"The Fallen Land." Dewar said, then rised the bottle he was holding to his mouth and drank the contents.
"Fucking great..." Revy replied, cursing her luck, or rather lack of it. "Now tell me that we are in the fucking middle of this continent..."
"No, it's not that bad..." Dewar put the bottle down, wiped his mouth and then smiled. "You're near the east coast..."
"Which means?" Dewar, hearing her words, closed his eyes for a moment and thought for a moment.
"You are a little closer to the recovered areas... I mean to civilization..." He replied calmly. "It doesn't change much from a certain perspective, but it's not that bad..." He finished the sentence with a sincere smile.
"Fucking hell!" Revy shouted, grabbing her head. "From one fucked up gutter to another..." Dewar laughed only slightly at her comment.
"What actually happened?" Rock asked, now feeling a little better. "And what does that have to do with us?"
"Exactly!" Revy interjected. "We don't care about the whole history of the world..."
"You wanted to hear everything from the beginning, right?" Dewar laughed again, but seeing Rock and Revy's dull faces, he relaxed and sighed. "Okay, let me continue, then everything will become clear. As I said, there was a so-called Fall in the western part of this continent. It happened almost 200 years ago. Day by day, a huge number of monsters began to appear there, including new, unknown species. They attacked and devoured everything they saw. They were damn aggressive and vicious. But no one knows where they came from..."
"Wait, you said the new species... Are you saying that some monsters already existed here before?" Rock suddenly interjected, interrupting Dewar. "Was that thing in the forest a monster?!" He asked with fear in his voice. Revy also widened her eyes when she heard this. To which the man behind the counter just laughed
"Don't worry, we'll get to everything in a moment... For now, we're almost 200 years back. Where did we end? And so new beasts and monsters began to appear. As before, most monsters were treated as slightly larger pests or game for expensive resources. But after the Fall everything has changed. The countries of the continent, exhausted by many years of war, had no strength to withstand the wave, and now people were the prey... During the first weeks, the Fall plunged the entire west coast into chaos and began to spread east. The population fled east and to larger cities, hoping that the high walls and troops formed in the cities would be able to oppose the genocidal swarm. Those who did not escape fertilized the soil and turned the rivers red..." Dewar paused to moisten his throat with the drink, then turned his gaze to the counter in front of himself and continued.
"Over the next four months, the entire continent was bathed in blood and chaos. All the countries that had once managed these areas no longer existed. All that remained were the larger cities that were able to defend themselves against the hords. Those who could, got in on ships and fled to other continents. Those who were still alive but decided to stay tried to make a life for themselves in the remaining cities, but the crowds and excess of people in these cities did not help them. Most of the cities came close to starvation. Fortunately, after a year the monsters stopped attacking the cities and hid in the forests..." Dewar looked up from the counter and looked tiredly at Rock and Revy. "Why they stopped attacking the cities I have no idea, but it allowed the cities to breathe for a while and renew the trade routes to obtain the missing food... As long as you stayed on the route, you had a relatively good chance of survival. Seeing that the monsters had retreated, the population in the cities closest to the eastern coast that suffered the least began to organize forces to retake the continent. Warriors, ordinary peasants and city folk, and even volunteers from other lands were organized. And the next year they went into battle, and even achieved success, slowly exterminating the hordes of monsters. They managed to take over the 100 kilometers into the continent. And it looked like the situation was slowly starting to straighten out, they appeared... Demons..."
"Demons?" Rock and Revy asked at the same time.
"You must be fucking with us?" Revy added after a moment.
"I don't know what they call a demon in your world..." Dewar replied after a moment, realizing the differences between him and the two from the other world before him. "...But that's what they called these creatures here..." He replied, taking a sip from the bottle, and then continued. "Humanoid, with pale skin and pointed ears. If it weren't for the black horns sticking out of its head, it could be mistaken for an elf... And the worst thing was that, unlike beasts and monsters that behaved like animals... Demons were intelligent like people. They attacked in groups, even in formations. They used weapons and wore armor..." Dewar closed his eyes and scratched his head as if to remember the details, then continued.
"All the people who fought with weapons in this campaign, most of them had acquired experience in fighting overgrown animals that monsters are... They were not ready to face something that fights like a human, and there were too few experienced warriors and soldiers to push at the fight forward and thus the campaign run out of steam... The focus was then on fortifying the border so as not to lose the regained lands. At the expense of people defending the workers building the camps, fortification lines were built." There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sounds of the drink splashing against the walls of Dewar's bottle.
"Okay... And what happened later? Because that's not the end, right?" Revy blurted out.
"Indeed, there are still 180 years of history left..." Dewar replied in a brighter voice, staring at the roof and combing his beard, then turning his gaze to his guests. "But I can give you a brief summary..." Rock and Revy looked at Dewar in surprise, but said nothing. "So during these years there were two more campaigns to the west... Civil War... Some technological development... And 20 years ago the Fall has ended..." Dewar concluded, giving a thumbs up and smiling. Rock and Revy looked at the man behind the counter with even more surprise.
"What the fuck?!" Revy suddenly screamed.
"Wait a minute…" Rock blurted out right then. "Are you telling us that this whole Fall has ended?"
"True, it doesn't sound too climatic, but what can I do... That's what they announced one day, observing the reduced activity of monsters and demons that had previously appeared in the forests... And you know, initially people didn't believe in all this, but over time, their number actually increased. has decreased."
"So this is no longer the Fallen Land and there are no Demons and other beasts on it?" Revy asked.
"Well... I didn't say that..." Dewar replied, scratching his head. "All the creatures and demons that appeared during the Fall still exist... There are only fewer of them and they are less active..."
"Fuck..." Revy said, leaning against the wall, overwhelmed by the amount of information, and then Rock interjected.
"So... What we heard in the forest was a monster?"
"Well... There are more options..." Dewar replied, slightly cheering Rock up. "But to simplify the situation, you could say it was a monster." The gray haired man added quickly. Rock immediately paled and covered his mouth with his hand. "But you're alive, so everything went well, right?" He looked at the two with a smile..
"Yeah... I guess so..." Rock replied, holding his head. Revy just sighed, scratching her head. There was a moment of silence, Rock and Revy both felt distressed, and Dewar, having a moment, used the bottle he held in his hand. Rock suddenly spoke in a calm voice. "You said something about people like us... What was that about?"
"Ah, yes..." The man replied, setting the bottle down on the counter with a bang. "Travellers... I forgot to mention them..." He added calmly, scratching his chin and looking at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"So…" Revy said, seeing that Dewar wasn't continuing his thoughts. "Talk!" Dewar returned to them with calm eyes, as if completely oblivious to Revy's scream.
"Well, as you probably guessed, Travellers are people who came here from another world... Just like you. The first of them appeared with the Fall, they said they were sent by the gods to help us fight of the Fall."
"Were there many like us? You said you had already met Travellers... What happened to them?"
"Slowly..." Dewar replied to Rock. "Were there many of them?... There were a few of them, not enough for everyone to have a chance to meet such a traveller, but not enough to consider them as a myth... Does this answer your question?" Rock nodded slightly in response. "Apparently, at the beginning of the Fall itself, more of your kind appeared, but over time, the number of travelers appearing decreased. Or fewer of them flaunted this title..."
"Why? Isn't being sent into this world by a fucking god to help, something that people would worship you for?" Dewar just closed his eyes and shook his head at Revy's question.
"Some people blamed the travellers for the Fall, the mob could lynch them, and the likelihood of this increased with each year of the Fall..." Dewar replied in a saddened voice. "At the end of the day, most travellers were just ordinary people, often without any special skills... On their own, they would not have been able to reverse the tide of Fall or defend themselves from the mobs..."
"Did that happen to the one you met?" Dewar thought for a moment befor answering Rock.
"I'm not sure... I met him twice in my life. The first time was when he had just arrived, and again a little later, when he had managed to get to grips with this world... After that, I didn't meet him ever again, perhaps he was killed by an angry mob or torn to pieces by monsters and demons, or boarded a ship and headed for a better life on another continent... Either way, he was a pretty nice guy..."
There was an awkward silence in the room, both Rock and Revy looking anxiously at the floor. Dewar, sensing the atmosphere, wanted to say something positive about their situation. "If it makes you feel any better, there are many more places where travellers are worshiped. It was travellers like you who brought knowledge with them. Without them, we would still be fighting with swords and pikes against these monsters..." As he said this, he ran his hand over the shotgun lying at his side.
"At least that..." Rock replied, lifting his head before looking towards Dewar. "Do you have any advice for us now? What should we do now? Where should we go?"
"Well… There are still many things you could use in future…" The man said, scratching his beard, but before he could get to the point, Revy interrupted.
"Rock... That's enough for me... My head is pounding after what I found out to this moment... Can't we take a moment to rest?" Rock looked at his companion, who was holding her head, then turned his attention to Dewar, who started talking again.
"True... The world is not ending... Or at least that's what I think. We can postpone this conversation for later..." Dewar said, then went behind the counter and, descending from the platform behind the counter, he visibly became smaller. There was silence for a moment, then Revy burst out laughing.
"You're actually a dwarf!" She screamed when she saw that he was a good 20 cm shorter, and Dewar shook his fist at her.
"Hey" He shouted. "Just so you know, I'm quite tall for a dwarf!"
The sound of shot. Excruciating pain in the chest, into which the cold slowly crowls. The pain in her back from the impact that deflated her lungs, and the dull buzzing in her ears that blocked out anything she could hear. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were heavy and she didn't have enough strength or courage to fight them. She wanted to suck air into her lungs, but despite her efforts, the air still hung motionless in front of her nose and mouth, and the only movement in her throat she felt was the blood pouring from the larynx, bringing the taste of iron to her mouth.
She felt the boards she was lying on give way, and from the wave of noise she was able to distinguish someone's footsteps wading through the pool of blood pouring out of her. Immediately afterward, she was able to distinguish someone's voice calling her.
"Revy…"
Said a calm and warm voice.
"Revy, can you hear me...?"
She wanted to, but she couldn't get the words out.
"Revy…"
The warm voice continued. She managed to focus enough to identify the owner of that voice. She was sure it was Rock.
"Open your eyes, Revy…"
Revy gathered all the strength she had and with hope, she slowly began to open her eyes. Darkness appeared before her eyes. She moved her eyeballs around her to see something. Finally, directly above her head, she saw Rock staring straight ahead.
"Revy…"
He said in a calm and warm voice. This comforted her mentally and she slowly started to close her eyes again, but then she felt a drop of something fall on her face. She opened them fully again to see red liquid dripping from his face. Immediately afterwards, Rock, with a sudden movement, turned his face towards her. She then noticed his lifeless eyes and a gunshot hole in his forehead, from which blood flowed and dripped onto her face.
"…It's your fault, Revy…" He said and then he started oozing blood from his eye sockets. "It's because of you that I died, Revy... It's because of you that we're in this damned world..." He spoke, the blood dripping from his face dripping onto Revy's face. "It was you who condemned me to this fate... It was because of you that I killed someone... It was all because of you..."
Revy woke up with a scream, instinctively sitting up on bed. She looked around her. She was in the room Dewar had let her rest in. The afternoon sun peeping through the window illuminated the wooden walls and doors across from the room. Next to the bed she was lying on, there was a small desk with an oil lamp on it and clothes with a note on them. Next to the desk was a chair on which hung her belt with a revolver. Revy wiped the sweat from her face, then got out from under the cover, put her feet on the floor and walked over to the desk. She took the note lying on the pile of clothes and readed it.
"Dewar let us take some clothes to change into, seeing as ours didn't exactly match what people wear here. I chose these, they should fit you. I didn't want to wake you up, so I left them on your desk."
PS. Dewar modified your belt.
-Rock
Revy rolled her eyes and then looked at her clothes. They were in good condition, although they may not have been of much use in this climate. "Maybe it's better to actually wear something local..." She added after a second, looking at the pile of clothes.
Revy started looking through the clothes on the table, luckily for her, or rather luckily for Rock, he hadn't picked out any dresses for her. Instead, he left her a plain white shirt, a brown short leather coat, dark gray pants, and dark brown high leather lace-up shoes. Revy, wasting no time, quickly changed her clothes.
As soon as she tied her shoes, she stood up and looked down at herself. Even though she didn't have a mirror to fully assess her appearance, she felt that she looked good, although that wasn't the point in the end. Revy took a few steps, stretches and movements, all to check how she felt in the new outfit. To her surprise, everything fit her well and didn't hinder her movement. The only problem was the shoes. Revy felt that they were quite stiff, but she had to accept it for the time being, maybe she could break them in, and if necessary, she would go back to her Jungle Boots. Either way, she was positively surprised that Rock knew what to choose for her.
She only had a gun belt left to put on, she was curious, although not sure, what Rock meant with the belt, as it looked identical to her. She lifted him from the chair and immediately felt the difference. It was much heavier. She lifted it higher and saw what the modification was. On the left side of the belt, next to the knife, there was a second holster with a matte black revolver. Revy smiled seeing this, then quickly fastened it on her hips and feeling that it was not flying around her body without any order, she was almost ready to leave. There was only one thing left for her to do. She took out everything she had in her pockets from her shorts, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and a medallion, and then hid it all in the pockets of her new outfit. Now she was ready to go.
She headed for the door. She opened it and went down the stairs, then out the door at the back of the building. A fenced area and a few other wooden buildings opened up in front of her. Revy looked around and saw Dewar sitting against the wall with a shovel, smoking a pipe. She approached him calmly.
"You awake already?" The dwarf asked, noticing her and smiling friendly. "You looked like you were going to sleep until midnight..."
"Yeah, unfortunately I woke up. By the way, thanks for the clothes and the second holster."
"No problem... Rock told me to add it... I also felt that you could use it, when I was watching your movment from behind the counter" He said, laughing slightly.
"Yes, that's true..." Revy replied, then quickly asked. "For how long did I sleep?"
"For about two hours...maybe more." Dewar said, then puffed smoke from his pipe a few times and looked straight ahead. "We still have a few hours of daylight left..."
"Okay..." Revy replied and then looked where Dewar was looking, she saw a wooden plaque stuck in the field, with something carved on it. "What is that?" She said pointing to a sign in the middle of the field with scorched earth surrounding it.
"Tombstone." Dewar replied after a moment's pause, his voice sadder. Revy looked at the gravestone for a moment, and then at the shovel Dewar was holding.
"You buried them in the middle of a field? And gave them a tombstone? A strange place for my taste..."
"No... those are buried under the fence... That's where I buried my brother..." Dewar said in a calm voice. Revy felt strangely uncomfortable after what she said.
"My condolences..." She said after a moment, and the dwarf nodded. "What killed him?"
"Those lying under the fence." Dewar said smiling slightly. Then, hearing that the girl didn't say anything, he continued the story. " This entire shack and surroundings had been his since the fall. As soon as he could, he left town to build it all. I thought he wouldn't make it. That he would come home to our family store with his tail between his legs. But however. For nearly 20 years, he and his wife managed it all and served travelers on the trail. Even when the trail died out, he stayed here because 'what if'..." Revy noticed that despite his smile, Dewar's eyes were sad and nostalgic, but she knew better than to interrupt him. "Until one day, I got the news that he had been killed defending the shop from Derego's gang... The ones buried under the fence. I left my shop in town and came here as quickly as possible to find the worst... I helped Mal, his wife, burn his body as custom dictates, and then I sent her to the city with his ashes, and, I don't know why, I stayed... Some time passed, and these bandits appeared again, and right after them, you two..."
"Okay... I'm sorry to hear that..." She said and Dewar just nodded. "But I don't understand, I can ask you something." Dewar looked at her, putting his pipe into his mouth. "Why do you call it a tombstone if it's just the remains of a pyre?" Dewar, hearing Revy's question, turned his face back to the tombstone and blew smoke from his pipe.
"In our tradition, the body must be burned so that the soul can be cleansed and allowed into the afterlife. Unless the body was burned in a temple, the place of its burning is generally considered a holy place because this is where the soul left the body. The ashes, however, are mixed with clay or cement and he makes commemorative plaques from them to remember the deceased."
"A bit complicated..." Revy said and the man nodded. "So what will you do now?"
"I'll stay here for a while, especially since Derego's gang is sniffing the flowers from underneath the earth. Then... I'll probably pack what I can from here and go back to the city. But I still have time for that... I also talked to your partner... He asked if I could teach you two what is necessary about this world and how to survive."
"Really?"
"Yes... I agreed..." He said, blowing smoke from his pipe. "And I've agreed to sell you any equipment you might need."
"But... We don't have any money..."
"Well... Law here states that killing a wanted criminal entitles you to all of his movable property, as long as no one requests the return of the item with proof that it was previously stolen from them..." Dewar added with a smile.
"That's fucked... And you mean to tell me Rock agreed to this?"
"He wanted to do that after I told him that everything that belonged to those bastards under the fence now belongs to you... So he said he wanted me to trade it all for for equipment for two of you..." Revy listened in disbelief to what he had just said. her dewar. "Don't get me wrong, I would even give it all to you for free, I still have a lot of things to take... But he insisted." Revy just sighed.
"Rock, you don't look good with hypocristy..." Revy said to herself.
"Additionally, Dery and his gang were wanted. Since you killed them, you can collect your bounty for them at one of the hunters league offices." Revy just looked at Dewar.
"What?" Dewar scratched his head, remembering that he wasn't talking to the local.
"Hunters... They hunt monsters, bandits and basically anything that can be commissioned... Do you know what I mean?"
"I guess..." Revy replied unsurely, scratching her head. "Anyway... Tell me where Rock is, I'd like to talk to him." Dewar took the pipe from his mouth and pointed it in front of him.
"He went there to the river behind the forest, just before you came. He wanted to try to shave himself with a razor..." Revy only widened her eyes when she heard this. After a moment, Dewar realized what was going on. "He never shaved with a razor?" Revy just shook her head in horror. "You'd better stop him from, before he scars his face..."
"I will..." Revy said and then she turned in the direction he showed her, but before she left, the dwarf stopped her.
"Wait!" He said, then pulled out his gun belt behind him. "I told him to take it, but he didn't listen." Revy took the gun belt in her hand and then noticed that in the holster was the same revolver that Rock used to kill someone the first time.
"I don't think giving this to Rock is a good idea... He's not a fan of guns, as you've probably noticed. He's never used a gun either, apart from today. So maybe it's better, if he doesn't have one, so he doesn't accidentally shoot his balls off." Revy wanted to give the belt to Dewar, but he did not accept it.
"I understand that, but it is better if he has it... Although the chances of encountering a monster here during the day are low, the chances of surviving an encounter with a monster without a weapon are even lower..." Revy looked at Dewar for a moment, then at the gun in the holster, then back on the Dewar.
"I understand that... But maybe let's just wait..." Dewar looked at her for a moment, doubtfully. "If I take this to him now, he'll probably throw the belt and gun into the river. Give me a chance to convince him first..."
"Okay..." Dewar replied, taking the belt from Reva's hands. "I would do it differently, but he's your partner... Keep an eye on him."
"Alright." Revy replied and then moved forward in the direction the dwarf had indicated. She jumped over the fence and entered the sparse forest. After a minute of walking through the forest, she emerged from it and saw a meadow sloping down at a slight angle to the river bank. It must have been the same river where they had previously spent the night and along which they had walked. Revy slowly began to walk down the hill, looking around for a familiar figure in a white shirt and black hair. She spotted him sitting by the river, next to a small bush. She directed her steps towards him, walking slowly, watching him.
Rock, meanwhile, his face covered in foam, was looking at himself in the small mirror he had borrowed from Dewar. His eyes darted from the mirror in his left hand to the razor in his right hand. He turned the razor in his hand, looking for a way to start shaving without cutting his face. Suddenly, the reflection in the metal of the blade caught his eyes. He stared at his reflection for a moment, then lowered his hands and sighed.
"Have you cut yourself yet?" He heard a familiar female voice behind him.
"No... I haven't had a chance yet..." He replied, turning his head towards Revy. She walked calmly towards him. Despite the new clothes, he recognized her without any problem. Even though she wore clothes he chose for her, she still retained her character. Her shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and not tucked into her pants, and her unbuttoned short coat was blown away by a gust of wind. "You look good…"
"Are you just saying that because you chose it, or because the Wild West style actually suits me?" She asked standing next to Rock and looking at him, he only smiled gently in response. She noticed that he had also changed his clothes. He was wearing a loose shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and instead of his suit pants and dress shoes, he had brown pants and plain dark brown leather cowboy boots. "When I bought you a shirt, you didn't want to wear it..." She added after a while, raising her face to the sky.
"In my defense, she was hideous..." Rock said, picking up the mirror again and looking at himself in it.
"But it was still a gift from me..." Revy replied in an annoyed voice.
"So you don't deny that it was hideous?"
"Go fuck yourself Rock." Rock just chuckled softly in response. Revy lowered her eyes and looked at him. Rock raised his hand with the razor and, staring into the mirror, began to bring the blade closer to his face with foam. "Rock... Have you ever shaved with a straight razor?"
"No... In Roanapur, I shaved with the guy with the scar on his chin..." Rock replied, focused. "But I have to shave somehow." Revy just sighed when she heard him, then leaned down and grabbed his hand with the blade.
"You can always stop shaving..." She said, sitting behind him, then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him. "Lie down, I'll help you..."
"Can you shave with a straight razor?" He asked hesitantly, placing his head on her legs.
"I know the basics... Big Joe, the one you shaved at, taught me when I asked how he doesn't cut customers' throats..."
"Really?"
"Yes. You should have seen the face of the guy he demonstrated it on." Revy laughed.
"I guess I'd rather not..." Rock replied with some discomfort.
"Oh don't cry..." Revy pulled the skin on the side of Rock's face and placed the blade against it. "Remember to keep your mouth shut when the blade is to your face." Revy gently moved the blade down, removing Rock's lather and facial hair. Immediately after, she did it on the other side.
"You actually know what you're doing..." Rock said in a short pause when the blade wasn't in his face.
"Thanks and fuck you..." Revy placed the blade gently against one of his cheeks and pulled down. Rock was still calm and serene, his eyes staring at the blue sky above them, but Revy could detect a hint of concern in them. "Rock... How are you feeling?" Rock's expression changed instantly. He looked into her eyes, then, panicked, looked away from her.
"I don't know what you mean, Revy..." He replied, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Fuck Rock. Don't act like an idiot…" Revy placed her hand at the base of his neck and then placed the razor against his chin. "And especially don't lie to me... Not when I have a blade at your neck." She pulled the razor down, wiping the foam from the side of his neck, then lowered the blade away from him. Rock understood the message, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I don't feel good about what I did... About pulling the trigger and killing someone..." He continued to keep his eyes closed as he said this. Rock, remembering the whole situation, felt bitter. However, its source was not obvious to him. "Weirdly enough... I don't feel particularly bad about it either... Which makes me feel even worse thinking about this situation... You know?" Rock felt the razor on his chin.
"I think so..." Revy replied, pulling another batch of foam from his neck.
"During the time I lived in Roanapur..." He continued without feeling the steel touching his skin. "…I've seen a lot of death and bodies. I've seen you pull the trigger to kill without a hint of hesitation… I never liked watching it, but maybe it numbed me… Although I'm not sure if that's it…"
"Why?" Revy ran the razor gently across another part of his neck.
"Because..." He began, then paused for a moment to think about what he would say. "If I have to think about having to do it again, it feels terrible... Like, I can't imagine it... But back then... Back then, I didn't see a better option... Maybe if I went back in time and looked ahead to how to do it differently... But back then... He was pointing a gun at you, there was no Dutch, Le Majeur, there was no one. Nobody alive on that road but me... I... I had to do something... And I don't feel completely bad that I did what I had to do..." There was dead silence between them for a moment. Neither Rock nor Revy said anything or changed their position. But after a while, Rock felt the touch of sharp steel. Revy shaved another part of his neck and then another without a word, allowing Rock to relax.
"Rock... You have to answer one more question for me..." She said, placing the razor on the last strip of foam on his neck. Rock, still keeping his eyes closed, calmly waited for the question.
"Did I make a mistake, Rock?"
Rock immediately opened his eyes and looked at his partner's face. Her eyes were obscured by her bangs, but he was able to catch a glimpse of them. He had already seen that look on her face today. He also noticed her clenching her teeth. Not out of anger, but a mixture of completely different emotions. None positive. He noticed how the razor in her hand moved slightly away from him, as if giving him room to anwser.
"Did I make a mistake, Rock?..." She continued, her voice breaking. Sounded like she was asking herself, rather then him. "Are you mad at me? I chose for both of us... It's because of me that we're here... It's because of me that you died... It's because of me..."
"I would make the same decision…" Rock interrupted her, his voice devoid of any trace of doubt. All of Revy's attention, which had been distracted a moment ago, was now focused on Rock, who closed his eyes as he said this. "I don't remember my death... I don't know what happened then and whether you are to blame for it... But if I were in your place then, with a chance to give me and you a second life. I would do it... Regardless of whether you would later beat me for doing it or not. I would do it." He paused, then smiled slightly. "Roanapur was the city of the dead, remember... Living in it, we were dead... Perhaps I was dead before you dragged me to it... So maybe, like in mathematics, two minuses make a plus, in life, two deaths in a life... Make a new life... " There was a silence for a moment.
"Rock... You're getting awfully philosophical..." Revy said in a calm voice as she removed the last strip of foam from Rock's neck with a razor. "It's done, you can get up... You have to ask Dewar about some kind of safty razors. I won't shave you every day..."
"It's a pity... it was a refreshing feeling..." Rock said with a smile, wiping his face with the towel that was at his side.
"Go fuck yourself..." Revy replied giving Rock the middle finger. Then she took a pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket. She pulled out one of them and gave the other one to Rock. They moved closer to each other and both held the ends of the cigarettes in their mouths over the flame of lighetr Revy lit, and took a drag. A moment later, they both looked at each other with expressive expressions on their faces.
"Revy..." Rock asked, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "Have you changed your cigarettes or have they always been like this..."
"Disgusting?" She finished for Rock herself, taking the cigarette out of her mouth.
"Ummm, yeah..." Rock replied, examining his cigarette, then looked at Revy, who put her cigarette back in and took a long drag on it, only to start coughing in disgust.
"What the fuck?!" Revy exclaimed, looking at the cigarette held between her fingers.
"I have no idea..." Rock replied before trying to inhale thrue cig again, only to grimace again as he tasted the smoke. "I don't understand... Like nothing's different, but at the same time... It's not the same." Revy looked at him like he was stupid for a moment, then looked back at the cigarette.
"Fact..." She added after a moment, remembering that the nicotine craving hadn't spoken to her since she entered this world, and the cigarettes themselves were unbearable. She stood up, then dropped the cigarette and crushed it under her shoe.
"What are you doing?" Rock asked her, watching her.
"Fuck it Rock... You said it yourself, new life..." She said looking straight ahead. "Since we've been here, I haven't felt the need to smoke... And I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll smoke in this life." Rock looked at her for a moment, and then, after a moment's thought, he put out his cigarette himself, pressing it into the ground.
A few minutes later, they both walked through the woods and then jumped over the fence, returning to the inn. As they walked towards the building, they saw Dewar pulling two horses behind him.
"You came just in time..." He said, noticing them. "Meet your new mounts." Revy and Rock looked at him in surprise and could only utter one phrase.
"What the hell?"
AN: 6K words... And I promised myself that I will make shorter chapters... At leats I hope you liked it.
And I wish you Happy New Year!
(Better late then never I guese...)
