm…just a little homesick, I guess."
"Hmm?" The girl hummed.
"This rice…it's a staple food in my country." Reina explained.
"Makes sense." Lola swallowed her food before scooping up more. "The Ritual Implement Hero from a hundred years ago made it to make curry. That's what Daddy said, anyway."
"Right…" Reina slowly nodded. Since he was brought up, and Reina didn't know what exactly was happening, she decided to continue that topic. "Does he…what does the Demon Lo—"
Fast as lightning, a finger was pressed against her lips. Lola leaned over the table, a wide, dangerous smile on her face.
Reina quickly nodded, understanding the intent. "Don't say that out loud." The message was clear.
Lola pulled back and Reina continued. "You father." She ventured, seeing no reaction from the girl. "What does he want?"
"Can you be more specific?" Lola asked, her mouth full once more.
"What…does he want from me?"
"Oh! Just fight the Waves." Lola took another bite. "And try not to get in his way too much."
That was what Reina assumed, but there had to be more. "Because he wants to conquer the world?"
That nearly caused Lola to choke on her food.
"W-What?" Curry dripped from the girl's mouth. "Why would he want to do that? The world's way too big to rule."
Reina would argue otherwise, but she really didn't want to contradict this girl. From what she heard, this continent was the largest landmass out there. Smaller ones existed, but they really didn't compare. They didn't even have Dragon Hourglasses, so people couldn't optimize their stats.
"Then what does he want?" Reina tried again. "Why is he doing anything? What's his plan?"
"He wants to kill people." Lola finished one bowl and started on her second. "I don't know how many, but it's not everyone, if that's what you're wondering."
"I see…" The shape of the puzzle just changed.
"It would be a lot easier if that's what he wanted." Lola added. "There's someone in the capital he wanted to kill. I think he took care of him last night. A templar, I think? He was pretty young for one. I don't know what he did, but he probably deserved it. All templars do."
Whether her opinion was due to her father's views or not was up for debate, and Reina wasn't in a position to go that deeply. Instead, she decided to expand on that a little.
"I'm beginning to think the churches don't care that much about the Waves." Reina said as calmly as she could. "Most of them won't let me get weapon forms from copying…Um, well heroes can copy weapons by holding them, and—"
"Oh, I know, and that's dumb." Lola flicked her spoon around. "Why don't you tell them you won't help unless they do that? It's not like they can summon another Ritual Implement Hero."
"They can't?" That was news to her. "Is there a time limit or cooldown for summoning heroes?"
"Nope!" Lola grinned. "They don't know how. Daddy is one of the few people who does, even if it didn't work the first time. So even if they don't like you, it's not like they can just get rid of you. I mean, some might want to try. Priests can be dumb like that."
That certainly opened up some possibilities. It also reminded Reina of the silver-eyed mage in Savia and how those priests didn't seem to like him. They didn't. They just needed him.
It was also somewhat destressing to learn the Demon Lord tried to summon her first. She remembered how she acted when she first arrived. Would she have done what he wanted, thinking this world was too much like a game to take seriously? Reina wanted to say no, but she wasn't so sure.
Reina also realized she was in something of a precarious situation. If she pissed off the Demon Lord, he might just kill her and try to summon another hero. He didn't want her dying during the Wave, but that was the only real exception. Even then, she didn't know why.
"Sister Maphai said we should just raze the city, but Daddy said no. It'd be better if they died fighting the Wave." Lola's expression immediately brightened. "Oh hey, If forgot to ask. Did you already register at the hourglass?"
"N-Not yet." She was half-tempted to lie, but didn't want to risk it. "Does he…not want me to?"
"Hmmm." Lola held her chin as she spooned another helping of curry into her mouth. "It'd be good if this place got attacked, but the Wave probably wouldn't happen in the capital. Daddy says not to rely on luck like that. Maybe you should take a bunch of templars with you to the Wave…no, that wouldn't work. They're too high level for the Waves right now. Maybe after a few more? Oh, but beating the Wave quicker is better. Hm. Hmmmmm."
The girl rocked her head back and forth.
"Is this real?" Reina realized after a moment that she spoke her question out loud.
"Is what real?" Lola asked.
Stuttering, Reina had no choice but to answer. "T-This. Right now. Is this real, or did I go crazy? I mean, I'm talking to the Dem—to someone who tried to kill…I don't even know."
"You're not crazy." Lola's hand on Reina's startled her, but the girl kept her eyes on Reina's. "That's just how the Ritual Implement Heroes are. They're really good at dealing with things that pop up."
"Like being chased around a dungeon by a girl with claws? And then jumping hundreds of feet into a river?" The questions had a bit more sass than Reina wanted, but the girl's smile told her it was fine.
"Exactly!" She flashed her teeth again.
Reina wondered if that really was the case. True, she handled things here pretty well, all things considered. Not just anyone could do the things she did and keep on going. The events were scarring and they'd stay with Reina forever, but who could keep it together when they were facing people that strong? Well, she did break down in front of Vyrdrun, but she had a pretty rough night before that.
"Besides, it's not like I was trying to kill you. Daddy just wanted to test you and see how you'd react. He was impressed. So was I! I think Sister Maphai thought so too, but she'd never admit it. Brother Gau thinks you're crazy, though. Brother Darvon and Sister Meru didn't really care."
Getting direct confirmation on the reason for her survival didn't do much for her. More importantly, after hearing all those names, Reina realized how big this family actually was. That brought up something the witch siblings talked about.
"Can I ask you something personal?" Reina steeled her nerves.
"Sure!" Lola just went back to her food.
"Your father…wasn't born like that. He changed his body." Reina began, trying not to say too much. Lola seemed to understand, giving a nod. "He…changed your bodies too, right?"
"Yep!" Lola happily answered.
"Why?"
"Because we're special!" Lola finished off her food before she continued. "He looked at lots of kids, but only a few of us were special. Daddy gave us the same strength as him."
"Kids…" Reina's eyes widened. "How old…"
The thought of doing something like that to children was horrendous. Molly said he would never do something like that to a child. Clearly, she was wrong.
"Well, Brother Gau was 12 when he transformed, but I was 10. I think Daddy said the oldest possible age was 13. After that, it gets more difficult. Something about how humans grow. I don't really understand it."
Anger.
That was the predominant emotion Reina was feeling. The fear from before felt like it was washed away.
"How dare he!" Reina raged in her head. "How dare he do that to children!"
"Oh!" Completely unaware at Reina's thoughts, Lola perked up. "Just don't bring any of this up to Sister Maphai. You're important, but she'll still probably rip your head off if you call her a human."
Those words sobered Reina up nicely. As much as she wanted to kill Derdir for clearly manipulating children and experimenting on their bodies, there was no way she could at the moment. Forget about not being strong enough to fight the Demon Lord. She wasn't even strong enough to fight his children. Even then, should she?
The way Lola phrased it made it sound like they weren't related. It was almost like Derdir picked them off the street. That could very well be what happened. He had no problem killing a whole city's worth of people. What's experimenting on and likely brainwashing children on top of that?
"Can I ask you something?" Lola asked, though she didn't wait for a reply. "Why are you fighting?"
"What?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Why are you fighting the Waves? Is there any reason?" Lola continued. "If I said you could go back home tomorrow and another Ritual Implement Hero could be summoned, would you? You said you missed home."
Reina wasn't sure how to respond. The question was valid. If she was stuck here, the answer was more obvious. But what if she wasn't? The people that had her summoned seemed more concerned about their own goals, or at least Prince Johan probably did. She didn't have any particular reason to fight for and protect this world.
But…did she need one? She wasn't so altruistic that she'd go out of her way like that, but the situation was special. She was summoned here, either just before or just after her death. If not for that, she'd be nothing right now. If nothing else, she had a debt to pay. Being the Spirit Forger, the Totem Hero, the Ritual Implement Hero—fighting for this world should be more than enough to repay that.
"Well, if it isn't little Lola." A man's voice broke her from her thoughts.
"Borgi!" Lola jumped from her seat and gave the approaching man a hug.
"What are you doing in this fine establishment today? No, wait, don't tell me."
With a mess of reddish-brown hair and beard, the man cast his gaze at the table. Behind him, two fine gentlemen stood at attention. While this Borgi was in plain, if decent quality clothes, the two behind him were in chainmail with bits of plate here and there. Maces were at their hips and they didn't look brand new.
"I'm eating lunch with my friend, Reina!" Lola separated from the man and pointed at her. "She's the Ritual—the Spirit Forger. Reina, this is Borgi the Fat."
Borgi "the Fat" tilted his head to the side with a sigh. "You know, words hurt, Lola. I've lost a lot of weight."
Ignoring his reply, Lola slid closer to Reina and whispered. "Borgi's an agent of the Red Brotherhood. If you need something illegal, he can probably get it for you."
The Red Brotherhood. That came up in her talks with Maria. They're the largest group of organized crime on the continent. They have their hands in all matter of illicit dealings. Drugs. Theft. Assassination.
Slavery.
One of their 'brokers' is who Maria referred to when they were figuring out what to do with those bandits after the insect forest.
"Telling her all my secrets?" Borgi gave a hearty chuckle. "Well, if you're friends with Lola—or, rather, her father—I'll be happy to do business with you. Never dealt with a hero before. Could be pretty profitable. Want to get this relationship started?"
"No business!" Lola crossed her arms. "We're having a lovely lunch, and then we're going to play a game."
"Alright, alright." Borgi held up his hands in defeat. "You know where to find me. Here, if I wasn't being clear."
With that, the slave broker walked off with his guards. They sat at another table on the other side of the restaurant.
"A game?" Reina asked. There was too much to process there at the moment, so she settled on the easiest thing.
"Yes!" Lola sat back down and fiddled with her pouch. "It's a card game called 'Somnium'. Have you heard of it?"
Reina shook her head. Recreational activities in this world were something Maria didn't cover.
"It's really fun!" Lola set a deck of cards on the table. "Daddy always beats me at it, Brother Gau lets me win, most of Daddy's imps aren't smart enough to play, and everyone else doesn't want to."
Reina gave an easy smile. "How do you play?"
She had to admit, maybe Lola was onto something about Spirit Forgers being good at dealing with random things. After all, she was calmer now and just came up with an idea. If she could befriend Lola, she might be able to learn more about the Demon Lord. It might not even be that hard. Lola already said they were friends and she's been calling her "Big Sis."
Well, the girl before her was pretty strange, so reading too far into that might not be right.
"This could be doable." Reina thought as Lola started showing off the cards.
"Okay! So, there's 54 cards in the deck, 10 suits that go from 3 to 7. The suits are angels, devils, pentacles, staves, suns, moons, towers, dragons, swords, and cups. There's also three 'fool' cards and one 'death' card."
The girl was practically bouncing as she explained. Having gone crazy or not, Reina found the display to be endearing. If this girl was brainwashed by Derdir, maybe there was hope for her. She didn't know how far it went or how many people Lola killed, but this spontaneous plan only just started.
"The goal of the game is to get as many points as possible. To do that—aw!"
The moment Lola let out that noise, Reina could feel her skin grow cold. Turning her head slowly, she saw another person standing behind her.
It was a woman, tall and strong looking. Armor covered her body, the design not dissimilar to what Reina recalled Lola wearing in the castle. She had flowing blond hair that went halfway down her back and was nearly as tall as the Demon Lord. It was an apt comparison. While she didn't have any draconic features at the moment, she did have the same piercing golden eyes as everyone else in that family.
Admittedly, Reina found her to be quite beautiful. She looked to be around the same age as Maria. The scowl directed at Reina from the woman dampened that feeling greatly.
"It's time to go, Lola." The woman said, not giving Reina a second glance. She was truly thankful for that.
"But Sister Maphai, we were just about to play a game!" Lola complained.
"I don't care." Maphai coldly responded. "We have important work to do tonight."
"Oh, yeah! I forgot!" Lola quickly gathered up the cards and stored them away. "We have to go deal with that old man—"
"Lola." Just saying her name was enough to stop the girl from speaking more.
"Okay~." It clearly wasn't out of fear.
Lola practically skipped past Maphai as the two headed for the door. Just like that, this whole surreal encounter was coming to a close. She gave one last look at Reina and waved her hand. "Bye-bye, Big Sis!"
Reina's body seized once more. The murderous glare sent her way by the older sister made her want to curl up and hide under the table, for all the good it would do. Maphai practically bared her teeth, a low snarl escaping her mouth. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. Maphai walked out of the building.
"Why…? What did I do…?" Just like from before, Reina shook in her seat.
"Hey, don't worry about her." She could barely make out Borgi's voice. "She's like that with everyone."
Reina looked down at the bowl of curry in front of her. She never even touched it, not with fear freezing her body for most of their talk. For only a short time, her body informed her of its hunger. That was no longer the case.
With no appetite and no desire to remain where she was, Reina stood from her seat.
She let her body take her wherever it wanted. As long as she was far away from this place, she didn't particularly care.
Despite the flow of time happening around her, Reina barely registered where she was walking. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she realized she'd found her way back to the Violet Storm Church.
"Hello~? Boss~?" A hand was waved in front of her face.
Reina saw she was in front of their room in the church. Vyrdrun wasn't inside, but Maria was standing right there.
"Maria…" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"Geez, Boss, what's wrong?" Maria asked as she scratched the back of her head. "I haven't seen you this freaked out since—"
She didn't get the chance to finish. Reina closed the distance and wrapped the woman in a fierce hug.
"Wha—BossBossBoss—!" The joined pair fell to the ground with Reina clinging desperately to her.
"Maria!" Reina wailed, sobbing into the woman's chest from above.
Wriggling in the death grip, all Maria could do was move her arm to rest her hand on Reina's back and try to calm her down.
Author's Notes:
I've been wanting to do this little meeting for a while now. I envisioned it being longer, but it would have dragged on a bit. I'm giving the poor girl emotional whiplash.
Somnium is an actual game. Well, it's a mini-game in the mod Fall From Heaven 2 for Civilization 4. Bit of a rabbit hole just to play it, but I did see a game that was similar called Dead Man's Draw. It's on Steam and an actual, physical card game too. Never played that one myself, but I might pick it up at some point.