It didn't take long for the monsters, along with the wave boss, to be brought over to Matthias and the other heroes.
While Matthias went about cutting up the wave boss, separating it into three separate piles, Firnen managed to make his way back to the group, getting bandaged up by Lea and Sigun. Osvien, much to Matthias's concern, was nowhere to be seen. From what little he had been able to get from Lea and Sigun, he had apparently ran off to help Eorna.
He would have normally asked her, but as it was, she still seemed to be shocked by what she had to do, so he wouldn't push her for any information.
If anyone was going to have to take someone else's life, he would have preferred for it to be him that did the task. And yet, he had failed to see it through. He could only hope that the experience wouldn't stop her permanently. He did have faith that she could grow past it, but that was on her to do. Though, he was certain she would get support from others around her.
Once the piles were sorted, he absorbed his own, ignoring the weapon forms for now. He could look at them later. Right now, he needed to get Eorna to absorb her own, and funnel the rest into Kurose's weapon.
He paused for a moment, looking over the other-worlders body. It was lying relatively close to the boss, having been carried over by a knight. He didn't exactly enjoy the thought of looking through a dead man's possessions, but if he was going to try and kill them, then it was fair game. At least that's what Matthias thought. It wasn't like anyone else could actually argue with him, given his status.
With a sigh, he began to check through the other-worlders clothing. The only thing of note he found was three small bottles. None of them had labels on them, and each was filled with a red liquid. He contemplated drinking one for a moment before shaking his head. He pocketed them, resolving to hand them off to someone who might know more about it.
With that done, he moved over to Eorna, gently tapping her on the shoulder.
"Come on. Let's… let's get you some more weapon forms."
She looked up to him for a moment before looking at Kurose once more, as if reluctant to leave his side.
"If you're unsure he's going to stay safe with Lea and Sigun, I can stay with him, to make sure no one else attacks him?" He offered.
She seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding her head, slowly pushing herself up. Matthias motioned for Sigun to follow her as she slowly moved over to the piles.
Once she was out of range, he let out a sigh, looking down at Kurose. He was still pale, and it took a minute for Matthias to begin speaking.
"Hey. I'm… I'm sorry I wasn't here. To help or protect you." He began. "I… I got complacent. There's no other way to put it. I didn't bother to keep an eye on you or Eorna, and it led to this shitshow."
"So… I'm sorry. For both betraying your trust and not being there when you needed me."
"It's not your fault…" Eorna spoke from behind him, causing Matthias to jump. How fast had she absorbed everything?
"It's not your fault." She repeated, looking at him. "Kurose wouldn't think that either. If anything… he'd blame himself. For making you worried about him."
"Really?" Matthias asked. "You think he would do that?"
Eorna nodded her head, and Matthias simply sighed. "Alright. But still, like I said to him already, I'll say it to you as well. I'm sorry for not being there."
"Its… It's fine." She spoke after a moment of hesitation. "You aren't always going to be there. Plus, we… we really should have been more careful. I mean, we knew there were other heroes and that. And that they want to kill us to protect their own world or something."
"Yeah. I'll admit, I probably should have warned you more if I'm being honest. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. Now, at least you know to take it seriously, and Kurose…" Matthias would take a moment, looking over to Kurose before sighing. "Well, he will definitely know to be cautious from now on."
Eorna nodded her head at that, looking down at Kurose. "How is everyone getting back?" She asked.
"Well… I'll be taking you, Kurose, Firnen… and two others who are injured."
"Well… Osvien was hurt pretty bad, so I think he's definitely going to need to come back with us."
Matthias nodded his head, and he turned to Lea and Sigun. Before he could ask about their conditions, Lea shook her head.
"I'm fine. I was by Kurose for most of it, and I only really got a few scratches. Sigun was in the thick of it though."
Matthias looked at Sigun. "Well, if you're offering to portal me back, I won't say no," he said simply, earning another nod from Matthias.
"Alright, that's the six of us then. Would you mind shoving the materials into his weapon? I'll go look for Osvien whilst you do that."
Eorna nodded her head, slowly beginning to move towards the pile that was made for Kurose, starting to slowly feed stuff into the ring on his finger.
During this, Matthias stood up straight, stretching for a moment before speaking. "Where was Osvien when you last saw him?" he asked Eorna.
"Over there." She spoke, pointing in the direction. Matthias simply nodded, beginning to walk toward where Osvien had last been seen.
It didn't take long for Matthias to find Osvien. He seemed relatively fine if he did not include the currently bleeding arm. The man was standing up, holding several chunks of wood and metal.
"Osvien? You doing alright?" Matthias called out. The man in question turned around. "Ah, your Majesty! I'm sorry I couldn't do much against the hero like you requested of us, but…"
He was cut off by Matthias, shaking his head. "No, no. You definitely did enough. I was just asking you to look out for them two, I didn't expect you to fully tackle a hero!" He spoke.
"Well… Yeah, you didn't ask that, but why wouldn't I do it?" He asked. "I mean, the heroes are needed, so what's my life compared to yours or them two?"
Matthias paused at that, looking at the man in a seemingly new light. He struggled to form words for a moment before finally getting something out. "...What?"
Osvien simply shrugged. "I mean, it's the truth, isn't it? I'm not foolish enough to let myself live another day when I could have saved a hero. I wouldn't be able to live with myself in that-"
"No, no. it's just the regard you have for your own life." Matthias pointed out. "Yes, us heroes are needed, but how do you think Kurose or Eorna would feel about your death?"
Matthias waited as Osvien seemed to think about it. "Well, they would probably be sad." He spoke slowly, nodding his head. "But I'm sure they would find someone else to join up with them. I would at least be able to die happy, knowing that they lived."
"I… there's a lot wrong with that, but I'll go through it in parts. Yes, they would be sad. They have partied with you for a bit now. Sure, you probably don't know each other super well, but the way you work with them has probably made them glad you are with them. Now, tell me, why do you think they would so quickly replace you?"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I mean, I'm just the tank, the one who draws attention and lets the others do their thing. It's not super difficult work, and it's a replaceable role. I'm sure if you asked Lea or Sigun, they would have the same-"
"No, I'm asking you. And you haven't answered the question yet."
Osvien let out a sigh but nodded. "Alright. They would replace me because they needed to. Sure, they might mourn my death, but they would move on quickly. It's required of them, obviously."
"That's where you are wrong. Do you really think Kurose would move on that easily? And Eorna seems to like being around you, considering what I saw during the wave. You two were good against that Chevalier."
"I, Well, if she was with anyone else-"
"But she wasn't. She was with you, and you both did fine. Hell, you even tackled a hero for her."
"Because he was going for Kurose!"
"Exactly! And how do you think Kurose will react to that when he wakes up? You think he's just going to forget about it entirely and say it was expected of you?"
"Well, he should do-"
"That's the thing. He should. His priority should be saving the world, it should be repelling invaders who want to destroy our world. And yet, he wants to try and make peace with them. He wants to try and gather allies with them to grant us all a better chance of survival. So if you think he is just going to forget, then you clearly need to spend more time with him."
"I… Well, you…"
"Just give it up. They aren't going to try and forget you that easily. One way or another, they are going to try and drag you along with them."
Osvien simply sighed, seeming to give up. "Alright, fine. I'll concede for now, but I'm still sticking by my point that they will forget me when it does end up with me dead."
"Alright, I won't try to change that. I'll just let their actions speak for themselves." Matthias spoke with a shrug. "Anyways, what's with all that wood and metal?"
"Ah, that's my shield, or what I managed to collect of it."
Matthias blinked at that, looking over the shards for a moment. "Damn, he really did a number on them."
"He did indeed. But I guess that's to be expected of a hero, as much as I might dislike giving credit to an enemy. What… what ended up happening?"
"He's dead." Matthias responded simply, earning a nod from Osvien.
"Did he say anything?" Osvien asked.
"I don't know. It wasn't me that killed him."
"...Not you?"
"Unfortunately not. Eorna finished it off. I would hold back from asking any questions about it. She's still affected by it, and it's not an easy thing to do."
Osvien nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, yeah I know that. I'll… I'll save that line of questioning for you to do later."
Matthias nodded at that, easily accepting it, and they walked back in silence.
Once they managed to reach Kurose and the others, they could see that Eorna was bringing over the last few things, carefully letting the gem on Kurose's ring absorb it. Once she put the final piece in, she sat back down, looking down towards Kurose.
Upon closer inspection, Kurose's face was seeming a bit less pale, likely thanks to Sigun, who seemed to be pushing healing crystals into Kurose's hands and crushing them. Matthias would have normally said something about using so many of the crystals, but he had to admit he was concerned for Kurose as well, so he would look away for this time.
"Right, I think that everyone, right?" Matthias asked, looking at the group before him.
Lea and Sigun nodded their heads, the pair both standing up. Eorna stayed sat by Kurose but nodded her head as well.
Lea moved over to Eorna, smiling softly as she put a hand on her head. "Kurose will be fine, he's strong, and I'm certain the people at the castle will be able to sort him out."
"I… yeah, I know. I'm just concerned still." Eorna answered.
"Well, I can't really change that. Just make sure you stay by his side, alright?"
"I will. Definitely." Eorna spoke, a small smile on her face.
"Right. Lea, could I ask you to deliver a message?" Matthias asked upon seeing their conversation had ended.
"Of course! What is it?" She spoke enthusiastically, nodding her head.
"Right, I want you to find Commander Euge, and give him the order from me to march back to the closest camp. I'm not absolutely certain where we are, so get him to communicate to us when you arrive at a camp, and I'll organize something to help escort you all back to the northern camp."
"Of course. I'll try to deliver it to him as soon as possible. Please make sure everyone gets checked up on!" Lea asked, bowing as she spoke.
"I will. No point in letting them stay injured. I'll bring you back when you arrive at the northern base."
"Understood. I will see you then, your majesty."
Matthias nodded once more, raising his weapon and using his portal skill, once again taking the six of them back to the castle, leaving Lea to sort stuff out.
Once they were back in the castle, Matthias made sure that Kurose was brought up to his room by the trio whilst he went to look for a servant.
Upon finding one, he requested that they go and find Leron, telling him to meet them in Kurose's room. with that simple task done, and finding himself alone, he finally had a chance to deflate. He let out a breath, letting his head press against the wall.
Before he could even start to think about anything related to the wave, a familiar voice spoke up.
"Your majesty? Are you alright?" Beule spoke up.
Matthias lifted his head away from the wall, nodding his head. "Quite. Can I ask what is the matter?"
"...the lords that are assisting us are requesting a meeting." He spoke with a moment of hesitation. "I believe they said it is about the Accessory Hero."
Matthias bit his cheek. They really wanted to talk? Right now? He was aware that some soldiers would have communication Charmes, but to think that they would have already sent words to the ones they were fully loyal to…
"Can you tell them I will be there in a moment?" He asked Beule, who simply nodded his head.
"Of course, your majesty. I will say that it is hero business if they inquire any further if that is fine with you?"
"Of course. Do what you can to simply delay the meeting until I am there."
"I will. They are currently gathered in the great hall, so when you are available, please do come, Your Majesty. I'm not sure how long I will be able to stop them."
"I will be there as soon as I can confirm Kurose is being tended to."
"I understand. I wish the Accessory hero a speedy recovery from whatever has happened." Beule responded with a nod, walking towards the great hall.
Matthias let out another sigh but straightened up. "Right, time to see if Leron is there yet or not."
He began to move towards where Kurose's room was, and any servants who were in the hallways scattered quickly as Matthias walked by, only returning to their duties when they were sure Matthias was not going to ask anything of them.
It did not take him long to reach Kurose's room. He quickly opened the door, stepping before shutting it behind him and looking around. Kurose was lying on the bed whilst Eorna was sat beside him in a chair. Firnen was wrapped around the bedpost, looking over Kurose whilst Sigun and Osvien were nowhere to be seen, so he decided to ask about that first.
"Where are the other two?"
"Osvien and Sigun went looking for a servant to ask for that guy who checked you over last time."
"Right, good idea. I already sent someone off to find him and direct him here. It shouldn't be long, especially since it's a request from me, but-"
He was cut off as the door opened, revealing Leron standing there. Before Matthias could say anything, Leron stepped into the room fully, speaking up. "What's the situation here?"
"Kurose was injured. His back specifically." Matthias spoke. He knew better than to try taking control of the situation from Leron. Medical stuff wasn't his specialty, it was Leron's.
"I see. Can someone help me roll him over? I need to look at the wound."
Matthias didn't waste a moment doing as Leron asked, whilst Leron simply leaned over, looking over the burnt skin.
"Hmm, It seems fine for now, but then again, with all this, I can't tell how deep it might have cut him. Were either of you there?"
"Yes," Eorna spoke up. "I saw him get cut. I don't know how deep it was, but Lea managed to seal the cut shut with a flame Charme."
"I see, so that's what these burns are from. A flame-based Charme, whilst it might have been a bit much, it definitely helped. It is best to seal the wound to prevent anything from getting into it after all, though it will leave a scar. Hmm…" Leron seemed to think about it for a moment, nodding his head.
"Alright. Here's what we will do-" He was cut off by both Osvien and Sigun stepping into the room, panting. One of Osvien's arms was placed limply by his side, whilst Sigun spoke up.
"We couldn't find- Oh, you are here." He spoke towards Leron.
"Indeed I am. Now come over here and help me out. Apply this dressing here, and make sure it stays dry, alright. Now-"
Matthias stepped back, motioning for Eorna to come over to him. After a moment, she did.
"What's wrong?" She asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Nothing. I just wanted to say I'm having to head to a meeting, specifically about Kurose. I'm not sure what they want, but I just wanted to let you know. The other three are busy, so…"
"I… yeah, I understand Go to your meeting." Eorna spoke with a small smile."
"Yeah, see you later then." Matthias looked towards Kurose for a moment before finally leaving.
"Dagger Hero, would you mind coming to assist as well? These two can barely seem to keep their arms steady. The dressing isn't being put on properly."
"H-hey!" Osvien shouted. "You would be struggling if you could only use one arm after fighting for the whole day!"
"Yes yes, but I thought you soldiers were trained to fight through the pain, hm?"
"I…" Osvien let out a groan but still kept trying his best until Eorna came up beside him, helping him put the dressing on properly. It only took a few more minutes until all the dressing was applied to the wound, and Leron spoke again.
"Alright. Dagger hero, how long would you say the Accessory hero was on the ground for?"
"Um…" Eorna thought about it for a moment. The timer had not fully ended, so it couldn't have been more than five minutes, but she didn't have an exact time.
"It was, just under five minutes or so? I was a bit distracted during it. He also got kicked in the ribs! Is there-"
"Understandable, and nothing is wrong with his ribs. He wasn't kicked hard enough to break anything, if anything, it will just be sore for a time." Leron spoke with a nod. "Do you know how to use a Charme? I will need you to do this for me, as my capacity for magic is horrendous."
"I can," Eorna spoke confidently.
"Good, take this then." He handed her a charme, and Eorna looked it over, reading the words on it.
"Clean the area… under the dressing."
"Correct. It does exactly as it says on the Charme." Leron spoke, gesturing towards Kurose. "If you would please?"
Eorna reached over, pressing the Charme lightly against the dressing before beginning to use it. She kept an eye on her mana as it slowly began to drain, and Leron spoke up.
"You will need to move it along his back to ensure it fully cleanses the area below. That will make the chance of infection almost zero."
"Almost zero?" Eorna asked.
"Yes, I can't confirm that the Charme will get rid of absolutely everything, as there is no way for me to tell, but I can certainly guarantee it gets rid of a majority of it."
"I see," Eorna spoke with a small nod, After a few moments, she would lift the Charme, handing it back to Leron. "What's next?"
"Next? Why, now we wait. The dressing must stay on for 48 hours. After that, it should be fine to take off, however, I will not be able to figure out if the wound has caused any issues with him until he has woken up."
Eorna nodded her head, and Leron looked between the three in the room. "You are all injured as well, correct? Then come with me. It is best to do it in another room, where we will not disturb the Accessory hero."
Eorna looked torn at that but looked up to Firnen, who simply flicked his tongue out. "Firnen, can you keep an eye on him?"
"Gao!" Was Firnen's response, and Eorna figured that was as good of an answer as she was going to get from the Vindr Glaedr.
With a small nod, she allowed herself to be guided out of the room, leaving Kurose and FIrnen alone.
Kurose let out a groan as he opened his eyes, his mind blank for a moment as he tried to figure out what was going on.
The last thing he remembered was having taken down the boss with Eorna and Sigun and then… why couldn't he remember?
He looked around the room, noticing that it was his own before pausing. Where was everyone?
His eyes widened as he sat up, but the sudden change left him gasping for air as his back began to hurt. He stayed still for a moment, letting the pain settle before he slowly reached towards his back, feeling something soft.
"...Bandages?" He spoke after a moment. Why did he have bandages on his back? He paused at that, trying to dig through his memories, trying to recall why he had them.
After a moment of silence, Kurose let out a breath as the memory came back to him. The feeling of something slicing into his back, and the feeling of his back burning.
"Someone… attacked me?"
"Gao!" Before Kurose could continue that train of thought, he felt himself being pushed back down into the bed by Firnen. He let out a small hiss as his back hit the bed, but he still smiled up at the monster.
"Hey Firnen, you got a bit bigger, didn't you?"
"Gao, Ga Gao!"
He put a hand on Firnen's head, stroking it as Firnen seemed to purr.
"Do you know where the others went? Eorna, Matthias, everyone?" He asked the Vindr Glaedr.
It seemed to pause for a moment, sniffing the air before bobbing its head up and down.
"Can you lead me to them?" Kurose asked slowly.
"Gao!"
Firnen seemed to shift slightly, intent on launching himself onto Kurose's shoulder before thinking twice about it, instead gliding slightly above the floor. He made his way towards the door before pausing, turning to Kurose as if checking if he was going to follow along.
Kurose pushed himself up from the bed, not without another wince before putting on a shirt that had been left on his side. He slowly walked towards the door, opening it, but Firnen seemed content to stay at his side as if waiting for Kurose to step out first.
"Alright. Let's go find the others then." Kurose spoke with a small smile, stepping out of the room, with Firnen following close behind, as they went to look for everyone else.
The Wydren let out a breath as he held his blade up. In front of him stood two malformed masses of flesh, blood pooling around them.
"Man, they were enough to tire you out?" A voice asked, almost mockingly. "Even the others put up more of a fight than this! I mean, they were talking about their captain being able to save them, but…" The words hung in the air for a moment.
"I just can't see it, you know?"
The Wyrden lunged towards the location the voice had come from, only to hit the air as the person laughed again.
"Man, it's hilarious seeing you attack nothing! Oh, how about I show you your friends? I mean, that's probably why you are here, right?"
"Where are they? What did you do with them, Alton!" He shouted at the man.
"Oh come on! They are fine! Trust me, I haven't given you any reason to doubt, have I?" Alton spoke, stepping forward. "Girls! Bring them out please, oh except for her. She's not ready yet."
Behind him, his wives bought out three bound and gagged men, but with a wave of his hand, the gags were taken off, and the trio began to shout.
"Captain! Get-" "Leave before-" "Help us" Their voices overlapped, and the Wyrden took a step forward, unable to take his eyes off them.
"See? I told you they were uninjured!" Alton spoke with a grin, stepping forward. He put his hands on one of the men's shoulders, speaking again.
"In fact…" The flesh under the bishop's hands seemed to ripple and swell as the bindings seemed to tear apart. The man stepped forward, groaning as he did. "...He seems better than ever, wouldn't you agree?"
The affected man stumbled forward, and the Wyrden put up a hand. "...Marcus?" He spoke cautiously.
Marcus seemed to only groan as he stepped forward, and before the Wyrden could say anything, he found himself flung against a wall, his breath expelled from his lungs.
He looked up to the stumbling, bloated figure of Marcus, but he couldn't get another word out as the giant hand simply crushed him. A few moments later, small droplets of blood flowed down from Marcus' head before he dropped down, dead.
Alton simply tutted at that, shaking his head. "Always difficult doing that so quickly. They never last as long as the ones did over time… Though I'm sure you two wouldn't mind being test subjects, right?" He spoke with a laugh.
"Come on girls. Bring them back under the church. I'll get someone to clean this up later."
"Yes master Alton!" His wives spoke, putting gags on the two remaining captives, who simply looked on at the remains of both Marcus and their captain, eyes wide. as they were dragged back.
Woo, they are finally back at the castle, but Matthias has been called to a meeting with the nobles. wonder what thats about.
Hopefully, the chapter was decent. If there are any spelling mistakes or the kind, please do tell me, this was all edited in the early hours of the morning.