《A Comedy at Sea》


 Contingency Befitting Heroes Part I - "A Hero Partys Troubles"

    Alkith Jarvarax held the belief that the sign of a true hero was preparedness, not power. Even the strongest heroes bled, after all, and so long as they can bleed, they can die. That was how Jarvarax lived his life since he was born, and it¡¯s kept him alive so far, so he had no reason to doubt that line of thinking.


    But there were some people to whom logic just didn¡¯t apply to. One of those people was the leader of Jarvarax¡¯s party, Kalaman Kampus the Dragonslayer. He was cold and unsociable, so he hardly had any friends outside his party, though he kept saying he didn¡¯t need any. Hell, his party wasn¡¯t even official. He never wanted any party members. They all just chose to follow him wherever he went, and he just decided to tolerate them.


    Someone as strong as him didn¡¯t really need teammates, anyways. But Jarvarax had been an adventurer for a long time now. He¡¯s seen heroes come and go, and the one thing he noticed was that even the most indomitable of heroes could fall.


    So, Jarvarax took it upon himself to ensure the party was ready at all times. All provisions had to be stocked up, all equipment had to be maintained. When they¡¯d take a quest to unknown territory, he¡¯d make sure to buy a map, or ask around for information. Whenever the party needed something, he made sure to have it. And so far, in the two years he¡¯s been in Kalaman¡¯s party, he¡¯s never lacked anything they needed. At some point, he¡¯s managed to make a name for himself as the ¡°Hero of Contingency¡±, not that he cared much about it.


    But things haven¡¯t been going so smoothly lately. While Jarvarax was able to provide for his team time and time again, the pressure had slowly been weighing on him.


    Three months ago, they lost their healer during the Mambhaling civil war. Ques Van Lendi was an exceptional cleric, as well as a good friend. His death took more than its share of toll on Jarvarax, both on manpower and emotion.


    In particular, he found himself buying potions a lot recently.


    ¡°What¡¯s got ya furrowin¡¯ yer brow, Jar?¡±


    A tiny voice like a bell called out to him. Realizing he¡¯d been lost in thought while sitting on his bed, he focused his attention on the girl in front of him. It was a halfling woman with puffy brown hair tied into twintails. It was their party¡¯s bard, Remina, who had joined the party about the same time as Jarvarax.


    ¡°It is nothing to concern yourself with, Remina. I was just doing some inventory.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessin¡¯ there¡¯s a problem, then? You were lookin¡¯ mighty scary for a second there.¡±


    ¡°Was I? My apologies.¡± Jarvarax scratched his scales in mild embarrassment. ¡°We are running low on potions, and the apothecary in this town ran out.¡±


    ¡°I heard from the innkeeper that there was a shortage of potions everywhere around here, actually,¡± off in the corner, the party¡¯s sorceress, Armei, chimed in while she was putting on her equipment. ¡°Something about war brewing against the north. The military¡¯s been buying out all the potion stocks everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly the problem,¡± Jarvarax said. ¡°We are heading to one of the most dangerous unexplored continents without enough potions.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we stoppin¡¯ by Tisah on the way?¡± Remina asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we try and stock up on potions there?¡±


    ¡°It will be two or three months before our voyage reaches Tisah. By the time we arrive, the war would likely have already started, which means the shortage would only get worse.¡±


    Remina sighed. ¡°We really need a proper healer on our party. I don¡¯t know if my spells can keep up at this rate. You feel the same way too, right, Jar?¡±


    At the moment, Remina and Jarvarax stepped in to do Ques¡¯ job, since they both knew a few healing spells. But since Remina had to save most of her magic to support the party, and since Jarvarax isn¡¯t very skilled with magic to begin with, trying to keep everyone alive with their combined spells was tiresome.


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    ¡°It would certainly give us some peace of mind to have a cleric with us, especially with where we¡¯re going. But...¡±


    Both Jarvarax and Remina turned to look at Armei, who noticed their stares and began pouting, her long ears drooping downwards.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Mei, it¡¯s ¡®cuz you keep rejecting everyone who tries to join that we¡¯re havin¡¯ this problem!¡± Remina said.


    In response, Armei raised her face and crossed her arms. ¡°Hmph, everyone who¡¯s tried to join so far has been either very suspicious, full of themselves, or just plain dumb. I¡¯m not entrusting Kalaman¡¯s safety to the likes of them.¡±


    They¡¯ve been looking for Ques¡¯ replacement for some time now, but because Armei was incredibly strict about these kinds of things, they haven¡¯t made good progress on it.


    ¡°You rejected some of them just ¡®cuz they weren¡¯t ¡®up to par¡¯! Ques was one-of-a-kind, you know? I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find anyone as good as him anytime soon, so wouldn¡¯t hirin¡¯ a regular cleric be fine for now?¡±


    ¡°Not only would their help be negligible, but novices would also only slow us down. You know how Kalaman fights. If they¡¯re not able to keep up with him, then they¡¯d be better off being somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°That is enough, you two,¡± Jarvarax interfered. ¡°At any rate, we will have to subsist on potions for now. So long as we keep up a more offense-oriented strategy, we should be able to get by.¡±


    Jarvarax came up with the idea to rely more on speed and power in their fights to make up for Ques¡¯ absence. The faster they can kill their opponents, the less they¡¯d have to worry about taking damage. That said, it¡¯s a bit easier said than done, since being more aggressive meant they¡¯d have more openings in themselves to account for.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to buy more potions once we reach Feralter. They have a base of operations there, right? That Raptor¡¯s Roost, or whatever they call it. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have potions.¡± Armei said.


    ¡°Jar¡¯s probably thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ round the lines of ¡®but what if something happens while we¡¯re trying to get there?¡¯¡± Remina did her best impression of the dragonborn. She wasn¡¯t wrong though. In fact, she was right on the money.


    ¡°We cannot be sure if the Roost has any stock, either,¡± he added. ¡°For all we know, they could be having a shortage of their own. In fact, I would be surprised if they did not. Feralter is unexplored territory, and it is filled to the brim with unknown enemies, so the Raptors must have their hands full quite frequently.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, it really does sound like a scary place,¡± Remina said, pretending to shiver. ¡°Why are we headin¡¯ to such a dangerous land, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Kalaman didn¡¯t say,¡± Armei said. ¡°He just said he wanted to go there.¡±


    Remina chuckled. ¡°Knowin¡¯ him, it¡¯s probably to fight some strong monsters or somethin¡¯. Seriously, we can¡¯t catch a break ¡®cuz of him.¡±


    ¡°He would do that.¡± Jarvarax looked around, only just now noticing the apparent absence of their leader. ¡°Speaking of which, where is Kalaman?¡±


    ¡°Ah, get this! I saw him wake up at midnight. I asked him where he was goin¡¯, and he said he couldn¡¯t sleep, so he went out to take a walk.¡±


    ¡°And he hasn¡¯t returned yet?¡± Worry was in Armei¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I figure not. Eh, he¡¯ll be fine, though.¡±


    ¡°What if he¡¯s been attacked?!¡±


    ¡°I would be more worried for his enemies, if that is the case,¡± Jarvarax sighed. ¡°But yes, this is quite the troublesome situation. You should¡¯ve accompanied him last night, Remina, and made sure he got back safely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cute that you¡¯re such a worrywart! But I think he¡¯ll be fine. It ain¡¯t like he¡¯ll just start a fight...¡± Remina words trailed off. After a brief pause, she scratched her cheek and nervously laughed. ¡°He would start a fight, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He would do that, yes.¡±


    The three of them were already well acquainted with how rough their leader can be. Jarvarax remembered a time when a stuck-up party of young adventurers taunted Kalaman. Needless to say, it didn¡¯t take very long for the situation to escalate rapidly.


    Armei hastily finished readying her equipment. ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch him¡ª¡±


    Just as the half-elf was about to walk out, the door suddenly opened, and in came a man wearing a worn-out half-plate. His hair was messy, and the bags under his eyes were almost as dark as his eyes themselves. He inspected everyone in the room with cold nonchalance.


    ¡°O-oh, Kalaman, we were just about to look for you,¡± Armei said, flustered by his sudden entrance.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s awake. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Immediately after saying that, Kalaman left the room without even stepping in. Armei tried to say something else to him, but seeing as he already left, she simply sighed. Remina turned to Jarvarax and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say ¡°Kal¡¯s just being Kal again¡±.


    Then, only five seconds later, Kalaman opened the door again, much to everyone¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°We have a cleric now,¡± he said before leaving again.

 Contingency Befitting Heroes Part II - "The Fifth Member"

    The Dragonslayer¡¯s party, a legendary team of heroes, were now walking down the early morning streets of Ma¡¯bollo. The hero Kalaman Kampus calmly yet hastily walked to the port, while his frenzied teammates followed, questioning him all the way.


    ¡°Kalaman, is this some sort of joke?¡± Armei said, confusion in her voice. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®we have a cleric now¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It means we have a cleric now,¡± Kalaman replied matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Did you hire one? If so, why didn¡¯t you ask us first?¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    In all honesty, even Jarvarax was surprised. Kalaman has never been the kind of person to seek out companionship. He¡¯s said, time and time again, that he didn¡¯t need any party members. Yet, he¡¯s saying that he personally hired one. It was completely out-of-character for him.


    ¡°This is quite an interestin¡¯ development, I¡¯ll say,¡± Remina said. Her simultaneous surprise and intrigue were blatant on her face. ¡°How¡¯d you find this cleric guy, anyway? What¡¯s so special about him that you¡¯d go out of your way to recruit him?¡±


    Kalaman was quiet for a few seconds. Yet another unnatural behavior from him. ¡°I met her last night. She was looking for a party, so I hired her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a woman?!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s a woman! Oh my!¡±


    Armei and Remina had two very different reactions to his statement. Jarvarax, meanwhile, just can¡¯t wrap his head around Kalaman¡¯s decision. He thought maybe the loss of Ques had made him realize the importance of a team healer, but he hasn¡¯t shown any signs of that for the past three months. He hasn¡¯t been gravely injured in that time, either. When Armei was rejecting those adventurers that tried to join, Kalaman didn¡¯t really care whether they got it or not. In the end, the party wasn¡¯t really a team Kalaman needed to manage, they were just people who followed and supported him.


    So why now?


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± Kalaman said. ¡°We should hurry. The ship is about to leave port.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections!¡± Remina said as she happily skipped along the road. ¡°I¡¯m excited to meet her!¡±


    ¡°...Well, if Kalaman chose her, then I guess she¡¯ll be fine.¡± Armei averted her eyes and hung her head.


    Two very different reactions.


    ¡°I have no objections to this, either,¡± Jarvarax said, not knowing how much of it he truly meant.


    Still, there was no point thinking too hard about all this for now. For now, they just needed to focus on their mission.


    It was a simple escort quest. A merchant ship had commissioned their party to guard them as they sailed for the port city of Tisah. It wasn¡¯t rare to get commissions like this. Especially in times of unrest such as these, it was reassuring to have a powerful group protect you in the open seas. Though, it was strange that Jarvarax saw no escort request when he was looking at the town¡¯s commission board in the past few days. The commissioner must¡¯ve approached Kalaman directly.


    After a few minutes¡¯ walk, they finally arrive at the port. It was still very early in the morning, so there wasn¡¯t much of a crowd present. As such, it was easy to spot where they were going.


    It was a galleon of expensive make, large enough to easily house hundreds of people. That was to be expected. Only the wealthy would be able to commission a hero¡¯s party.


    Yet, despite not having stepped foot onto the ship, something felt out of place about it somehow. Jarvarax couldn¡¯t really put his finger on what it was.


    As they got closer, Jarvarax¡¯s eyes focused onto a figure in the distance. She was sitting atop one of the boxes that were in front of the galleon, her legs swaying about as she stared at the ground waiting. She was young, maybe about seventeen or eighteen, if Jarvarax had to guess. It was easy to spot her with how much she stood out. Her white dress paired with her long pitch-black hair was a striking contrast.


    She noticed the party¡ªor rather, Kalaman¡ªapproach, and jumped down her box, patted the dust away from her dress, and stood formally with a smile. Up close, her bright yellow eyes were vividly striking.


    ¡°...You had your dressed cleaned,¡± Kalaman remarked as they finally reached her.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be a long voyage, right?¡± the cleric replied. ¡°I should at least look presentable.¡±


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    It didn¡¯t take long for Jarvarax to notice. Even Armei and Remina noticed too. This young woman was a complete novice¡ªa beginner. It wasn¡¯t how she acted that gave it away. In fact, she seemed quite confident with how she handled herself. But when you¡¯ve been in this business for long enough, you can start to tell someone else¡¯s strength just by looking. This cleric had not seen a lot of battles.


    ¡°Oh! Is this her, Kal?¡± Remina perked up as she giddily stared at the cleric.


    ¡°Ah, I should introduce myself, right?¡± The cleric gave a graceful and somewhat practiced bow; one you¡¯d only really see done by trained priestesses. ¡°My name is Nentonia Brava, a cleric. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Remina Merryglow, a bard! Hello!¡± The halfling reciprocated her introduction with her boundless energy and a ton of smile. The cleric, Nentonia, smiled softly in kind.


    ¡°I am Alkith Jarvarax, the party ranger. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡± Jarvarax placed his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed slightly, a traditional dragonborn greeting from his hometown.


    Jarvarax had his reservations about Nentonia and the skill gap between her and the party, but he was cordial enough to return a proper greeting.


    Some in the party, however, weren¡¯t so refined.


    ¡°Kalaman, what is the meaning of this?¡± Armei asked, dumbfounded.


    ¡°I thought you said you were fine with my decision earlier,¡± Kalaman replied.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be sensible enough to hire someone actually competent, not deadweight!¡±


    ¡°Mei, that¡¯s a bit much!¡±


    ¡°Someone has to say it. This is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Kalaman glared at Armei. It wasn¡¯t unusual for him to glare at his teammates from time to time when they were being unreasonable, but this one was especially cold.


    Armei flinched and took a step back, but she managed to stand her ground. ¡°...Kalaman, you need to think this through. We can¡¯t let someone like her hold us back, especially where we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me, elf. As if any of you are even capable of holding me back.¡±


    A bold declaration, one he is more than able of backing up. No one there doubted that claim. With those words came pressure; a heavy air that weighed on everyone as if an anvil had been dropped on their shoulders. His words weren¡¯t even all that malicious, yet Jarvarax could feel snakes run up his spine, biting down on his back from the inside-out.


    This was a hero, Jarvarax thought. An object of admiration for children and the common folk, definitely. But terror is what sets them apart. It¡¯s just that very few children ever see heroes from the enemy¡¯s perspective. Jarvarax certainly didn¡¯t want to be his enemy, that was for certain.


    Without word, Kalaman Kampus continued walking towards the ship, expecting everyone to shut up and follow.


    And that¡¯s exactly what happened. Armei glared at Nentonia for a bit, but she said nothing. Jarvarax himself could see where she was coming from, though. He definitely wouldn¡¯t trust this Nentonia Brava to be able to heal as efficiently as Ques could. It was a high bar to set her to, but now that she was on the party, Jarvarax decided to ensure she reached that level one day.


    For now, he¡¯ll just stay silent and quietly watch until he¡¯s able to properly gauge what she¡¯s capable of in combat.


    The party followed Kalaman up the galleon¡¯s gangplank, where at the top, a fancily dressed man was waiting with a shallow smile. He removed his hat and bowed as Kalaman approached.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it on time, oh great hero,¡± the man said. ¡°You know me already, of course, but allow me to reintroduce myself for the sake of your teammates. My name is Nahar, the captain of this ship. I hope to make your acquaintance.¡±


    They exchanged the usual pleasantries that accompanied missions such as these. Jarvarax¡¯s attention, though, was directed behind captain Nahar. The doubts he had about the ship¡ªthat feeling of something being out of place¡ªwas finally justified. It took him a while to notice, but now that he did, it was strikingly odd.


    The crew of the ship were scurrying about, breathing raggedly as they did their jobs with the utmost haste. Some of them were even trying to do multiple jobs at once. This wasn¡¯t surprising, considering how few of them there were.


    And that was surprising in-and-of-itself, considering the size of this ship.


    This was a galleon, and a fairly large one at that. So why were there so few crewmates?


    Eventually, Nahar led them to their quarters. They were all given different rooms. Empty rooms seemed to be in abundance on the ship, he noticed. After the ship began sailing, Jarvarax set down his things and went to Kalaman¡¯s room. Armei and Remina seemed to have the same idea as well. Gathering around Kalaman was something the party did often, especially when they were placed in separate rooms during missions. It was much easier to discuss about their plans that way, after all.


    When Jarvarax arrived at the room, only Armei and Remina were there.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Jarvarax asked.


    ¡°He went to the captain to discuss our payment,¡± Armei answered. ¡°He¡¯s taking a while, though. I wonder what they could be talking about?¡±


    ¡°And the cleric?¡±


    Armei¡¯s eyes flinched as she refused to answer. It was obvious that talking about her put her in a bad mood.


    ¡°I met with her while I was headin¡¯ here!¡± Remina answered for her to rid the room of the awkward silence. ¡°She said she was feelin¡¯ queasy from how the ship¡¯s swayin¡¯, so she went to the upper deck to catch a breather. Kinda reminds me of Mei back when she first rode a ship!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Remina,¡± Armei said, clearly not flattered by the comparison. ¡°And can you please stop bringing that up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that! At least you found a kindred spirit in Nentonia, right?¡±


    Armei drew a deep breath, stood up, and walked for the door. ¡°I¡¯m getting some fresh air, if you mind,¡± she said before leaving, her voice sounding more defensive that usual.


    Then, the room was back to silence.


    ¡°Hm, this is troublesome, yes.¡± Remina crossed her arms.


    ¡°You are trying to get the two of them to get along, I presume?¡±


    ¡°It might take a while, I feel.¡±


    Jarvarax sighed. ¡°It will certainly take some time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be on this ship for, like, three months, right? Plenty o¡¯ time, if I do say so myself! They¡¯ll be buddy-buddy ¡®fore we reach Tisah, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Jarvarax sat down, took out his handy notebook, and started doing his usual work. He could only hope that the tensions between Armei and Nentonia would resolve without incident.


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Jarvarax grimaced at his notebook. Another spelling mistake. With all this stress, he¡¯s afraid he¡¯d lose his edge before they even reach shore.

 Contingency Befitting Heroes Part III - "Eyes Do Not Lie"

    It has been a little over three weeks since the ship had set sail, and Jarvarax was feeling very anxious. After all, they were in the middle of an ocean, and his doubts about the crew has already risen to unsettling proportions.


    Every now and then, Jarvarax would patrol the ship, observing every nook and cranny of the vessel. The first thing that stood out to him was validation of his observations when they first boarded the galleon¡ªthat being, the fact that this ship was extremely understaffed.


    It was eerie, walking through the halls of a silent ship, day in and day out. When he did find crew members, they were oddly quiet too, and exceedingly timid. They¡¯d answer questions quickly and with as few words as possible, before scurrying off to do more work. Half of them were visibly nervous whenever Jarvarax tried to talk to them, too.


    The second thing that stood out was the payment. Kalaman had received their commission payment from captain Nahar; a down-payment of gold and gems, enough to purchase several large mansions. Which begs the question, if the captain had this much money, enough to hire the services of a hero¡¯s party, then why didn¡¯t he hire more staff? Especially with such a large ship?


    The third thing that stood out, however, was far more alarming.


    Jarvarax was dragonborn. As such, his sense of smell was keener than most humans. That¡¯s why he had little trouble noticing the clumsily cleaned blood smears on the walls of the ship. It seemed that none of Jarvarax¡¯s party members noticed this detail, however. They were faint, so if you weren¡¯t looking, you wouldn¡¯t see it.


    Something happened on this ship, and it was recent. A whole slew of possibilities arose in Jarvarax¡¯s mind. Pirate attack, mutiny, theft ... whatever happened here, things certainly didn¡¯t end peacefully.


    ¡°Sir Jarvarax!¡±


    A voice called out from behind him as he was walking the halls, one more unfamiliar than the ones he had gotten used to. He turned around to see the new raven-black haired cleric of the party.


    ¡°What is it, Nentonia?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was just wondering if you needed any help, that¡¯s all,¡± she said. ¡°I heard from Remina about what happened to your previous cleric. It¡¯s, um ... I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°...It is fine. Get to your point,¡± Jarvarax replied with a bit of force in his voice.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Nentonia bowed slightly. ¡°Remina also said that you¡¯ve been having trouble managing the team since then. I¡¯m not as strong as any of you, I know, so I thought I could help with this stuff instead!¡±


    Nentonia¡¯s eyes, a dizzying yellow, held nothing but her genuine feelings. Jarvarax could tell that much. In all honesty, he found it hard to interact with her, so he usually tried to avoid her. In the past few days, Nentonia¡¯s been getting pretty close to Remina. Kalaman has strangely been talking to her a lot lately, too. Jarvarax simply left the task of acquainting her to the party to them, but at the end of the day, she was supposed to be Ques¡¯ replacement¡ªsomeone to share Jarvarax¡¯s managerial burdens with, as Ques did.


    ¡°There is no need,¡± he replied, and walked away.


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    He wondered why he refused. Jarvarax had always thought of himself as the logical one in the party, but for the first time in what seemed like forever, he made a decision he himself did not understand.


    There was something inside him that didn¡¯t feel okay with it all.


    He was frustrated and he didn¡¯t know why.


    ?


    ¡°Blood smears, you say? That is troublin¡¯, for sure...¡±


    A few days have passed, and Jarvarax decided to confide with Remina alone about his doubts. Kalaman was impulsive, and lacking a penchant for diplomacy. Things could get ugly very quickly if he found out. In the same vein, Armei¡¯s brash, shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude could end up sparking some unwanted conflicted too, especially with how overprotective she was of Kalaman. Nentonia¡¯s only been in the party for a few weeks by this point, so Jarvarax didn¡¯t trust her enough yet. Thus, Remina was the only one he felt comfortable divulging his findings with.


    ¡°I feel like captain Nahar is hiding something from us,¡± he said. ¡°This crew, this ship ... it unsettles me, Remina.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I get what your sayin¡¯, but is there really anythin¡¯ we can do at this point?¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the sea, and not one of us knows how to steer a ship. If things get ugly between us and the crew, we might end up stranded here in the open ocean. I¡¯d rather not become shark food, thank you very much. ¡®Sides, all we need to do is escort ¡®em, right? If we just shut up and don¡¯t ask questions, we¡¯ll be able to reach shore in no time.¡±


    ¡°What if they are plotting something against us? You know Kalaman has many enemies. One of them could have hired this crew as assassins to take him out. In the middle of the sea, he has nowhere to run. This is the perfect place to be ambushed!¡±


    ¡°This hasn¡¯t been the first time an assassin¡¯s paid a visit, no?¡± she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Kal¡¯s invincible. They could send an entire army and it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough. Honestly, the man¡¯s too amazin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You take this situation too lightly, Remina. We cannot let ourselves become vulnerable, especially where we are now.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you suppose we do?¡± Remina asked, her tone getting heavier all of a sudden. ¡°Do we confront them and risk things gettin¡¯ violent? You know that if things get violent with us, people die. Honestly, Jar? I can¡¯t stand that anymore.¡±


    Remina¡¯s eyes were beginning to glisten, and her voice was weaker than usual. He could hear it shake slightly, as if she was trying to push down words that were trying to come up.


    ¡°...No, you are right. Forgive me, I had gotten worked up. All we need to do is have our guard up for now, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The discussion ended there, with Jarvarax¡¯s worries not finding any resolution.


    For the next couple of weeks, Jarvarax did just as he said. He waited and observed, all while keeping his guard up. His anxieties would only grow, however, as he would observe strange behavior.


    Even stranger was that it wasn¡¯t from the crew, but from his own party.


    Kalaman and Nentonia, who talked frequently during the voyage¡¯s start, were now hardly seen together. Kalaman, who was already a taciturn man, felt even more silent than before, and spent most of his days sitting in his room, staring at open space. Nentonia, on the other hand, was often walking from place to place, restlessly exploring the ship whenever she could. Jarvarax rarely ever saw the two of them in the same room.


    Armei¡¯s mood got worse and worse as the voyage continued. Whenever she replied to anything anyone said, her voice was harsh and rejecting, as if she didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone.


    And Remina was quiet. Usually, she would chat up everyone she met as often as she could, but lately she¡¯s been passing people by more often, without saying anything aside from a casual greeting here or there.


    All of this unsettled Jarvarax in a way he couldn¡¯t describe.


    It felt like something in his life was unraveling in a way he couldn¡¯t control. He had entered a dark cave, and lost his grip on the reigns.


    But it was fine. If Ques was here, then there wouldn¡¯t be a problem in the first place. Jarvarax needed to do everything Ques would¡¯ve done, and things would turn out okay. Jarvarax could do it, he knew he could. He had to. He knew Ques best, didn¡¯t he?


    Jarvarax had went wrong somewhere along the line. He just didn¡¯t know where.


    A week later, the worst-case scenario had come.


    They were on a ship in the middle of the open ocean, and an assassin was on board with them.

 Contingency Befitting Heroes Part IV - "Boiling Point"

    Jarvarax slammed his hands on the table as hard as he could. Captain Nahar did not even flinch.


    ¡°Do not play dumb with me, captain,¡± Jarvarax snarled at him. ¡°There is no one else on this ship except us and you lot.¡±


    ¡°Sir Jarvarax, I can attest to the innocence of my crew. They¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you implying that assassin was one of us?¡± His voice grew deeper, clearly insulted. ¡°The ones who attacked Kalaman were two hooded figures, one male and one female. The only other man in the party other than Kalaman himself is me, and I am sure that if it was me, captain, it would have been obvious.¡±


    Nahar waved his hands. ¡°I am not suggesting such a thing, heaven¡¯s, no. But sir Jarvarax, me and my men aren¡¯t strong. Sure, we could hold our own in a fight if we had to, but our strength was in numbers, which we do not have right now. We would not have any need for escorts otherwise. I find it hard to believe that we¡¯d have the confidence to dare take on the Dragonslayer in our state. At the very least, if I was the assassin, I wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to give that command.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that, the assassin exists, and he is on this ship.¡±


    ¡°...A third party.¡± Nahar placed his hands down and repeatedly tapped the table with his fingers, as if he was nervous. ¡°Someone who is not affiliated with your group, nor my crew has invaded the ship. Either they are hiding within the galleon, evading sight, or they are posing to be one of us. In any case, this is a problem we both share, and one you should resolve quickly.¡±


    ¡°We should resolve it, you say?¡± Jarvarax growled at him, yet the captain wasn¡¯t even intimidated in the slightest.


    ¡°Remember what you were hired for,¡± he said. ¡°Though the assassin has mainly targeted sir Kalaman for now, they are still an enemy to us as well. We don¡¯t know if their main quarry is sir Kalaman, or if they¡¯ve simply decided to get rid of any obstacles in killing us. Either way, you should do what you do best.¡±


    The captain stared at Jarvarax dead in the eyes. For some reason, they felt so familiar to him. Nahar¡¯s eyes looked like bottomless holes.


    Jarvarax didn¡¯t like this captain. Not in the slightest.


    However, after taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Jarvarax left the room with a simple nod.


    He didn¡¯t buy anything Nahar just said. If anything, that conversation only served to strengthen Jarvarax¡¯s doubts about the crew.


    The question is, what should he do about it now?


    Should he just tell Kalaman and the others?


    ...No, they don¡¯t need to be involved in this. Everything that didn¡¯t need to be handled by the Dragonslayer¡¯s brute force, Jarvarax and Ques were able to handle. The two of them, together, kept the team up and running. And even without Ques, Jarvarax was able to keep everything together, too, if only for a few months.


    That, alone, is proof that Ques still lives. They don¡¯t need to replace him, and Jarvarax was going to prove it.


    With his goal set, he needed to find a way to achieve it. Killing Nahar right here and now posed too many risks. If the entire crew were assassins who shared Nahar¡¯s ideals, then killing him won¡¯t stop the rest. Killing the entire crew wouldn¡¯t be wise, either. No one in their party knew how to steer a ship or navigate the seas. There was also the chance that Nahar was right, and he wasn¡¯t part of the assassination plot, in which case killing him wouldn¡¯t do anything.


    Time. Jarvarax needed time. He needed to bide his time and observe, gather more clues, and find a conclusive answer. He wasn¡¯t like Ques, who could figure out the most perplexing mysteries with minimal clues faster than he could blink.


    But so long as he had time, Jarvarax could do it. It would definitely give the assassins more time to act, but that was fine. Their target was Kalaman, and it would take more than a couple of assassins to bring him down.


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    Jarvarax took a deep breath, and walked confidently. Right now, he felt Ques Van Lendi¡¯s hands on his back, pushing him forward.


    He felt as if he could do anything, as long as he was here.


    ?


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me ... I ... I didn¡¯t ... I didn¡¯t kill her...¡±


    Armei¡¯s voice was, contrary to how it usually was, very soft and frail, quivering as though it would be blown away by the wind at any moment. Jarvarax almost couldn¡¯t hear it. He didn¡¯t know if it was because her voice was just that quiet, or because his mind and body felt so incredibly numb.


    ¡°...It is fine,¡± Jarvarax mustered a reply. ¡°I know, Armei. You ... this could not have...¡±


    The words weren¡¯t coming out right. He felt as though his thoughts were just barely working, just enough to process the situation, but his own body felt like collapsing.


    Armei was by the doorway, leaning against it to support herself.


    Jarvarax was right in front of the bed, looking down on it.


    And on the bed was Remina, burns on her skin, a hole through her neck.


    Red.


    The bedsheets were supposed to be white, but...


    ¡°...Armei, go find Kalaman.¡±


    Jarvarax said. They had to something except just stand there and watch this scene. Right now, the party¡¯s leader had to be informed.


    But there was no reply from the half-elf.


    ¡°Armei?¡±


    Jarvarax turned around to see an empty doorway. Sometime during his daze, Armei had already left. He couldn¡¯t hear her footsteps ... no, that¡¯s not right. Armei was terrible at sneaking, especially when her emotions were agitated. It¡¯s just that Jarvarax wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    He looked back at Remina. Her face looked so peaceful. Solemn. It was like she had accepted what happened to her at the moment. She was always the ¡°in-the-moment¡± type.


    This was the second time he had seen the face of a dead comrade.


    It was during the end of the Mambhaling civil war. The battle had been won, and the city was quelled. The party had been separated, all doing their own things in separate parts of the city. When they regrouped, only Ques was missing.


    And when they were heading back to the inn, they stumbled across his body on the side of the road.


    Nobody knew how he died.


    Nobody knew who did it.


    Nobody ever saw his final moments


    He just ... got killed amidst the chaos.


    On his resting face wasn¡¯t peace and solemnity. It was fear. Two comrades whose deaths he never witnessed, having two opposing expressions.


    When Jarvarax died, what expression would be on his face?


    He didn¡¯t even need to ask. The answer was clear.


    At this rate, his final expression would be one of regret.


    This was his own fault. He had misjudged the enemy. Time was never something he had. He made a decision, and it was the wrong one. The only one who bore the responsibility was him, and it was his responsibility to set things right.


    He knew what he needed to do all along. He should¡¯ve done it from the very start.


    His footsteps were so heavy they caused cracks in the floorboards. The whole ship was swaying, no thanks to the storm outside. Jarvarax would be flung to a wall as the ship danced, but he still continued forward.


    He made a beeline towards the captain¡¯s quarters, where Nahar was leaning against his desk. Hearing his door open, he raised his head and met with Jarvarax¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Sir Jarvarax, what is going on out there?¡± he asked in an urgent tone. ¡°I sent my men to investigate that loud noise from earlier, but no one has ... huh? sir Jarvarax, what are you...?¡±


    Ignoring his every word, Jarvarax simply walked towards him. Without hesitation, he grabbed his spear from his back, and in one quick motion, thrust it towards the captain, aiming towards his neck.


    There was barely any resistance. Rather, Nahar couldn¡¯t resist even if he wanted to. Jarvarax might not be as strong as Kalaman, but he was certainly fast¡ªfast enough that Nahar wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge.


    It was quick and silent. The captain¡¯s vocal cords were severed almost instantly; there was no chance for him to even scream. Blood trickled down his throat, staining his clothes. The moment Jarvarax removed his spear, all that blood would no doubt come pouring out.


    His eyes were of shock, confusion, and anger. They weren¡¯t the eyes of a scared and helpless merchant captain. They were eyes that have seen bloodshed and battle before. They glared at Jarvarax coldly.


    It finally clicked in Jarvarax¡¯s head. When they were talking before, he noticed that the captain¡¯s eyes felt so familiar. Now he gets it.


    That coldness in his eyes was the same as Kalaman¡¯s.


    But that didn¡¯t matter. Not to Jarvarax.


    He removed his spear, painting the entire desk with a deep red. The captain slumped over it, motionless. Outside, the oceans raged. But Jarvarax felt calm. For the first time in weeks, he felt at ease.


    This was a crude solution. But it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Even if he had to kill the entire crew and sail them back to shore himself, Jarvarax will save his party.


    Because Ques could do it.


    Jarvarax chuckled. He smiled. And before long, he was guffawing like a lunatic. He laughed so hard he could barely breath. I must be going mad, he thought.


    But that was fine. He could handle a bit of insanity.


    Right now, he was in his element. He was free.


    If Ques was here, then he would definitely solve this conundrum immediately. He¡¯d definitely end it here.


    And just like that, Jarvarax knew what he had to do.

 Contingency Befitting Heroes Part V - "Denial"

    ¡°Why, you ask? That¡¯s a strange question, Alkith,¡± Ques Van Lendi replied as he rearranged the contents of his bag. ¡°I became a cleric simply because I could. I had the power to do so, so I did.¡±


    ¡°Then allow me to rephrase my question,¡± said Alkith Jarvarax. ¡°Why did you choose to become an adventurer? And of all the heroes to choose from, why follow the Dragonslayer? Surely, there are countless other professions where your clerical abilities are needed. Why tread the path most dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Hm, right. Phrased like that, it becomes a better question, yes.¡± Ques turned his gaze to the skies and thought of an answer. ¡°If I had to say, I guess it¡¯s because it¡¯s more dangerous. Adventurers constantly risk their lives, often for meager rewards. There are plenty of other occupations that give more for less. So why do you think they do it?¡±


    Jarvarax thought back to his own reasons for taking up this life. ¡°Is it experience? The desire to see the world and understand it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s desire. The desire for treasure, for glory, for knowledge. But at its core, it¡¯s the desire to feel alive. Battle, danger, conflict ... these things make our heart pump and our blood flow. The threat of death forces us to do everything to preserve our own lives. And through these ordeals, we grow as people. That is adventure. And what is the one experience that is universally present in all adventures?¡±


    Jarvarax stayed quiet for a while, not knowing the answer. Ques simply pointed a finger towards him and answered:


    ¡°It¡¯s pain. Pain, in all shapes and forms, is present in all lives no matter where you look, but it flocks to adventurers like flies. And where there¡¯s pain, there¡¯s healers like me. Clerics in my profession are drawn to pain.¡±


    ¡°So, you became a cleric because you like pain?¡±


    Ques laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t take my words out of context, man. Though, in a strange way, you¡¯re not entirely wrong. Pain is undesirable and ugly. If left rampant, it brings death, but if you overcome it, it creates room for growth. It is a power we must both fear and respect. That¡¯s why I follow Kalaman. Pain hangs abundantly over him. If I can be there to help him stand against it, then he may become whole.¡±


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    ¡°Become whole? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Pain perfects people, Alkith.¡±


    For years, those words have sunken their roots within Jarvarax¡¯s mind for years now. He kept thinking about it, even long after Ques¡¯ death. If pain perfects someone, is Jarvarax perfected? Why did he not think that Kalaman was whole yet? What does it even mean to become ¡°perfect¡±?


    All of this was simply his regret talking. Jarvarax will never know what it would be like to become perfect.


    The drops of rain were beginning to feel numb on his skin. He knew the ship was dancing with the waves, but he could not feel the shaking. The thunder was loud, but even its roar sounded distant.


    He was growing cold. The only warmth came from the blood that pooled beneath him, mixing with the uncaring rain.


    It all happened so fast. He had gone to the upper deck to confront the rest of the crew, and before he knew it, a sword had gone through his chest. It was only a matter of seconds before his consciousness went cold.


    His vision was blurring. He didn¡¯t know what was happening. But he could hear the screams. Loud, painful screams by the dozen.


    How did he fail? Things should never have gone like this. Jarvarax cursed his own stupidity. He wasn¡¯t Ques. He would never be Ques. What was he lacking? Was he lax in his observations? Was he lacking in his deductions? Was he mistaken with his decisions?


    What did Ques have that he didn¡¯t?


    If only Ques was here, things would never have turned out this way.


    ...Maybe that was the problem.


    Jarvarax was always thinking about what Ques would do if he was here. But Ques was gone. He¡¯ll never return. So instead of actually finding for ways to resolve this problem, all he was doing was mimicking a dead man, and dead men can¡¯t solve problems.


    He wasn¡¯t trying to prove that they didn¡¯t need a replacement for Ques. He just didn¡¯t want him to be replaced.


    What a fool he¡¯s been.


    Jarvarax sees a figure. His blurring eyes become clear for just a brief moment. Standing there, amidst the rain and the blood, was a lady in a white dress, her raven black hair flowing with the raging storm. Her sickly yellow eyes stared at the carnage with nothing but indifference.


    Right.


    She was a cleric, too.


    And before Jarvarax could arrange his thoughts further, everything went dark.

 Her Unbiased Heart Part I - "Unconditional"

    Armei went up to the main deck to take a breather. The voyage had just begun. Jarvarax and Remina were both talking about the new cleric, which prompted Armei to leave and ¡°get some fresh air¡±. In the end, Armei still couldn¡¯t accept her.


    Kalaman Kampus was a hero, and one of the most powerful men of this generation. That, Armei knows for sure. As a half-elf, her life has been long, and she¡¯s seen warriors come and go. And among the warriors she¡¯s met, Kalaman was in a league of his own. Even Jarvarax, Remina, and herself weren¡¯t qualified to stand by his side all that much.


    So, what place did that cleric even have here?


    None.


    As it stood, she could never stand alongside him. She didn¡¯t deserve to. It would be much better for both that cleric and the party to part ways. She would be much better off in a team closer to her skill level so that she wouldn¡¯t get left behind in the dust.


    The wind was frigid. Having lived most of her life in the sandy cities of eastern Veil, she wasn¡¯t very used to the cold, or ship rides in general. She shivered briefly, before taking a deep breath and regaining her composure.


    Maybe it was because she had just focused herself, but she could hear a faint sound of groaning behind her. Turning around, she saw a familiar figure slumped over the railing way back of the ship, atop the poop deck. A pure white dress, contrasted by her long hair that was black as charcoal ... Nentonia Brava the Cleric looked like she had just vomited out all her insides into the sea.


    It didn¡¯t take much observation to know that this was her first time riding a ship. She held onto the railings for dear life, and had her head hung low as she sat on her knees, her back bobbing up and down with her exhausted, heavy breaths.


    Her inexperience was clear as day. The place they were headed¡ªthe newfound continent of Feralter¡ªwas a highly dangerous place, filled to the brim with unknowns. A greenhorn like her wouldn¡¯t last a day.


    The ship had already sailed, but something had to be done about her.


    With forceful steps, Armei approached Nentonia. Nentonia raised her head upon noticing her approach, her eyes, a nauseating yellow, gazing right through hers.


    Nentonia forcefully smiled, trying to hide her queasy expression. It wasn¡¯t very convincing, considering how green her face was already. ¡°Ah, greetings. Pardon my unsightliness. Urgh ... I didn¡¯t think a ship would shake this much, so it caught me by surprise. I¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes or so, don¡¯t worry. Um ... Mei, was it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Armei,¡± she replied, irritated.


    ¡°Oh, so Mei was a nickname. My apologies. It¡¯s just that, uh, the bard ... Remina? That¡¯s what she called you, so I assumed¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± Armei interrupted her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did to have Kalaman accept you, but I won¡¯t beat around the bush. You¡¯re only going to slow us down.¡±


    Nentonia stared at her with a neutral expression, as if she already knew what she was going to say. Or was it that she just didn¡¯t care?


    ¡°I figured,¡± she replied with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Kalaman asked me to join him either, so I¡¯m just as confused as you are.¡±


    ¡°He asked you?¡±


    Nentonia looked at her, tilting her head. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You know him more than I do. I was actually hoping to ask you about it.¡±


    None of this made sense. What was it that Kalaman saw in her? Why would he seek her out and bring her here?


    Could it be that he...?


    No, that couldn¡¯t be it. It wasn¡¯t like him at all. He wouldn¡¯t concern himself with matters like that. Not him. Armei knew that better than anyone else.


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    ¡°...This ship will stop at Tisah,¡± Armei continued, ignoring those thoughts. ¡°As soon as we arrive, leave. No need to say goodbye, just leave, then and there, without letting Kalaman know.¡±


    Nentonia stood up and stared directly at Armei with that unreadable vacant smile of hers. ¡°Sure.¡±


    A straightforward response that Armei wasn¡¯t at all expecting. She expected her to give more of a resistance. But this brought a troubling and dangerous possibility concerning her true intentions.


    ¡°Sure, you say?¡±


    The cleric nodded without saying anything else. The sun was rising behind her, and her face was blanketed by her own shadow, her eyes seemingly glowing in that slight darkness. What on earth was going on inside that head of hers?


    ¡°...What do you want?¡± Armei asked. ¡°What exactly are you after, Brava?¡±


    ¡°I want to become an adventurer, that¡¯s all. I was invited to a party, so I joined. If you want me to leave, then I¡¯ll just find another party.¡±


    Armei couldn¡¯t tell if she was lying or not. Her expression did not betray whatever thoughts brewed underneath that ever so slight smile of hers.


    A random adventurer joining the hero¡¯s party, and agreeing to leave the moment the voyage ended without hesitation. There was the possibility that whatever her true goal was, it was attainable during this voyage. Armei wasn¡¯t well versed in schemes¡ªthose things were Van Lendi¡¯s forte¡ªbut she did know that Kalaman has had many enemies in the past, and more than half of them used other tactics when they realized that brute strength could not overcome him.


    Nentonia Brava unnerved her.


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, then you will leave at Tisah, for your sake and his.¡±


    With those words, Armei walked away. Armei did not think that someone as weak as her could ever assassinate Kalaman, but just in case, she decided to keep an eye on her for now.


    Well, assassin or not, she still had to leave this party. If she was too weak aid or kill Kalaman, then she was less than useless here.


    Kicking her out like this would probably earn her Kalaman¡¯s ire if he ever found out, but that didn¡¯t matter to Armei. The only thing that mattered to her was if Kalaman got the support he needed.


    That was all that mattered.


    ?


    A month had passed. By this point, the voyage was already halfway. For the most part, things were sailing smoothly. There haven¡¯t been any pirates or sea monsters yet, so that meant Armei and the rest didn¡¯t have much to do except wander around or laze about. Sitting around in the room was making Armei¡¯s body and mind numb, so ever now and then she¡¯d go on ¡°patrols¡± around the ship, though it was just an excuse to have something to do.


    During one of these patrols, she came across Remina, who also liked to wander around the ship. She was the kind of person you¡¯d describe as ¡°restless¡±, so Armei expected this from her even before the voyage began.


    ¡°I keep tryin¡¯ to talk to the crew, but man, they¡¯re pretty unsociable,¡± Remina said as she tagged along with Armei. ¡°Every reply¡¯s just a simple ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯, if they¡¯d even reply at all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really our job to socialize with them anyway. If they want to be left alone, I say let them be alone. Our job¡¯s to protect, not to befriend, right?¡±


    Remina stared at Armei for a while, then chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re pretty unsociable too, aren¡¯t ya, Mei?¡±


    ¡°I socialize when I need to,¡± she sighed. ¡°Really, diplomacy¡¯s for you and Jarvarax to handle. All I can do is fight.¡±


    After saying that, Armei heard Remina chuckle again.


    ¡°You know, you¡¯ve changed a lot, haven¡¯t ya? If it was you from before, you¡¯d have blown your lid the moment I said that. Ah, those were fun days! You really mellowed out since then. I remember you always kept verbally harassin¡¯ Kal for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Ugh ... stop reminding me,¡± Armei clutched her head in embarrassment and shame, though this only made Remina laugh even harder.


    Those were days Armei didn¡¯t look fondly back on. She had a pretty unhealthy attachment to Kalaman back then, though because she was unaware of her own feelings, she lashed out against him often. Ever since she came to terms with her emotions towards him, she¡¯s calmed down.


    ¡°Oh! Speak of the devil!¡± Remina said.


    In front of them, at the end of the hall, was Kalaman. For a brief second, Armei¡¯s chest tightened. Even after all this time, it was hard to forget those emotions. But it was fine. Things were different now. These emotions were under her control now.


    She wanted to walk forward and greet him. But the moment she was about to take that step, another figure appeared from around the corner.


    Nentonia Brava stopped in front of Kalaman and engaged in conversation with him.


    Armei was unable to hear what the two of them were talking about, but her sharp elven eyes were able to see their expressions. Nentonia, as usual, had that fa?ade of a smile she usually wore.


    And, even if only slightly, the edge of Kalaman¡¯s mouth rose up to form a faint smile as he talked.


    ¡°Ah, Nen¡¯s there too! Let¡¯s go say hi!¡± Remina said.


    ¡°...No, I¡¯m heading back.¡±


    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    Armei turned around and walked away. She really did want to sleep. Just close her eyes and rest away this strange feeling.


    Kalaman¡¯s never smiled before. She¡¯s never seen him smile, even a little.


    No, that meant nothing. Kalaman¡¯s the same as he was before. He wouldn¡¯t...


    ¡°...¡±


    Ever since the voyage began, it¡¯s been hard to breath. There was a heavy weight inside her that had begun to fester, digging its claws deeper and holding tightly.


    Why did he ask her to join the party?


    Why her?


    ¡°...Damnit.¡±


    What unnecessary thoughts.

 Her Unbiased Heart Part II - "Swirling Toxins"

    Blood trickled down Kalaman¡¯s cheek and dripped onto the floorboards. It was a tiny, inconsequential wound, but it was enough to make Armei¡¯s blood boil.


    ¡°...Who did this?¡± Armei asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a good look at their faces,¡± Kalaman replied with his usual cold tone, as if nothing had happened. ¡°There were two of them, hooded. A male and a female. Humans, both.¡±


    Armei clicked her tongue. ¡°Another assassin. Is it someone from the crew?¡±


    ¡°The Remina seems to think so,¡± Kalaman replied. Armei thought he should really learn to use names more often. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°It does. We need to find the assassin and kill them! They need to taste the worst spells in my arsenal before I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Do what you want.¡± Kalaman walked away calmly.


    ¡°Ah ... wait!¡± Armei called out, which caused him to stop and turn his head slightly. She ran to his side and took out a single potion of healing from her pockets. She always carried one around with her for emergencies. ¡°Here, you have to close that wound, or it¡¯ll fester¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡±


    As Armei opened the bottle and was about to give it to him, he continued walking, leaving her behind.


    ¡°Kalaman!¡±


    ¡°Save that for someone else.¡±


    His eyes, dark as the ocean depths, betrayed nothing. Their conversation was short, but the entire time, he didn¡¯t even look at her. Even if they were directed at her, he will never see her. Those eyes saw nothing.


    She¡¯s long accepted it. Kalaman Kampus will never look her way. But she¡¯s fine with that. As long as she could be by his side, supporting him, nothing else mattered.


    Right now, what matters is the assassin.


    Remina believed that the assassin was hiding amongst the crew. Jarvarax would have thought the same as well, no doubt. It made sense; Kalaman said the assailants were one male and one female, and both human. Since Kalaman was the only human male in the party, they could rule out the possibility of a traitor having joined the party. It could only have been someone from the crew.


    But something didn¡¯t sit right with Armei. She just couldn¡¯t tell why, but she felt unsafe.


    Then, a thought she had before rose up in the back of her head.


    A random adventurer joining the hero¡¯s party, and agreeing to leave the moment the voyage ended without hesitation. There was the possibility that whatever her true goal was, it was attainable during this voyage.


    Right. Nentonia¡¯s reason for joining was always strange to her.


    Kalaman suddenly warming up to a girl he just met, followed by him being attacked whilst in the middle of a voyage, miles away from land. It was all too convenient.


    No, Armei thought as she shook her head. Her actions are driven by reason, not emotion. As much as she disliked Nentonia, she wasn¡¯t going to let it drive her decisions. Her envy wasn¡¯t as important as Kalaman¡¯s safety. She needed to take this seriously.


    As she took a deep breath, she noticed that she was still holding onto the potion of healing, its cap still open. She spaced out and almost dropped it. Closing the lid, she stared at the swirling red liquid inside the vial, her reflection staring back at her. She wasn¡¯t very good at hiding her emotions, and the melancholy on her expression made no effort to hide either.


    ¡°Save that for someone else.¡±


    She hung her head.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one else, Kalaman. It¡¯s only for you.¡±


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    ?


    Armei had cornered one of the crew members and began interrogating him, trying to wring out as much information as she could.


    ¡°Speak up. What do you know about the assassin?¡± she asked.


    The crewman seemed terrified and defensive, his eyes darting around, looking for a way to escape. The way he behaved made it hard not to be suspicious of him.


    ¡°...Hell if I know,¡± he finally replied in an apprehensive voice, all the while averting his gaze. ¡°Cap¡¯n usually tells us nothin¡¯...¡±


    ¡°Oh? So does the captain know something then?¡±


    The animosity leaked from her voice, which caused the crewman to be on guard. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! Go ask ¡®im if yer so curious...!¡±


    The crewman forced his way out and stormed off. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t going to say anything more, and torturing him would most likely be a bad idea, so she just let him go.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting nowhere, damnit.¡±


    It always ended like this. Every time she¡¯d interrogate a crew member, they¡¯d just run away without saying much. It was as if they were afraid of talking at all.


    Either way, it looked like confronting the captain, Nahar, was the only option left. She went to him to wring out any answers she could, but Nahar felt exasperated the entire time, as if he¡¯d heard it a million times already.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, I don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the captain. You have to know something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a simple sailor, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± Armei was getting impatient. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been giving the orders around here. You must know something.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve told you, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Nahar¡¯s tone was getting harder, his patience wearing thin. But Armei didn¡¯t care. All she wanted were answers.


    ¡°Liar.¡± Armei stepped closer, her voice low and dangerous. ¡°You know something, and you¡¯re not telling us.¡±


    ¡°And what makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°This entire commission¡¯s been sketchy from the very start. Why hire a hero of Kalaman¡¯s renown for such a simple escort mission? And why is a ship this large so understaffed?¡±


    The two exchanged glares. Nahar¡¯s expression did not shift in the slightest.


    ¡°Tell me, captain,¡± Armei lowered her voice even further, letting her animosity leak out. ¡°Are you really a simple sailor?¡±


    Nahar stared back, his expression betraying nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand your suspicion of me. I¡¯d be suspicious, too, so I can¡¯t blame you. Very well, I suppose there is one way I can help. You said that the assassins were one human male and one human female, yes?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Most of my crew are men, though I doubt any of them could land a scratch on the Dragonslayer, but that¡¯s besides the point. There are only three women in my crew at the moment. I¡¯ll ask them to answer any question you may have for them. I can assure you here and now that none of them are capable of combat or assassination, but if it can ease your mind to hear it from them directly, then be my guest.¡±


    The way Nahar carried himself was unsettling. He was too calm. Either he¡¯s lying, has ulterior motives, or was just a very experienced sailor.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Armei had a feeling that Nahar wouldn¡¯t say anything more, so she just left it at that.


    A day later, she went to see the three women in the crew, all of whom were humanoid, fitting Kalaman¡¯s description of one of the assassins.


    The first was timid and shy, possessing a body so frail that Armei was certain she couldn¡¯t run the entire length of the ship¡¯s hallways without stopping to take a breather. The second was brash and rude, often barking back at Armei¡¯s provocations, but she had a pretty solid alibi. As for the third, she was larger and bulkier than most of the men on the ship, and the entire galleon would quake if she even thought about running.


    The chances of any of the three being assassins was low. Armei did have a very sharp mind¡ªsomething she herself was very aware of¡ªbut her intuition seldom failed her, and deemed the three of them innocent.


    But if none of the girls on the crew were assassins, then...


    ¡°Oh, miss Armei! Fancy meeting you here.¡±


    The familiar voice from behind her was nothing but grating to her ears. She turned around to see the cleric, wearing that ever-so-superficial smile on her face.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Armei said as dismissively as she could.


    ¡°I just wanted to give my greetings, that¡¯s all. It sounds like you don¡¯t want to be bothered though, so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    Nentonia began walking. These past few days, she¡¯s been walking around the ship a lot, more so than when the voyage began.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Armei said. Nentonia turned around with a surprised expression on her face, as if she didn¡¯t expect that. Considering how Armei treats her, it was to be expected. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Um, the upper deck.¡±


    ¡°The upper deck? The clouds outside are darkening, and the crew is saying that a storm is approaching.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she smiled. ¡°Still, I want to go. Truth be told, I¡¯ve never been out during a storm, so I think it¡¯ll be fun!¡±


    Armei scoffed. ¡°Are you stupid? If you get sick, then you¡¯ll jeopardize everyone else on board.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve never gotten sick in my life!¡±


    ¡°Tch, fine. Suit yourself. But I have one more question, Brava. What do you know about the assassins?¡±


    Nentonia was quiet for a bit, as if organizing her thoughts. She finally replied, ¡°not much. But I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to worry much about it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Kalaman¡¯s pretty strong, I hear.¡± Nentonia began walking again, giving a small wave as she went.


    It¡¯s true. What Nentonia said was something Armei believed, too. She couldn¡¯t see Kalaman fall to any assassin, especially ones as lousy as these.


    But at the same time, hearing her say those words made Armei¡¯s emotions churn.


    At this rate...

 Her Unbiased Heart Part III - "Breaking Storm"

    She used to be different back then. In fact, it was easy to see how much she despised the Dragonslayer. When she first met him, he was just an asshole who stole her kill from her.


    She had gotten overconfident at one point and decided to take on a quest to kill a Lamia by herself. Of course, there was only so much a single half-elf could do, and if Kalaman hadn¡¯t showed up to slay it, Armei would have likely died. Still, he had her pride, and constantly harassed him for stealing her ¡°prey¡±.


    Months afterwards, she would constantly encounter him here and there, and every time, she¡¯d butt heads with him. It was pretty much a one-sided argument most of the time since he¡¯d usually just ignore her.


    Armei didn¡¯t know when her feelings started to shift. At one point, she ended up joining Kalaman¡¯s party ... though it was more accurate to say that she just followed him around everywhere. Maybe it was then?


    Maybe it was when she saw him run into a cave full of goblins by himself without any shred of hesitation. Armei remembered thinking about how hopeless he was. She felt like she needed to keep an eye on him from then on.


    Maybe she¡¯s felt that certain way towards him from the very start.


    There wasn¡¯t one singular moment that she realized. At some point, she just noticed that she did, and accepted it as how it was. Armei kept pretending to hate him, but she knew that it didn¡¯t really fool anyone. Ques and Remina caught on very quickly, and while it took Jarvarax a while to get it, he eventually realized too.


    Kalaman might¡¯ve known. It was hard to get a read on him.


    That was frustrating for her. All these years of being by his side, and she has barely any idea what he¡¯s thinking.


    But it wasn¡¯t like she was entirely dense. Even she could tell a few things.


    She knew that he didn¡¯t really care much about the quality of his equipment, and used anything he had on hand. Jarvarax was quite chaffed about it, and regularly replaces his blades every now and then.


    She knew that he had trouble with his sense of direction. He couldn¡¯t read a map to save his life, and would often get lost. He¡¯d split up from the rest of the party and wander off to gods knows where.


    She knew how little he cared about politics. He never recognized any noble he met, no matter how powerful they were. Their agendas and schemes went through one ear and out the other. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t interested, it¡¯s just that he found it hard to understand. Funny. The hero of the Mambhaling Civil War probably didn¡¯t even know what caused that war to begin with.


    She knew how selfless he was. He wouldn¡¯t care how many wounds his body bore, his first priority after every fight was to assess everyone else¡¯s conditions. If there were potions, he¡¯d make everyone else use it first. It was noble, in a way. But she found it sad more than anything else. She wanted him to treasure himself more, after all.


    She knew how he hated wearing cloaks and hoods. He kept complaining about how it impedes his combat ability and field of vision. A bit of stuffiness never really caused him that many problems in the end, but he never really warmed up to covert operations either.


    She knew how he disliked taverns. The food and drinks were fine, and the noise he could live with. It was the songs that earned his ire. Specifically, songs sung about him. She never understood why he hated them so much. She thought they were great.


    She knew how anti-social he was. He¡¯d never talk more than he needed to, and often ignored everyone else. In the end, the rest of them had to do the talking for him. This was one of the reasons which led to him gaining so many enemies, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind at all.


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    There were so many things she knew about him. There was no one she watched as closely as she watched him. She¡¯s watched him for years now. There was a lot about him she didn¡¯t know, and a lot about him that she did.


    She knew that he was incapable of love. He was a broken man, a cracked vase whose contents spilled out. Incapable of mending himself, he instead threw himself over and over again to adversity. Perhaps the reason why Armei was drawn to him was because she wanted to help him.


    She eventually figured out her feelings towards him. And at the same time, she realized that it would be the same as it was before: completely one-sided.


    But even if he never looks her way, it was fine. As long as she was there, then maybe one day, those shards will once again be a beautiful vase. That was all she wished, nothing more.


    Then, a cleric came. In an instant, Kalaman was acting in a way he never acted before. He spoke to her, not as a means to an end, but simply to make conversation. He invited her to the party, when everyone else had chosen to follow him despite him not asking them to. And when he looked at her, he didn¡¯t see through her like he did with Armei.


    Was it some sort of charm? Some strange magic? No. As a sorceress, Armei would be able to tell. It could have been some other arcane art that she was unaware of.


    But the simplest, most straightforward answer was the one she didn¡¯t want to be true.


    In all honesty, she was the easiest suspect. Now that all other options have been eliminated, the female assassin could be no one else. Yet Armei had her useless pride.


    It wasn¡¯t set in stone yet. There was counterevidence in her favor, at the very least. If she had more evidence, then she could justify it. Deep down, she realized that the reason she was investigating the crew was to narrow it down to the suspects she wanted. Otherwise, if she pointed at her without any evidence, then it would be easy to say how her jealousy was clouding her.


    The elves were prideful people, though she was only half born. She isn¡¯t doing this to earn Kalaman¡¯s affection, she was only doing this because she wanted to do something for him.


    She wanted to prove her bias towards him was unconditional.


    ?


    She was just tired, surely. A bit of rest, and Armei would be back to normal. With that in mind, she went back to their shared room. There, Remina was on the floor, doing what seemed like inventory as she perused through her bag. Perhaps she finally decided to help Jarvarax a bit. Kalaman was there, too, sitting on his bedside, not doing much of anything. Lately, he¡¯s been doing this a lot, and it worried her. The bags under his eyes were a shade darker, and he looked absentminded.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Mei!¡± Remina waved as she greeted, but immediately went back to doing inventory. Armei didn¡¯t have the energy to respond in kind. Instead, she walked towards Kalaman.


    ¡°Kalaman, you look awful right now,¡± Armei said, her voice softening as she stood beside him. ¡°Is ... is the assassin problem getting to you?¡±


    ¡°Does it look like it¡¯s getting to me?¡±


    ¡°No. I figured.¡± She scratched the back of her ear and chuckled weakly. She just wanted to do something ... anything for him, but she couldn¡¯t do even this much. ¡°Well, if you need me, then just ask.¡±


    She walked towards one of the beds, ready to lay down and sleep.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he called out.


    Tug. Something inside her goes quiet.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Armei¡¯s head turned to him faster than she could think. She didn¡¯t feel as lethargic anymore all of a sudden.


    But that wouldn¡¯t last long.


    ¡°Do you know where Nentonia went?¡±


    The weather was getting stormier outside, but even its raging winds became muted and dull to Armei. She felt her own body get heavier. The sways of the ship seemed stronger, too. Was it because of the storm?


    Nentonia. She¡¯s never heard him call anyone by their name before.


    ¡°...You¡¯re looking for her? Why?¡± Armei asked.


    ¡°Just curious.¡±


    Wrong. Kalaman was never curious. Especially when it came to people. Maybe all of this was a dream. A nightmare. Maybe she was so tired that she fell asleep the moment she got to the bed.


    Why won¡¯t she wake up, then?


    Even Remina found this strange. She just stared at them, her gaze jumping between Kalaman and Armei with worry and anxiousness plastered across her expression.


    ¡°Elf, answer me.¡± Kalaman¡¯s voice rose a bit.


    ...


    What the hell was she doing, letting her own sentiments get in the way? She wasn¡¯t like this. Armei was a more logical person than this.


    It was her duty to do what needed to be done. Pride had no room here.


    The answer should¡¯ve been clear from the very beginning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sorry,¡± Armei replied. Then, taking a deep breath, she began walking towards the door.


    ¡°Mei? Where are you going?¡± Remina called out with her slightly quivering voice.


    ¡°The upper deck,¡± she replied. ¡°Just gonna watch the storm, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Armei¡¯s footsteps were heavy against the wood. Truth be told, her head was still dizzy. She was nowhere near top form. But it was fine. The wind was cold, but her entire body felt strangely warm.


    She grabbed the staff that was slung behind her back.


    She was going to wake up from this nightmare.

 Her Unbiased Heart Part IV - "Lacrimosa"

    If the skies want to cry, then let them cry, Armei thought. As she approached the stairs leading to the upper deck, the winds howled, as if telling her to stay away. But it didn¡¯t matter how hard it wailed. Armei was too far gone to turn back now.


    She ascended the deck, and the cold of the rain permeated through her skin. The drizzle enveloped the entire ship with mist-like translucency.


    In front of her, by the stern of the ship, stood the cleric clad in a white robe. Her figure was obscured by the rain, but she simply stood there, admiring the storm as if it wasn¡¯t even there at all.


    Nentonia Brava turned around and noticed Armei approaching.


    ¡°Armei!¡± she called out, raising her voice. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Armei didn¡¯t answer, and simply kept walking towards her. She could almost feel her own heartbeat pounding with each step she took. Her own breath reached her ears faster and clearer than any clap of thunder or crashing wave. Right now, Armei felt complete.


    She stopped, just a few meters from Nentonia. Maybe Nentonia understood what Armei was there for, since she just stared back with that same expression she always wore; that sickeningly gentle smile.


    The storm raged, but to them, it may as well not exist.


    Armei clenched the handle of her staff. She glimpsed Nentonia¡¯s eyes drifting downwards, noticing it, and returning to lock gazes with her. The cleric¡¯s expression remained as it always was.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, you¡¯re a sorceress, right?¡± Nentonia spoke with a jovial and friendly tone. ¡°I still find it amazing that some people can use spells, even without a patron. It¡¯s incredible!¡±


    Armei did not respond.


    ¡°Are you not going to talk? You might as well, considering what you¡¯re about to do to me, no?¡±


    ¡°So, you are the assassin.¡±


    ¡°No, no! I¡¯m not, I swear,¡± Nentonia giggled. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t really hard to see how wary you were of me, and I¡¯m not stupid enough to be blind to how suspicious I seem after everything that happened. This was going to happen sooner or later.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°You think you can bluff your way out of this?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m only saying what I believe to be true. I¡¯m just presenting my case, and if that doesn¡¯t work, then oh well...¡± She shrugged her shoulders. Then, as nonchalantly as she could, she said, ¡°so then, what are you going to do to me?¡±


    Armei could feel her blood boiling. ¡°You¡¯re pissing me off, cleric. Do you think I¡¯m playing around here?¡± She pointed her staff towards Nentonia. Its handle felt warm in her palm as mana passed through it.


    ¡°Mei!¡±


    Remina¡¯s voice called out behind Armei in a panic. She ran and stood off to the side, in between the two women.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and stop me, Remina,¡± Armei said. ¡°I¡¯m ending this once and for all.¡±


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    ¡°This has to be some sort of mistake!¡± Remina pleaded. ¡°Nen isn¡¯t the sorta girl who¡¯d¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Armei screamed louder than the storm and sharpened her glare towards the cleric. ¡°Nentonia Brava, if you truly aren¡¯t the assassin, then you can chastise me in hell. But I can¡¯t risk it, not anymore. So long as you¡¯re the most likely suspect, I¡¯m going to do what needs to be done ... I¡¯m going to remove all threats to this party!¡±


    The orb at the end of Armei¡¯s staff began to glow. In her head, she sifted through her collection of spells; innate knowledge that her body remembers better than her mind. Perhaps a less painful spell would be a generous enough mercy.


    They need to taste the worst spells in my arsenal before I¡¯m satisfied.


    Her own words from before rose up in the back of her thoughts. She shook her head. There¡¯s no need to go that far. She just needed to end this and be done with it.


    ¡°Remove all threats to the party, huh...?¡± Nentonia sighed in disappointment. ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me, don¡¯t use excuses.¡±


    Armei froze for a moment. ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I think that death should be honest. If you¡¯re going to kill someone, you shouldn¡¯t do it in shame. Life is sacred, and to take it, you need to respect it. As a cleric, this is my ideals on the matter at least.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    Nentonia stared at her straight in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t say it¡¯s for the sake of the party. We both know who you¡¯re doing it for. Kill me properly.¡±


    Armei didn¡¯t know what to say. For what seemed like an eternity, she just stood there, motionless. Nentonia Brava was trying to destroy her and everything she stood for.


    ¡°What do you know...?¡± Armei¡¯s voice was low and dangerous. Then, she screamed, ¡°what do you know?! You don¡¯t know anything about me! Stop pretending like you can see through me!¡±


    ¡°Mei, calm down!¡± Remina yelled at her, but Armei couldn¡¯t hear her. No, she chose not to hear her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look inside me like that, you goddamn outsider!¡± Armei continued. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. There¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know about you. But I know enough to understand. It¡¯s fine, Armei. Even if you let me live now, I¡¯m going to keep my distance from Kalaman. That¡¯s what you want, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The world around them became silent, and at the same time, something inside Armei broke.


    Armei steadied her hand. The mana flowed through the staff at an incredible rate, amplifying her magic power to an enormous degree. It all pooled down to the tip of the staff, ready to be fired. The orb glowed brighter than ever before.


    ¡ªthe worst spells in my arsenal¡ª


    The air rumbled around Armei as mana began to gather. The droplets of rain danced in the space that surrounded her as she aimed her staff directly at Nentonia. The blood in her body excitedly boiled as she began the words of activation.


    ¡°Immolation¡ª!¡±


    Suddenly, Remina jumped in front of her staff and spread out her arms. The mana that had collected in her staff suddenly dispersed into the air as pure energy instead of a fully formed spell.


    Armei knew that feeling well. It was a Counterspell, designed to disrupt other spells that were being cast.


    Remina immediately clapped her hands as hard as she could, and yelled, ¡°Calm Emotions!¡±


    A wave of mana rushed through Armei¡¯s body. She felt her ears ringing, and the air became nauseating as her body reeled from the sudden shift of mana. She could sense her own blood slowing down as Remina¡¯s spell clawed its way deeper into her.


    Despite her aloof nature, Remina was one of the most excellent users of support magic. She could tell from the sheer potency of her Calm Emotions spell. It felt as if something fundamental to Armei¡¯s existence was being forcefully remolded. The world around her had become a twisted dream.


    But Armei was a half-elf, a sorceress, the Dragonslayer¡¯s comrade. It would take more than that to bring her to heel. With every ounce of defiance she could muster in her body, she forced out the disruptive mana that was clawing its way into her psyche.


    One look at Remina¡¯s expression was enough to see that she realized her spell failed. It was one of panic, mixed with fear.


    But Armei couldn¡¯t see that. Her eyes were piercing through her, and towards the cleric that stood there, watching calmly.


    Stop getting in my way!


    At once, the orb of Armei¡¯s staff burst with light. Even more mana gathered this time, and much faster. Remina was too close. She couldn¡¯t dodge. By the time Armei realized what she was about to do, it was already too late to stop it.


    Before her mind could react, her body chanted:


    ¡°¡ªFireball!¡±

 Her Unbiased Heart Part V - "Lucid Nightmare"

    The ship continued to dance, and the skies continued to sing. They did not care about Armei¡¯s turmoil and kept blanketing her with the cold.


    The ship¡¯s upper deck was charred black. The Fireball had ignited the wood, but since it was raining pretty heavily now, it was put out before major damage could  be done. The Fireball spell had hit both Armei and Remina. Armei was dexterous enough to react in time and jump back, so she didn¡¯t take any life-threatening injuries from it. Remina wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    Armei simply sat on ground and hugged her knees, leaning her back against the ship¡¯s railing.


    She fucked up. She knew she was impulsive and prone to outbursts, but this was the first time it went this far. The burns on her skin still stung, even more so as the rain kept seeping into them. But she couldn¡¯t move. She didn¡¯t know what to do, or what to say to everyone.


    Armei could hear footsteps approaching. It was faint, but as they got closer, she could her them better and better. It was a stride devoid of any strong emotions. She knew of only one person who walked like that. Hearing that used to fill her with stomach with butterflies, but now, her pounding heart was born of fear.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± The nonchalance in Kalaman¡¯s voice was heavy on Armei¡¯s ears.


    Armei looked up at him. ¡°Kalaman, I...¡±


    He looked at the charred floorboards. ¡°Did you find the assassin?¡±


    ¡°I ... n-no.¡± Armei went back to lowering her head. ¡°I messed up. I got too ... agitated, and as a result, I hit Remina with a Fireball.¡±


    Kalaman didn¡¯t react. He wasn¡¯t angry, or shocked. He just stood there and said, ¡°I see. Is she alive?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. I don¡¯t think her arm will work anymore, though.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± He looked around. The upper deck was empty, save for a few crewmen. Some were there since the beginning, while others came up to see what the commotion was all about.


    Armei clenched her first. ¡°The cleric took her below deck and is healing her. She¡¯s probably in her room.¡±


    ¡°I see. I must¡¯ve missed them while coming here, then.¡±


    Kalaman turned around and started walking to the stairs at the same pace he usually does. For a while, Armei just sat there, letting the storm judge her.


    ?


    After a few minutes had passed, she stood up. She needed to support herself against the railings, lest she falls down. After she gathers enough strength in her legs to stand and walk upright without help, she starts slowly walking to the stairs.


    She had no idea what to do next, but she thought at least that she should apologize to Remina.


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    She slowly dragged her feet across the ship¡¯s halls. Truth be told, her body was in agony all over. Trying to shrug off injuries from a Fireball was no walk in the park. She felt very thirsty. The fire must¡¯ve evaporated most of the water in her body.


    As she walked, she heard footsteps. In front of her was Nentonia Brava. It seemed like she was heading back up to the upper deck. There were a lot of things Armei wanted to say to her. ¡°How is Remina?¡±, ¡°will she live?¡±, and ¡°are you done healing her?¡±, among other things. Perhaps she needed to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± to her as well.


    But the two of them passed each other by without saying a single word. Nentonia didn¡¯t even bat an eye.


    Armei continued her walk. After a while, she saw Kalaman, walking towards her.


    ¡°Kal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where is Nentonia?¡± Kalaman interrupted her. There was a hint of urgency in his voice.


    Armei could only laugh inside. Even after all that had just happened, the world saw fit to break her even more.


    ¡°...I think she went to the upper deck.¡±


    Immediately after she said that, Kalaman walked past her. Not even a word of thanks. Armei couldn¡¯t even muster the energy to turn around. Rather, she knew it¡¯d be useless anyways. If she turned around, would he turn back, too?


    No, of course not. He¡¯d keep going forward. Armei wasn¡¯t ever really anything to him.


    ...She felt miserable. This was the worst feeling she¡¯s ever had in a long while. Why were so many things going wrong?


    The halls felt much longer than they were. Maybe it was because she was walking more slowly now. Everything felt so much duller than before. After what felt like forever, she finally reached the hall where Remina¡¯s room was.


    Jarvarax was there, standing by the doorway, looking inside with an aghast expression. He wasn¡¯t there during the fight, so seeing Remina¡¯s condition was probably shocking to him.


    ¡°Jarvarax, where have you been?¡± Armei asked, catching his attention.


    ¡°Armei ... what happened?¡± Jarvarax asked, his tone grave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s still alive. She¡¯s small, but she wouldn¡¯t go down that easy. A single Fireball wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill her,¡± Armei said. ¡°I need to apologize to her, too. This was my fault.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s ... alive?¡± he said in disbelief, then turned back to look inside the room. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, what am I talking about?¡± Armei stopped by the door and peered in. ¡°Are her injuries really that severe¡ª¡±


    Inside the room was a nightmarish scene. Remina was lying on top of the bed, and a river of crimson was flowing from her neck, down to the white sheets, and down to the floorboards. The red contrasted greatly with the otherwise dull colors of the room, making for a striking, yet sickening visual.


    ¡°¡ªHuh?¡±


    What on earth was she looking at? Why did Remina have a stab wound through her throat?


    When will she wake up from this nightmare?


    Jarvarax stepped forward, closer to the body. He inspected Remina closely. Then, after a moment, he spoke.


    "She¡¯s dead.¡±


    Armei¡¯s body almost went limp, and she slumped against the doorway.


    Dead.


    She¡¯s dead?


    But ... how? Why?


    When Armei hit her with that Fireball, she went into a panic, thinking she had killed her. A wave of relief passed through her when Remina opened her eyes. She was still alive then. So why...?


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me ... I ... I didn¡¯t ... I didn¡¯t kill her...¡± Armei tried her best to get her voice out, at least to explain to Jarvarax. She did say that it was her fault earlier.


    ¡°...It is fine. I know, Armei. You ... this could not have...¡± Jarvarax¡¯s own voice was weak.


    That¡¯s right. She couldn¡¯t have done this, obviously. There is a stab wound through her neck. A Fireball can¡¯t do that.


    Remina was strong. She was an experienced adventurer. But it wouldn¡¯t be hard to stab her throat like this if she was incapacitated.


    Right. Even a fledgling cleric could do that.


    The culprit here was so obvious that Armei could barely believe it. Nentonia Brava was the one who brought Armei here. She was the one who was supposed to heal her.


    ¡°...¡±


    Armei began walking, heading back to the upper deck.


    She didn¡¯t care anymore.


    She just wanted all of this to be over.

 Her Unbiased Heart Part VI - "Anger"

    The torrential winds began to batter her senses. Gales that drowned out even the crashing of the waves, rain that bludgeoned her skin, its cold permeating through her. As the ship drifted through the storm, the crashes of thunder made her feel tiny and insignificant. It was as if the heavens danced, uncaring of those beneath them.


    The storm had reached its most violent state.


    Armei reached the upper deck again. A number of crewmen had already gathered, trying to hastily make repairs to everything that got damaged during the blast. In fact, most of the crew members were here.


    All of them seemed agitated. Figures. The threat of an assassin on board, followed by an explosion on the upper deck, and one of the escort party¡¯s members getting severely wounded, and worse ... with all of these happening during a storm, the stress must¡¯ve been immense.


    To the side was Nentonia, standing by the railings, and Kalaman, who seemed to be talking to her. She couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about. Armei¡¯s mind was empty. She was tired.


    Still, seeing that made her upset.


    Her grip on her staff was weak, but she held it nonetheless, and walked towards them. They noticed her slow approach, and turned to face her.


    ¡°Remina died,¡± Armei spoke.


    Neither of them had any substantial reaction. Nentonia¡¯s eyes widened just a bit. Then she looked at Kalaman, sighed, closed her eyes, and said a simple, ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°...Is that all you have to say? Weren¡¯t the two of you close?¡±


    Nentonia nodded. ¡°We are. It¡¯s a bit sad that we can¡¯t see each other anymore, though, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s happy, wherever she is now.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead. She isn¡¯t anywhere anymore.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯d like to believe she is.¡± Nentonia began walking to the center of the deck, her hands behind her back as she took playful steps. She didn¡¯t seem affected by Remina¡¯s death at all.


    In Armei¡¯s adventures, she learned something.


    Evil isn¡¯t malice, or hatred, or selfishness. Evil was, at its core, indifference. And somehow, Evil has managed to disguise itself and infect a party of heroes.


    She was poison, a cancer that had grown too large.


    At that moment, another figure stepped out from the lower deck, covered in blood. It was Jarvarax, holding a spear, the red liquid on it dripping on the floor. Some of the crew noticed his appearance, and screamed, catching everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Jarvarax?¡± Armei weakly called out. ¡°What did you...?¡±


    ¡°I killed the assassin,¡± he replied, then turned to the crew with cold eyes. ¡°Your captain is gone.¡±


    The crew froze upon hearing those words. Then, they erupted. They shouted at Jarvarax, demanding him to explain what he meant. Jarvarax stood there calmly and looked up at the skies in peace.


    Armei¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t keep up with all this chaos. She knew Jarvarax doubted the crew from the beginning, but she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually go and kill Nahar, not this far in. After all, wasn¡¯t it obvious that Nentonia was the assassin? She was the most suspicious one from the start.


    As the pandemonium escalated, Kalaman began walking towards the stairs. He passed by Jarvarax, who said to him, ¡°apologies that I took this long. We do not need to worry anymore, Kalaman. It¡¯s over.¡±


    After hearing that, Kalaman stopped just as he was about to reach the stairs. And he stood there, unmoving. Then, ever so slightly, as if taking a breath, he raised his head.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Kalaman unsheathed his blade.


    And in the next instant, that same blade carved its way through Jarvarax¡¯s chest.


    Splatters of blood, along with tiny bits of flesh, scales, and bone, erupted from Jarvarax¡¯s chest from the sheer force of the thrust. Jarvarax had no idea what happened. The attack was too fast, too silent. A perfect thrust, designed to kill. The dragonborn looked down upon his chest, and upon seeing the sword emerging from where his heart should be, said nothing. Blood formed in his mouth, so perhaps he wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t.


    Kalaman roughly and violently removed the blade from his comrade¡¯s body, his blade now tarnished by a disgusting shade of dark red, and Jarvarax slumped to the ground, making a heavy thud.


    By now, the entire crew was in severe panic. They saw the man they hired to protect them kill one of his own. The storms drowned out their screams.


    And Armei?


    She stood there, dazed.


    She had no idea what she was looking at anymore. She wanted to call out to him, to ask him what he was doing. Her words clogged at her throat, so much that it hurt. Still, she begged for every bit of strength to return, anything at all, just so she could say his name.


    ¡°...K-Ka¡ª¡±


    Blink.


    Armei blinked, and Kalaman was right in front of her.


    Armei had forgotten just how fast Kalaman Kampus was. No, it wasn¡¯t that. She¡¯d taken his speed for granted. It was a deadly weapon that tore their enemies to pieces. She just never took any precaution in having to face it herself.


    No, even if Kalaman had walked slowly, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything.


    So, when he swung his blade, all she could do was watch as her right arm was removed from her torso.


    She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her right arm¡ªrather, the place that used to connect to her right arm¡ªwas searing hot. Just that. Hot. It took a while for the pain to fully register, and by then, she was screaming in agony, rolling violently on the ground, hoping that it would distract from the pain, even by just a little.


    It hurts.


    It hurts.


    It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!


    It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!


    None of this is real. None of this can be real.


    When will she wake up?


    Armei waited. She waited, and waited. But the rains did not stop. The crew member¡¯s screams didn¡¯t either. She saw Kalaman¡¯s figure, which she had always admired in battle, dancing in the storm as he slaughtered them all. Some of them tried to fight back. Few of them managed to land a small hit or two. All of them fell. Powerless was a gross understatement.


    The pain was still there. She urged her only remaining arm to move. She probed her pockets, searching for something, anything.


    She felt something cold. Glass. A vial of red liquid. The only one she had. She pulled it out. But who should she use it on? Jarvarax? No, he was impaled through the heart. By now, he should already be¡­


    Then, the only option is to use it on herself, right? If she drank it, she could at least close up the wound and keep fighting.


    Fight who?


    Kalaman?


    But she can¡¯t.


    Besides, this potion was meant for him.


    But he¡¯s the enemy.


    Why?


    Why was Kalaman the enemy? That doesn¡¯t make sense.


    Even after all I did for him, why did this happen?


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Armei¡¯s heartstrings tugged. Finally, she realized. She was a fool.


    She thought she¡¯d given up. Kalaman would never look her way, but she thought she¡¯d be fine as long as she could stay by his side and support him. She thought that was all she needed.


    She was a fool. In her dying moments, her shell has collapsed, and through the reflection of herself from her own pool of blood beneath her, she finally saw her own face.


    All she even wanted was for him to look her way. Everything she did was for that alone. As long as she could be useful to him, as long as she was the first thing he saw when he needed help...


    One day, he¡¯ll see all I¡¯ve done for him.


    Then surely, he¡¯ll look at me.


    ¡°...Kh. Urgh...¡±


    He didn¡¯t hesitate when he sliced her arm off, did he? Not even in the slightest.


    Armei had already forgotten about the pain from her arm, but she couldn¡¯t stop crying. But she couldn¡¯t even scream anymore. Her throat choked if she tried to even say anything. All she could do was lie there, in her own blood, and faintly whimper like an abandoned dog.


    Thunder crashed.


    A figure¡¯s shadow enveloped her.


    Nentonia Brava, the cleric. The outsider. The traitor. The invader. She stood there, beholding the carnage in front of her with nothing but a blank expression. All of this was her fault. She probably charmed Kalaman. He wouldn¡¯t have done all this otherwise. If only she wasn¡¯t here. If only she was gone, then Kalaman would be free. He¡¯d be at peace.


    Then surely...


    She opened her eyes, wet with tears, and saw her own arm in front of her, still holding her staff.


    She dropped the potion, letting it roll off the ship and fall into the raging waters. Armei reached out and grabbed the staff. She lifted it, weak as her body may be, and pointed it at the cleric. She gathered as much mana as she could. One last spell, imbued with all her feelings, to end this hellish nightmare once and for all.


    Surely...


    She heard his familiar footsteps approach.


    And the world spun around.

 A Songs Weight in Silver Part I - "Nicknames"

    If Remina had to find one word to describe Kalaman Kampus, it would most certainly be ¡°immortal¡±. A demigod. He could walk through hell, bathe in its molten waters, and come out the other side, wherever that may be. When Remina first heard of his exploits, she didn¡¯t believe in them. She was a songstress, so she knew the tricks of the trade. Exaggeration caught more ears, after all.


    Once she actually became a member of his de-facto ¡°party¡±, she saw it for herself. The Dragonslayer¡¯s strength was unparalleled. Sure, he was reckless. He got injured a lot, more often than the other members of his party combined. Yet despite all that, Remina could not see him as anything but indomitable. Even the visage of him battered, wounded, and bloodied in the face of a monstrous horde inspired awe; that even against these overwhelming odds, there was no doubt that he¡¯d win.


    Remina was well versed in heroes, but seeing it firsthand was truly an experience in and of itself.


    Kalaman Kampus was cold and cruel and uncaring, which left him with virtually no weaknesses. And to top it all off, he was rigid and immovable. He held the air of a constant existence; he would never change. He will always be the insurmountable hero.


    Which made it all the more intriguing that he, for the first time, actively invited someone to travel with him. Nentonia Brava was an unassuming cleric girl, very obviously new to the adventuring business. There was nothing about her of note, and yet, she was the one Kalaman chose. Why was that?


    Remina walked the halls of the ship when she saw the cleric in front of her. She, too, was curious about the galleon, and was looking around. Remina stood there for a bit and thought of how to engage in conversation with her, what phrases to use, how she should conduct herself, the topics she needed to cover, what she wants the other person to feel about her, and so on. It was a habit of hers. Ever since she was old enough to remember, she¡¯s always been very careful of what she said.


    ¡°Heya, Nen!¡± Remina called out, running towards her while waving her arms. ¡°So? How¡¯s your first sail?¡±


    Nentonia noticed her and turned, giving a small bow in greeting. ¡°It¡¯s great! But I could do without the swaying,¡± she laughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find my way to the upper deck to get a breather. Also, um ... Nen?¡±


    ¡°Do you like it? It¡¯s a nickname I came up for ya! You can call me Rem if you like.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, ok then, miss Rem.¡±


    ¡°No need for the miss! But seriously, it feels great to hear you say that,¡± Remina laughed. ¡°Nobody else in the party ever calls me Rem. Oh, and feel free to call everyone else by their nicknames!¡±


    ¡°They have nicknames too?¡± Nentonia asked with slight curiosity and amusement in her voice.


    Remina smirked. ¡°Care to guess what they are?¡±


    Nentonia looked up and began thinking. After a while, she answered. ¡°Nen, Rem ... Going by that, then ... Kalaman is Kal?¡±


    ¡°Yep! That¡¯s correct!¡±


    ¡°And Alkith is Al?¡±


    ¡°Ah ... Well, it could certainly be that if we used his first name, but he doesn¡¯t really like that. I guess it¡¯s a cultural thing. Anywho, we all use his last name, Jarvarax, so guess again!¡±


    ¡°...Jar?¡±


    ¡°Yep! Sounds kinda silly, doesn¡¯t it? I think it¡¯s cute, though.¡± she giggled.


    ¡°And Armei is Arm!¡±


    Remina laughed. ¡°That one¡¯s good! I bet she¡¯d be thrilled to hear that one!¡±


    ¡°...Was I wrong?¡± She asked. Was she serious about that one?


    ¡°It¡¯s actually Mei,¡± Remina corrected her. ¡°Try calling them by their nicknames next time! It¡¯s pretty fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Nentonia gave another small bow before continuing her walk.


    ¡°Oh, and another thing,¡± Remina interrupted her. ¡°Please don¡¯t think too badly of Mei. She¡¯s rough ¡®round the edges, but she¡¯s not a bad apple. I¡¯d appreciate it if you two got along!¡±


    Nentonia simply bowed with a smile again and went on her way.


    The tensions were high, this early into the voyage already. Remina didn¡¯t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps it was both. The fact that Remina couldn¡¯t tell anymore was worrying.


    Did her own heart waver during these past few years?


    She raised her lute and began strumming. She closed her eyes as the words began to flow out.


    ¡°Forget not the days when the wheat fields danced, and children pranced under sunshine¡¯s gaze...¡±


    ?


    ¡°Remina, can I confide to you about something?¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Jarvarax suddenly asked something strange. He intentionally waited until it was just him and Remina in the room before asking, even though the two of them have been there for a while. Moreover, his tone felt more serious than usual.


    ¡°Sure thing, Jar. What is it?¡± Remina replied, making sure her tone was carefree as usual.


    Jarvarax sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t trust this crew. I believe that there is something they are hiding.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°The halls of this ship,¡± he continued. ¡°They have faint traces of blood. While I was walking, I noticed blood smears on the floor and walls. They are hard to notice, but they are there. I think they are recent as well, maybe from around a few months ago.¡±


    It seemed that Jarvarax had already caught on to the crew¡¯s suspiciousness. That wasn¡¯t surprising to Remina. Jarvarax may not have been as smart or sharp as Ques Van Lendi, but he certainly had his intuition.


    Still, the blood was news to her. Even she didn¡¯t notice it. A dragonborn¡¯s sense of smell really was impressive.


    ¡°Blood smears, you say? That is troublin¡¯, for sure...¡± she said.


    ¡°I feel like captain Nahar is hiding something from us,¡± Jarvarax said, a low growl hiding beneath his voice. ¡°This crew, this ship ... it unsettles me, Remina.¡±


    Remina crossed her arms and thought about what to do next. Certainly, the crew couldn¡¯t be trusted. Remina got a feeling that the captain, Nahar, was much more than he seemed. She just couldn¡¯t really tell what it was about him that seemed so frightening, but Remina didn¡¯t want to cross him.


    Still, Jarvarax¡¯s suspicion of them was interesting. She carefully took note of it and moved on.


    ¡°Hmm, I get what your sayin¡¯, but is there really anythin¡¯ we can do at this point?¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the sea, and not one of us knows how to steer a ship. If things get ugly between us and the crew, we might end up stranded here in the open ocean. I¡¯d rather not become shark food, thank you very much. ¡®Sides, all we need to do is escort ¡®em, right? If we just shut up and don¡¯t ask questions, we¡¯ll be able to reach shore in no time.¡±


    ¡°What if they are plotting something against us? You know Kalaman has many enemies. One of them could have hired this crew as assassins to take him out. In the middle of the sea, he has nowhere to run. This is the perfect place to be ambushed!¡±


    Remina shrugged her shoulders and scoffed. ¡°This hasn¡¯t been the first time an assassin¡¯s paid a visit, no? Kal¡¯s invincible. They could send an entire army and it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough. Honestly, the man¡¯s too amazin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You take this situation too lightly, Remina. We cannot let ourselves become vulnerable, especially where we are now.¡±


    In all honesty, Remina was getting slightly irritated. Kalaman was damn near invincible. No assassin could ever be able to take him down, no matter how hard they tried. She understood that Jarvarax was just being cautious, but still...


    ¡°Then, what do you suppose we do?¡± Remina asked, losing much of her jovial tone from before. ¡°Do we confront them and risk things gettin¡¯ violent? You know that if things get violent with us, people die. Honestly, Jar? I can¡¯t stand that anymore.¡±


    Remina noticed that she was getting a bit too worked up, and calmed herself down.


    Being part of the hero¡¯s party wasn¡¯t glorious as the songs made them out to be. To save others, they had to be prepared to do what needed to be done. But even as strong as Kalaman was, he couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once. There would always be those that won¡¯t survive. Remina had long since accepted death, but every time the light from a person¡¯s eyes faded in front of her, as they become cold to her touch, it reminded her how she will never get used to it.


    Perhaps noticing her shift in emotion, Jarvarax sighed and lowered his voice, almost apologetically. ¡°...No, you are right. Forgive me, I had gotten worked up. All we need to do is have our guard up for now, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jarvarax went back to doing inventory, or whatever it was he was doing.


    It was fine. Nothing needed to change for now. Nothing could change. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was an assassin, or something else.


    Kalaman Kampus had no weakness.


    ?


    A few days after that conversation, Remina walked the halls of the ship as she usually did. Staying still wasn¡¯t something she was accustomed to doing, so she regularly went on walks. Who knows? Maybe she¡¯d find something interesting.


    Now that she knew about it, she could almost see the blood smears on the walls. Something was truly off about this ship and its strangely quiet and understaffed crew.


    Remina recognized their behavior. They weren¡¯t mute, of course. They weren¡¯t shy either. They were hiding something. It most likely had something to do with the blood stains.


    Then, she stopped in her tracks. She saw Nentonia across the hall, walking with her head down.


    ¡°Yo, Nen!¡± Remina called out.


    Nentonia raised her hear, put on a smile, and bowed slightly. ¡°Hello, Remin¡ª Uh, Rem. What¡¯s up?¡± she said with forced jolliness and a simple wave.


    Remina raised her eyes in surprise. ¡°¡¯What¡¯s up¡¯? What¡¯s that about?¡±


    Nentonia sighed and lowered her head again in embarrassment. ¡°Sorry. I tried copying how you usually talk. I heard that it makes people closer.¡±


    The halfling chuckled. ¡°Well, I already like ya fine enough anyways, so there¡¯s really no need. I do appreciate it, though! So, what¡¯s getting¡¯ you all down in the dumps?¡±


    ¡°Ah. You noticed...?¡± Nentonia scratched her cheek.


    Remina felt that Nentonia wasn¡¯t really surprised. She probably knew how obvious it was.


    ¡°Can I take a guess?¡± Remina said. ¡°It¡¯s Kal, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    Nentonia made no reply, and simply lowered her arms and continued starting at the floor. Then, ever so slightly, she nodded.


    ¡°What, has he been ignorin¡¯ you? You don¡¯t have to take it too hard, he¡¯s always like that.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t been ignoring me. In fact, it¡¯s the opposite.¡±


    Remina almost froze up hearing that. Was Nentonia lying? ¡°The opposite, you say? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s ... I...¡± Nentonia was having a hard time finding the words. Then, she took a deep breath. ¡°He wants to spend more time with me. But I... I can¡¯t. So, I¡¯m keeping my distance from him at the moment.¡±


    The gears in Remina¡¯s head became loose and fell apart. What on earth was she hearing? That didn¡¯t sound like Kalaman at all! He¡¯d never willingly ask to spend time with someone, much less a stranger!


    Then again, this entire situation has been strange. Kalaman¡¯s never invited a person to his party before. It seemed that there was something about her¡ªNentonia Brava¡ª that Kalaman was interested towards.


    Clunk.


    A gear fit into place. And she felt that it would be the first gear of many.


    ¡°That sounds really interestin¡¯!¡± Remina bounced up and down in excitement. ¡°Ah! Sorry, I know you¡¯re going through somethin¡¯ right now, I think. But, like, this is huge! Kalaman¡¯s never wanted to spend time with anyone before!¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first! How did the two of you meet, anyways? And what do you think about him? He¡¯s a pretty cool guy, right?¡±


    With each sentence, she inched closer and closer to Nentonia, demanding her for answers. Nentonia backed away slowly with her hands in front of her.


    ¡°U-um, can you slow down for a second? And you¡¯re asking too many questions...¡±


    ¡°Then, follow me!¡± Remina grabbed Nentonia¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a while.¡±

 A Songs Weight in Silver Part II - "Opening Verse"

    Remina and Nentonia sat in Remina¡¯s cabin, and had been engaging in small talk for a while before Remina finally asked the question she wanted to ask, which was how Nentonia and Kalaman met.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think it was anything special,¡± Nentonia said. ¡°I was walking around town, trying to find a place to buy some equipment when he called out to me. We talked for a bit, then he asked if I wanted to join his party.¡±


    ¡°There has to be somethin¡¯ more, right?¡± Remina pressed her for more information.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to tell you, that¡¯s really all that happened.¡±


    Remina didn¡¯t think she was lying. It looked like she won¡¯t be able to figure anything out from this, so she simply moved on. ¡°Really? That¡¯s interestin¡¯. To be honest with you, I can¡¯t understand why he¡¯d be wantin¡¯ to spend time with you, a total stranger. He doesn¡¯t even wanna spend time with us!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologizin¡¯?¡± Remina laughed. ¡°But anyways, you said you were keepin¡¯ your distance from him, yeah? Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ... well, it¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°Do ya hate him?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. It¡¯s just that ... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fine for the two of us to be around each other, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Nentonia simply hung her head in response. She probably didn¡¯t feel comfortable opening up to Remina just yet.


    But if Remina¡¯s gut feeling was correct, then the next steps were obvious.


    ¡°Well, Kal¡¯s tough and callous, for sure. Definitely not the kinda guy who¡¯d look good next to a prim and proper lady such as yourself. But take it from me: I think you two match pretty well.¡±


    ¡°Match? I-I wonder about that...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a downer.¡± Remina slapped Nentonia¡¯s shoulder, though her tiny frame meant it didn¡¯t have that much force in it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! Let him talk to you every now and then. I think he could use a bit of socializin¡¯ every now and then.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shush, shush!¡± She placed a finger on Nentonia¡¯s lips. ¡°Let me ask ya this: what do you think of Kal?¡±


    Nentonia looked a bit surprised by her question. ¡°I think he¡¯s an admirable adventurer,¡± she replied, her words a bit muffled from Remina¡¯s finger.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that drabble. I¡¯m talking about what you think of him as a man.¡±


    The cleric¡¯s face got slightly redder and averted his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s ... alright.¡±


    ¡°Alright, eh?¡± Remina had a wide grin on her face.


    ¡°Rem, dear, where are you going with this?¡± Nentonia asked, slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Well, from what I can see, it seems that Kal¡¯s got a crush on someone recently. I¡¯m just tryin¡¯ to get the two of ¡®em together, that¡¯s all!¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Nentonia pushed Remina¡¯s forehead away with her finger. ¡°Stop with your jokes, please.¡±


    Remina couldn¡¯t get any more useful information out of her, but they spent the next hours conversing with each other about trivial things.


    It was more enjoyable than she thought it¡¯d be.


    ?


    Remina¡¯s been running around the ship a lot. She¡¯s been doing it since the voyage began, and she¡¯s been doing it often enough that most of the crew members don¡¯t bat an eye when they see her. This put her in the perfect position to dig deeper into the ship¡¯s secrets.


    She¡¯s been keeping an eye on the crew member¡¯s positions and movements. Interestingly enough, she found that some members had ¡®routes¡¯ that they followed. They¡¯d always be walking around a specific area and a specific time. They really didn¡¯t do much of anything except keeping their eyes open. Almost as if they were on patrol. Strange, considering this was a merchant ship. Merchants usually didn¡¯t follow such military-esque behavior.


    Patrols such as these were indicative of one thing: the desire to keep one¡¯s possessions safe. So, what did this all mean? Who were these merchants keeping their possessions safe from?


    Wouldn¡¯t it make sense to have the escorts you paid to protect you do these patrols?


    And yet, the crewmen are doing the patrols themselves. Whatever it was they were protecting, it was important enough to them that they wouldn¡¯t trust the escorts they hired around them.


    That was all fine and good. Merchants should always value their possessions. But this all reeked of suspicion. The strange condition of the ship and the crew spelled something out of the ordinary.


    Remina analyzed their patrol routes to try and see what it was they were hiding. There were plenty of dead ends; places that were being patrolled that had nothing of value in them.


    But one place stood out to Remina, which was the bottom-most area of the ship. The patrols there were a bit tighter than usual.


    Finding a way to investigate this area further was difficult. Unlike the rest of the crew, the patrolling crewmen were always keeping their eye out for her. Good call. Remina was everywhere, and they didn¡¯t want her anywhere near whatever it was they were hiding.


    But Remina had a few tricks up her sleeve. She was a bard that specialized in utility spells. In particular, she had a knack for learning illusion-based spells every now and then. A few visual tricks here and there, and she had the entire lower deck to herself.


    It didn¡¯t take her long to find a secret entrance inside one of the storage rooms. It was just a simple latch on the floor, obscured by dozens upon dozens of boxes filled with mundane cargo. Lifting the latch revealed a small, person-sized entrance to the lowermost deck of the ship.


    Remina descended into the darkness, and saw what one would usually find in an orlop deck: ropes and cables. It was nothing out of the ordinary. But the moment she casted a light spell, things became a lot more interesting.


    Hundreds upon hundreds of wooden crates, all gathered in this one place. Curious, Remina began to pry open some of the boxes.


    A good amount of them held thousands of precious jewels. Gold, quartz, silver, diamonds, topazes, rubies ... gems and minerals of all kinds were inside. Even for a merchant ship, this amount was insane.


    But the other half of the boxes were far more sinister.


    They were filled with vials of dark purple liquid that had faint swirls of red inside them. Remina couldn¡¯t mistake these potions even if she wanted to.


    These were Magerot potions. Powerful poisons that were designed to target magic casters. If they were ingested by regular people, then they¡¯d function as any old potent poison. However, if a mage were to ingest it, then it became a lot deadlier. The corpse they leave behind would begin emitting toxic gas that killed everyone in the vicinity. But what really made it stood out was its creation process.


    The main ingredient for Magerot was a magic-caster¡¯s organs. Livers, lungs, eyeballs, and the like. If it was inside a mage, then mana of extreme purity could be extracted from it. Hearts and brains were the most potent ingredients.


    Their effects were dangerous, and their creation was monstrous, so much so that all nations outlawed it and seized almost every single one they could find. Most of the crates were filled to the brim with these abhorrent potions.


    Remina¡¯s eyes gazes upon the hundreds of creates that littered the orlop deck.


    This ship was smuggling thousands of illegal potions.


    The hero¡¯s party was aiding criminals.


    In Remina¡¯s head, the second gear fit into place. A path that had long been closed off to her suddenly opened up.


    And her heart sank.

 A Songs Weight in Silver Part III - "Her Song"

    Remina went deeper into the orlop, hiding behind one of the crates at the very back. She made sure to turn off her Light spell, too. She was going to be here for a while, and she didn¡¯t want anyone to notice her being here.


    She took one of the diamonds inside the crates, and ripped off a part of her clothes. The cloth she now had was just big enough to fully wrap around the diamond.


    ¡°Enhance Ability, Bull¡¯s Strength,¡± she chanted quietly.


    Her muscles began to burn as the spell took effect. It was as if she¡¯d left her body out underneath a blazing desert sun for too long. She placed the cloth-covered diamond on the ground and pulled out a small knife she carried around with her. It was one of their more well-crafted pieces of equipment, made from very durable materials.


    She began hitting the diamond as hard as she could with the knife¡¯s hilt over and over again. Even with the Enhance Ability spell she cast on herself, her strength was still meager, and the hilt of her dagger was tiny, so she wasn¡¯t making much progress. However, she continued chipping away at the gemstone bit by bit for several minutes.


    After a while, she stopped. The joints of her arm felt like they were going to fall off, and her breathing was ragged as all hell. In all honesty, she was close to passing out, only managing to maintain consciousness through sheer force of will.


    She opened the cloth to see the diamond from before grounded into almost fine dust. It looked more like grains of salt than powdered diamonds, but it would be enough.


    She placed the diamond dust neatly in front of her and began chanting.


    ¡°Glyph of Warding.¡±


    A circle drew itself on the floor, glowing a soft luminescent blue. It was an empty circle, devoid of information. All she needed to do was inscribe into it a spell. Glyph of Warding was one of her least favorite spells in her arsenal. It was a spell that automatically casted other spells after a set trigger, but it was expensive to prepare, and slow to set up. Though for situations such as these, they had their uses.


    She decided to inscribe explosive runes into the glyph, and set it to automatically activate after a few days have passed. That should give her enough time to do what she needed to do.


    Remina looked at the hundreds of crates around her, most of which were filled with Magerot potions. One of the things she remembered about the potion was the fact that some of its ingredients were explosive in nature. The explosion in the glyph didn¡¯t need to be powerful. All it needed to do was ignite one potion. Just one. And the rest will all follow in a chain reaction.


    She began inscribing the details of the spell into a glyph. Considering it took about an hour to prepare a spell into the glyph, this was certainly a bothersome spell to use.


    But that was fine.


    Remina has always been patient.


    ?


    Nentonia sat across the bed from Remina, her eyes glowing with anticipation.


    Remina crossed her arms and grinned. ¡°I usually charge coin for things like this, but since it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll make a special exception.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯d feel bad for not paying,¡± Nentonia replied.


    Remina picked up her lute. ¡°It¡¯s fine, the two of us are friends, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t gotta sweat it too much. Now then, what kinda song you wanna hear?¡±


    Nentonia furrowed her brow as the thought long and hard. ¡°Then, songs about disease.¡±


    ¡°One song about disease coming right...¡± Remina placed her fingers on the strings, ready to improvise a melody like she always did, but no chords came out. After realizing, she raised her head to look at Nentonia. ¡°Disease?¡±


    Nentonia kept looking at her with a straightforward expression. ¡°Is it an expensive song to play?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the problem here, Nen. I¡¯d prefer to sing ¡®bout hopeful songs, not about little timothy dyin¡¯ from the plague.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Remina cleared her throat. ¡°So, with all that said, what kinda song do you wanna hear?¡±


    ¡°One about torture please.¡±


    ¡°Nen, no, that¡¯s ... You¡¯re doin¡¯ this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡±


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    Nentonia¡¯s blank expression finally broke into a wide smile as she giggled. ¡°Sorry. I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Man, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be this into teasin¡¯. I feel sorry for Kal at this rate.¡±


    ¡°There you go again with that.¡± Nentonia sighed.


    ¡°So? How are things goin¡¯ with him? Made any progress yet? Huh?¡± Remina leaned forward, eager to hear any new developments.


    ¡°There¡¯s no progress to be made here. And anyways, when we reach Tisah, I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°Hm? You¡¯ll what?¡±


    Nentonia stopped herself from saying anything more. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. And this is hardly the time. He just got attacked recently, you know?¡±


    ¡°I heard. Mei and Jar were throwin¡¯ a hissy fit ¡®bout it, after all!¡±


    ¡°And you seem calmer in comparison.¡±


    Remina shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been with him for years now. If there¡¯s one thing I know, it¡¯s that assassins would be better off spendin¡¯ their time elsewhere. If they tried to target him, they¡¯d be runnin¡¯ ¡®round in circles for their whole lives, that is if he doesn¡¯t cut them down first.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Nentonia simply stared at her. Remina always thought her eyes were intriguing. It was an entrancing yellow color, one that dug deep into you the longer you stared at them. Something about them made Remina¡¯s spine cold.


    ¡°Anywho,¡± she waved her lute around. ¡°Your song, missy? Got anythin¡¯ in mind?¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°I¡¯d like you to play your favorite song.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Remina was taken aback. ¡°My favorite song? Why would you...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know many songs, so I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d like. That¡¯s why I want to hear what you like.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t ya pick some other song?¡± Remina nervously scratched her cheek. When Nentonia asked her what the problem was, the bard hung her head. ¡°It¡¯s just, my favorite song is kinda near and dear to me, and ... well, it¡¯s a tad bit embarrassin¡¯.¡±


    Nentonia smiled. ¡°Even better then!¡±


    ¡°Ya sadist!¡± she grumbled, but cleared her throat and readied herself to play, despite her reddening face. ¡°But, a promise is a promise, so...¡±


    She strummed, and the words began to flow out.


    ¡°Forget not the days when the wheat fields danced, and children pranced under sunshine¡¯s gaze...¡±


    It was only in the presence of this song, this melody, that Remina truly felt at peace with herself.


    ¡°Forget not the days when the warmth of the hearth blessed the joys of birth, as the mothers prayed¡­¡±


    The strings that held her together tightened, if only for this brief moment.


    She continued her song, and when she finished, she finally remembered that Nentonia was listening. She always sang this song by herself, so her face flushed once more. ¡°W-well, there¡¯s yer song.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That was ... a bit anticlimactic.¡±


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t mince words, do ya?¡± Remina sighed and leaned back. ¡°Well, I know it ain¡¯t really a thrillin¡¯ or excitin¡¯ song. But it¡¯s the only song my mum ever taught me, so I really like it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡±


    The mood became really somber and quiet all of a sudden. It was starting to become awkward as well. Remina began to regret singing her song now that things have come to this.


    ¡°My bad! Didn¡¯t mean to bring down the mood and all!¡± Remina clapped her hands together. ¡°As an apology, I¡¯ll sing more excitin¡¯ songs for ya then! You alright with that?¡±


    ¡°More exciting songs, huh¡­? Then, do you have any about heroes?¡±


    She brandished her instrument with a smile. ¡°One heroes¡¯ ballad, comin¡¯ right up!¡±


    Remina strummed her lute and sang about heroes of ages past.. The heroes who defeated the lich at the city of Lagna; the heroes who defended the Sand Gate during the Brass Wars; the heroes who liberated the eastern Elf kingdom from the Tyrant King. These lands are not starved of such tales. Remina sang about their exploits, their battles, their just missions, and their noble demises.


    When the last note was played, Nentonia sat there, mesmerized by the performance. After she regained her senses, she began applauding, almost like a young child. Seeing how earnest her reaction was made Remina blush slightly in embarrassment, bashfully telling her to stop.


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you sing about yourselves?¡± the cleric asked. ¡°You guys are renowned heroes too, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are, but I¡¯m not crass enough to sing our own praises! I¡¯ll leave that to other bards! And besides, we aren¡¯t really¡­¡± She hung her head.


    She put on a smile and laughed. ¡°Nothin¡¯, nothin¡¯! Anyways, I¡¯m not gonna be singin¡¯ any of our songs anytime soon. It¡¯s a tad bit ignominious, don¡¯t ya think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether or not to be inclined to agree, as I don¡¯t really know what ign ¡­ ignonous ¡­ that word means. But that is a shame. I¡¯d really like to hear what kind of songs people sing about you.¡±


    Being a hero wasn¡¯t as great as the songs made them out to be.


    The civil war of Mambhaling was, in the eyes of the common folk, an event where the hero¡¯s party quelled the civil war before it ripped the city in half. That¡¯s a heroic thing. But no one ever talks about the dozens of innocent lives that they couldn¡¯t save¡ªor the ones they had to take¡ªto finally end that strife.


    The end of the civil war would be written down in the history books, but they¡¯ll never write down the lives that were lost. Remina still remembered the look on their previous cleric¡¯s face when he died. It wasn¡¯t the face of a brave adventurer in the hero¡¯s party; it was the face of a man, terrified of death.


    His death was never in the history books either. Ques Van Lendi will be forgotten, just like everyone else.


    Yet Kalaman, one of the greatest heroes this land has ever seen, was unperturbed by all this death. When people died, he continued on with that stone cold face of his. A man without a heart. Perhaps the heart is nothing but a hindrance to heroes like him.


    But Kalaman Kampus did have a heart. And the only one who was allowed to see it was this cleric girl he met one day.


    In the following days, she observed Kalaman more closely. Those still waters inside him were getting more turbulent. The waves began when he met Nentonia, and the longer she avoided him, the greater the waves became.


    He was good at hiding it, but Remina was good at reading people¡¯s faces. The slight shifts in their muscles told stories that words were much too rigid to portray. When the two were in the same room, she wouldn¡¯t look or talk to him. When she did, it was only with short words or phrases. Most of the time, though, she¡¯d make excuses to leave the room. Thinly veiled excuses. And every time, Kalaman would furrow his brow.


    That¡¯s right. Kalaman Kampus had a heart. For the first time, he showed that it could beat. The blood that flowed through his veins was red and warm, just like everyone else¡¯s.


    Remina was annoyed. So very annoyed.


    If only he stayed cold.

 A Songs Weight in Silver Part IV - "Crescendo of the Storm"

    It was almost time.


    Soon, the many storms brewing on the ship will reach their peak. It was inevitable. Remina sat on the ground, checking everything in her bag. Remina travelled light, so she didn¡¯t have anything to worry about.


    She looked towards Kalaman, who sat on the bed, absentmindedly staring at the ground. She¡¯s never seen him in this state before. Even as the thunder began to clap, he remained unfazed, as if everything in the world no longer mattered to him.


    No, that wasn¡¯t the case. Nothing ever mattered to him before. But now, things were different. Things had changed.


    Change. That was a word she¡¯d never thought would apply to Kalaman Kampus.


    Suddenly, she found her own hands shaking. That¡¯s right. It was almost time. It was today. Within today, she¡¯d...


    Remina shook her head. It¡¯s too late now.


    Among the many items inside her bag, one of was utmost importance to her in this moment. As long as she had that, everything will work out.


    The door opened. Armei stumbled inside, looking more tired than usual. The days have not been kind to her, not since Nentonia came. Remina felt bad for her, though she never really had a chance even back then. Soon, it won¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Mei!¡± Remina gave her standard introduction, and went back to her preparations. As she expected, Armei ignored her and went straight towards Kalaman.


    ¡°Kalaman, you look awful right now. Is ... is the assassin problem getting to you?¡± Armei asked. Funny. Armei herself looked awful as well, if not more so than him.


    ¡°Does it look like it¡¯s getting to me?¡±


    Armei looked defeated, even as she chuckled weakly. She probably knew the answer already. ¡°No. I figured. Well, if you need me, then just ask.¡±


    She continued walking to the bed, her gait heavy and slow.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Kalaman suddenly called out to her.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Armei turned around, and a bit of that heaviness dissipated. What a fool. She still clung on to hope? Even after all this time?


    ¡°Do you know where Nentonia went?¡± Kalaman asked.


    Armei froze in place. Remina was shocked as well. To her recollection, Kalaman has never used anyone¡¯s direct names before. This was likely the first time Armei¡¯s heard this, too.


    ¡°...You¡¯re looking for her? Why?¡± Armei¡¯s voice was weak, but laced with toxins.


    ¡°Just curious.¡± When Armei stayed silent for a while, Kalaman raised his head and put more force into his voice. ¡°Elf, answer me.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know, sorry,¡± Armei finally replied. She took a deep breath, and started walking for the door.


    All of this didn¡¯t sit well with Remina for some reason. This was a predictable outcome. She knew this was going to happen. In fact, she was what she was hoping for. But her heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and she felt panicked for the first time in years.


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    ¡°Mei? Where are you going?¡± Remina called out. Even her voice was shaking already.


    ¡°The upper deck. Just gonna watch the storm, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Armei closed the door behind her.


    Most likely, she was going to go find Nentonia and confront her. Remina knew what Armei was about to do.


    She continued rummaging through her belongings, looking for that one item. Then, she finally found it: a small wooden box. It was one of the magic items she hid from everyone else. She even took care that Jarvarax wouldn¡¯t find it when he was doing inventory management.


    The magic item was a Folding Boat, a rare item which could unfold into a boat, as the name suggests. This would be her ticket out of this doomed ship.


    Her stomach began to churn, and she knew it wasn¡¯t because of the storm outside. The look on Armei¡¯s face flashed in her mind.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll go talk to Armei!¡± Remina said to Kalaman, though he probably wouldn¡¯t care even if she said nothing.


    She stood up, leaving her bag behind, and ran to the door. She dashed through the hallways, her tiny feet pounding only lightly on the floorboards.


    Then, she stopped. She was breathing heavily, and supported herself on the wall. But that wasn¡¯t why she stopped running.


    She was confused.


    Then, she laughed.


    ¡°What in the world am I doing?¡±


    She never used to be like this. She could do what she had to do, and she did it well. And yet, she wasn¡¯t acting like herself at all.


    What was she doing? Why was she chasing after Armei? By now, she should already be rowing away from this ship; use the storm to sneak away undetected.


    She heard a crash of thunder. The storm was getting worse.


    There was little time left.


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Remina gave an exasperated sigh and continued running.


    ?


    When Remina regained consciousness, she found herself on top of a bed. She saw the familiar wooden ceiling of the ship¡¯s rooms. Her eyes focused even more, and she saw Nentonia by her side, her palms glowing a faint green glow.


    She remembered now. Remina interfered with Armei and Nentonia¡¯s fight, and as a result, she got hit by a particularly nasty spell.


    Honestly, it was a miracle she was still alive, considering she took that attack head on.


    ¡°Nen...¡± Remina tried to speak, but her throat was sore.


    ¡°Are you awake now?¡± Nentonia replied calmly. Her face¡¯s expression did not shift even one bit. ¡°Just a second, I¡¯m almost done healing you.¡±


    Remina looked down on her own body. Her left arm was gone entirely. All that was left was a tiny, bandaged nub that connected to her shoulder. The pain was mostly gone by now, but it still stung really bad.


    Perhaps noticing her wince, Nentonia said, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not a very good healer, so I can¡¯t fully heal your wounds. I think you¡¯ll survive, though.¡±


    ¡°...What about Armei?¡± Remina asked. ¡°Is she alright?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Nentonia finished her healing and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°What were you thinking, jumping in front of her like that?¡±


    ¡°Because ... she was going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. It was fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine,¡± Remina raised her voice, even though it hurt. ¡°You¡¯re my friend. Of course, I need to protect you.¡±


    Nentonia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s sweet, Rem. There haven¡¯t been many people who¡¯d do that for me. But like I said, it¡¯s fine. ¡±


    The ship creaked as the storm continued to throw a tantrum. A moment of silence amidst the chaos.


    Certainly, Remina had made a humongous blunder, one that cost her an arm, and possibly her life. Time was running out. Her glyph would activate soon, and she was still on the ship.


    Why did she do that?


    Why did she protect Nentonia?


    She knew how stubborn Armei was. If it concerned Kalaman, she¡¯d go through hell and back. And yet, she still did it. She tried to stop her, knowing it would end badly.


    ¡°Nen, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you consider me a friend?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Nentonia looked at her. ¡°What do you mean, why?¡±


    ¡°...Nevermind. Sorry for asking that question, it¡¯s really nothing.¡±


    ¡°Mm. It''s fine.¡±


    Remina stared at the ceiling. Even she didn¡¯t know what she was asking. Perhaps, she wanted to understand what it meant to be friends; to have that connection with someone else.


    Remina had never considered anyone a friend for years now. She¡¯d forgotten what it felt like to have someone like that.


    ¡°By the way, Rem,¡± Nentonia said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Your accent is slipping.¡±


    ¡°...Ah. You¡¯re right. It is.¡±


    The silence continued for a while. Strangely, Remina felt calm. Even after everything that happened, she felt peaceful. It was like a weight had disappeared from her shoulders, even if only a little.


    Remina chuckled.


    This whole situation was hilarious to her.


    She really was slipping.


    ¡°Nen,¡± Remina turned to her friend. ¡°Please kill me.¡±

 A Songs Weight in Silver Part V - "Bargaining"

    ¡°Please kill me.¡±


    For the first time in years, she spoke the truth. All these years, everything she¡¯s said has been ¡°Remina¡¯s¡± words; the words that she needed to say to get what she wanted. And, for the first time since she was a child, she spoke her own words.


    They were three simple words, spoken in a weak voice that hadn¡¯t said anything for decades. The mere words of a girl who couldn¡¯t even remember the name she used to have.


    ...She was tired. If everything was going to shit anyways, she might as well end it sooner rather than later.


    Remina had been complacent. She took comfort in the fact that Kalaman was invincible. As long as he remained that way, Remina could just live life as she always did. She could be as lazy as she wanted since she had the perfect excuse. ¡°I¡¯m biding my time¡±. ¡°I¡¯m laying low for now¡±. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for my chance¡±.


    She never expected that chance to show itself at all. But by that point, she had already eroded away. And this was the result: dead ends on every path. Either the party would kill her, the explosion would kill her, or her employers would kill her. She wasn¡¯t going to win. She never has, and she never will.


    In response to her request, Nentonia stayed silent for a while.


    The moment continued on like that for a few seconds.


    Then, she finally spoke.


    ¡°Can I tell you a little story about myself?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...Sure. Why not.¡± Remina¡¯s fate was already sealed, so she¡¯d lose nothing by listening. She knew that she was making an unreasonable demand anyways, so it was the least she could do.


    Nentonia breathed in as if to prepare herself, and began her tale. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I ever told you this, but I was born in an orphanage.¡±


    Remina already knew that. The orphans of Helm to the west were often raised to become priestesses, and ¡°Brava¡± was the surname that was given to them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have many friends growing up,¡± Nentonia continued. ¡°I never really fit in with everyone else there. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. But it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have any, no. I had one friend. Just one. She also didn¡¯t fit in, so it figured that we¡¯d hang around each other a lot, no?¡±


    Nentonia suddenly reached out and held Remina¡¯s right hand, interlocking one hand¡¯s fingers with hers, and gently caressing them with the other. Nentonia¡¯s eyes were just staring at them, all while a subtle but unnatural smile was on her face.


    ¡°Her name was Jaysie. She was around my age, and we had a lot in common. The two of us were at the orphanage since we were born. She liked reading books as much as I did, and the two of us would reach each other stories about heroes. We¡¯d take turns, and with each new story, we¡¯d increasingly get more and more dramatic. We¡¯d also play pranks on the sisters and the other children, though we did tend to go too far at times. Mostly me, though. Jaysie would scold me a lot.¡±


    Then, she tightened her grip on Remina¡¯s pinky. It wasn¡¯t the kind of tightening that was endearing. It was starting to sting a bit.


    ¡°Jaysie died when we were fifteen. After that, I left the orphanage, and I¡¯ve been on my own since then. I learned some basic spells when I was still a priestess-in-training, so I studied more on it until I learned some healing spells. The heroes from those stories were always so admirable to me, so I decided to become an adventurer myself.¡±


    Nentonia began to raise Remina¡¯s pinky until it couldn¡¯t be raised anymore. She could feel the strain on her knuckle. She tried to pull her hand free, but Nentonia¡¯s fingers interlocking her hers made for a secure hold. She tried to use her knees to kick Nentonia¡¯s arm away, but to no avail. Her body was already too damaged to make a difference.


    ¡°I joined a party before if you didn¡¯t know. They called themselves the Black Crayons. I never really understood what that meant, but I thought it was cute. We went on a few adventures, but I didn¡¯t stay long. They kicked me out, and I was all alone again. Then, Kalaman recruited me, and I joined this party and met you.¡±


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    But Nentonia didn¡¯t stop. She kept trying to bend the finger backwards. The strain very quickly turned to agony as the skin between her pinky and ring finger began to tear.


    Remina¡¯s voice was so weak by this point that she couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to scream. All she could do was writhe and whimper on the bed. She kicked the sheets that covered her off as her body tried to cope with the pain.


    ¡°You know, Rem, I do consider you a friend. I really do.¡± Her voice was much softer now. Quieter, yet at the same time, clearer. Her words tickled Remina¡¯s ears, sending shivers across her bones. ¡°Joining this party was fun. You and Kalaman taught me so many new things. I really love you guys. So even if you were lying earlier, Rem, I¡¯m still glad you consider me a friend too.¡±


    Crack.


    Her pinky snapped into an impossible position, bending backwards to almost touch the base of her wrist.


    Remina screamed, but it quickly faded into sharp breaths. She had no idea what was going on. Why was Nentonia doing this?


    She glanced at her face, wanting to understand her actions. Anger, frustration, vindication ... anything.


    Yet on Nentonia¡¯s face was a smile. Not the same one she wore during the time they spent together; not a practiced, polite smile, but a wide, almost childish grin. It was the most genuine expression Nentonia¡¯s ever shown.


    Remina¡¯s body was warmed by the pain of her wounds, and was chilled by fear. She started having cold sweats, and hear breathing got heavier and heavier.


    She was terrified.


    Slowly, Nentonia turned to her, those yellow eyes seeping into her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you,¡± Nentonia leaned in and kissed Remina¡¯s forehead as gently as she could. Then, she whispered, ¡°but if I did, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time I killed a friend.¡±


    She leaned back and smiled so purely, so innocently, that you wouldn¡¯t think of her as anything but a regular girl. ¡°We both have that in common, don¡¯t we?¡± she said in a tone befitting her appearance.


    Remina froze. She tried to say something, but no words would come out. Those gears in her head wouldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t think. She didn¡¯t know what to think.


    All that remained inside her was pain and fear.


    Nentonia released Remina¡¯s hand and stood up.


    ¡°Sorry, Rem. I really do want to kill you, but I can¡¯t. I made a promise with someone.¡± She turned around and began walking for the door. Suddenly, she stopped midway and said, ¡°recently, someone told me he¡¯d accept me for all that I am. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to start living as myself. So I¡¯m glad we were both able to be honest with each other.¡±


    Nentonia looked back and smiled at Remina one last time before leaving, closing the door behind her.


    Now, Remina was alone with nothing but her thoughts. The pain from her broken finger was agonizing, to the point where she was tearing up. The terror inside her felt unbelievably fresh, as if Nentonia was still here beside her.


    She took several deep breaths to calm down, and relaxed on the bed.


    Slowly, the cogs began turning again, and she was left with one thought.


    Thank the gods.


    Thank the gods I¡¯m still alive.


    ¡°...Ahh.¡±


    She was baffled at her own thought. She¡¯s had so many close calls, so many brushes with death. Not once did she ever felt thankful to still be alive.


    And yet, she was glad to still be breathing. Why is that?


    Was she that scared of Nentonia?


    ¡°...Hah...¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t it. Truth be told, she¡¯s encountered things scarier than some crazed cleric.


    ¡°...Ha...hahaha...¡±


    She felt relieved. She felt jealous of her.


    At that moment, Nentonia was terrifying. She was insane. She flipped over Remina¡¯s preconceptions of her so quickly that it gave her whiplash. But she was real. That was the most genuine way she could have expressed herself.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha...!¡±


    Remina laughed with her voice that was almost gone. She laughed harder than she¡¯d ever laughed before.


    She felt so relieved to be alive.


    ¡°Hah, man. Screw it. I¡¯ll quit.¡±


    Remina would never be able to pay off her debts. She¡¯d have to live the rest of her life running. But that was fine.


    She wanted to be real, too.


    I¡¯ve done a lot of wrong. I¡¯ve killed a lot of people. I don¡¯t think I deserve to live anymore. But I want to be alive again. I want to know what it¡¯s like to live free, unbound by anything.


    So please, if any gods out there are listening ... I¡¯ll do better. I¡¯ll try my best to do right next time. I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life if I have to, so please...


    ...Let me survive this.


    I want to live as myself, too.


    She tried to smile for real this time, and closed her eyes. She breathed in the air. It didn¡¯t smell rotten anymore. She breathed out. Her body felt lighter than before.


    ¡°Forget not the days ... when the wheat fields danced ... and children pranced ... under sunshine¡¯s gaze...¡±


    She sang.


    It hurt, but she sang.


    ¡°Forget not the days ... when the warmth of ... the hearth ... blessed the joys of birth ... as the mothers prayed¡­¡±


    The one song that she loved more than anything else.


    Then, she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    There was something inside her neck.


    Something cold.


    Ah.


    I guess that¡¯s fair.


    She laughed inside. This was the gods'' answer. They wouldn''t even let her finish her song.


    That was fitting.


    And when the sunshine hides and the night arrives,


    Forget not the days,


    Forget not the days.

 Heros Abyss Part I - "Yellow World"

    A single second stretched into eternity. At that one moment, everything else disappeared.


    The moonlight showered her long black hair with a hint of chill, reflecting it back with an almost surreal luster. Her voice was small yet silvery, and it was more comforting to listen to than most sounds. And, most striking of all, her yellow eyes seemed to pierce through him like a needle. It was like a sunflower was staring at him.


    The girl was wearing a filthy white dress. It wasn¡¯t that it hadn¡¯t been washed in a long time, but rather that the one doing the washing was clumsy at the job and couldn¡¯t do it properly.


    She was holding a map, which he¡¯d marked for her.


    ¡°...Then, if the equipment shop is over there ... take a left, and then...¡± She twisted and turned the map around with a confused look on her face. ¡°...Wait, that¡¯s not right. This area over here should be the jeweler¡¯s, not the apothecary¡¯s. Are you certain this is correct?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he replied bluntly. ¡°I just guessed.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I wish you said that before I spent five minutes trying to read these directions. But, well, I guess I can make do with this.¡±


    He noticed the pendant that hung around her neck. It was a holy symbol, the one often used by clerics. The girl didn¡¯t seem that strong or experienced, and most of all, it seemed that she was alone.


    Usually, he¡¯d just leave by this point. After all, he gave her directions like she asked, so there was no need for him to stay any longer.


    But he wanted to know more about her.


    ¡°You an adventurer?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We, yes, but how did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best you quit. Not worth it.¡±


    The girl tilted her head. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s not worth it. You¡¯re young, so don¡¯t go off dying early.¡±


    The girl seemed to pout a little. ¡°That¡¯s a bit hypocritical, don¡¯t you think? I mean, you don¡¯t look that much older than me. Also, the way you said that was a bit too ... unenthusiastic. Almost like you don¡¯t care if I do it anyways.¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then why say it?¡±


    ¡°Habit.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    The girl leaned forward and stared at him, as if looking for something in his eyes. Her scent drifted towards him, giving off a faint aroma of cinnamon.


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    Then, she smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty rotten inside, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Something inside him broke. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he felt it.


    ¡°And if I am?¡± he replied.


    ¡°Hmm, now that I think about it, I recognize you. You¡¯re that adventurer everyone¡¯s been talking about lately. Uh, that dragon killer guy or something!¡±


    ¡°...And if I am?¡± He was starting to get annoyed. But, surprisingly, he didn¡¯t feel the need to walk away just yet.


    The girl held out her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet a hero! I¡¯m Nentonia, by the way. Nentonia Brava.¡±


    He looked at her hand, then back at her. She gestured with her eyes for him to take it. Usually, he didn¡¯t bother entertaining such things, but he felt like changing the pace this time.


    He took her hand and shook it once, then let go. However, she went and grabbed it back.


    ¡°I thought it was customary to respond in kind,¡± she said. ¡°I gave my name, so you give yours.¡±


    Her hands were so small and fragile. They¡¯d break if he gripped it with just a bit of force.


    He forcefully pulled his hand away. ¡°Kalaman Kampus.¡±


    Nentonia nodded. ¡°Mm. I knew that.¡±


    ¡°...Then why did you ask?¡±


    ¡°Habit.¡± She smiled cheekily. ¡±It¡¯s customary, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The world doesn¡¯t work the way your wet nurse taught you,¡± Kalaman said. ¡°Rules don¡¯t exist anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that recently. But doings things like this is less stressful for me, so that¡¯s that. I mean, it must be the same for you right? You feel rotten inside, and yet you play the role of a hero.¡±


    Rotten. That was the first time anyone¡¯s ever called him such. Rotten.


    ¡°Why do you say I¡¯m rotten?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t care, right? Even though you¡¯re a hero. You¡¯re going through the motions, doing things you don¡¯t want to do just because people expect you to do them, right?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t entirely right, but not entirely wrong either. It was just a guess, but she got pretty close.


    ¡°I¡¯m a hero because people call me that,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what they call me. I¡¯m not doing anything for them.¡±


    ¡°And yet a hero you are. How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡±


    Nentonia giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°Well, you certainly feel rotten to me. I¡¯d know. I¡¯m rotten just like you.¡± She raised her marked map and began walking away. ¡°Thanks for the help, even though it isn¡¯t very useful.¡±


    Her figure, getting farther and farther, was somewhat sad to Kalaman. He had a feeling that after this, the two of them would never meet again.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he called out.


    Nentonia stopped and turned around. Those yellow eyes returned into view, staring back at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cleric,¡± he continued. ¡°As it happens, my party just lost their cleric. If you want to continue adventuring, then why not join us?¡±


    Nentonia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to join your team?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kalaman didn¡¯t understand what he was feeling. He¡¯s never desired for anything in a long time. And yet, at this moment, he felt an inkling of desire. He wanted to understand it. If he talked to her more, then would he be able to?


    Nentonia smiled softly. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯ll have me.¡±


    He felt relief; something he hasn¡¯t felt in a long, long time. It was strange that she didn¡¯t ask him why, but it made things easier for him, so he left it at that.


    ¡°We meet at the pier tomorrow,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re going on a long voyage, so prepare accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ah, in this case, should I say, ¡®roger that, leader¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Nentonia nodded with an ¡°I see¡±, gave a polite bow, and went on her way. Once more, her figure became smaller and smaller as she faded into the distance.


    ¡°The shops are still closed,¡± Kalaman shouted to her.


    She stopped for a bit, then turned around, bowed, again, and continued walking.


    Kalaman took a deep breath. The sky was beginning to tint with red. The sun must almost be up. The cold wind blew, and for just a brief moment, the world was pretty alright.

 Heros Abyss Part II - "Captain Nahar"

    Kalaman entered Nahar¡¯s room, making sure to close the door behind him. The captain was sitting behind his desk, ushering Kalaman to take a seat. He walked in front of the table and stood, not bothering to use the chair.


    Nahar sighed. ¡°You really haven¡¯t changed, have you, Kalaman?¡±


    ¡°You seemed to have changed a lot,¡± Kalaman replied. ¡°I never pegged you as a business type."


    "Eh, the time goes by.¡± Nahar shrugged. ¡°Y¡¯know, after we parted ways, I ended up working as a privateer with the Farlan military for a while. Crazy how that works, huh? Two criminals. One became a government dog, the other a legendary hero.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s this government dog doing, asking a hero to escort him? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice the stench of blood.¡±


    ¡°My, your sense of smell is as spectacular as always.¡± Nahar smiled. ¡°Well, to answer your question, I was a government dog.¡±


    Kalaman scoffed. ¡°What, the high-and-mighty lifestyle get too stuffy for you?¡±


    The captain sighed as he placed his hands on the table. ¡°As you might¡¯ve already heard, Farlan¡¯s about to wage war with the north. Gonna drag a whole bunch of its allied nations into it, too. It¡¯s gonna be a really big war, Kalaman.¡±


    ¡°And? Sounds like a perfect opportunity for scoundrels like you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But I don¡¯t want any part of it.¡± Nahar took out a vial from his pockets and placed it on the table. It was a dark purple liquid, with a red streak floating inside it. ¡°This familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°...I thought you hated potions like that.¡±


    Despite appearances, Nahar was quite soft. When they were still criminals, they¡¯d loot and plunder many innocent people, but murder was where Nahar drew the line. Killing innocents never sat right with him.


    ¡°Guess what? I have a whole stash of these hidden under the ship. Thousands of them. All very potent, too. I stole it from the military. Turns out, they plan on forcing prisoner mages to drink them, then have them sneak into the enemy cities. When they die, they¡¯d envelop the entire settlement with the toxic gas. They already took one down with this tactic before. Hundreds of thousands died.¡±


    ¡°So you stole it from them. Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m deserting! And I¡¯m taking their potions with me!¡± Nahar laughed. ¡°Honestly, Farlan can go to shit. But, as you¡¯d expect, they obviously want their potions back, along with my severed head. They almost got me once, too. Lost most of my crew in the process, so I switched ships.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill the original owners? Doesn¡¯t sound like you.¡±


    ¡°No, I bribed ¡®em. Well, some of ¡®em. The others weren¡¯t willing to go down without a fight, and things happened. Anyways, Farlan¡¯s after me, and I figured I¡¯d need someone of your caliber to keep us alive till we reach Tisah.¡±


    Kalaman glared at him, trying to see if he had any ulterior motives. He trusted him more than most people, considering they did work together for a while, but he wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to just blindly accept everything he was saying.


    ¡°...Where¡¯s the payment?¡± Kalaman asked.


    Nahar pulled something from under the table and placed it on top. It was a huge bag, filled with gold and jewels. ¡°As promised. Enough money to keep you afloat your entire life. Of course, this is only half the total pay. You¡¯ll get the other half when we arrive safely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised you¡¯d shell out this much money for a simple job like this. You could¡¯ve hired another adventurer for a lot less.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about the money, Kalaman. I¡¯m not deserting because of the money. If this is the amount I need to have you on board, then so be it. You wouldn¡¯t accept this job for any less, right? Considering how much you hate me.¡±


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    ¡°Hm. You¡¯re right. I would accept less pay to kill you.¡±


    Nahar laughed. ¡°That¡¯s how I know I can trust you. Anyways, it¡¯s going to be a long voyage, so I hope you stay comfortable.¡±


    Kalaman and Nahar didn¡¯t get along anymore due to an incident in the past (though it was debatable if they ever got along at all). However, with pay like this, Kalaman saw no reason to decline the job.


    He could always kill Nahar after.


    Kalaman left the room and breathed out a long sigh. There was no way he would tell the rest of his party about the truth of this deal. For better or for worse, they might not react well when they realize they¡¯re helping wanted criminals smuggling illegal potions. Kalaman could use without any hassle for a while. They were much more tolerable when they weren¡¯t complaining about something or other.


    ?


    Not wanting to go back to his room, Kalaman decided to head for the upper deck. The breeze was cool and pleasant. The sound of the waves was nice, too. At least, it should¡¯ve been. He didn¡¯t even know if he missed the times when he used to find such things relaxing anymore.


    He remembered the first time he saw the sea. Kalaman was born and raised in southern Veil, where the desert surrounded him. He remembered feeling such awe at seeing the vast expanse of the ocean; how blue it all was.


    Kalaman walked and stood at the edge of the railing. Somehow, it wasn¡¯t as blue anymore.


    He noticed a figure at the edge of his vision. Atop the poop deck, Nentonia was on the ground, holding the railings for dear life. ¡°What on earth is she doing?¡± he thought.


    Approaching her, he heard the sounds of her groaning and breathing. A vaguely familiar scene. Was it seasickness?


    ¡°You gonna die?¡± he asked.


    ¡°...Oh, hello, leader.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to call me that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I forgot,¡± she said, clearly lying. ¡°Then, can I call you Kal, like Rem does?¡±


    ¡°...No,¡± he replied. Somehow, he didn¡¯t feel very good about himself in that moment. ¡°And when did you get close enough to the halfling that you¡¯re using nicknames now?¡±


    Nentonia laughed. ¡°You could at least use their names. You clearly remember them, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Kalaman didn¡¯t reply. It was bothersome to answer that, considering she wouldn¡¯t change his mind anytime soon. A bit of pride snuck in there, too. ¡°If you weren¡¯t good with ships, you should have said so.¡±


    ¡°Did you know I easily get seasick?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kalaman looked at her with genuine confusion. ¡°No. Why would I?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering this is my first time on a ship, we¡¯re on the same boat. Haha.¡± She tried to make a joke, but it seemed that her stomach was much too upset for her to enjoy it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a cleric? Just heal your stomachache away.¡±


    ¡°...For an experienced hero, you sure are ignorant of how clerics work. I heal wounds, not seasickness.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I¡¯m not a cleric, so of course I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Heh. You want me to teach you, then?¡± She looked at him with playful eyes. It would¡¯ve looked a bit cute if her expression wasn¡¯t strained and green.


    Kalaman sighed. ¡°Go back to your room and sleep. It¡¯ll wear off before long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll come back the moment I wake up, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    The two of them were silent for a bit, listening to the waves crashing against the ship¡¯s hull. The occasional seagull would pass by, their cries adding a bit of variety to the sounds.


    ¡°Hey, tell me a story,¡± Nentonia suddenly asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a hero, right? They usually write stories about heroes in books. I¡¯ve never read a story about you, though.¡±


    ¡°There are none.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I get to hear a hero¡¯s story that¡¯s never been written before?¡±


    ¡°No. Stop asking.¡±


    ¡°Aw. I thought you¡¯d be fun, but you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡±


    Another brief pause.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have any stories to tell? Like, from your adventures?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not buying it. How about this, then! Why do they call you the Dragonslayer?¡±


    Images flashed in Kalaman¡¯s head. A dark cave. Three bodies, lying motionless on the ground. A boy that went in that cave and never came back out.


    ¡°...Beats me.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get on my nerves. Stop asking.¡±


    Kalaman¡¯s voice became forceful. Whenever he lowered his voice, people usually jumped, or otherwise backed away. It was a useful tactic to get annoying people to leave him alone.


    But Nentonia simply acted the same.


    ¡°Boring. Killjoy. You could have at least humored me so that this stomachache would be a bit more bearable.¡±


    ¡°Then go to sleep already.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s boring, too. At the very least, poking at you and playing around seems a bit more fun. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    ¡°If I do, would you stop?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± she smiled at him. She did look like she was genuinely having fun.


    Kalaman clicked his tongue.


    ¡°¡¯Then don¡¯t ask¡¯, right?¡± she said, mimicking his voice.


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    The two of them stayed there for a while, staring at the slowly receding land, talking about nothing of value. He forgot how long it¡¯s been since he had a conversation this long with someone.


    The ocean was pretty blue today.

 Heros Abyss Part III - "The Equinox Flowers Whisper"

    ¡°Do you have nothing better to do?¡± Kalaman asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. You don¡¯t either, right?¡± Nentonia replied.


    Without saying anything, Nentonia had suddenly decided to follow Kalaman around while he was patrolling around the ship. He thought that she¡¯d leave after a few minutes, but it¡¯s already been half an hour.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t find Rem anywhere, and Jarvarax and Armei aren¡¯t very talkative. Well, at least to me. I¡¯ve been quite bored, lately.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t find any entertainment in me, so stop following me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know about that,¡± she smiled cheekily.


    Kalaman sighed. ¡°What the hell do you find so entertaining about me, then?¡±


    ¡°Your reactions. You¡¯re like a tiny puppy, aggressively barking at anyone who tries to come near. Won¡¯t you get lonely?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you shut the fuck up?¡±


    Nentonia laughed. ¡°See what I mean?¡±


    Realizing that nothing he said would make her go away, he simply kept quiet and continued walking. In turn, she kept following in silence. Ten more minutes passed. She was still following.


    ¡°You¡¯re still following even though I¡¯m not giving you any ¡®reactions¡¯?¡±


    Kalaman turned to look at her, only to see her smiling at him, as if saying ¡°there¡¯s the reaction¡±.


    ¡°...I¡¯m regretting inviting you to this party.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Speaking of, why did you invite me?¡±


    Kalaman thought about that for a while now. It was strange. There was nothing for him to gain by doing that, and yet he did. All he knew was that there was something that only Nentonia could give him. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but his gut rarely ever failed him.


    ¡°...You know, you have a bad habit of not saying anything when someone asks you a question.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to answer everything?¡±


    Nentonia chuckled. ¡°No. Just thought I¡¯d point it out. But you probably already know how rotten you are inside without me telling you, right?¡±


    Kalaman scoffed and kept walking. The silence continued for a few more minutes. Compounded by the fact that the ship was nigh deserted with how few crewmembers there were, it made their footsteps sound louder than usual.


    ¡°This ship sure is quiet.¡± Nentonia seemed to have the same thought.


    ¡°Nahar probably didn¡¯t want to waste any money to hire more crewmembers. Doubt he¡¯d want to, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Oh, speaking of the captain, I actually talked with him a few days back. Quite the talkative fellow.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go annoy him instead of me, then?¡±


    ¡°Because talking with him just made me more interested in you,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I asked him about you, he began talking about all sorts of things.¡±


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    Kalaman stopped in his tracks and turned around. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I knew you were lying to me. You really do have a lot of interesting stories to tell.¡±


    ¡°...He told you about me?¡±


    ¡°Well, ¡®as much as he was allowed to¡¯, whatever that meant.¡±


    He remembered why he hated Nahar in the first place. That bastard could never shut up when it didn¡¯t concern him, which earned him many enemies, including Kalaman himself.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You and Rem wouldn¡¯t spill, so I had to find other methods.¡± She smiled calmly. ¡°He said you became the ¡®Dragonslayer¡¯ after you killed a dragon all by yourself. That¡¯s a story I would¡¯ve loved for you to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Kalaman continued walking, but Nentonia didn¡¯t stop even as she followed him.


    ¡°He said that you were part of another party at that time, but you were the only survivor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The dragon cornered you and your party into a small cave, where it proceeded to slaughter everyone except you. It killed everyone else, but you managed to get revenge. That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to hear it from you, firsthand. Rem told me that stories often get exaggerated, so I¡¯ve been wondering about that. Was that what really happened? I find it quite strange. You¡¯re strong enough to kill a dragon, but not strong enough to save your party. Did you use them as bait¡ª?¡±


    Kalaman turned around and grabbed Nentonia by the neck, slamming her into the nearby wall so hard it almost cracked. He had to consciously control his strength so he didn¡¯t accidentally snap her neck. A dead teammate would be more trouble than it¡¯s worth.


    ¡°I said shut up,¡± he growled.


    Nentonia coughed and wheezed, but made no effort to free herself. Instead, she gave out a strained laugh and smiled at him. ¡°W-was I right? You keep ... distancing yourself from everyone ... Are you afraid of ... urgh ... getting attached to people? Or a-are you guilty of what happened to you l-last ... party...?¡±


    ¡°What do you care?¡±


    ¡°Because ... I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a hero...¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    That was the first time someone¡¯s said anything like that to him. He was often lathered with unwanted praise. Even his enemies acknowledge him as a ¡°hero¡±. The surprise of her comment made him loosen his grip a bit, which allowed Nentonia to breathe a bit more.


    ¡°All you¡¯re doing is running away, right?¡± she continued. ¡°Running away from the pain ... from your past. Y-you won¡¯t be a hero like that, Kalaman. So long as you¡¯re afraid of pain, you won¡¯t be complete.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about me?¡±


    ¡°Not much, to be honest. But I know my way around pain. You don¡¯t have to be ... scared of it.¡±


    She was out of line. There was a limit to how intrusive you could be. He just wanted to be left alone, and here she was, barging in like she owned the place.


    Yet, his grip loosened even more, and he released her. Nentonia fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. After a few seconds, she looked back up at him, her face entirely flushed red.


    Nentonia giggled. ¡°Your reactions ... really are cute...¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you after, exactly?¡± Kalaman asked.


    She stood up, leaning herself against the wall for support. ¡°I was really excited to finally be friends with a hero, but as it turns out, he wasn¡¯t like I expected. I guess I just wanted to poke around a bit, maybe see what makes you tick. And I was bored, too, so it was a perfect opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Tch. You¡¯re wasting your time.¡± Kalaman continued his walk as if nothing happened. ¡°And we¡¯re not friends.¡±


    ¡°I wonder about that,¡± she replied, still following him. ¡°I think you¡¯re my only friend around here.¡±


    ¡°What about the halfling?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great, and I do like her. But, as it stands, I can only be myself when I¡¯m around you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He looked at her.


    ¡°We have quite a lot of things in common. I¡¯m rotten and incomplete, too.¡±


    Rotten and incomplete. She described Kalaman like that, too. What did she mean by those words, exactly?


    ¡°...How so?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Now you want to know about me? That¡¯s unfair, sir Kampus.¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question.¡±


    Nentonia took a minute to think. Her strut was more playful than before, as if she was having fun, even though her neck was still bruised red.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m afraid, too.¡±


    ¡°Of pain?¡±


    ¡°Kind of? ... Well, no. I¡¯m more afraid of accepting it. Unless we can embrace our pains, we will never be whole. We¡¯ll stay rotten, and decompose inside our shells. It would be a gnarly way to live life, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kalaman¡¯s mind flashed back to that cave. In a way, Nentonia was right. He¡¯d been running away from that cave. He just kept running, because he knew that some part of him was still there, unable to leave, and he didn¡¯t know what would happen to him if he touched that part of himself.


    If he was whole ... if he was complete ... would it quell the silence that followed him out of that cave?


    Maybe. Maybe not.


    But he felt that if Nentonia was here, then he¡¯d be completed either way.


    ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve got a great grip, Kalaman! I really felt that, you know? It still hurts to breath or talk. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to move my neck for a few days. You could definitely snap me like a twig...¡±


    ¡°Shut up or I definitely will.¡±


    She was still annoying to be around, though.

 Heros Abyss Part IV - "Poisonous Allure"

    It¡¯s already been almost a month with nothing happening. Kalaman thought that the Farlan military must¡¯ve been really lousy at their job if they had no pursuers. That, or Nahar was just that good at evading them. Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. Kalaman was just there as a safety precaution just in case things got sour.


    ¡°Heya, Kal!¡± Remina called out to him from behind. ¡°You patrollin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kalaman thought what he was doing was obvious, so he felt no need to answer and just kept walking.


    ¡°Man, I¡¯ve never liked escort missions,¡± she continued. ¡°Nothin¡¯ to do all the time. And we¡¯re surrounded by water on all sides, so nothin¡¯ to see either. You ever get bored of all this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Remina laughed. ¡°Man, wish I had your mental toughness! Anywho, I heard Nen¡¯s been avoidin¡¯ you as of late.¡±


    Kalaman stopped and glared at her. However, she was right. Before, Nentonia would constantly annoy him, following him around whenever she was bored. However, lately, she hasn¡¯t been doing that as much. Usually, Kalaman should¡¯ve be thankful that her annoyances stopped, and yet even in the few moments of quiet he had, her face would show up in his thoughts; unwanted intrusions in his otherwise dull mind. Eventually, he found himself trying to make conversation with her every now and then. However, she¡¯d often cut the conversation short with excuses and leave. She even stopped with all the teasing. It was all strange to him.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡±


    ¡°From the lady herself, of course. Also heard you wanted to talk to her more. Didn¡¯t expect that from ya at all!¡±


    ¡°Your point?¡±


    ¡°Aw, no need to be so defensive, Kal. I¡¯m just teasin¡¯! So, what happened between the two of ya?¡±


    ¡°...Beats me.¡±


    Kalaman continued his patrol. Remina tried to grill him for more information, but since he really didn¡¯t know, she ended up letting him off the hook.


    The days continued to pass like that. He¡¯d either go on patrol, or sit in his room doing nothing. Remina, Armei, and Jarvarax would occasionally chat him up, but as usual, he wouldn¡¯t say much. It was a monotonous and hollow way to live.


    It was strange how much of an influence a single person can exert. He never had to think about the monotony of his own life before, but all it took was one person to come in and shuffle things around a bit, and suddenly, it felt all the more real. She made him taste the sweetness of nectar, and took it away.


    Was this yet another of her playful teases?


    Kalaman sat on his bed thinking about it all. He was alone. Jarvarax and Remina were oddly active as of late, and Armei¡¯s mood had been getting worse and worse, so they were rarely in the room nowadays. It was all fine to Kalaman, though. This wasn¡¯t even their room, yet they insisted on hanging out here anyways. Some peace and quiet was nice, he thought.


    Then, the door opened. Even from the footsteps, Kalaman knew who it was.


    ¡°...Ah, Kalaman.¡± Nentonia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing him. ¡°I thought you¡¯d still be patrolling.¡±


    ¡°The stench of blood is getting annoying to deal with,¡± he replied. ¡°I stopped early.¡±


    ¡°So you noticed it too, huh? You must have good eyes. Or a good nose.¡±


    ¡°Could say the same to you,¡± he said, genuinely surprised that she already knew as well.


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    Nentonia laughed for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m ... a bit sensitive to the smell. So, you¡¯re busy right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°I see. Um, so anyways, I¡¯m actually quite busy, so I¡¯m just going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡± Kalaman cut her off. ¡°You just got here. Just take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not busy,¡± he said forcefully. ¡°And I¡¯m not stupid. Sit.¡±


    Nentonia scratched her cheek and waved her hands as if she was going to offer a retort, but in the end, she was unable to say anything. ¡°...Mm, right. I¡¯ll do that,¡± she said as she walked to one of the beds and sat down.


    There was silence between them for around half a minute. The two of them said nothing. Nentonia must¡¯ve noticed him staring at her, as she was doing her damn hardest not to make eye contact.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty quiet now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ah, well, I get quiet every now and then,¡± she replied unconvincingly.


    ¡°You on your period?¡±


    ¡°...Should you really be saying that to a lady?¡±


    ¡°Then what the fuck is going on with you?¡±


    Nentonia took a while to respond. Her eyes locked onto the floor as melancholy spread across her face. Then, she finally looked at him and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling down a bit, but you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a smile that she ever shown him before, but it was a smile he already saw her wear. It was the same smile she had when talking to the other members of the party.


    ¡°What, you not rotten anymore?¡±


    Nentonia looked at him with a confused expression. ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Kalaman stood up and started walking towards her. ¡°You said before that you could only be yourself around me because we were both ¡®rotten and incomplete¡¯, whatever that drivel means. But now, you¡¯re wearing that damn mask in front of me. What, don¡¯t like playing friends anymore?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s not...¡±


    Kalaman stood in front of Nentonia, looking down at her. In turn, she looked up at him, those yellow eyes of hers almost glowing with how vivid they were. He felt something boiling inside him.


    ¡°Do you hate me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± she said while locking eyes with him, her expression unshifting. ¡°You¡¯re quite intimidating right now, in fact.¡±


    ¡°...And why were you avoiding me?¡±


    He glared at her as he got to the heart of the matter. In response, Nentonia only sighed and lowered her head.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be around you right now.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t looking at him. He couldn¡¯t see her face, her expression, her eyes. He wanted to see her. All he thought about in the past few days was her face, and now that she was right in front of him, he couldn¡¯t even see it.


    Spurned by impulse, he grabbed her neck and pushed her down onto the bed. She let out a small gasp, but was powerless to stop him. The bed creaked under the force.


    He was on top of her, mere inches away from her face. She gave off a faint scent of cinnamon, just like the day they met. The sound of her breathing was sharp, and he could feel it on his face as it escaped from her glossy narrow lips. With a flushed face, she locked eyes with him once more.


    He held her by the neck, but didn¡¯t apply too much force as to keep her from breathing, but just enough to keep her down. Despite that, she didn¡¯t struggle, even a bit. She just laid there, staring at him.


    Kalaman¡¯s body felt hot. Something was burning inside him. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she was: the fuel or the match.


    This moment¡ªa dialogue of breaths instead of words¡ªcarried on for what felt like minutes. He felt his senses heightening to absurd degrees. He could hear every quiver in her breath, he could see every minute movement her eyes made. He stretched one of his fingers on her neck up towards her face, feeling how soft the skin of her cheek was.


    ¡°Do you want to devour me?¡± she whispered, her voice tickling his ears.


    ¡°...And if I say I do?¡± he responded in a low voice.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll devour you in return.¡± She reached out and rested her hands on his shoulders. ¡°Well keep taking from each other, bit by bit. Then, we¡¯ll both disappear.¡±


    ¡°Do you get off on saying cryptic shit all the time?¡±


    Ignoring him, she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t want to devour you, Kalaman.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°If I told you to jump into the ocean and drown, would you? If I asked you to stand in a burning pyre, would you?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡±


    She stared at him with a serious expression, calmly waiting for his answer. She was being cryptic, as always, but he felt like he needed to answer her.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know,¡± he answered honestly.


    Her eyes softened with a hint of disappointment. Then, she sighed, and gently pushed him away. She was physically weaker than him, to the point where her force couldn¡¯t register to him. But still, he backed away. His heart was still exhilarated, but he managed to calm himself down.


    Nentonia stood up and brushed her clothes. ¡°We¡¯re not a good match for each other, Kalaman,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thought you said the two of us had a lot in common?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of that. We¡¯re both rotten, but we¡¯re incomplete. As long as we¡¯re not whole, we will be incapable of loving.¡±


    ¡°...What will make us whole, then?¡±


    She began walking towards the door. ¡°Different strokes for different folks. But only pain will complete us, Kalaman.¡± She stopped by the doorway and caressed her neck as she turned back to look at him.


    Then, she smiled, and left.


    Kalaman grimaced.


    ¡°She really does get off on saying cryptic shit.¡±

 Heros Abyss Part V - "Moonlight"

    Kalaman knew how to hunt very well. Shortly before his adventuring days, he lived in the kingdom of Eirsia to the east for a while, where forests were abundant. He learned how to hunt game while he was there, so he was well acquainted with stalking his prey, waiting for the chance to strike. The better the hunter, the less likely he is to be noticed.


    But he also knew how it felt to be the hunted, especially after he became an adventurer. Many have tried to come after his life, be it beast, man, or something in between. Some amateurs, others professionals.


    The better the hunter, the less likely he is to be noticed.


    But there is always a degree of risk when it comes to hunting. No matter how good you are at hiding, not matter how well you stalk your pray, you cannot hide strong bloodlust.


    That¡¯s why the best killers in the world are those unfueled by hatred or violence. Those that kill without bearing the desire to kill are the most dangerous, since it¡¯s damn near impossible to notice them.


    But even they weren¡¯t infallible.


    It was strange when you think about it. You use your senses to spot amateur hunters. But sense alone isn¡¯t enough to sniff out better hunters, so you use intuition. But what do you do when your intuition isn¡¯t enough?


    Kalaman¡¯s answer was to go back to his senses, and heighten them to absurd degrees.


    He walked the halls of the ship on his usual patrols. The waves crashed, the ship creaked, but when you¡¯ve been prey to the greatest hunters, you begin to notice the tiny footsteps that hid behind all those sounds.


    Incredibly quiet footsteps followed closely behind him. They were quick and light. Just one person.


    He stopped in his tracks, and the footsteps stopped as well. He couldn¡¯t see anyone with his peripheral vision. They were most likely hiding behind one of the corners.


    Kalaman couldn¡¯t care less about them, though. If they weren¡¯t enemies, then they could be ignored. If they were, then he¡¯ll just kill them. If he couldn¡¯t, then that was that. Hardly anything to think about.


    Bored out of his mind, he began thinking about who it could be. A likely answer would be a Farlan spy or assassin that managed to get on board. However, he had his own hunch, one which was more likely.


    If he kept walking, then this charade would just keep going. It was best for both of them that he doesn¡¯t drag this out.


    Kalaman slowly unsheathed the sword on his waist, making it clear that he noticed his pursuer.


    Almost immediately, two figures ran towards him from behind the corner. At a glance, it seemed to be a male and a female, their faces obscured with hoods. They held a shortsword each.


    The male was the first to reach him. He lunged at him with his sword, aiming for his chest. Kalaman stepped to the side, the blade just barely missing him, and immediately swung at the man. However, the man bent his body into an impossible shape to dodge the blade, as if his spine broke in half, but he reverted back almost immediately.


    The woman swung next, this time, aiming to slice his legs. Kalaman kicked the sword away with his plated boots, and stabbed down on the woman. She tried to dodge, but the blade struck her arm. Blood spewed, but she didn¡¯t scream.


    ¡°...?¡±


    Kalaman noticed something strange when he did that. Then, just as he was momentarily confused, the man attacked again, twisting his shoulder backwards to make an absurd swing.


    Kalaman moved his face, but the blade ended up grazing his cheek a tiny bit. He slashed his blade at the sword arm, hoping to disarm him. Again, his limbs bent into an impossible shape, somehow growing a third joint in his forearm. He managed to land a small cut into his wrist.


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


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    There it was again. That strange feeling.


    The two figures stood up and ran to the other end of the hall at blazing speeds. Kalaman should¡¯ve chased after them, but he knew there was no need to.


    When the stabbed into that woman, and when he sliced that man¡¯s wrist, he could see the blade hitting them. He could see the blood pouring out. He could even feel the sword cleaving through their flesh. Yet, it didn¡¯t feel like he was cutting through people at all.


    When he sliced through people, there was a noticeable resistance. Skin, muscle, and bones wouldn¡¯t be sliced the same way. Bone is harder than muscle. So when his sword sliced through a person, it would always slice relatively easy at first, before hitting the bone, where he¡¯d need to use a bit more force to cleave through.


    But those people didn¡¯t have that feeling of varying resistance. It was like he was slicing through one solid mass.


    If their target had been someone else, it would¡¯ve likely been convincing, but Kalaman could see it as nothing more than shoddy work. All it gave him was a single wound, after all.


    ¡°...Pain will complete us, huh?¡±


    He reached out and traced his finger against his cheek wound. As he expected, it stung. In fact, it hurt.


    He forgot how much wounds hurt. He¡¯s had more severe wounds before, but he always ignored the pain. Bruises. Broken bones. Lacerations. Hemorrhages. Stab wounds. He¡¯s felt all sorts of pain, but he never really minded.


    People have called him ¡°selfless¡± and ¡°noble¡± for prioritizing healing others before himself, even when he had the clearly more serious wound, but that wasn¡¯t quite right.


    It was just that he felt more comfortable with those wounds. They gave him solace in ways rest, food, medicine, or magic never could. He remembered Nentonia. When leaving that room, she held her neck and smiled. That same neck he strangled twice.


    He felt close to the answer; to the heart of Nentonia Brava.


    Kalaman sheathed his sword and continued his patrol, blood dripping down his cheek.


    ?


    Kalaman ascended to the upper deck, the cool night wind caressing his cheek wound. Nentonia was there, leaning against the railings as she stared down into the dark waters below. He figured she¡¯d be here, considering she wasn¡¯t in any of the rooms.


    He walked forward to stand beside her, gazing at the oceans as well.


    ¡°...Do you think drowning would be a good way to die?¡± she suddenly asked. She didn¡¯t even turn to look at him, as if she knew who it was from the footsteps alone.


    ¡°Good. Bad. Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he replied. ¡°In the end, we¡¯d die.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. If you could choose, though, how would you want to die?¡±


    Kalaman thought about it for a bit. ¡°Guillotine.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You asked me to choose, so I chose.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s random, then.¡±


    ¡°...What about you?¡± he asked back.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± She placed a finger on her chin and looked up in deep thought. ¡°I¡¯d wanna scatter into a million petals and be swept away by the wind.¡±


    ¡°The hell kinda death is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯d be nice, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    The frigid wind blew through her hair, and it danced along with it. She tucked one of the stray strands behind her ear and looked up at the stars in awe. The night sky itself was reflected in her eyes, so he didn¡¯t feel the need to look up as well.


    Nentonia probably noticed him staring at her, since she turned to face him. Her eyes widened slightly. ¡°What¡¯s with that wound?¡±


    ¡°An assassin¡¯s on the ship.¡±


    ¡°An assassin, huh? You don¡¯t sound too panicked. Did you deal with them already?¡±


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no need to,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Hmm. Do you know who it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Someone in our party.¡± He was certain of that. He knew no one else on the ship capable of creating such convincing shells, even if she hid most of her spells from them.


    She placed her folded arms on top of the railing and rested her chin on them. ¡°...Hmm. I see. So ... it¡¯s probably Rem, yeah?¡±


    Kalaman was surprised. ¡°Did you know all along?¡±


    ¡°Just had a hunch. I¡¯m pretty good at spotting fakes. I¡¯m pretty fake too, after all. She felt like she was hiding who she was, so I made a lucky guess. So? What are you gonna do about her now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied. ¡°Not like I care anyways.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So, has she been an assassin since the very beginning?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. She was probably waiting for a chance to strike for years now.¡±


    ¡°Did who know who she was since the very beginning, then?¡±


    ¡°She did kill our previous cleric, so it was pretty obvious. I doubt the elf and the dragonborn knew though.¡±


    Ques Van Lendi had always been too smart for his own good. Remina probably killed him because he figured out her identity.


    She turned her head sideways to look at him. ¡°So, you knew all this time, but you didn¡¯t do anything. Why is that, I wonder?¡±


    Almost instinctively, he touched the wound on his cheek again, as if that was the answer. Then, he saw that cave. The cave that he¡¯d always been running away from. Inside, he could hear himself crying.


    How long has it been since he wallowed in that memory?


    Pain completes us.


    ¡°...Because it was fine if she killed me,¡± he answered. ¡°...No. I was hoping that she¡¯d be able to kill me. That¡¯s why I became an adventurer. I threw myself into many life-or-death situations because I didn¡¯t really care about living or dying. I was just going through the motions at that point.¡±


    He looked up to stare at the moon, looking down upon him as to judge him silently.


    ¡°You said you wanted to hear a story,¡± he continued. ¡°Will you listen to mine? Not the Dragonslayer¡¯s story, but mine.¡±


    Nentonia stared at him without saying a word. That, alone, was confirmation enough.


    He gave out a sigh, and began his tale.

 Heros Abyss Part VI - "The Failed Nomad"

    He was born in the desert, where strength was law. The northern Veil, which faced the ocean, was a relatively peaceful land. Under the rule of the Three Kings of the Desert, the nation of Shun Veil prospered. The trading city of Tisah, the ¡°heart of the Veil¡±, became an economic center for the nations of the Eirsarian sea, which brought all variety of goods into the nation. Within the Veil, there was peace, prosperity, and opportunity.


    But the farther south you go, the harsher life became.


    The Shun Veil is only one of four nations that surround the Great Desert of Shebu, a massive expanse of sand that stretched on for thousands of miles. The edges of the desert prospered, but the center was barren and nigh-unlivable, lacking in water and shelter, yet teeming with desert monstrosities.


    He was born close to the center, where the proud nomads protected their way of life. Strength was law. The weak can do nothing but sleep for all time, either scorched by the sun or devoured by the sands. That is, if the beasts and vultures don¡¯t partake of their body first.


    He was given the name ¡°Kalaman¡±, which was the name of a citrus fruit native to the nation south of the Great Desert. Apparently his mother used to be a well-known adventurer in the south when she was young. He¡¯s only ever heard of her through hearsay. Whether she was dead or simply kept on adventuring was anyone¡¯s best guess.


    But despite the fact that she was never in his life, she still had an impact on Kalaman greater than anyone else. He, like many of the desert nomads, valued strength above all else, so knowing that his mother was one who ventured into far lands to achieve great deeds sparked a flame inside him that burned him from the inside-out.


    But the desert takes, and rarely ever gives.


    The other nomad kids in his tribe had a nickname for him: ¡°Kampus¡±. In his language, it meant ¡°Coward¡±. The adults reprimanded those kids, but Kalaman knew that they thought the same.


    Even he knew it. Kalaman was the weakest in his tribe; a coward who only knew how to run away.


    When he was around fifteen or sixteen, he decided to flee the desert. He knew his mother was somewhere down south, but he decided to head in the opposite direction. He went as far north as he could, having to contend with starvation, dehydration, predators, heat, and sandstorms as he did.


    The desert was vast, more than he could have ever imagined. If felt like he was going on this journey for his entire life. Many times, he almost died. The only reason he was still alive was because he knew how to run and hide from predators.


    Eventually, he reached the Shun Veil, and from there journeyed east, where he reached the kingdom of Eirsia, a primarily elven nation that had many human inhabitants. Much unlike the Great Desert, it was a land of forests. Cold, humid, and nowhere near as unforgiving. It was here that Kalaman developed his false sense of power. A delusion he chased feverishly.


    ¡°Surely, I won¡¯t be called a coward here anymore.¡±


    He felt reborn. He would no longer be Kalaman the Coward.


    ?


    Kalaman placed the bag of severed giant lizard tails onto the counter, making a wet ¡°shlop¡± noise as it did. The receptionist took the bag and after confirming the contents, gave him a pouch of coins with a ¡°thank you¡±. As he left the guild building, he looked inside the pouch.


    ¡°Six silver pieces,¡± he sighed. ¡°I guess this would be enough to cover my tavern room for tonight, as well as food...¡±


    He¡¯d been working as an adventurer under the guild for about a month now. Because he was a new member, he was only allowed to take on lower ranked quests. They posed only a bit of danger, but to a desert nomad like him, they were nothing but menial chores.


    Generally, life was better than it was when he was still in the desert. He had a secure and consistent way to get food, water, and shelter. He currently lived in a room above a tavern. The room itself wasn¡¯t in pristine condition, but it was cheap.


    This was definitely not the life he had hoped when coming here. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. To take on the higher-level quests, you¡¯d need to be in a party first. It was possible to do it alone, but only higher ranked adventurers were allowed. For him to reach a rank like that by hunting giant lizards every day would take years, most likely. Unfortunately for him, no one wanted him in their party, which meant he had no choice in the matter.


    ¡°...Damnit!¡±


    In frustration, he kicked a nearby stone wall, then predictably dropped to the ground in pain. The passerby¡¯s paid him no heed. Still, he rose. All that did nothing to abate his anger.


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    ¡°They¡¯re all just jealous of me ¡®cause I¡¯m a nomad of the Great Desert! That¡¯s why they won¡¯t let me in! Damn them!¡±


    Desert nomads rarely ever leave the desert, but the ones that do are often known for their strength. The Great Desert is one of the harshest environments in the world, so it was expected for one who dwelled there to be powerful.


    ¡°You alright there?¡±


    A voice caressed his ear. He turned to see an elven girl leaning close to him, her eyes locking directly with his. With how suddenly she appeared and how close their faces were, Kalaman couldn¡¯t help but jump back in surprise.


    ¡°Ah! Wha...? Who?¡±


    The girl went ¡°ah,¡± and nervously laughed, as if realizing she¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°Sorry, sorry! It¡¯s a bad habit of mine! I often get told that I¡¯m too ¡®in-everyone¡¯s-faces¡¯ and all that. I saw you having a fight with this wall and lost, so I just thought that was kinda funny.¡±


    This elf girl¡¯s talkative, Kalaman thought. She speaks fast, too. Everything from her tone to her body language screamed ¡°high energy¡±.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s your problem, elf?¡± Kalaman said to her.


    ¡°Hey, I have a name, you know ... which I forgot to tell you, my bad. I¡¯m Emerina, glad to meet you!¡±


    She held out her hand. Still wary, Kalaman slowly took that hand and shook it.


    ¡°Kalaman.¡±


    Emerina smiled. ¡°Yep, you are him! I heard about you, actually.¡±


    As soon as Kalaman heard that, he flinched and let go of her hand. ¡°Oh really?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°They¡¯re calling you the False Nomad because of what happened a couple of weeks ago, you know.¡±


    ¡°...Tch.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did I pinch a nerve?¡±


    One party had accepted him in the past. They were a small and relatively new adventuring party, and of course, they immediately hired Kalaman due to him being a nomad. It didn¡¯t last long, however. During their first quest together¡ªa simple search-and-rescue type mission¡ªthey had a chance encounter with an owlbear.


    ¡°False Nomad¡± became his nickname after he ran away from it in fear. Thankfully, none of his former party members were injured by it, but the rumors spread like wildfire, and soon, no party would let him into their team.


    ¡°So what? I don¡¯t have time to listen to your insults, elf.¡±


    Kalaman took a deep breath to calm himself down and simply walked away from Emerina.


    ¡°Like I said, I have a naaame! It¡¯s Emerinaaa! I already told yoooou! E-me-ri-naaaa¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Stop shouting! Why are you so damn loud?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m following you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you yelling while following me?! Hell, why ARE you following me?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell so loud. Now look, everyone¡¯s looking at us.¡±


    Kalaman noticed that she was right. Everyone around them was now looking at them. It was to be expected, considering how loudly they were yelling. Emerina cheekily smiled at him, fully aware of what she was doing.


    ¡°You little...¡± Kalaman growled at her. ¡°What the hell do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± she replied. ¡°I just wanted to see how compatible the two of us were.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± He stared blankly at her, his thoughts in disarray. ¡°What are you...¡±


    She placed a finger on his lips to shush him. ¡°You know, there¡¯s rumor of another adventurer just like you; A cleric who doesn¡¯t know any healing spells. That¡¯s fine right? A lot of clerics can¡¯t heal either, so they either branch out to do frontline work. Unfortunately, that cleric isn¡¯t very strong, so she couldn¡¯t wear any heavy armor or carry any heavy maces. Her attack spells are weak, and she¡¯s lousy at aiming. Her support is ... okay at best, I believe, but nothing to write home about. In other words, she¡¯s a bona-fide mediocre adventurer!¡±


    ¡°Uh ... okay?¡±


    She looked at him disappointedly. ¡°Don¡¯t get it yet, Mr. Failed Nomad? I mean, I may not have a funny and degrading title like you, but I was sure we¡¯d get along, considering how similarly useless we both are.¡±


    Kalaman finally noticed the pendant that hung around her neck. It was a holy symbol bearing the sigil of some god. Most likely, it was a cleric¡¯s arcane focus.


    ¡°...Okay, you¡¯re that cleric then. Your point?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, compatibility. You, a nomad of the Great Desert who ran away from an owlbear. Me, a cleric who cannot heal, defend, or fight. We are both unwanted in this field it seems. But I don¡¯t have any plans to give up anytime soon...¡± She smiled at him. Her eyes were a calming blue, yet he felt flames burn inside them. ¡°...So, Kalaman, here¡¯s the deal: Why don¡¯t the two of us party up?¡±


    ¡°...Huh? You want to form a party with me?¡± He asked, stunned. He never thought anyone would want to team up with him after the owlbear incident.


    ¡°Two people is enough to be considered a party. At least, according to guild rules and such. So? How ¡®bout it? Party?¡± She held out her hand again, wriggling her fingers around as she waited for him to take it.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane, elf.¡±


    ¡°Emerina.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. But are you really sure about this? Even if the two of us work together, it won¡¯t amount to much.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be unsure of? Let¡¯s just go all out! Let¡¯s do the hardest quests and face the strongest foes! Let¡¯s kill beholders and dragons and cloud giants!¡± she said.


    ¡°You really are mad. You think we can do all that?¡±


    ¡°Right. They all say that to us, don¡¯t they? We¡¯re useless, we¡¯re cowards, we can¡¯t do anything. Don¡¯t you want to prove them wrong? Become a legend and shove that Failed Nomad title in their faces, Kalaman. Become an adventurer so great that you get another title to cover that one up! It¡¯s not like we have anything else to lose. So let¡¯s just burn ourselves up and become heroes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was true.


    He left the desert to prove them wrong¡ªto prove that he wasn¡¯t a coward. But in the end, he was doing what he always did. He ran away from it all. He ran away from ¡°Kampus¡±, the word that had plagued him since he was young. And when he finally arrived here, he ran away again.


    His entire life, all he did was run away. And now, a path was in front of him. A path to truly prove himself. He realized, deep down, that legends don¡¯t become legends by playing it safe.


    He thought the desert had nothing to give him. He was running away from its heat. But now, he knew. Strength was not the desert¡¯s law. The desert was strength itself. To be scalded by it is how a nomad lives. Those who seek shade will only be burned to ashes. A true nomad would accept the heat¡¯s embrace.


    ...But that wasn¡¯t enough for Kalaman. Not anymore.


    What he wanted wasn¡¯t to be a nomad. He wanted to be a hero.


    Instead of embracing the sun¡¯s heat, he would choose to light himself ablaze so that he may surpass it.


    ¡°...Fuck it. Let¡¯s burn.¡±


    And with a smile, he grasped Emerina¡¯s hand.

 Heros Abyss Part VII - "To Risk and Roll"

    Kalaman burst through the tavern doors and walked hastily to one of the tables where three adventurers sat. Two of them were casually making conversation, while one was fast asleep. He placed a piece of paper on the table so forcefully that it even woke him up.


    ¡°I found us a quest!¡± he said excitedly. The three adventurers had varying reactions.


    The first one, a yuan-ti pureblood paladin named Shultli, gave out an exasperated sigh. Her violet eyes had slits like a snake, and her neck was covered in scales.


    The sleeping guy, a half-elf wizard named Raforin, rubbed his eyes and stretched himself to wake up.


    And the third, who sat across from Kalaman, was the wood elf Emerina, who simply had her elbow on the table with her face resting on her palm, closing her eyes tiredly.


    It¡¯s already been close to year since Kalaman and Emerina¡¯s alliance. Since then, they managed to pick up two other party members. Like them, they were eccentrics who couldn¡¯t find a party to join.


    ¡°Green dragon extermination,¡± he continued. ¡°It¡¯s hiding in a forest to the east, and it¡¯s young. If we slay this, we¡¯ll become legends!¡±


    ¡°Really, Kalaman?¡± Shultli said. ¡°I knew you were desperate, but damn...¡±


    ¡°Same old stuff, right?¡± Raforin yawned. ¡°Chief comes in with an absolutely absurd quest, and we have to deescalate it so we don¡¯t all die horrible deaths.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your motivation, guys? C¡¯mon, we can take it!¡± Kalaman said, trying to persuade them as best he could.


    ¡°It¡¯s a goddamn dragon, dude. Young or not, it will tear us to bits and pieces faster than we can regret our decision. Denied.¡± Shultli crossed her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Shultli on this one, chief,¡± Raforin, still half asleep, raises his hand lazily. ¡°I¡¯m fine fighting with owlbears and basilisks, but I¡¯d rather not meet a dragon if I can help it. I choose life, thank you very much.¡±


    Kalaman scratched his head. ¡°All of you are lacking in ambition. Fine! If none of you are going, then me and Emer¡¯ll slay it ourselves!¡± He looked to the elf girl, waiting for her approval.


    But she still had her eyes closed and her brows furrowed. Everyone in the party turned to her since she was being uncharacteristically quiet.


    ¡°Hey, Emer, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Kalaman asked.


    ¡°...Sorry, it¡¯s a no from me too,¡± she finally replied, which took him of guard. Even Shultli and Raforin were surprised, considering she was usually his prime sympathizer. Every now and then, she¡¯d even come in with a ridiculous quest of her own.


    ¡°No? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°A no is a no.¡± She finally opened her eyes. ¡°If we do that quest, we will die for sure.¡±


    ¡°W-we don¡¯t know that for certain! We¡¯ve been able to manage this entire time, right? Weren¡¯t you the one who said we needed to play risky?¡±


    ¡°...Sorry, Kal. Not this time,¡± she said softly. ¡°Green dragons are very powerful, even when young. What you¡¯re trying to do isn¡¯t ¡®risky¡¯, it¡¯s a suicide. We can barely take on a wereboar, for crying out loud. We don¡¯t need to roll the die every time.¡±


    She seemed resolute in her stance. Kalaman was fully aware of how stubbornly willful she could be. But that willfulness often manifested in an ambitious roar. ¡°Playing safe¡± wasn¡¯t her game.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been acting weird, Emer. Lately, you¡¯ve begun to agree with them when I try to get us these big game quests. Are you getting scared or something now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    She admitted it so bluntly and calmly that Kalaman and the rest were at a loss for words. She was usually giddy and all smiles, yet right now, her face was serious. Kalaman knew her well enough to know that she would not budge, no matter what.


    ¡°...Fine, then,¡± he said after calming himself down. ¡°There was a goblin nest extermination quest. Five goblins and two hobgoblins hiding in a cave to the east with stolen loot. That good?¡±


    Emerina pondered for a bit, before sighing and saying, ¡°that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°...No objections here,¡± Shultli said quietly, noticing the awkward tension.


    ¡°S¡¯fine with meee.¡± Raforin didn¡¯t seem to care much, though.


    Still, Kalaman wasn¡¯t really fine with it at all.


    ¡°What happened to burning ourselves up, Emer?¡± he said to her with disappointment before leaving.


    Emerina didn¡¯t say anything back.


    ?


    The party all traversed the forest on foot. Kalaman had tried to lead them using a map, but after they got lost three times in a row, Raforin stole the map from him and was now leading, with Shultli assisting him. As a result, Kalaman and Emerina were stuck in the back, following them. Both of them were notoriously bad at reading maps, after all.


    Yet, during the entire journey this far, neither have said a word to the other. Still, fights like this were common between them every now and then, and Kalaman expected them to be back to normal in due time.


    Perhaps those two took the lead to give Kalaman and Emerina a chance to reconcile.


    He just couldn¡¯t understand why Emerina would choose to start being all cautious now when back then, she was even crazier than him. In fact, being around her so often changed Kalaman too. He was far ballsier than he¡¯d ever been before. ¡°Her crazy is spreading to me¡±, he¡¯d tell himself.


    To be completely honest, he was more worried for her than mad. She wasn¡¯t acting like herself. Something was clearly bugging her, and he didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°Something bothering you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why?¡± she replied normally. No, rather, it was strange how normal that was. Emerina was usually more energetic than this.


    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. I can tell.¡± Kalaman decided to be stubborn about it, otherwise they¡¯d never get anywhere. ¡°Just out with it. Why would you, of all people, suddenly be scared?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s just, lately, we¡¯ve been fighting stronger and stronger enemies,¡± she finally answered. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ve been getting better, too. I¡¯ve learned how to use a bit of healing magic, and you¡¯ve found confidence in yourself and all that. But with each quest, our aim gets higher and higher, and...¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to keep up. That I...¡±


    She hung her head in shame. It looked like it was getting to her a lot. It was honestly disheartening to see her like this.


    ¡°Hey, chin up, Emer,¡± he patted her back. ¡°That¡¯s why we made this party, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll push ourselves until we become heroes and prove them all wrong.¡±


    ¡°I know that! I know...¡±


    That drive inside her was gone, and Kalaman didn¡¯t know what to do. He wanted to do something for her. Anything. But he was never the smart type, so he doesn¡¯t know how to get her out of this dump she was in.


    ¡°...After this, we¡¯ll take a break,¡± he said. ¡°No questing or adventuring for a bit, or something.¡±


    Emerina looked up at him. There was a bit of relief in her eyes. ¡°Mm. Thanks,¡± she said with a soft smile. Seeing her like that made something in him lighten up, too.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Raforin yelled at them.


    Right in front of them was a large cave entrance. Because of the trees¡¯ canopies that surrounded the cave, it was impossible to see inside. If they followed the map right, then this cave should be where the goblin nest was.


    ¡°Strange,¡± Shultli said. ¡°Didn¡¯t know there was a cave here.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s newly discovered,¡± Raforin replied to her. ¡°For the most part, we¡¯re probably the first adventurers to enter.¡±


    ¡°Guess we better be careful, then. That means no crazy shit, you two!¡± Shultli turned around and pointed to Kalaman and Emerina.


    ¡°Stop it, Shultli. You¡¯d have an easier time trying to conquer this kingdom than doing that,¡± Raforin sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with. I¡¯m starting to get sleepy.¡±


    The two of them entered the cave first, with Raforin casting a light spell on one of Shultli¡¯s weapons as she led the way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, yeah?¡± Emerina said, having regained some of her vigor already. She followed the rest of them into the cave.


    Kalaman stared at the cave¡¯s entrance. It almost looked like a beast¡¯s gaping mouth, ready to swallow him up.


    Deep down inside him, that little boy from the desert was still there. ¡°Kalaman Kampus¡± was screaming at him.


    Don¡¯t go inside that cave.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kalaman took a step forward and entered the beast¡¯s maw.

 Heros Abyss Part VIII - "They Screamed"

    ¡°Well, this is surprising.¡± Raforin was peering over a corner, inspecting a campsite that was just ahead. Kalaman and the others waited for the result of his survey. ¡°There are more goblins than the quest details described. Seven gobs, three hobs total. Half of them are wearing light armor.¡±


    ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t handle,¡± Kalaman said. ¡°Is the loot there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a giant chest of what seems to be valuables that one of the goblins is sleeping in. Maybe that¡¯s it. And did you just say, ¡®nothing we can¡¯t handle¡¯? Chief, that looks like a lot to handle for me, personally. It¡¯s three hobs, you know?¡±


    ¡°Better than a dragon, to say the least,¡± Shultli said as she prepared her glaive.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the goblins made a nest here so close to the entrance,¡± Emerina whispered. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d hide deeper in.¡±


    ¡°They probably don¡¯t want to go deeper in. Maybe they¡¯re scared?¡± Shultli replied.


    Raforin turned to Shultli. ¡°Makes things easier for us, though. So what¡¯s the plan, Shully?¡±


    The yuan-ti gently tapped his head with the wooden part of her glaive. ¡°Do not call me Shully. Emerina, prepare your spells. Here¡¯s the plan: We buff Kalaman to high hell. Then, You and Raforin will launch long-ranged attacks at them while they¡¯re distracted. Finally, me and Kalaman will rush in to finish them off. You two can stay at a distance and support us.¡±


    ¡°Kalaman¡¯s gonna be the vanguard again?¡± Emerina complained.


    ¡°He¡¯s our strongest fighter,¡± Shultli said. ¡°It¡¯s the only chance we have. I can use the Inflict Wounds spell twice, which should be enough to take out two of the hobgoblins, so he¡¯ll be the one to deal with the last one.¡±


    Emerina hesitated for a bit before conceding. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    Emerina and Shultli gathered around Kalaman and activated their spells.


    ¡°Aid. Bless.¡±


    ¡°Shield of Faith.¡±


    Kalaman felt the mana rushing to surround his body, some of it entering him. His body tried to reject the mana, since it was a foreign object that was trying to invade, but eventually, the magic successfully entered and began empowering him. He could feel his muscles getting hotter, and his breathing stronger.


    However, these spells wouldn¡¯t last long, so they needed to act fast.


    ¡°Quickly! We need to attack!¡± Raforin whispered loudly at them. The three then jumped out the corner and launched their spells as fast as they could.


    ¡°Scorching Ray!¡±


    ¡°Aganazzar¡¯s Scorcher!¡±


    Three streaks of flame appeared out of Emerina¡¯s staff and hurled towards the three hobgoblins, setting their clothes ablaze. At the same time, a line of fire burst from Raforin¡¯s position and engulfed three of the seven goblins. Their cries and shrieks filled the cave as the goblins that were on fire writhed and rolled on the ground in an attempt to put the fires off. Two of them fell to the ground and died right then and there.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Kalaman and Shultli ran forward, weapons in hand, screaming as they approached. The goblins, still confused as to what was happening, couldn¡¯t dodge or block. He swung as hard as he could at one of the goblins that didn¡¯t get hit by the spells, completely decapitating it. Then, as fast as he could, he turned around and swung the blade downwards at one of the burning goblins, splitting its skull in half. Pieces of steaming brain bits clung to his longsword as he pulled it out.


    At the same time, Shultli ran towards one of the hobgoblins. ¡°Inflict Wounds!¡± she chanted, then kicked it in its stomach. Instantly, a massive wound appeared where she kicked it, its blood dying her leg red. She turned and swung her glaive at the creature¡¯s neck, slicing it open easily while it was distracted from its other wound. The hobgoblin fell down in a pool of its own blood.


    While Kalaman was distracted from that, he felt something stab his backside. One of the goblins had regained its composure and thrust its shortsword into Kalaman¡¯s back.


    ¡°Sacred Flame!¡±


    Emerina¡¯s voice was loud and clear. White flame appeared above the goblin and descended, devouring the creature whole. As it screamed, Kalaman turned and swung at him, endings its life.


    Now it was left to two goblins and two hobgoblins. The goblins were small fry, but the hobgoblins were dangerous.


    The two hobs already put out the flames, and were ready to fight. One of them swung at Shultli.


    ¡°Inflict Wou¡ª!¡±


    Before she could finish her spell, the hobgoblin¡¯s club slammed into her side and sent her flying to the wall. She looked alive, but she couldn¡¯t get herself back up. It seemed like her shoulder got dislocated.


    ¡°Shit...! Emer! Go treat Shultli! I¡¯ll draw their attention!¡± Kalaman shouted. ¡°Raforin, back me up!¡±


    ¡°Aganazzar¡¯s Scorcher!¡±


    The half-elf wasted no time and launched his spell again. The spell managed to scathe one the hobgoblins, distracting it for a moment. But the other was able to escape the spell¡¯s range in time, and raised its club over Kalaman¡¯s head and swung down.


    Kalaman stepped to the side, the club just barely missing him as it sunk into the ground, pieces of earth flying upwards. Not wasting his chance, he swung at the hobgoblin¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t feel much impact from the cut.


    ¡°Not deep enough...!¡±


    He swung again, but the Hobgoblin managed to dodge, and swung its club again towards Kalaman¡¯s legs. Bam. A strong impact sent vibrations up Kalaman¡¯s body. It damn near snapped the bone in two.


    He grit his teeth through the pain, and swung again. The blade sliced through half of the monster¡¯s face. Kalaman kicked it to create some distance between them, then ended it with another slash, this time to the chest.


    As the hobgoblin fell, the other one appeared from behind it, swinging its club at Kalaman. He was unable to react fast enough, and took the hit directly.


    ¡°Gh...!¡±


    He flew several feet backwards, his skin scraping against the ground. It was hard to breath. He could feel his ribs breaking, poking at his lungs. Worst of all, that impact had knocked his longsword away. The hobgoblin was fast approaching, and he had no way of defending himself. He tried to position himself to dodge, but his wounds strained him.


    Then, just as he thought he was about to get his own skull bashed open, a glaive hit the hobgoblin¡¯s back. It wasn¡¯t a very strong or deep cut, but it got its attention nonetheless.


    Behind the hobgoblin, Emerina was carrying Shultli¡¯s glaive. She was out of breath¡ªprobably not used to swinging such heavy weapons. The creature turned around and motioned to attack, but this time Kalaman was able to get his bearings again.


    He managed to take out a shortsword and pushed himself to stand. Even as the bones dug deeper into his lungs, he screamed as he thrust the blade deep into the monster¡¯s neck. It dropped its club and fell to the ground, unmoving.


    Kalaman quickly scanned the room for the remaining enemies. He could see two shadows running deeper into the caves, carrying what seemed to be the loot they were tasked on bringing back.


    ¡°Shit, they¡¯re getting away!¡± Kalaman tried to run after them, but Emerina grabbed him by the shoulder.


    ¡°Kal, no!¡± she yelled. ¡°You need healing! Stay still ... Cure Wounds.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She held her brightly glowing staff over Kalaman¡¯s chest. He could feel the pain inside him ease up slightly, and he was able to breath more calmly than before.


    ¡°What the hell were you trying to do back there?¡± Kalaman said to her. ¡°You should¡¯ve stayed in the backline!¡±


    ¡°I saved your life, didn¡¯t I! You should be thanking me, you doofus. In fact, I should be chastising you. What were you thinking, trying to take on two of them at once?¡±


    ¡°I had no choice, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Neither did I, okay?! I was in the middle of healing Shultli, but if I had waited any longer, your brain would¡¯ve been bits and pieces on this floor right now!¡±


    ¡°Um, It¡¯s alright if you two wanna keep fighting, but our loot is getting away,¡± Raforin called out to them, pointing deeper into the cave.


    Realizing the situation both of them were in, they shut themselves up. As soon as Emerina finished healing Kalaman, she immediately rushed over to Shultli, who was trying to stand up with her still dislocated arm, and began healing her again.


    ¡°Sorry I stopped earlier,¡± she said to her. ¡°If only I was a better cleric, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop that,¡± Shultli interrupted her. ¡°You did what you had to, it¡¯s fine. More importantly, we have a problem. Look at the floor below us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Curious by what she meant, Kalaman looked downwards. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary: just dirt over stone. However, the longer he looked, the more he noticed it. The stone beneath was unusually even and flat. He pushed some of the dirt away, revealing the paved concrete below, segmented into rectangular shapes.


    ¡°These are ... bricks?¡± Kalaman muttered. The others seemed to have heard him.


    ¡°The ground beneath us isn¡¯t made of naturally formed stone,¡± Shultli continued. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a cave. It¡¯s an entrance to some sort of ruin.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a problem how?¡± Raforin asked.


    Emerina seemed to have caught on. ¡°This is an undiscovered cave,¡± she said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s been here before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Ruins often have traps and defenses set in place, more often than not. These places have treasure that their previous owners are desperate to keep safe. If we continue down this cave, we might encounter something way beyond our paygrade.¡±


    Emerina finished up her healing and stood up. ¡°...We¡¯re retreating.¡±


    Kalaman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What? It¡¯s just two goblins. They couldn¡¯t have gotten far. In fact, the longer we talk, the farther in¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said we¡¯re retreating!¡±


    She turned around, anger in her eyes. Kalaman was shocked. This was the first time he¡¯s ever seen her get this mad.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Emer...? Ever since a few months ago, you¡¯ve been acting all cautious. Weren¡¯t you the one who said we should burn ourselves up and become heroes?¡±


    Emerina mouth moved, but nothing came out. She couldn¡¯t find the words to say. Finally, she let out a shaky breath and looked at him straight in the eyes. ¡°That was when I had nothing left to lose.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Emerina said nothing else. She didn¡¯t need to say anything else. Her eyes, despite her best efforts to remain strong, was on the verge of tears. It told Kalaman all he needed to know.


    I can¡¯t lose you, she said without words.


    In truth, Kalaman was having the exact same feeling. He just pushed it to the back of his mind because he didn¡¯t want it to interfere with his goals. At some point down the line, he began to value his teammates more and more. During that alliance the two of them made to value their dreams more than their lives, he began seeing Emerina as something more and more important to him than any dream he had. Him constantly upping the risk and taking on more dangerous quests was his way of denying that.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, Emer.¡± Kalaman began walking deeper into the cave. The other party members tried to talk him out of it, but he didn¡¯t stop.


    If he cannot burn here, then what else can he do? All his life, he¡¯s been chasing after this single dream. If he stopped now, then what would happen to everything he¡¯s given up on? He left his family, his home. He endured the long, long journey to get where he was now. He risked life and limb to claw his way up.


    If he stopped now, then it would all be for nothing.


    The sun still shone brighter than him. That cannot be allowed to stand.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kalaman turned around. Emerina said nothing, and simply hung her head.


    ?


    After a few minutes of walking, the party enters a large cavity. The walls had eroded, but judging from a few still intact pieces of pillars here and there, it was clear that it used to be a hall.


    The entire party was more or less silent after what happened between Kalaman and Emerina. Everyone just followed him in since they couldn¡¯t stop him anyways.


    ¡°...Wait.¡± Kalaman stopped walking. To the side, half sunk into the wall, was a humongous humanoid-shaped statue. Looking at it made Kalaman¡¯s stomach churn. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°...A stone golem,¡± Shultli answered with a shaking voice. ¡°Mindless constructs that are created to fulfil their creators wishes. I¡¯ve only ever heard of them before...¡±


    ¡°Are they strong?¡±


    ¡°Look at it, you addle-brained mountain goat, it¡¯s twenty feet tall and made of concrete, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not moving,¡± Raforin said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not active?¡±


    ¡°Listen, let¡¯s just find those goblins already,¡± Emerina said frustratedly.


    The cave was incredibly dark, so they could hardly see anything. However, right in front of them, a good distance away, Kalaman saw a strange shape. It looked like a very large bush. The others seemed to have noticed as well, since Raforin cast the light spell on a pebble, then threw it towards the shape, illuminating it.


    Ting.


    The pebble made a light sound as it bounced off the scales.


    Freezing ice grabbed hold of Kalaman¡¯s spine. Every hair on his body stood on end. Everyone had the same exact reaction of pure, utter terror.


    Slowly, the green dragon rose. It turned as snarled at them, revealing two goblins in between its bloody maw.


    ¡°...Holy shit,¡± Raforin said under his breath.


    It was the same green dragon from that one quest. Why is it here? What on earth was it doing here?


    ...No, it wasn¡¯t the same one. This one was much larger. This was an adult dragon.


    ¡°We need to run.¡± Emerina grabbed hold of Kalaman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We need to run! Now!¡±


    Coward.


    Their voices taunted him. Voices that he hasn¡¯t heard in a long while.


    Are you gonna run again?


    ¡°Kal!¡±


    In a flash, the dragon jumped over them and landed behind them, sealing off their only path to the exit. Dragons were intelligent, and the green ones were especially cunning. However, this one didn¡¯t speak. It simply slowly approached them and growled. Saliva dripped from the beast¡¯s mouth, dripping onto the floor below.


    He knew they couldn¡¯t reason with it, no matter how intelligent it was.


    It was starving.


    Kalaman couldn¡¯t move his body. He just stood there and stared blankly at the approaching dragon. He felt something that he hasn¡¯t felt in a long time¡ªthat sense of facing something many leagues above him than he was.


    For the first time in a long time, fear stood before him, wrapping him in its frigid embrace.


    He could hear his teammates yelling at him. He didn¡¯t know exactly what they were saying. He couldn¡¯t make out any of it. All that was on his mind was the dragon, its claws about to crush him to th¡ª


    ¡°Kal!¡±


    Someone tackled him from the side, and there was a loud noise of the earth shattering. He saw Emerina¡¯s arms around him as the two of them laid on the ground. She yelled, ¡°s-snap out of it!¡±


    ¡°E-Emer...¡± he spoke with a shaky voice. He saw the state of Emerina¡¯s legs. One of them had been cut very badly, so badly that it was just hanging on to the rest of her body by a small bridge of flesh.


    Someone screamed.


    Behind them, they saw Shultli underneath the dragon¡¯s claw. One of her arms laid beside her, detached from her body. She screamed. She writhed. She yelled.


    ¡°Shultli!¡± Raforin ran in and tried to help her up, but the beast¡¯s tail swung at him, and he was flung across the room, hitting a wall which now had a small splatter of blood on it.


    Raforin laid on the ground, moving, albeit just barely.


    Then, while the dragon was distracted, Shultli used her remaining arm and touched the dragon¡¯s feet. ¡°...Inflict Wounds!¡±


    In an instant, a large gash appeared on the dragon¡¯s ankle. It wasn¡¯t big enough to impair it, but definitely enough to hurt. The dragon released its grip on Shultli and thrashed around, hitting the wall.


    Shultli tried to crawl away, but with her bones in that state, she couldn¡¯t move much at all. She used her arm to slowly drag herself to them. Slowly...


    The earth shook.


    And suddenly, there was a loud hum.


    The stone statue that was implanted on the wall begun to move. It broke free from the wall that was imprisoning it, and its eyes glowed a bright red. It swung its massive fist at the dragon. The impact was so powerful that it created tremors which traveled through the earth, up the walls, and onto the ceiling. A large began falling towards them.


    Kalaman was back at the desert. He¡¯s just a young boy who was way in over his head. A young, weak boy that was ridiculed for his weakness. The desert sand felt comfortable under his feet. The heat was intense, but not unbearable. He closed his eyes, and everything was fine.


    Why are you afraid?


    The other kids asked him.


    You¡¯re weird! You¡¯re afraid of a giant scorpion!


    He¡¯s not. He¡¯s a nomad, too. He¡¯s the son of a great adventurer.


    Kampus!


    Stop.


    Kampus! Kampus!


    Just shut up.


    ¡°...Emer...?¡±


    He was still alive. The debris had just missed him.


    No, that wasn¡¯t right. She pushed him out of the way.


    Her arm was right there. Sticking out from underneath a piece of rock.


    ¡°...E...er...¡±


    He heard screaming. Was it Shultli¡¯s, or was it Raforin¡¯s? He couldn¡¯t tell. Someone was screaming. Scream. They were screaming.


    The desert¡¯s wind was arid, but it felt nice on his skin. Life on the desert isn¡¯t so bad. The meat from the monsters they hunted tasted good. The oasis waters were good, too. But it was harsh to live there.


    He was in a desert right now.


    In a desert...


    They screamed.


    They screamed.


    They screamed.


    They screamed.


    Who?


    He was born in the desert, where strength was law. The northern Veil, which faced the ocean, was a relatively peaceful land. Under the rule of the Three Kings of the Desert, the nation of Shun Veil prospered.


    Wait.


    The trading city of Tisah, the ¡°heart of the Veil¡±, became an economic center for the nations of the Eirsarian sea, which brought all variety of goods into the nation. Within the Veil, there was peace, prosperity, and opportunity.


    No.


    Stop.


    Take me back.


    Let me stay.


    Where am I


    Whe r e


    They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed. They screamed.


    No.


    It was him.


    He screamed.

 Heros Abyss Part IX - "Kalaman Kampus"

    The cold ocean wind blew against his skin. He could feel his own hands shaking.


    The entire time, Nentonia simply listened, not saying a single thing. Her eyes were wide open, attentively listening to every single word.


    He looked up at the moon and drew in a deep breath.


    ¡°I just sat there until eventually the golem and dragon killed each other. I forgot how many hours that took. By some freak miracle, I didn¡¯t get to die. When I finally got out of that cave, the rumors began spreading.¡±


    ¡°...About you killing a dragon?¡± Nentonia asked.


    He scoffed. ¡°Ridiculous, isn¡¯t it? But I didn¡¯t deny it. In the end, my old friends at the desert were right. No matter how far I run, I was never able to escape the desert.¡± Slowly, he began laughing¡ªsomething he hasn¡¯t done in years. He laughed hysterically at the moon. And when he finally calmed down, he said, ¡°Now look at me. After all this time, I''ve become a hero. One with a dumb fucking title, like the two of us dreamed. I have burned brighter than a hundred suns. Absurd, right? Now, the desert can never turn me to ash. No flame can. In my eyes, that''s the cruelest thing this world has ever done to me. I¡¯m tired. My insides are charcoal. I¡¯ve burned enough."


    Instead of being punished for his mistake, he was rewarded with his dream. He got everything he wanted when it didn¡¯t matter anymore. He was revered, immortalized in songs, showered with praises and wealth from all across the world.


    His unpunished sins have festered in his throat, suffocating him through every waking moment. All of his dreams have become swords in his flesh him like a pin cushion, forever reminding him of who he is.


    ¡°So why are you still alive?¡±


    Nentonia asked so casually that it was comforting to him. He already knew his answer.


    ¡°...Because I¡¯m a coward. When the desert scared me, I ran away and became an adventurer. When my own incompetence scared me, I ran away and lived recklessly. When my sins scared me, I ran away and became a hero. It¡¯s the only thing I can do. It¡¯s the only thing I know how to do. I can¡¯t bring myself to end it. All I can do in the end is wait for someone else to do it for me.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re heading to Feralter to die. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°I just want to be judged.¡±


    ¡°And will you find it there?¡±


    ¡°I sure as hell won¡¯t find it here.¡± He looked up at the stars and sighed. ¡°Sorry for making you listen to all that shit.¡±


    Nentonia chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re actually apologizing? That¡¯s rare. But still, I¡¯m glad you told me.¡±


    He turned to face her. Nentonia¡¯s raven black hair reflected the moonlight, and her eyes shined like the stars themselves. She was one-to-one with the night sky. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Cold.


    ¡°What did you mean when you said, ¡®pain will complete us¡¯?¡± he finally asked. ¡°Even after all that pain I went through, am I still incomplete?¡±


    She turned to him and smiled. She softly brushed her hand against his as she leaned closer. ¡°The night is still long, no? Follow me.¡±


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    ¡°Where?¡± he asked.


    ¡°To my room. I¡¯m going to thank you for sharing your story, that¡¯s all.¡± she whispered into his ear, her lips almost brushing his cheek. She pulled back, her face mere inches away from his, as she wore a suggestive smile.


    He scoffed.


    ¡°Enough with the teasing. What are you trying to do?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°You know me so well now, huh? I would¡¯ve liked if you became flustered for a bit, but I guess that¡¯s asking for too much.¡± She turned and started walking away. ¡°Since you told me your story, I just thought it¡¯d be fair to tell you mine. It¡¯s getting cold here, so I¡¯ll be in my room. And I¡¯ll let you know now that it¡¯s rude to keep a lady waiting!¡±


    She waved as she disappeared underneath the deck, leaving Kalaman alone under the night sky. He looked up, and gave out the biggest sigh of his life.


    He was amused at the fact that he felt disappointed. He didn¡¯t even know he was still capable of these emotions anymore.


    ?


    ¡°What happened here?¡±


    Kalaman had just arrived at the upper deck after he heard a very loud explosion. He immediately went to ask Armei, who was sitting against one of the railings with her knees to her chest.


    ¡°Kalaman, I...¡± She looked up at him with a miserable expression.


    He looked at the charred floorboards. Only Armei¡¯s spells were capable of this kind of damage. Which meant...


    ¡°Did you find the assassin?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I ... n-no.¡± Armei lowered her head. ¡°I messed up. I got too ... agitated, and as a result, I hit Remina with a Fireball.¡±


    Messed up. So she hasn¡¯t figured it out yet.


    ¡°I see. Is she alive?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. I don¡¯t think her arm will work anymore, though.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± He scanned the area. Aside from some crew members, it was only Armei. Remina, Nentonia, and Jarvarax were nowhere to be found.


    ¡°The cleric took her below deck and is healing her,¡± Armei replied with frustration in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s probably in her room.¡±


    ¡°I see. I must¡¯ve missed them while coming here, then.¡±


    Without wasting any time, Kalaman headed under deck. He walked along the wooden halls towards Remina¡¯s room. However, he stopped just at the door. There were voices inside.


    ¡°You know, Rem, I do consider you a friend. I really do,¡± the voice spoke. ¡°Joining this party was fun. You and Kalaman taught me so many new things. I really love you guys. So even if you were lying earlier, Rem, I¡¯m still glad you consider me a friend too.¡±


    He heard Nentonia¡¯s gentle voice, talking slowly and clearly like she usually did. And she heard someone else¡¯s faint gasps and groans, as if she wanted to scream but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you...¡± There was a short pause before she continued talking. ¡°We both have that in common, don¡¯t we? Sorry, Rem. I really do want to kill you, but I can¡¯t. I made a promise with someone. Recently, someone told me he¡¯d accept me for all that I am. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to start living as myself. So I¡¯m glad we were both able to be honest with each other.¡±


    After saying that, Nentonia opened the door and left the room. She closed the door behind her and turned to face him.


    ¡°Oh, you were here,¡± she said, not at all surprised. ¡°Did you hear all that?¡±


    ¡°Just a bit,¡± he replied. ¡°Was that the halfling you were talking to?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°What, jealous? Well, she is pretty cute. I might just go back inside and, you know...¡±


    ¡°Nentonia.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m just teasing,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna forget the promise we made that night. But what about you? Have you made a decision?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Better make it fast, Kal. The storm¡¯s about to reach its most rageful,¡± she said and walked away.


    He stood in front of Remina¡¯s door, thinking about what he should do next.


    ...No, there was no need to think any longer.


    All he needed to do was make a choice.


    He opened the door and walked in. Remina was on her bed, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. Her pinky finger was in a horrible state of being bent backwards. Perhaps because she was in so much pain, she failed to notice him.


    As he got closer, he noticed her expression. She was very gently smiling. It was the most genuine expression Kalaman¡¯s ever seen her wear.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    He took out his blade, and with one motion, stabbed it through the halfling¡¯s neck. The blade sunk so deep that he felt it piercing through the wooden bed and emerging out the underside.


    It was quick and silent. She didn¡¯t scream. Her face still held that same smiling expression as the life from her body quickly faded. There was no struggle at all.


    He pulled out the blade, and her blood flowed into the bed¡¯s white sheets, dyeing it anew. He sheathed the sword and walked away.


    His path was clear. He¡¯ll accept her, just as she accepted him.


    And if he was going to burn one last time, then he¡¯d better make it the hottest he¡¯s ever burned.

 Heros Abyss Part X - "Depression"

    Kalaman found Nentonia standing at the upper deck as the storm was at its most violent. She looked at the sky as if she was gazing upon a beautiful night scenery, her eyes wide with awe. Every so often, the lightning would light up her face, revealing a slight upward turn of the edges of her mouth.


    ¡°So, have you made your decision?¡± she asked without turning to him. She knew he was there. Her voice was calm and quiet, but he could hear it so clearly, as if she was right there biting his ear.


    Enthralled. Obsessed. Addicted. Every part of her was poisonous nectar. And now, the bee was going to willingly drown in it.


    He heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Armei walk like an undead towards them, her limbs almost limp.


    ¡°Remina died,¡± Armei said.


    Right. Kalaman remembered her heading towards Remina¡¯s room. The two of them passed each other as Kalaman was trying to head to the upper deck.


    Nentonia¡¯s eyes widened, then she looked at Kalaman, knowing that he was the only one who could¡¯ve done it. He locked eyes with her back, and without words, he said ¡°this is my answer.¡±


    Her eyes softened, accepting his response.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± she said to Armei.


    The half-elf looked at her with furrowed brows. ¡°...Is that all you have to say? Weren¡¯t the two of you close?¡±


    ¡°We are. It¡¯s a bit sad that we can¡¯t see each other anymore, though, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s happy, wherever she is now.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± Armei growled. ¡°She isn¡¯t anywhere anymore.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯d like to believe she is.¡± Nentonia playfully swung her legs as she walked to the deck¡¯s center.


    Suddenly, one of the crewmates screamed. Everyone turned their heads to what he was looking at.


    Jarvarax had ascended the deck, his body covered in blood splatters, with some of it dripping down his spear.


    Armei was the first to speak. ¡°Jarvarax? What did you...?¡±


    ¡°I killed the assassin,¡± he said, then turned to the crew. ¡°Your captain is gone.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for the crewmates to raise their voices. They all shouted in unison, so it was hard to make out what exactly they said amidst the storm. Kalaman was surprised to see that a former criminal like Nahar was able to amass a team that would actually get angry at his death.


    After the incident at the cave, Kalaman quit being an adventurer, and met Nahar. The two of them became bandits, breaking into wealthy homes and stealing valuables to make a living. Kalaman only did it as a form of escapism, but Nahar seemed to have some sort of noble goal amidst it all. When he was caught by the Farlan military, Kalaman saw no reason to keep up being a bandit without Nahar¡¯s smarts, so he went back to adventuring after a while.


    The two of them didn¡¯t get along, and had a strictly business kind of relationship. Kalaman was particularly unfond of him due to differences in ideals and outlook, but he thought that he¡¯d at least feel something when he died.


    Kalaman scoffed.


    He walked towards the stairs, and past Jarvarax, stopping when he was right behind him.


    ¡°Apologies that I took this long. We do not need to worry anymore, Kalaman. It¡¯s over.¡±


    The dragonborn hadn¡¯t been of much use, especially since the last cleric died. But he was always a prideful one. Always so sure of himself, Kalaman thought.


    But even so, he was probably the most dangerous on this ship. It would be best to get rid of him first. If he was going to kill him, it should be instant, leaving no room for retaliation.


    Kalaman took out his blade and thrust it into Jarvarax¡¯s heart. His scales were annoying, since they were harder to pierce than skin, but with a bit of force, they gave in. Jarvarax wheezed blood, gargling on it as he tried to form words.


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    Just to be sure, Kalaman twisted his blade, opening his heart up even more.


    He took out the now blood-covered blade. Parts of the dragonborn¡¯s heart and flesh clung to it like mud. He fell to the ground, his heavy body making a loud thud. He was still barely alive, but it wouldn¡¯t be long before he snuffed it, so he was no longer a threat.


    The crewmen screamed. They could wait. The half-elf¡¯s spells were going to be trouble. She had always annoyed Kalaman, but she was a talented sorceress. She was a fair distance away, so he should attack while she was still confused.


    ¡°...K-Ka¡ª¡±


    He dashed towards her and sliced off her right arm which held her staff. Her guard was low enough that she wasn¡¯t able to keep her balance, and she fell to the floor, writhing in pain.


    Just as he was about to finished her off, he noticed rushed footsteps behind him.


    He turned around and sliced through the approaching crewman¡¯s torso. With a terrified expression, he tried to slay Kalaman. And he died wearing that expression. The rest of the crewmen had more or less gathered their composure and were prepared to fight him. No, they had no choice but to prepare themselves.


    Terror laid abundant on their faces. They knew that they faced death, and could do nothing but resist in futility.


    These men weren¡¯t fighters. They were more likely scouts that worked for the Farlan military under Nahar¡¯s command. Nahar had always been good at recon, so it¡¯d make sense for Farlan to use his greatest talent and form a team around it.


    Two more ran towards him with raised swords and flowing tears. He¡¯d prefer to kill Armei first, but he couldn¡¯t exactly turn his back against approaching attackers.


    Slice. Slice.


    Stab. Cut.


    Sever.


    They kept coming. More came from below deck. How brave of them. Did they wish to follow their captain into whatever afterlife they believed in?


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    Then, his honed senses acted up. He turned to see Armei, still on the ground, now holding her staff with her other arm. She pointed it at Nentonia, who stood there watching everything unfold.


    Nentonia knew she was being targeted. He knew that she¡¯d make no effort to dodge. She would take that hit head-on, no matter how painful it¡¯d be. But knowing Armei, she¡¯d make it more than just hurt.


    As always, she was unbearably annoying.


    He rushed in and, as swiftly as he could, decapitated her before she could activate her spell. Armei¡¯s head went flying, and eventually fell into the stormy seas.


    Then...


    ¡°Hng...?!¡±


    Kalaman felt something pierce his backside. One of the crewmen had taken the opportunity to land a hit in while he was preoccupied with Armei. He immediately removed the attacker¡¯s arms, then sliced his body in half. He noticed a strange sensation coming from that wound.


    He looked down to see the knife covered in a dark purple liquid. Magerot.


    Kalaman wasn¡¯t a magic caster, but the poison was still very strong. It¡¯s only been a second, and he could already feel his arms numbing.


    Another crewmate went in for the kill. Kalaman could feel his own senses slowing down.


    He swung his blade and decapitated him. Good. At the very least, he could fight off the poison¡¯s effects, if only for a moment. A minute, at most. There were around fifteen or so crewmen left.


    That was more than enough time.


    ?


    The rain felt cold on his skin. He could tell that much. But for some reason, he felt warm.


    Kalaman¡¯s back was against the floor. He was staring at the sky above, the rain seeping into his eyes. His entire body felt numb. How many seconds has it been? Or was it minutes? He couldn¡¯t tell anymore.


    The crew were all dead. After slaying the last one, his body fell to the ground, losing all strength. He just barely made it.


    He was back at the desert. He was a young nomad boy. Kalaman Kampus laid on the soft desert sand, staring up at the sun, looking down on him, burning him with all it had.


    No, it wasn¡¯t the desert sun. It was just her eyes. Those yellow eyes that had ensnared him since they met. Nentonia Brava laid his body on her lap and leaned over, aligning her face with his.


    ¡°This was one hell of an answer, Kal.¡± She said his nickname again with such a tender voice. ¡°Was any of this necessary?¡±


    He could feel his throat seizing up. No, fight through it, he thought. Even as he coughed up blood, splattering some of it on her face, he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m already complete ... but you aren¡¯t yet.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to fulfil our promise ... right?¡±


    She nodded again.


    ¡°Then, they wouldn¡¯t have let you leave alive. That¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you killed them?¡±


    He slowly nodded.


    She smiled. Tears began falling down her face. ¡°...Strange, right? For me to be crying like this. Something must really be wrong with me.¡±


    He coughed up a laugh. ¡°Who gives a shit? What isn¡¯t wrong, nowadays anyway?¡±


    She laughed with him. He laughed with her.


    A single second stretched into eternity. Ah. If only this storm would never end.


    Nentonia laid his body down onto the floor, then straddled his torso, pressing him against the ground with her weight. Then, she placed her hands on his chest. She moved them up, caressing his skin, until they reached his neck. She gently coiled them around it, and held it tightly.


    The poison was already making it hard to breath, but it was even more strenuous now. No air he inhaled would enter. She wasn¡¯t strong in the slightest. If he pushed her off, it would¡¯ve been easy. Yet, even her soft grip was enough to block all air from entering.


    Everything became darker and blurry. The storm seemed so far away now. Everything was fading.


    ¡°Goodbye, Kalaman.¡±


    ...But her voice was still clear as day.


    Strength returned to his eyes for just a moment, and he saw her crying face. She smiled at him so tenderly.


    She was being completed. He was completing her. The visage of her becoming whole was nothing short of beautiful. How cruel. Even in his final moments, the world was still rewarding him. How ironic was that?


    Kalaman laughed.


    And the flame finally went out.

 A Comedy at Sea Part I - "Nentonia"

    Off the coast of the kingdom of Alveia lies the humble town of Porthros, where the Tower of the Seer stood in the middle of a wide river, guarding the passage from evil spirits. That was the official reason for the tower, but it¡¯s more or less a glorified lighthouse.


    The Seertower, as they called it, was maintained by the local Porthros temple, a sect that followed the teachings of the protector god Helm. The priestesses of Porthros devoted their lives to the tower, living for nothing else.


    The temple of Helm also doubled as an orphanage, where young girls of war were taken in and raised as priestesses.


    In all honesty, Nentonia didn¡¯t really care much about the tower. She was a devout follower of Helm like the rest of them, but she thought that the priestess¡¯ work was boring. She sat in her room, looking out her window that faced the river. She could see the tower in the distance. It was pure white, which made it stand out.


    The sisters said that if a priestess is good enough, they will become a high priestess once they turn fifteen, and they¡¯ll be sent to the tower, where they¡¯d spend most of their lives praying, never being allowed to leave.


    ¡°What¡¯s so fun about that?¡± she muttered to herself. Reading books was way more entertaining than praying. ¡°Why do gods need so many prayers anyways? They¡¯re really needy.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, if you badmouth our god like that, you won¡¯t get lunch.¡±


    An older lady draped in white robes entered the room and managed to overhead Nentonia.


    ¡°Sister Ava, what brings you here?¡± Nentonia asked as she stood prim and proper in front of her.


    ¡°What, am I not allowed to see my favorite little troublemaker?¡± she said as she placed down a bunch of laundry on Nentonia¡¯s bed. ¡°So? Have you been behaving?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have!¡± Nentonia replied proudly. ¡°I¡¯ve been the behavest I¡¯ve ever been!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yep! So does that mean I¡¯m not grounded anymore?¡±


    Ava crossed her arms. ¡°I wonder about that...¡±


    ¡°What if I promise not to pull pranks again?¡±


    ¡°Please, we both know you¡¯d break that promise come morning. You¡¯re staying grounded for two more days.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Nentonia¡¯s shoulders slumped upon hearing that. In all honesty, she was fine just being in a room reading books. But staying in one place for too long was painfully dull.


    ¡°...Is what I wanted to say,¡± sister Ava continued. ¡°But a certain someone convinced me to reduce your grounding period by two days. Which means you¡¯re free.¡±


    Nentonia¡¯s head perked up. ¡°Pardon?¡±


    As she said that, a figure appeared from behind Ava; a girl Nentonia¡¯s age, smiling widely. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy you know?¡±


    ¡°Jaysie!¡± Nentonia beamed as she ran to hug her friend. Jaysie returned the tight embrace. The two of them laughed, glad to see each other after a whole three days of being separated.


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    After releasing each other, Jaysie grabbed Nentonia¡¯s wrist and pulled her outside. ¡°We¡¯re going to the library!¡±


    ¡°Hey, no running!¡± Ava warned, to no avail.


    The two of them spent the rest of the day with each other, finding interesting stories and reading them to each other until the sun began to set. Jaysie was one of Nentonia¡¯s only joys in life. After all, she was one of the only ones who would talk to her. The other orphans distanced themselves from her, and among the sisters, only Ava stayed by her side. As a result, the both of them got varying degrees of ostracization themselves. They were labeled as the ¡°weird¡± and ¡°na?ve¡± ones for choosing to associate with Nentonia. ¡°Too kind for their own good¡±, they¡¯d say.


    But even so, they stayed by her side. She loved them more than anyone else in the world.


    ¡°Still, I think you went a bit too far with that last prank, Nenny,¡± Jaysie said. ¡°That knee wound Argani got was pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°She just tripped! It¡¯s not that bad. And didn¡¯t you help me set up that prank?¡±


    Jaysie sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d result in that, so...¡±


    ¡°Besides, even though I still don¡¯t know any healing spells, I mended her torn clothes, didn¡¯t I? All¡¯s well that ends well. I guess. Sort of.¡±


    Nentonia was one of the few there that were blessed with natural clerical magic. She was a prodigy, able to use minor spells since she turned eight. Having cleric abilities would usually automatically qualify someone for the position of high priestess, but...


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s unfair,¡± Jaysie said. ¡°You¡¯ve got such great powers, yet they¡¯re not allowing you to be a high priestess candidate. They¡¯re not even letting you use the Brava surname.¡±


    ¡°Phooey. Like I wanna be one anyway.¡± Nentonia rested her head on the table. ¡°It¡¯s all praying and praying and ... what else do they do there again?¡±


    ¡°More praying, I think.¡±


    ¡°Geh. I¡¯ll pass. I don¡¯t know how you could look forward to that, Jaysie.¡±


    She laughed nervously. ¡°Well, it is what it is.¡±


    Jaysie was one of the lead high priestess candidates. She was currently thirteen, and in two years, she¡¯d probably be sent off to the tower to pray for the rest of her life.


    ¡°How can you be fine with it?¡± Nentonia asked.


    ¡°This orphanage is everything to me. I was born here, I¡¯ll live here, and I¡¯ll even die here. It¡¯s not strange for me to want to do the duties the orphanage has for me.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to explore? Like all those adventurers we read about?¡±


    ¡°That would be nice. But I don¡¯t think having a quiet life at that tower would be so bad, either.¡±


    Jaysie¡ªJayceran Brava was always like this. Always trying to find the bright side in everything. She didn¡¯t care what she was doing, or where she was going. She always did everything with a smile.


    Nentonia didn¡¯t know why, but her smile always felt hollow.


    ¡°Jayceran!¡± a sister passing by called out. ¡°It¡¯s time for you lessons!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± she yelled back, then turned to Nentonia. ¡°Sorry. Duty calls.¡±


    ¡°Have fun, or whatever,¡± Nentonia sarcastically replied, which got a chuckle out of Jaysie.


    She ran out the library, the sound of her footsteps receding farther and farther away. And just like that, Nentonia was alone again. She rested her chin against the table. ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡± she muttered.


    Having nothing else to do, she grabbed the nearest book and opened it. It was a ballad about a hero and a princess from long ago. The hero was a commoner, so the two of them couldn¡¯t be together.


    The hours passed as she got more and more engrossed in the story. Things got more and more intense as the hero resisted against the princess¡¯ family who kept them apart.


    Finally, when night finally fell, she closed the book, having read everything. It wasn¡¯t a particularly long read at all.


    ¡°...Woah.¡±


    Still, the story resonated with her. This was her first time reading a romance novel. She¡¯s always read fantastical stories about adventurers going on intense journeys. Other times, she¡¯d read historical accounts of actual heroes in the past. She never really got into romance novels, but Jaysie would read them as if she was breathing air. She¡¯d read anything and find some entertainment in it, to be honest.


    ¡°Still, that ending,¡± Nentonia said, gazing at the book in her hands. ¡°The princess¡¯ family never accepted the hero, so in the end, the two of them fell into an eternal sleep in each other¡¯s arms...¡±


    She could feel her heartbeat getting faster just thinking about it. It wasn¡¯t the same thrill she¡¯d get when she read stories of heroes fighting beasts. This was something else, something she never knew about.


    But what was love? She¡¯s never fallen in love before, so she wouldn¡¯t know. She¡¯s heard of some of the other orphanage girls going out and meeting boys their age. They¡¯d never stop talking about boys. Nentonia wasn¡¯t allowed outside, so she never got to meet any.


    Still, with the way they talk about it, it must be nice.


    ¡°...What a beautiful ending,¡± she says with a smile.

 A Comedy at Sea Part II - "First Love"

    Nentonia sat on the windowsill, just barely hanging over the edge. The full moon was out tonight, and it brought the cold northern air with it. It was a quiet night, for the most part, save for the distant sound of a crowd below her room. She could hear music and festivities, along with jolly laughter. Yet here she was, alone in her room yet again.


    She heard a knock on her door and turned around.


    ¡°I was wondering where you were,¡± Jaysie said with a smile. She was leaning on the already opened door. She just knocked to get her attention.


    She was wearing a beautiful dress that complimented her face. Her short brown hair, which the sisters chided her for, saying it was too ¡°unladylike¡±, was adorned with flowers.


    ¡°What¡¯s the star of the party doing here?¡± Nentonia asked, reciprocating her smile. ¡°The others are going to come looking for you before long.¡±


    ¡°I went out of my way to invite you, and you didn¡¯t show up, so I¡¯m here to be angry at you.¡± Jaysie approached to stand beside Nentonia, staring at the night sky with her.


    Nentonia scoffed. ¡°The others wouldn¡¯t want me there and you know that.¡±


    ¡°Who cares what they think? It¡¯s my party.¡±


    Today was Jaysie¡¯s fourteenth birthday. In a year, she¡¯d be sent to the tower, leaving the rest of them behind. In all these years of her training, she hasn¡¯t once complained, no matter how strict her lessons were. Because of that, the sisters really took a liking to her. Her getting the high priestess rank was all but assured.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine with it? Becoming high priestess, I mean.¡± Nentonia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I guess,¡± she replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Do you really wanna become one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to become a high priestess. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t mind becoming one.¡±


    Nentonia looked at her face. She still wore that same smile she always wore. Her chest tightened, and she found it hard to breath.


    Was this normal? she kept asking herself.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Jaysie asked concernedly after noticing Nentonia¡¯s stare.


    ¡°Nothing. Just thought you were really pretty,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Ah¡ªpfft, hahaha, what¡¯s that about?¡± Jaysie laughed as her cheeks reddened slightly.


    She laughed, as one would if she heard her friend say a joke like that. ¡°I was being serious,¡± Nentonia wanted to say. But how would Jaysie react? Would she feel the same way?


    Sometime during the past year, Nentonia began to realize things about herself¡ªabout how she saw Jaysie. She thought it was strange at first. After all, none of the romance novels she¡¯s read ever had anything like this.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t want you to go to that tower,¡± Nentonia said, hanging her head down.


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    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, right?¡± she replied. ¡°What are you gonna do after I¡¯m gone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d ... come and whisk you away from there,¡± she replied. ¡°T-then, we¡¯re gonna run, and live somewhere far away together. Then we¡¯ll die together. The end.¡±


    Jaysie didn¡¯t expect a serious answer from her, and was taken aback slightly. Nentonia buried her face in her legs. She didn¡¯t want Jaysie to see her expression. She read about those heroes and princesses in the novels saying stuff like this all the time, but she never knew how embarrassing it could be.


    Still, it was what she truly felt.


    ¡°If we ran away together, where would we go?¡±


    Suddenly, she felt Jaysie¡¯s hand on top of hers. She raised her head, and almost fell deep into her blue eyes. Their faces were so close that their noses almost touched. Jaysie¡¯s breath was warm on her skin. Nentonia couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°We could become travelers, hopping from place to place. Like those adventurers we read about.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice. If you want to run, then let¡¯s run. I would follow you anywhere.¡±


    ¡°You would? But what about the temple?¡±


    Jaysie closed her eyes and rested her forehead on hers. ¡°You know, Nenny? I don¡¯t really care about the temple. The sisters are nice to me, but I don¡¯t really care about them either. The truth is that mothing really matters. At least, not to me.¡±


    Her voice was soft and ticklish, being so close to her ear. She talked calmly, like she always did. But instead of the kind words that she always spoke, which made everyone around her like her, she said words that were cold and distant, yet so beautifully genuine.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always lived life as is,¡± she continued. ¡°When someone wants something from me, then I¡¯ll do it. When they want me to be someone, I¡¯ll be that someone. I¡¯ve never really wanted anything for myself. I tried. I really did. Everyone else had dreams for the future. Things they wanted to have, boys they wanted to be with. But I never really understood. But they expected me to have things like that, so I did. I said that I wanted to have the things they wanted, too. But seeing the world like that is wrong, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Jaysie¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be myself,¡± she interrupted. ¡°Makes sense, right? We¡¯re orphans. I¡¯m sure I used to be someone, back when my parents were around. But now, I¡¯m Jayceran Brava. And soon, I¡¯ll be high priestess Jayceran.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a hint of melancholy in Jaysie¡¯s voice. She¡¯s never seen this side of her before, and she didn¡¯t really know what to say.


    ¡°But if you want me to run away with you, then I¡¯ll do it,¡± she said. ¡°The only time my life ever made sense was when I¡¯m with you. We can be adventurers, or we could spend our measly lives in that tower together. I think I can do all of it as long as you¡¯re with me. That¡¯s why, from now on, I¡¯m yours, okay?¡±


    ¡°Jaysie, I...¡± Nentonia couldn¡¯t hear her own voice over her heartbeat. Her face was burning up, and eventually, she just became a mess. Heavy breathing replaced whatever words she wanted to say.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, Nenny,¡± she said, as if reading her mind. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you¡¯re starting to be more open towards me about how you feel.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed how much you¡¯ve been staring at me from time to time. It¡¯s the same look the other girls give to the boys in town whenever we go on errands. I¡¯m not dumb, you know.¡±


    Nentonia wanted to hide under a rock. She thought that her heart would jump out of her chest if this went on. In the end, she went back to burying her face in her knees.


    ¡°It¡¯s fun to tease you,¡± Jaysie said. ¡°I don¡¯t really mind how you look at me. Because nothing matters to me except you.¡±


    Jaysie removed her hands, and Nentonia could no longer feel her breath. She raised her head to see Jaysie walking towards the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta go now before the others come looking for me. You¡¯re still invited, by the way.¡±


    She closed the door behind her, leaving Nentonia with her thoughts. At that moment, a tempest of emotion swirled inside her. The knots in her heart twisted and tangled with each other; unraveling, and getting stuck in other places mere seconds later. She couldn¡¯t get her thoughts in order fast enough to form a coherent thought.


    Yet, in addition to that fluffy and floaty feeling she had just remembering Jaysie¡¯s face, there was another urge. When she realized it, her emotions shifted. The happiness was still undoubtedly there. But she knew this feeling well enough to understand the implications.


    For the first time in her life, she felt the strange nameless emotion, born from the mixture of joy and fear.


    And from then on, she chose to distance herself from Jaysie.

 A Comedy at Sea Part III - "Red World"

    As Nentonia slowly walked through the halls, she could feel her own chest hurting. She just wanted to go back to her room and laze about as she usually did. But she knew she couldn¡¯t just leave things like this. She looked at her own shaking hands, trying to find something inside herself to give her courage.


    Today was Jaysie¡¯s fifteenth birthday. For almost an entire year, the two of them haven¡¯t hung out at all. Whenever Jaysie tried to visit, Nentonia would always end up finding an excuse to leave. Most of the time, she simply kept her guard up, making sure that Jaysie never saw her at all.


    And now, she was about to leave for the tower. This would be the last time the two of them would ever meet, or sea each other ever again. They at least needed to talk one last time.


    Nentonia stood in front of Jaysie¡¯s door. Now that she was here, her head was pounding. What would she even say? How would she break the ice? Should she start with an apology?


    A million thoughts raced, and none of them helped.


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    She steeled herself. Letting things end like this was way scarier to her. Thinking about it was only going to make her doubt her decisions, so the best way would just be to not think about it at all. Nentonia grabbed the door and opened it before she had any time to doubt herself.


    ¡°Jaysie, it¡¯s me...¡± she said to an empty room. She looked around, but saw no trace of her. Her heart sank, thinking that she¡¯d already left. But thinking about it more clearly, that couldn¡¯t be the case. She still had a birthday party tonight. She would only leave for the tower after that.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nentonia?¡± Sister Ava passed by and asked after noticing her there. ¡°Are you looking for Jayceran?¡±


    There was clear worry in her voice. After all, she knew that there was distance between Nentonia and Jaysie now, though she didn¡¯t really know why.


    ¡°Do you know where she went?¡± Nentonia asked.


    Ava shook her head. ¡°Jayceran doesn¡¯t usually leave her room, so I¡¯ve got no clue.¡±


    Nentonia began running around the orphanage, trying to look for Jaysie. She checked the library, the kitchen, the main hall ... yet she was nowhere to be found. Nentonia left the orphanage building, yet she wasn¡¯t outside in the gardens either.


    Maybe she really did head to the tower. Or maybe Jaysie was hiding from her. That was understandable. Nentonia essentially avoided her for an entire year. It would make sense if Jaysie started hating her now. Perhaps this was for the best then. Nentonia was still scared.


    ¡°Jaysie...¡±


    But she still wanted to see her. At least, to tell her how she felt. Jaysie deserved an explanation.


    She looked towards the tower. It stood like a giant half submerged under the river; the watchful guardian of ships passing by.


    ¡°...¡±


    Nentonia began walking towards it.


    ?


    She had a feeling. A thought. Maybe Jaysie would want to see the tower she was supposed to go to a bit closer. After all, it was the biggest moment of her life.


    Nentonia arrived at the beach. She¡¯s never been here much, but she always liked the feel of the sand against her bare soles. They were warm and comforting. The sound of the waves gently crashing against the shore was also calming.


    In front of her stood Jaysie, her feet dipped in the shallow waters as she stared at the tower in the distance. Perhaps hearing the footsteps on the sand, Jaysie spoke without turning around.


    ¡°Is that you, Nenny?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...Yeah.¡±


    Jayceran was quiet for a bit. Whatever she was thinking, Nentonia would never know. ¡°Look over there. It¡¯s the tower of the seer. They¡¯ve taught us all about it for our entire lives, but we¡¯ve never really seen it up close, have we? Strange to think I¡¯m supposed to live there now.¡±


    Hearing that made Nentonia¡¯s heart clench. After today, the two of them would never meet again. While Nentonia was given pretty much the same education as the rest of the orphans, she wasn¡¯t granted a chance to be a priestess. She would never be able to go to that tower and visit her.


    That¡¯s right. Nentonia was here to say goodbye. One last talk before everything ends.


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    ¡°I came here to confirm my feelings, and it¡¯s as I figured,¡± Jaysie said. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to go anymore.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    ¡°Strange, right? I think this is the first time I¡¯ve wanted not to do something. Like, truly. Not because I¡¯ve been told it¡¯s not something I¡¯m supposed to want, but because I really just don¡¯t want to.¡± She turned around and locked eyes with Nentonia. ¡°I guess I can blame you for that, too.¡±


    ¡°Jaysie, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can I ask why?¡± she said.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t need to clarify. Nentonia understood perfectly what she meant. She unwittingly clenched her hands as she thought of the words to say.


    ¡°...You remember, don¡¯t you?¡± Nentonia began. ¡°Back when we were kids. With that dog, and all.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Of course I do. You took a rock and broke a dog¡¯s leg. I remembered you saying that you did it so you could see if you could do healing magic. You didn¡¯t, but I guess even if you did, the orphanage would¡¯ve still ostracized you.¡±


    After that incident, only Jaysie and sister Ava continued to associate with Nentonia. ¡°Right. Well, after that, I¡¯ve realized that I have certain ... tendencies and desires.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°A-and ever since a year ago, I¡¯ve been feeling certain things towards you. Dangerous things. Jaysie ... I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    Jaysie¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, as if her smile had been plastered on her face like ink on paper. Slowly and calmly, she began walking towards Nentonia. The sight of her figure approaching her made Nentonia¡¯s heart race. It¡¯s been a while since she¡¯s gotten a proper look at Jaysie, and she¡¯s just now realized how much more alluring she had gotten.


    When she was close enough for Nentonia to catch a whiff of her scent, her mind began to swirl. When had she desired her this much.


    Toxin.


    She was toxin to her nerves, sweeter than any nectar. She wanted nothing more than to hold her in her embrace, feel her skin against hers. Yet, at the same time, other desires sprung forth. Her vision shifted downwards, from the gentle features of her face to the softness of her neck, untouched by blemishes or scars. She wanted to feel it fill the gaps in her palms. She desired to feel her strain.


    Nentonia was born this way. That much, she was already able to come to terms with. But, if anything else, she didn¡¯t want Jaysie to be devoured by her.


    She took a step back. Jaysie noticed this, and stopped her advance.


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Jaysie asked.


    ¡°I already told you, so please, stay back,¡± Nentonia replied, her voice quivering. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause you any pain.¡±


    ¡°How strange. Even though you don¡¯t seem to mind being in pain yourself. Sister Ava keeps scolding you for being absentminded in the kitchen, always cutting yourself and touching hot stoves with your bare hands, but I could tell you knew exactly what you were doing.¡±


    Nentonia stared at her, almost feeling flattered in a twisted way.


    ¡°What, did you think I didn¡¯t notice? Out of everyone in this orphanage, the one I pay attention to the most is you, Nenny. I know you take delight in pain. Now, you also want me to partake in that delight. What are you so afraid of?¡±


    ¡°B-but, everyone else, they ... Sister Ava said you¡¯re not supposed to like things like that...¡±


    ¡°So? Who cares what they think?¡±


    ¡°...You wouldn¡¯t like it too, right?¡±


    The placed a finger on her chin. ¡°Hmm, if you asked me to choose, I guess I like not being in pain more.¡±


    ¡°S-see! Then¡ª¡±


    Nevertheless, Jaysie took a step forward. Just one. Her eyes looked at Nentonia, as if asking ¡°can I?¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡± Nentonia asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve told you before already. Nothing matters to me except you.¡± She took another step forward. Then another. And another, until finally, she was right in front of her again. ¡°There¡¯s a missing piece inside you, but there¡¯s nothing inside me at all. I won¡¯t be completed, but you still can.¡±


    ¡°Completed?¡±


    Jaysie reached out and stroked Nentonia¡¯s neck. ¡°You feel like something¡¯s missing from your life, right? It¡¯s always boring. You¡¯re not you. Everyone¡¯s having so much fun, playing with dresses and fawning over the boys in town. But the two of us won¡¯t feel as happy as them. I certainly won¡¯t, at least. But you¡¯re only one step away.¡±


    Then, Jaysie grabbed Nentonia¡¯s hands, and gently wrapped them around her own neck. Nentonia could feel her warmth, and it was nothing less that addictive.


    ¡°Jaysie, stop...¡±


    ¡°This is what you¡¯re missing, Nenny. You don¡¯t want me to be hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Would you feel bad if you ended up hurting me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I would. I¡¯d feel terrible.¡±


    Jaysie¡¯s smile widened ever so slightly. ¡°And there it is. The final piece. The one thing you¡¯ve wanted your entire life. The sting of knives and hot stoves wouldn¡¯t compare, would it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t...¡±


    Nentonia wanted to let go. Jaysie¡¯s hands weren¡¯t holding hers anymore. There was nothing stopping her from retracting her hand from her neck. And yet, she felt as if they¡¯ve been glued in place.


    ¡°You don¡¯t. You don¡¯t want to. And that¡¯s why you desire it more than anything else.¡± She raised her head to give her a better hold of her neck. ¡°See? There¡¯s no one who¡¯ll know you more than me.¡±


    Jaysie grabbed her waist and fell on her back, dragging Nentonia with her. The two of them laid on the sand, with Nentonia¡¯s hands still on her neck. Jaysie¡¯s disheveled hair, her slightly strained visage, the way her eyes clearly peered into Nentonia ... all of them overpowered her.


    Jaysie smiled, clasping Nentonia¡¯s face in her hands lovingly.


    ¡°Pain will complete you, Nenny.¡±


    ?


    The shore was silent, save for the winds and the waves. Everything seemed so distant.


    Nentonia was a mess. Her eyes were red, having run out of all her tears already. Grief assailed every part of her, wringing her hearty dry. And yet, it was beating so fast. This exhilaration¡ªthis excitement¡ªwas unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced.


    ¡°Nentonia ... what have you done...?!¡±


    She heard Ava¡¯s voice behind her. She turned to see her face, which always looked at her with gentle affection and pity, twist and deform into amalgam of dizzying confusion and putrid terror. She looked at her as if she was some sort of abominable monster.


    In all likelihood, she really was. A monster in human skin. The teachings Nentonia went through had a word for this: evil. She was like this since she was born. She didn¡¯t know who her parents were, but maybe they were monsters themselves.


    People like her should never have been born. They were an affront to human nature, a heretic to the creed of life itself. She knew that. Nentonia knew more than anyone else how much of a mistake her own birth was.


    But at that moment, she couldn¡¯t help but smile.

 A Comedy at Sea Part IV - "The Cleric and the Hero"

    Nentonia woke up in a cold sweat. It¡¯s been a while since she dreamt of her days in the orphanage, but every so often they¡¯d creep back up like this. She looked around her to ground herself back in reality. Right now, she was in a shabby inn room, undecorated and barren, with only bare necessities such as a bunch of spare clothes and a single wooden staff hanging on the walls. She looked outside the window and realized that the sun hadn¡¯t even risen yet.


    In fact, it was still dead in the night.


    Still, she doubted she could go back to sleep now, so instead, she got up and lit a candle. She stared at the candle¡¯s mesmerizing flame. She reached out to it with her fingers, feeling its warmth as she got closer.


    ¡°...¡±


    She shook her head and got up. She was still a bit riled up from her dream, so she thought taking a walk would do her some good. Of course, there was the possibility of bandits lurking in the night, but she never really cared about it that much.


    She left the inn, taking care not to wake up anyone else, and went on her stroll under the moon. The wind was cold, and the streets were uncharacteristically silent, which she found oddly comforting. She gave out a long sigh.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I think I need to stock up on potions...¡± she said to herself. Despite having learned healing magic, she isn¡¯t able to cast it as often as she¡¯d like, so she carried potions around as a back-up. She managed to use up all of it during her last adventure. ¡°Right. My last adventure, huh.¡±


    The memory left a bitter taste in her mouth. It¡¯s already been three years since she ran away from the orphanage, during which she trained her clerical spells to a point where she¡¯d be able to do some adventuring. But there was only so much a non-combat-oriented cleric like her can do alone. In the end, she needed a party.


    Just recently, she found one that was willing to take a rookie like her in. They called themselves the Black Crayons, and generally speaking, they were nice to her. They went on three adventures together, before one of them found out her ¡°tendencies¡±. By accident, she lost control of her impulse and dug her fingers into one of her allies¡¯ wounds. In any case, they were reluctant to keep adventuring with such a cleric, and she was left behind.


    Nentonia slapped her face in between her hands. What¡¯s done is done, and thinking about it would only make her stomach churn even more. She should just focus on finding an apothecary¡¯s shop so she could stock up on potions. Well, she doubted if any of them were still open, but it would be reassuring to know their location anyways.


    After a few more minutes of unsuccessful searching, she finally came across someone else who was wandering around; a man with orange hair. His armor looked expensive yet shoddy at the same time, and his eyes were like a dead fish¡¯s. He looked dangerous, so Nentonia considered turning around and going another direction. But as luck would have it, the two of them made eye contact.


    Nentonia sighed. She didn¡¯t want to spend the rest of the night wandering around anyways, so she might as well ask for directions. Him being dangerous didn¡¯t scare her as much as it should, anyways.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said as she approached him. ¡°Can I trouble you for directions to the apothecary¡¯s store in this town?¡±


    To help him tell her, she grabbed a map from her bag and cast a simple Light spell to help him see better, along with a pen for him to mark the map with. Without saying a single word, the man took the pen, stared at the map for a bit, then marked an area. ¡°Impressive,¡± she thought.


    However, the more she looked at the map, the more confused she became. At some point, she began to believe that she was somehow holding the map upside down.


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    ¡°...Then, if the equipment shop is over there ... take a left, and then ... Wait, that¡¯s not right. This area over here should be the jeweler¡¯s, not the apothecary¡¯s. Are you certain this is correct?¡±


    ¡°No. I just guessed,¡± he replied without even a single shift in his uninterested expression.


    This asshole, she thought. ¡°I wish you said that before I spent five minutes trying to read these directions. But, well, I guess I can make do with this.¡±


    She looked at the map again. It might¡¯ve been wrong directions, but he may have made an educated guess. Maybe the apothecary¡¯s was around this area after all.


    ¡°You an adventurer?¡± he suddenly asked.


    ¡°Well, yes, but how did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best you quit. Not worth it.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she said.


    The man¡¯s tone was rough and rude, and carried no genuineness at all. Judging from his attire, he was likely an adventurer himself. In fact, his appearance was familiar. She¡¯s heard of him before, in tavern songs, and recently, in small talk between people drinking. ¡°Kalaman¡±, they called him.


    ¡°I said it¡¯s not worth it. You¡¯re young, so don¡¯t go off dying early.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit hypocritical, don¡¯t you think? I mean, you don¡¯t look that much older than me. Also, the way you said that was a bit too ... unenthusiastic. Almost like you don¡¯t care if I do it anyways.¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t.¡± His replies were quick and snappy.


    ¡°Hmm. Then why say it?¡±


    ¡°Habit.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    She took a step forward to see him better. His eyes were like pits in the earth, too deep to see the bottom of.


    All she saw in front of her was a broken man who saw no worth in life. In that regard, he reminded Nentonia of Jaysie. But she felt that he wasn¡¯t entirely like Jaysie.


    He reminded Nentonia of herself, in a way. He was just like her.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty rotten inside, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°And if I am?¡± he replied, not denying it.


    ¡°Hmm, now that I think about it, I recognize you. You¡¯re that adventurer everyone¡¯s been talking about lately. Uh, that dragon killer guy or something!¡±


    ¡°...And if I am?¡± His tone became harsher. He was probably getting annoyed.


    Still, Nentonia didn¡¯t care and stuck out her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet a hero! I¡¯m Nentonia, by the way. Nentonia Brava.¡±


    He looked at her hand, then back at her. She gestured with her eyes for him to take it. For a second there, she thought that he wouldn¡¯t take it. Figures. He seemed like the unsociable type.


    However, he suddenly reached out and shook it once, before immediately letting go. It was like he was embarrassed, which she found amusing. Before she knew it, she grabbed his retreating wrist, which made him widen his eyes a bit.


    ¡°I thought it was customary to respond in kind,¡± she said. ¡°I gave my name, so you give yours.¡±


    He forcefully pulled his hand away, yanking it out of her hold. Just from that one move, she could tell how physically powerful he was. ¡°Kalaman Kampus.¡±


    Nentonia nodded. ¡°Mm. I knew that.¡±


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°...Then why did you ask?¡±


    ¡°Habit. It¡¯s customary, isn¡¯t it?¡± She smiled, enjoying his reactions.


    ¡°The world doesn¡¯t work the way your wet nurse taught you,¡± Kalaman said. ¡°Rules don¡¯t exist anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that recently,¡± she replied. ¡°But doings things like this is less stressful for me, so that¡¯s that. I mean, it must be the same for you right? You feel rotten inside, and yet you play the role of a hero.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say I¡¯m rotten?¡± he asked. She seemed to have gotten his interest with that.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t care, right? Even though you¡¯re a hero. You¡¯re going through the motions, doing things you don¡¯t want to do just because people expect you to do them, right?¡±


    He didn¡¯t feel like a hero at all, so that¡¯s what she guessed. In Jaysie¡¯s case, she managed to hide it well, but this guy must¡¯ve been bad at that.


    ¡°I¡¯m a hero because people call me that,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what they call me. I¡¯m not doing anything for them.¡±


    ¡°And yet a hero you are. How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡±


    Nentonia giggled. ¡°Well, you certainly feel rotten to me. I¡¯d know. I¡¯m rotten just like you. Thanks for the help, even though it isn¡¯t very useful.¡±


    She raised the wrongly-marked map and walked away. At this point, sun was going to start rising, and she still hadn¡¯t confirmed the apothecary¡¯s location.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kalaman called out.


    Nentonia stopped and turned around. His hand was outstretched a bit, and it looked like he didn¡¯t know what to say ... as if he called out by instinct. She stood there, waiting for his words.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cleric,¡± he spoke. ¡°As it happens, my party just lost their cleric.¡±


    She knew what he was going to ask. She just didn¡¯t believe that he¡¯d ask it at all. After all, wasn¡¯t he a hero? A legend? Just like the one in her stories?


    What would someone like him want from someone like her?


    ¡°...¡±


    And yet, deep inside her heart, she already knew what her answer was going to be.


    ¡°If you want to continue adventuring, then why not join us?¡±

 A Comedy at Sea Part V - "Unwelcome Addition"

    ¡°...This ship will stop at Tisah. As soon as we arrive, leave. No need to say goodbye, just leave, then and there, without letting Kalaman know.¡±


    Nentonia expected something like this to happen.


    Almost as soon as she joined, one of Kalaman¡¯s party members¡ªArmei the half-elf¡ªasked her to leave. The points she made were valid, too. She was weak, and she would be a burden to the party. Something about that was enticing to Nentonia. If she was unable to perform her job as a healer, then the party would suffer more wounds than necessary, right? Imagining a sight like that made Nentonia¡¯s heart race.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    But she decided to do what Armei had asked of her.


    In the end, Nentonia was ¡°evil¡±, and the whims and wishes of evil should not be followed. She allowed it to take control over her once before. At the very least, she knew what was evil, and she knew how to hold herself back now.


    Armei looked at her, dumfounded and full of suspicion. ¡°Sure, you say...? What do you want? What exactly are you after, Brava?¡±


    ¡°I want to become an adventurer, that¡¯s all,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°I was invited to a party, so I joined. If you want me to leave, then I¡¯ll just find another party.¡±


    The half-elf didn¡¯t look convinced in the slightest. It was a pretty generic answer, but Nentonia didn¡¯t really know what else to say. It was true that she accepted Kalaman¡¯s invitation on a whim¡ªin part because she thought Kalaman himself was a bit interesting. But, at its core, all she was doing was trying to fulfil her childhood dream to become an adventurer. Even if it didn¡¯t feel at all fulfilling, she had nothing else left.


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, then you will leave at Tisah, for your sake and his,¡± Armei said as she walked away, clearly displeased by the conversation.


    ¡°...Urgh...¡±


    As soon as Armei was gone, Nentonia collapsed to her knees, leaning her head against the railings. It honestly took everything she had to keep a straight face. Fresh air did not help with the seasickness at all.


    She took deep breaths. In time, this feeling should disappear, she hoped.


    A minute passed. Then two.


    Even after ten minutes, she only felt marginally better. Nentonia had a newfound respect for sailors, having to contend with this feeling for most of their lives.


    ¡°You gonna die?¡± A familiar voice called to her.


    She raised her head to see Kalaman Kampus staring down at her with an expression that said ¡°What is she doing?¡±


    ¡°...Oh, hello, leader,¡± she eked out a response.


    ¡°I told you not to call me that.¡± His brows crumpled up as he said that.


    She did remember him saying something to that effect. As she expected, his reactions really were entertaining to see. ¡°Sorry, I forgot. Then, can I call you Kal, like Rem does?¡±


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    There was a very brief pause. ¡°...No. And when did you get close enough to the halfling that you¡¯re using nicknames now?¡±


    Halfling. Earlier, at the port, he also referred to Armei as elf. Was he bad at remembering names? Or did he just not bother?


    ¡°You could at least use their names. You clearly remember them, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t good with ships, you should have said so.¡± He changed the subject. He was probably too proud to change his ways now. She remembered that the heroes in her books were often haughty like that.


    ¡°Did you know I easily get seasick?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What? No. Why would I?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering this is my first time on a ship, we¡¯re on the same boat. Haha.¡±


    Some people apparently didn¡¯t get seasick at all. At least, now she knew that she wasn¡¯t one of those people. Despite having lived next to a river and seeing so many ships pass by, this was the first time she¡¯s ever ridden one. Safe to say she didn¡¯t really like it very much.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a cleric? Just heal your stomachache away.¡±


    She stared at him. ¡°...For an experienced hero, you sure are ignorant of how clerics work. I heal wounds, not seasickness.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I¡¯m not a cleric, so of course I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    For a bit there, she could sense a bit of embarrassment from him. She couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Heh. You want me to teach you, then?¡±


    Kalaman sighed. ¡°Go back to your room and sleep. It¡¯ll wear off before long.¡± Another subject change. He likes to do it a lot if he doesn¡¯t want to talk about something, huh?


    ¡°It¡¯ll come back the moment I wake up, though,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    At this point, she expected him to just up and leave. Yet he stayed there, gazing at the horizon with her. She expected him to not be the sociable type, and judging by his teammates reactions to him recruiting her, she was right. His attitude also screamed unsociable.


    Yet here he was, the hero calmly partaking in her company.


    Right. He was a hero, like those characters in her books. Though he was rude and unsociable compared to them, he was undoubtedly a hero too.


    ¡°Hey, tell me a story.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, surprised from her unprompted request.


    ¡°You¡¯re a hero, right? They usually write stories about heroes in books. I¡¯ve never read a story about you, though.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°There are none.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I get to hear a hero¡¯s story that¡¯s never been written before?¡± She lit up with excitement.


    ¡°No. Stop asking.¡±


    An instant shut-down.


    Nentonia pouted. ¡°Aw. I thought you¡¯d be fun, but you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± she said, not sensing even a bit of genuineness in his words.


    Still, this awkward silence was becoming almost unbearable.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have any stories to tell? Like, from your adventures?¡± she prodded further.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not buying it. How about this, then! Why do they call you the Dragonslayer?¡±


    ¡°...Beats me.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get on my nerves. Stop asking.¡± Kalaman¡¯s voice became deeper and more forceful. He was pissed now, for sure.


    How fun! she thought.


    ¡°Boring. Killjoy. You could have at least humored me so that this stomachache would be a bit more bearable,¡± she chided him.


    ¡°Then go to sleep already.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s boring, too. At the very least, poking at you and playing around seems a bit more fun. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    He sighed and glared at her. ¡°If I do, would you stop?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± She returns a knowing glance with a smile. They both knew she wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Then don¡¯t ask¡¯, right?¡± She completed his thought.


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    Nentonia giggled at his every response. The more annoyed he got, the more enjoyment she found from it. This was a bad habit of hers, even back when she was at the orphanage. Jaysie was her prime target, of course.


    She stared at Kalaman¡¯s face, blankly staring at the ocean. He was being annoyed by her, but he didn¡¯t leave yet. What, did he like being bullied or something?


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty weird, you know that?¡± she said to him.


    ¡°...You looking for a fight?¡± he replied.


    Seriously, it was too fun being around him.


    No need to say goodbye. Just leave.


    She remembered Armei¡¯s words, and stopped laughing. Right. She had already agreed to that. Armei didn¡¯t want her here. Although he didn¡¯t say it out loud, the dragonborn, Jarvarax, was probably also dissatisfied with her. She had no place here, just like anywhere else.


    But, she realized didn¡¯t want to go anymore, and the implications frightened her.

 A Comedy at Sea Part VI - "Encore"

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± captain Nahar said, tapping his fingers on the table. ¡°And you seem quite ... inexperienced. I take it you¡¯re a new member of the Dragonslayer¡¯s party?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°I joined just before this voyage started.¡±


    Nahar seemed intrigued. ¡°I see. And what business do you have with me?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask some questions.¡±


    Nahar¡¯s friendly eyes narrowed into a glare, though his smile remained. ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t mind answer some trivial questions here or there, but you best be careful, girl. Know that I didn¡¯t hire you people to pry.¡±


    Nentonia figured there was something going on with the ship. At first, something smelled familiar when she roamed the ship; an iron-like scent that was enticing and unpleasant at the same time.


    It¡¯s true that she was curious about what happened, but that wasn¡¯t what she was here for.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your secrets, captain. No offense.¡±


    ¡°Not mine, you say? So I take it you¡¯re here for someone else¡¯s?¡± He said, amused.


    ¡°I just wanted to know more about Kalaman, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Nahar¡¯s eyes twitched a bit. ¡°The Dragonslayer¡¯s name is heard far and wide. I¡¯m sure you must know all there is to know about him already. Did you not join his party because you¡¯ve heard of his renown?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about his exploits, I¡¯m knowledgeable enough. You can¡¯t go a day in these lands without hearing about him if you go outside. But I don¡¯t want to hear about Kalaman the hero.¡±


    The captain gave her a knowing look. ¡°What do you mean? In my eyes, he¡¯s nothing but Kalaman the hero. And besides, what compels you to think that I¡¯d know more about him than the bards¡¯ songs?¡±


    ¡°A feeling,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who¡¯d accept any job. He probably gets enough requests as is. Yet, here he is, taking a simple escort request. I also didn¡¯t think that any old regular merchant would just up and hire a hero for a mission as simple as this.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Nahar seemed slightly impressed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve known Kalaman for a while. We used to travel together, back when he had just become the Dragonslayer. Though, it didn¡¯t last very long, all thanks to an unfortunate blunder I made. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not here to hear about me.¡±


    Nentonia nodded. ¡°He¡¯s called the Dragonslayer, but he doesn¡¯t seem to like that name very much. He¡¯s refusing to tell me anything about his exploits, too. I thought heroes were supposed to be proud of their glory.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you don¡¯t think of him as a hero. I see. Well, even I don¡¯t know much about it. All I know is that he was able to slay a dragon back when he was just a novice adventurer. I don¡¯t know how much of that is true. But there is something interesting that I noticed. See, back when I was ... adventuring with him, I managed to hear that he used to lead a party of his own before he became the Dragonslayer. Considering I never met these people...¡±


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    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but the thought was clear.


    ¡°Something happened to them.¡± Nentonia asked.


    Nahar shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to find out anything more. If I did, I¡¯m certain Kalaman would¡¯ve taken an offense to that, in which case I¡¯d be a severed head six feet under the ground long ago. So, as you can see, there really isn¡¯t much I know about the man. After all, the more I knew, the more danger I¡¯d be in.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nentonia gave a deep bow. ¡°Thank you. I learned a lot from this.¡±


    ¡°Have you now?¡± Nahar laughed.


    Nentonia bid her farewell and left the room.


    As she expected. There might¡¯ve been something about Kalaman Kampus that was, in a way, similar to herself.


    The only way to find out was to ask the man himself. With the knowledge she has just gained, she could potentially use it to prod a reaction out of him.


    She was close to the core of the man they call the Dragonslayer, that was for certain.


    ?


    ¡°Nentonia, what¡¯s wrong with your neck?¡± Remina asked as the two of them walked the halls together. ¡°I think it¡¯s bruised a little.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, is it?¡± Nentonia moved her hand to cover it, but at that point it was already too late. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, really.¡±


    Remina narrowed her eyes. ¡°Was it Kal? I bet it was Kal.¡±


    ¡°Um, no, of course not. I just bumped into a wall, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Stop, Nen. You¡¯ll make all the professional con artists and liars of the world cry.¡± Remina sighed. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, though. He was never the delicate type, even around women. I¡¯ll go and scold him for ya.¡±


    ¡°No need! There¡¯s no need, really!¡± Nentonia frantically stopped Remina. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s my fault anyways.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I asked about his past, which he didn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°...Ah. That¡¯ll do it.¡± Remina patted Nentonia¡¯s back. ¡°I suggest not pryin¡¯ too deep into his life, to be honest. There¡¯s probably a lot not-very-good stuff in it. He¡¯s had many enemies over the years, you know? Most of ¡®em willing to hire assassins and the like.¡±


    Hearing that only made Nentonia more curious. ¡°I see. Alright then,¡± she said, not meaning a word of it.


    ¡°Still, you¡¯ve been hangin¡¯ around him quite a bit, Nen. Mayhaps, you¡¯ve grown fond of the man?¡± Remina teased.


    ¡°...Fond? Of Kalaman?¡±


    Remina laughed. ¡°I jest, I jest.¡±


    She continued talking for a while after that, mostly about trivial things. But Nentonia¡¯s mind was preoccupied by what she said. Fond? Was she fond of Kalaman? Was that what she was feeling? The only experience she had with such things was with Jaysie. Nentonia¡¯s never been interested in a boy before. But maybe that was because she¡¯s never met one that caught her interest.


    Was Kalaman that kind of person for her?


    The next few days passed, and Nentonia would often see Kalaman walking around, doing whatever it was he did. Patrolling, sitting in his room, standing at the upper deck. The first thing she thought was ... well, how boring his life looks like, only doing that all the time. But she also noticed that she¡¯s been looking towards him a lot lately.


    And she also noticed that that was the only thing she had been doing. Looking at him. Thinking about going up and talking to him was nerve-wracking.


    She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to understand him. And now that she knew that they were alike in many ways, that desire only grew.


    Kalaman was incomplete, just like her. Nentonia saw in him what Jayceran saw in her, way back when. She saw a man incapable of accepting himself ... a man who was afraid of his own sins, his own pain.


    As long as he kept running, he will never be complete.


    ¡°Oh no...¡±


    She thought to herself as that unnamable emotion woke up from its long slumber, caressing her body, violating it with its overwhelming grip.


    ¡°...It¡¯s happening again.¡±

 A Comedy at Sea Part VII - "The Right to Be"

    Nentonia walked the halls with less energy than she usually did. In truth, she was getting bored of the ship. It¡¯s already been three weeks, almost four, since the voyage started, and there¡¯s nothing new on the ship, so it wasn¡¯t surprising.


    She wanted to just stay in her room and wait until they reached Tisah. However, a certain someone had become interested in her, and would occasionally visit her room to talk.


    Nentonia stopped walking, noticing the footsteps in front of her. She caught a glimpse of someone¡¯s orange hair, and immediately hid behind a corner. She took a quick peek, and saw Kalaman in the distance, walking as if looking for something. Nentonia waited until Kalaman¡¯s footsteps faded into the distance, and she waited another half-minute more just to be safe. From the looks of it, Kalaman went downstairs. Nentonia gave out a sigh and headed for the upper deck.


    She leaned against the railing and calmly stared at the waves below. She didn¡¯t get as sick as she did before anymore, which she found a bit lamentable. She somewhat enjoyed that dizzying feeling.


    ¡°What am I doing...?¡± Nentonia sighed.


    She started avoiding Kalaman, just like she did with Jaysie. Once again, she was afraid of herself. She didn¡¯t want to see him, so she¡¯s been wandering around more than usual. If she stayed put, then Kalaman would easily find her.


    In all honesty, this was her fault for always hanging around and teasing him. Even after all this time, she still hasn¡¯t learned that her little pranks could and would turn against her. Thinking about it, she probably always felt this way towards him since the beginning, and it¡¯s probably why she accepted his invitation.


    Her wavy reflection in the water laughed at her.


    ¡°So Jaysie¡¯s death was meaningless, is that it?¡± she said mockingly.


    ¡°She¡¯s dead because of me,¡± Nentonia replied. ¡°If that¡¯s what ¡®becoming whole¡¯ means, then I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    ¡°What, you¡¯re choosing to become a good girl now? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too late for that?¡±


    ¡°Evil is wrong. It doesn¡¯t mesh well with the world that people live in. Even sister Ava abandoned me.¡±


    ¡°And what are you going to do about it?¡±


    Nentonia thought long and hard in silence. ¡°...I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no place for a devil like me.¡±


    The reflection laughed and spread her arms as if to accept an embrace. ¡°There is. It¡¯s right here! Down here, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything!¡±


    Nentonia giggled. ¡°That would be nice. But isn¡¯t that a waste? After all this time, I finally got to start adventuring, like me and Jaysie wanted to do.¡±


    ¡°But it hurts, doesn¡¯t it? It hurts in a way that doesn¡¯t feel good. You can¡¯t breathe, Nenny. You¡¯re not you. You¡¯re not whole. And you, coward that you are, don¡¯t want to be whole. Where else can you go?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll leave,¡± Nentonia said. ¡°Armei already showed me the answer. When we get to Tisah, I¡¯ll leave, and I¡¯ll never see Kalaman again.¡±


    ¡°After everything you said to Kalaman? You chastised him for being incomplete, yet here you are, yet here you are, doing exactly the same thing he did. All you¡¯re doing is running away.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll run.¡±


    The smile on the reflection¡¯s face vanished, and it was replaced by disappointment and resignation. ¡°Then go ahead and suffocate.¡±


    The ocean became quiet, but the reflection¡¯s expression did not change. Nentonia rested her head on the railing and took a deep breath, but her lungs didn¡¯t feel relaxed at all.


    She was tired.


    ?


    Nentonia made a mistake.


    She wanted to talk with Remina about her feelings a bit. Remina was unnerving to be around, in all honesty. Nentonia could feel superficiality from her every action, all the way down to how she spoke, but she felt that Remina was at least a good listener. Talking with her was one of the things that made the voyage more bearable.


    Yet inside the room was only Kalaman, the person she¡¯d been avoiding for the past few days.


    ¡°...Ah, Kalaman,¡± she said, trying her best to pretend to be calm as usual. ¡°I thought you¡¯d still be patrolling.¡±


    ¡°The stench of blood is getting annoying to deal with,¡± he replied. ¡°I stopped early.¡±


    ¡°So you noticed it too, huh? You must have good eyes. Or a good nose.¡±


    ¡°Could say the same to you.¡±


    Blood has always been something Nentonia took notice of really quickly. ¡°I¡¯m ... a bit sensitive to the smell. So, you¡¯re busy right?¡±


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    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    It was worth a shot, she thought. But she really needed to leave fast. ¡°I see. Um, so anyways, I¡¯m actually quite busy, so I¡¯m just going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leave? You just got here. Just take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not busy. And I¡¯m not stupid. Sit.¡± There was a powerful commanding tone in his voice. He really was persistent. This was why she wanted to avoid meeting him at all.


    ¡°...Mm, right. I¡¯ll do that.¡± Realizing she can¡¯t really run away from this anymore, she conceded and sat down on the bed opposite to him.


    There was nothing she could say. There was nothing she wanted to say. She kept herself from meeting his gaze because she knew her heart would end up desiring more if she did. She had resolved herself already, and she didn¡¯t want to back out now.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty quiet now,¡± Kalaman spoke.


    ¡°Ah, well, I get quiet every now and then.¡± Even Nentonia wasn¡¯t convinced by her own words.


    ¡°You on your period?¡±


    This man...


    ¡°...Should you really be saying that to a lady?¡±


    ¡°Then what the fuck is going on with you?¡±


    ...What was wrong with her?


    That was a question she, too, wanted the answers to. Why was she like this? Why did she desire the things she did? Why was she born this way if the world had no place for her?


    She wanted to have a normal happiness, just like everyone else. But for her to be happy, someone else had to be unhappy. That¡¯s just cruel design.


    Nentonia raised her head and looked at Kalaman, staring at him straight in the eyes. She knew what she desired. She wanted to devour him. She wanted to be devoured by him. She wanted to feel his touch. She wanted the sensation of his fingers digging deep into her skin. She wanted to caress him, and feel the warmth of his wounds on her fingers. And she wanted to feel that warmth fade in her embrace. She wanted him in every way that was anything but ¡°normal¡±.


    She forced herself to smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling down a bit, but you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    Kalaman¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What, you not rotten anymore?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Nentonia didn¡¯t understand what he meant by that. Kalaman stood up and started walking towards her.


    ¡°You said before that you could only be yourself around me because we were both ¡®rotten and incomplete¡¯, whatever that drivel means. But now, you¡¯re wearing that damn mask in front of me. What, don¡¯t like playing friends anymore?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s not...¡±


    ...Don¡¯t pretend like you can see through my mask. You¡¯d hate me if you knew. Everyone does.


    Kalaman stood in front of her, his massive body towering over hers.


    ¡°Do you hate me?¡± he asked.


    If only. Then everything would be so simple. ¡°No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°I am. You¡¯re quite intimidating right now, in fact.¡±


    ¡°...And why were you avoiding me?¡±


    She wanted to tell him. She wanted to lay herself bare right then, to expose herself fully and truly to him. She wanted to cling to that tiny chance that he¡¯d be able to see her the same way still.


    ...There¡¯s no place for a devil like me.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be around you right now.¡±


    She really was a coward. Nentonia hung her head in shame. All she had to do was keep this up. Avoid him, and just keep doing that until the voyage ends. Then everything would stop, and she¡¯d be free.


    Then, suddenly, she felt his hand on her neck. And in the next moment, there he was on top of her on the bed, their faces only a breath¡¯s pace away. His eyes studied her every miniscule movements, as if he was caressing every inch of her. His hands were around his neck, yet she felt no rage in them.


    He stretched one of his fingers on her neck up towards her face, gently sliding across her cheek.


    Every semblance of reason was disappearing. In that moment, all she wanted was more of him.


    ¡°Do you want to devour me?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°...And if I say I do?¡± he replied.


    This was dangerous. Really dangerous.


    She could feel her own walls breaking down.


    After all these years, she¡¯d finally forgotten the taste of that poisonous nectar. Yet here she was, so close to it, and it was as sweet as she remembered. It permeated through her skin, invading her body like a parasite.


    She¡¯s met people with addictions before, but she never really understood how they become so attached to their vices. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to just stop?¡± she thought.


    But now she understood. If you taste it once, you may still be able to run away. You could convince yourself that it isn¡¯t worth it, and the feeling would become much like a dream. But the moment you taste it a second time, it digs its claws into your flesh, overwhelming every other feeling.


    At that point, it becomes too real to think of as nothing more than a dream.


    Nentonia slid her hands against his shoulders, interlocking her fingers behind his neck in a loose embrace. ¡°Then I¡¯ll devour you in return. Well keep taking from each other, bit by bit. Then, we¡¯ll both disappear.¡±


    ¡°Do you get off on saying cryptic shit all the time?¡±


    She did enjoy the look of confusions on his face, so he wasn¡¯t wrong. She thought it was cute, to say the least.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to devour you, Kalaman.¡± When she said that, she felt her heart getting lighter. For the first time, she was exposing her true self to him.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°If I told you to jump into the ocean and drown, would you? If I asked you to stand in a burning pyre, would you?¡±


    There was confusion on his face. ¡°What are you talking about¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡±


    That was all she needed to know.


    There was this pervasive feeling of guilt hanging abundant on Kalaman¡¯s shoulders. She knew that feeling well, so it was easy for her to spot. Kalaman was no noble hero, he was a man that desired judgement. It¡¯s why stories about his adventures always portrayed him as a reckless hero.


    He was chasing after that, but he probably doesn¡¯t even know it. Or rather, he¡¯s afraid of acknowledging it.


    He is incomplete. As was she.


    The two of them may be able to complete each other.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡±


    A simple answer. An honest answer.


    He was still running.


    Nentonia felt a tinge of disappointment. She was still hesitating about this path. She wanted him to give her the final push. But they weren¡¯t ready yet.


    Nentonia pushed Kalaman up so she could stand. ¡°We¡¯re not a good match for each other, Kalaman.¡± At least, not right now, she thought.


    ¡°Thought you said the two of us had a lot in common?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of that. We¡¯re both rotten, but we¡¯re incomplete. As long as we¡¯re not whole, we will be incapable of loving.¡±


    ¡°...What will make us whole, then?¡±


    ¡°Different strokes for different folks,¡± she said as she walked to the door. ¡°But only pain will complete us, Kalaman.¡±


    She stopped by the doorway and turned to him. She caressed her neck, which had his hands around it just moments before. It probably wouldn¡¯t leave a bruise, which made her sad.


    Do it harder next time, she spoke to him with her smile, then left.


    She walked through the halls with a light skip. Some part of her was still unsure, but at the very least, she should just enjoy this chance to breath.

 A Comedy at Sea Part VIII - "Pleasure"

    As Nentonia sat down on her bed, the door opened and Kalaman came in.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Nentonia said. ¡°I just got here. Were you following me this entire time?¡±


    ¡°You told me to follow. So I did,¡± he replied, closing the door behind him.


    A few moments ago, the two of them were at the upper deck, and Kalaman told her his entire past, who he used to be before he became the Dragonslayer. Nentonia found that her suspicions were right. Kalaman was running away from his sins.


    And now, as she promised, she was going to lay herself bare to him as well.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat, Kal?¡± Nentonia said.


    ¡°...Do not call me that,¡± he said, but the tone in his voice sounded softer than usual.


    Still, Nentonia ignored him and scooted over, making space for him to sit on, and gestured for him to sit down next to her. After giving a small sigh, Kalaman walked forward and sat down, their thighs almost touching.


    The two of them sat there in silence for a moment. Nentonia thought about where she¡¯d start her story, but she would sometimes get lost in that silence. The ship¡¯s rocking against the waves used to make her ill, but now it was relaxing. The sound of the wood creaking made the ship sound vulnerable and brittle, but even that was calming to listen to. Moreover, just sitting next to him made her heart lighter.


    ¡°I used to live in an orphanage...¡± she started. ¡°...though how I got there and what kind of life I had there isn¡¯t very important. I was just your regular orphan, raised to be a priestess. But there was this girl I knew while I was there. Jaysie was her name.¡± She turned her head to look at Kalaman, who stared at her with attentive eyes. ¡°She was the first person I ever loved.¡±


    Kalaman¡¯s eyes twitched slightly. Was it jealousy in them? Nentonia found it cute. Yet he didn¡¯t say a word and kept listening. He really wanted to know more about her, and that made her happy.


    Nentonia continued. ¡°I grew up with her as a fellow orphan, but I couldn¡¯t really see her as a sister. Granted, neither of us were ever normal children. In any case, I loved her, and she loved me. I loved her ... and I killed her.¡±


    Nentonia could still feel the shape of her neck on her palms. She remembered the warmth of her skin, and she remembered how it faded slowly. She didn¡¯t let go even after she stopped moving. Only after she went completely cold did she stand up.


    ¡°It was horrible, you know?¡± she said, laughing. ¡°It was awful to see her die like that. It hurt so much to realize that I¡¯d never be able to talk to her again. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.¡±


    ¡°...Then why did you do it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Precisely because of that,¡± she replied, hanging her head down, not wanting to meet his face. ¡°It hurt. It was an agonizing experience to go through, and I ... I just couldn¡¯t stop. The more I did it, the more unbearable it was, and the more addictive it became. It was ecstatic to see the person I loved the most die like that ... and it was even more ecstatic to put myself through that kind of anguish. Ridiculous, right? But that¡¯s who I am. That¡¯s always what I¡¯ve been since I was born. I can enjoy normal things, I think. But in the end, to me, pain is the ultimate pleasure.¡±


    She raised her head and laughed. ¡°Funny, isn¡¯t it? A cleric that likes pain. But I don¡¯t think I can help it. I was born this way, after all.¡±


    There was a long and unbearable silence as she waited for Kalaman¡¯s response. She was afraid of getting pushed away, like everyone else did. Jaysie had accepted her, but would it be the same for him? Suddenly, at the eleventh hour, all the confidence she had was crumbling. Suddenly, she was the same scared little girl from back then.


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    Finally, he spoke.


    ¡°Is that why you were avoiding me?¡±


    Nentonia nodded. ¡°With Jaysie, I lost control over myself. She said it was okay, but she¡¯s gone now because of me. I was afraid of the same thing happening again.¡±


    ¡°...I see,¡± he said, and then he was silent again.


    Nentonia looked at his face, his expression. They were as still and motionless as always, betraying no emotion from within him. What was he thinking about? What is he going to say? Just imagining it filled her with anxiety.


    ¡°When we reach Tisah, I¡¯ll leave the party,¡± Nentonia said before he could say anything. He looked at her, his face tinged with confusion and shock. ¡°I¡¯ll leave without telling you, and we can forget each other as we go our separate ways. It¡¯ll be a clean departure...¡±


    ¡°...But?¡± Kalaman asked, noticing her hesitation.


    ¡°But then I got to know you more. And I realized that maybe, just maybe, we could complete each other.¡± Nentonia said to him, placing her hand on his leg for support as she leaned closer. ¡°The one thing you want more than anything else is to be punished, right? And the only thing I want is to experience that pain I felt before again. Do you see where I¡¯m getting at here? We¡¯re both missing something inside us, and our entire lives, we¡¯ve been running from it. Here, and now, is the one moment that the two of us could be completed. I think the gods let us meet for this one purpose alone.¡±


    ¡°...Only pain can complete us,¡± he spoke, echoing the words she said to him back then.


    In response, she smiled. It seemed he finally got it. ¡°I¡¯m still scared, Kal. I still want to run away. I¡¯m sure you do, too. That¡¯s why ... I want us to trap each other.¡±


    ¡°Trap each other?¡±


    ¡°Mm. I want to complete you. I want you to complete me. I don¡¯t want to do this without your say in it. Well, not that I can, even if I wanted to.¡± She chuckled, and reached out to grasp his hand. She stared directly into his eyes, inching her face closer and closer to him. ¡°Will you let me?¡±


    Her heart raced. She had laid herself bare in front of him, and she waited for his reaction. She exposed herself and the one thing she desired, the thing that made even the benevolent sisters of the temple shun her.


    She world has no place for Nentonia Brava the false cleric. Even her last name, a symbol of honor for the clerics of Helm, was stolen. She did not deserve it.


    Yet she prayed, more so than any other priestess, that she would find a place to belong, if only it was for a moment.


    ...Kalaman said nothing. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape. He didn¡¯t know what to say. There were no words, no confirmation or affirmation.


    A single second stretched into eternity.


    And there was no answer.


    ¡°...I see,¡± Nentonia chuckled weakly.


    Of course. Not many people would choose that path. She gave him time to think about it. She was trying to prepare him for this moment, maybe since they first met. She wanted it to be him. But maybe Jaysie was a one-and-done deal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    And maybe this was for the best. After all, an addiction may not develop if you¡¯ve only ever done it once. Maybe in time, she¡¯d forget this feeling, and she¡¯d stop chasing after it. She can be satisfied with cuts and hot stoves.


    She lowered her gaze and pulled herself away.


    Then, Kalaman grabbed her head and pulled her towards him, sealing their lips together. It happened so fast that she didn¡¯t have time to breath. Suddenly, she was experiencing something she had only heard about from others. The sensation of melting. Her veins burn up. She felt like her entire body was on fire. She tries to push herself away and give herself time to calm down, but he wraps his other arm around her and pulled her in; that despite their faces being already close enough to touch, he still wants her to be closer.


    She is dissolving like sugar on water in his embrace. His tongue enters her, devouring her, demanding more. Before she knew it, her hands stopped trying to push him away and were desperately clinging to him, and it took her a while to realize she was already kissing him back.


    Their bodies gave in, and the two of them fell on the bed, him on top of her. Their faces pulled apart, and they stared into each other¡¯s eyes. Gone was his stoic visage, the face of the unflappable hero. All she saw was a worried expression of a man desperate to hold on to her. His eyes held so much emotion now that it¡¯s unthinkable to believe he was the same man she¡¯s been with this entire time. And she didn¡¯t have any doubts that her face was the same.


    Their breaths were shallow and ragged. Nentonia was so happy that it felt like her hearts was going to burst out of her chest. She could feel how desperate he was, how afraid he was. Right now, he was no Dragonslayer. He was no hero. He was simply Kalaman. He might¡¯ve had his hesitations over this relationship she was bestowing upon him, but one thing was clear: he didn¡¯t want to let her go.


    And neither did she.


    She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Are you really sure about this?¡± she asked. ¡°Can you really give me what I want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you more than you want,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ll satisfy you for the rest of your life.¡±


    She smiled, and let herself be addicted one more time. There were no more words that needed to be said.


    She pulled him close, and they melted into each other¡¯s warmth.

 A Comedy at Sea Part IX - "Acceptance"

    Nentonia¡¯s body had never felt so light before.


    It was like a weight she had been carrying her entire life had flown away to gods know where. It wasn''t entirely gone. There was still doubt. But right now, she was enjoying herself. Her daily walks which had gotten boring as of late were now a tad bit more bearable.


    Ignoring the warnings of the crewmen she passed by, Nentonia ascended to the upper deck. She couldn¡¯t even feel the cold of the rain. She felt warm all over.


    She stood by the stern, admiring the storm above her. It raged, and with each clap of thunder, the entire air shook in submission. She took a deep, relaxing breath. She opened her eyes, and through the storm she saw free skies.


    Even amidst the chaos, she heard his footsteps.


    ¡°So, have you made your decision?¡± she asked.


    There was no answer. She turned around to face Kalaman. He kept quiet, yet the determined expression on his face said everything that his words couldn¡¯t.


    Then, Nentonia saw Armei approach from behind Kalaman. Everything about her looked so tired and defeated, from her face to her stride.


    ¡°Remina died,¡± Armei said with a weak voice.


    ¡°...¡±


    Nentonia looked towards Kalaman, and she understood everything. So he was willing to go this far. To sacrifice everything else, just so they could devour each other. Right now, they were mere steps away from completion. None of the other party members would ever agree to it. Kalaman was removing all obstacles.


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel so guilty. It wrung her heart in all the right places. This pain, this conflict, it was theirs alone.


    ¡°I see,¡± Nentonia broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°...Is that all you have to say? Weren¡¯t the two of you close?¡±


    ¡°We are. It¡¯s a bit sad that we can¡¯t see each other anymore, though, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s happy, wherever she is now.¡±


    Nentonia could feel Armei staring daggers at her. ¡°She¡¯s dead. She isn¡¯t anywhere anymore.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯d like to believe she is.¡±


    Nentonia walked, splashing her steps in the small puddles she found.


    Suddenly, one of the crewmates screamed. Everyone turned their heads to what he was looking at. Jarvarax had ascended the deck, his body covered in blood splatters, with some of it dripping down his spear.


    ¡°Jarvarax?¡± Armei said. ¡°What did you...?¡±


    ¡°I killed the assassin,¡± he said, then turned to the crew. ¡°Your captain is gone.¡±


    Before long, chaos erupted. The crewmen spat their hateful words towards the dragonborn, who only returned an expression of relief.


    Kalaman walked past Jarvarax and stood behind him. Nentonia could see his hand was already resting on his sword¡¯s pommel.


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    ¡°Apologies that I took this long. We do not need to worry anymore, Kalaman. It¡¯s over.¡±


    Kalaman looked to the skies, and appeared to take a deep breath. Then, for just a brief moment, he turned to Nentonia. Even in the storm, everything was clear. The doubts disappeared. There was only one path forward for both of them, and that was towards the end.


    For just a brief moment, she thought she saw Kalaman smile.


    ?


    She witnessed it.


    She saw how the hero fought.


    It was her first time seeing him fight at all. He moved with such speed that it was hard to keep up with her eyes. Every move he made was beautiful., lacking in unnecessary movements. Each strike, powerful. His blade was a part of himself, and he was a part of the storm. He fought just like how the heroes in her stories were described.


    But halfway through the fight, he got weaker. Slower. He was stabbed with a poison knife. Yet he kept fighting. It must¡¯ve been painful to run your own body ragged like that as poison burned your nerves from the inside. And yet, he fought.


    It must¡¯ve been a potent poison, as even the ever-stoic Kalaman¡¯s brows wrinkled as he tried to fight the pain.


    That mere sight of him, wounded and poisoned, yet dancing with the storm all the same, roused joy and affection within Nentonia. This was what she wanted to see when she first dreamed about adventure.


    The heroes in her stories overcame great peril, pushed through all obstacles, to achieve glory. It was never the glory that enthralled her, but the torment they had to go through to get it. No matter how bloodied they get, they fight.


    Kalaman was on the ground. All his enemies were dead. He had no strength left in his body to even stand. He laid in a pool of his own blood, and his body crumbled from the inside.


    To her, this was a hero.


    She couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°This was one hell of an answer, Kal. Was any of this necessary?¡±


    He forced himself to speak, even as he coughed up blood. It splattered on her face, and all she could think about was how warm it felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m already complete...¡± Kalaman said through his anguished voice. ¡°...But you aren¡¯t yet.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to fulfil our promise ... right?¡±


    She nodded again.


    ¡°Then, they wouldn¡¯t have let you leave alive. That¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you killed them?¡±


    He slowly nodded.


    She could feel her eyes getting warmer. She laughed as she wiped away her tears, mixed with the rain.


    All her life, she¡¯s been shunned. Rejected. Turned away. Exiled. There was no place for her.


    No, there was. She already found it long ago. But, when she arrived at its doorstep, she ran away. And from then on, she thought she was just going to keep running until she died somewhere far away.


    To think she¡¯d get a second chance.


    ¡°...Strange, right? For me to be crying like this. Something must really be wrong with me.¡±


    Kalaman coughed up a laugh. ¡°Who gives a shit? What isn¡¯t wrong, nowadays anyway?¡±


    They laughed together, ignoring the storm¡¯s screams.


    Nentonia got on top of him, feeling his shape beneath her. She placed her hands on his chest. She caressed his firm body, feeling the heat of his wounds on her skin, moving it up towards his unguarded neck. She wrapped her hands around it, and held it tightly.


    Kalaman Kampus. The hero. The Dragonslayer. The invincible. He was here, vulnerable and dying.


    That same exhilaration from that beach all those years ago returned. She squeezed his neck. Even with her meager strength, it was enough.


    His breathing strained. His expression twisted and contorted. Nentonia could see fear in his eyes, the same kind that haunts all living things as they approach their death. Her heart was beating. Her mind was racing. She could feel herself heating up. Excitement, fear, arousal, pain, joy. All the emotions in her life swirled inside her. Right now, everything existed. Everything mattered.


    This is fucked up.


    That was clear. The world around her had convinced her of that.


    But she was born this way. It was a mistake, in all likelihood. The world could not have allowed someone like her to be born, after all.


    Yet Jaysie was there. She showed her who she was.


    And now, Kalaman was here. He embraced her for all that she is.


    That was all she needed to believe that it was alright for her to be here too.


    ¡°Goodbye, Kalaman.¡±


    ?


    The storm had ceased.


    The sun had risen.


    The seas became calm once again.


    Perhaps the storm roared more violently that one night, but now that was over. The skies were clear.


    A ship had set sail, but never docked.

 Epilogue - "One Day"

    ¡°I swear, I¡¯m not making this up!¡± the young wizard stomped her feet in frustration. ¡°This really happened!¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, the last time you claimed that a rumor was true, it was immediately proven to be a hoax the next day,¡± the young ranger replied, resting his arms behind his head as the two of them walked the market streets of Tisah. ¡°Seriously, you take these things too seriously, Ren.¡±


    ¡°No, this time, I swear it¡¯s real!¡±


    ¡°You said that last time too, you dunderhead.¡±


    The two of them entered the Tisah guild house. Their bickering instantly drew the attention of almost everyone there, though not many of them seemed to mind it.


    As they approached the receptionist, she greeted them with a smile and a sigh. ¡°Welcome back, Nelo, Ren. You were arguing when you left, and you¡¯re still arguing.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Nelo waved his hands. ¡°Anyways, we finished the commission. The thief was, as it turns out, an ordinary house cat.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± the receptionist says, thought she wasn¡¯t really surprised at all. ¡°Let me guess, was it Mittens?¡±


    Nelo shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of taking commissions like this, man. I wanna go hunt monsters!¡±


    ¡°One day, you¡¯ll be able to take on the harder commissions, I promise!¡± the receptionist said. "Just keep working hard! And, you know, maybe get more party members. I know that two people can technically form a party, but we can¡¯t issue you a combat quest until you have more members. For your own safety.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been looking for¡ªhey!¡±


    ¡°Miss Olara!¡± Ren pushed Nelo aside and leaned over the counter. ¡°Nelo won¡¯t believe me!¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it this time?¡± Olara replied, clearly amused by their antics. Nelo and Ren were no older than fifteen, and both eager to become adventurers.


    ¡°She keeps talking about this story she¡¯s heard somewhere,¡± Nelo explained, pushing Ren away. ¡°Something about a hero¡¯s party disappearing out of thin air.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you must be talking about the Dragonslayer!¡± Olara said.


    ¡°Huh? You know of it?¡±


    ¡°See! I wasn¡¯t lying! It¡¯s true!¡±


    Ren grabbed hold of Nelo¡¯s shoulder and shook him around, much to his annoyance. After they calmed down, Olara continued.


    ¡°It was the talk of pretty much everywhere a few months back. This legendary adventurer, Kalaman Kampus the ¡°Dragonslayer¡±, was pretty active around these parts for a while. But one day, he suddenly vanished. Nobody knows where he or his party went.¡±


    ¡°Right! Right!¡± Ren said giddily. ¡°My dad told me about it a few days ago! He said they were last seen boarding a ship, but that ship was never found again, either! He said that a sea monster must¡¯ve ate them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Olara said. ¡°Quite mysterious, isn¡¯t it? Their party was strong, too. There was Kalaman the Dragonslayer, Armei the Maiden of the Sun, Remina the Arclight, Alkith the Hero of Contingency, and Van Lendi of the Holy Waters. They each have their own legends, but together, they made one hell of a team.¡±


    Nelo crossed his arms. ¡°Hah! I know. Ren won¡¯t shut up about them. They¡¯re not real! As if someone can kill a dragon by themselves.¡±


    ¡°He did! Barehanded!¡±


    Olara chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he did it barehanded, but I can assure you, he did exist, Nelo. In fact, I even saw him myself once, though only briefly. I can attest to his strength.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°...For real?¡± Nelo said, still doubting a bit. ¡°If they¡¯re really that strong, then why would they die to some sea monster?¡±


    ¡°Truth is,¡± she sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t really know what happened to them. All we know is that they were last sighted boarding a ship, and they were never seen again.¡±


    ¡°Really? No clues at all?¡±


    ¡°Just a scant few. They found pieces of debris from an unidentified ship off the coast of Mambhaling. Said the ship probably exploded during the voyage somehow. They might have survived, but I¡¯m not betting on those chances.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re heroes, aren¡¯t they?¡± Ren said with a downcast look.


    ¡°Happens all the time in this profession, sweetie. Even the mightiest ones fall in time. But enough about that. I¡¯m sure you want to take another commission before the day ends, so...¡±


    Olara takes out a sheet of paper from under the desk and places it in front of the two young adventurers.


    ¡°Sweet! What is it?¡±


    ¡°Are we gonna go find another lost kitty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an investigation quest,¡± Olara explained. ¡°The commissioner¡¯s been hearing strange noises in an abandoned house to the west, and he¡¯s certain it¡¯s a monster of some sort.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nelo¡¯s eyes glistened with excitement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Nelo. Your mission is to observe from afar and confirm if there really is a monster there. You are not going to go in and fight it.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts. The guildmaster would kill me if anything ever happened to you two.¡±


    Nelo clicked his tongue. ¡°He should mind his own business.¡±


    ¡°Your father¡¯s just worried, Nelo.¡±


    Nelo grumbled for a bit, but eventually took the quest and set off with Ren. The two of them walked through the crowded market streets, trying to make their way to their destination. However...


    ¡°Nelo, are you sure we¡¯re going the right way?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°Shut up! I ... I know what I¡¯m doing!¡± Nelo lied.


    The quest directions weren¡¯t very specific, so they ended up wander around the streets for a while. Nelo stared at the map, but had no idea how to make sense of the directions he was given.


    ¡°We¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No! I think...¡±


    ¡°Give me that!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Ren took the map and quest notice out of her Nelo¡¯s hands and tried to read it. However, after a while, she scratched her head.


    ¡°...These instructions are confusing. And the handwriting is hard to read,¡± she commented. ¡°We should go ask for directions!¡±


    ¡°...Humiliating.¡±


    ¡°Oh, boo-hoo for you.¡± Ren approached the nearest person she could find and tugged at her sleeve. ¡°Excuse me! Can I ask for directions please?¡±


    The lady with short black hair turned and smiled at them. ¡°Of course! What do you need?¡±


    Ren showed the map and directions to the lady. She inspected the map for a whole three minutes, before nodding, and saying, ¡°yep. I don¡¯t have any idea where that is, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Thanks,¡± Nelo said sarcastically, to which Ren elbowed him in his sides.


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually from around these parts, and I¡¯ve only recently just arrived here, so I¡¯m not very familiar with the layout,¡± the lady explained, not showing even an ounce of embarassement.


    ¡°You¡¯re a traveler?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°For now, at least. Actually, can I ask you for directions?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nelo said. ¡°First, you fail to give us directions, and now you¡¯re asking for it?¡±


    ¡°Nelo!¡± Ren elbowed him again, harder this time, which caused him to almost fall to his knees. ¡°Forgive my brother, he¡¯s rude. All the time.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The lady laughed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I quite like rude people, actually.¡±


    She took a glance at Nelo, and her smile softened for a bit. Hey eyes pierced into him, and he found himself averting his gaze as his heart began to race slightly.


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s a strange type you have.¡± Ren scratched her head.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re fun to tease, that¡¯s all. So anyways, I was just hoping to ask if you know where the airship dock is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, those? It¡¯s over that way, near the shore.¡± Ren pointed. ¡°Can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on riding one?¡± Nelo asked, having calmed himself down. ¡°Those ships are headed for the new continent, you know?¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s where I¡¯m heading.¡±


    ¡°Feralter, right?! I want to go there, too!¡± Ren said enthusiastically.


    The lady smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll, if you¡¯re heading there, then I¡¯ll be seeing you.¡±


    She waved goodbye and started walking, her white robe fluttering in the wind.


    ¡°...What a strange lady,¡± Nelo said.


    ¡°She was very pretty though,¡± Ren added. ¡°Especially her eyes.¡±


    ¡°Really? They looked freaky to me. Who has yellow eyes?¡±


    Ren continued asking around for directions. However, the lady with the yellow eyes kept popping up in Nelo¡¯s mind. Something about her was ... different. Weird.


    He looked back, seeing her figure fade away into the crowd. He¡¯ll probably never meet her again. But he thought that maybe, just maybe, it¡¯d be nice if they could.


    Nelo joined his sister in asking for directions, determined to finish this quest. One day, he¡¯ll rise through the ranks and become a great adventurer. When that time comes, he¡¯ll voyage to the new continent. Perhaps he¡¯ll find her again there.


    ¡°We should¡¯ve asked for her name.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s out of your league, Nelo.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    The days will go on like this for a while, with him chasing after that dream.