Special Chapter: Where Have You Been?
It had been a morning like any other, as Johnathan awoke from their slumber and got off their bed. As the lead member of the Council, and Cornelia's central authority figure, addressing the issues that needed to be addressed in regard to the village was their duty. As a result, they had to wake up at the crack of dawn.
The villager in green usually completed their tasks by making rounds around the village, speaking with the townsfolk and hearing them out on their problems, acquiring interesting tidbits of information from wandering traders and, occasionally, calling the Council for a meeting.
Though some could deem this hands-on approach to be inefficient, Johnathan would claim that they're able to solve problems more effectively this way than they otherwise would be if they hired inspectors or representatives. Besides, it was more than possible for a villager to traverse the entirety of Cornelia in a day, as well as more pleasant than sitting in an office all day.
Moving on, today wasn't particularly noteworthy in terms of news thus far. The younger generation was safe, emerald value was going steady, the crops were growing and being harvested as they should, no news of the despicable enemy tribe, damages caused by mobs were kept to a minimal, the two humans hadn't caused any problems so far, and the people seemed satisfied overall. All that was left to do now, was to check the main establishments.
Johnathan couldn't believe it; were things actually going well? It almost felt too good to be true! Of course, their job for the day wasn't done yet, but they had a good feeling about it, so far. Marching along toward the church, they could see Emily through the door's windows, as the cleric was working on the brewing stand, probably to concoct a new potion. Their eyes met for a split second, but before the mayor could knock on the door, a male voice shouted out to them.
As Johnathan turned around, they were greeted by a wandering trader. They were clad in a blue cloak with gold rims and a hood that covered their head. They also wore a dark red mask that obscured their face, right below their eyes. Wandering traders travelled across the whole wide world, gathering materials, ingredients, and items from exotic lands. Because of their independent nature, they also served as valuable sources of information, as well as messengers.
This wandering trader in particular was a close affiliate to the Council, having brought many reports which would be proven right, usually involving illager activities, appearances of hostile mobs in places they're not normally native to, and even the sighting of a human. As such, the mayor trusted them a lot.
"Good morning there, Hans! Good to see you!"
"Johnathan, I'm very glad I found you. I've got news that require your immediate attention," they stated urgently.
"What!? Did something happen?"
"You could say that...Could you please follow me to the pond near the foot of the mountain? There's something you need to see."
Johnathan followed the merchant, intrigued to see what had been so important as to warrant a visit. Last time something like this had been reported to them in such a manner, was when they first heard of the appearance of a new adventurer, who turned out to be Steve. If this was on the same caliber of importance...Johnathan could only imagine the possibilities.
Eventually, the two reached the pond up to the north, which was surrounded by spruce trees and thorny berry bushes. The trader walked near the edge of the pond and stared ahead. The scenery was marvelous indeed, yet nothing was out of the ordinary. Johnathan turned around to ask the messenger in blue what the meaning of this expedition was, but the latter didn't respond at first. What audacity; they wouldn't even make eye contact!
The village's leader tried again and just now realized that Hans didn't have a pair of llamas with them, as they usually did. Their voice sounded just a little off, as well. An impostor?
"Alright, buddy. Could you please show me your trading badge?"
The suspicious individual began giggling ominously, yet their voice was now feminine, not masculine like it had previously been. From a single, white cloud that had been drifting through the sky above them, came a powerful lightning bolt that struck the trader head-on. Johnathan shielded their eyes from the sheer brightness. The giggling evolved into full-blown laughter, as the shady figure turned around.
Johnathan saw their features change right before their eyes. Their skin color shifted from the normal reddish shade to a pale one, and their eye color, an emerald green, was replaced by a soft, mystifying magenta. Their outfit remained the same, however.
'Magic!?'
Before the mayor could react, two splash potion bottles were thrown at them, one that contained a potion that induced a slowness effect, while the other contained poison. Johnathan fell on the ground and cringed in pain, as they realized who this individual was.
'No, it can't be... All along...it was you!?'
"Hahaha, well, Johnny? Did you enjoy my fancy entrance?" she asked, wearing a malicious smile.
The incapacitated villager simply glared in silence, growing rage as a response.
"Oh, come on, nothing to say? Really? I spent so long trying to come up with it..." the disguised witch complained, pretending to be hurt.
"Yeah, very dramatic. Why are you here?"
"Wow, that's unpolite of you! What happened?"
"Maybe it's the fact that you ambushed and threw deadly toxins at me!?"
"Deadly? Oh my... Don't worry about that, I specifically concocted it to be non-lethal. Aren't I just the most thoughtful person you've ever met?"
Johnathan sighed, already fed up with this charade, and shot another question.
"Matilda, what do you want?" The witch continued on with her rant, ignoring the question.
"In fact, my thoughtfulness doesn't even end there, for I have brought you a valuable piece of information! Now, listen carefully! If every Cornelian citizen, and yes, that includes you, publicly apologizes to me and my pals, and mends their ways against us, I can personally assure you, you and your town will get away scot-free! How does that sound?"
"We won't bow!"
"Well...I can't say I'm surprised, but it was worth a shot," Matilda shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Johnny. I'll be seeing you!"
Matilda revealed another potion from her cloak, which she proceeded to drink. At a moment's notice, she turned invisible and departed, leaving Johnathan defenseless, as they struggled to get back up. They were so absorbed in their efforts that they were completely caught by surprise when a pair of arms helped them up.
"Emily?"
"Are...you okay?" the cleric slowly spoke up. Their feminine voice was deep, gentle, yet coarse from disuse.
"I think so. How did you know where to find me?"
"I followed you after I was done with work. Drink this."
Emily offered a bucket containing milk to the weakened mayor. The cleric knew well from experience that milk was the ultimate antidote for most inflictions caused by magical hazards, so it was highly effective here.
As Johnathan drank, thoughts regarding the encounter, what it meant, and how they should explain it to others, were running rampant inside their head. What would be the most optimal move here? Should they tell Sebastian about it? The adventurers, maybe? They didn't know. The one thing they did know, was that they weren't ready to talk about it with Emily yet. At least, not until they could make a clear-headed decision. As such, they acted accordingly.
"Thank you so much, Emily! I feel much better now! I'll pay you back for this, somehow. Now, come on. Let's go back home."
"But, sir, may I ask what happened?"
The mayor was so close to responding with a simple 'classified' but knew that it would've been incredibly suspicious. Instead, they came up with something else.
"I was poisoned by a berry bush," Johnathan expertly improvised, while pointing to a nearby bush. It sounded completely ridiculous, but the delivery on their end appeared convincing enough. The cleric's expression, and by extension, thoughts, weren't easy to read, but they didn't ask any more questions, which was precisely what the villager in green wanted. The two headed toward their home to continue on with their day.
'I'll need to tell Sebastian about this...'
...
...
'Ah, a brand-new day! Who knows what it could have in store for me!'
It's not every morning that Rana wakes up feeling energetic - though it's not an unusual occurrence, either. When she does wake up with pep, however, she is unstoppable. Pushing off her blankets, she sat up on her bed, and stretched her arms up, letting out a yawn. While doing so, she was surprised by a muffled 'meow' coming from her right. She looked down, and saw Sky, who was offering her the rabbit's foot that was hanging from his mouth. She hesitantly accepted the offering.
"Heh...I don't think I wanna know how you keep finding things like this...but thanks!"
She stored the animal part in the chest, for she didn't know what else to do with it, but she appreciated the 'gift', nonetheless. Having that taken care of, she put on her clothes, and wasted no more time before walking up to Steve's door and giving a bunch of knocks.
"Steve, wake up, sleepyhead!"
Surprisingly, she didn't receive an answer! It wasn't like him to be such a heavy sleeper...Oh, well...She didn't want it to come down to this, but he had left her no choice. It was time for the ultimate wake-up call.
Rana opened her partner's door and wished, "Good morning, Steve!" only for said wish to fill an empty room.
That's weird; usually he'd wake her up if he had awoken first. Maybe he was waiting downstairs? Rana walked down the stairs – two steps at a time, mind you – yet once she reached ground level, she found it completely empty, save for Catherine, who was fiddling with an emerald. She asked the distracted villager if they knew her friend's whereabouts, and the response she was given was:
"No, I don't! Isn't he in his room?"
"No."
"My, that's strange. No, miss Rana, I don't know where he might be."
Rana took a seat at the nearest table and thought for a moment. What was she to do now? Should she go and ask some people whether they had seen him or not? Wait for him to come back from wherever he'd gone? Do something else entirely?
In truth, Rana had gotten used to being alone, so this didn't bother her as much. However, it wasn't that she couldn't be alone, but rather, that she preferred not to be. She had felt more motivated to go out and explore when Steve was accompanying her. Additionally, while she understood that maybe the (relatively) reserved man wanted to be alone for a bit, couldn't he had told her that he'd go out on his own? They were supposed to be a team, right? Teammates shouldn't keep secrets like that from each other!
She drew a long sigh, as familiar thoughts of a more...saddening nature began to dampen her spirits. Before those thoughts could get the better of her, Catherine spoke up.
"Excuse me, miss Rana, but I'm running low on paper. Would you like to collect some sugar canes with me?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! I'd be happy to help! Do you know where we can find some?"
"There's a winding river down south! It's such a lovely place; very pleasant to walk through. The weather today is suitable for an expedition like this, as well. So, are you ready for departure?"
"Yes, I'm ready!" Rana stated with determination, as she adjusted her frog cap. The two were off.
They traveled southward, not having encountered many townsfolk along their path. To circumvent the silence, Rana asked the innkeeper:
"So, what do you need paper for?"
"Ah, I'm glad you asked! I need it to keep track of the transactions that will take place over the course of the week. I also need it to write down the weekly breakfast menu. That being said, paper is always good to have! When running a business, being organized is essential!" Catherine deftly explained. It was evident that they had a pretty good grasp on their duties.
"Wow, running a business, huh? That sounds kinda daunting to me... You sound fairly confident, though, so that's impressive."
"Haha, I'm flattered you think so, but it's really nothing special..." They remained silent for a moment, as if to contemplate what their next words were going to be, and then resumed.
"Johnathan is a great leader, you know?"
Rana was caught off-guard by the sudden change of topic, but rolled with it anyway, by giving the villager a nod as a signal for them to continue.
"To have an entire defenseless population to manage, on top of keeping everything in order...Now, that is impressive. I don't think I would ever be able to pull off a job like that..." Catherine commented with a relaxed, yet partially downcast smile.
"Why do you make it sound like that's a bad thing? Do you want to become a leader?"
"I don't, but I wouldn't know how I'd fare if I were to end up in a situation like that."
"Well...don't worry. What are the odds of that happening, anyway?"
"I suppose you have a point, but it's important to be prepared, and plan ahead, Rana. Especially in times like these. We cannot afford to goof off."
The pair kept walking in silence. It wasn't inherently awkward, but it was obvious to the frog woman that conversation topics were already running short, which was unfortunate; before she had met Steve, Catherine was the only person she had met that she could call a genuine friend. What to say...what to say...Aha!
"Hey, did you know that we managed to craft a new jukebox?"
"Really? That's wonderful! That will definitely help brighten up the atmosphere!"
"Yes, that's right! Do you think we'll ever find another music disc?"
"It's hard to say; they sure are elusive. I once read that music discs have something to do with creepers, but I don't know what sense that makes."
After some more lighthearted chatter between them, they eventually reached the winding river biome. The source of the river was high up in the mountain to their left. The long, wide body of water coiled around the grassy earth, which was occupied primarily by herds of cows and flocks of chickens. Near the edge of the river, on top of a patch of sand, stood three tall sugar canes.
"Alright, time to get to work!" Rana announced as she rolled up her sleeves. Just as she was about get closer to the crops, her attention was caught by a strange, slender silhouette that was prowling across the distant valleys. Due to the distance between them, its features weren't distinguishable, but its skin appeared completely dark, which was exceptionally strange, as it was in broad daylight. It also seemed to be carrying something in its hands. A grass block?
"What is that thing?"
A sudden gasp came from the innkeeper, as they identified the creature in question.
"The corruption! I can't believe it has spread this far!" Their tone was worried, almost frantic.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember, miss Rana? From the prophecy? The Endermen, these other-worldly beings wouldn't have appeared if it weren't for the corruption!"
"Oh...that? That's what that meant? Talk about vagueness..."
They continued observing the dark creature, which had its back turned. After a few moments of anticipation...it vanished entirely.
"Well, that was anticlimactic..."
...
"h̸̯̀ȇ̶͚̠͝l̶͍͉͆l̴̬̆̎o̵!̡͓̄"
"Behind you!"
Rana swiftly turned around, but Catherine's warning couldn't have possibly prepared her enough for the hit she was about to take the brunt of. Knocked back, clutching her side, she finally made proper eye contact with the enemy, and it was...well...a freak of nature.
Dust particles of a violent shade of purple were floating all around it. It towered over her, easily reaching the height of three meters – or three blocks stacked on top of each other. Its limbs were long and slim, about as wide as a skeleton's, yet its thin arms were deceivingly powerful. Its body was black as coal, with the sole exception being its eyes, which were of the same color as the dust that surrounded it. Its jaw was wide open, too. Unnaturally so: Its lower jaw remained still, and its upper jaw was the one that raised.
Everything, from its appearance, to the horrifying grumbles it made, ensured that this wasn't going to be an ordinary match-up...but even though Rana could feel her heart beating like a drum, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She summoned her sword and raised it in a defensive position.
The anomalous entity, with one great stride, closed the distance between them and delivered a bash with its right arm, which was intercepted by the iron sword's flat side. Though the recoil still hurt a little, Rana was able to brave through it, and abuse the brief moment of vulnerability her opponent had after its attack.
With one swift slash, the dark being cried in pain, and vanished again.
"Where did it-?"
"To your left!"
This time, Catherine's warning was effective, as Rana managed to land a hit first. The Enderman teleported away, again. Once more, Catherine shouted its location, and Rana attacked accordingly. In response, the humanoid began emitting a low, ear-piercing screech.
Even as it teleported away one more time, the screeching was equally loud from all directions, acting as an effective distraction. As its target was too busy shielding her ears, the extradimensional being found the perfect opportunity to land a painful back attack, eliciting a cry of pain.
With every ounce of strength, ignoring the ever-going shriek and the agonizing pain, Rana spun around and successfully delivered a horizontal slash. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she dealt the finishing blow, just before the monster could teleport away. Only then, did the noise stop.
For a lengthy moment, the only thing Rana did was pant. Her mind didn't register the words of excitement and the compliments Catherine was giving her. She didn't realize that she had reached level 26. She didn't see the round object the God-forsaken creature had left behind after its death. All she tried to do, was calm her nerves as her health bar slowly regenerated from a little less than three hearts.
"Huh...? I'm sorry...I needed a moment...What...What did you say?"
"Oh, pardon me. I was just saying that...you were amazing! I don't think anyone has ever been able to take down an Enderman!" Catherine wrapped her arms around the frog girl, who returned the gesture as best she could. "I'm so happy you're okay! And I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you..."
Rana broke away from the embrace, still feeling lightheaded.
"Hey, you helped... Now...whew...How about those sugar canes, *pant*, am I right? *pant-pant*"
"You still want to get them!?"
"Might as well...We're already here."
Heading over to the edge of the river, Rana punched away at the canes, as Catherine picked them up. Once they were finished, they headed back to Cornelia. While on their way there, the innkeeper spoke up once more.
"I'm sorry, miss Rana." The frog woman was confused by that.
"If it weren't for me and this trip, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"What? Come on, Catherine, don't worry about it. I'm fine now." Technically, that was only half the truth. Though her health bar was almost full, she still felt weakened and exhausted. Perhaps the health bar wasn't as accurate at indicating health as she'd thought. So much for videogame mechanics... Regardless, she continued.
"Also, you helped! If you hadn't given me warnings, I'd probably be in a much worse state now. In fact... I probably wouldn't even be here right now..."
"My point still stands, miss Rana!"
"..."
"..."
"Well...just...don't worry about it. Really, I'm fine. I'm not holding any grudges, either," Rana finally responded, as the two passed through Cornelia's borders. It was about sunset. At the corner of her eye, Rana saw Gordon working on an anvil, so she decided to approach them.
"Gordon, good afternoon!"
"Good afternoon to ya, too! Ah, Sebastian was lookin' for ya."
"Really...? I'll talk to them tomorrow, maybe. Anyway, that's not important. Have you seen Steve at all?"
"No, as a matter a' fact. Sebastian was lookin' for him as well, now that I'm thinkin' about it. Sorry, miss, I don' know where he is."
At their response, Rana frowned, and her shoulders slumped. Even so, she still tried to work up a smile.
"Okay, then...Thanks, Gordon. I'll see you tomorrow."
The blacksmith bid the two farewell, as they headed for the inn.
"...You and Steve must be pretty close, right?"
Rana didn't respond verbally, just smiled shyly and nodded.
"I hope everything goes well between you two." Catherine said, as the two of them passed through the inn's doors and walked upstairs.
"...Thank you. Miss Rana, you're a wonderful person, you know that?"
"Where did that come from?"
"You always try and cheer people up and make them feel good about themselves, even if you don't really mean it..."
Rana was just about ready to brush off the sweet words, until her brain registered the entirety of the sentence.
"...Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback. Catherine looked deep into the woman's eyes and elaborated.
"This confidence you exude; the encouragement you try to give to others; the patience you're showing... They're not sincere, right?"
"Wha-what are you talking about? Of course they are! I'm not faking anything."
The innkeeper didn't appear convinced.
"It's not a bad thing, you know? Doing all these things for others still shows that you have a great personality...Even if you're doing it so that others will like you."
At this point, Rana was beginning to feel irritated. These underhanded comments were something she would expect from someone like Sebastian, but not Catherine. Trying to figure out just what the innkeeper was getting at was like solving a Megaminx. Unlike their words, Catherine's voice didn't sound condescending at all. She couldn't tell whether that made it better or worse.
"Catherine, where are you getting all this from? And why do you sound so certain about it!?"
"It's obvious, miss. No one would ever just shrug off the fact that they could've died because of someone."
"I didn't shrug anything off, I simply forgave you. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"
"Because I was just like you, miss. Well, actually, I still am. I still try to be nice to everyone while concealing my true feelings, all because I'm afraid of how people will treat me if they found out. We're very similar in that aspect."
Rana rubbed her forehead for a few moments. She tried a couple times to respond, but at most, she'd only manage to get a vowel out, before shutting up and trying again. At this rate, she was beginning to suspect that Catherine had gotten so scared of the Enderman, that it made her go crazy. She knew that was impossible, but what else was she supposed to think!? With some time, she succeeded in articulating a proper response.
"Listen to me, Catherine! You and I are not the same! Stop acting like you know everything about me! You must be very self-centered if you really think that projecting your fears onto me makes us the same!"
"Miss Rana, please don't be mad at me. I only voiced my thoughts. You shouldn't be taking it so personally...unless of course what I'm saying is true..."
What was going on? Why was the innkeeper confronting her out of the blue like that? They were supposed to be friends... So why?
Rana clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
"I'm tired. Leave me alone," she stated simply. The innkeeper nodded, before turning away. From the staircase, she uttered one last word of gratitude to the human, for her help. With that, the fatigued girl walked upstairs, entered her room and accepted the hug of her bed covers.
...
...
I'd been awake since dawn, if not a little earlier than that. Waking up earlier than as many people as possible was an integral part of my plan, so that I wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention to myself.
As silently as I could, I snuck out of the inn, and headed west, getting farther and farther away from Cornelia. As it would turn out, I wasn't silent enough, because Talos spotted me. It analyzed me with its steely gaze, its red eyes glowing much like a spider's.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I simply moved along, continuing my trip for the plains. It had been quite a while since the last time I journeyed on my own, without Rana's company. This, however, was something I had to do alone.
The main reason I chose the plains for this expedition was that the thing I was looking for was more abundant there. It was so abundant, in fact, that finding one didn't take long at all. And that was great...because I needed – or rather, wanted - sixteen of them, so, a quarter of a stack. What was I looking for?
Flowers. Not just any kind of flower, however. I wanted dandelions, because of their color and their size.
Anyway, like I said, they were pretty easy to come across, especially with the use of bone meal, which could multiply, or accelerate the growth of any plant, instantly. I didn't have much of it, and when it got all used up, I had some trouble in finding the last one I needed.
After some searching through the valleys, something yellow did catch my eye, but it wasn't a flower, an item, or even a block, but instead, a creature. A winged, cuboid-shaped creature, colored in black and mostly yellow, with dark blue eyes. It was a bee!
I decided to follow it, because it could lead me to a flower patch. Since bees pollenate flowers, maybe I'd find the last dandelion I needed if I got lucky? As I cautiously closed the distance between myself and the insect, I was led directly to its hive, which was hanging beneath an oak tree's foliage. The oak tree was on the foot of a relatively short mountain, at least, compared to others I'd seen.
I had a feeling that messing with the hive would probably be a bad idea, so I didn't bother with it. At any rate, the hive's busy inhabitants were flying about, circling flowers of various types and colors. They meticulously collected pollen from them, which they proceeded to carry back to their home. Unfortunately for me, none of the flowers were of the kind I was looking for, and I wasn't willing to settle for anything else.
As I was about to leave and explore a different part of the lush biome, the ever-increasing buzz of a bee that was descending from the mountain, prevented me from doing so. I took note of the pollen particles that were dripping from its claws and concluded that there probably more flowers at the top.
Because I didn't know how long it'd take to find another flower patch, I began scaling the mountain. Of course, there was always the possibility that the flowers weren't even going to be dandelions, but since I was already there, it didn't hurt to check. Besides, climbing a mountain of this size was easy. Having the ability to break and place down blocks made the ascend trivial, since I could mold the ground into a makeshift staircase. Some hops later, I managed to get to what I thought was the top, only to find out that it was just a plateau, with the summit being a snowy peak farther ahead.
I began shivering due to the sudden temperature drop but, to my relief, the flower in front of me really was a dandelion! After breaking it down and adding it to the rest of them, I bound the flowers together with some string I had left over from killing spiders. Spider string was extremely durable, so much so that it could be used as a bowstring, according to the recipe book. It was for that reason that I had no doubts it would be able to hold the dandelions together. Now, all I needed was to get back to Co-
*Huff!*
Darting my eyes forward, I identified the sound's source to be a white goat which had been camouflaging in the snow. This world never failed to surprise me; I couldn't believe that I was still discovering new creatures! Distractions aside, I turned around to climb down the hill, until...I heard the quadruped gallop toward me with its horns pointing forward!
In a state of shock, I didn't even have time to dodge or block the attack with my shield, so I was hit head-on and sent flying off the cliff. Everything slowed to a crawl. Falling...Falling from a tall height, at that...I had a feeling that I had experienced something similar in the past, but I couldn't pinpoint when or where. Since I was falling facing the sky, I had no idea how much time I had left before landi-
*Crack*
...
...
/
The dragon's purple breath attack raged on. I felt like my skin was about to get torn to shreds. The feeling was overwhelming. After an eternity, the attack subsided, and I was left shaking and trembling. It was incredibly difficult for me to stand, but I mustered as much strength as I had to not collapse.
I slowly opened my eyes, only to see the bottom of my vision being obscured by...
'What...what are these hearts supposed to be!?'
The dark dragon's roar, combined with the buzzing of otherworldly grumbles that had been audible the entire time, snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up at the winged serpent and saw it sitting still on what was once the island's highest point, just looking at me, waiting.
Waiting for me to make a move.
I grabbed my sword made of diamond, and desperately tried to clear the distance between us by flight, only to find that my feet could hardly leave the ground. I tried again and again, but I just couldn't believe how powerless I'd become. The dragon didn't wait any longer. With a flap of its massive wings, it whipped up a powerful wind that was enough to sweep me off my feet and off the edge of the floating landmass.
In the midst of all the inky darkness, shone a white light. It was blindingly bright initially, but as it was starting to take shape, the brightness settled down. Within moments, I found myself kneeling in front of a floating figure.
Even though this entity completely lacked anything below the waist, it still towered over me. I could make out a spinal cord that was supporting a ribcage, and three skulls, the middle of which was larger than the rest. This skeletal creature's bones were entirely black, almost like charcoal, but its eye sockets and its jaws were glowing white. Suddenly, the middle skull's piercing voice filled my ears. It was a harrowing sound, that echoed all around me.
"We have won. Enjoy your slow death, old friend."
Those were its words, before it slowly faded away.
...
...
/
I slowly opened my eyes. My back hurt a lot. Out of morbid curiosity, I slowly directed my gaze to the bar of hearts, at the bottom of my vision. Around three hearts left... I limped my way toward a tree and sat under it, patiently waiting to heal.
I took a glance at my reflection in my inventory. My hair was a mess, and my clothes had small rips in some spots. They weren't too noticeable, thankfully.
...
'What was that goat's problem?'
...
'Did I see something while I was knocked out?
...
I can't remember...'
...
It was a little past sunset by the time I'd made it back to Cornelia. I had recovered nicely, yet I still felt a little sore. I tried not to let it bother me too much, since this was going to be worth it in the end. Before I could make it to the inn, Gordon called out to me from their shop.
"Oi, Steve!"
"Hi, Gordon. How are you?" I responded as I started making my way to them.
"I'm fine. Sebastian was lookin' for...Are you okay?", the villager in the black apron looked at me in mild concern.
"I am. Why do you ask?"
"Hmm...Ya look like ya fell off a cliff."
"..." I couldn't tell whether the blacksmith took a shot in the dark, or they were confident in their guess.
"Anyway, Sebastian was lookin' for ye and miss Rana. I don't know what they wanted from ye two, but boy were they vexed they couldn't find ya. Miss Rana was lookin' for ya, as well. Johnathan ain't around, either. Why does it feel like everyone's disappearin'? Bah, I'm rambling again. Don't worry about it, blue man. Talk to ya later!"
I waved Gordon goodbye, as they retreated to their shop, probably to attend to the last tasks that needed to be done. As for myself, I resumed walking toward the inn. What Gordon had said about people 'disappearing' hadn't sunk in, until now; activity did seem lowered, but it could've easily been my imagination.
When I entered the aforementioned building, only a couple townsfolk were lounging on the tables. In spite of the time, Catherine was still in the reception, so I decided to talk to them. They didn't notice me until I started talking to them.
"Good evening, Catherine. How has your day been?"
"Oh, sir, good evening! Uh, my day has certainly been eventful, to say the least. And yours?"
"Yeah...I'd say the same..."
"I feel like most people would...By the way, miss Rana was looking for you. She tried not to show it, but she was pretty sad that she couldn't spend the day with you."
That scenario had crossed my mind, but I hadn't expected I'd be gone for so long...Thanks to a goat, no less...
"...Do you know where she might be?"
"She should be in her room now. I assume you'll go talk to her?"
I nodded.
"Don't let me keep you, then. Have a good night, sir."
"Alright. See ya."
I quietly walked up the stairs to the top floor and knocked on her door. I didn't get an answer right away, but I did hear some shuffling coming from inside. Soon enough, Rana opened the door. She seemed kind of tired. Upon closer inspection, her expression was a little duller than usual, too.
"Steve? Where have you been? And what happened to you?" she asked me with concern. I explained to her what I'd been up to and omitted some details about a certain encounter. I asked her if she was alright, in return. Her response was a little vague, but she said she'd tell me some other time. She returned to the topic of interest.
"Well, why didn't you tell me to tag along?"
"Because it would ruin the surprise."
I held up the bouquet. Her expression, which had previously been one of worry, spontaneously turned to shock, and then...nothing. Just a blank expression. Not really the reaction I'd been expecting; I'd thought she'd be overjoyed.
"Are...are these for me?"
"Of course! I wanted to give you something as thanks for your company. For your company, and...everything you've given me. Don't you like them?"
"What? No, it's not that! It's just...a little hard to believe." She wiped her left eye while saying that.
Before I could realize what she meant by that, she gently took the bouquet out of my hands, took in its scent, and finally smiled sweetly. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in an embrace. After the initial small shock, I hugged her back by wrapping my arms below her shoulders. It was difficult for me to conceal the physical pain I was feeling, but that didn't make the hug any less pleasant.
"Thank you. They're beautiful."
I was absolutely right. This was worth it.
...
A/N: Hi, there! I hope you enjoyed this bonus chapter, as it was meant to flesh out the characters - both the main and the side ones - and provide some world-building! Feel free to write a review if you have the time or are in the mood. I'm interested to see what you like about this story, what you don't like, and what aspects I could have done better. Next chapter is a normal continuation of the plot, so it'll be properly numbered.
As always, thanks for reading!