And with this new chapter, I wish all my 5 readers a Happy New Year, hoping this 2024 will bring us joys and smiles. No seriously, I truly hope so (especially for me). Anyway, enough with the sour talk, thank you to the last two who have joined in reading this masterpiece of literature, or perhaps not? Anyway, before we begin, I think it's only fair to answer a couple of questions by the reviewers, right? Aand, I see there are more guests than last time. Well, I shall respond to your questions anyway.
Guest: Will he fight the healing hero at some point? Eventually yes, of course. Our man basically snatched Flare out of his grasp before Keya-boy could get his revenge, so the latter would do anything to get her back and, you know what happens next xd.
Guest: Can you make a madness combat x konosuba fanfic? Don't exactly know the correlation between the two lol. But… no? Never played Madness Combat. Watched Konosuba a few months ago, pretty funny and nonsense, but not exactly fanfic material to me. So, no, I guess I won't.
With this said and done, have a nice read, ladies and gentlemen.
In the veil of darkness cloaking the Ancient Grove, the night persisted, the distant howls resonated through the air, accompanied with the rustling noises of the deep vegetation. The sound of the crackling bonfire was still vivid, as was the hunger of the princess lying next to it, Flare. Her stomach started to growl once again, echoing its nearly emptiness, all she was able to consume a short time earlier were the leftover scraps of rabbit meat that Ashimar had left behind by the bonfire. Minutes passed as a soft, weak sob escaped from Flare's mouth, but she quickly retained herself from breaking down, with her strength lacking given the food scarcity, her magic power still at its lowest, there was nothing she could do. And that left her confused and mostly frustrated.
'…How did I come to this?' Flare started, whispering to herself. 'Why am I still so, so weak? I should have regained my powers by now... and yet I feel so… powerless, so feeble.' She gritted her teeth. No matter how much she concentrated her mana, how much she tried to recharge her magic, the process seemed to be longer and more arduous than usual. Her growing hunger was only making matters worse. "Still nothing…"
Meanwhile, Flare's desperate hunger continued to increase, a part of her intended to go back to crunching bones, but deep down she knew it would be no use. Suddenly, much to her relief, her eyes caught a glimpse of a nearby bush adorned with small, blueberry-like fruits. Despite her weakened state, Flare raised herself on her feet with the support of her staff and forced herself in the direction of the spotted fruit. As she reached the bush, her fingers trembling as she plucked the small fruits from it. They didn't taste good. They tasted bitter, sour and almost rotten, mostly due to the corrupting proprieties of the grove. Flare grimaced in disgust as she forced herself to swallow the terrible food for the sake of survival.
As she was still crouching near the bush, a sudden low growl broke the silence. Fear took hold of Flare's heart, and she instinctively backed off from the vegetation. What emerged from the shadows was a creature she could barely recognise: the being had a monstrous appearance, its body was mostly covered in a dark-lavender coloured fur, its head however was uncovered by it, showing its muzzle, greenish skin colour, its teeth were lizard-like, exposed and sharp, and its eyes were glowing yellow. That was one of the Ancient Grove's resident monstrosities, a Death Hound.
Flare's breath caught in her throat as she stared still at the ferocious canine creature. The bitter taste of the tainted berries paled in comparison to the fear that was growing inside her. Panic cursed her body and soul, as she instinctively began to step back further, her eyes were trembling as her fingers tightening around her magical staff.
'What… what is this creature?' Flare's eyes widened, quickly realising the danger she was in. She didn't know what to do, usually she let her guards or subordinates deal with the dangers, but now she was on her own... 'Maybe he…' She cast a quick glance back at Ashimar, hoping for aid, only to find him seemingly lost in slumber. Her eyes briefly widened; the rogue wasn't moving at all. '…I was certain he would at least intervene… just like he did with that chimera…' Noticing her own miscalculation, Flare's situation was deteriorating as she was now shaking in terror, grinding her teeth in desperation.
Suddenly the world seemed to freeze around her as the wild beast lunged at her, a blur of feral aggression. In a matter of heartbeats, the creature was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Sheer horror ensued inside Flare, in a desperate attempt to survive, managed to wield the staff horizontally trying to keep the beast's jaws at a safe distance. Unable to find the strength even to scream anymore, Flare began to sob, tears returning to her face. The beast continued to growl menacingly, putting more force in its advance while Flare's strength was slowly starting to fade away.
'D-dammit. Is… is this really it?' Flare sniffed in a mix of desperation and dread. 'Is this really how it ends? Dying in the middle of nowhere, far from my kingdom, in silence? Without having had the chance to really be somebody... to be the shadow of who she was… without being able to accomplish my objectives...?'
Flare's hopelessness was causing her to lose strength into her grip, allowing the canine-like beast to get closer, its jaws snapped in ferocious hunger.
"…no. I can't just give in like this…" She muttered to herself in the middle of her sobbing. Her vision narrowed, a clear signal of her will.
In the agonising struggle beneath the canine creature, Flare's strength waned and its jaws threatened to break through her defences, a small flash of determination crossed her eyes. Amidst the fear and despair, a spark of memory ignited within her.
"If I die here today, then… there will be no chance for me to... accomplish anything." Despite her desperate situation, Flare narrowed her watery eyes, grinding her teeth.
As the growling monster pressed down upon her, a desperate idea took place in her mind. With the very last reserves of magical energy, Flare was able to gather what was left of her strength, but instead of unleashing her mana out in one go, she decided to go for something else entirely.
'I never tried this before…' A small, sharp knife-like item made of ice was slowly forming in her hand.
Still sat by the bonfire, seemingly asleep, Ashimar was observing the scene with just one eye open, despite him remaining still without giving her any aid, he couldn't help but overhear her monologue. 'Hm. Looks like she's still got some fight left in her, that wasn't a half bad move.' He admitted in his thoughts. 'Huh. Wonder what she meant by that 'true objective' of hers.'
With the enchanted blade finally materialised, Flare was able to hold it on her right hand, while handling her staff with the left, it was a manifestation of her sheer will to survive. With all her remaining strength, Flare raised her arm and thrust the improvised knife towards the creature's belly to free herself.
'Sloppy.' Ashimar commented, still not moving at all from his previous position.
As he predicted, her swings were erratic and imprecise, missing the vital points of the pressing beast, her accuracy was probably lacking due to the pressure and fear she was having at the moment. With her grip on the staff slipping, the Death Hound advanced forward, as it countered with ferocious lunges, snapping its jaws left and right in an attempt to reclaim the upper hand, almost reaching for Flare's face with its muzzle. Until an opening was spotted. Flare closed her eyes as she flung one more swing almost mindlessly. She was fortunate this time.
Reopening her eyes, Flare's heart hammered in her chest as the blade pierced the creature's dark flesh. The Death Hound was successfully stabbed, as it emitted a howl of pain from its jaws, releasing its grip on her. Her eyes were still wide open as she stared at the beast's corpse.
As Flare staggered away from the dead beast, her hands were stained with blood, her eyes teary and shaken. That was the first time she had killed a living being with her own two hands with no magic or spell involved, the first time she was so close to the putrid smell of blood, to be more precise. In truth, Flare wasn't unusual in disposing of her foes with her magical skills, or, mostly, just ordering her subordinates to torture and deal with her opposition. Now though…
'It's different. Why. Why do I feel like this…'
Despite her shock, she was able to release a few relieved sighs as she tried to regain control of her emotions. Perhaps it was the entire situation itself that made her react this way, the beat's attack, her being under adrenaline before 'certain' death, she wasn't sure. Ashimar noticed the princess' emotional struggling as he opened his mouth to speak after a while.
"First time seeing blood this close huh?" He commented dryly.
The abrupt question caused Flare to turn her gaze back to the rogue. Ashimar's face remained unreadable, but his words were direct.
"That's called 'survival'. A brutal game among 'commoners', isn't it?" Ashimar simply put his question. His tone was rough and uncaring at the same time.
With her face and hands still stained with the Death Hound's blood, Flare's teary eyes widened, absorbing the weight of his statement. A part of her didn't want to argue, but her pride wouldn't allow her to stay silent.
Despite her current conditions, the princess somehow found the force to reply. "W-well, w-what do you expect me to react?!" She snapped. "I'm not just some dirty commoner who's used to live so indecently, so disgracefully…" Ashimar knew it was just a desperate attempt to look strong. He couldn't help but exhale a short scoff. "I am the princess of the Jioral Kingdom! Flare Arlgrande Jioral." She declared, her hands travelled down and reached her staff. "As if someone of my calibre would ever go through anything like this. I-I have supreme pow…"
"You have nothing, not here at least. Get over it." Ashimar rebuked as if it was obvious, cutting her flaunts off.
"You damn filthy dog, all of this is…" She hissed, raising her anger. "…is nothing but your fault! You're the one who put me in this situation, involving me with fighting the chimera, making me go through all this misery and nearly killed from this beast!" Flare exclaimed with her accusing voice, as she turned back and forth between Ashimar and the dead beast. "None of this would've happened if you just…"
Hearing her, Ashimar's scowl was deeper, emitting a low grunt that immediately made her go silent.
"Are you…" To say Ashimar was at loss of words would be an understatement, and not in a good way. "Are you trying to piss me off here?" He growled with a deep glare, making the princess crawl back. His words weren't loud, but they were menacing enough to startle her. Flare was taken aback by his sudden change of tone, she was about to protest, but Ashimar wasn't done talking. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you can screw me around like you do back home with fake smiles, 'cheesy' deeds and some cheap tear-jerking speech to your people? Well, that's not going to cut it. I told you yesterday, the world out here doesn't work that way, people aren't stupid and can catch onto your little games more than you can imagine…" His last words held more venom than the rest.
"How…" Flare was at loss of words and felt anger rising inside her as she clenched her jaws. "How dare you, mongrel…" She was about to retort.
"Shut up, I'm not done yet."
One menace was enough for Flare to go quiet.
"And that dumb stunt from earlier? Don't even get me started with that. You were about to burn this forest down and end me in the process with a fucking falling star, and now you get all freaked out after killing an animal and seeing blood? A god-damn animal. Can't you see how much of a mind fuck you are? When I said you were one of the reasons this country's conditions are in deep shit, I meant every word. Grow up and get fucking real, you shitty spoiled brat."
His remarks stung and Flare couldn't find any word in response to his words, she made an attempt to glare at him, but she felt so weak and weary that she just whimpered. Eventually, despite his frustration, Ashimar calmed down with a sigh.
"I… I…"
His dirty look shifted back to an irritated one. 'Just as before, she's all talk… what a sad sight.'
All Flare could do was sobbing, which caused Ashimar to groan quietly.
"Tsk, so pathetic. Are you seriously the next heir to the throne?" Ashimar finished with a snort in annoyance.
Surprisingly, Flare did not react to Ashimar's harsh words, not verbally at least. A mix of emotions started to swirl inside her: anger, wounded pride and a deep-seated frustration. The rogue man could tell, despite her efforts, he left her vulnerable. Did he care about it? Not a bit. With a final grunt, Ashimar took his eyes off the princess, ignoring whatever she intended to retort with some of her holier-than-thou comebacks. He was a little surprised when he heard nothing but silence from Flare.
'Pathetic… huh? I suppose I… he made me look kind of pathetic in the end.' Flare mumbled on her thoughts. For the first time in a while, she was unwittingly considering someone else's input. 'Wait a moment, am I seriously taking in consideration the falsehoods that are his words… the words of a filthy thief?!' Was she feeling conflicted? Nobody has ever dared to speak to her like that. Well, not exactly anyone, there were times when she was younger when her 'elders' used to scold her, but those times were long gone. And now here she was, getting called out of her own hypocrisy by the likes of him of all the people, a nobody like him.
Before she could dwell further on her thoughts, Flare was abruptly pulled from her introspection by the gnawing ache of hunger. The events of the night had left her physically and emotionally drained, yet the primal need for survival washed over her, and she knew there was only one way for her to.
'That's called 'survival'. A brutal game among 'commoners', isn't it?' Flare begrudgingly recalled Ashimar's words from earlier.
Grimacing at the idea, Flare considered the only available option for food, if that was what it took to survive… she was willing to do it, she turned to the carcass of the Death Hound. Despite her initial revulsion, desperation overtook her as hunger gnawed at her stomach. Picking up her ice-made dagger and what was left of her strength, she approached the Death Hound's corpse.
'Hmph. Looks like she's not as dumb as I thought, huh?' Ashimar acknowledged in silence, as he eyed her efforts to slice the dead creature. 'Ah. Makes zero difference to me, she's likely gonna kick the bucket from that freak's toxic flesh anyway.' He considered with a shrug, making himself comfortable against the tree he was under, as the night went on.
Jioral Kingdom
The mid-morning sun was now bathing the kingdom's skies, casting a radiant glow all over the capital. That was the day, the day on which the heroes were to be officially named, gather in the royal palace, be graced by the king, and then set off on their quest to defeat the Devil King and thus get rid of the greatest threat to mankind. Of course, the enemies weren't solely confined to demons; they could also be found among demi-humans and any other entity deemed a 'monster' that had caused harm.
In the heart of the royal palace, atop a balcony within an interior garden, king Proum Jioral waved to his audience as he made himself known, a tall middle-aged armoured man with long, darkish grey hair, an extended goatee and a beard. Next to him were a couple of noblemen near the royal family and the most important officers of the army, including Renard himself. The king's olive eyes scanned the crowded area before speaking up in a composed, yet decisive tone.
"Noble citizens of our realm, esteemed guests, and valiant chosen heroes, today we stand on the brink of an epochal moment, a process that will determine the fate of humanity itself. The looming threat of the Devil King and his sinister machinations casts a shadow over our lands, threatening to plunge us into eternal darkness. As such, the fate of our kingdom and indeed, the very fabric of humanity, hangs in the balance…" The king continued his echoing speech.
Standing in the crowd, Keyaru was contemplating the just announced speech by the Jioral's king, of course he couldn't help but internally scoff at such words. 'What a bunch of nonsense.' Being aware of both the supposed incoming future and his 'past' was enough for him who these people really were, and he swore upon his former scars to make them pay for what they did to him. Especially a certain pink-haired princess. However, the teen wasn't only focussed into taking revenge on Flare.
'I won't let anyone get in my way. I'll be sure to put everyone who wronged me in their places…' Keyaru thought, his hiding smirk broadened. His red pupils scanned his 'fellow' heroes standing nearby, and they presented themselves just like he remembered: Bullet, the Gun Hero, a bespectacled, tall, bald muscled man of dark complexion, who was holding a large cannon-like gun on his shoulders; and Blade, the Sword Hero, a blonde with short-hair and green eyes, a featuring outfit and a long cloak, sheaved on her back was her weapon, Ragnarok. A look of disgust spread across Keyaru's faces after observing the two heroes, but he managed to keep his boiling anger aside… obviously they would receive what they had coming as well eventually.
'Oh, and don't think I've forgotten about you...' Keyaru's thoughts shifted to the responsible of Flare's disappearance, ignoring the king's speech at this point. 'Stealing what was supposed to be my eventual toy, my tool, my main objective for my revenge. Ruining what I carefully had planned all this time, it's an offense I will not forgive.' He remarked.
"…But fret not, for in the face of such grave danger, hope yet shines brightly as heroes walk among us." Proum proudly declared. "Champions of unparalleled skill and valour, whose names will be etched in the annals of history as beacons of hope in our darkest hour." He made a gesture to the individuals he was referring to. "Bullet the Gun Hero, Blade the Sword Hero, Keyaru the Healing Hero!"
The witnessing audience applauded in response to the king's motivational speech; Bullet gave a wave to the crowd; Blade barely knowledge it as she appeared to be frustrated on something else, Keyaru on the other hand kept his smirk present.
"…However, as you may have noticed, amidst this gathering of heroes there is one who is notably absent, my own daughter, Flare the Magic Hero in her own right. Her absence weighs heavy upon our forces, unfortunately disappearing without leaving trace. Therefore, I now request our brave heroes to embark on a mission of utmost urgency, to search for Flare and bring her back to us safely..."
Soon king Proum finished his grand speech, the crowd once again applauded him as he walked out of the scene.
To say that Keyaru wasn't satisfied with the outcome would be untruth, in fact that would make things easier for him to track down Flare and force her into submission. Not only did the king give them carte blanche, but he completely disregarded his status as 'the weakest' of all the heroes as he did in the original timeline.
'Perfect.' Keyaru gloated with a satisfied grin. 'This is a perfect opportunity. It wouldn't take much for me to find someone that works for me… I heard demi-humans are at a very low-prices nowadays, and someone from the royalty still holds me a favour. All will be soon set; I won't be satisfied until I'll take everything from the woman who ruined my life. Yes, the weak, frail, helpless Keyaru will be no more…'
Before he could dwell on his plans further, he saw two people walking up to him, immediately recognising who they were. Internally, Keyaru seethed with anger at the memory of Bullet's violation and Blade's brutal assaults. The mere sight of them filled him with a desire for revenge, but he was willing to wait for the right moment.
"You must be Keyaru, correct?" The man asked, extending his giant hand to the shorter teen. "I must say, you look much younger than the usual hero, that must mean you're gifted, with much potential in store."
Keyaru turned to them, his sinister grin was suddenly replaced by a friendly smile as he returned Bullet's handshake. Despite the internal disgust he felt for the heroes in front of him, the healer had to keep is attitude in check, for now at least.
Keyaru nodded with a friendly tone. "That's me… Bullet?" The man nodded in response. "And thanks, I guess luck was on my side this time around." He answered, rubbing his forehead with a humble smile.
"Nonsense, being chosen to be a hero implies that you possess greater worth than you credit yourself for." Bullet shook his head, smiling at the younger male.
Keyaru responded with a thankful nod. "And… Blade, right?" He turned his glance to the woman, who looked less pleased than earlier.
"Tch." Blade hissed irritatingly as if he was nothing but a pest to her. "Yeah." Was her only replying as if she couldn't stand the teen already.
Bullet offered Keyaru an apologetic smile. "Please, don't mind her. Blade is just worried about Princess Flare's well-being as we all are."
"It's fine, being afraid of a missing companion is only natural." Keyaru reassured the duo before transitioning to a more important subject. "Speaking of which, do you two have any idea of what happened to the princess?" He asked curiously.
Bullet gradually shook his head, sporting a saddened look. "Unfortunately, her circumstances are unknown even to us. According to Captain Renard, Princess Flare disappeared nearby Alban Village, despite their best efforts they weren't able to find her after hours of scouting."
Keyaru nodded in acknowledgement. 'If that's really the case, there's a chance she may not be in Jioral anymore. These two are useless, as I expected. Looks like I'll have to investigate myself.' He reflected.
"Hell if I know." Blade hissed annoyingly, narrowing her vision. "But I'll make sure to find the culprit and tear the man to shreds." She placed her right hand on her sword's grip.
Keyaru nodded once again in understanding. "I see. I'm from Alban Village, and I did hear a commotion about her disappearance just yesterday."
"Is that so?" Bullet wondered, stroking his goatee.
"Indeed, but sadly we couldn't find out anything else." Keyaru confirmed.
"Then what would you say if we cooperated in the search for her?" Bullet requested. "After all, heroes are supposed to help one another when it comes to dire situations, no?"
Truthfully, Keyaru would've gladly spat him in the face for the sole thought of him accepting those two assistances. But he decided to behave himself, for now.
"Your offer is intriguing, Bullet." Keyaru said smoothly, masking his true feelings behind a facade of amiability. "And I think I might have an idea of how we could cooperate."
Ancient Grove
Soon enough, the late-morning sun brought a warm glow upon the Ancient Grove. As the forest stirred to life with the gentle hum of wildlife, Ashimar slowly opened his eyes, slowly realising that he had fallen asleep.
'Damn it, I must've dozed off.' He thought gruffly, shaking off the remnants of sleep from his mind.
However, as his gaze swept over their makeshift campsite, Ashimar's attention was drawn to something else. Flare lay nearby, still asleep, her form curled up against the forest floor. But what caught his eye was the sight of the partially devoured remains of the Death Hound scattered around the campsite, its legs to be more precise. His eyes narrowed in slight surprise and a hint of begrudging respect as he noted the missing portions of the creature. It was evident that Flare had resorted to consuming the flesh of their fallen beast in order to survive the night.
'Well, well, looks like that moron of a princess really went for that after all, huh?' Ashimar mused silently to himself, begrudgingly acknowledging her unexpected resourcefulness. 'Managing to stay alive once again, impressive.' He groaned as he stretched his body.
Approaching Flare's lying figure, Ashimar snorted loudly.
'She must've made it at least edible and cooked it up. And it looks like she really is good at something aside gifted magical tricks.' Ashimar noted. 'Plus, considering her current energy levels, she must've burned through everything... sucks to be you, huh?' He noted, noticing Flare's expression.
She looked awfully peaceful while asleep… and that didn't sit really well with him at all, the more Ashimar glanced at her the more he was tempted to leave her to her fate, perhaps offering her to the woodland creatures wasn't such a terrible notion, considering her recent actions; her trying to kill him and roast him alive. However, despite his clear disdain for Flare and all she represented, he couldn't deny the fact she survived on her own, proving herself to be quite resilient and durable, more than he expected. True, her magic powers were the source of her abilities, but she showed some promise in other areas as well, she knew how to cook and had at least basic survival skills, roughly.
Additionally, while he did have water reserves for a few days, and was an expert hunter, his cooking skills were below average, way below average. And on top of that, the water supply would eventually run dry out, as well as his possibilities to find food that wouldn't kill himself afterwards. Ashimar despised people like her, she was an opportunist, two-faced bitch, and he was aware of the fact that she would stab him in the back at the first opportunity. But he would 'worry' about that later on, because in spite of everything, the princess was still no match for him, and he knew she knew. One thing was certain, if they were to work together and he would keep a close eye on her.
Setting aside those thoughts, he began to gather his thoughts. 'She's still a toss-up, but at least she looks more useful than yesterday.' Ashimar observed her lying figure, the still present injuries and battered clothes. As he observed her huddled body, Ashimar realised how terrifying the situation must have been for her. Not that he cared, naturally, she definitively had it coming. Gathering back his thoughts, he refocussed to the matter at hand. '...Despite how much I'm gonna regret this, desperate times desperate calls, I guess…' He let out a begrudging sigh.
After what felt like an eternity, Flare stirred, her eyes fluttering open to meet Ashimar's gaze. Once he noticed she was fully awake, he wasted no time in offering his greeting.
"You look like shit." He remarked bluntly.
Flare's eyes narrowed into a glare as she registered Ashimar's greeting. "Unlike some, I'm not accustomed to sleeping in the dirt." She retorted, her tone dripping with disdain. "But I suppose for someone of your ilk, it's a familiar sensation."
"And yet here you are, scavenging for scraps in the muck like the rest of us." He shot back calmly, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Seems like even princesses have to get their hands dirty sometimes."
Flare's nostrils flared in indignation at his dismissive tone. "I'll have you know, I'm more than capable of handling myself in any situation." She retorted, her voice laced with a simmering anger. "Unlike you thieving scum, I don't rely on petty thievery and brute force to survive."
"Oh please. Spare me the self-righteous act." Ashimar retorted his tone laced with disdain. "You're… no, we're still in deep shit out here, probably far from anyone, and you're still going ahead with your bravado?"
Flare's jaw clenched at the reminder of her diminished status in the wilderness. "I'm allowed to respond how much I damn please to the likes of you. You're nothing compared to me, nothing!"
"Annoying bitch." Ashimar grunted, rolling his eyes.
"W-what did you call me, you dirty scoundrel?!" Flare exclaimed, her anger growing.
Ashimar rolled his eyes at her predictable retort, a small licker of irritation crossing his features, he would rather not to give mind an angry, annoying Flare in the morning too much. And if there was one thing he so wanted to do was shut her face for good. He may have not minded her constant insults, but they were getting irritating each passing minute. But he refrained himself from doing anything. Despite the mutual animosity between them, Ashimar already decided that for now they would need to set aside their differences if they had any hope of making it out of the Ancient Grove alive.
"Listen… princess." Ashimar began, his tone begrudgingly serious. "We may not like each other, but we're stuck in this mess together. I saw how you faired against that Death Hound yesterday, and that wasn't a pretty sight. You need me to survive this, and I unfortunately need your magic talent and cooking skills. I told you, if we're going to survive out here, we… ugh need to work together."
Flare bristled at the notion of cooperating with the rogue who had bested her twice already, tarnished her good name more times than she could count and left her to the beasts of the grove. She couldn't stand being near him for a second, and she would rather have him tortured for the rest of his days in her basement… but deep down, she knew that he had a point. They were both out of their element in the treacherous wilderness, and their chances of survival would be greatly increased if they pooled their resources and skills.
As he noticed Flare's frown, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I hate this as much as you do, trust me on that." Ashimar grunted in displeasure, but continued to speak in a more level-headed tone. "But you know better than me that I'm right. If we're going to make it out alive, we've got to team up."
Flare fell silent after this. 'This commoner truly believes I would just accept his company and join forces with him as if it was nothing? After what he has put me through. What a sick… amusing joke it is.' She paused her thoughts, acknowledging his reasons. She hated to admit it, but the roguish man in front of her was strong, unbelievably so, he was able to counter her most powerful spells and fight off strong monsters on his own. 'As much as I hate to admit, this may be exactly what I need right now. If this thief really intends to help me, I can exploit this to my advantage... and eventually get rid of him once and for all.'
Flare fought the urge to smirk in satisfaction at her own plan.
"…Besides, you were the one who walked up to me, begging me to join your supposedly so-amazing team." Ashimar remarked dryly, yet mockingly.
Flare briefly scowled at his reminder, clearly, he was trying to annoy her. Flare huffed in response, but decided not to dig too much into it. "And what exactly do you propose we do, thief?" Flare replied with a question, her tone laced with thinly veiled hostility.
Ashimar met Flare's sceptical gaze with a steely resolve, unfazed by her hostility. "First things first." He began in a steady tone. "We need to find a way out of this godforsaken grove."
Flare loudly scoffed at the simplicity of his suggestion. "Oh, how insightful." she remarked mockingly. "And here I thought we were going to sit around and swap stories by the campfire."
Ignoring her barb, Ashimar continued, as his gaze scanning their surroundings with a cautious vigilance. "Now get off your ass, or you need your magic mojo to get on your feet and move on your own?"
"Silence, I can walk by myself." Flare hissed as she fully got up on her feet with her staff in hands, his tone never stopped to irk her somehow.
"Then let's move out." Ashimar declared with his usual blunt tone. "The longer we stay in one place, the greater the chance we'll end up as something's lunch."
With a disdainful sniff, Flare followed his lead, her steps were firm but filled with a sense of unease. As they ventured deeper into the Ancient Grove, the dense foliage was closing in around them each step. Flare couldn't help but feel a growing sense of apprehension, irritation and... confusion inside of her. Sure, she wanted to eliminate him the right moment she would be out of the grove. But after witnessing his actions, she still couldn't shake off the thought that Ashimar did unbelievably rescue her from the Chimera before they were transported here. What confused her even more was his subsequent abandonment, leaving her to the beast's mercy the previous night, the same creature she forced herself to eat partially for survival. And she couldn't help but think about the contradiction of man's actions.
After a while of walking in tense silence, Flare finally mustered the courage to break the ice. "So, thief…" She began with a hint of curiosity. "What's your name?"
Ashimar shot her a sidelong glance, his expression still unreadable. He didn't know her sudden wish to make small talks, but it was clear that changing names was necessary in their situation. "It's Ashimar." He replied gruffly, as if the mere act of sharing his name was an inconvenience.
Phew, took me months to complete this, but it's ultimately done.
So, those two teamed up. Could you ever expect this turn of events? Hope not, because I have a couple of things in mind regarding them. I swear Flare will be an actual character, not a bitch just because, if you know what I mean. Nothing much, except that Keyaru met with his besties back to the kingdom lol.
That's it. Thanks for your time, and 'till next time, boys.