《To Fight Against Fate》


 Small Beginnings

    On the winter day that changed Rica Banc¡¯s life¡¯s trajectory, she was twelve and doom-scrolling through Instagram, searching desperately for something that would take her mind off her empty house and the fact her parents hadn¡¯t bothered to come and see her for Christmas, only depositing money into her account and trusting their secretary could take care of her needs.


    Rica sighed as nothing caught her attention, flopping back onto her bed and trying a different app. Technically she wasn¡¯t old enough to have a Tumblr account but it wasn¡¯t like her parents truly cared if she did things she wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Rica murmured when she dropped her phone on her face, making her nose sting and eyes water. ¡°Fucking shit.¡±


    Rica was new to the whole swearing thing, but it felt good to say the harsh words, letting them come out whenever she felt like it. She groaned as she went onto her side and squinted at the phone.


    Then she sat straight up, eyes widening as she took in the post her nose unwittingly brought her too.


    It was a piece of art reblogged by one of the people she followed and it was breathtaking. The main figure in the piece was a teenage girl surrounded by the limp bodies of some sort of monster in a forest. She had shining silver hair pulled in a braid that glimmered in the dappled light, her piercing gold eyes staring right back at the viewer as if she were about to cut them down with her sword pointed directly at them. The girl¡¯s face held determination and grit, and the promise of violence.


    Rica fell in love right then and there and she needed to know more about this girl, learn why she fought, why she was so determined. She scanned the post and found a link to a web novel that this character, Illnyea, was from. Rica had never heard of a web novel before but she didn¡¯t care much as she clicked onto the link.


    The novel was called The Destined Ending, which sounded a little pretentious to Rica but she began reading the first chapter, skipping the summary because those often proved to be useless fluff and full of false promises.


    Rica found her love deepening as she was introduced to Illnyea, the second daughter of wealthy merchants who wanted to see the world and explore what it had to offer. What drew Rica in was how good Illnyea was and how much she cared about those around her, the care shown in her thoughts, her gestures, her words. Rica found herself yearning to give Illnyea the world as she struggled to survive what it threw at her. Being able to root for a character that was fundamentally good made Rica feel better about herself, wondering if she too could be like Illnyea.


    There were only twenty chapters available and Rica found herself despairing when the next chapter button was unavailable.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she said, blinking down at it. The comment section was small but oh tantalizing as Rica began to hesitantly read through it. Though Rica did have several social media accounts, she rarely interacted with others online, the stranger-danger lectures from school always leaving her leery.


    But, as Rica stared at the comments others left praising the work and asking the author questions, why can¡¯t she just say fuck it and do it?


    And she did just that, fingers shaking as adrenaline coursed through her as she made an account. It was simple, just a few sentences asking how to say Illnyea¡¯s name because she wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but Rica¡¯s grin was so wide it nearly hurt. After a brief moment of hesitation, Rica also reblogged the original piece of fanart, thanking the artist in all caps for introducing her to The Destined Ending.


    Rica awoke the next morning to the sound of a notification. She rubbed her eyes as she smacked around for her phone, bringing it close to her face to read it.


    Then she dropped the phone straight off the bed as shock coursed through her as her brain caught up.


    She scrambled off, falling hard on her knees to stare at the notification.


    Acacia responded to your comment ¡°How do you pronounce Illnyea? Thank you so much for writing this, I just binge-read all 20 chapters and I can¡¯t wait for more!¡±


    ¡úill-neia. Thanks for reading and commenting. It means a lot.


    Rica stared and stared, a giddy feeling filling her chest as she realized the author had taken the time to respond to her comment out of all the other ones. She screenshotted it for evidence and clutched her phone to her chest.


    Rica fell hard and fast for The Destined Ending (referred to as just TDE by those in the know) and devoted her attention and focus to the one thing that made her actually want to get out of bed in the morning. She dipped her toe into the small fandom surrounding TDE and made a friend in the artist of the original portrait of Illnyea she saw, a college student named Sarah who then connected Rica with other fans.


    Rica realized the joy of fan culture as she theorized and speculated with the others about future plot points, and it filled the void of social interaction Rica hadn''t even realized bothered her. Most of the other fans were much older than her and assumed she was the same age as them, but there was no chance of ever meeting them in person, so Rica didn¡¯t dwell on that too much.


    To say Rica became a slightly obsessive fangirl was a bit of an understatement, but it certainly was much better than many other things Rica could be getting into like drugs and gangs. Or so she told herself as she commissioned Sarah to do a fanart with the full cast for $150.


    Sarah tried to say that was too much but Rica held firm -- she had a crazy allowance and nothing else better to spend it on. It became a bit of a fun game for Rica, figuring out how to spend her money exclusively on things related to TDE because it¡¯s not like her parents cared. As long as the account stayed out of the negatives and the secretary was delivering reports she was alive, that was good enough for them.


    Which led to Rica becoming bold enough to sign herself up for horseback riding lessons because Illnyea traveled by horseback so often in the story that Rica had to try it out for herself. The secretary raised her eyebrows when Rica brought her the waiver to sign but said nothing else, as she didn¡¯t care enough to comment on it.


    Horseback riding was hell on her thighs and legs but the instructors just laughed and said that was because she didn¡¯t have the right muscles yet. Rica took that as a challenge and practiced until she no longer felt that pain. Riding a horse was fun but she couldn¡¯t do it all the time because the stable was outside the city and traffic was a pain to wait through.


    So when the character of Frigge was introduced in TDE when Rica was thirteen, a kick ass martial artist that took no shit, Rica knew just what she had to do. She called up the nearest martial arts studio and signed up for the next class that fit her schedule, which ended up being a mixed martial arts class on Thursday evening.


    Rica was a bundle of nerves as she reached the studio, idly thanking the driver as she hopped out and stepped inside.


    This was where Rica met Mr. Tilo.


    Mr. Tilo was a lanky man, his long, slender limbs making him seem even taller than his six foot frame. He had scuffed shoes and his clothes were well-worn and his brown eyes widened underneath his floppy black hair when he saw Rica. He looked at his phone for something and then back at Rica, and slowly meandered towards her.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, holding himself awkwardly, ¡°are you here for the MMA lesson?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Rica said, popping the p as she studied the man in front of her.


    He gave her a strange look, then looked over the other students who had arrived. It was an odd mix of people of different ages and backgrounds and it wasn¡¯t like Rica was even the shortest one there, so it wasn¡¯t that strange.


    His gaze resettled on her with something almost like resignation in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tilo,¡± he said, reaching out his hand.


    Rica took it and shook it firmly.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Mr. Tilo, I¡¯m Rica.¡±


    Mr. Tilo made a face. ¡°Just call me Tilo, I¡¯m not that much older than you. I think.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    Rica knew her bluntness can sometimes be off-putting and she wielded politeness as a weapon sometimes, especially when she thought it might get under someone¡¯s skin.


    Mr. Tilo made another face and mumbled something to himself. Rica didn¡¯t have enough time to ask him to repeat himself as class began.


    And WOW, was this class everything Rica had been hoping it was. The teacher was a no nonsense man who stressed how important it was to learn the basics before trying to do anything fancy, and to understand that he was teaching every one of them moves that can cause some serious harm to others.


    Rica loved every moment of it and was shaking with tiredness when the class was over.


    She was waiting outside for the driver to return, going over the moves in her head. The jab was a foundational move and she had to practice on precision and speed; but she couldn¡¯t forget to move her feet well so that she could dodge her opponents'' attacks. If they got her on the ground, she couldn¡¯t do anything, so she had to try and stay on her feet as much as possible.


    Movement to her right caught her attention as Mr. Tilo tiredly lowered himself onto the bench next to her.


    ¡°Waiting for your parents?¡± he asked.


    Rica shook her head and Mr. Tilo frowned.


    ¡°Someone is coming to pick you up, right?¡± Mr. Tilo asked, straightening out of his slouch to face her.


    ¡°The driver will be here soon,¡± Rica said confidently, though she was wondering just where he was. She had told him when her class got out and expected him to be here by now.


    Mr. Tilo stared at her again before checking his phone. He resettled himself into a more comfortable position.


    ¡°Do you mind if I wait with you until they arrive?¡± Mr. Tilo asked. Rica considered it, before shaking her head. Mr. Tilo didn¡¯t seem that strange and he had been a good student during class, though a little uncoordinated and gangly.


    ¡°Why are you taking these classes?¡± Rica asked, suddenly curious.


    ¡°Uh, well I wanted to be able to defend myself,¡± he said, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°My college dorm isn¡¯t in the best part of town and I¡¯m¡­ Well, I figured it¡¯d be better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    Rica nodded solemnly, though she frowned as she took that information in.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the college fix your shitty situation?¡± she asked, finally turning her body towards him fully.


    Mr. Tilo barked out a laugh, sharp and biting. ¡°Now that¡¯s a question I¡¯ve asked myself daily.¡±


    Rica found she liked making him laugh and the fact he didn¡¯t seem to care that she swore, not like all the other boring adults in her life.


    ¡°Why are you taking the classes?¡± Mr. Tilo asked, his body fully relaxing. ¡°I admit, it was a surprise to see a pipsqueak like you here.¡±


    ¡°I am not a pipsqueak,¡± Rica did not squawk indignantly, she spoke in a very calm and mature manner, thank you very much.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s say that,¡± Mr. Tilo said and didn¡¯t seem at all bothered by Rica¡¯s glare. He kept up his easy smile for so long that Rica gave up with a sigh.


    ¡°I want to be like a character in a book I read,¡± Rica murmured, suddenly self-conscious about her reasons now that she said them aloud. The kids at her school were always making fun of the nerds in class who talked too much about what they were reading or watching, and she was afraid that Mr. Tilo might be the same.


    ¡°That¡¯s some dedication,¡± Mr. Tilo said, admiration in his voice. ¡°I doubt I would have been that motivated when I was your age, you were so focused in there it put me to shame.¡±


    Rica felt her face flush and she stammered out, ¡°I -- it¡¯s not that cool, you know, and, well, yeah.¡±


    Her words made no sense and made her blush deepen but Mr. Tilo thankfully didn¡¯t notice. In fact, he reached out to ruffle her sweaty hair instead and Rica froze up, not knowing what to do or how to react. It was a strangely comforting gesture and made Rica feel the same giddy feeling she felt when Acacia responded to her comment.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, Rica,¡± Mr. Tilo said and Rica was embarrassed by how happy that made her feel. She tried to get rid of that embarrassment by checking the time on her phone and then paused. It was nearly fifteen minutes after the time she requested the driver to be there and he hadn¡¯t sent her any message saying he¡¯d be late.


    ¡°Any word on your ride?¡± Mr. Tilo asked, as if he had read her mind.


    Rica bit her lip and shook her head.


    Mr. Tilo was silent for a moment before abruptly pushing himself to his feet.


    ¡°I can give you a ride if you want,¡± he said casually, looking down at her. ¡°My car¡¯s small and the AC sucks, but it should get you where you need to go.¡±


    Rica swallowed hard, looking back at her phone and the empty wall of notifications.


    ¡°Just let me make a call really quick,¡± she said, dialing up her parent¡¯s secretary and listening to the dial tone for the two seconds it took the woman to pick up.


    ¡°Julie, where¡¯s my driver?¡± Rica asked, skipping the pleasantries because the secretary didn¡¯t much like them.


    There was a pause before the secretary said, ¡°The driver had to escort a client for your parents that arrived this evening. Were you unaware of this change?¡±


    Something cold and hard settled in Rica¡¯s gut. She tried not to look at her parent¡¯s schedule because it mainly just made her angry that they were so focused on clients and business instead of her. She had told the driver when she got out and he hadn¡¯t said a word about not being able to pick her up and now she had hot, angry tears stinging her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find my own way home then,¡± Rica murmured, ¡°no need to worry about me.¡±


    She ended the call and her hands shook. Another disappoint because her parents didn¡¯t fucking care and god how she wanted to scream at the secretary that she should have let Rica know earlier because the secretary was the fucking adult!


    ¡°You good, kid?¡± Mr. Tilo¡¯s voice brought her back down to earth and she blinked away tears to see concern on his face.


    She rubbed the tears away roughly. ¡°Can I get a ride with you please?¡± She hated how small her voice was, how it quivered and shook.


    ¡°¡®Course kid,¡± he said, gently patting her shoulder, ¡°just follow me.¡±


    Rica followed silently, hands white knuckled around her bag¡¯s strap as she got in. She told Mr. Tilo her address and he punched it into a truly ancient GPS system. He turned on the radio and pulled out of the small parking lot and into the city traffic.


    Rica just stared out the window, letting it pass her by without really seeing anything. The car was silent save for the pop music and the sounds of traffic. She hated how small she felt and how her life was dictated by others that just wanted her to exist without being seen or heard. It was frustrating beyond belief and fucking hell she hated it. She hated them.


    ¡°Hey, kid,¡± Mr. Tilo said as he took a right turn. ¡°Do you like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry best?¡±


    She turned to stare at him, surprised at the sudden question. ¡°Um, chocolate?¡±


    ¡°Good choice,¡± Mr. Tilo said and then they pulled up to an ice-cream shop named Lil Bites and he killed the engine. Rica stared and stared, unsure of what was happening even as Mr. Tilo opened his door. He paused when he saw she wasn¡¯t moving.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna get some ice cream,¡± Mr. Tilo said slowly, ¡°my treat. We burned a lot of calories today and I know a growing teen needs as much as she can get.¡±


    Her stomach growled at that statement and Rica burst into sudden tears she couldn¡¯t even explain.


    ¡°Ah, kid,¡± Mr. Tilo said, climbing back into the car and awkwardly reaching to pat her shoulder, ¡°hey, hey it¡¯s just some ice cream, you don¡¯t need to cry.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s ever taken me out to get it before,¡± Rica sniffled, leaning into his touch like it was a lifeline.


    Mr. Tilo¡¯s touch became tighter and he didn¡¯t speak for a long moment, just rubbing his thumb comfortingly. ¡°Well, we gotta fix that then. This place has the best soft serve in the whole city.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Rica asked, looking up at him. ¡°Did -- did you try them all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mr. Tilo said with confidence, ¡°my friends call me an ice cream connoisseur, I know all the best places and where to get the unique flavors.¡±


    His voice was steady and helped Rica to calm herself down, the sniffling and tears dying down. Mr. Tilo searched the side of his door and pulled out a beaten pack of tissues, offering it to her wordlessly. She dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose until she felt like she had put herself back together well enough.


    ¡°Ready, kid?¡± Mr. Tilo asked and Rica nodded.


    The chocolate ice cream was the best goddamn ice cream Rica had ever tasted in her life.


    Life continued, as it always did. Rica kept up with her classes and found she was a natural at it, the violence of it all making her heart race and her mind sharper. The driver would drop her off and then go off to do whatever her parents wanted him to do. Mr. Tilo kept attending as well and after that first lesson, it became their little tradition to go out for ice cream afterwards, trying a new spot each time, though Rica¡¯s favorite remained Lil Bites.


    Rica wasn¡¯t sure what Mr. Tilo did, but after two months, the secretary informed Rica that Mr. Tilo had permission to pick her up from home and take her wherever she wanted. Rica tackled Mr. Tilo in a hug next she saw him, taking him to the ground and laughing the whole time even as he complained about her pointy elbows in his liver.


    Mr. Tilo was often busy doing college things which Rica tried not to take personally because she didn¡¯t want him to suddenly decide she wasn¡¯t worth the effort. So Rica did the one thing she did best -- obsess. This time, she decided to obsess over fashion, as that was Mr. Tilo¡¯s major after all.


    She wanted to make something nice and handmade for his birthday in a month and a half but quickly found that sewing clothes was a lot more difficult than the YouTube tutorials made it look like. But Rica was nothing if not determined and had enough money to not worry too hard about failures. She placed her new sewing machine in the room where she stashed all of the art she had commissioned of The Destined Ending.


    Rica¡¯s original plan had been to make a nice shirt but each attempt came out lopsided and uneven, making her frustrated. She ended up settling on trying to just make a set of simple bow ties because his birthday came closer and closer without a single usable piece of clothing being made.


    She presented the small creations to Mr. Tilo the lesson before his birthday at Lil Bites, just so that she could have some time to order a replacement if he didn¡¯t like them. Mr. Tilo had smiled when she said she had a birthday present for him but he fell silent after he opened it.


    He carefully pulled out the pink polka dot bow tie, turning it over in his hands. Rica felt sick to her stomach the longer he was silent and couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°I know they aren¡¯t very good,¡± Rica said, her fingers twisting together to hide the bandages from past failures from view, ¡°but if you don¡¯t like them, I can just buy you something you actually like, haha¡­¡±


    Mr. Tilo looked up then, his smile soft. He slipped the tie over his neck and tied it off so quickly Rica wasn¡¯t quite sure what happened.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± Mr. Tilo asked. The polka dots clashed with his neon green t-shirt and a bow tie didn¡¯t exactly go with exercise clothes in general but¡­


    ¡°You look perfect!¡± Rica giggled, her nerves vanishing as Mr. Tilo struck a dramatic pose to take a bite of his soft serve.


    ¡°I am wearing a Banc original,¡± he drawled, flipping his hair, ¡°I¡¯m the best dressed on the block.¡±


    ¡°Best dressed in the whole fucking city!¡±


    Mr. Tilo ended up giving Rica a few patterns that were much more beginner friendly, visiting her on the weekend to show her some tips. He blinked a few times in surprise when he saw her workroom.


    ¡°Where¡¯s all this from?¡± Mr. Tilo gestured to the posters on the wall as he sat next to Rica on her workbench.


    Rica hesitated before wondering why she was even hesitating.


    ¡°It¡¯s fanart from the web novel I really like,¡± Rica said, trying to sound casual.


    Mr. Tilo snapped his fingers. ¡°Is that the story with the martial artist you wanted to emulate?¡±


    Rica felt her cheeks flush as she nodded. She pointed out one of her newest commissioned pieces, the scene depicting Frigge¡¯s explosive entrance to the story. ¡°That¡¯s Frigge, she uses a secret technique passed down through her family to harness the power of the sun to make her punches stronger and--¡±


    Rica shut her mouth, abruptly realizing that Mr. Tilo probably didn¡¯t want to hear about Frigge¡¯s entire backstory. But when she glanced at him, he was looking at the various posters with a curious gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°I think we could make her outfit,¡± Mr. Tilo said, squinting at Frigge. ¡°You¡¯ll have to learn a few different stitches and make some more basic patterns first, but once you do that, Frigge¡¯s outfit doesn¡¯t seem too complicated.¡±


    Rica¡¯s mouth dropped open before she frantically nodded. ¡°Yes, please!¡±


    Thus began Rica¡¯s true dive into the world of fashion and Mr. Tilo¡¯s introduction to TDE. Mr. Tilo was a much more casual reader but he did read it, sending Rica design sketches when Acacia took the time to describe the character¡¯s outfits in detail.


    It wasn¡¯t until Rica was fourteen that she actually made Frigge¡¯s outfit but the joy she got from wearing it was unmatched by nearly anything else she had ever experienced. Maybe she was exaggerating just a little, but goddamn it was so satisfying to wear something that she made with her own two hands, even if the outfit itself was impractical to practice fighting in. Still, she posed in dynamic kicking position and demanded Mr. Tilo get the best angles to show off her form and the clothes.


    Rica posted a cropped photo of herself in the outfit to Tumblr, secretly hoping that the other cosplayers on the website might compliment her work. She only had to wait ten minutes before the first notification went off.


    Acacia liked your post


    Acacia reblogged your post ¡°I love Frigge sooooooo much that it may be unhealthy (whoops!)¡±


    ¡úWow! This is amazing work JigglyJelloGirl! It¡¯s awe-inspiring to see how much you like The Destined Ending :)


    Rica nearly fainted when she realized Acacia had a Tumblr account and they reblogged it to their main page. She just had to tell someone and while Mr. Tilo didn¡¯t quite understand her nearly incoherent rant, he waited for her to finish before asking, ¡°So what do you want to make next?¡±


    ¡°Priscilla¡¯s latest appearance,¡± Rica said without hesitation. ¡°I know it¡¯ll be a bitch to make her fancy dresses, but I¡¯m up for the challenge.¡±


    Mr. Tilo chuckled. ¡°The villainess, eh? Alright, we can sketch out a design this weekend and figure out what fabric you want to use.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best, Mr. Tilo,¡± Rica said.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Some might find it odd that Rica liked Priscilla so much. She was Illnyea¡¯s older sister and honestly Priscilla was kind of a massive bitch, but there was something so intriguing about her fickle and jealous nature, not to mention how she always showed up dressed to the nines. She started off as a minor antagonist but as the story came on, she kept showing up and messing up Illnyea¡¯s carefully laid plans and that solidified Priscilla¡¯s villain status.


    Rica still loved all the other characters of course, because she was a sucker for the found family tropes, but she could never deny that whenever Priscilla reentered the narrative to cause chaos, Rica couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    For the next few years, Rica oscillated between her two obsessions, devoting most of her time, energy, and money into them. She earned herself somewhat of a reputation in TDE¡¯s fandom due to her extensive knowledge and her willingness to throw money around. Rica didn¡¯t mind paying artists more than their usual prices or donating to gofundme to help her fellow fans have more resources to make more engaging art and content. They certainly couldn¡¯t make beautiful art for her if their power was turned off. As soon as that fan¡¯s living situation was stable, Rica commissioned an entire set of plushies of the main cast plus Priscilla and they proudly lined the top of her dresser.


    The first time Rica saw someone refer to her as ¡°Jello the Benevolent,¡± it was in a meme and she choked on the soda she was sipping. It was a picture of that healer from Overwatch rescuing a civilian (Rica didn¡¯t know her name because she didn¡¯t like shooting games). The civilian was labeled, ¡°me who couldn¡¯t remember what chapter Aronne was introduced,¡± and the healer labeled Jello the Benevolent saying, ¡°half-way through chapter 83.¡±


    Rica complained to Mr. Tilo that these people were putting her on a pedestal and taking her actions out of context, and he just responded, ¡°Oh, woe is me, people on the internet think I¡¯m a good person, whatever shall I do?¡±


    She groaned and hung up on the sound of his laughter.


    Speaking of Mr. Tilo, he had earned his undergraduate degree but he found an internship with a fashion designer in the city that specialized in avant garde designs, which made Rica breathe out a sigh of relief that he wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    It was when Rica turned seventeen that two major life events happened.


    Firstly, and most importantly, Acacia announced that TDE was getting published officially. Rica nearly fainted in excitement when she read the announcement details and learned there would be full maps and expanded lore dumps in the special editions. She ordered a copy for her and Mr. Tilo immediately, and posted on all of her social media accounts celebrating the news.


    Priscilla Trash @jigglyjellogirl


    Ahhhhhhh, Acacia, I already preordered, I¡¯m so excited, I can¡¯t wait to get my hands on the maps and please my little goblin brain


    Acacia @p_acacia


    Thank you :) I hope that it is everything you imagine it to be


    The second thing that happened was that Mr. Tilo took her around his old alma mater to look around and eat at the sushi place on campus. While they sat on a bench and Rica enjoyed the way smoked salmon and avocado melted in her mouth, Mr. Tilo spoke.


    ¡°I showed some of your work to my old professors and the admission counselor,¡± he said, leaning on his elbows, ¡°and they told me if I didn¡¯t get you to apply, it¡¯d be a goddamn shame.¡±


    Rica nearly choked on her delicious food, hacking and coughing long enough that Mr. Tilo grew concerned and came around the side to pat her back.


    ¡°What?¡± Rica finally croaked.


    Mr. Tilo was quiet before saying, ¡°I know that you¡¯ve never really talked about college before, but I thought out of all the options you had, this path might be one that could actually make you happy, you know. But it is up to you, I don¡¯t mean to pressure you into anything -- just think about it, okay? Because if you do decide to go for it, I have the utmost confidence that you¡¯d thrive.¡±


    Rica took her time as she wiped a napkin across her face to consider his words. She never really did think about her future much before, even though her high school teachers had been nagging her for the past year about how she was going to amount to nothing if she kept slacking off. Rica¡¯s parents, severely lacking though they may be, had set up a trust fund for Rica that would keep her set for life -- hell, she¡¯d probably be able to live off interest alone if she didn¡¯t spend extravagantly.


    She had never thought about going to college before because school had never really interested her. Science and math were boring, and she only paid attention in English so that she could use the novel analysis to argue why TDE was the best story in all existence, and don¡¯t even get her started about social studies -- reading about real life history never failed to make her fall asleep.


    But if she didn¡¯t have to study something boring, it might not be too bad. Plus, Mr. Tilo had done it all before and he could help her if she struggled.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Rica turned sheepishly to Mr. Tilo. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t even know where to even start my application.¡±


    Mr. Tilo¡¯s answering grin was all Rica needed to know that she made the right decision.


    Rica threw herself into preparing her portfolio with an intensity that shocked everyone she knew save Mr. Tilo. Rica recognized that if she wanted to secure her chances and not let the one person who believed in her down, she¡¯d have to put in 110% in.


    She first began by designing a line of clothes inspired by each of TDE¡¯s characters. First in the collection was Illnyea of course, and Rica focused on feminine practicality. Illnyea wasn¡¯t one for cumbersome details or accessories and it had to be easy to move in while still looking striking. The color palate would be limited to silver and black with gold accents to match her eyes.


    Rica found the task thrilling and designed pages upon pages for each character and pestered Mr. Tilo until he brought her to his workplace so she could get better ideas of how the industry worked. The avant-garde style definitely wasn¡¯t Rica¡¯s cup of tea, but it did wonders for her creativity when she held a bold lightning strike pattern and wondered how she could use it. Mr. Tilo¡¯s boss thought she had ¡°spunk¡± and invited her to come by more often because they ¡°could use some young whippersnappers like you around here,¡± which Rica didn¡¯t entirely understand but accepted without complaining.


    TDE was both Rica¡¯s inspiration and solace. The weekly chapters had to stop due to licensing agreements, but Rica found that she interacted with Acacia even more now that the chapters had stopped. Rica had always tried her best to endear herself to Acacia because she loved their writing so much, and had decided on a whim to keep them updated about her portfolio progress.


    Acacia wasn¡¯t one to reach out to Rica first, but they never failed to respond to her messages with a word of praise and a basic smiley face. Rica wasn¡¯t so bold as to declare herself Acacia¡¯s friend, but¡­ Rica thought their relationship was a little deeper than just author and reader by this point, as Acacia did follow her on every platform they had an account on, something that no one else in the entire fandom could claim which did give Rica a bit of a big head.


    She fell into a routine for the next few months, she went to her boring school where she put in the minimum amount of effort to reach the target GPA she needed, visiting Mr. Tilo at his work in the afternoon to work on her portfolio, and then either going to her martial arts lessons or straight home to message Acacia about her progress.


    Rica got accepted into the program and she would never admit to anyone in the world that she cried when she read the acceptance email.


    Mr. Tilo was the first call she made after she calmed down.


    ¡°Did you get in?¡± His tone was serious, like he was prepared for the worst after she didn¡¯t say anything immediately.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rica giggled, ¡°was there ever a doubt?¡±


    ¡°Fuck no,¡± he said immediately and she could hear the smile in his voice. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡±


    While Rica didn¡¯t exactly want to inform her parents of the news, the secretary found out when the official acceptance letter came in the mail. Which led to Rica receiving a bland congratulations card that was obviously just the first one they found and a check for five-thousand dollars, as a ¡°graduation gift.¡± Rica wanted nothing more than to rip the check to shreds and throw it in the secretary¡¯s face but restrained herself from doing so.


    Instead, Rica blew all the money on financing a vacation to Paris for her and Mr. Tilo that summer. Rica told him her plan while she was at his work before turning to his boss to ask if he could have the time off pretty please.


    His boss had laughed, the sound booming across the space.


    ¡°I can spare him, I suppose,¡± his boss said with mirth, her blue lips spread wide in a grin, ¡°but you promise me that you¡¯ll keep coming here when you get back.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Rica said, shaking the woman¡¯s bejeweled hand without hesitation.


    ¡°Do I get any say in this?¡± Mr. Tilo asked.


    ¡°No,¡± said both Rica and his boss with identical grins.


    Paris was stinky and the people were pretty rude, but Rica could block that out easily to take in all the different types of fashion one could see just by walking down the street. Mr. Tilo¡¯s boss had some contacts in the industry and she tagged along only to be overwhelmed by just how fast everything moved. Overall the trip was exhausting and exhilarating but absolutely amazing.


    The first book of TDE came out right after the trip and Rica devoured it as soon as she came home, locking herself in her room until she had read it twice. She ran her fingers over the thick, glossy cover several times, marveling that she finally had a physical copy. Her sewing room gained the full size maps covering the wall and Rica was in paradise.


    College was¡­ surprisingly fun. Rica hadn¡¯t cared much for her classmates in grade school because it was pretty obvious their main intention in approaching her was just for her family¡¯s money. But in college, Rica found that other people cared less about who her family was or how much money she had -- they cared far more about her skills and whether or not she would join their club or not.


    Her time in college went great and Rica found that she could be a people person when the people she met weren¡¯t disphits. She made friends, went to parties, kissed boys, kissed girls, got too drunk and drunk called Mr. Tilo, thanking him for everything he had done before leaving an entire essay in Acacia¡¯s inbox blubbering about how much she loved TDE.


    The second book came out the night before her sophomore year started and she devoured it just as fast. When she was done, she was staring at her alarm clock that blinked 2:03 AM at her. Chuckling, she snapped a selfie of it with the book, showing off her stylish eye bags.


    bow down before queen priscilla @jigglyjellogirl


    oops. might have read it all in one sitting and I have classes at 8. @p_acacia its ur fault i¡¯m sleep deprived #TDE #everyoneneedstoreadthis


    At a much more reasonable time, Acacia responded.


    Acacia, author of The Destined Ending @p_acacia


    You should sleep more. But thank you, truly, for your dedication :)


    By the time Rica graduated, the fourth book was about to come out and her academic advisor (plus Mr. Tilo and his boss) had managed to convince Rica that getting a masters in business would do nothing but help her career. The graduate program was difficult, but nothing could stop Rica from religiously reading each TDE book as it came out, messaging Acacia her live updates because she had managed to wring it out of them that they actually liked that sort of thing.


    It was when the fifth book came out and Rica was free from the clutches of academia and was doing some freelance work that Rica actually had new content to read and her jaw dropped when she got to the second to last chapter -- Priscilla turned out to be brainwashed the entire time, a theory that Rica had believed in for quite some time. But the moment that Priscilla broke free from the artifact that was controlling her, she had a moment to speak with Illnyea, just the two of them.


    Illnyea asked, ¡°Did you ever love me?¡±


    ¡°Hah--¡± Priscilla rasped, glaring at Illnyea, ¡°You¡¯re so--¡±


    And then Priscilla was decapitated by the cult leader¡¯s immortal and rabid attack dog in human skin.


    Rica read the rest of the book frantically before pulling out her phone to give Acacia a piece of her mind.


    JigglyJelloGirl is online


    asfhdlfds acacia, ur killing me smalls¡­


    JigglyJelloGirl sent a gif *I Can¡¯t Belive You¡¯ve Done This*


    i cannot fucking BELIEVE you just killed priscilla!!!!!!


    in the middle of her speaking¡­


    ur extremely evil


    Hello Jello.


    hello evil author


    I had a question for you.


    Rica sat up in her bed, staring at her phone and re-reading it a few times to make sure that she was understanding it correctly. That certainly was not the reaction she was expecting and something about it put her on edge.


    of course, i¡¯m always available to provide my wisdom for you


    What if their destined endings are to be unhappy?


    Rica opened her mouth and closed it a few times, as Acacia had staunchly refused to even touch upon spoilers before.


    well, i am of the belief in this instance you can just say


    fuck destiny


    but i get the feeling u might want a different answer


    What if it was you, then?


    If you knew how your life would play out,


    Would you still follow your destiny?


    is my destiny a happy one in this scenario?


    No.


    what about the people i care about then


    is their fate tied to mine?


    P.Acacia is typing¡­


    Their fates are not.


    There could be happy endings for them.


    would following my shitty destiny end up hurting them?


    maybe


    JigglyJelloGirl is typing¡­


    i¡¯m of the belief that people are the ones who control their lives


    not some nebulous fucking concept of a god pulling everyone¡¯s string


    and, you know, some people really do deserve happy endings.


    if i can give it to them with a little sacrifice on my part,


    then i will


    You¡¯re a very kind person Jello.


    Rica snorted at that. Her thought process wasn¡¯t all that unique or special, but maybe Acacia hadn¡¯t encountered enough normal people in their life.


    not really


    just fucking stubborn


    but enough about that!!!


    you must tell me right now if everyone is going to die at the end


    bc rn i am getting HUGE bad end of the world vibes


    pls tell me i¡¯m off base


    You never fail to cheer me up, Jello.


    what


    no no, get back here


    don¡¯t run away u coward!!!


    ACACIA U REALLY ARE THE MOST EVIL BITCH ON EARTH


    That conversation made Rica extremely anxious about how the rest of the series would go. And the next book did take a much darker turn, but she held out hope that Acacia fleeing the conversation wasn¡¯t an omen of what was to come.


    Rica eventually opened up her own boutique, and was able to get a stable client base within the first two years that covered the rent and cost of materials. It didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t bad days and no colossal fuck ups (do not ask her about the first Paris fashion week she attended as a designer), but Rica managed to get through it all.


    So, yeah.


    That¡¯s how Rica became to be who she was at age twenty-six and why she was hand-stitching lace to a dark green dress she planned to wear to Mr. Tilo¡¯s wedding to his boyfriend Ryan next year, that may or may not have been inspired by one of Priscilla¡¯s own dresses. And it was also why it wasn¡¯t strange that Rica got private messages from the author of her favorite book.


    But besides one time, usually Acacia¡¯s messages didn¡¯t worry Rica.


    What if happy endings don¡¯t exist?


    Rica¡¯s fingers paused as she leaned over to read the message. She frowned and put her work to the side. She hadn¡¯t spoken much with Acacia about the ending of the series since the final book was announced to come out late next year.


    JigglyJelloGirl is online


    happy endings do exist, Acacia


    bc if they don¡¯t, there¡¯s no hope for this world


    Rica wondered what brought on this morbidity. Acacia had been quieter than usual lately, but Rica chopped that up to them being busy with the book¡¯s launch.


    The seconds ticked by and turned into minutes with no response.


    A bad feeling settled deep in her gut.


    are you okay?


    something wrong?


    One minute turned into five, into ten, into twenty. Rica couldn¡¯t focus on anything but her phone, at the status that Acacia was online.


    hey, you¡¯re worrying me and that¡¯s illegal


    please respond


    Rica didn¡¯t know where Acacia lived so she couldn¡¯t even call anyone to go check up on Acacia. She chewed on her cheek, a bad habit she could never get rid of. Another twenty minutes passed and Rica told herself that this would be her final attempt before she started searching up how to do a wellness check on someone when you don¡¯t have their address. She hoped vainly this attempt might provoke them into responding.


    if the ending to TDE isn¡¯t something i like


    i¡¯ll be forced to write a fanfic


    and write the happy ending myself


    Rica stood to go grab her laptop when her phone chimed and she scrambled to grasp it.


    I think you could write the ending better than I could.


    ignore the fanfic thing, it was a shitty joke


    i suck at writing


    whats wrong


    You still believe in happy endings¡­


    Please make sure they all live well.


    acacia wtf are you talking about


    Just remember what you said:


    Fuck Destiny


    Rica only had a moment to stare at her phone in disbelief before her eyes grew impossibly heavy. Though she tried to type out a question, her fingers went still and her head lolled forward as her phone slipped to through her fingers, landing on the floor with a sharp crack.


    ¡°Good luck, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    And that was the last of Rica Banc.

 Dreams and other delusions

    Reality was¡­ fuzzy and blurred along the edges of her vision, like she was looking through murky water at a picture that was almost familiar. The world was muted, the sounds dulled and faded, like she was trying to listen to a conversation happening behind a closed door. She felt floaty and disengaged, unable to move even an eyelid to blink.


    If she could frown, she would have done so.


    That so shitty, she thought, the words slowly coming to the front of her mind as if it had to be dragged through thick mud, to not even be able to fucking blink.


    And now that she thought that, she could think of doing nothing else. It was difficult to focus but she was nothing if not stubborn. She stopped doing silly things like breathing and threw her entire force of will into moving her eyelids up and down. It was like trying to slide open an elevator¡¯s doors when an emergency had been called ¨C slow, grueling work done by just the tips of her fingernails, but she kept pushing and pulling, scrabbling at the edge to get better leverage. She began to grow afraid that it may never work, that her will was too weak to conquer this task.


    But then she finally blinked.


    The world snapped into crystal clear clarity in the space of a gasp.


    She was in a garden, sitting on a bench at a round stone table. The table was secluded by rose hedges, though dandelions pushed up around the roots, their petals leaning towards the sun as it stole the nutrients from the soil. The grass was long enough to trip people if they weren¡¯t careful.


    One of her hands lay flat against the table, her palm vaguely stinging like she had just slammed it down. And in her other hand was a smooth, obsidian black stone that emanated a disorienting heat.


    She blinked again, staring at the rock before her brain kicked on and she recognized it. This small rock was the artifact that had corrupted Priscilla in The Destined Ending. An illustration had been included in the sixth book to appease the fans who demanded to know more about what had happened to make Priscilla brainwashed in the first place (a group that she may or may not have spearheaded).


    The artifact had no name, just a simple description of it being a ¡°stolen fate.¡±


    ¡°--u alright? I hope that my offer did not shock you that badly.¡±


    The voice was a warm baritone that reminded her of the voice that politicians used, like they had already gotten what they wanted and all you had to do was follow the pied piper¡¯s tune and everything would be alright.


    Oh.


    She knew what was going on now ¨C she was dreaming of Priscilla¡¯s corruption, a scene that had never been written into the original novel.


    A twisted grin spread across her lips. She had never been one to type venom in the comments about the Church of the Violet Moon and all the fucked up shit they got up to, but right now was the perfect time for her to vent her frustrations.


    ¡°Oh, dearie me,¡± she said, leaning closer to the artifact as she knew it was the conduit that allowed the stupid cult leader to speak with her, ¡°it appears I¡¯ve forgotten what we were just speaking about with how surprised you made me.¡±


    There was a pause before the voice said, ¡°We were discussing how to get you what you desired most in the world.¡±


    ¡°And what is that again?¡± she said in a light ditzy tone, like she was a sorority girl who had too many margaritas and had forgotten her own name.


    Another, more pregnant pause this time and she had to fight back a giggle.


    ¡°Like so many others, you want the power you have always been denied,¡± the voice said, speaking in a low seductive tone. ¡°The power to show others that you, too, must be respected as much as your sister, the power to prove that your dedication has not been for nothing all these years. You want the power to matter and I can give it to you, should you only say the word.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, half-curious what he might say next. Her mind was coming up with a wonderful approximation of what this scene might look like and she almost hated to ruin it.


    ¡°Truly,¡± the voice said, softening like she had already agreed. ¡°All you need do is ¨C¡±


    ¡°Well, I actually think you¡¯re wrong about what I want,¡± she said, taking vicious satisfaction in cutting him off.


    ¡°What?¡± the voice said, the bafflement clear and making her grin widen further.


    ¡°The only thing I want in this world,¡± she said, whispering as she drew closer to the artifact, ¡°is for you to get out of my fucking head and go get fucked by a orichacalum cactus you slimy dipshit.¡±


    There was a brief moment of resounding silence and then pain blossomed behind her eyes, sudden and like someone was trying to take an ice pick to her brain. But she just laughed ¨C she has felt worse after a rough day in her MMA lessons where she took a beating or when migraines graced her with their petty existence.


    The stone heated up in her hand but she just kept up her grin.


    ¡°Fuck off and die please,¡± she said happily.


    Abruptly, the pain flared to where she couldn¡¯t even see and then faded into a dull throb, but she didn¡¯t mind it. She was pleased with how it all went down, though now she was feeling¡­ quite tired.


    She yawned, her ears popping.


    Maybe just a little nap, she thought, and then I can wake up.


    Her face was pressed against something hard and rough, and her lips felt cracked and dry. She must have fallen asleep somewhere it was inadvisable to do so and would pay for it now.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she groaned as she sat up, not looking forward to the copious amount of stretching it would take to get her body to forgive her.


    And then she froze.


    She was still at the same stone table from earlier, still sitting on the same uncomfortable bench. The only difference in her dream from before and now was that the stone artifact was no longer a deep and rich black.


    The stone was a pearlescent white color that shone in the sun.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± she breathed, leaning forward to squint at it. The story had never mentioned artifacts changing color, especially ones that were meant to brainwash people.


    She picked it up in her hand, turning it over. ¡°What the fuck are you supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a legend killer.¡± The rock buzzed gently in her hand, letting her know exactly where the tinny voice came from.


    She dropped it immediately, letting it fall against the grass because she didn¡¯t fuck with things that talk when they weren¡¯t supposed to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean,¡± the rock whined, ¡°pick me up, pick me up!!¡±


    She rolled her eyes at how pathetic it sounded and then decided this dream as too weird and she pinched her hand to wake up, digging in her nails.


    Instead of her waking up on her bed at home, all that accomplished was making her hand¡­ actually hurt?


    But¡­ but when you hurt yourself in dreams, that¡¯s supposed to wake you up, goddamn it. Why wasn¡¯t it working?


    She was dreaming, she had to be, she was ¨C


    For the first time, she finally looked down at herself and saw what she was wearing. She was clad in a floor length formal dress that seemed vaguely familiar. It had a midnight blue bodice that clung to her ribs, laced tight with a black ribbon above a creamy white underlayer. The dress had gauzy, see-through bishop sleeves that were buttoned closed near her wrists. There were several layers to the skirts, though she couldn¡¯t tell how many with just a glance, but she did lock in on the embroidery that went down the length of the skirt. Stitched in a deep red thread that reminded one of blood were countless roses, some clustered together like a bouquet and others just following the vine upwards, showing off their thorns.


    The dress was beautiful and well made, there was no doubt, but staring at it filled her with dread.


    Because that was not what she fell asleep wearing and if this wasn¡¯t a dream then¡­


    ¡°Aw, shit, am I a fucking isekai protagonist?¡± she groaned, putting her head into her hands.


    She may have read those types of stories on occasion but it didn¡¯t mean that she wanted to star in one! She liked her life, she wasn¡¯t stuck in some dead-end job yearning for a fantasy. She was a fashion designer with far too much money and plenty of friends and people she cared about ¨C hell, she had just gotten the approval from the shelter for her to adopt a kitten, all she was waiting on was for the stupid fancy robot litter box to arrive!


    And now all that was gone now. All her hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears, all of it was meaningless.


    Shit, she thought as she pressed her knuckles between her eyebrows to fight off the headache that was now coming back from earlier, shit, shit, shit.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, ¡°I just need to¡­ fuck, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do.¡±


    Sitting on this stupid bench wouldn¡¯t help her one bit, so she needed to leave. She stood, but before she committed to leaving, the white rock caught her eye again. It called itself a legend killer, though she couldn¡¯t remember that phrase being mentioned anywhere in the book before. If it had, surely she would have asked A¡ª about it¡­


    And wait just a fucking second. A¡ª? A¡ª?!


    Were her thoughts being fucking censored?


    ¡°A¡ª,¡± she tried to say and what came out was a garbled mess, like her tongue didn¡¯t know how to move to make the sounds she wanted. She took a deep breath in and tried again to little avail.


    She looked back at the supposed legend killer on the ground, the pearl white rock sitting pristinely on the grass. It might be the rock that¡¯s causing her to be unable to speak A¡ª¡¯s name and she could try leaving its sphere of influence, but there was a pit in her stomach that told her it wouldn¡¯t be that simple to fix.


    She ran her hands down the dress, trying to take comfort in the smooth fabric when her fingers caught on a pocket of all things. Well, that took care of one thing.


    The rock began to speak as she picked it up, ¡°Please take me ¨C¡±


    ¡°I am, quit your bitching or I¡¯m going to toss you in a well,¡± she muttered, shoving the rock deep into the pocket. She didn¡¯t hear anymore whining, so it seemed the message was received. There were several sentient magical artifacts in the book, and some listened much better than others, and it seemed the rock was one of them. For now at least.


    There were no more excuses to keep delaying the inevitable, so she put on her big girl panties and left the only entrance she saw. Once she left the little garden nook behind, the dandelions disappeared and uniformly perfect flower hedges lined the stone pathway. It was almost unnerving how different the alcove was from the garden proper, like the alcove was just an afterthought. She shuddered as she walked through the long shadows cast by the hedges and the setting sun.


    Luckily the garden wasn¡¯t a maze and she found herself standing before an elaborate trellis archway that had yellow and orange roses threaded through the metal frame. She let out a small sigh and relief and strode through, glad to leave the unsettling garden behind her before night fell.


    And she ran right smack into someone who was passing by the entrance. She reacted on instinct, reaching out to grasp the other person by the elbows to steady them and then she froze when she saw just who she had steadied.


    Shimmering silver hair was pulled back into a half up-do that accentuated high cheekbones and the gentle curve of a jaw. Long lashed framed golden brown eyes that were currently narrowing and cupid¡¯s bow lips were tilting downwards.


    She couldn¡¯t breathe because the person standing in front of her had to be ¨C


    ¡°Illnyea,¡± she said as she stared, her brain short-circuiting as reality became something out of her wildest dreams once more.


    ¡°Do you need something, Priscilla?¡± Illnyea asked, pulling out of her grip. The teen was already half-turned and walking away as the words hit her brain.


    ¡°Priscilla?¡± she whispered, horror growing deep within her as the thought she had been pointedly not thinking about wormed its way out of the depths of her mind. ¡°But I¡¯m not ¨C¡±


    She began coughing, choking on the words as the taste of copper bloomed on her tongue. She pulled away her hand and saw that she had indeed just coughed up blood, the red liquid spreading over her hand.


    ¡°I¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Well, well, what in the nine heavens do we have here?¡±


    She jerked her head around, looking for whoever was speaking. A niggling feeling had her look up when she saw nothing around her.


    Perched atop the archway, was an androgynous figure with artfully tousled bone-white curls and a sneer pulling at their shapely mouth. They were dressed in a pristine and perfectly layered purple toga that looked like it was straight from ancient Greece, and a gold laurel rested on their perfect hair as they crossed their legs imperiously. They looked like they were taken straight from a painting, their features perfectly symmetrical and everything perfectly proportioned, down to their purple painted toenails.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± she asked, wary and suspicious as the only guesses that came to her mind spelled nothing but trouble.


    The figure snorted, lip pulling up to reveal a sharp canine. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t swear, it¡¯s so unbecoming of a lady, Priscilla.¡±


    Her first instinct was one of denial because she was Priscilla not Priscilla, and then her second reaction was the horrible feeling of confirmation that her subconscious knew what had happened all along.


    She tried to deny it again, because she was stubborn and she was Priscilla not¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m Priscilla,¡± she tried to whisper and her tongue did the same dance as earlier, twisting without her control to form a name that was not her own. With a distant pang, she realized that her name fit neatly into Priscilla¡¯s, and then she pushed that thought away as the figure¡¯s sneer stretched into a perplexed expression instead.


    ¡°Yes, yes you are Priscilla,¡± they said, leaning forward, ¡°but you are a little more than that, aren¡¯t you? An anomaly¡­¡±


    ¡°And just who are you then?¡± she asked, belligerence entering her tone as she held back the stream of swear words that yearned to come out. Swearing was comforting but she didn¡¯t exactly want to offend whatever this being was ¨C she¡¯d at least want to get more information before she told them to fuck off.


    (Anything to keep her mind off¡­ of everything.)


    ¡°Well,¡± they said, tapping their chin with a finger, ¡°I suppose mortals like to refer to me as a god.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± she asked, crossing her arms. Though she was an atheist in her life, if she was truly in the world of The Destined Ending, it would do her little good to deny the existence of gods when they had such a large impact on this world. There were plenty of beings that pretended to be gods so they were worshiped, and this being could be another swindler hoping to trick her into their service.


    (Facts and logic were something to cling to, something to hold close so she felt less unmoored.)


    The ¡°god¡± tsked. ¡°You¡¯re a nosy one, aren¡¯t you? You just need to know everything.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather me just roll over and die?¡± she drawled sarcastically before she could think better of it.


    ¡°That would be preferable,¡± the god said, perking up, ¡°I can give you a weapon ¨C¡±


    ¡°Fuck, never heard of sarcasm or how to take a joke up in the heavens?¡± she spat, backing up at the implied threat.


    The god narrowed their eyes at her from their perch and within the space of a blink, they were in her face, mere inches away. This close she could see the god¡¯s eyes were a sickly shade of venom green.


    ¡°You speak with such impudence,¡± they said, sounding as if they were speaking with tens of voices all layered over one another imperfectly, the dissonance ringing through the air, ¡°as if you do not rightly fear those who could cause you untold suffering with the amount of effort it takes you to twitch your pinky.¡±


    She froze, pulse racing as she tried to think up some response, some way to get out of it. It took a few startled seconds with her breathing heavily from fear, but when the god did not immediately smite her, she had a half-cocked idea. She just had to sell it with confidence.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t kill me, can you?¡± she said slowly. ¡°If you could, you wouldn¡¯t have said you¡¯d give me a weapon to kill myself ¨C you would have just done it yourself with, what was it? A twitch of your pinky.¡±


    There was a brief, terrifying moment where the god¡¯s face went incandescent with fury and the air surrounding them grew colder by ten degrees, and then they were perched atop the archway again, glaring down at her. The chill didn¡¯t leave though, wrapping around her like a stubborn winter¡¯s wind.


    ¡°Anomalies like you,¡± the god spat, their voice returned to a normal one instead of the brain-rattling chorus, ¡°always get themselves killed because they go beyond their destined role. I wouldn¡¯t even have to raise a hand, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find some other way to court death ¨C especially if you keep trying to speak of knowledge that you shouldn¡¯t have to others.¡±


    The god sneered down at her like they expected her to curl up and whimper at the prospect of her supposedly impending death.


    She tried to keep the triumph off her face, and it was made easier by how cold she was. People tended to let information slip if they got riled up enough and, well, she did consider herself an expert in pissing people off.


    Firstly: she wasn¡¯t the only one who had come from another world, but by the sounds of it, she may be the only living one left, which sucked.


    Secondly: she coughed up blood because¡­ well, she tried to deny her being Priscilla to Illnyea¡¯s face, which definitely could fall under speaking of knowledge she shouldn¡¯t have.


    And thirdly: A¡ª had to have known that this was going to happen based on the cryptic ass messages they sent her and advice they gave her. Well, what type of friend would she be if she ignored their sweet advice?


    ¡°Fuck having destined roles,¡± she said harshly and crossed her arms, ¡°fuck the concept of destiny all together, and fuck you too, for that matter. You were the one who made me cough blood, weren¡¯t you? Are you always just hovering around like a slimy creep to see if I¡¯m breaking your rules?¡±


    The god scoffed. ¡°Infractions are dealt with accordingly, you aren¡¯t worth my attention.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not worth your attention, then, why are you here?¡± she asked, cocking her head.


    An expression spasmed over the god¡¯s perfect face before they glared down at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because you defy fate,¡± they hissed.


    ¡°Fuck fate,¡± she snapped, ¡°fuck just standing by and letting bad things happen ¨C why would you, a god, want this destined ending to come about? You have to know that if you just stand by and let the path continue as it is, this world is as good as done for, and if the world is fucked, the heavens will be too because you¡¯ll be fresh out of believers.¡±


    The god was quiet, staring down at her with an intensity in their sickly green eyes contrasting the blankness of the rest of their face. The silence stretched between them and she resisted the urge to fidget or say anything else because the longer it lasted, the more she wanted to hear their answer. If the books she read really were the destiny for this world, she couldn¡¯t see any reason why a god would just let it happen. The Church of the Violet Moon wanted their goddess to be the only divine being, which meant they planned to somehow destroy every other divine being that influenced this world.


    ¡°You know not what you speak of,¡± the god said at last, their voice oddly free of inflection.


    But before she could respond, they disappeared. She whirled around, expecting them near her again, but found nothing.


    ¡°Of course you just ran away,¡± she muttered, kicking the ground angrily. ¡°You¡¯re the god of cowards, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    But despite her harsh words, the god remained stubbornly gone, so she sighed, shaking her head. She felt her hair move along her back and a sudden urge to see it ran through her. She grabbed the braided ponytail and brought it over her shoulder to look at it.


    It was indeed the deep red color that Priscilla was known to have and it was the final nail in the coffin for her denial of reality.


    She really was Priscilla now, for better or worse. In one day, she managed to tell the cult leader who supposed to brainwash her into a loyal servant to go fuck himself with a cactus and go die, did something fucky with the brainwashing artifact so it now speaks to her, and she insulted and annoyed an unknown god until they refused to speak with her anymore.


    And if her current guess was accurate, there was only one and half short months until the plot was supposed to begin and Illnyea was supposed to almost die for the first time.


    ¡°Fuck my life,¡± she whispered.

 Its Not Manipulation If You Do It For A Good Cause

    She couldn¡¯t just keep standing around and doing nothing, as by her estimates, it was nearly sundown. There was really only one option on where to go, and it was to follow where Illnyea went earlier, which meant entering a mansion that the Thornewood mercantile family called home. The mansion could easily host a gathering of a hundred people and likely could have half that spend the night comfortably.


    There was a large cobblestone courtyard in the front, darker stone arranged in a swirling spiral pattern that would honestly be interesting to look at if it wasn¡¯t nearly night time. She ignored it¡­


    Her footsteps momentarily paused with a clack against cobblestone as she considered her own thoughts.


    If she really was forced into Priscilla¡¯s role, then she ought to begin thinking of herself as Priscilla, shouldn¡¯t she. It would be weird to change her thoughts and self-identity so suddenly, but she simply would have to try and adapt best she could because she had no other option.


    Priscilla (and wow did it feel weird to think of herself as such) took a deep breath in and began walking towards the large pair of oak doors with as much confidence as she could muster. The doors had something carved into them but she couldn¡¯t quite tell what it was in the dark, so Priscilla ignored her instinct to take in the beauty and opened the heavy doors.


    The hopes that Priscilla could slip in unnoticed were dashed as the doors closed behind her, the darkness was lit up by a man holding a candle stick. He was tall but thin, built like bamboo, and had a full head of gray dappled hair. He was dressed in dark gray pants and overcoat that stood out sharply against his slightly ruffled white button-up. If she had to guess purely on outfit alone, this man was a butler of sorts for the mansion.


    ¡°Miss Thornewood,¡± the probable butler said, his bushy eyebrows rising high above his blue eyes, ¡°was there something that you needed? You did miss dinner.¡±


    Priscilla opened her mouth to ask to be led to her room and instead her stomach growled loudly, the sound slightly echoing in the large foyer. She felt her face turn a probably bright and unattractive red that clashed with her hair.


    ¡°I, uh.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Dinner would be nice if the cook hasn''t closed down the kitchen yet.¡±


    The butler blinked once at her before recomposing himself.


    ¡°The kitchen is still open,¡± he said, ¡°so I can go fetch you a meal. If you will please wait at the dining room table, I¡¯ll have it there shortly.¡±


    Luckily, the butler gestured towards another pair of large doors when he mentioned the dining room so Priscilla knew where to go and wouldn¡¯t have to pick and pray she got it right. The table was long, ostentatiously long in her humble opinion, and she sat down near the end. There was a chandelier in this room with a few candles lit, so she wasn¡¯t sitting in the dark which was nice.


    She tapped her fingers against the table, and was momentarily surprised at the harsh clack of nails against wood. Priscilla¡¯s body had long nails, something that the new Priscilla knew was going to change as soon as possible. Long nails just got in the way of everything, from forming a fist to embroidery.


    But Priscilla couldn¡¯t deny that there was some appeal in the sound of her nails falling against the wood like a wave. Well, she¡¯d enjoy the nails while she found herself some sort of nail file or clipper.


    Before her thoughts could drift too far, the doors opened once more and the butler was there, a metal tray full of food in his hands.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Priscilla said as he drew close enough she could smell it, ¡°it looks delicious.¡±


    The butler looked momentarily confused as he placed the tray in front of her.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright, Miss Thornewood?¡±


    She froze in the midst of reaching for a spoon, realizing that basic politeness for her may be miles ahead of whatever the original may have done. But Priscilla hardened her resolve as she wrapped her fingers around the spoon. She was in this body now, and she wouldn¡¯t let herself be dictated by others'' expectations.


    Convincing this butler she had changed for good would be a good first step as any.


    ¡°I am, thank you for asking,¡± Priscilla said, turning towards the butler, ¡°I¡¯ve just had a trying day where I contemplated my existence and wondered if my life is even worth living.¡±


    His mouth fell slightly open, eyebrows furrowing, which Priscilla decided to take as a good sign and push ahead.


    She let her gaze fall, and put a self-deprecating smile on her face. ¡°I realized that there was so much I¡¯ve taken for granted and the way I¡¯ve been acting is¡­ unacceptable as it¡¯s only left me alone and unhappy.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not alone, miss,¡± the butler said haltingly, as if he expected to be reprimanded.


    Priscilla let out a soft chuckle, glancing down the long, empty table.


    ¡°You know, if that was really true,¡± she said, leaning on one palm, ¡°I think that any number of people could have sought me out to let me know dinner was happening and not a single person did ¨C until you of course, which I really do appreciate.¡±


    The butler seemed frozen into stillness by her words, some emotion she couldn¡¯t identify flitting over his face. He didn¡¯t say anything, so Priscilla decided to look away and try a bite of a bright yellow soup.


    It was everything the smell had promised and then some. Perfectly creamy and smooth, she recognized the flavor of butternut squash as the warmth of the soup chased away the last of the chill in her bones from her encounter with the god. Priscilla grabbed a piece of buttered bread to dip into the soup and that was probably the best decision she¡¯d made all day.


    Her peripheral vision clued her into the butler finally regaining his composure as he bowed his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, and¡­¡± He swallowed as he lifted his head, face creased with worry. ¡°I hope that you have a restful evening. You may leave the dishware on the table when you¡¯re done and I will come by later to collect it.¡±


    And before Priscilla could get another word in edgewise, the butler had turned sharply on his heel and walked out of the room.


    She blinked after him before deciding she was far hungrier than she was curious and dug into the rest of the meal. There was a small salad with nuts and a small red berry whose taste reminded Priscilla of a cranberry in taste but the texture was much more similar to a strawberry. Whatever it was, it went well with the cheese and vinegar based sauce.


    Priscilla finished up her meal and leaned back, staring up at the vaulted ceiling as she contemplated what to do next. Unfortunately, she knew very little about the layout of this building as it didn¡¯t actually show up that much in the narrative because Illnyea left it behind rather early into the story.


    She knew that theoretically Priscilla had a room in this mansion, but all Priscilla had to work with was the hope that it was upstairs, just like Illnyea¡¯s was.


    With a sigh, Priscilla pushed herself to her feet and braved the next unknown dark corridor, as the butler had unhelpfully taken his candlestick with him when he left. There was luckily enough moonlight streaming through the windows that it wasn¡¯t total darkness, but Priscilla did take care to step carefully up the stairs with a firm grip on the railing.


    With the stairs successfully conquered, Priscilla found there was only a single hallway with rooms, as to the left seemed to lead to an upstairs ballroom which baffled her with its existence.


    She passed by a set of rooms and paused when she heard a male and female voice muffled by the door. That must be the parents¡¯ room and she continued walking to the farthest room from theirs, hoping it would be Priscilla¡¯s.


    Just to be sure, she knocked lightly on the door, hoping there would be no answer.


    But, of course, the door opened, revealing Illnyea with her hair down, water dripping off the tips onto a towel thrown carelessly over her shoulders. She seemed to be dressed for bed and she looked as startled to see Priscilla as Priscilla was to see her.


    ¡°Priscilla?¡± Illnyea said incredulously. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Priscilla had to think fast and come up with an excuse that would make sense.


    ¡°I wanted to say goodnight.¡±


    Drats, she thought too fast. The excuse sounded lame even to her own ears. Usually Priscilla was better about acting under pressure, but Illnyea¡¯s sudden reappearance when she wasn¡¯t expecting it made Priscilla¡¯s brain cells take a vacation.


    Illnyea¡¯s look of confused disbelief was entirely warranted and Priscilla was once again regretting her life choices, dropping her gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you late at night, I just¡­¡± Priscilla bit off her words before she could dig a deeper hole. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She turned to leave and keep at her fruitless search to find a place to sleep when a hand on her elbow made her pause. Priscilla looked over her shoulder, meeting Illnyea¡¯s confused golden gaze.


    Gently, Priscilla tugged her arm away as her mind raced at this sudden opportunity. She had captured Illnyea¡¯s attention and Priscilla needed to figure out how to spin this to her advantage. It would require some manipulation, but a little manipulation never hurt anyone when it was for a good cause ¨C namely, turning the antagonistic relationship between them into something less shitty.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bother you this late,¡± Priscilla said slowly, swallowing hard. ¡°I¨C...¡±


    She cut herself off and was justly rewarded.


    ¡°You what?¡± Illnyea pressed, always unable to leave something that piqued her curiosity alone. Just like Priscilla thought she would.


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid,¡± Priscilla said, scratching the side of her neck as she looked away.


    ¡°Say it anyway.¡± Ah, there was Illnyea¡¯s straightforward nature working with Priscilla rather than against her.


    Priscilla made a show of biting her lips, then said in a rush, as if confessing a crime, ¡°I wanted to spend time with you because I was lonely.¡±


    She then clamped her mouth shut like she had said more than she meant to. Illnyea¡¯s skepticism was clear on her face and Priscilla let out a self-deprecating huff of laughter.


    ¡°I knew this was stupid,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    Priscilla turned around like she knew where she was going. She made it a few steps before Illnyea grabbed her arm again, though it was gentler this time.


    ¡°You¡¯re lonely?¡± Illnyea asked, incredulity written across her face. Priscilla didn¡¯t blame her for that because she was certain the original Priscilla never would have admitted such a thing upon pain of death. (and not even that got her to speak with Illnyea, a morbid part of her mind murmured as Priscilla¡¯s death flashed through her mind.)


    ¡°Just forget it,¡± Priscilla said, jerking her arm out of Illnyea¡¯s hold, ¡°it¡¯s not like you would understand. You have friends and people adore you. You ¨C¡±


    Priscilla bit off her words to glare at the ground. ¡°Everything you try to do goes amazingly and I¡¯m just a massive fucking screw up that no one likes or cares about. I knew it was stupid to talk to you, I should just have gone to my fucking room to cry ¨C¡±


    Priscilla stiffened at just the right moment and glared at Illnyea, jabbing a finger in her direction.


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


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that,¡± Priscilla hissed, really getting into the role. ¡°I¡¯m not going to cry or do anything nearly that idiotic ¨C just go back to whatever you were doing before and we can live our separate lives like we always had.¡±


    She spun on her heel and stalked away as if she really was trying to outrun her own tears.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Illnyea asked, her voice full of concern. Light spilled further into the hallway, letting Priscilla know Illnyea had opened the door up further.


    ¡°The garden,¡± Priscilla said mainly because it was the only place she actually knew how to get to.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold at night,¡± Illnyea said, sounding like she had moved closer.


    ¡°Why are you trying to stop me?¡± Priscilla asked as she half turned around to glare at Illnyea, who was just a few steps behind her. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking understand, why don¡¯t you just ignore me like you did earlier, huh?¡±


    Illnyea look like she was struck, eyes widening as her mouth fell into a small o.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Illnyea looked a little lost as she softly said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t swear.¡±


    Priscilla couldn¡¯t help the instinctive snort that came out of her nose. People had been telling her for years that she should cut down on her swearing because it was unprofessional and made her seem less intelligent, but she didn¡¯t give a fuck about shitty opinions trying to dictate her life.


    ¡°Illnyea, I¡¯ll fucking swear if I want to,¡± Priscilla said, a slightly evil idea coming to her mind. It should work as long as she had correctly picked up on context clues about the sisters'' home life.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone listens to me anyway,¡± Priscilla said with a sneer, ¡°but maybe if I swear loud enough, it¡¯ll get our parents to notice me. Being yelled at is better than being ignored like I¡¯m the family shame.¡±


    This time Illnyea swayed where she stood, like she had been struck physically by Priscilla¡¯s words. That reaction alone told Priscilla that these parents treated the original far too much like her own parents had treated her.


    ¡°Priscilla, don¡¯t say that,¡± Illnyea said, her voice pleading, ¡°they, they do love you¡­¡±


    Illnyea fell silent as sudden rage flared in Priscilla¡¯s chest that surprised her with its intensity. Out of all the arguments Illnyea could have chosen, that was the worst of the lot and probably would have gotten her slapped if the original was still in this body.


    Priscilla¡¯s parents loved her?


    What a fat fucking lie.


    Priscilla had those books fucking memorized, every single side story and casual mention of Priscilla seared into her obsessive brain. Every single fact pointed towards Priscilla growing up being compared to her sister and being found wanting, and if those supposed parents truly loved Priscilla, they sure as hell didn¡¯t show it when they were informed of Priscilla¡¯s death. Their reply letter was so bland and impersonal that she had ranted on the forms that it was a miracle Illnyea had turned out so caring.


    And now Priscilla was the very same unloved child who only had a single person mourn her death. That person was standing in front of her, but this version of Illnyea was still helplessly na?ve.


    ¡°They love me?¡± Priscilla asked, her voice flat. ¡°Can you recall a single moment where they told me that? Any specific moment where they showed that they fucking cared at all, huh?¡±


    Illnyea took a half step backwards as she thought over those questions, her face crumpling. Priscilla stayed quiet, wondering if she would be proven wrong. But it seemed Illnyea couldn¡¯t refute her words as the silence stretched.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Priscilla said, turning to leave once more. She and the original had more in common than she thought they did, but the original didn¡¯t have anyone like Mr. ¡ª to help her find what made her happy in life. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of Mr. ¡ª and the way she couldn¡¯t even think of his stupid name. Did he even know she was gone? Was her body just laying there on her apartment floor for him to find?


    The sound of feet slapping against the ground was the only warning Priscilla had before Illnyea grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop, her fingers curling around Priscilla¡¯s upper arm like a vice-grip.


    Illnyea¡¯s face wasn¡¯t as close as the god¡¯s had been earlier, but her gaze was heavy and searching, eyes flickering over Priscilla¡¯s face. Priscilla tried to wipe away the tears before she could see them, but Illnyea caught it in a gentle grip to stop her.


    Illnyea looked wretched as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never realized that you¡­ gods, I¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason why you would have,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°not when everyone knows that I¡¯m just a bitch and who would want to care about a bitch like me?¡±


    Illnyea flinched and looked down, her fingers tightening around Priscilla¡¯s bicep like it was a lifeline. ¡°I still should have done something.¡±


    Priscilla tilted her head as she looked at Illnyea. The girl was shaking with emotion and looked so very young and vulnerable. Priscilla wanted to wrap her up in blankets and give her hot cocoa and watch stupid, nostalgic cartoons ¨C but she could do none of that, so Priscilla tried her best to think of what Mr. ¡ª would say in this situation.


    ¡°You¡¯re not perfect,¡± Priscilla said slowly, and Illnyea winced again. ¡°You¡¯re not expected to solve every problem or dilemma you come across, and if anyone implies differently to you, fuck them. You¡¯re only seventeen, Illnyea, and they were adults the whole time. There are only two people to blame for this, and you sure as hell aren¡¯t one of them.¡±


    Illnyea looked up with wet eyes, mouth quivering in a way that Priscilla never wanted to see again.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t blame me?¡± Illnyea whispered.


    ¡°When we were younger, kind of,¡± Priscilla said, because there was no way to deny that with how the original acted, ¡°but now¡­ Now I know who to blame. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault either,¡± Illnyea said, a fierceness burning in her watery eyes. ¡°You, well, sometimes you get temperamental, but, but you were just a kid too. You still deserved love even if you weren¡¯t perfect.¡±


    Fuck, Priscilla could feel tears starting to come again and she looked away. Illnyea had helped to fill the void in her heart when her parents ignored her again and again, and to hear Illnyea say that to her was overwhelming because it was everything that a younger her could have ever dreamed of. She never did learn how to be okay with people seeing her cry, always preferring to hide in the privacy of her room, surrounded by her designs and art.


    She tried to cough into her hand and the movement was aborted, as Illnyea was still grasping her arm. Illnyea let go immediately, but didn¡¯t step away, still watching with careful eyes.


    Priscilla finished her awkward cough.


    ¡°Do we have to keep talking out here?¡± Priscilla asked, gesturing to the hall.


    Illnyea went a little pink.


    ¡°Oh, no, we can¡­¡± Illnyea seemed to visibly steel herself for what she was about to say. ¡°We can maybe talk in your room?¡±


    Priscilla let out an inward sigh of relief at that suggestion but merely nodded imperiously.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Illnyea¡¯s face brightened, a smile stretching across her face and Priscilla found herself smiling back without thinking about it. Illnyea raced back to her room to close the door, and then returned to Priscilla¡¯s side with the enthusiasm of an excited puppy.


    It turned out that Priscilla¡¯s room was at the midway point between Illnyea¡¯s and the parents. Priscilla committed the location to memory so she didn¡¯t have to go stumbling around in search of her own room again.


    Illnyea paused at the door, looking over her shoulder, but Priscilla waved at her to get on with it and walked in after her into the dark room. Illnyea lifted her hand and that was all the warning Priscilla had before the pain began. It was like sticking your finger in a light socket but the light socket was made of needles and made her hair stand on end, goosebumps rising all over her body.


    Candles that were previously hidden flickered to life and when Illnyea put her hands down, the unpleasant feeling abruptly ended.


    Illnyea turned shyly to Priscilla, apparently interpreting whatever expression she had on her face as curiosity. ¡°Sulaiman has been working with me on fire magic. I¡¯ve been practicing sensing candles wherever I go and it¡¯s faster to use magic than to light them individually.¡±


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Priscilla said idly as she tried to discreetly rub away the pain in her arms and wondered where the fuck that pain came from. Illnyea ducked her head, but it didn¡¯t hide her pleased flush.


    Now that it was illuminated, the room was quite large. It had a four poster bed with bedding all in a matching ivy green color, a dresser, several bookshelves, and a sitting area of sorts with a red small couch with throw cushions, a chair, and something that looked like a coffee table. Priscilla walked to the small couch and Illnyea hurriedly took a seat next to her. Priscilla had to hide back a smirk ¨C she could practically see puppy dog ears and a tail on Illnyea as she turned to Priscilla.


    ¡°Do you mind if we talk about lighter topics?¡± Priscilla asked, leaning back in the chair and throwing an arm over the back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all!¡± Illnyea smiled wide but didn¡¯t follow that up with anything, so it seemed it was up to Priscilla to make conversation.


    ¡°Alright, so how was your day?¡±


    Illnyea gave her a slightly disbelieving look that that was her question but she answered anyway. ¡°I visited Jarrison Village today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the village by the river,¡± Priscilla said, tilting her head as she recalled the maps of this area, ¡°the one that¡¯s an hour away, right?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Illnyea exclaimed, her eyes shining. ¡°Their crops had been attacked lately so I figured I would go and see if there was anything I could do to help, and I ended up help tracking the prints to a nearby cave and found out it was a red dire bear!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t fight it, did you?¡± Priscilla asked, straightening from her slouched position with alarm. Red dire bears could be nasty, as they had an innate ability to set everything around them on fire and their hide was usually tough and magic resistant.


    ¡°Are you worrying about me, sister?¡± Illnyea said, a coy smile tugging her lips. The casual form of address took Priscilla by surprise, as Illnyea had never called the original that. But it seemed that Priscilla¡¯s gambit was working better than expected and hope fluttered to life in her chest.


    Priscilla tried to hide her smile by rolling her eyes. ¡°You wish.¡±


    Illnyea laughed, the sound wild and free and it made the hope in Priscilla¡¯s chest burn brighter.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Illnyea said, drawing out the word teasingly, ¡°whatever you say. But no, I¡¯m not that reckless. I just scouted it out and gave the information to the village head so he can find someone else to take care of it.¡±


    Illnyea tucked her hands under her thighs as she asked, ¡°And how was your day?¡±


    Priscilla really should have thought up a cover story because everything that happened to her today was absolutely fucking bonkers.


    ¡°I met a god today,¡± Priscilla drawled and Illnyea giggled, giving her a look telling Priscilla to be serious. ¡°Besides that, I spent the day in the garden mostly, enjoying the flowers and sunshine. I even took a nap out there.¡±


    Illnyea¡¯s face fell for a moment before she forcibly perked back up.


    ¡°Naps are good for the brain,¡± she said sagely and Priscilla snorted.


    ¡°That they are,¡± Priscilla said, though her words were cut off by a yawn. ¡°Sorry, guess that nap wasn¡¯t good enough for my brain.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re too tired to talk, I can go back to my room,¡± Illnyea offered, her words coming out in a tumbled rush.


    ¡°No that¡¯s¨C¡± Priscilla cut herself off with another yawn. ¡°Well, I was going to say it¡¯s fine but it seems my body has other ideas.¡±


    Illnyea fidgeted in her chair. ¡°But maybe, we can talk tomorrow? In the morning?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Priscilla said. Illnyea gave her another bright smile before abruptly lurching forward.


    Priscilla flailed for a moment before realizing that Illnyea was giving her a hug. Priscilla returned it and leaned in, not minding Illnyea¡¯s wet hair soaking into her dress.


    When Illnyea pulled back, she looked bashful again.


    Priscilla poked the teen in her forehead. ¡°Ask next time and it¡¯ll be less awkward, got it?¡±


    Illnyea shook her head up and down emphatically, smiling wide once more.


    ¡°Sleep well, sister!¡± she said as she stood.


    ¡°Sleep well, sister,¡± Priscilla returned with just a moment of hesitation. Illnyea brightened again and then left with a small wave, a new pep to her step.


    Leaving Priscilla alone at last.


    There was no one to act for anymore, so Priscilla fully melted into the couch, letting all the tension drain from her body. She stared up at the ceiling, just letting her mind take a break from thinking because she really was tired emotionally, physically, and mentally from everything that happened to her today.


    She let her head fall back further and looked out the large window of the room. Priscilla could see two moons floating high in the sky and that sight made her want to cry because it was another reminder that this world, familiar and comforting though it may be, was not hers and there was no way she was ever going to go home.


    Mr. ¡ª would have to find another person to be his best lady for his wedding. She would never get to read out the speech she wrote for him, thanking him for everything he had done for her and lightly threatening his groom to not even think about making him cry. She would never get to see him walk down the aisle, never get to tell his kids to call her auntie and encourage them to find their own obsessions so she could make them custom made costumes as birthday presents. She would never get to go to another ice cream parlor with Mr. ¡ª to celebrate a new life achievement, never get to hear him say her name with exasperated fondness.


    She was never going to see Mr. ¡ª ever again and that made her bawl, loud sobs wracking her frame. She let all her grief out, grief for what could have been and what would never be. She cried for Mr. ¡ª, she cried for his advice she would never hear again, she cried for the lifetime that was stolen from her


    She closed her eyes as she thought about Mr. ¡ª and what he would say if he were here.


    He¡¯d probably sit down next to her and rub her back for a little while, letting her get it all out. But once she was calm enough to breathe normally, he¡¯d say to her, ¡°Moping won¡¯t help us solve your problem. We can¡¯t change anything if we wallow in despair.¡±


    She smiled despite herself and though it was just her imagination, it helped steady her. Slowly, she put herself back together and calmed down.


    Priscilla¡¯s eyes were puffy and her nose an absolute mess, but she did feel better after crying.


    ¡°Crying is just weakness leaving the body,¡± she had said once to Mr. ¡ª and earned herself a forehead flick.


    He had shook his head at her, crossing his arms in judgment as he tsked. ¡°Crying is just pain leaving the body ¨C don¡¯t you dare let anyone tell you that crying makes you weak because they are afflicted by a terrible disease.¡±


    ¡°What disease?¡± she had asked despite her sore forehead.


    Mr. ¡ª leaned in and grinned. ¡°Stupidity.¡±


    Priscilla smiled at the memory and took one final deep breath in before she stood up.


    She had plans to make and destinies to defy.

 Legend Killers: The Hot New Artifact Sweeping the Nation

    While Priscilla would love to acquaint herself with the soft looking bed, instead she began to rummage through the dresser¡¯s drawers. The first drawer had a fountain pen, several quills, and an inkwell along with a thick stack of paper and envelopes. Priscilla brought the writing utensils and the stack of paper over to the coffee table before resuming her search.


    The second drawer seemed to be where the original kept her accessories ¨C several high quality purses, gloves, a parasol, and several sets of jewelry. There was less jewelry than Priscilla expected there to be, as the original had been described as somewhat of a fashionista who refused to wear the same necklace twice.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t actually like wearing jewelry all that much, which she knew was odd for a fashion designer. She could appreciate the splashes of color and sophistication jewelry could bring to outfits, but she didn¡¯t like the way necklaces felt around her neck or the way bracelets just got in the way of everything. Priscilla tried to not wear rings because rings could both mess up her own fingers if she had to punch someone and it would likely cause a nasty scar on whoever she did end up fighting.


    This drawer was mostly a bust but she did like the light green parasol for fashion or swinging around as an improvised weapon so she took it out for easier access.


    It was the last drawer that had the most interesting item. It was full of underwear and stockings but an instinct had Priscilla digging past the lacy clothing to see what it hid. Her fingers felt something solid and she pulled it free from its cloth cage.


    Priscilla now held a slim red book. The cover was blank but what drew Priscilla¡¯s attention was the lock on the side. Her fingers itched to try and force open the book but she reminded herself that she had a mission and though mysterious books were extremely tantalizing, she had other things to focus on.


    That reasoning didn¡¯t stop her from briefly rummaging through the drawer for a key of some sort, but it did keep her from wasting too much time on the seemingly fruitless search.


    Next, she glanced over the bookshelves for anything that seemed out of place or could be helpful. To her delight, Priscilla found several books on geography and a good number of bestiaries. She had always thought the monsters in the story were fascinating but as a reader, she only knew what the characters knew about the creatures. Now, Priscilla could learn more in depth about the creatures'' habitats and habits, and have a good explanation for why she would know about obscure beasts trying to kill them.


    She set the stack of books on the dresser for some light reading for tomorrow before taking a cursory glance in the closet, which revealed a bounty of beautiful dresses and, surprisingly, a color coded calendar. Priscilla couldn''t figure out what the colors meant, but just knowing today¡¯s date would be very helpful.


    Curiosity satisfied, Priscilla sat back on the couch with the calendar to begin properly planning.


    She had one month and three weeks until the plot was supposed to begin but that didn¡¯t mean Priscilla had time to sit around on her ass. She already changed things by the mere fact she wasn¡¯t brainwashed, and she couldn¡¯t be sure how that fact would affect everything else. To the best of Priscilla¡¯s knowledge, the Cult of the Violet Moon wouldn¡¯t begin to directly affect Illnyea and crew for a few years, but they had so many plans in motion that it would be very bad if she just let it happen as planned.


    Her knowledge of their plans could become obsolete the more she changed things, but she wasn¡¯t the type to sit around and let the tragedies occur without even trying to stop them. For a moment, she wished that she had been reborn as any other character than Priscilla because Priscilla was one of the few characters in the world that lacked any magical talents. Her body literally was incapable of channeling magic because her mana veins were so poor. It had been a sore point for the original that she couldn¡¯t cast magic despite how hard she practiced, especially when Illnyea was so naturally talented. Just because Priscilla¡¯s body was being piloted by someone else didn¡¯t mean that Priscilla could now suddenly cast magic, as was proven by her failed experiments.


    Not a lick of magic leapt to her fingers as Priscilla slowly spoke the incantation for a simple finger lighting spell, which was the spell that everyone began with because of how easy it was, nor did anything happen when Priscilla tried three more times. The attempts just left her feeling more tired and frustrated with the failure, so Priscilla pivoted back to planning for the future.


    Priscilla went to write out the names of the main characters in the story so she could put down bullet points of the major storylines and how the cult¡¯s plots could affect them. She wrote out Illnyea and Sulaiman just fine, but when she went to write the healer¡¯s name, she found her hand cramping up painfully and spilling ink across the page.


    ¡°Fuck you, god,¡± she spat, rubbing away the muscle pain. Priscilla found that she could think of Kavil¡¯s name but trying to write it again gave the same results, as did other characters who were introduced later in the story like Frigge.


    There went her plan to write out everything to help her remember the smaller details. Shitty, but she could deal with it. She was known as the walking TDE wikipedia for a reason.


    Priscilla leaned back on the couch and contemplated what plot point had a time limit to solve. It was probably Kavil¡¯s village being raided by bandits ¨C that had happened before the plot officially began, but not too far in the past it couldn¡¯t be changed. Kavil didn¡¯t deserve to have his whole world violently taken from him and having to go on the run. It turned out okay because he met Illnyea, but Priscilla didn¡¯t want him to watch his family die in front of him.


    She pulled out one of the geography books and figured out how far she currently was from the village. The village¡¯s name was tiny and barely visible on the book¡¯s maps, but she was able to spot it. By Priscilla¡¯s estimates, it would take a little over a week to get there by horseback, so even if things went very wrong on the journey, she should still have at least a three week buffer before the plot begins and see what changes her meddling brought. If things went well, Priscilla could choose the next piece of ¡°fate¡± to change.


    That seemed perfectly doable, so now that Priscilla had a goal, she just had to figure out how to get what she wanted.


    She picked up the fountain pen, summoned all her business acumen, and got to work. Priscilla didn¡¯t stop or look away once, focusing her attention entirely on what she was writing until she felt satisfied that all the loopholes were closed tight.


    Her eyes were dry and her spine ached when she finally sat up, the eight pages she had painstakingly copied setting out to dry. It was technically two of the same four page document, but she knew better than to only have one copy of a contract available.


    She yawned wide, her ears popping as her body stutteringly stretched. Priscilla stood and stripped, throwing the beautiful dress over the back of the couch before she pulled a nightgown over her head.


    Priscilla collapsed onto the bed, burrowing into the warm blankets and succumbing quickly to sleep.


    It was far too soon that a steady knock knock knock roused Priscilla from her dream of sledding down an ice cream mountain.


    ¡°Whassit?¡± Priscilla slurred, rubbing her eyes and yawning. It didn¡¯t even seem that the sun was awake yet, light just barely peeking over the horizon. There was another series of knocks and Priscilla groaned as she dragged herself upright and stumbled to the door.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Priscilla said as she opened the door. Illnyea was on the other side, her hand hovering in the air like she was just about to knock again. Illnyea seemed a little taken aback by Priscilla¡¯s appearance, which is probably because Priscilla looked very undignified right now. She hadn¡¯t bothered to undo the braid from last night and she could feel all the tiny strands that had escaped it.


    ¡°Ah, I was wondering if we could talk a little more now?¡± Illnyea said, rubbing the back of her head.


    ¡°Right now?¡± Priscilla asked blearily, her mind slowly processing what was going on.


    ¡°Ah, yeah? I¡¯m leaving with the caravan in an hour.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the caravan,¡± Priscilla said like she knew what was going on before yawning. ¡°Let me clean up really quick and you can come in.¡±


    Priscilla moved as quick as she could to where the documents were still laid out on the coffee table and scooped them up and stashing them in her drawer. She tossed the dirty dress onto the bed and thought that was good enough.


    ¡°All clear,¡± Priscilla called out and a bemused Illnyea entered. Priscilla collapsed into the couch, Illnyea taking a seat beside her. The couch was warm and soft and Priscilla had to sit up perfectly straight to not succumb to the temptation of falling back asleep.


    ¡°Did you not sleep well last night?¡± Illnyea asked, frowning.


    Priscilla waved a hand to brush off the concern. ¡°I was just thinking about the future and that kept me up a bit. But that¡¯s not important, remind me where the caravan is going again?¡±


    Illnyea looked like she wanted to ask more about Priscilla but begrudgingly accepted the topic change.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Harosaw City.¡±


    Priscilla let out a low whistle.


    ¡°That¡¯s two weeks one way if you don¡¯t encounter anything that makes you slow down,¡± Priscilla said.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you knew that off the top of your head,¡± Illnyea said.


    ¡°I like geography and maps,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°I like knowing how to get places and what the best paths to follow are.¡±


    Illnyea looked at the ground for a moment, face falling for some reason. Priscilla wasn¡¯t sure what she had done wrong so she moved quickly to the next question.


    ¡°How long are you meant to stay in the city?¡± Priscilla asked.


    ¡°Just a few days,¡± Illnyea said softly before shaking her head and perking up. ¡°We¡¯re mainly visiting to finish up some contract negotiations and sell our goods at the big market faire. I¡¯m going because mom¡­¡±


    Illnyea paused, her face frozen as if she had just made a huge mistake. Priscilla appreciated the concern on Illnyea¡¯s face, but it wasn¡¯t like Priscilla would force Illnyea to pretend her parents didn¡¯t exist just because Priscilla had a shitty relationship with them.


    ¡°What¡¯d she ask you to do?¡± Priscilla asked, using her foot to shove Illnyea¡¯s. That broke Illnyea out of it and she hesitated before gently shoving back, which made Priscilla let out a huff of laughter.


    ¡°She asked me to go with and see how Rudy conducts the negotiations,¡± Illnyea said. ¡°I guess she wants me to get some practical experience in trading.¡±


    Interesting that mumsie didn¡¯t want to teach Illnyea herself, but maybe that was just Priscilla being cynical. The parents did love Illnyea after all, so it probably wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    ¡°Hands-on experience is the best way to learn something,¡± Priscilla conceded, ¡°but if you want my advice for negotiations there¡¯s only one thing you need to remember above all else.¡±


    Illnyea leaned in close, gold eyes locked in and focused. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What does the other party want?¡± Priscilla said. ¡°If you can figure out what they want, you can work backward from there to figure out how to get what you want out of the bargain.¡±


    ¡°So you mean¡­¡± Illnyea frowned, thinking it over. ¡°I should know the market price for the goods before I begin bargaining.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know, but no, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Priscilla leaned forward as well, surprised and a little excited that her business degree actually came in handy in this fantasy world. ¡°When I say, know what your business partner wants, I mean to look at the bigger picture. Sure, they might want to sell their goods at a ridiculously high price, but why do they want to sell so high? Are they just after profits because they¡¯re motivated by greed? Are they selling at high margins because they want to buy something else, like medicine or an artifact? Or are they trying to sell their goods at higher prices because they want to be recognized as a skilled trader? There¡¯s any number of reasons why someone is acting the way they are, and it¡¯s up to you to sniff out the true reasons behind their actions ¨C and once you understand what motivates them, then you can figure out how to use those motivations to get what you want.¡±


    Illnyea blinked slowly, her eyes a little wide. Priscilla did just throw a lot at her, but she had faith Illnyea would get it eventually, she was a smart girl.


    ¡°I think I understand what you mean,¡± Illnyea said slowly, proving Priscilla right. ¡°But how do I figure out their motivations?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of ways, the easiest of which is to research them ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°But how would I do that?¡± Illnyea said, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t even know their name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that you don¡¯t know their name,¡± Priscilla said, hiding her smile as Illnyea briefly glared at her. It took a beat, but then Illnyea¡¯s eyes flared with realization.


    ¡°I can ask Rudy,¡± she said, ¡°or maybe one of the other senior merchants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good place to start.¡±


    Illnyea gave Priscilla a blinding grin. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    ¡°I know you will,¡± Priscilla said with a half-smile. Maybe having a younger sister like Illnyea wouldn¡¯t be so bad. She was cute and eager to both please and learn, and while Priscilla may only be twenty physically, she did have a decent amount of life experience to offer advice to Illnyea when she needed it. With a pang, Priscilla wondered if this is what Mr. ¡ª felt towards her when they first met.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Illnyea asked.


    Priscilla blinked, momentarily thrown by the topic change.


    ¡°What about me?¡± she parroted.


    Illnyea rolled her eyes. ¡°What will you be doing for the next month while I¡¯m gone?¡±


    Priscilla paused, as her current plans were not ones that she could speak aloud without coughing up copious amounts of blood that would scare Illnyea half to death. There was also another aspect to consider that Illnyea was this world¡¯s protagonist. Her very existence may be tightly intertwined with the fate of the world, though Priscilla dearly hoped it wasn¡¯t.


    Priscilla decided to play it safe.


    ¡°I might do some traveling of my own while you¡¯re gone,¡± Priscilla said casually.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Muntoil has beautiful orchards this time of year,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°The city of Roriton might be nice to visit too.¡±


    Both those destinations were places that Priscilla did want to visit one day, but were not at all in the direction that Priscilla truly planned on traveling.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What makes you want to travel?¡± Illnyea asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much of the world I haven¡¯t seen yet,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°and one day, I would like to claim I¡¯ve seen it all.¡±


    Illnyea was quiet, looking down at her hands before saying, ¡°Maybe I can come with you? After I get back of course, but I¡­¡±


    Priscilla had to take a sharp breath in at that, as the offer was everything her younger self would have wanted ¨C to have Illnyea offer to take her with to go traveling with all her favorite characters.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not off on your own adventures,¡± Priscilla said measuredly like she hadn¡¯t wanted to blurt out yes immediately, ¡°then I think it would be nice to travel together.¡±


    You would have thought that Priscilla offered Illnyea the world with how she lit up.


    ¡°When I get back,¡± Illnyea said, practically vibrating with excitement, ¡°let¡¯s talk about this more in depth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise,¡± Priscilla said, impulsively putting out her pinky. Illnyea laughed and linked her own pinky around it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise,¡± Illnyea echoed, staring at Priscilla with such blatant happiness that she had to look away, feeling her cheeks getting a bit red.


    But before they could say anything else, a loud brass sound reverberated through the air, making Illnyea¡¯s shoulders slump.


    ¡°I have to go help double check the inventory,¡± Illnyea said reluctantly and not making any moves to go do so.


    Priscilla laughed and shook her head, leaning forward to push Illnyea¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°There¡¯s only enough room in this family for one irresponsible daughter,¡± Priscilla said teasingly, ¡°and I¡¯m afraid the position¡¯s taken. Now shoo, go be responsible.¡±


    Illnyea laughed and pushed herself to her feet. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Safe travels,¡± Priscilla said, wiggling her fingers at Illnyea.


    ¡°Safe travels, sister,¡± Illnyea replied with a wink before ducking out the door.


    Priscilla slumped back into the couch when the door closed. She enjoyed speaking with Illnyea and the teen¡¯s energy was infectious, but Priscilla was running on too little sleep at the moment. She eyed the bed longingly for a moment but dismissed the thought almost as soon as it came. The sun had fully risen by now and Priscilla unfortunately could not sleep if she felt the sun shining on her face.


    Illnyea¡¯s trip did provide an unforeseen boon, however. It meant that Priscilla didn¡¯t have to explain herself to her or have to maneuver around her to get the job done.


    The first thing that Priscilla had to do was to obtain enough funding to actually let her achieve her plans. There was little one could do in any world if you had no money, especially when Priscilla had little to no skills that would let her make money quickly. Sure, she could offer to make custom made clothing but she didn¡¯t even know where to begin ¨C there was the issue of finding both supplies and willing customers, and Priscilla knew that her reputation would make that task infinitely harder.


    Luckily, that first task was intertwined with her second goal, which was to ensure that Priscilla could move around freely with little to no questions from those around her.


    Which was why Priscilla had stayed up last night writing out two copies of the contract. She fetched them from the drawer and laid them out in front of her again, looking at the documents with fresh eyes.


    They weren¡¯t entirely perfect, but reading over them, Priscilla couldn¡¯t find any loopholes that would allow herself to be exploited or easy ways to declare the contract invalid. Her hopes were that she could ambush her contract targets while they were distracted by Illnyea and the caravan leaving and they would be so baffled she presented it to them, that they would sign it.


    Priscilla practiced signing her first name a few times until she felt like it looked mostly natural. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have any examples of the original¡¯s handwriting, so she could only hope it was close enough.


    She signed both copies of the contract and set it to the side to let the ink dry.


    Priscilla had to get dressed and she probably should deal with the dress from yesterday while she was at it. She stood and threw the dress over her arm when a strange buzzing sensation began to emanate from it.


    There was a muffled, whiny sound and Priscilla nearly dropped the dress as she realized that she had entirely forgotten about the artifact from yesterday. She debated about ignoring it some more, but decided against it. It would be better to deal with this sooner than later.


    ¡°You left me all alone in the darkness!¡± the rock whimpered as soon as it was freed from the pocket. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see anything and¡­ I was so scared.¡±


    Priscilla felt a pang of guilt at the quiet admission without a single hint of whining in its voice. It was an artifact, yes, but sentient artifacts were more human-like than typical magical tools ¨C they could have thoughts and feelings just like her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Priscilla said, the words surprisingly heartfelt. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I had just been super fucking tired, and anything that wasn¡¯t right in front of my face, I forgot about it.¡±


    There was a moment of silence where Priscilla began to speculate just what she would do if it didn¡¯t forgive her.


    Then, in a small voice, ¡°I forgive you. Just please don¡¯t do it again, it was scary and I was all alone again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to do it again on purpose,¡± Priscilla said, tossing the dress aside and sitting on the edge of her bed, ¡°but I may have to stash you in a pocket sometimes to hide you from others. You¡¯re pretty fucking eye-catching, you gotta know that.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem for a mighty legend killer like me!¡± the rock said, quivering slightly before the smooth white stone began to stretch and thin out. The rock continued twisting in her hand until there was no hint of a rock anymore and only a surprisingly tasteful bracelet now rested in Priscilla¡¯s hand.


    She could only blink at the sudden transformation, her mind circling back to wondering just what the hell a legend killer could be.


    ¡°If you bond with me,¡± the artifact said, ¡°then I can unlock my full potential.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Priscilla said, laying the bracelet off the bed, ¡°please explain just what the fuck you mean by full potential.¡±


    ¡°Legend killers are the very best artifacts that mortals can get their hands on!¡±


    ¡°Elaborate,¡± Priscilla said, leaning on her hands and giving the artifact a slight glare.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± The artifact trailed off, some of the exuberant energy draining from it as it stilled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been free, I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    Priscilla had opened her mouth to press more but as the rock finished speaking, she had it firmly closed.


    ¡°What do you mean free?¡± Priscilla carefully asked. She didn¡¯t want to push the artifact too much in case it became too volatile, but she had to know more. Her curiosity was eating her up inside.


    ¡°I was trapped floating in darkness alone for so long that I forgot that I was me.¡±


    Priscilla was struck dumb that. She didn¡¯t think that the artifact was just talking about the time it spent in her pocket.


    ¡°But you saved me,¡± the artifact said with something like awe, ¡°and you let me see the light again after so long. Please let me prove how helpful I can be!¡±


    Priscilla had no doubt that the cult leader had somehow been involved with the artifact¡¯s imprisonment, he was the sick sort of bastard who would be willing to do that if he thought it would help him serve his goddess better. What type of imprisonment, she had no clue, but from how hollow the artifact sounded as it spoke, she believed it.


    Sentient artifacts can be useful in all sorts of ways. Illnyea¡¯s crew had quite a few even though they were meant to be rare, but, eh, it¡¯s the protagonist, what do you expect? Illnyea had a dragon slaying sword named Siltheart, which had proven immensely powerful. On the other hand, Lag¡¯ge had a sentient poetry book nicknamed Nile the Insufferable because it spent most of its time insulting everyone around it and complaining about the humidity.


    Priscilla was more inclined to believe this artifact wouldn¡¯t be as bad as Nile, whose disrespectful attitude was clear the moment he joined the narrative.


    ¡°Can you turn into anything else?¡± Priscilla asked, leaning forward with excitement that came with potentially having her very first magical item in this world. The rock quivered in place and then lengthened into a gleaming curved dagger, which had Priscilla¡¯s eyebrows raising in appreciation. Now that was a handy trick.


    ¡°Alright, one last question before I give you my answer,¡± Priscilla said, curiosity demanding she ask because the worst thing the artifact can tell her is no. ¡°Can you turn into anything else to wear? It might be handy to keep you on my person at all times, and I don¡¯t really do jewelry.¡±


    It took a long moment in which Priscilla wondered if she broke the artifact with her question before the rock began shifting again. The hard surface blurred and suddenly thinned, stretching out in five directions before resettling into the form of a singular gray glove.


    ¡°This is all I can do until we bond,¡± the artifact said, sounding a little winded.


    Priscilla carefully picked up the glove, giving into the temptation to put it on. Pun fully intended, it fit her like a glove and when she wiggled her fingers, there was no stiffness or tightness of the fabric.


    This artifact had shown remarkable shape-changing abilities by being able to change materials from rock to metal to now fabric. Even if the glove¡¯s design was simple, Priscilla was sure she could coax the artifact to form into a more stylish shape.


    ¡°What will the bonding take?¡± Priscilla asked, trying to not seem too excited. Every artifact had their own rituals the wielder had to undergo to fully attune to it.


    ¡°You just have to agree,¡± the artifact said, and Priscilla tried not to deflate at how simple it was.


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Priscilla, ¡°I agree¨C¡±


    A small seal coalesced in the air above her gloved hand. A winged serpent eating its own tail in a perfect circle glowed gold and pulsed in the air as a sharp burning sensation bloomed in Priscilla¡¯s chest, making her feel like she couldn¡¯t breathe. She gasped as a headache throbbed at the base of her skull, wondering if she had just made a horrible mistake.


    One second passed.


    Then two.


    And just as she finished counting three, the Priscilla was able to gasp in a large gulp of air as the pain suddenly receded to leave a vaguely aching skull behind.


    ¡°What the fuck was that bullshit?¡± Priscilla growled.


    ¡°You were found worthy, master!¡± the artifact chirped.


    ¡°What would have happened if I wasn¡¯t found worthy?¡±


    Utter silence.


    The bonding requirements were stupidly easy and now Priscilla had an idea of why. She had accidentally formed a bond that would have killed her if she failed. Gods, she was reckless. Next time an artifact tried to sweet talk her into bonding with it, she was going to ask a lot more questions about the potential consequences.


    ¡°You should go find the other legend killers,¡± the artifact urged hurriedly. ¡°We will be stronger together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that,¡± Priscilla said, unable to keep her irritation from her voice, ¡°as I¡¯m pretty sure I almost fucking died bonding to you.¡±


    The artifact was quiet for another long moment and said, ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Please be quiet,¡± Priscilla said, moving to peel the glove off her hand.


    It suddenly tightened, becoming something almost like a second skin.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°I can¡¯t go aimless wandering out in the world when I have no fucking idea where these other legend killers are or how many of you there are. It¡¯s like asking me to go jump in the ocean and swim around to find a several one in a million fish just so that my first fish gets off the fucking hook.¡±


    The artifact remained silent and Priscilla hated that she felt bad about snapping at the artifact, and sighed, accepting that in her new life, she was going to be fucking guilt tripped by a rock of all things.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯ll never find these legend killer friends of yours,¡± Priscilla said firmly, ¡°but if it does happen, it¡¯ll probably be a sheer coincidence because I have a feeling that you can¡¯t tell me anything about where the artifacts are or what it means to be one so I can keep an eye out for it.¡±


    Priscilla leaned forward, softening her voice. ¡°If I find out more information or if you remember more, I¡¯ll follow it up, but right now, I have limited resources and I have to focus on other priorities right now.¡±


    There was another silence before the artifact said, ¡°I understand. May I know what other priorities you have? I would like to help you complete them.¡±


    ¡°Well, if all goes right,¡± Priscilla said, trying not to slouch too much with relief as the glove returned to its original fit, ¡°we¡¯ll be off tomorrow to go punch some lunatics.¡±


    The glove shifted against her hand in a way that was honestly a little disturbing.


    ¡°OOH!¡± the artifact exclaimed, ¡°Can you punch the lunatics while you wear me?¡±


    Priscilla laughed at its enthusiasm.


    ¡°If you can make yourself into a sturdier fabric, then sure,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°but if you can¡¯t, I don¡¯t know if I should risk you like that.¡±


    The glove shifted against her hand again and Priscilla felt a low buzz of energy against her skin as the fabric shifted and stretched, the thin fabric glove turning into a thick leather glove with reinforced knuckles.


    Priscilla let out an appreciative whistle, turning over her hand to look it over.


    ¡°The only thing that could make this better is to have blades pop out from between my knuckles.¡±


    Priscilla laughed loudly as metallic spikes popped out, the edges wicked sharp.


    ¡°How fast can you retract them?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the spikes retracted back into the fabric.


    ¡°I¡¯m like fucking Wolverine,¡± Priscilla giggled. Besides the whole almost dying if she wasn¡¯t found worthy thing, this artifact was honestly, extremely fucking cool.


    ¡°Only produce the spikes if I tell you to,¡± Priscilla said when she got herself back under control, ¡°so I don¡¯t accidentally fuck someone¡¯s face beyond recognition each time I punch someone. Something simple, like ¡®spike on.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Understood, master.¡±


    The back of Priscilla¡¯s head throbbed dully and she had the sudden thought that the artifact was feeling extremely satisfied. She blinked a few times and the awareness faded, but never completely disappeared.


    Priscilla hesitated, and then ran her finger over the back of the glove like she was petting a cat and asked, ¡°Can you feel my feelings, too?¡±


    ¡°I understand master perfectly,¡± the artifact chirped. ¡°Your wish is my command, so please make many wishes!¡±


    Priscilla laughed again, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    There was another loud brass sound that rang through the air, probably signaling the caravan¡¯s departure. Priscilla rolled to her feet and went to the window to see them off.


    She could spot Illnyea¡¯s gleaming head of silver hair anywhere. Illnyea weaved through the workers getting ready with practiced ease, greeting everyone she passed with a bright smile. Illnyea eventually mounted a horse at the front of the caravan and said something to the crowd.


    Priscilla was fascinated watching Illnyea interact with the world. Though they had talked twice, this version of Illnyea was one that Priscilla was still unfamiliar with. She wasn¡¯t quite the person that had helped Priscilla get through some of the darkest periods of her life, nor was this the Illnyea who had gotten tangled up with forces much larger than herself.


    The version of Illnyea had grown accustomed to loving didn¡¯t exist yet, the confident, yet caring leader who acted as the heart of the rag-tag gang of misfits and puzzle pieces that didn¡¯t fit in anywhere except with each other.


    This Illnyea was still seventeen, almost eighteen, and was still just a girl who wanted to explore the world. She hadn¡¯t yet had the blindfold of peace ripped callously away from her and Priscilla hoped to prevent that for as long as possible.


    As if sensing Priscilla¡¯s gaze, Illnyea looked up and met her eyes with unerring accuracy. Even from this far away, Priscilla could see how Illnyea¡¯s smile lit up her entire being as she waved excitedly up at Priscilla.


    Priscilla offered a snarky wave of her own, unable to keep a smile down.


    A large man pulled up next to Illnyea on his own horse, and said something to the crowd in a booming voice, and then the caravan surged forward as one.


    Priscilla watched the caravan until it was well out of sight before she moved.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± the artifact asked, startling Priscilla slightly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Illnyea,¡± Priscilla said, smiling in the direction they had departed. ¡°She¡¯s my younger sister. She¡¯s the best, so dedicated and warm-hearted and always willing to help others.¡±


    ¡°Where is she going? Is she leaving you behind?¡±


    Priscilla laughed. ¡°No, no, nothing that dramatic. She just has to go on a trip and she¡¯ll be back in a month. Now, enough about this ¨C I have an ambush to initiate.¡±


    ¡°Is it time for violence?¡± the artifact asked with a quiver of excitement, making Priscilla laugh, though it had a more vicious edge to it.


    ¡°No,¡± she said slowly, a mean smile working its way across her face, ¡°though I bet they¡¯ll wish it was that simple.¡±

 Ambush Intiated

    Priscilla carefully combed through the original¡¯s closet, searching for the perfect outfit for her ambush. The closet was filled to the brim with dresses meant for fancy and slightly less fancy occasions with very few practical outfits, save for one set of leather armor stashed in the very back of the closet beneath what seemed to be a pile of clothes the original no longer wanted.


    Later she could lament the lack of pants and tailor the few dresses that were almost good enough to wear casually, but right now she pulled out a floor length black dress. It had a trumpet silhouette that always gave one an elegant air and a Queen Anne neckline lined in delicate silver lace only added to that. Wearing this would show just how serious she was and make her look a little more mature and put together.


    Priscilla shimmied into the dress quickly. Though she was mostly a designer, she had been asked to sub in for friend¡¯s fashion shows on occasion when they had a model no-show. She was decently tall and knew how to show off the look, so it went well and it earned her the key life skill of getting dressed in complicated outfits quickly.


    She stopped in front of the mirror to see how the dress actually fit on her.


    Looking into the mirror and seeing forest green eyes instead of dull, metallic blue eyes staring back at her was a little startling. She had accepted mentally that she was Priscilla now, but it was still a little shocking to see what she looked like. There were three beauty marks on her face now, one to the lower right of her lips, one underneath her left eye, and one on the underside of her right eyebrow. It was a detail that had never been mentioned to describe the original when she read the story. Priscilla was fascinated by the differences, and wondered just how different the other characters might look. Illnyea had been very similar to her own description, but she was the protagonist after all.


    Her hair was a dark red that she thought couldn¡¯t actually occur in real life, but she supposed she did now have a seventeen year old sister with silver hair, so it probably wasn¡¯t that odd. Priscilla pulled her hair out of the now very messy braid and found a comb and brush to tame it. It was long, reaching to the bottom of her shoulder blade when she let it down, and she still wasn¡¯t sure if she would allow it to remind that way.


    In her first life, she never really allowed her hair to touch her shoulders, preferring to keep it around chin length so her hair just barely entered the edges of her vision. Her hair was a dark brown but she liked to dye it, trying out whatever color she felt like. She had never actually tried red but¡­


    The comb went through the last of her hair and Priscilla decided she did quite like the color as her hair fell around her face as she tilted her head to the side.


    It¡¯d be a shame to mess with this color or cut the healthy length, she thought decisively, I¡¯ll just have to keep it out of the way.


    She found a collection of ribbons and pulled out a silver one to tie up her hair into a high ponytail. Two cheek-length strands fell forward, framing her face along with some bangs, and she knew she had her new signature look, tying the ribbon tight around her hair.


    ¡°How will you wear me?¡± the artifact asked excitedly from the dresser¡¯s surface, back in its original rock form. It had readily agreed to come off so she could figure out how to make sure the artifact¡¯s new form matched her outfit so no one thought anything was amiss. Priscilla didn¡¯t think she needed to have an artifact on her person for this meeting, but she¡¯d be a fool to leave it behind for someone to discover.


    Priscilla pulled the top drawer out, pulling out a pair of thin white gloves.


    ¡°Copy this,¡± Priscilla said, laying the right hand glove next to the rock. It quivered for a moment, before stretching into, based on what Priscilla could see, a near perfect replica.


    She let out a low whistle as she turned it over in her hands. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Did I do well?¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah,¡± Priscilla said, pulling it on and then donning the real left glove. ¡°No one will be able to tell the difference.¡±


    ¡°I am so happy to hear that,¡± the artifact chirped. Priscilla could feel how pleased it felt from her words, and though the realization came with another throb of pain, she welcomed it. Though she had tried her best to roll with the punches so far, this was literally a land with magic that defied the rules of logic she had grown up with. Yeah, she had dreamed about living in a place like this, but reality was very different from dreams.


    She now lived in a world where people could casually incinerate you with a simple wave of the hand, and, disregarding the fact her soul was from a different dimension, Priscilla was a completely ordinary human without a lick of magic at her disposal.


    The bond with this artifact was the first bit of magic that Priscilla actually got to claim as her own and its existence somehow made this all seem a little less daunting. She may be just one person, but she wasn¡¯t useless, not when she had this artifact. Priscilla didn¡¯t have to be the fastest, nor the strongest, but she would try to be the cleverest, with her enemies not knowing what hit them until she had already had a dagger pressed against their throat.


    Which is exactly what she hoped to do with her ambush.


    ¡°Okay, what are the rules?¡± Priscilla asked the artifact as she stood and searched for a pair of shoes.


    ¡°Number one: Do not speak unless we are alone together,¡± the artifact said solemnly. ¡°Number two: Keep an eye out for any hostile mortals.¡±


    ¡°And what do we do if you sense any hostile mortals?¡± Priscilla asked, just barely keeping her laughter out of her voice. She had told the artifact to just keep an eye out for potential enemies, but the artifact insisted on the phrasing of hostile mortals and Priscilla didn¡¯t feel like fighting because they were on the same page.


    ¡°Squeeze two times.¡±


    ¡°And rule number three?¡±


    ¡°Be fashionable as fuck,¡± the artifact said, sounding proud of itself.


    ¡°Hell fucking yeah,¡± Priscilla said, slipping on a low pair of black heels. ¡°Stick with me, and you¡¯ll be known as the most fashionable artifact in the whole fucking world.¡±


    ¡°Yipee!¡±


    Laughter escaped Priscilla as she felt the artifact¡¯s excitement twining with her own, the feeling sticking with her as she gathered up both copies of the contract into a slim folder and left her room. There was no one in the halls and the first person she caught a glance of was by the stairs.


    It was the butler from last night, who Priscilla was now realizing she didn¡¯t know the name of so she couldn¡¯t call for him.


    Luckily, he noticed Priscilla.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Thornewood,¡± he said, coming to attention. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± she said, smiling and ignoring the shocked look flit over the butler¡¯s face. ¡°Please take me to where my parents are, as I have something I need to discuss with them.¡±


    His eyes flickered to the folder tucked beneath her arm before he nodded.


    ¡°As you wish. I believe they are in their shared study.¡±


    Priscilla took in the mansion¡¯s interior as they walked down the stairs. It looked less ominous in the light of the day, the floor turning out to be hardwood that had likely been stained to achieve the warm, dark brown color. With the sun up, natural light poured in through the large windows near the high vaulted ceiling, softening the rich edges of the home into something more lived in.


    ¡°Do you know if we have any spare spatial bags around?¡± Priscilla asked as they reached the bottom floor.


    The butler¡¯s steady pace faltered for just a moment. ¡°Last I checked, I believe we do have a few in storage. However, they have a limited capacity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll work,¡± Priscilla said, earning herself a confused glance from the butler. She allowed the rest of the walk to be silent so the poor butler stopped being surprised by her new personality.


    The butler led her down a hallway to a pair of ornate oak doors. Dragons had been carved into the surface, hissing and snapping at each other as they fought each other to reach the rose at the center of the doors. The rose was the symbol of the Thornewood family, and Priscilla wondered just what message the parents had wanted to give guests. Probably just trying to make themselves seem more important than they actually were.


    ¡°Will you enter with me?¡± Priscilla asked, glancing at the butler.


    He stared back at her with a slight frown, eyes darting between her and the door.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do much,¡± Priscilla said, sensing he was about to decline, ¡°I just want a witness to what¡¯s about to happen, that¡¯s all.¡±


    His frown deepened but after a moment, he let out a small sigh and nodded. Priscilla gave him a bright smile before schooling her face into practiced neutrality.


    She pushed the doors open before she could second guess herself, Priscilla¡¯s head held high and her gaze cuttingly cool as she gazed at her new, unwanted set of parents.


    The father¡¯s hair was the same shade as Illnyea¡¯s, with hooded, watery blue eyes and high cheekbones that were hidden behind a full, silver beard. He was round in the middle, straining his long-sleeved cream shirt, like he had partaken in too much booze after his body stopped being so forgiving, but seemed to be decently in shape otherwise. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The mother had auburn hair swept up into a tidy bun held in place with a glittering hair pin. Her gold eyes matched her smart blouse, going well with the long, dark brown skirt that hid her legs from view. She was tall and willowy, probably being the one that Illnyea inherited her height from.


    Priscilla couldn¡¯t see any of her new features reflected in them and she was selfishly glad to have that distance.


    The parents looked up from their work at her sudden entrance and Priscilla didn¡¯t miss how they both tensed in displeasure when they saw just who was disturbing their peace. The mother¡¯s shoulders went tight as she pursed her lips and the father had a thunderous frown.


    That type of face was one that she had seen a thousand times before on her original parents ¨C the face that told her plainly that they didn¡¯t like acknowledging her existence and the fact she needed them to be parents rather than just bank accounts. Lucky for them, she was here to rectify that fact for them.


    ¡°Let us all be candid,¡± Priscilla said as the butler closed the door behind her, ¡°as there is no reason to beat around the bush or prolong this conversation beyond what¡¯s necessary.¡±


    She stalked forward but chose not to sit in the chair in front of their desk to not give them the power to look down on her. She rested her free hand on the back of the chair instead, giving the parents a passionless smile.


    ¡°I am here to give you an opportunity to make a deal that will benefit both of us.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s words made the mother¡¯s eyes widen and the father¡¯s frown deepen.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± he growled, his voice husky. ¡°What sort of trick are you trying to play?¡±


    To have accusations be his first response when she had barely even spoken hardened Priscilla¡¯s resolve, her heart aching for the original. But she didn¡¯t have time to feel melancholy for a woman who no longer existed, so she continued.


    ¡°I would like to be formally disinherited,¡± Priscilla said casually, making the other three occupants in the room stare at her with disbelief, ¡°in exchange for complete financial support and freedom from any familial obligations you might think to force me into.¡±


    The mother¡¯s mouth was hanging open but it was the father who Priscilla watched, his eyes narrowing.


    ¡°Why would we even consider such a foolish motion?¡± he snapped, crossing his hands over his chest and glaring at her.


    Priscilla couldn¡¯t help, she laughed a little.


    ¡°Oh, we all know you hate me,¡± Priscilla said meanly, covering the side of her mouth with the hand with the artifact, ¡°and you¡¯ve just been waiting to wipe your hands clean of me for years. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here to give you a perfect opportunity to only have to focus on the daughter you actually wanted.¡±


    The mother flinched but the father just seemed to get angrier at his faults being thrown back in his face. Priscilla felt little sympathy for either of them and this was an ambush after all.


    ¡°Here,¡± Priscilla said, tossing the folder onto their desk carelessly, ruffling their carefully organized paperwork. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like having to explain this to you when you¡¯ll just interrupt me at every step, so just read this and it¡¯ll answer your questions.¡±


    The father glared but snatched the folder up, flipping it open as the mother settled by his shoulder to read it as well.


    The first major thing that Priscilla outlined in the contract was the most important condition for her willingly accepting disinheritance. The Thornewood parents would establish a new bank account with a starting balance of 1,000 gold and deposit 200 more gold every two weeks. As long as she did her calculations correctly, that should be a total of 16,600 gold. This arrangement would continue until Priscilla¡¯s twenty-third birthday, which was three years from now, and then the parents could gleefully cut off their financial contribution.


    The account would be calibrated to a spatial bag for Priscilla to have easy access to her money at all times, and she had written into the contract that should the family have no spatial bags available, she would purchase one. But she had just confirmed with the butler they did have some available, so that clause wasn¡¯t needed.


    The second point provided the exact details of the disinheritance. Priscilla willingly agreed to give up any rights to the Thornewood inheritance and promised to not contest anything in the local count¡¯s courts once the parents passed away.


    The parents and Priscilla would agree to a pact of non-interaction. They would ignore each other when they had to share the same household and not interfere with each other¡¯s business, providing another layer that ensured both that Priscilla wouldn¡¯t bother their merchant deals and that the parents wouldn¡¯t bog her down when she was off to save the world.


    The third point was one that Priscilla included mainly because she was a squishy human and because she needed a point to concede upon that wouldn¡¯t affect her plans too greatly. The agreement would be that the parents provided a guard and horse from the household¡¯s current rotation whenever Priscilla went on an outing. She planned on stashing the guard at an inn when she went about her business, but a woman traveling alone tended to be a bandit¡¯s favorite type of victim.


    There were a few more nitty gritty clauses that were there to make it harder for the parents to try and declare the contract invalid.


    The room was silent as the parents read through the contract carefully, like she expected them to as they were merchants after all. If they signed it without reading it, they¡¯d be imbeciles.


    ¡°This second clause,¡± the father said, stabbing his finger at the paper, ¡°does it mean that you will no longer be using the Thornewood name, as ostensibly, you will no longer be a part of this family?¡±


    ¡°I can become Priscilla No-Name if that¡¯s truly what you desire,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°as long as you don¡¯t mind the shame of sharing a house with a No-Name, as clause 1.6 details how my claiming this house as my residence is not negotiable until the end of the payment period on my twenty-third birthday.¡±


    Names were important in this world, as they told others of your heritage and affiliation, and they were an intrinsic part of who you are. To be a No-Name meant that someone had been forcefully excommunicated from their family, stricken from the family tree to make the rejection fully complete.


    To have a No-Name come from your lineage was a sign of extreme shame because it meant that you shared blood with someone whose existence was so objectionable you shunned them. To live with a No-Name was an even bigger embarrassment, as their shame would affect your reputation.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be a No-Name,¡± the mother said, speaking for the first time. ¡°You can just be referred to as Priscilla.¡±


    Priscilla just stared at the woman for a long second because that was not how names worked in this world¡¯s society. Outside of rare and obscure settlements of naiads, everyone in the world had a family name, except for the No-Names.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± Priscilla said firmly. ¡°I will either be Priscilla Thornewood, or I will be Priscilla No-Name, there are no other options.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± the mother said, making the father give her a side-eye, though he remained silent.


    ¡°You could assume my maiden name, Sunscarre.¡±


    Priscilla just kept staring, baffled by the sudden offer and the sudden lore drop, as the mother¡¯s last name had never been mentioned in the narrative. The part of Priscilla that kept all her TDE lore in check begged to know more, as the name of Sunscarre was unusual even in this world, but Priscilla pushed the instinct back.


    ¡°If that is what you prefer,¡± Priscilla said slowly, ¡°then I will be Priscilla Sunscarre.¡±


    The father looked pleased with the resolution, but the mother had a more stoic face. Priscilla couldn¡¯t get a read on what she was thinking, and to be entirely honest, she didn¡¯t care to learn. The mother had plenty of time to actually be a mom before this, and if she was feeling regret now that Priscilla was permanently cutting ties, well, too little, too late bitch.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Priscilla asked, hoping they¡¯d shake their head and sign the damn thing already. She was starting to feel antsy the longer she spoke to the parents and had to face the reality that once again, she was dealt a shitty hand when it came to her parents.


    ¡°Are there any rules or conditions for the personal guard appointment?¡± the mother asked. It seemed now that she had spoken once, she was now taking point in the negotiations. It didn¡¯t matter much to Priscilla who was talking, as she hated them both equally.


    ¡°They have to be physically competent in battle and know how to keep their mouth shut.¡±


    The father gave her a suspicious glance, but the mother nodded after a moment.


    ¡°I will pick out a suitable escort for your travels,¡± the mother said. ¡°When do you plan to leave?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow morning,¡± Priscilla said and though the mother¡¯s eyebrows raised, she didn¡¯t do anything but nod.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Priscilla asked.


    The parents give each other one last look before both shaking their heads.


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Priscilla said, walking forward to pluck a pen off the parent¡¯s desk and resting it on the contract. ¡°Sign here please, as you can see I¡¯ve already done you the courtesy of signing my own name.¡±


    They signed both copies and Priscilla took one for herself, slipping it back into the folder.


    ¡°I had plans to visit the bank this afternoon,¡± the mother said as she laid the pen down, ¡°so I will have the spatial bag ready by this evening. I will also have the contract notarized.¡±


    Priscilla didn¡¯t know why the mother wanted to be helpful now but she wasn¡¯t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she just nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s been a pleasure,¡± Priscilla said as she turned, ¡°but we all know that¡¯d be a lie.¡±


    The butler, who had been standing silently in the background during the whole exchange, opened the doors as Priscilla neared them, following her out.


    ¡°Are you truly serious about this contract?¡± the butler asked before Priscilla could walk away.


    She paused mid-step and then turned towards him. Nothing in his voice implied judgment, except maybe a hint of worry.


    ¡°I realized I have to change my life¡¯s trajectory,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°because I was deeply unhappy with myself. I want to make something of my life, and this is just the first step of many to achieve my goals.¡±


    The butler looked visibly conflicted, something almost like pride flashed across his face before he regained his professionalism.


    ¡°And what is your goal for life?¡± he said, coming forward so they could begin walking together.


    Priscilla laughed. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea what I¡¯ll do besides trying to be a good person. All I know is that my future is one that I shaped with my own two hands rather than just letting life happen to me.¡±


    ¡°It is better to live freely as a bird,¡± he said, ¡°than to live with regret keeping you trapped on the ground.¡±


    She gave this still nameless man a look, because that almost sounded like approval in his voice.


    ¡°What should I call you now?¡± Priscilla asked casually. ¡°You technically work for the Thornewoods, and I¡¯m not a Thornewood now, so¡­¡±


    The butler gave her an amused glance.


    ¡°You may call me Hans if you¡¯d like, or continue with calling me Mr. Odran. Either is fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Hans,¡± Priscilla tried out and then snickered when she saw Hans¡¯s face twitch. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll just just call you Mr. Ordan, and you can just drop the miss and call me Priscilla in return.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you desire, Priscilla,¡± Hans said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Priscilla sniffed haughtily. Hans let out something halfway between a sigh and a laugh, which Priscilla counted as an absolute win.


    ¡°Lunch will be served soon,¡± Hans said. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Something warm curled in Priscilla¡¯s stomach at that small question.


    ¡°Starving,¡± she said, ¡°but can I eat in my room today? I promise to not make a mess.¡±


    ¡°I will bring it to you when the food is ready,¡± Hans said with a small bow of his head. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d need from me?¡±


    Priscilla thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re offering to help, there are a few things I need¡­¡±

 The Importance of a Name

    Lunch was just as delightful as dinner was last night. It was a small, perfectly seasoned steak cooked to medium rare laying over a bed of asparagus and mushrooms, which was in turn laid over what looked to be mashed potatoes at first glance, but turned out to be a cauliflower puree. Thyme was sprinkled over everything, along with a yellow sauce that Priscilla thought was a hollandaise that was absolutely delectable. If this would be the quality of every meal the cook whipped up, Priscilla might have to ask Hans to get some meals for the road tomorrow.


    ¡°I wish I could eat,¡± the artifact said wistfully from its spot next to the plate as Priscilla scraped off the last of the sauce with her spoon. Priscilla hadn¡¯t wanted to risk staining it so she politely asked it to wait until she was done.


    ¡°If I can ever figure out how to feed you real food,¡± Priscilla said, waving the spoon for emphasis, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a high class restaurant and order one of everything.¡±


    The artifact let out a giggle. ¡°I couldn¡¯t eat that much by myself!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but you¡¯re forgetting that I wouldn¡¯t let you face it alone,¡± Priscilla said more dramatically than this situation called for, but just enough to indulge her silliness. ¡°I¡¯ll be right by your side and we¡¯ll gorge on the food like kings.¡±


    The artifact giggled again and Priscilla smiled widely as she pulled it back onto her hand. Hans told her to not worry about the dishes again earlier, saying that he¡¯d collect it when he came back with the supplies she asked for.


    So Priscilla had some time to kill, and she knew exactly how she wanted to spend it. She shimmied out of the fancy dress into a more plain cream colored shirt and a pair of brown trousers that had been laying upon the discarded clothes pile.


    The leather armor Priscilla had found stashed in the back of the closet had been dyed a deep red, just a shade or two lighter than her hair. At first glance, it looked more fashionable than functional, but when Priscilla picked it up, there was a faint hum that emanated from it into her bones.


    ¡°This is magical,¡± the artifact said as soon as she grasped it.


    ¡°Really?¡± Priscilla said as she laid it on the bed to get a better look at it, though she kept her right hand touching it so the artifact could examine it more. She wasn¡¯t sure why the original had this armor, as she had never worn it in the narrative, but having magical armor would never be a bad idea.


    ¡°It¡¯s some sort of protective enchantment,¡± the artifact said, their voice implying a deep concentration, ¡°but it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s weird. There¡¯s not enough magical energy in it to make the enchantments last if its limits are tested. It¡¯s much weaker than most magical armors.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Priscilla considered the armor more carefully. ¡°So, there¡¯s only enough energy in it to protect from one blow?¡±


    ¡°At least one, and maybe two,¡± the artifact said, though it sounded unsure. ¡°Much more than that however¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Priscilla said as she began to undo the straps. ¡°I won¡¯t rely on it stopping anything more than a normal piece of armor would. Hopefully we won¡¯t end up needing much magical protection.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you, so you won¡¯t have to rely on the faulty magic!¡± the artifact said quickly and Priscilla smiled at the sincerity in its tone.


    But as she looked at the artifact that had sworn to protect her, she felt a small pang at just referring to it as an artifact. It felt so impersonal when she could literally feel its emotions like she did her own.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve haven¡¯t really talked about this yet,¡± Priscilla said, momentarily pausing in her quest to try the armor on, ¡°but is there any particular name you want to be called or nickname I can refer to you with? I know you said you¡¯ve forgotten who you are, but¡­.¡±


    ¡°I am a mighty legend killer,¡± the artifact said after a small pause and the words sounded less energetic than usual, ¡°but should my master deem me worthy of a name, I will gladly accept it.¡±


    Priscilla still felt weird about being referred to as master, but when she tried to convince the artifact earlier to just call her Priscilla, it staunchly refused, saying that she deserved the utmost respect it could offer.


    But there was something that made the word master feel heavier when the artifact spoke it just now, something almost ritualistic. The artifact¡¯s emotional connection to her was dull right now, as if the spark had been plucked from its soul.


    If it truly was up to Priscilla what happened, well, she¡¯ll just do what she thought was right.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s figure out a name for you,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°because you¡¯re definitely worthy of having one ¨C and if any bullshit artifacts or dumbasses try to tell you otherwise, tell them to go kiss your master¡¯s fine ass and I¡¯ll punt them into next week.¡±


    The artifact giggled and Priscilla felt the hollowness in its emotions fade.


    ¡°First thing we have to figure out is do you tend to like masculine names or feminine names?¡±


    Priscilla threw out a few options for each and let the artifact think it over.


    ¡°I think I like both,¡± it said, ¡°but I do like the names that end with an ¡®a¡¯ best.¡±


    ¡°Do you want it short ¡®n sweet or a bit of a mouthful?¡± Priscilla asked, her mind going through the various names that she had been exposed to in her life. She had to pick out the name carefully because the artifact was her partner now and she had to show it the same sort of dedication and respect it showed her. Priscilla didn¡¯t want to saddle it with the very first thing she came up with, it deserved better than that.


    ¡°Short please.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Priscilla said slowly as she narrowed down her mental list to fit the artifact¡¯s desires. ¡°I have three options for you: Asha, Laela, or Mina. I think any of them are a good choice, but if you don¡¯t like them, then I¡¯ll keep thinking.¡±


    The artifact was silent, but Priscilla could feel how it carefully contemplated her words. She stayed quiet, not pushing any particular option. She may not have had the choice in her own name and who she was, but Priscilla would be damned if she forced that onto someone else.


    ¡°What does each name mean?¡±


    Priscilla was damn lucky she did happen to know these three names¡¯ origins and let out an inward sigh of relief she didn¡¯t let the artifact down.


    ¡°Laela means loyalty,¡± Priscilla began, ¡°Mina means love, and Asha means hope, all of which I thought would suit your personality.¡±


    The artifact was quiet for a little while longer before something resolute solidified in its emotions.


    ¡°I like Asha, I¡­ I like thinking that I could bring someone hope.¡±


    ¡°Great choice, Asha,¡± Priscilla said and Asha¡¯s appreciation and happiness was clear through their bond.


    ¡°Now that we have that squared away,¡± Priscilla said, returning her attention to the armor, ¡°let¡¯s get this bad boy on me.¡±


    Priscilla was passingly familiar with armor, as she had attended a few LARP events and renaissance fairs to get inspiration and to test the limits of her own designs, so she had a basic understanding of how to put the armor on. It was heavier across her body than she was expecting, but not to the point where it was overly burdensome.


    She tightened the last of straps at the side and stepped in front of the mirror to see how it looked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to wear something thicker underneath,¡± Priscilla said, feeling how the inner edges of the armor poked through the thin shirt to her soft belly, ¡°but it looks alright to me.¡±


    ¡°Your legs are exposed,¡± Asha pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s not much I can do about that,¡± Priscilla said ruefully.


    She carefully began to test how the armor limited her mobility, throwing a few quick jabs in rapid succession before trying to bob and weave imaginary blows. It was odd to have her elbows touching firm leather when she pulled her hands up in a ready position, but it didn¡¯t bother her too much. The armor didn¡¯t seem to hinder her leg or hip movement at all as she went through a slower version of an ax kick.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t want to over do it with this body, so she slowed down, panting slightly, before taking the armor back off.


    Now was the time to actually test the limits of this body. Priscilla was pleasantly surprised to find that she could easily bend down and touch the floor, and found that her other limbs were similarly flexible. This was a delightful realization that made up for the body¡¯s lack of defined muscles.


    She wasn¡¯t weak by any means, she could tell just by sending out a few punches, but the level of strength wasn¡¯t quite up to the level Priscilla was used to having behind her punches. That would have to change, she thought as she mentally put strength conditioning onto her mental agenda of things to accomplish before the plot began.


    ¡°I shall back your fist,¡± Asha said, responding to Priscilla¡¯s feelings as she did its own, ¡°and make it so the lunatics do not rise back up once you punch them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you, Asha,¡± Priscilla said and smiled at Asha¡¯s rush of happiness.


    But now that the fun part of testing out her new limits were out of the way, Priscilla was left with the much less fun activity of packing up for the trip tomorrow. The discarded pile of clothes that were in the back of the closet ended up having the most useful day-to-day pieces, which was to say, it was where all the pants were stashed.


    Hans arrived before Priscilla had done much more than spew her closet out onto every surface to take in what she had available and wonder how she was going to fit any of this into only one bag.


    His eyebrows were raised high as he took in the view when she opened the door but he made no comment as he brought his bundle in.


    ¡°This is everything you requested, Priscilla, and a few things that I thought might be helpful for your upcoming journey.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Ordan,¡± Priscilla said as directed him to place his burden on the bed and ignored the clothes crushed beneath it.


    She had mainly asked for some basic traveling supplies like a pack, bed roll, and flint to start a fire, but she had also requested a sewing kit and ¡°the most annoying whistle you can find.¡±


    Priscilla pulled out said whistle, which was attached on a skinny leather strap that also held a compass. She went to give it an experimental blow and Hans caught her arm before she could bring it to her mouth.


    Hans gave her a single, solemn shake of his head and Priscilla decided to wait to test this whistle out until she wasn¡¯t in an enclosed space.


    ¡°Did you grab anything especially exciting?¡± Priscilla asked, pivoting quickly.


    ¡°Nothing in particular stands out,¡± Hans said, though something cheeky lurked in his tone which had Priscilla raising an eyebrow at him. He gave her a mysterious smile before opening up the front pocket of the pack he brought and reached in, his arm disappearing up to his elbow before he pulled back out.


    ¡°It¡¯s only the one pocket,¡± Hans said regretfully, ¡°but I thought you might appreciate having more luggage space regardless.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ordan, you¡¯re the fucking man,¡± Priscilla said, making him let out a startled bout of laughter that made her smile go wide. She loved to do and say the unexpected because it got the funniest and most honest reactions out of people. Hans may play the part of a stuffy old butler, but she suspected that was just a front for a much more laid back personality.


    Hans gave her a wry smile as he shook his head, but let the swearing thankfully pass without comment.


    There was nothing else Hans could do to help Priscilla besides investigate if the cooks would be willing to make some to-go meals for her and her guard, so he left her alone to complete her packing.


    With the nifty addition of a dimensional storage, Priscilla didn¡¯t have to worry quite so much about how much she brought. She did still put most of her clothes and hair care products in the main compartment, but Priscilla gleefully placed book after book into the unlimited storage pocket for entertainment for when the horses had to take a rest.


    Priscilla hesitated, but decided to bring the strange locked book she had found with as well. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d find the key on the trip, but when she thought about leaving it behind, something in Priscilla¡¯s gut squirmed unhappily.


    Packing took her well into the afternoon and by the time she had finished making her room look a little less like a tornado ran through it, it was nearly dinner time.


    Hans brought her dinner to her room again, along with a small purple pouch with a sun embroidered on it in gold thread.


    ¡°Mistress Thornewood asked me to bring this to you,¡± Hans said as he placed the pouch next to her dinner. ¡°She said that the initial funds are available to you, along with the first weekly deposit.¡±


    Priscilla picked up the pouch and turned it over, running her fingers over the embroidery that was much more intricate than a first glance might indicate. The sun motif was the central design, but as the rays of light stretched across the fabric, small canine-like creatures emerged from the gilded thread to frolic amongst them towards the bottom of the pouch.


    She reached her fingers in and pulled out a cool golden coin. There was a man¡¯s strong profile stamped onto the side and the phrase written around the edge, ¡°To the Victorious, the World.¡± She wondered just whose face was stamped into every coin as she ran her thumb over the raised metal.


    ¡°Thanks for bringing it,¡± Priscilla said as she tucked the coin back in the pouch, deciding she wasn¡¯t curious enough to pursue that line of thinking right now. Maybe if she actually ever went into a bank, she¡¯d ask.


    ¡°It was no problem at all,¡± Hans said. ¡°Bella said that she could have a traveling meal available for tomorrow. What time were you planning to leave?¡±


    ¡°Early,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°probably an hour, hour and a half after sunrise.¡±


    ¡°I will see to it that everything will be ready for your departure,¡± Hans said with a quick bow of his head and left after bidding goodbye. Priscilla tied the money pouch round the strap of her pack before a yawn had her eyes watering and ears popping loudly.


    Priscilla¡¯s body had been running on too little sleep today and she needed to make sure that she didn¡¯t start tomorrow wiped out, as riding horses took a lot out of you. She stumbled into a nightgown and then into bed, a bestiary tucked under her arm.


    She read through the various profiles aloud to Asha when the artifact confessed it couldn¡¯t read, until the words started to swim across the page and Priscilla¡¯s eyelids were too heavy to keep open.

 And the Adventure Begins!

    Priscilla woke up feeling well-rested and ready for an adventure when the sun¡¯s rays hit her face. She took a quick bath before she had to spend the next few weeks being sweaty on the road. Asha kept up a steady chatter as Priscilla got ready and went over one final check of her pack and outfit, as if sensing that it may have to be quiet while they traveled.


    ¡°Are you sure about leaving this behind?¡± Asha asked, referencing the parasol the artifact had become quite taken with, saying it loved the color and the way the lace looked in the light. Priscilla was secretly pleased with Asha already having opinions on fashion because it meant Priscilla would have someone else to bounce ideas off when inspiration struck. Admittedly, Asha wouldn¡¯t be able to help much with designing clothes, but just having someone to talk through the process had always been helpful to Priscilla.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have anywhere to use it, I¡¯ll be riding a horse for the most part and I¡¯ll need my hands for the reins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could maintain your balance exceptionally with one hand,¡± Asha said so seriously it made Priscilla laugh again.


    ¡°Quit it,¡± Priscilla said teasingly, ¡°or else you¡¯ll give me a big head.¡±


    ¡°Your head is the perfect size, master!¡±


    Priscilla just chuckled and shook her perfectly sized head. Asha was so straightforward with its affection for her that sarcasm tended to be an alien concept for it. Maybe that¡¯d get better with more exposure to Priscilla, but she didn¡¯t mind Asha¡¯s nature at all. There was something na?ve and innocent to Asha that Priscilla wanted to preserve for as long as she could.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Priscilla asked Asha as she hefted her pack over her shoulders and settled the compass and whistle around her neck. Asha was in the form of a sturdy pair of riding gloves for the journey.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, master,¡± Asha said. ¡°I¡¯ll be so quiet that you¡¯ll think I¡¯m just an ordinary glove.¡±


    ¡°I could never mistake you for anything ordinary,¡± Priscilla said and enjoyed how pleased that made Asha.


    But that was enough bantering with her artifact, Priscilla had an adventure to begin. She was dressed in a pair of comfortable gray trousers, a sky blue blouse, and the only pair of riding boots she could find, deciding to not don the leather armor just yet, as to not give anyone the hint that her trip was anything other than what it seemed ¨C a sudden, capricious decision.


    She had just closed the door behind her and was rounding the corner to the stairs when Priscilla saw the mother walking towards her with purpose, holding something covered in dark cloth. Priscilla seriously debated pretending she didn¡¯t see the woman but debated a tad too long, and the mother was in front of her, the woman¡¯s heels clicking loudly against the ground as she came to a stop.


    ¡°Priscilla, I understand that you¡¯re leaving early today,¡± the mother said.


    ¡°Yeah, so?¡± Priscilla said, crossing her arms as she gave the woman a look telling her to get on with it and to stop stating the obvious.


    ¡°I wanted to give you something before you left,¡± the mother said, pulling off the cloth to reveal a dagger snug in its scabbard and a belt of sorts. The scabbard was made of a dark leather that had the same sun motif the money pouch had, though it was much darker and was only visible because Priscilla was looking for it.


    The mother held out the dagger and Priscilla frowned at her.


    ¡°Why pretend to care now?¡± Priscilla asked, suspicious of what was happening.


    The mother caught her breath and held it before letting it slowly out.


    ¡°When a woman travels the roads,¡± she began slowly, ignoring Priscilla¡¯s very reasonable question, ¡°she ought to have some means to defend herself. I had given Illnyea one on her first trip and it was only fair that I give you one in turn. I have¡­ made mistakes, but I do not think you to be a fool to reject a weapon freely given.¡±


    For a moment, Priscilla wanted to smack the dagger out of the mother¡¯s hands and spit on the offering, but she reigned in her temper by telling herself that a dagger could come in handy because it meant that Asha¡¯s capabilities could remain hidden. She took it and the belt roughly from the mother¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I assume this is for the dagger to go on?¡± Priscilla asked as she wrapped the belt around her waist.


    ¡°You would be correct,¡± the mother said. ¡°If you would like my help¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± Priscilla said as she tied it off. She had enough experience cosplaying fantasy characters that she knew her way around a good amount of gear. Priscilla found where the dagger was meant to go and secured it to her side.


    When she looked up, the mother was staring at her with an odd expression on her face, a cross between surprise and regret.


    ¡°Was there anything else you needed or am I free to go?¡± Priscilla asked, uncomfortable with the mother¡¯s emotions and attention. The mother was acting hot and cold and Priscilla would much prefer the woman to remain as uncaring as she had been the whole time. For her to change when the original was gone felt¡­ blasphemous almost, because the person that the mother should have changed for was no longer here to see that change.


    The care the mother was showing may have been everything the original may have wanted, but Priscilla hated the hypocrisy, hated the concern because it felt like the mother was only changing because Priscilla wasn¡¯t desperate for her love and approval anymore.


    ¡°The horse and guard will be waiting in the courtyard for you,¡± the mother finally said, crossing her hands in front of her, gold eyes trying to bore into Priscilla¡¯s.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Priscilla said and turned to go.


    ¡°Priscilla¨C¡± the mother called out and Priscilla rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t slow down. She didn¡¯t have time to waste on giving the mother any amount of her emotional bandwidth or brain power, and frankly Priscilla was impressed she hadn¡¯t cussed the woman out. She itched to get on the road and leave this mansion behind her.


    Priscilla¡¯s previous good mood was gone and she felt Asha¡¯s concern through the bond. At the bottom of the stairs, Priscilla paused to take a few deep breaths in to calm herself and reach a neutral emotional state, even if she couldn''t capture the happy energy she had left her room with.


    She didn¡¯t spot Hans on her way out, which was a shame, but Priscilla did find a small container of food next to the entrance way, with a note saying, ¡°For your trip. May it be peaceful and help you achieve your goals ¨C Hans¡±


    It smelled heavenly as she carefully placed it into her pack and Priscilla told herself that had to try and bring back a souvenir for him to thank him for all the help he¡¯d given her these past few days. He seemed like the type of guy that might appreciate a little knick-knack to put on his shelf, or maybe a nice book of poetry?


    Lost in thoughts on what to get Hans, Priscilla didn¡¯t register just who was standing next to the two horses until she was only ten feet away. Her step faltered when her mind caught up to what she was seeing.


    He was tall, with broad shoulders and bronze skin that spoke both of his ancestry and the time he spent outside. He was dressed in a full set of light armor and was in the midst of securing his pack to his horse, a shield stretched across his back and a sword by his side. Though his hair was cropped short, she could still see the dark hair shine a midnight blue when the sun caught it perfectly. He looked up when he heard her footsteps come to a halt.


    His black eyes were slightly widened as he stared back at her before cooling significantly.


    The mother said that she would handle picking the guard to accompany Priscilla, and it seemed she really wanted to fuck Priscilla over.


    Sulaiman Halsteed, Illnyea¡¯s close friend from childhood and her right-hand man as they traveled the world, was someone who had never liked the original Priscilla because of the bad relationship between her and Illnyea. And now, Priscilla had to travel with Sulaiman for the next few weeks in close quarters with only each other for company. She had had some preliminary thoughts on how to deal with his hostility, but all of them hinged on using Illnyea to bridge the gap between them and keep Sulaiman in line.


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± Priscilla whispered to herself before putting on her game face and striding forward with a confidence she didn¡¯t really feel.


    She liked Sulaiman, don¡¯t get her wrong. She found his upright nature to be admirable and thought he provided a nice dose of realism for the party that was filled with people who had more optimism than sense. His growth of character was engaging and heartfelt as he reconciled his heritage with the type of person he wanted to be, and he had stolen the hearts of many fans. He was a real softie once you got into his good graces, but a total menace to their enemies.


    Priscilla was usually in that enemy category in the story, but hopefully that wasn¡¯t quite the case at the moment.


    ¡°Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla said once she was close, nodding her head at him. His eyes grew colder and inwardly, she sighed deeply. Sulaiman probably had a very reasonable grudge against the original for being a bitch to Illnyea, but it still didn¡¯t mean that Priscilla didn¡¯t want to shake him. She reminded herself that Sulaiman was only nineteen and she was older and theoretically wiser, so she should be the bigger person.


    She ignored his gaze as she secured her pack to the horse and mounted it in a surprisingly smooth motion, considering that she hadn¡¯t ridden a horse in a year or so. Maybe it was a combination of her experience and the body¡¯s muscle memory.


    Priscilla raised an arched eyebrow at Sulaiman when he didn¡¯t move. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get on your horse? Or do you plan to show off your athleticism and run after me on foot?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t treat him as softly or gently as she had treated Illnyea. Illnyea, as much as she loved her, was naive and accepted Priscilla¡¯s words without much questioning. Sulaiman would not be nearly as easy to convince that Priscilla had changed for good, his suspicious nature probably rationalizing any strangeness as just a trick to let his guard down.


    Sulaiman stared at her for a moment more before getting onto his own horse with a frown.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked, his voice as deep as she imagined it would be.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get there,¡± Priscilla said evasively because she wasn¡¯t sure if their destination fell under knowledge she should not know or not. She didn¡¯t think it did because she did find Kavil¡¯s village on a map, but she didn¡¯t want to take a chance she¡¯d cough up blood. It¡¯d be just her luck that Hans would come outside and see it happen and insist she delay her departure.


    Sulaiman¡¯s eyes stayed focused on the road ahead of them as they left the grounds.


    ¡°How long will the trip be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take a week to get there,¡± Priscilla said, guiding her horse to start heading towards the east, as according to the compass around her neck, ¡°and we¡¯ll stay a day before we come back.¡±


    She felt his glare at the back of her head like a physical weight and couldn¡¯t help her snort. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, I¡¯m not the one who chose you to accompany me. You can thank the mighty Mister and Missus Thornewood for that, I just asked for a guard.¡±


    Priscilla glanced back at him to see his face school itself into cool disinterest, though she could see the spark of displeasure in the way he tightened his grip on the reins.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    They traveled in silence for a few minutes as they navigated the traffic in the city. It wasn¡¯t until they had passed through the east entrance of the city that Sulaiman spoke again.


    ¡°Are you really not going to tell me where we¡¯re going?¡± Sulaiman asked, sounding as if he was speaking through gritted teeth. Priscilla let her horse slow down so that she didn¡¯t have to strain her neck quite as much to look at him.


    ¡°Yup,¡± she said, popping the p as annoyingly as she could. ¡°But just remember that I don¡¯t want to travel with you either, so let¡¯s just focus on surviving the next two weeks together without killing each other, alright?¡±


    A muscle in Sulaiman¡¯s cheek flexed as he stiffly nodded.


    ¡°Fan-fucking-tastic,¡± Priscilla said, noting how he jerked to look at her as she swore. She gave him a mocking little smile and waggled her fingers at him before looking forward once more.


    This was going to be a long week, and while part of Priscilla was selfishly glad that she was able to travel with one of her favorite characters, the other, more reasonable part, was focused on the fact that Sulaiman wasn¡¯t the type to simply allow himself to be stashed at an inn while she went off to start a fight. Explaining the situation to him without being able to say anything was going to be a bitch to deal with, but luckily, that was a problem for Future Priscilla, and right now, she could just sit back and take in the scenery.

 Truths Revealed and Hardened Resolves

    The first thing that Priscilla noticed as they entered the Emerald Forest after following the path east for an hour, was that the trees had massive trunks, so thick that she wouldn¡¯t be able to wrap her arms around it. Vines wrapped around most of the trunks, growing against gravity to try and have their tiny white flowers reach the sun. The canopy blocked the sky with only small sunbeams breaking past the leaves and branches to gently warm Priscilla¡¯s skin. The scent of earth and nature was one that she hadn¡¯t had much time to appreciate in her first life, but as she took a deep breath in, Priscilla could understand the appeal of leaving civilization behind and becoming one with the world. It was beautiful and serene and filled her with a deep sense of calm.


    The path they followed was well-worn and wide enough that a wagon could pass travelers without having to worry about getting tangled up in the underbrush. Carved rocks along the side of the path served as travel markers, letting travelers know how far it was to the edge of the woods and nearest rest station. This was the main path that people took through the Emerald Forest that didn¡¯t go too deeply where the monsters made their homes, and there was a certain level of maintenance that had to be done on a regular basis so merchants didn¡¯t decide it was too much hassle to cross.


    She didn¡¯t know much about this forest from the story except for the fact that it was massive, being nearly five-hundred miles long at its widest point, though most of that was to the north of them. They luckily didn¡¯t have to go very deep into the forest and would leave it behind after three days of travel.


    Because of the massive size, there were several small towns that served as rest stops for travelers, so Priscilla and Sulaiman wouldn¡¯t have to sleep on the hard ground and have to keep watch. Hopefully. Priscilla believed she did her travel calculations right, but now that she was in the forest and took in its size, a sliver of doubt wormed its way into her mind.


    She shook her head to rid herself of it and noticed that Sulaiman was looking at her again.


    ¡°You¡­¡± he trailed off and didn¡¯t finish his sentence.


    Priscilla debated about engaging with that before deciding it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. He already hates her, it wasn¡¯t like she could get him to hate her much more.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she said in the brightest and cheeriest tone she could muster. ¡°Did you want to ask me something?¡±


    Suliaman glared at her and she gave him a toothy, sarcastic grin.


    ¡°Either speak your damn mind,¡± Priscilla continued in the same bright tone, ¡°or shut the fuck up! You don¡¯t have to be polite or pussy-foot around, but you do have to open your mouth and speak if you want answers.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s glare deepened and Priscilla looked forward, knowing that if she kept looking at him, it would make him less likely to say anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting strange,¡± Sulaiman finally said, his voice sounding like he was caught between confusion and derision.


    ¡°Everyone changes,¡± Priscilla said with a casual shrug. ¡°If people were only meant to stay the same, then we¡¯d better off being fucking statues; frozen, immortal, and unchanging for eternity.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything for a moment and she decided to take a chance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look,¡± Priscilla chided.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even see my face.¡± Sulaiman sounded irritated and she laughed, glancing back at him. The pinched look of irritation faded as soon as she looked at him, but she did catch it and smiled at being proven right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°I can feel you radiating judgment from here.¡±


    His face was stony and blank, and it seemed he was done with the conversation. Unluckily for him, Priscilla was filled with the urge to continue it.


    ¡°What makes you say I¡¯m acting strange?¡±


    He gave her a glare, clearly hoping that she would keel over and die instead of keep pestering him but what was the fun in that?


    She shrugged. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to answer your questions, then I¡¯m not afraid to ask a few of my own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Sulaiman said, tone tightly controlled, ¡°I just don¡¯t feel like putting up with your idiocy.¡±


    ¡°Youch,¡± Priscilla said, miming a heart attack, ¡°you sure know how to charm a girl.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to¨C¡± Sulaiman cut himself off and took a few deep breaths in. Priscilla was impressed with his self control.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more questions,¡± Sulaiman lied carefully, his knuckles clenched tight around the reins.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    He let in one deep breath in and let it out, the emotion fading from his face as he stared forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡±


    Priscilla watched him for a lone moment before deciding that she had needled him enough. If she pushed much more right now, there was a chance Sulaiman might decide he was too fed up with her bullshit and turn around to go home. It wasn¡¯t likely, due to his incessant need to be responsible and fulfill tasks assigned to him to the best of his ability, but she didn¡¯t need to push him too much on the first day. They were stuck together for a while after all.


    The trip continued quietly as Sulaiman continued to pretend she didn¡¯t exist and Priscilla enjoyed the simple joys of nature. She spotted a squirrel-like creature with wicked sharp teeth and an extremely fluffy tail ambush a pigeon and damn was it morbidly fascinating to watch the bloody creature drag its prey up the tree to its little hidey-hole.


    Priscilla¡¯s stomach growled after a few hours of traveling and she pulled her horse to the side of the road.


    ¡°Lunch time,¡± Priscilla called over her shoulder as she dismounted. She tied the reins around a tree branch near a patch of grass for the horse to graze at as Sulaiman got off his horse as well.


    She pulled out the container of food and rejoiced at the sight of two, thick sandwiches packed with lettuce, tomato, some sort of white cheese, a hell of a lot of meat, and an orange sauce slathered over everything. Priscilla didn¡¯t hesitate to turn to Sulaiman and held out one of the sandwiches.


    ¡°Here,¡± Priscilla said. When Sulaiman eyed it warily and made no move to grab it, Priscilla rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Bella made it for us to eat,¡± Priscilla said slowly, as if explaining it to a child, ¡°and, no, I did not poison it ¨C it¡¯d be a sin to ruin food as good as this just to kill you. If you don¡¯t want it, well, more for me then.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It seemed that her claiming she¡¯d eat it instead was what really convinced Sulaiman she hadn¡¯t poisoned it. Priscilla turned to hide her smile and sat near the edge of the road to begin chomping down on her food. It was incredibly tasty and it was gone all too soon, save for the sauce that she gleefully licked off her fingers.


    Stomach full and satisfied, Priscilla decided to go through a series of stretches to loosen up her body and get rid of some of the aches from horseback riding. Sulaiman watched her the whole time, which was a little awkward, but Priscilla didn¡¯t mind it and finished up as if he wasn¡¯t even there.


    It wasn¡¯t until another hour of just riding and watching nature that Priscilla found herself getting a little bored of just having her own thoughts for company.


    ¡°Do you mind if I sing to myself?¡± Priscilla asked, looking over to her stoic traveling companion. ¡°I won¡¯t be too loud that I attract magical beasts, I swear. Just a little humming.¡±


    His face was the perfect combination of disgust and bafflement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as a yes,¡± Priscilla said in a sing-songy voice.


    ¡°What sort of drugs are you on today?¡± Sulaiman asked, as if keeping the words inside him was painful.


    Priscilla let out a startled laugh.


    ¡°None, I swear,¡± Priscilla said, her smile wide enough to strain her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ve just decided that I don¡¯t care about keeping up appearances anymore. The Priscilla Thornewood you knew is no more!¡±


    She knew it was a mistake to say the girl he knew was gone the moment the words left her mouth. Priscilla coughed roughly, raising her hand to catch the blood before it spilled over her lips.


    It wasn¡¯t until she felt Asha¡¯s sharp distress that Priscilla realized she used her right hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Priscilla hurriedly whispered as she wiped the last drops of blood off her lips. Asha¡¯s distress faded, but didn¡¯t completely disappear ¨C instead it radiated dissatisfaction and unhappiness through their bond.


    She turned back towards Sulaiman, who was staring at her with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Sulaiman asked.


    Priscilla slowed her horse to a halt because this felt like the type of conversation that was best done face to face.


    ¡°I mean that I am no longer Priscilla Thornewood,¡± Priscilla said carefully, as that was technically the truth. ¡°As of yesterday afternoon, I am now Priscilla Sunscarre and I¡¯m no longer a part of the Thornewood family.¡±


    Sulaiman pulled his horse to a stop, his intense gaze never wavering from hers.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± he asked, something like anger pulling at his lips. ¡°Are you just going to dump all your responsibilities onto Illnyea now, is that it?¡±


    Priscilla couldn¡¯t help the sardonic laugh that escaped her.


    ¡°What responsibilities?¡± Priscilla asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never been trusted with anything more important than my own allowance and Mister Thornewood was more than happy to get me to sign over my inheritance when given the opportunity.¡±


    Sulaiman stared at her uncomprehendingly.


    ¡°Let me put this more simply,¡± Priscilla said, a rueful smile on her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve been disinherited because my parents would rather me go fuck off into the wilderness with a single guard than even consider treating me like their fucking daughter.¡±


    The emotion drained from Sulaiman¡¯s face, though Priscilla could see his eyes flashing as he thought deeply about something. She had a gut-feeling that she knew just what plan he was cooking up and sighed loudly.


    ¡°Are you trying to figure out if you even need to stay with me if I¡¯m no longer a Thornewood?¡± Priscilla asked tiredly. ¡°You¡¯re free to go if you¡¯d like, I only asked for a guard to come with so I wouldn¡¯t be mugged on the road, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine if I make a big enough nuisance of myself.¡±


    Priscilla urged her horse to continue down the path. If Sulaiman chose to turn around, that wasn¡¯t ideal, but her plans had always been flexible. If the stars aligned, Priscilla might encounter an unbound mercenary at one of the rest stations, but trusting them with her life would be hard even if she had enough gold to hire one. She¡¯d just have to go back to her original plan of sneaking in and attempting to take the bandit¡¯s leader captive to make them stand down ¨C all she had to do was get Asha near his jugular and things would unfold from there.


    She held her head up high, trying to hide just how much Sulaiman¡¯s rejection stung. Priscilla understood why, but emotions were illogical things.


    The sound of hoofsteps made Priscilla freeze, trying to not raise her hopes until Sulaiman pulled his horse up next to hers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± Sulaiman said bluntly, ¡°and frankly, I don¡¯t understand you nor do I want to, but I won¡¯t abandon you.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s pesky hope was rising up again and she pushed it down to ask, ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s still enough daylight left so you can return to Meadowyar and wait for Illnyea to return.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about her,¡± Sulaiman said sharply, before taking in another deep breath. ¡°I meant what I said when I won¡¯t abandon you. I¡¯ll escort to wherever the hell you¡¯re going, and then I¡¯ll escort you back home.


    ¡°In return,¡± Sulaiman said, turning to glare at Priscilla, ¡°leave Illnyea out of whatever plan you have cooked up. She doesn¡¯t need you bringing her down.¡±


    The words hurt, hitting harder than Sulaiman probably intended them to, but Priscilla couldn¡¯t bring herself to fault him. He acted this way because he cared about Illnyea and Sulaiman didn¡¯t trust Priscilla to not hurt her.


    ¡°We have ourselves a deal,¡± Priscilla said, maneuvering her horse so she could stick out a hand to shake on it. Sulaiman gave her a look that clearly told her he thought she was an idiot, but shook her hand all the same.


    The rest of the ride to the rest station passed in complete silence, with Priscilla not feeling up to being playful when Asha¡¯s distress was still clear and present in their bond. When Priscilla took a look at the glove, all traces of blood had disappeared.


    The rest station had a small inn and stable, and it didn¡¯t look terribly busy at the moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your pack leave your sight,¡± Sulaiman said as they dismounted. The nagging brought a half-smile to Priscilla¡¯s face, because that was the closest thing he had to a catchphrase. Sulaiman said it often enough during the story the other characters teased him for being so paranoid.


    Priscilla just nodded and they entered the inn, renting two rooms for the price of six silvers, netting Priscilla four pieces of silver after she paid a gold piece. They picked up some dinner from the diner part of the inn for the remaining four pieces and took it upstairs with them on a dining tray.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready at dawn,¡± Priscilla said as they reached their rooms. Sulaiman gave her a look but nodded as he entered his room.


    Priscilla locked the door behind her and set the dinner down onto a table before letting out a loud sigh and rubbing her temples.


    ¡°Why did you cough up blood, master?¡± Asha asked, tone serious. ¡°I know enough about humans to know that blood is supposed to stay on the inside.¡±


    She walked away from the door and tossed her pack carelessly on the bed before sinking onto it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can tell you why,¡± Priscilla said as she stared up at the ceiling, ¡°but you can think of it as a god¡¯s punishment.¡±


    There was a brief jolt of terror from Asha, and then a steady determination.


    ¡°Tell me which god,¡± Asha insisted, ¡°and I will make them pay for their transgressions.¡±


    ¡°Easy there on the murder train, Asha,¡± Priscilla said, unable to help the smile spreading across her lips. Asha was willing to fight a god for her and that was the sort of devotion that was hard to find in life.


    ¡°But, master, please ¨C¡±


    ¡°Hush, Asha,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°there¡¯s no way for you to solve this for me. This is a problem that can be managed, as long as I watch what I say.¡±


    Unhappiness radiated off Asha, but she felt its reluctant acceptance.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m tired as hell after riding all day,¡± Priscilla said, sitting up. ¡°What do you say to me reading you some more of the bestiary while I eat dinner? After that we can go to bed and I¡¯ll read until I fall asleep. Do you remember where we left off?¡±


    Asha was quiet before saying, ¡°We were halfway through amphibians.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Priscilla said as she flipped it open. ¡°So, the three-headed venomous newt¡¯s capabilities are right there in the name. They have three heads that all move independently and each mouth is packed full with venom sacks and way too many sharp teeth, but the most annoying part of them is that their skin is toxic to the touch too¡­¡±

 The Pointy End Goes in Your Enemies

    Before she went to bed last night, Priscilla had pulled back the curtains in her room to try and allow the maximum amount of sunlight to come in, even though they were surrounded by trees.


    Her plan worked, a fortuitous sunbeam breaking through the canopy to slap gently against her eyelids. Priscilla had always been sensitive to light and couldn¡¯t fall asleep if she wasn¡¯t surrounded by complete darkness.


    With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, squinting at the window. The world was still filled with the dusky haze of early morning. It may not have been dawn exactly, but it was pretty damn close.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Asha chirped.


    Priscilla mumbled something that was almost coherent as she rolled out of bed. Her body was sore, especially her thighs, and she began to go through her normal stretch routine to help ease the pain and to give her mind enough time to shake off the cobwebs of sleep.


    By the time Priscilla looked at herself in the mirror, her body felt limber and loose. She quickly combed the knots out and tied her hair up with the same green ribbon from yesterday. Her outfit was nothing impressive, being a near identical copy from yesterday¡¯s just with a warm yellow shirt. Again, Priscilla debated about putting on the armor as well before deciding that she¡¯d start wearing it tomorrow. She wanted to give Sulaiman one more day to get used to her before springing yet another change on him.


    A knock at the door revealed one of the inn¡¯s workers with a basin of water to wash up in and the offer to fetch breakfast, both of which Priscilla accepted gratefully. She splashed some water on her face to fully refresh herself and rinse out her mouth. Breakfast was a hearty porridge and an apple, both of which were scarfed down though Priscilla found herself already missing Bella¡¯s cooking.


    There was nothing left to do except double check her pack and go fetch Sulaiman. She didn¡¯t know how seriously he took her words from last night, but she suspected that he had to be awake by now.


    She knocked three times on his door and waited.


    The sight that greeted her when he opened her door was one that had Priscilla reminding herself to not ogle her traveling companion, no matter how unfairly attractive he may be. Sulaiman¡¯s hair had a few water droplets falling off it and he looked as if he had been in the middle of getting ready. He had trousers on, but his shirt was unlaced and had his well toned chest on unintentional display. Sulaiman¡¯s eyes were wide as he came to an abrupt stop, as if her appearance had shocked him.


    ¡°I thought I told you we¡¯re getting ready at dawn,¡± Priscilla said wryly, glancing at his bare feet rather than his unlaced shirt. She just raised both eyebrows and was fascinated to see a dark flush on his cheeks before he shut down his expression. He firmly shut the door closed in her face and she chuckled.


    She only had to wait a few minutes before Sulaiman came out clad in full armor and his pack swung across his back. He didn¡¯t acknowledge her at all as he stalked down the stairs and Priscilla rolled her eyes. Nineteen-year-olds were some of the biggest drama queens, no matter what universe they may be from.


    Their ride began in silence once more, Sulaiman¡¯s gaze never wavering from staring directly ahead of him. He didn¡¯t seem to be in the talking mood which sucked because Priscilla definitely was. She desperately just wanted to yap away with Asha, talking about everything and nothing to pass the time, but Sulaiman would definitely want to know where she got a sentient artifact from and frankly, she didn¡¯t have any type of answer to give him. Her best guess is that somehow the original had ties with the cult, but how that happened was anyone¡¯s guess.


    Priscilla lasted one and a half hours before watching the scenery became too mundane. She could only look at the same type of flowers for so long before they all started to blur together.


    ¡°Is this normally how you travel?¡± Priscilla asked, sliding a glance to her companion. ¡°Brooding in silence the whole time?¡±


    His eyes narrowed but he didn¡¯t look away from ahead of him. Priscilla rolled her eyes at his stubbornness.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t chat with me,¡± Priscilla said lightly with a threatening smile, ¡°then I will start singing to stave off the boredom.¡±


    Sulaiman remained silent for sixty seconds (Priscilla counted), so she began to hum. This body¡¯s voice didn¡¯t actually sound too bad, somewhere around a mezzo-soprano if she was recalling things correctly. She only helped out with the choir club for a semester because she weedled out a promise from their president to do perform some of the tavern songs from TDE in exchange for designing costumes for their winter performances. The president happily took the bargain and though she didn¡¯t listen attentively when he chatted her ear off, some of the choir knowledge did work its way into her brain because she was around it so much.


    Priscilla may never be a professional singer, but it seemed she could at least carry a tune, and the only song that was coming to mind that might not make her cough up blood was those very same tavern tunes she forced the choir into singing, and were incidentally one of the few things that annoyed Sulaiman with a burning passion. She tapped out the beat with her finger and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Oh, you can search far and wide for many a year,¡± Priscilla sang, just loud enough to carry to Sulaiman but not disturb the wildlife, ¡°and you¡¯ll never find a lass quite like Dinah! Oh, she¡¯s quick on her feet to give you a beer, but that bitter taste can¡¯t compare to her sweet v¨C¡±


    ¡°We just talk as we ride,¡± Sulaiman said stiffly, cutting her off before she could get to the dirty part of the chorus.


    ¡°Is there anything in particular you¡¯d care to talk about?¡± Priscilla asked, trying to not smile like the cat who caught the canary to come out and play.


    He glared at her for a long moment but sighed and spoke when Priscilla took another deep breath to pick up where she left off.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get that dagger from?¡± Sulaiman asked, throwing Priscilla off with the unexpected question. She turned to look down at the dagger the mother had given her, having forgotten about it once she adjusted to its weight.


    ¡°Mistress Thornewood said something about a woman traveling alone will face danger and gave it to me before I left.¡±


    Sulaiman eyed it with suspicion. ¡°Do you even know how to use that?¡±


    ¡°Stab the pointy end in your enemies,¡± Priscilla said confidently and let out a peal of laughter at the outraged face Sulaiman gave her.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t keep weapons you don¡¯t know how to use on your person,¡± he said stiffly. ¡°You put yourself and others in danger if you use it improperly.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    That was a good point and echoed the sentiment of some of her MMA teacher¡¯s lessons about not trying out new techniques in the midst of battle.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Priscilla said and ignored the shock in his eyes at that admission. ¡°How are you supposed to use a dagger?¡±


    It took a moment for Sulaiman to recover from his shock to realize she asked him a question.


    ¡°Are you using it for defensive purposes or offensive?¡±


    ¡°Both probably.¡±


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t try to use it offensively until you¡¯ve handled it enough that you won¡¯t stab yourself just by holding it,¡± Sulaiman said, his voice full of judgment, ¡°but if you do decide to make the dumb decision to do so, then focus on keeping the blade pointed away from your body. If you want to keep the blade functional, don¡¯t try to stab anyone because it could get caught on bone and it will require you to commit enough power behind the strike to get through flesh and muscle; novices tend to overextend themselves and get punished quickly by their opponents.¡±


    Priscilla tried to keep the smile off her face as she listened to his lecture because it reminded her of all the times Sulaiman tried to hammer in the importance of safety into the party, but she didn¡¯t quite succeed and he caught it, gaze narrowing again.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a laughing matter,¡± Sulaiman said. ¡°If you act like a fool around a blade, you¡¯ll end up dead.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    Sulaiman glared at her.


    ¡°Really, I do get it,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°and I am taking you seriously, though it may not seem like it. I didn¡¯t bring this dagger to play around with, it was thrust upon me and I do appreciate you taking the time to give me some tips on how not to gut myself.¡±


    That seemed to take some of the angry wind out of his sails.


    Sulaiman looked away, frowning and falling into silence again.


    Priscilla really did try to accept that he seemed to be done talking but after five minutes of complete silence, she broke again.


    ¡°If you keep frowning so hard,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°your face will get stuck like that.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a look that told her just what he thought about that.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how that works,¡± he said derisively.


    ¡°So you say,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°but have you ever seen those really old men that have a frown permanently etched into their eyebrows?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Sulaiman stared at her like she was some sort of exotic and repulsive creature. ¡°Each time you open your mouth, I¡¯m baffled by your stupidity.¡±


    Priscilla laughed and gave him a big smile.


    ¡°I gotta keep you on your toes,¡± Priscilla said and Sulaiman let out a deep sigh.


    The rest of the day continued like that, with Priscilla drawing Sulaiman into a conversation even if the main thing he did was insult her intelligence and poke holes in her arguments. It was toed the line of friendly banter and straight up insults but Priscilla took it in stride ¨C just having him talk to her instead of spending the entire time in silence helped time pass by more quickly.


    They arrived at the next rest station just a few minutes before dusk truly fell. This rest station was in the middle of a large clearing that was extremely busy with several wagons parked next to the inn. Priscilla admired the night¡¯s sky as they rode up, staring at the two moons high above. The larger of the moon was called Lepta and the smaller moon was called Signa. Priscilla recalled there was a fable in this world of two sisters who had to run away from their home, fleeing to the sky so that they could never be separated again. She made a mental note to find that tale in a book sometime so she could read it to Asha.


    The stable was full and the inn busy as Priscilla and Sulaiman pushed their way to the innkeeper.


    ¡°Two rooms please,¡± Priscilla said once she had the innkeeper¡¯s attention.


    The innkeeper checked his books and grimaced.


    ¡°We only have one available right now,¡± he said apologetically.


    ¡°Is there a couch in the room? And can we get an additional blanket?¡±


    The man nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it,¡± Priscilla said, paying the man before Sulaiman could get a word in edgewise. She took the room key and all but dragged Sulaiman through the crowd and up the stairs, where it was slightly less crowded.


    She sighed when she felt Sulaiman¡¯s gaze on her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°we¡¯re not going to share a bed. I¡¯ll sleep on the couch or the floor if the couch¡¯s shit, though you will have to give up a pillow in return for my magnanimous sacrifice.¡±


    She opened up their door and walked in quickly, Sulaiman following her at a more moderate pace. The room was bigger than the last one she stayed in and was in an odd L-like shape.


    To Priscilla¡¯s delight, the couch didn¡¯t look too uncomfortable.


    ¡°You should take the bed,¡± Sulaiman said as he closed the door. ¡°You paid for the room.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh,¡± Priscilla said, waving her hand to dismiss the idea. ¡°You¡¯re the one who has to be in tip-top shape if we encounter any trouble on the road.¡±


    She put her pack down on the floor and looked back to Sulaiman, who was just staring at her with confusion again, though it was more subdued than earlier.


    ¡°You do owe me a pillow though,¡± Priscilla said, hands on her hips, ¡°preferably a very comfortable one. That¡¯s non-negotiable.¡±


    Something almost like a smile graced Sulaiman¡¯s lips, softening his face.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, walking to the bed and tossing one in her direction. Priscilla caught it with her face and thought it was sufficiently fluffy, so she tossed it on the couch.


    She identified where the nearest window was and checked her compass before Priscilla began to push the couch. It was pretty damn heavy but she managed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sulaiman asked.


    ¡°To wake with the sun,¡± Priscilla grunted as she pushed the couch the last inch she needed, ¡°it needs to actively annoy me.¡±


    She dusted off her hands, satisfied with the placement.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous?¡± Priscilla offered with a smile. ¡°I know. Want to go eat dinner now?¡±


    He kept staring for half a moment longer before sighing and nodding. The dinner at this inn was adequate considering just how many people it was trying to feed. The highlight of the meal was the small slice of apple pie Priscilla snatched. It was the last available and she was so glad she was quicker than the granny who had been going for it. She gave the woman a shrug and got a glare in return.


    ¡°Stealing from your elders?¡± Sulaiman said in a deadpan voice. ¡°You stoop to new lows.¡±


    Priscilla stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°It didn¡¯t have her name on it, it was still fair game.¡±


    Sulaiman rolled his eyes and they finished their meal quickly to get out of the mass of people.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed for bed over here,¡± Priscilla said, taking her nightgown to what she thought might be intended to be a reading nook around the L bend. Priscilla herself didn¡¯t have any problems with being nude around others, as she did work in the fashion industry after all, but she knew that not everyone shared that some comfortability with nudity. Certainly not Sulaiman, anyhow.


    ¡°You should get dressed too,¡± Priscilla called out as she began to strip. She changed quickly and began a few cool down stretches as she listened to the sounds of Sulaiman rummaging through his clothes. She would not be one to initiate the whole ¡®accidentally¡¯ stumbling onto someone changing trope, no siree, not her. While she waited, she shifted her clothing around on the floor to hide her whisper to Asha, asking it to change into something less noticeable. Asha decided on a thin, almost translucent glove.


    She gave him a few minutes before calling, ¡°You done?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Priscilla tucked her dirty clothes into the pack and hid her right hand from Sulaiman best she could. She couldn''t risk talking with Asha or asking Asha to change forms from a rock to glove with him in the room, so Priscilla quickly tucked herself under the extra blanket one of the workers had brought up while they were at dinner so Sulaiman wouldn¡¯t ask her why she was wearing a glove to bed. Her body was tired after riding all day and surrounding herself by steady warmth already had her eyelids drooping.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed to bed now,¡± Priscilla said as she shifted on the couch to get comfortable, ¡°sleep well.¡±


    It may have been her overactive imagination and the haziness of sleep taking over that made the world fuzzy, but Priscilla thought that she may have heard Sulaiman say it back.

 Headache? I think you mean an Ice Pick to the Brain

    Unfortunately for Priscilla, the next day when she woke up to the sun on her face, there was definitely a painful crick in her neck. She slowly sat up, rolling her neck carefully to try and stretch the sore muscle. Priscilla would probably have to sleep on a flat surface for the next few days to get rid of it fully, so Priscilla resigned herself to the pain accompanying her until they reached Kavil¡¯s village.


    The beginning of a headache was throbbing behind her eyes and Priscilla preemptively drained an entire water pouch in the hope that the headache stayed small and wouldn¡¯t bloom into a full blown migraine. She was no stranger to headaches appearing for no discernible reason other than to make her day harder, and it seemed that she couldn''t escape that even in a new body.


    Sulaiman looked peaceful as he slept, his face no longer donning his habitual frown. The peacefulness didn¡¯t last long as he began to stir when Priscilla stood up. He froze when he looked at her and she raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Morning, sleeping beauty,¡± she said, grabbing her pack and putting it over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll change over there again, so shake yourself awake and get dressed yourself.¡±


    Priscilla got dressed quickly and finally put on the armor, securing it snugly in place. She would have to get used to wearing it before she wore it into battle, Sulaiman¡¯s lecture from yesterday echoing in her ears. Her head throbbed each time she bent at the waist and she hoped it wasn¡¯t an omen of what was to come.


    There were still sounds of movement from Sulaiman, so Priscilla pulled out a piece of jerky and began to chew on it as she leaned against the wall. If she could get breakfast out of the way now, then they could get an earlier start on the day.


    Priscilla let her thoughts drift back to the bestiary she had been reading with Asha and wondered when she¡¯d get the next chance to read it again. Learning about the different types of creatures in this world was truly fascinating, especially with how in depth the book went, detailing their habitats, food sources, and even their most common predators if available. It was everything that Priscilla wanted in a book and it had the added benefit of the knowledge potentially being useful depending on where her travels took her.


    The background sounds paused, and suddenly Sulaiman was there, staring down at her incredulously.


    ¡°Are you eating jerky?¡±


    Priscilla gave him a flat look that said she doubted his intelligence if he was asking such an obvious question. She took another big bite of jerky to prove her point and tossed her pack over her back.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Priscilla asked, less jovial than she was normally with this stupid headache. It took a moment for Sulaiman to respond, his eyes lingering on her armor with a furrowed brow before he nodded.


    ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s leave immediately,¡± Priscilla said, brushing past him. ¡°Get yourself a quick breakfast and I¡¯ll meet you by the stable.¡±


    The noise level in the inn had not lessened overnight and seemed to be packed with even more people in the light of day, making Priscilla¡¯s headache hurt like a bitch. She dodged the other patrons and finally made it to the horses, getting them ready as quickly as her headache allowed.


    Sulaiman showed up a few minutes later, a sandwich in hand and a pair of apples shoved under his arm. He glared at her for a moment before tossing an apple at her. Priscilla barely managed to catch it, the damn fruit nearly falling three times before she actually got a steady grip, though that was mostly because she caught it between her arm and chest.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Priscilla said wryly before taking a big bite out of it. She mounted the horse and they made their way through the chaos around the inn. Her head did not appreciate the sounds of people yelling for their companions to get a move on, nor did it enjoy the sudden stops and starts to avoid other traveler¡¯s preparations to leave. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving the forest tonight,¡± Priscilla said once they were on the trail again and she could hear her own thoughts again, ¡°but we¡¯ll have to keep breaks to a minimum if we want to make it to a town before sundown.¡±


    Sulaiman grunted his acknowledgement and that was that. Priscilla didn¡¯t have the energy to carry a conversation again, her headache aggravated by the horse¡¯s steady cadence. She tried to ignore the pain and just keep focused on the road ahead of them.


    She kept herself focused by thinking of the journey they had ahead of them. Once they left the forest, it¡¯d be another hour until they reached the town of Barrowton. After Barrowton, they¡¯d begin heading in a south-eastern direction towards the city of Grazda, and after Grazda, there¡¯d be no more places to stay until they reached Kavil¡¯s village. Then they¡¯d deal with the bandits and everything would be hunky-dory.


    When she was done with the travel plans, Priscilla tried to focus on the types of beasts that might be in the area they should be on the lookout for. They had only gotten through the amphibian section in the book, but Priscilla knew from the original story that Dappled Hyenas could be menaces and tended to use the natural camouflage of their fur to ambush their prey in the forest environments.


    Her brain began to throb as she tried to think too hard.


    Priscilla rubbed between her eyes to try and alleviate the tension, mourning the world where she could just pop a few Excedrin and be done with it. But, alas, this world relied primarily on magic, potions, and herbal medicine to heal your ailments, and Priscilla was fresh out of any of those remedies.


    She glanced at Sulaiman, who kept his gaze on the road ahead of them, as he had done for the few hours they¡¯d been traveling. He didn¡¯t seem to be sore at all, but she wanted to check in with him just in case. Priscilla knew that she had said to minimize breaks, but she could make an exception.


    ¡°Hey, Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°are you sore at all?¡±


    His eyes flickered to her and then back to the road.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t ride this long without complaining,¡± he said sharply, ¡°perhaps you shouldn¡¯t have decided to travel.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s eye twitched at his sudden combativeness.


    ¡°Guess I worried for nothing,¡± Priscilla muttered, ¡°glad you¡¯re doing so fucking swell.¡±


    They continued in silence and Priscilla didn¡¯t have it in her to attempt anymore conversation. Despite hydrating and keeping her gaze away from bright lights, the headache kept steadily building in intensity and the pain made her frown almost constantly. She had dealt with migraines before, but combining that with trying to ride a horse, made life supremely shitty right now.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Priscilla looked at Sulaiman tiredly and only regretted it a little when the pain behind her eyes throbbed. He didn¡¯t follow the word with anything again and she just sighed, wishing Sulaiman would just¡­


    ¡°Spit it out,¡± she said, the words coming out harsher than she intended.


    Sulaiman¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Where are we going? Why travel so far if you¡¯re so uncomfortable?¡±


    Priscilla thought they had left this conversation behind on the first day, but she guessed she wasn¡¯t that lucky.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get there,¡± she repeated once more, head throbbing.


    Sulaiman was unhappy with that answer, glaring at her.


    ¡°By your estimate, we¡¯ll be over halfway there by tomorrow,¡± he said, voice tightly controlled. ¡°Why not just tell me? I¡¯m sure I can think of a better path ¨C¡±


    ¡°I said no,¡± Priscilla said and Sulaiman recoiled at her tone. ¡°You may not want to believe I know anything, but I do know the most direct route to our destination. I¡¯m not discussing this anymore.¡±


    She turned forward and hoped that he would take the hint and drop it.


    ¡°Pris¨C¡±


    Asha squeezed twice on her hand, panic surging through the bond.


    Priscilla pulled the horse to an abrupt halt, making Sulaiman curse as he pulled the reins back roughly as well.


    They stopped just in time to miss the giant glob of murky purple liquid hit the ground in front of them that sizzled and burned ominously. A monster came crashing through the trees moments later, skidding to a halt just ten feet away.


    A fifteen foot tall toad-like monster with wicked sharp claws digging into the ground in front of it, slicing through the packed dirt like butter. Its focus was entirely on them as it turned to face them head-on, opening its mouth wide. A tongue coated with that very same purple liquid darted out of its mouth, coming straight for Priscilla.

 Priscillas Very Bad, No Good Day Part 1

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Priscilla exclaimed as she nearly fell off the horse trying to dodge the tongue, pain radiating through her head. Her mind raced as she tried to identify the creature that assailed them. It had dark blue-green skin with light gray splotches across it, with everything covered in a slimy layer of mucus ¨C it had four limbs, with the front two having sharp claws and the back two being wide and flat. It spit some sort of poisonous substance, with a high likelihood of it being corrosive based on how the ground began to steam.


    ¡°Dammit girl, think, think,¡± Priscilla whispered as Sulaiman dismounted, pulling his sword out the sheath and raising his shield between him and the monster. Nothing that would be in the Emerald Forest matched this creature¡¯s appearance so she just switched focus on the creatures from the bestiary, hoping that this one was one of the few she read about.


    Sulaiman kept the three foot puddle of poison between him and the monster as he murmured a phrase that had pinpricks of pain crawling up Priscilla¡¯s arm. Fire blazed into life along his sword and the toad let out an angry croak, focusing on Sulaiman.


    Claws, poison, hates fire¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a Gorelock Toad!¡± Priscilla called out as she pulled sharply at the reins to try and keep the panicking horse in line. The toad was from the Heinlein Fens and that begged the question of what the fuck it was doing here in the Emerald Forest.


    But there was no time for speculation as the toad let out another spray of poison towards Sulaiman. Sulaiman dashed to the edge of the road to dodge before rushing the monster, his sword swinging in an arc that left an angry, cauterized wound on the toad¡¯s side, cutting through the thick mucus covering it.


    The toad bellowed and took a swipe at Sulaiman with its claws. He was able to just barely deflect the blow with his shield, though it left a large groove against the metal.


    Priscilla¡¯s mind raced to remember the weaknesses that the book had mentioned. Fire was one of them, because the toad¡¯s natural predators were Firebog Wolves. The wolves usually killed the toads quickly and efficiently because Gorelock Toads traveled in packs.


    With only Sulaiman available to fight the toad, they couldn¡¯t afford a long drawn out fight and risk the other members of this toad¡¯s pack arriving before this one was dealt with. There was one other weakness that could be exploited however, a pesky fact of biology that would work for them.


    ¡°Aim for the back of the head, at a darker patch!¡± Priscilla shouted as Sulaiman dodged another swipe. ¡°Get that and the fight¡¯s over!¡±


    The darker patch indicated where the toad stored excess poison and served as a last line of defense to get a pyrrhic victory for the toad in case anything tried to bite it from behind to kill it. While the toads were largely immune to the poison¡¯s effects due to their mucus, the same thing didn¡¯t apply to their inner organs, and, most importantly, their brain, which happened to be close by.


    Sulaiman didn¡¯t appear to hear her as he took another swipe of his sword before getting out of range of the claws. The hit was shallower this time and the toad lunged forward, trying to swallow Sulaiman whole.


    Priscilla gasped in fear, but Sulaiman used the opportunity to cut the toad¡¯s lips as he ran to the side. The toad rear back in pain and anger as dark green blood leaked from the wound.


    ¡°Sulaiman, get behind it to get the head!¡± Priscilla said as the toad¡¯s attention refocused on the easier target available ¨C her.


    The tongue shot out again, but this time its momentum was arrested when Sulaiman brought his sword down and cleanly cut through it. The fleshy appendage fell uselessly into the puddle of poison, the blood leaking from it starting to dissolve as it dripped down.


    Sulaiman made no moves to get behind the toad and Priscilla cursed him under her breath, trying to figure out any way that she could be helpful. If this was a human opponent or something smaller, maybe she could be of use, but for a monster of this size, Priscilla knew that she would be a hindrance if she tried to get close.


    A sheath bumped against her hip and Priscilla suddenly remembered the dagger the mother gave her.


    She didn¡¯t dare look away as the toad¡¯s claws raked against Sulaiman¡¯s shield again, the sound of metal tearing screeching through the air., but her fingers moved with purpose as she pulled the dagger into her palm. Priscilla had only ever thrown knives at renaissance fairies and daggers weren¡¯t the same things, but she was low on options.


    Her horse didn¡¯t want to stay in one place, its eyes going wide with panic, but Priscilla tightened her thighs and tangled her left hand in the reins.


    The toad seemed to be gearing up to lob more poison at Sulaiman at point blank range. It was now or never.


    Priscilla took a deep breath in, clearing her mind and pushing away the pain that plagued her brain and made her vision fuzzy. She brought her arm back, and felt her grip get adjusted by Asha before she whipped it forward with as much force as she could muster.


    The dagger flew from her hands, heading straight for the toad.


    It struck true, even better than Priscilla had dared to hope for.


    The dagger sunk deep into the toad¡¯s eye. The poison the toad had gathered fell uselessly out of its mouth as it let out another bellowing croak of rage.


    For the first time since the fight began, Sulaiman looked back at her, his eyes wide in surprise.


    ¡°Get the back of its fucking head!¡±


    Sulaiman snapped out of whatever made him stop and it seemed this time, he was willing to listen. He dodged around the flailing claws into the toad¡¯s new blindspot, his legs quickly bringing him behind the damn toad.


    The same strange prickle of pain went through Priscilla¡¯s body before Sulaiman used a nearby tree as a springboard to jump at the back of the head, his sword faithfully sinking into where it needed to go.


    The toad did not have a death cry, its remaining eye going glassy almost immediately as it slumped over. Sulaiman leaped off the toad¡¯s back as it twitched a few final times, shaking the last of the mucus and poison off his sword as the flames died.


    Priscilla was breathing heavily, despite not having down much of the fighting. Her pulse was racing and her hands were shaking as she hesitantly tried to make her way towards the beast. The horse did not want to get much closer, so Priscilla was forced to dismount, tying the reins roughly around a nearby bush. She kept a wary ear out for the signs of more toads making their way through the forest, but heard nothing. Maybe this was just a lone toad after all, though that went against everything she knew about it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Sulaiman had retrieved a cloth from his pack and was wiping his sword down with a look of disgust.


    ¡°Sulaiman, can you burn the corpse?¡± Priscilla asked as she came up next to it. ¡°And the poison?¡±


    Firebog Wolves liked to play with Gorelock Toads before killing them because they and the poison they spat burned so well.


    He paused in movements, before looking up at her, his face in that same carefully blank look.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Priscilla took in a deep breath to control her first instinct to yell at him to stop asking unnecessary questions.


    ¡°A corpse of this size will attract larger monsters,¡± Priscilla said in her most neutral voice, ¡°and the poison will fuck up the ecology of this place.¡±


    ¡°Scavengers will eat the corpse,¡± Sulaiman said.


    ¡°If any scavengers eat this, they¡¯d be too stupid to live, but that¡¯s not the fucking point,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°If we leave this corpse here and the poison it spat out alone, then this trail will not longer be passable because there will be no fucking trail left.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s stare remained impassive, like he didn¡¯t care. Priscilla stared back at the obstinate man and back to the cooling body and felt a hot flash of anger. Something obviously shit in Sulaiman¡¯s cereal this morning and he decided to become an obstacle today rather than an asset.


    ¡°If you would please accept my humble request,¡± Priscilla said through gritted teeth, ¡°and burn the corpse and poison, I would be extremely grateful.¡±


    Because she was looking for any sort of reaction, Priscilla saw the slight upward tilt of his lips that told her he was enjoying seeing her beg.


    She stared for another long moment before turning on her heel to get back to her horse. She rifled through her pack until she found the flint and steel she requested from Hans.


    Priscilla roughly grabbed some dead grass near the side of the road and stalked back to the toad. Since it had fallen over, she was able to reach and pull the dagger out, which was so fucking gross now, covered in a mix of blood, mucus, and whatever the fuck an eye was made of.


    She dropped her fistful of grass next to the corpse and knelt next to it, ignoring how the pain in her head flared with each beat of her heart.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sulaiman asked.


    She ignored him and tried out the flint and steel. The first attempt was a failure, mainly due to the bulkiness of the leather glove proving hard to maneuver the pieces into their proper place. Priscilla pulled off her left glove and tried again. This time got sparks, but none stuck around. She took a slow breath in and tried again.


    Finally, the grass started to burn. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start, and then ¨C


    The same, hot staticky pain ran down Priscilla¡¯s front, making her fall back onto her elbows at the unexpectedness of it.


    The corpse was consumed in flames, burning hot and bright, the smell of burning flesh rising through the air. There was a sound of another fire starting behind her.


    She could only stare as the fire burned hotter, melting down the corpse until little more than ashes remained.


    ¡°There,¡± Sulaiman said from behind her, ¡°I did it. Can we move on now?¡±


    Anger began to win over pain and common sense as she pushed herself to her feet.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just fucking listen the first time I say shit?¡± Priscilla growled as she stared at the ashes in front of her.


    ¡°¡®I¡¯m not discussing this anymore.¡¯¡±


    ¡­


    That was what this was about?


    Alright, she was done with this bullshit.


    She spun around sharply, Priscilla¡¯s face pulled into a snarl as she stepped into his space, startling him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t listen to me just because I told you no?¡± Priscilla spat. ¡°Really? What a fucking childish thing to do ¨C you could have gotten us both fucking killed by pulling this shit!¡±


    ¡°You¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth.¡± Priscilla hissed. ¡°I gave you a chance to deal with the corpse and poison because it¡¯s the right fucking thing to do, and what do you do? Make me scramble to find another solution because you couldn¡¯t stop being an ass for a moment to realize that this wasn¡¯t some inane request I had ¨C I asked you to burn it all because this entire forest and any traveler going through it would be fucked otherwise.¡±


    She felt Asha¡¯s anger burning with hers as she jammed her finger against his armor.


    ¡°What if I hadn¡¯t gotten out of the way in time?¡± Priscilla asked, voice low and harsh. ¡°Would you just say, ¡®whoops, my fucking bad that I left you permanently disfigured because the nearest fucking healer is tens of miles away?¡¯¡±


    Priscilla wanted to deck him so bad, so, so fucking bad. A flash of something went through Sulaiman¡¯s eyes but she couldn¡¯t see well through the anger or pain.


    ¡°What do you think this temper tantrum was going to accomplish? I may be the heinous bitch, but at least I can behave myself.¡±


    Sulaiman took a step backwards at the venom in her tone and she took one forward, not allowing him to flee. She was going to get the fucking point hammered in that stupid skull of his.


    ¡°I know you hate me and would rather me leave this plane of existence,¡± Priscilla said slowly, forcing him to look her in the eyes, ¡°but is it really so fucking hard to accept that you aren¡¯t entitled to knowledge just because you want to have it. There are things that you¡¯ll never know and you can¡¯t just be a goddamned child each time you¡¯re told no.¡±


    The sudden silence when she finished speaking was resounding, only the sound of both of their harsh breathing piercing it.


    Priscilla let her words fully sink in before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your voice for the rest of the fucking day.¡±


    There was a moment where he did nothing, but then Sulaiman opened his mouth to say, ¡°I¨C¡±


    Priscilla shoved him.


    He hadn¡¯t been expecting that and fell to the ground, staring up at her incredulously.


    ¡°Go on then, keep talking to spite me,¡± Priscilla said, feeling oddly detached, like she was only a passenger in her body. ¡°I¡¯ve always been interested in learning how long it¡¯d take me to rip the balls off a man with my bare hands.¡±


    Making good on that threat would be impossible and just envisioning being that violent to Sulaiman actually made her stomach turn over, but she was tired and done and wanted him shut the fuck up by any means necessary.


    Sulaiman paled to a color that was alarming with his skin tone but Priscilla couldn¡¯t bring herself to care as the pain in her head intensified to where she could barely see. This fucking headache was the most fucking annoying thing in the world, and she was willing to take an ice pick to the brain to make it stop.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve made myself pretty fucking clear,¡± Priscilla said softly once she composed herself enough to speak. ¡°Talk to me again today, and you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    Priscilla clumsily gathered up her firestarter and her slimy dagger, wiping it carelessly against her pants. Blindly, she shoved everything into her pack and mounted her horse. She trusted the horse to keep her on the path and it set off at a brisk pace, clearly wanting to leave this area behind. She didn¡¯t wait for Sulaiman to get up.


    He caught up in a few minutes and was smart enough to keep his damn mouth shut.


    All Priscilla wanted to do was crawl into her bed under the covers and sleep for a week so this fucking headache would just go away. She wanted to lay ice across her eyes and make them so numb that they didn¡¯t feel like a part of her anymore.


    But she couldn¡¯t do that.


    Though they may not know it themselves, people¡¯s lives depended on Priscilla getting to the end of this journey as fast as possible.


    So Priscilla focused all of her energy into staying upright in the saddle. She trusted Asha to warn her if there was another toad out there, and that Sulaiman would deal with the creature should it show up again now that he knew how to end the fight quickly.


    They eventually took a short break to give the horses a brief rest. Priscilla deliberately didn¡¯t look at Sulaiman, trying to keep her temper from flaring up again. She normally intensely felt her emotions, but experiencing constant pain like this migraine always made her short-tempered and wanting to lash out. If she had the option, Priscilla would go somewhere quiet and away from Sulaiman¡¯s presence to take an hour to recombobulate herself, but that was a luxury she didn¡¯t have time to daydream about.


    The only thing she could do was keep moving forward and hope that they encountered no more fucking complications.

 Priscillas Very Bad, No Good Day part 2

    They exited the Emerald Forest as the sun began to sink down the horizon, and by the time they made it to Barrowton and located the nearest inn, night had fallen completely. Before they entered, Priscilla pasted a customer service smile onto her face. People liked politeness and that¡¯s about all she could manage right now.


    And with her fucking luck, there was only one room available again. The innkeeper shifted uncomfortably as Priscilla just stared at him with a blank smile for a long moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Priscilla said. She paid the man and snatched the key before walking up the stairs, her pack resting heavy against her back. She opened the door with a little more force than was needed and set her pack onto the couch, ending the argument about the sleeping arrangement before it could even begin. Priscilla had been proven right, after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat,¡± Priscilla murmured as she walked past Sulaiman, not looking at him once. Her pants were filthy with the stink of gore and mucus, but she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to care as she walked into the dining area of the inn.


    She nearly turned right around as she approached it. The noise of the customers wasn¡¯t deafening, but there were a lot of people here and they were all talking, so the conversations layered over each other and made everyone talk a little louder than normal.


    Priscilla grit her teeth as her stomach growled. She armed herself with a strained smile and entered, ignoring just how many eyes in the room turned to her. There was a man behind a small station that looked like it served drinks, so she made a beeline there.


    The man¡¯s eyebrows rose as she approached but he didn¡¯t say anything besides, ¡°What can I do for you, miss?¡±


    He gestured to a menu she had missed in her approach. Priscilla ordered a simple meal of the soup of the day before hesitating. There were several types of teas and alcohols available to order, but that wasn¡¯t quite what she wanted.


    ¡°Do you have anything that would help with a nasty headache?¡± she asked, turning a pleading look to the worker. He paused, cocking his head before nodding. He relayed her order to the cooks before he brought out a steaming drink of¡­ something. It smelled like an unholy mixture of a floral tea and a latte of all things, and looked like neither as it thickly sloshed around the cup.


    He didn¡¯t elaborate and she didn¡¯t have enough energy to ask. She¡¯d take any solution at this point.


    Priscilla took her meal and drink to an unoccupied table and sat down heavily, hoping that a nice, quiet meal would help make her feel better and less like the hulk waiting for someone to put a toe out of line.


    She really should stop hoping for things.


    Someone slid into the chair across from her, and Priscilla wondered, just for a moment, why me? Are you fucking with me, god of cowards?


    Nevertheless, she raised her eyes up from the soup that was calling her name and took stock of the person who chose to bother her. It was a stocky young man with an air of confidence and expectation, his smile widening when she met his gaze. He had some friends sitting at the table behind him, and another uninvited guest chose to join, a dark haired man that slid into the chair next to the first.


    Priscilla wanted to tell them to fuck off, but she stayed her tongue because if she offended the wrong person, she might just start a bar fight she would quickly lose in her current state. She couldn¡¯t afford to get seriously injured because she was on a strict timeline, so Priscilla just looked at her uninvited guest because he was the one who interrupted, so he would be the one to start this conversation.


    ¡°Hey there,¡± the man said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to bother you, but I saw when you arrived and I had a few questions I wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point,¡± Priscilla said, her tone short. She wished she could zap the food directly into her stomach and skip all human interaction.


    The two men exchanged a look and she mentally dubbed them annoying Pest A and B.


    ¡°Well, we were wondering why your companion hadn¡¯t joined you,¡± annoying Pest A said.


    ¡°We have been traveling together all day, and we¡¯re allowing each other some reprieve from each other¡¯s presence. We¡¯re both looking forward to resting well tonight.¡±


    There was no way in hell that she was going to tell this pest anything, or even hint at any sort of conflict. That was just begging for them to ask more questions and waste even more of her time. They ought to get the hint to leave her alone.


    But instead there was something that bloomed in Pest A¡¯s eyes that Priscilla didn¡¯t like, something cruel and smug.


    ¡°Well,¡± Pest A drawled, ¡°I¡¯m impressed you managed to spend the entire day with a Muloian. Having a savage like that hovering over my shoulder the whole time¡­ I¡¯d be hard pressed to stay sane myself.¡±


    All annoyance fled from Priscilla as she took in their words and realized what these fuckers were trying to do, the stupid fucking reason they decided bother her to make her shitty day even worse. A deep and burning rage filled her, making her hands twitch with violence as the very little self-control she had left disappeared like it never existed.


    ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Priscilla spat, slamming her hands on the table as she stood. Some of the soup spilled over the side of the rim and the sudden action made her head pound, but it was worth it to see the startled looks on Pest A and B¡¯s face as they jerked backwards.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you thought it was a good idea to come over here,¡± Priscilla said slowly, letting venom sink into every word as she leaned towards them, ¡°but I don¡¯t take kindly to hearing you spew racist bullshit as if it¡¯s the natural order of things.¡±


    Pest A recovered enough to speak. ¡°I just wanted to check in because I was worried ¨C¡±


    ¡°About who?¡± Priscilla asked derisively. ¡°Me? You don¡¯t even know my name and I certainly don¡¯t care about your supposed ¡®worry¡¯ when it''s steeped in prejudice.¡±


    Pest A wet his lips and Pest B jumped to his rescue, something wild in his eyes.


    ¡°You know how Muloians are with Kavendash women,¡± Pest B said, ¡°and what they do ¨C¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a fucking dumbass,¡± Priscilla said loudly and enunciating the last two syllables slowly so these pair of dumbasses could understand the sheer amount of contempt she had for them. Pests A and B¡¯s faces went white and red respectively, with Pest B seeming like he was gathering the energy to go on a racist tirade. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°You ¨C¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cunt and a moron,¡± Priscilla spoke over Pest B, sneering at the pathetic man, ¡°and you¡¯re not a quarter of the man my companion is, and, hell, he has more honor in his pinky toe than you do in your entire body. He doesn¡¯t deserve to have shitstains like you accusing him of being a rapist, and, while we¡¯re on the subject of people who don¡¯t deserve to be bothered by your existence, I¡¯m pretty fucking tired of listening to your voices ¨C gods above and below, are you annoying to listen to, yapping like a damn chihuahua, yap, yap, yap.¡±


    Pest B made a move like he was going to stand and Priscilla reacted fast.


    She reached out with the hand Asha was on, wrapping it around the man¡¯s collar and dragging him in close before he had the chance to realize what was happening.


    ¡°Say another fucking word,¡± Priscilla said in a low tone, smile creeping up her face as she saw fear enter his eyes when he couldn¡¯t break her grip enhanced by her lovely Asha¡¯s magical strength, ¡°and I¡¯ll beat your racist ass until I feel better, which might take quite a long time with how pissed off you¡¯ve made me by forcing me to listen to that bullshit when I was just trying to quietly eat dinner. And, no, that¡¯s not a threat, that¡¯s a fucking promise.¡±


    She released him suddenly and he fell across the table, making her soup bowl lose its battle with gravity and tip towards him. He yelped when the hot liquid hit his skin and Priscilla laughed at his pain because the dumbass deserved it, the sound echoing through the now silent dining room.


    ¡°Anyone else have any stupid fucking opinions about my companion?¡± Priscila asked, sweeping her gaze over the dining room despite how that movement made her eyes ache. Many people found other things to look at, frantically shaking their heads. A few looked back with open surprise, and one other man looked like he was about to stand and say something.


    Priscilla stared him down, her smile never wavering as she clenched her fist, practically begging him to be stupid and let her get out her aggression even if she¡¯d likely end up getting her ass beat with how her head throbbed in time with her pounding heartbeat. His nose was large enough that it looked satisfying to break, and that would be her one goal in the fight before she slipped into blissful unconsciousness. Asha¡¯s own determination to fuck him up combined with hers, and made Priscilla¡¯s smile widen.


    The man swallowed, face going white as he quickly turned away from the expression on her face.


    A pity.


    She returned her focus to the dumbasses that originally started this.


    Pest A was staring at the table like she might forget he was the one who originally spoke and Pest B was trying to ineffectively wipe the soup off him and while avoiding large movements that might draw her attention back to him.


    Surprisingly, the extremely thick drink the bar man had given her was still upright. Priscilla decided that eating was a lost cause with how spectacularly she had messed things up, and just chugged the thick drink. For a reason she couldn¡¯t understand, the damn drink tasted like honey, which was far better than she thought it would taste.


    She let the cup drop onto the table into the spilled soup, splashing it further on the pests, and began to walk out the room.


    Priscilla pulled out a gold coin and tossed it to the man who had given her the drink, who caught it with a startled look. He saw it was a gold coin and did a double take.


    ¡°For the trouble,¡± Priscilla said and continued without stopping.


    She stalked through the inn, thankfully not encountering anyone else. Priscilla stood in front of her room just long enough to take a deep breath and prepare herself to see Sulaiman again. Priscilla ripped the door to the room open like one ripped off an old bandaid.


    For some reason, Sulaiman was standing near the doorway, as if he had sensed her about to enter. Well, maybe he did, he did have magic that could enhance his senses after all. Any other day, Priscilla might have been tempted to tease him about it, but after that horrible dinner, Priscilla could only hope that sleep would bring her relief.


    She shut the door firmly behind her, attempting to walk past him.


    A hand snaked out, lightly touching her elbow.


    ¡°I¡¯m¨C¡±


    She was on a hair trigger and her body moved before Priscilla could think.


    Priscila brushed off the hand that was trying to hold her, twisting his arm and startling Sulaiman as she pushed him against the wall, a single move away from dislocating his shoulder.


    A dark part of Priscilla urged her to threaten him again and make him hurt for daring to touch her, daring to speak to her when she didn¡¯t want to hear his voice.


    But the more reasonable part of her, the part that still remembered that this was Sulaiman and not the dickhead from downstairs, asked her just why she was doing this. She was hurting him for no other reason than a lack of self-control on her part. Her teachers would be ashamed of her for the excessive use of force ¨C and there was no way that Mr. ¨C¨C wouldn¡¯t be ashamed of her for hurting someone that she claimed to care about all because he touched her.


    Priscilla let go of Sulaiman like she was burned, shame curling heavily in her gut.


    ¡°You should probably order food and eat it in the room instead of the dining room,¡± Priscilla muttered, unable to look up from the floor, unable to even bring herself to apologize as her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.


    She turned around and began to undo the straps on her armor, and though Sulaiman hesitated for a moment, he did leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.


    Priscilla dropped the armor to the floor and sank into the couch, pressing her palms roughly against her eye sockets as she tried to assuage the pain and keep the frustrated tears at bay.


    ¡°Why am I like this?¡± Priscilla asked, sniffling as she finally had a moment to herself to decompress.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, master,¡± Asha said after a brief hesitation, its concern clear in their bond as it shifted from a leather glove into something soft and fluffy. ¡°Everyone has bad days, and you can¡¯t be perfect and good all the time.¡±


    ¡°But I have to keep it together,¡± Priscilla whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t just¨C¡±


    ¡°You should rest, master,¡± Asha said, voice firm. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day and you¡¯ve spent every moment of it in pain. No one can blame you for not being able to keep it together after the day you had.¡±


    Priscilla sniffled and lifted her head up. She knew Asha was probably making good points even if Priscilla didn¡¯t believe them herself.


    But Asha was right that Priscilla needed sleep.


    She stripped the rest of the way and threw the filthy clothes into a pile on the floor and pulled a nightgown on. Priscilla roughly opened the blinds and then crawled onto the couch, using a cushion as a pillow.


    ¡°A¨Chem,¡± Asha began like it needed to clear its nonexistent throat, ¡°so the poison needle frog lives in tropical climates and it uses tools, which is weird for a frog. It licks sharp branches to get its natural poison over it and then uses the ¡®needles¡¯ to stab its prey ¨C and you best hope you don¡¯t come across the needle frog¡¯s spawning ground because the poison the babies make are extra potent, with some saying they¡¯d rather saw off their own limb without painkillers than touch it again.¡±


    Asha¡¯s attempt to make Priscilla feel better did bring a smile to her face, even Asha was just repeating what Priscilla had read to it before.


    But it was the thought that matters, and Priscilla drifted to sleep to Asha¡¯s dulcet tones.


    And she fell right into a nightmare.

 Priscillas Very Bad, No Good Day part 3

    As soon as Priscilla fully surrendered to sleep, the nightmare wrapped itself around her almost instantly.


    There was no light for as far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of an empty void that filled her with the type of existential dread one got when they considered the vast and emptiness of space. She was just a small speck of fragile dust compared to the rest of the universe, so easily forgotten when she died and time continued to march on to its discordant beat.


    She would leave no impact on the history of this world. No one would even remember her name as she slowly decomposed and rotted in the ground.


    A steady, constant sound of water droplets falling into a pool of water reverberated through the space, ringing out loudly in the oppressing silence. Priscilla tried to turn to look for the source of the sound and found that she was waist deep in freezing water herself. It sapped the warmth from her soul and left her shivering with teeth clattering against each other loud enough it echoed in this empty place.


    She struggled to keep her footing as the currents suddenly surged forward, threatening to plunge her into the inky black water.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Priscilla muttered as she tried to keep her feet flat against the ground, spreading her arms to keep her balance better.


    But then something wrapped around her ankle and yanked, plunging Priscilla into the water that was cold as ice. She just barely managed to take a deep breath in and close her eyes before her head went beneath water.


    She fell faster and faster, sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness than she thought was possible as intense pressure pressed down on all sides, squeezing her body painfully. Her hands found no purchase on anything, water rushing past her open fingers even though she had just been standing on something. She was all alone in a hopeless situation and no one would ever find her in this black abyss because no one would even care enough to look. No one loved her after all.


    Priscilla felt something trying to push against her lips to pry them open and she blindly flailed her arms in hopes to get it to stop.


    But struggling against it was useless, wasn¡¯t it? She didn¡¯t have to fight so hard when nothing she did would matter, when she was just wasting her energy on hope.


    It would be best if she just surrendered to the inevitability of fate.


    Something is wrong with my thoughts, Priscilla suddenly realized and a cold pang of fear resonated in her soul.


    There was nothing wrong, but even if there was¡­


    Could she do anything to stop it?


    I do what I want, bitch, Priscilla thought as she swung her arm in one last final effort as her chest tightened, begging for some air.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Her right hand wrapped against something long and winding and she twisted her fingers into it before she yanked violently.


    It shouldn¡¯t be possible for her to ¨C


    Priscilla got her other hand in place and punched as hard as could as she yanked whatever she held into the path.


    No, how could she ¨C


    Get out of my fucking mind, Priscilla thought viciously, opening her eyes to squint through the dark water.


    In her hand was long, silver hair belonging to a figure whose face was completely smooth and black, without a single distinguishable feature to be discerned. Its body was twice the size as hers and it looked only vaguely like a human that someone had stretched out like taffy. This thing was the only thing she could see through the inky blackness around them. The figure¡¯s fingers were outstretched towards her face, each having an extra joint that made the appendages bend and contort in ways that sent revulsion up her spine. She realized this was the sick fucker who had been trying to get into her mouth the whole time.


    She shouldn¡¯t be ¨C


    Priscilla let go of the hair and reared back her right hand, slamming it straight into the damned motherfucker¡¯s face and it shattered beneath her fist. There was a moment where they were both suspended in space before the cracks continued throughout its entire body almost violently, sharp splinters of silver material breaking off more and more as the cracks spread.


    Then the splinters shot out in every direction, the biggest of which going straight through Priscilla¡¯s heart.


    Priscilla sat straight up, hand clutching her heart as she gasped for air. She breathed in shallowly and rapidly for a few seconds before she realized that she was awake and that she hadn¡¯t actually been stabbed.


    And the second thing she realized was that her head blissfully didn¡¯t hurt anymore.


    It was still dark outside, the two moons high in the sky and shining down gentle moonlight into the room. The room was chilly, but the blanket laid over her lap helped to combat the worst of it, the material thick yet soft. She heard the soft sounds of Sulaiman¡¯s breathing coming from the bed.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Priscilla whispered, running her fingers through her hair to stop her hands from shaking. She pulled the nightgown aside to look at her chest but found the skin to be as smooth as always, even when she gently poked at it.


    She sat there, staring at herself until she was able to calm down her racing heart and she finally felt Asha¡¯s concern and curiosity pushing against her, cutting through the roar of her own emotions.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bad dream,¡± Priscilla whispered even if she didn¡¯t believe it fully herself as she rubbed her thumb against the side of Asha to comfort it.


    And then Priscilla paused, remembering that it was her right hand that was able to hurt the creature in the dream. The very same hand she had fallen asleep with Asha on.


    Asha kept claiming it was a mighty legend killer, though it couldn¡¯t expand on just what that meant besides supposedly legendary capabilities.


    ¡°Do you¨C¡±


    Priscilla cut herself off when she heard Sulaiman shift in his bed.


    Asha was more curious now but Priscilla just shook her head. There would be another time to ask Asha questions and she wasn¡¯t even sure she could articulate what happened in the dream nor what she wanted to ask Asha. The dream shook Priscilla in ways that she wasn¡¯t ready to consider and dealing with those pesky emotions like panic that all signs pointed to a being trying to take over her mind while she slept ¨C that could be a problem for Future Priscilla.


    Right now, there was only one thought on her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed,¡± Priscilla whispered and did just that.

 To be a Murderer

    Sunlight against her eyelids had Priscilla rousing herself from the haze of sleep. After she fell asleep for the second time, she didn¡¯t dream of anything at all which was both a relief and made her uneasy because normally her mind threw the wackiest things together.


    The blanket slid off her onto the floor as she sat up, rolling her neck to lessen the soreness. Priscilla blinked at the blanket before picking it up. She remembered it being on her when the nightmare woke her up, but Priscilla didn¡¯t remember falling asleep with one on.


    Her gaze drifted to the only person who could have given her blanket.


    Sulaiman lay under only a thin sheet that clung to his body. The sheet was the same color as the blanket and they probably were a matching set.


    Priscilla ran her fingers over the fabric with a half-smile.


    Today would still probably be awkward but it might go better than she expected it would when she went to sleep yesterday.


    Priscilla stood up after neatly folding the blanket and regarded her filthy clothes next to the couch. The only thing salvageable from it was the ribbon for her hair. The dagger was still filthy and she inwardly declared the trousers a lost cause and used it to fully get the gunk off the gleaming metal. She didn¡¯t particularly want the now extra filthy outfit touching the rest of her clothes, so she gingerly folded trousers over the shirt before shoving it into the dimensional storage pocket. It probably wouldn¡¯t make the books smell bad. She hoped.


    By the time she had selected her outfit for the day and had Asha match a less sturdy and more decorative pair of gloves as the leather pair were also quite dirty, Sulaiman was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.


    They made eye contact for a brief moment before Sulaiman looked away.


    Priscilla thought about talking to him, but Sulaiman kept his gaze on the ground, so Priscilla let the silence remain. If he didn¡¯t want to talk yet, she shouldn¡¯t force him lest she activate that strange stubbornness of his again. It was easier now to look at the situation more objectively since the blasted headache was gone, and to view Sulaiman¡¯s previous actions as merely annoying rather than rage inducing.


    The two of them got dressed quickly and efficiently, with Sulaiman facing the opposite wall when she indicated she was going to change. Priscilla couldn¡¯t help a silent huff of laughter at that show of honorableness that was one of Sulaiman¡¯s best traits. The pests from last night couldn¡¯t have been more wrong about him. They ought to have been worrying about Sulaiman¡¯s chastity more than hers, not that Priscilla planned on defiling him.


    She snapped the armor in place and that was the last thing they needed to do before getting ready.


    As they reached the bottom floor, Priscilla hesitated when she saw the dining room, eyes flickering between it and Sulaiman.


    Sulaiman caught her look and an expression too quick to catch graced his face before he looked away and said, ¡°I ordered sandwiches for breakfast and lunch last night. You seemed to want to get on the road to get to your destination as quickly as possible.¡±


    Priscilla was touched, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips that she hid by looking away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll grab our grub and get on the road,¡± Priscilla said and confidently walked into the dining room, Sulaiman trailing after her. It was much less busy in the morning but she did recognize Pest A from last night eating in the corner. Pest A saw her and then paled, staring down at his bowl of porridge.


    Priscilla rolled her eyes. She hadn¡¯t even done anything that bad, but perhaps that went to show how intimidating her new appearance was. She gave him an extra glare for good measure while Sulaiman approached the counter and Priscilla turned her glare to the worker behind it. It was a different man than last night, which was a shame because Priscilla would have asked several questions about what exactly was in that strange concoction she drank. She didn¡¯t actually know if it had anything to do with her nightmare, but it seemed her curiosity would remain unsated. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    There were no further problems, so Priscilla and Sulaiman mounted their horses. Priscilla checked her compass to double check their route and started them on their path.


    The silence remained as they rode. Priscilla wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say with the awkward tension between them, so she stuck with the safest option of saying nothing at all. Sulaiman would speak when he was ready and she would react accordingly.


    Though, Priscilla did half wonder if this silence would linger until they reached Kavil¡¯s village.


    Priscilla really did look forward to meeting Kavil because she absolutely loved his character and there was no previous relationship between him and the original that would complicate things. Priscilla would admit that Kavil was within her top three characters from The Destined Ending, and she loved his single-minded devotion to leaving the world a better place than he found it. It was a fitting motivation for the healer of the party and did get him into a fair bit of trouble, which was always entertaining.


    Some of her excitement faded as Priscilla remembered that while she would be able to perhaps forge a friendship with Kavil, the only reason he began traveling with Illnyea in the first place was because his village had been razed to the ground and he was the only survivor. He had fled into the night, injured and lost as his world burned around him.


    But she was traveling to his village to stop the destruction of it, and that might mean that Kavil may never want to leave. If he stayed behind, then¡­


    Priscilla tightened her grip on the reins and tried to ignore her automatic feeling of despair at that thought. She told the god that she would go against fate, and Priscilla would just have to live with the consequences of doing so, even if it would make her life harder.


    Between allowing fate to run its course and saving Kavil¡¯s family, there was no way she would just sit by and allow him to suffer needlessly.


    Thinking of Kavil¡¯s future was making her feel more unsure than she wanted, so Priscilla began to think about how exactly she would protect the village. The only things she knew about the attack was what Kavil recounted in the novel.


    The bandits had attacked at night when the entire village was asleep, and they set fire to the houses. After everyone woke up to the smoke and fled outside, the bandits slaughtered them one by one. Kavil hadn¡¯t been sure how many of them there were, and could only say more than thirty.


    Priscilla knew that she had a predilection towards violent thoughts and she often wanted to solve problems with violent means. It was why she kept up with her MMA lessons into adulthood so she could have a healthy outlet for those emotions and urges. The one time she actually had to use what she was taught outside of a sparring session, she still took care to not cross the line because she didn¡¯t want Mr. ¡ª to look at her differently. The mugger may have wished she killed him when she kicked his kneecap hard enough to shatter (she had been wearing steel-toe boots as a fashion statement), but she didn¡¯t hit or kick him again when he was down, opting to call the police.


    But there would be no calling the police in this world, no enforcers to make sure the law was followed and give her the option to remove herself from the situation.


    Priscilla was most likely going to have to kill some if not all of those bandits in order to protect the village.


    It was easier to just read about death in a novel, when she was disconnected from the act because it was her heroes defeating the villains handily. Even when the enemy had been humanized, given a name and final moments, it hadn¡¯t inspired the dark, heavy feeling that pooled in her stomach right now.


    Priscilla was going to have to hold the knife when she killed a bandit, have to see the light dying from their eyes, have to feel the blood drain from their body and know that she caused that to happen. She was doing it for a good reason, but there were plenty of murderers out there who claimed they had a good reason for why they killed others and it didn¡¯t change the savagery of the act at all.


    Her fingers twitched as she recalled how light the dagger had felt in her hand yesterday, how easy it had been to draw and throw at the Gorelock Toad. It would probably leave the sheath just as easily and sink into a human¡¯s throat like butter, sending arterial spray out in an arc that would cover the surroundings in a dark, sticky red.


    Priscilla looked down at her hands and she could envision them covered in blood she spilled.


    But it was not all she saw. Asha was gently squeezing Priscilla¡¯s hand, sensing that she was unsettled but unable to figure out why.


    Priscilla hadn¡¯t had the time to explore the mighty legend killer¡¯s abilities, but when she had the time and privacy, she was going to figure out just what Asha could do.


    First, Priscilla just had to use Asha to kill.

 Apologizing Wont Actually Kill You Surprisingly

    The thoughts of what it meant to be a killer and reconciling that with her own identity made Priscilla¡¯s mood poor. The countryside was idyllic and beautiful in the daytime but it only served to make Priscilla worry more because she pictured it ravaged and burning. This part of the continent wouldn¡¯t have the fighting reach it for a few years, but everywhere would feel the Church of the Violet Moon¡¯s wrath as the world was bathed in hungry shadows.


    If Priscilla wanted to give this world a chance, she was going to have to kill others many, many times even if the mere thought made her vaguely sick to her stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sulaiman said without prompting, cutting through Priscilla¡¯s dark thoughts. She looked towards him, surprised that those were his first words, as Sulaiman was a prideful person who rarely liked to admit he was wrong. He was looking toward Priscilla, though he didn¡¯t quite meet her gaze, his eyes hovering somewhere around chin level. Sincerity was written across his face and in his voice.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have fought with you on burning the toad¡¯s corpse and the poison,¡± Sulaiman said. ¡°You were right that it would have endangered other travelers and messed up the ecosystem, and I¡­ I was acting like a fool, especially when I set the corpse aflame with you standing so near it. For all of that and for letting my pride blind me, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Priscilla blinked once, absorbing the apology in its entirety. But Sulaiman wasn¡¯t done quite yet as he visibly steeled himself and looked her in the eyes.


    ¡°And for what it''s worth,¡± he said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t hate you. We¡¯ve had our differences, but¡­ I don¡¯t hate you.¡±


    Priscilla gave him a crooked smile that had the tension loosening in Sulaiman¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you either,¡± Priscilla said and wondered why that was what made Sulaiman finally smile at her, the small expression lighting up his entire face, ¡°and I didn¡¯t act great yesterday either. I had a real bitch of a headache and that made me a bigger bitch than usual. I¡¯m sorry for shoving you into the wall and threatening to rip your balls off, that was really uncalled for now that I think about it.¡±


    Priscilla scratched the back of her head sheepishly, her ponytail swaying in the wind.


    ¡°It certainly got the point across,¡± Sulaiman said dryly, his smile turning into something more of a smirk. ¡°Though maybe next time we can go without the threats of bodily harm.¡±


    Priscilla risked a teasing smile of her own, saying, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tone back on the threats if you promise to try and avoid sticky situations like that by listening when I tell you something the first time.¡±


    Sulaiman snorted, making Priscilla utterly delighted she drew that reaction out of him.


    ¡°I suppose I can listen when you speak,¡± Sulaiman said, saying the words like it was an arduous thing to do but the twinkle of humor in his eyes betrayed otherwise. ¡°Sometimes you do make good points.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes?¡± Priscilla gasped in mock outrage. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I make great points every time I speak.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a flat look.


    ¡°Okay, fine, I make great points most of the time when I speak.¡±


    That earned her an eye roll of exasperation at her antics but Priscilla could only smile because they were actually speaking to each other, not just trading barbed words and barely tolerating each other¡¯s existence.


    Sulaiman¡¯s light expression fell a little as he watched her.


    ¡°I know that you won¡¯t tell me where we¡¯re going,¡± Sulaiman began, watching her, ¡°but could I know why we are on this trip? You said that the Thornewoods wanted you gone but I doubt you chose your destination on a whim, you seem too determined for that. I don¡¯t need to know where, but if you can share why, I¡­ I would appreciate knowing what to expect.¡±


    Priscilla considered his request carefully and the way he went to great lengths to not be as combative as yesterday, the way he was already speaking as if he expected her to turn down his relatively simple request. If she could, Priscilla would have been sorely tempted to rope him in on the battle plans now that they seemed to be on the path to a better relationship.


    But she couldn¡¯t, so Priscilla thought about how she could tell him anything without coughing up blood that may convince Sulaiman they needed to stop for a healer at Grazda.


    ¡°We are on this trip to do good,¡± Priscilla said, knowing that the words were paltry and offered very little.


    Sulaiman¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he considered that answer. He glanced at her armor and back to her face.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Do you expect us to encounter resistance while we try to ¡®do good?¡¯¡± Sulaiman asked.


    Priscilla took a deep breath in, trying to think of a way to answer him. She opened her mouth to mouth the word bandits and felt the telltale tickle in her throat that preceded coughing up blood and closed her mouth.


    Instead, Priscilla went with a question that needed no fancy foreknowledge to ask.


    ¡°Have you ever killed someone before?¡±


    The last of the levity left Sulaiman as he stared at her, mouth parted before he overcame his surprise and schooled his expression.


    ¡°I have,¡± Sulaiman said after he swallowed. His gaze was distant, as if reliving the memory. ¡°When I was young, there had been a man who thought I would make a good slave, and I¡­ objected and made sure he couldn¡¯t change his mind.¡±


    Priscilla had asked the question mainly as a way to hint at the danger to come and expected him to not have an answer because the plot hadn¡¯t truly begun yet. Priscilla knew that Sulaiman had a rough childhood before he started living at the orphanage at age seven, but he didn¡¯t like to talk about it, even with Illnyea, so this revelation was news to her even.


    She was quiet, absorbing the information. This was one time that not even her curiosity could get Priscilla to ask questions about details because she didn¡¯t actually think she deserved to know, not when she could see how just giving the barebones retelling made Sulaiman tense.


    ¡°Do you think you could kill again?¡± Priscilla asked softly.


    Sulaiman seemed to break out of his stupor at that and gave her a long, assessing look.


    ¡°I could, given good reason,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°but could you?¡±


    Priscilla ran her tongue over her teeth and decided even if she coughed up blood, she had to return sincerity with sincerity.


    ¡°I think I will have to,¡± she said and Sulaiman¡¯s gaze grew sharper.


    ¡°Why would you need to kill them?¡± he asked, no judgment in his tone that made answering his question all the much easier.


    ¡°To save someone else.¡±


    Sulaiman studied her more, eyes lingering on her armor and then the dagger at her side.


    ¡°Is that person worth truly killing for?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Priscilla said firmly. Kavil¡¯s friends and family had done nothing to earn their cruel fate and her resolve finally felt sturdy enough she could say, ¡°And I don¡¯t think I¡¯d regret it either ¨C I¡¯d regret doing nothing, though, so I suppose that¡¯s an answer in and of itself.¡±


    Sulaiman was quiet for a moment, considering the answers she had given him.


    ¡°Are we going an assassination mission?¡± Sulaiman asked in that same carefully non-judgmental tone.


    Priscilla choked on nothing as she burst into surprised laughter.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Priscilla said as she brought herself back under control, ¡°no, we¡¯re going on a trip to do good, remember? There¡¯s just a few¡­ problems preventing us from doing good.¡±


    Sulaiman frowned.


    ¡°How many problems are we talking about?¡± he asked, giving Priscilla a flat look. ¡°You do recall that we¡¯re just two people, right?¡±


    Answering that would be tricky. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find different ways to tackle the problem, Sulaiman watching the whole time with a narrowing gaze the longer she stayed silent.


    ¡°Five?¡±


    Wait, was he ¨C


    ¡°Ten?¡±


    Oh god, he totally was.


    ¡°Twenty?¡±


    Wait, she could work with this.


    ¡°Thirty? Fou¨C¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you specifics,¡± Priscilla cut him off neatly.


    Sulaiman closed his mouth, studying her before slowly nodding.


    ¡°Many problems await us,¡± Sulaiman said neutrally. ¡°Are you sure we can ¡®solve¡¯ them with just the two of us?¡±


    ¡°We have to try,¡± Priscilla said. But when she opened her mouth to say that darkness of night and surprise might help them, the telltale tickle in her throat had her closing it again. Talking around the topic was growing more and more difficult and she was going to slip up if they kept going.


    ¡°You still have questions,¡± Priscilla said slowly, keeping eye contact with Sulaiman, ¡°but I¡¯m not discussing this anymore.¡±


    His eyes narrowed before widening in realization, which she could only hope he made the right realization. Sulaiman gave her another long, contemplative look before nodding sharply.


    He returned his gaze to the road.


    Priscilla thought they might lapse into silence once more when Sulaiman said, ¡°Do you know any other song other than that filth you tried to sing two days ago?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Priscilla laughed, ¡°but I can give you an encore if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a flat look of disgust.


    ¡°No thank you,¡± he said curtly.


    Then Sulaiman sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you some of the traveling songs Illnyea insisted I learn. They aren¡¯t good for much more than passing the time, but it seems we have plenty of that, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I am your eager and willing student!¡± Priscilla said. ¡°Please teach me well, Mr. Halsteed!¡±


    Sulaiman rolled his eyes but began his instruction.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already proven you can keep time well, so let¡¯s focus on the actual words and rhythm. The Dread Dragon Drachma is easy to learn, as it¡¯s very repetitive, and¡­¡±


    The day did pass by quicker as Sulaiman taught her three songs in total, one of which could be sung endlessly if the singer was creative and persistent enough to keep coming up with new places for the hum-drum bard Halloway to visit. Sulaiman had a nice voice to listen to, deep and stable in pitch, though he was more interested in teaching her than actually trying to sing well himself. Priscilla wouldn¡¯t count singing as one of her preferred pastimes, but there was something nice about following Sulaiman¡¯s lead and matching her voice with his as they sang about dread dragon Drachma stealing all the livestock in the world.

 Welcome to the Hot Spring City

    They reached Grazda an hour before sunset. The city of Grazda was known as the Hot-Spring City and it was a popular place to visit, despite not being near any other major trade hubs. Illnyea and her group had gone there when they were assisting Kavil in trying to track down the bandits that destroyed his village.


    People had first flocked to the then small village of Grazda because it offered an experience that couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else in the Kavendash kingdom. The popularity exploded when a king visited and gave his approval, and then the village of Grazda became a small city and kept growing from there. Priscilla knew this city was one of the few with a robust plumbing system and had constant running water. It was probably the closest she would get to the modern comforts she was used to.


    The city wasn¡¯t built onto a flat surface, building up into the nearby mountain range, so as they approached, Grazda blocked out the sun, casting Sulaiman and Priscilla into its long shadow.


    The highest points of Grazda were the uber-wealthy and powerful lives, and Priscilla had no desire to get tangled up in any of the schemes if she could help it. So, she set her sights on finding an inn on the north-east outskirts of the city, closest to where they¡¯ll have to leave in the morning, and finally settled on one that seemed to have decent security where they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anyone trying to steal their belongings.


    ¡°This will be the last real bed we have until we reach our destination,¡± Priscilla said seriously after she paid for two rooms, ¡°so I suggest enjoying it as much as possible while you can.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a once over, before saying lightly, ¡°Perhaps we should employ this inn¡¯s bath services as well.¡±


    Priscilla let out an offended gasp even though she totally understood, it was more of the principle of the thing. She gave him her best imperious glare at the mere insinuation that she smelled bad, and said, ¡°How rude.¡±


    ¡°Go get clean before my nose falls off,¡± Sulaiman said, making a shooing gesture with his hand.


    ¡°So fucking rude,¡± Priscilla said, sticking her nose up in the air as she stalked off to do just that. But she paused in the middle of walking and looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Sulaiman!¡± He paused, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Do you want to eat dinner together?¡±


    ¡°As long as you smell better, I see no problem with that.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you too!¡± Priscilla called over her shoulder, though she had a smile on her face as she resumed her quest to find the baths.


    It turned out that in a city like Grazda, even the less popular inns had hot-spring fed bathing pools. For just three gold, Priscilla got one all to herself. She left her armor and her pack in her rented room, bringing just a simple change of clothes with her.


    ¡°Do you want to join, Asha?¡± Priscilla asked as she began to strip.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Asha said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think being a wet glove will be very fun.¡±


    ¡°You could be a rubber duck,¡± Priscilla offered, dropping her shirt onto the floor.


    ¡°Rubber duck?¡± Asha repeated, confusion in its voice.


    Priscilla paused, momentarily thrown. When she thought about it, she supposed it made sense that rubber ducks didn¡¯t exist because there was no great way to mold and then mass produce rubber in the shape of a duck.


    ¡°So it¡¯s essentially a bath toy made of rubber,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°It¡¯s in the shape of a little yellow duck most of the time because ducks are cute and they swim.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Asha said and Priscilla felt its contemplation. ¡°Please put me down.¡±


    Priscilla took Asha off and gently placed it on the tiled floor. The glove immediately took an amorphous form, pulsating for a few seconds before reshaping itself. The result was a far more realistic and detailed duck than Priscilla was used to seeing, but when Priscilla tentatively scooped it into her hands, the outside had the same, smooth feeling of rubber. A legend killer truly was wondrous, and Priscilla wondered what other materials Asha could turn into.


    ¡°Will you¨C¡±


    ¡°Way ahead of you,¡± Priscilla said, starting towards the steaming pool. The water was the perfect temperature, just a degree or two under scalding and it felt decadent against her saddle-sore muscles. She set Asha adrift and the little rubber duck was swept along the lazy, circular currents of the bath. Asha began to giggle hysterically, its joy sharp and bright in the bond.


    Priscilla groaned in pleasure as she was fully submerged up to her collarbone.


    ¡°Gods, I wish every inn had one of these,¡± Priscilla said as she lazily stretched.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Asha giggled as it swept by her, crashing through a mountain of bubbles and leaving a duck sized tunnel in its wake.


    Priscilla leisurely bathed herself, lathering the soap in her hair until it all could balance precariously atop her head. There was a rough but soft sponge that she used to scrape off all the layers of sweat and dead skin, and when Asha seemed curious because Priscilla was enjoying it so much, Priscilla obligingly washed Asha with the sponge as well. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    After she had nothing else to clean, Priscilla reluctantly left the bath¡¯s warmth and dried off. After combing through the long locks, Priscilla decided to let her hair dry naturally and just wrapped a towel around her shoulders to keep her clothes dryish. Asha reformed into a thin, tan skin-tight glove that was nearly unnoticeable because the color was the same as Priscilla¡¯s skin. If someone didn¡¯t notice they couldn¡¯t see Priscilla¡¯s fingernails, they¡¯d likely think she was wearing nothing at all.


    Priscilla ambled to where the innkeeper had told her where the dining room was, and found Sulaiman seated at a table near the window. He was reading a book and looked quite peaceful with a healthy shine to his skin and hair, but Priscilla saw how the other customers gave him a wide berth, several of them sitting so they could keep him in their peripheral vision. Grazda was nearly two hundred miles north of where Muloi was and its citizens had never been conscripted to fight to subdue the Muloian rebellion, but it seemed the propaganda machine worked its prejudice into the Grazdan people just as well as it did the rest of the Kavandash kingdom.


    She rolled her eyes as she muttered under her breath, ¡°Dumbasses.¡±


    Priscilla forcibly put on her brightest smile, not that it was that difficult when she was about to make a spectacle of herself, which was one of her favorite things to do.


    ¡°Sulaiman!¡± Priscilla called excitedly as she entered the room, drawing everyone¡¯s attention with her loudness. Sulaiman looked up, startled, before giving her a deadpan look as she walked confidently to his table, dodging the other patrons just enough that when she shook her head, her wet hair sent several droplets flying into their space.


    She slid in across from him as she said, ¡°Thanks for waiting for me. I half-expected you to already be done eating by now.¡±


    He shut the book with a single hand, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°You asked to eat dinner together,¡± Sulaiman said like she was an idiot.


    Priscilla laughed a bit louder than she normally would.


    ¡°That I did,¡± Priscilla said, leaning the chair back onto two legs to glance at the menu. ¡°Have you decided what you want to eat yet? My treat.¡±


    ¡°I can ¨C¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Priscilla said. ¡°You¡¯re my guard, so it¡¯s only right that I cover your basic necessities. So go ahead, order whatever you want.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a look like he suspected that she had ulterior motives but couldn¡¯t figure out what, but eventually turned his gaze to the menu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the cold noodle dish with yams.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go for the hot spring boiled egg and the stew, myself,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°What do you say about splitting a sweet bean bun for dessert?¡±


    Sulaiman gave her another long look and Priscilla returned it with an unabashed grin. She knew that he had a secret sweet tooth from the story and now that they were on better terms, she was less hesitant to use that knowledge.


    ¡°If you truly want dessert, then fine,¡± Sulaiman said, crossing his arms. He did put up a convincing act of being reluctant and that made Priscilla smile.


    ¡°Want to split a beer too?¡± Priscilla asked, mainly so she could elicit his glower of disapproval. ¡°Fine, fine, but I hear that sipping cold alcohol after being in Grazdan hot springs is one of the finer experiences in life.¡±


    She laughed as she stood, slapping her thighs lightly. When Priscilla turned around, she made sure to keep her megawatt smile in place as she glanced over the other customers. There were still quite a few looking towards them, but they glanced away when she aggressively smiled at them.


    Priscilla ordered the food and ambled back with a pair of drinks to the table where Sulaiman was reading again, keeping an eye on the crowd as she walked. Their outright suspicion seemed to have faded with her entrance and loudly aligning herself with Sulaiman, but Priscilla wasn¡¯t about to let her guard down, not after the stupid pests from yesterday.


    She kept her smile easy and an ear on the murmurs around them as she asked, ¡°Watcha reading, Sulaiman? Anything interesting?¡±


    He raised the book without looking away. The cover read, A Record of the Six Continents¡¯ Greatest Swordsmen.


    ¡°Who¡¯s your favorite swordsman?¡± Priscilla asked.


    ¡°Adita Comollo,¡± Sulaiman said without missing a beat. ¡°She single handedly prevented the sacking of Torihold by using a choke point to force the invaders to only have one place to invade the mountain fortress. Adita chose to destroy every other way out in the city to ensure that the invaders could only come in through one point. It was an extreme gamble that was only possible because of Adita¡¯s skill with the sword and the fact that the sword she wielded was a powerful soul-bonded artifact named Amytas, which had renowned defensive capabilities. She made herself an immovable wall and every invader died by her sword.¡±


    Priscilla let out a low whistle. ¡°And when was she active?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred and thirty-six years ago,¡± Sulaiman said, finally looking up from the book with muted excitement in his expression. ¡°Her sword technique has never been successfully replicated, even when mages attempted to use magical constructs to match the sword carvings in the walls of Torihold she left behind.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Adita was one bad ass bitch,¡± Priscilla said. Sulaiman opened his mouth like he wanted to protest, then paused, considered her words, and eventually nodded in agreement. The whole process was incredibly adorable to watch and Priscilla had to turn her face away so he didn¡¯t see her wide grin.


    And by turning her head, she happened to hear another patron clearly say, ¡°¨Cgroup of bandits out east has been causing trouble.¡±


    It took everything within Priscilla to not whip her head around to see who was speaking. But Sulaiman noticed her shift in attention almost immediately, his face losing its lightheartedness and turning into something serious.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been burning each village they come across,¡± the man¡¯s voice continued, dripping with contempt, ¡°and the travelers they meet are left butchered.¡±


    ¡°But how do we know about them, then?¡± a second, feminine voice said. ¡°If they kill everyone they come across.¡±


    ¡°A scout that was traveling with a group of farmers saw them,¡± the man said, ¡°and even these bandit fuckers would be hard pressed to catch up with a scout running at full speed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that does make sense,¡± the woman said.


    Priscilla¡¯s mind was racing. From what she knew, scouts were magic users that specialized in augmenting their own body to travel at superhuman speeds, sometimes traveling two hundred miles in a single day by foot if they pushed themselves.


    And Kavil¡¯s village was definitely less than two hundred miles away.


    ¡°Are those bandits the problems you mentioned?¡± Sulaiman asked in a low voice.


    Priscilla nodded stiffly, forcefully choking back the blood that came from that simple confirmation, and Sulaiman swore under his breath.


    The tension was interrupted by their food being delivered to their table. A black egg rested in a silver egg cup and the sweet bean bun had a perfect and enticing roundness but Priscilla couldn¡¯t even summon her excitement at that, her stomach twisting itself into knots. She thought that they had enough time, but she didn¡¯t have the exact date for when the attack happened, just a rough guess because that hadn¡¯t been written in the book.


    A spoon gently hit the back of her hand and she looked up. Sulaiman was staring at her, a spoon outstretched.


    ¡°Eat now,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°and we¡¯ll deal with those problems later.¡±


    Priscilla took a deep breath in and grabbed the spoon. The food was objectively tasty, but her heart wasn¡¯t in it as she rotely shoveled the food into her mouth. Her knee bounced the entire time as her mind kept whispering the same thing over and over.


    What if you¡¯re already too late?

 Battle Plans to Punch Some Lunatics

    Sulaiman silently followed Priscilla to her room when they finished eating, not speaking until the door was firmly shut behind them. Priscilla yanked the towel off her shoulders and threw it onto the bed, uncaring of how her shoulders grew damper by the second.


    ¡°These bandits,¡± Sulaiman said, stopping Priscilla in her tracks, ¡°what can you tell me about them?¡±


    Priscilla wanted to let out a frustrated scream as every time she opened her mouth, she felt blood rising up on her tongue. She took a few deep breaths in and swallowed, trying to ignore the copper taste.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything,¡± Priscilla said, trying to keep the frustration from making her voice waver as she turned around. She was itching to get back on the road and ride through the night, even though she knew it was a stupid idea for many, many reasons. But logic didn¡¯t make her want to do it any less.


    Sulaiman opened his mouth and then closed it, studying her features quietly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me where we¡¯re going,¡± Sulaiman said slowly, ¡°and you can¡¯t tell me anything more about these bandits.¡±


    Priscilla grit her teeth but nodded.


    He considered that for another long moment.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sulaiman finally said. ¡°Can you tell me about your own fighting capabilities, at least? You can¡¯t be completely useless if you¡¯re so determined to solve these problems of ours.¡±


    That question helped to release some of the tension in her shoulders, as did his use of ¡®ours.¡¯ It made everything ahead of her seem a little less daunting.


    ¡°I¡¯m decent at unarmed combat,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°but that¡¯s mainly against other humans.¡±


    ¡°Which these bandits should be,¡± Sulaiman said.


    ¡°They should,¡± Priscilla said carefully, as that technically wasn¡¯t future knowledge and simple agreement.


    ¡°How would you describe your fighting style?¡± Sulaiman asked.


    ¡°I focus on not getting hit in the first place and using my fists for quick retaliations, kicks too if my opponent is too distracted to try and grab my legs. If someone gets me in a hold, I have some tricks to slip it and I¡¯m not afraid to fight dirty.¡±


    Sulaiman nodded slowly, his expression only showing momentary surprise.


    ¡°I would be the frontliner drawing attention then,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°as you have little to no ways to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Afraid so,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°The best defense is a good offense in my humble opinion.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s flat look told her everything she needed to know about how he felt about that phrase.


    ¡°My shield¡¯s structural integrity was compromised from the fight with the toad,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°but it will hold up against normal human strength. If they have magical weapons, it¡¯ll be useless except for using it to smash over their heads as a last ditch effort.¡±


    Priscilla snorted at that imagery. ¡°I¡¯d actually love to see you bash their brains open.¡±


    Sulaiman rolled his eyes and sighed deeply, but ignored her snark.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any ways to combat long-distance fighters,¡± Sulaiman continued, slowly pacing back and forth as he thought, ¡°so clearing a way to get to them will fall to me. Most bandits have at least some sort of archer unit, and dealing with them should be prioritized so you can move more freely.¡±


    Priscilla nodded along as Sulaiman laid out the facts out plainly. He had always been the strategist of Illnyea¡¯s group and it was fascinating to see it in action, even when he was working with limited information. She wandered over to her bed, sitting on the edge of it so she wouldn¡¯t accidentally get in the way of Sulaiman¡¯s pacing.


    ¡°I can only assume that these bandits don¡¯t know we¡¯re coming,¡± Sulaiman said, pausing until Priscilla gave him a thumbs up, keeping the annoyance off her face as her muscles stiffened in an attempt to stop it. ¡°We will have the element of surprise on our side, and depending on where we encounter them, we could attempt to pick off the bandits on the outskirts to thin their numbers. If we face them on an open field, I¡¯ll have to be more aggressive with my magic to try and control the landscape of the battlefield to make best use of your capabilities.¡±


    Priscilla tapped her fingers on her thighs. It was a good plan, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling in her gut that insisted that everything that could go wrong, would go wrong.


    ¡°What if we encounter them in the midst of an attack?¡± Priscilla asked, choosing each word after careful consideration.


    ¡°Then we prioritize helping the victims,¡± Sulaiman said. ¡°Based on what we overheard earlier, it seems the bandits prefer to use fire, and, well, I am quite proficient with flames.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could smother a house fire?¡±


    ¡°If needed to, I could, though I¡¯d like to avoid letting the flames hit the houses in the first place.¡±


    Priscilla turned Sulaiman¡¯s plan over in her mind, thinking on how it would be affected by the landscape of Kavil¡¯s village. It was located in a small forest with no name, on a smooth riverbank. The trees might provide some cover, but neither Sulaiman or Priscilla had any great long-distance attacks. Sulaiman may have his magic, but he was probably better off using it to augment his body than using it to lob flames while surrounded by flammable wood.


    ¡°Besides making that cool ass flame sword,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°what other types of magic can you cast? I saw you jump on the toad¡¯s back, so I assume you can cast some sort of physical augmentation on your legs at least.¡±


    ¡°I can augment my arms and legs,¡± Sulaiman said, coming to a stop in front of Priscilla. ¡°Though if I push myself, I can reinforce my torso somewhat if an attack is unavoidable.¡±


    ¡°Have you had much practice augmenting multiple body parts at once?¡±


    Sulaiman scowled, though it didn¡¯t seem to be directed at her.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, crossing his arms. ¡°The people I spar with in Meadowyar don¡¯t allow magical augmentation to be used in the name of safety and fairness. I¡¯ve practiced moving while augmenting so I don¡¯t faceplant, but the only time I¡¯ve been able to practice augmentation in combat was when Illnyea and I sparred privately.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s fingers danced nervously before she decided to just ask the question she had been hesitantly building up to.


    ¡°Have you ever thought about learning a spell that lets you see in the dark?¡± Priscilla asked lightly and very normally. ¡°Or one that allows others to see as well?¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s scowl did now seem to be directed at her, but just for a moment before he glared at the ground.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Priscilla held back a sigh. It had been a long shot. The Sulaiman that she knew had eventually learned the spell and used it masterfully, though he didn¡¯t share just when he learned it. Priscilla knew that the Muloian people had an innate affinity for dark aligned spells because they had lived in mountain caves for hundreds of years surrounded by orichalcum ore, which, to put it in simple terms, kinda let out a magical radioactivity that affected those who lived near it. Seeing in the dark was one of the most common spells Muloians casted, but Sulaiman had been raised in a Kavendash state sponsored orphanage whose teachings were likely rife with propaganda about Muloians and their magics, so it tracked that he didn¡¯t know it. There had been no one around to teach him. It made her so very curious about how he had learned it in the book, and she had to push that to the back of her mind to think about another day.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Priscilla said, leaning back on her hands. ¡°Messing around with magic around your eyes does sound like it¡¯d be asking for you to blind yourself. I was just wondering about that in case we encountered these problems at night.¡±


    Sulaiman looked up, the frown lessening as he took what she said.


    Wordlessly, Sulaiman raised his palm. Brief staticky pain bloomed in Priscilla¡¯s knees, which were the closest body parts to Sulaiman, before a small spherical ball of fire came into existence.


    ¡°I can conjure one for each of us,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°and they should hover a few feet from us as we move.¡±


    He dismissed the fire by closing his hand and her knee pain stopped. Priscilla leaned forward to discreetly rub her knees to get rid of the aftershocks. There was no denying this strange pain she felt when she had enough instances to be able to figure out what was causing it.


    Experiencing pain each time someone casted magic was straight up weird and incredibly annoying. Priscilla had heard of nothing like it before in the story and she had a few guesses about where she might find an explanation for this phenomenon. But the only places that she thought might let her ask a question and not be hauled away as a test subject were on completely different continents because a kingdom like Kavendash didn¡¯t exactly share much about magical research to the public and encouraged its allies to do the same. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her mind drifted to the locked book she had in her pack.


    Now that might have some answers, but this exact moment was not the time to wonder about mysterious locked books. Everything besides Kavil was secondary.


    ¡°If we sneak up on them at night,¡± Priscilla said, firmly pushing her weird body out of her mind, ¡°maybe you can conjure up those balls of yours to blind them.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call them balls,¡± Sulaiman sighed.


    ¡°But they¡¯re your balls of flames!¡± Priscilla said, not even bothering to hide her smile.


    ¡°If you must refer to them, call them spheres of flames.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a spoilsport,¡± Priscilla said, rolling her eyes.


    Sulaiman did not rise to her bait. ¡°But yes, I do think your idea of using the spheres to blind people has merit. I just doubt we¡¯ll be able to use it for this particular problem if they are using flame magic themselves.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°Are there any other aspects of our upcoming problem solving experience you think I should be aware of ahead of time?¡±


    As it turned out, there were just a few more things Sulaiman wanted to make sure Priscilla was aware of. It was mainly things about how he fought and how much distance she should be giving so she doesn¡¯t get accidentally caught up in his attacks, and a few basic formations. Since it was just the two of them that were fighting, it wasn¡¯t that helpful because you can only rearrange them both so much before it became redundant, but Priscilla didn¡¯t complain. Talking through strategy made Sulaiman feel more composed and comfortable and Priscilla prized that above her own potential boredom.


    Eventually, Priscilla did find a place to interject.


    ¡°We have to leave early tomorrow,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°so we should probably sleep soonest.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Sulaiman said, turning towards the door to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dawn, then.¡±


    His sturdy shoulders were broad from the back and a little tight with tension and Priscilla felt like she had placed a burden too large upon them too early. He was only nineteen and she was asking him to risk his life. But, besides the one outburst Priscilla could realize in hindsight was fueled by a lack of knowledge, Sulaiman had rolled with the punches the best he could, considering how their relationship had been just a few days ago. It was so clear in how hard he was trying to make them have a better chance of survival than a snowball¡¯s in hell, and Priscilla couldn¡¯t just let that effort go unappreciated.


    ¡°Ah, Sulaiman.¡±


    He stopped at the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob.


    ¡°I just wanted to say thank you,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°You being here with me¡­ well, it means a lot that you¡¯re willing to help, especially since your help is proving to be invaluable.¡±


    Sulaiman turned to meet her eyes, an odd expression on his face as he said, ¡°We¡¯re going to do good and these bandits need to be stopped before they can kill anyone else. There¡¯s no need to thank me for that, it¡¯s the honorable thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Even so,¡± Priscilla insisted, ¡°you didn¡¯t have to do this. I¡­ well, I thought that I was going to have to solve these problems all by myself. You helped me keep my cool earlier and think about things more logically.¡±


    Priscilla let out a self-deprecating laugh. ¡°Hell, without you here, I probably would have gone tearing off into the night and end up with an exhausted horse that couldn¡¯t even get me fully there.¡±


    Sulaiman watched her quietly, the same odd expression never leaving.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Priscilla,¡± Sulaiman finally said, looking away and exiting the room.


    Priscilla fell backwards onto the bed. Her shoulders were damp from her hair and would make sleeping in this outfit uncomfortable, so she should change. But she didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Master,¡± Asha said softly, ¡°are those bandits the lunatics we need to punch?¡±


    ¡°Got it in one, my smart little Asha,¡± Priscilla said, staring at the ceiling. The two of them had hobbled together a decent plan considering the amount of time and information they had, but somehow, it didn¡¯t feel like it was enough. Priscilla hoped it would be, but she had a bad track record in this world about hopes being fulfilled.


    ¡°I like the solemn one,¡± Asha said, unknowing of Priscilla¡¯s thoughts, ¡°he wants to make sure you¡¯re safe at all times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Sulaiman for you,¡± Priscilla said with a half-smile. ¡°He¡¯ll never admit it, but he¡¯s a mother hen, always trying to make sure everyone around him is doing well even if he¡¯s sometimes a dick about it.¡±


    Asha was quiet, contemplating something deeply. Priscilla was content to let the artifact think because it meant procrastinating sleep.


    Despite her upbeat attitude today, Priscilla had been deeply shaken by the nightmare last night. She suspected that the weird freaky creature had somehow been connected to the migraine that plagued her. She may have not had her head hurt at all today, but Priscilla was still gripped with fear, wondering if it was still lingering there just beneath the surface. She wondered if the anger she had felt yesterday was her own or if the creature had been able to influence her while she was awake.


    She felt violated by the creature¡¯s touch and was horrified by the way it seemed to warp her own feelings and perception of the world, trying to make her so full of despair that she stopped fighting back. It had been working too, feeding into her self-deprecating nature so naturally that it wasn¡¯t until it tried to slip in the one thought that went against everything she was fighting for. If it hadn¡¯t been for that, Priscilla might not have had the strength to fight back as desperately, might have succumbed to whatever the creature wanted to do with her.


    To have her autonomy ripped from her was one of the things Priscilla feared most in the world, more than torture, more than death. She had always taken pride in how autonomous she was and the way she forged her own path in the world, and always reacted harshly when some tried to dictate how she should behave like they knew her better than she did.


    There had been one question that lingered in the back of her mind ever since she woke up in this world ¨C and she had stubbornly not focused on it because of the instinctual panic it caused. But with how her thoughts were devolving into a negative spiral, it came back to the forefront, forcing her to consider it once more.


    She wondered if one day the original Priscilla would return to reclaim her body and just what would happen to her at that time. She knew in her gut that she wouldn¡¯t be magically transported back to her original world, so the only other option she saw was that she would become an unwilling passenger in a body not her own, forced to simply watch the world through another¡¯s eyes. She would be like a puppet on strings, dancing along to a tune that she couldn¡¯t hear ¨C a mere pawn to be deployed, used, and discarded as the world saw fit.


    The original had been brainwashed by the cult leader in the story, and she had never been able to break free of it until moments before her death ¨C did she too despair as the strings that forced her to play a role that ended with tragedy? Did she ever struggle against her chains? Could she even think about rebelling?


    Or had that same creature invaded the original¡¯s soul and twisted her thoughts into complacency so never even knew she could fight back?


    If the cult leader came after Priscilla to try again, she didn¡¯t know if she would be able to fight him off again because she didn¡¯t exactly remember what on earth she had done the first time. All she remembered was a thinking it was all a dream and cursing him the fuck out before her head hurt a whole lot, so she told him to fuck off and die.


    And then she fell asleep, content that it was all a pleasant dream.


    That¡¯s it ¨C the only explanation that she saw was that she survived by sheer dumb luck, which is something that she did not want to have to rely on. She had been attacked by a Gorelock Toad and if Sulaiman had not been her guard, that¡¯s probably where she would have died.


    It was all ridiculous, now that she thought about it.


    Her life had become utter ridiculousness but she couldn¡¯t deny that she had some hand in making it ridiculous with her bold actions. She hadn¡¯t stopped to think about her actions much because that would have had her spiral even further. Instead, she had just focused on the problem in front of her and the people she could help.


    She was attached to the world she had spent half her life reading about and as she interacted more with it and the people who lived here, the attachment grew until it felt an obligation to save them because the entire fucking world was at stake here, even if no one else knew about it. She was the only person who could stop it from happening and that pressure laid across her psyche like an anvil, threatening to shatter her if she couldn¡¯t summon up the strength to continue.


    She couldn¡¯t let the silence linger anymore and leave her alone with her own thoughts.


    ¡°Hey, Asha,¡± Priscilla said, suddenly pushing herself up, ¡°how about I read more of the bestiary for you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to read, master?¡± Asha asked. ¡°You just told the solemn one that you should sleep early.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about the other monsters in Heinlein Fens,¡± Priscilla said, focusing on the only aspect of her curiosity that might be satisfied, on facts that were immutable instead of potential futures that filled her with dread, ¡°ever since we encountered that disgusting toad.¡±


    She might be able to find a possible explanation for why the toad had been in the Emerald Forest if she studied the other creatures¡¯ habits. Maybe there was a mating season that made a certain type of creature incredibly territorial and drove out all other creatures that ate the same food source, or perhaps an annual migratory period she had missed on her first read through.


    (It wasn¡¯t likely since she memorized every page she read, sliding the new information neatly into her mental TDE-wikipedia, but if it was a sin to lie to herself to make herself feel better, then Priscilla would be the biggest sinner in the world.)


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re certain, master,¡± Asha said, ¡°then let¡¯s read for a little bit before you go to sleep. You should enjoy the bed while you still have it.¡±


    Having her words thrown back at her had Priscilla holding back a sigh. She tried to not feel too irritated at Asha¡¯s insistence and just nodded as she stood to grab the bestiary and a geography book for good measure. She flipped the book open to her current location to see the small indication of Kavil¡¯s village on the map and remind herself that everything wasn¡¯t hopeless, not yet. She ran her eyes over their route and found it to match the one in her brain, and then she set the geography book aside.


    Priscilla began to read about Firebog Wolves and their inherent tendency towards nastiness against other species for no other reasons than it was fun and let herself imagine about the wolves chasing down Gorelock Toads just to be a problem on purpose, snapping at the toad¡¯s legs and burning its poison before it could hit. The wolves would try to separate a toad from the rest of the pack and hassle it until it grew exhausted and then they would devour it.


    That scenario stayed fixed in her imagination until she closed her eyes, hoping to trick her mind into kinder dreams.

 The Quiet House in the Hills

    Priscilla woke up feeling unrested. She didn¡¯t dream of wolves and toads like she had tried to will her unconscious mind to explore, even if it was inherently violent. She couldn¡¯t remember the details of the dream like if it had been set in that same empty place as before, but there were flashes of clarity.


    A soundless scream from a mouth with too many teeth that nevertheless worked its way into your ears and left them ringing. Fire burning, burning so brightly and hungrily as it swept across the landscape, swallowing up everything in its path. And a pit of terror building inside your soul as the world was plunged into darkness as a monster with a wicked cackle blocked out the sun.


    Unsettling images by themselves, but it was worlds ahead of the freaky creature from yesterday. Though she wondered if the dreams were symbolic, Priscilla rationalized it herself that it was a nice, normal nightmare because why would she get prophetic dreams?


    (She ignored the voice that whispered, You did piss off a god, idiot.)


    Priscilla yawned loudly, forcing that voice to be quiet, and stumbled to her feet. The sight that greeted her in the mirror wasn¡¯t as bad as she expected it to be. There were dark circles under her eyes, yes, but she didn¡¯t look nearly as tired as she felt. Priscilla¡¯s hair was a bit of a mess and curlier than she expected, but that was because she had fallen asleep with it still wet. The messiness could be fixed with a little elbow grease and a hair brush. It wasn¡¯t too tangled and the brush went easily through it, but the hair refused to lay flat against her head when she pulled it up.


    Priscilla resigned herself to the flyways and tied it off with a green ribbon that matched her eyes. The only person who would be around to judge her was Sulaiman, and he didn¡¯t particularly care about appearances other than his own.


    ¡°You look great, master!¡± Asha piped up, the pureness of the sentiment making Priscilla¡¯s lips raise despite herself.


    ¡°Thanks Asha. Do you want to stick with Operation In Plain Sight or should I drag out the leather glove?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Will we be punching any lunatics today?¡±


    Priscilla went to shake her head but caught herself in mid-motion. She didn¡¯t actually know if they would encounter the bandit group today or not. The bandits were active in the area they planned on traveling, but they could be anywhere on the trail up to and including already at Kavil¡¯s village.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Priscilla said, pushing away the flash of people being slaughtered mercilessly that her mind oh so helpfully summoned. ¡°We won¡¯t be at our destination until tomorrow, which is where the lunatics are most likely to be, but I don¡¯t know where they are right now.¡±


    There was a moment of contemplation from Asha and then it shifted into a leather glove.


    ¡°Better to be safe than sorry,¡± Asha said firmly.


    Priscilla nodded. Though cleaning off the glove wasn¡¯t the most horrible thing she¡¯d done, there was a lingering smell of ash and charred remains that clung to it. The smell made her feel vaguely sick as she wondered if that was what humans smelt like when they burned to death.


    Priscilla shook her head violently to get rid of that thought and returned to getting ready with an intensity that Asha questioned, but she placated the artifact by saying she wanted to leave as soon as possible.


    She was affixing her armor in place when there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Just a second,¡± Priscilla called as she buckled the last strap and threw the compass-whistle necklace over her head.


    As she suspected, Sulaiman was on the other side of the door, his pack over his armored shoulder and sword strapped to his side. It seemed he too wished to be safe than sorry on this leg of the journey.


    Held in his hand was a tempting pair of sandwiches made of a long, dark bread and had a saucy pile of noodles of all things on it for the filling.


    ¡°Ah, is one mayhaps for¡­¡±


    Priscilla didn¡¯t have time to finish her sentence before Sulaiman rolled his eyes and stuck it out.


    ¡°Of course one is for you, idiot,¡± Sulaiman said. She took off her gloves despite Asha¡¯s small feeling of panic so the smell wouldn¡¯t work its way into the sandwich, and then Priscilla took the food eagerly and took a deep breath in to fully enjoy the experience. It smelled delectable and for the first time since she heard of the bandits, Priscilla¡¯s stomach rumbled approvingly.


    Priscilla¡¯s sandwich was gone by the time they made it to their horses.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Did you even taste that?¡± Sulaiman asked, looking almost disgusted by how quickly the food entered her mouth and the way she licked her finger to enjoy every last drop of sauce.


    Priscilla¡¯s thumb left her mouth with a loud pop just to annoy Sulaiman.


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Priscilla sniffed. ¡°It was really fucking tasty, so it needed to be in my stomach as quick as possible so the rest of my body can enjoy it too.¡±


    Sulaiman rolled his eyes. ¡°If that¡¯s the excuse you want to go with for inhaling your food, be my guest.¡±


    Priscilla stuck up her middle finger at him even though she knew this world didn¡¯t have the same cultural context to find it offensive. But based on the way Sulaiman¡¯s eyes narrowed, he probably had a feeling it wasn¡¯t something complimentary. She put her glove and Asha back on and mounted her horse before he could question her.


    But the light-hearted banter slowed as they began to navigate through Grazda as the city awoke. Luckily, they didn¡¯t get too swept up into traffic moving higher up into the city, and left the Hot-Spring city behind them.


    Neither of them seemed to want to break the silence between them, but it wasn¡¯t awkward or full of tension like before. Priscilla and Sulaiman had reached an understanding now, and had a shared goal of fucking up those bandits. They probably wouldn¡¯t be singing with each other to pass the time, not when singing might announce their presence and reveal their position. The current battle plan was focused on them trying to get the drop on the bandits ¨C Sulaiman hadn¡¯t exactly covered what the plan was if the two of them got ambushed instead. But that might just be because they probably wouldn¡¯t survive long in that situation, arrows sticking out their throats before they even realized they were surrounded.


    Priscilla tightened her grip on the reins and tried very hard to not think about that.


    The land surrounding them was hilly, with high grasses that tickled the edges of Priscilla¡¯s boots even though she was seated atop a horse. Visibility was decent, as long as one wasn¡¯t next to a particularly large hill, so Priscilla kept up a steady scan of the horizon, ready to alert Sulaiman the moment anything was amiss.


    After several hours of travel, in the distance, on the edge of the horizon, there was a dark patch against the light green sea of grass. She squinted at it, wondering what it might be, and deducing it looked like a house based on the shape and size. There were no recorded settlements between Grazda and Kavil¡¯s village, but now that she thought about it, there was only one other person that lived near the village¡­


    Priscilla checked her compass, confirming that the mysterious house was in the direction that they needed to head. She tapped her finger against the reins as she thought about what she might do if her suspicions were correct.


    She may become a killer sooner than she thought she would.


    ¡°Hey, Sulaiman, do you see that?¡± Priscilla asked, pointing out the house.


    He squinted for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°Do you think the problems may be staying there?¡± Sulaiman asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Priscilla said slowly, eyes never moving from the house and the potential inhabitant it may hold. ¡°But I think we should check it out since we have to pass by it to get where we¡¯re going. I have a feeling it might be important.¡±


    Sulaiman didn¡¯t respond and they lapsed into silence as they mutually decided to spur their horses to go faster. It took another hour of riding before they got to see the house in more detail.


    The house was a squat, one-story abode with a thatched roof jutting over the front door and skinny logs for walls built by the base of a hill. There were no windows, and the door was firmly closed. A short, wooden fence was wrapped around a small garden near the house that was slightly overgrown. There were zucchinis, squash, and even some pea trellises growing near dandelions and long grass, but every plant was overburdened with abundance, some of the excess having fallen off and was rotting on the ground, shriveled in the sun.


    Priscilla pulled her horse to a stop, searching for any signs of movement or life. But everything was completely still and silent save for her own breathing.


    ¡°Why hasn''t the owner picked any of the vegetables?¡± Sulaiman asked in a low voice, frowning at the offending plants. ¡°It seems like such a waste to let it sit there.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s gaze lingered on the rotting vegetables, on the way that no flies hovered over the decaying flesh. She flicked her eyes to the door to where grass had been allowed to overgrow into a tripping hazard.


    ¡°Why indeed,¡± Priscilla murmured and dismounted the horse, gripping the dagger at her side.


    ¡°Priscilla, you shouldn¡¯t ¨C¡±


    ¡°Shh,¡± Priscilla said, walking forward with careful steps towards the fence around the garden. This close, she could see that some of the pieces of wood were rotting as well and would cave in on itself at the slightest touch. No one had tended to this garden for some time and no animals dared to approach it, not even the boldest prairie dog.


    Sulaiman dismounted as well, his face stormy but remaining silent as he stood next to her, his sword pulled from its sheath, though his shield remained on his back. Priscilla walked towards the door, following what may have once been a path from the door to the garden but was now reclaimed by the wild grass.


    There was a thin layer of dust on the door¡¯s handle, Priscilla noted, and the grass was definitely too tall to open it without effort. Slowly, Priscilla walked along the edge of the house, searching for another entrance or a window.


    But she found none, and the smell of rot grew stronger when she walked along the back of the house. Sulaiman and Priscilla shared a meaningful glance and walked back to the door.


    Sulaiman equipped his shield, stashing his sword. Priscilla gripped her dagger tightly, standing to the right of the door and nodded at him that she was ready. Sulaiman pulled harshly on the door and the hinges squeaked loudly as the bottom scraped over the ground and flattened the grass.


    The smell of rot, decay, and stale air flowed out the house to hit her nose, making her gag.


    Sulaiman stared into the open doorway, not taking a single step forward. His expression had shut down into practiced blankness, though something like horror lurked within his eyes.


    Taking a deep breath with her only mouth, Priscilla moved so that she could see inside.


    The house was small and slightly cramped, with a bed in one corner, a bookshelf against the opposite wall, and a table in the center of the room.


    And atop that table was what remained of a man.

 Justice Would be Achieved Another Day

    The man¡¯s head hung over the edge of the table so the fact he was missing his lower jaw was the first thing that drew Priscilla¡¯s gaze. His eyes had been gouged out, leaving empty sockets staring straight at them, and the flesh of his nose looked like it had been gnawed on. Strips of his cheek flesh had been peeled but not removed, so they dangled next to the eye sockets like a sick approximation of bangs. The man¡¯s arms were splayed over the edge, hanging in a way that made his lack of fingers all the more apparent, the knobby white of the knuckle bone hanging on by a single piece of flesh.


    His ribcage was spread outwards like the horrible wings of an angel and that was where Priscilla lost her breakfast.


    She turned to the side of the door and threw up everything in her stomach. Priscilla coughed and gagged again when the smell hit her, more bile escaping her throat. Her eyes burned with reflexive tears and when she closed her eyes, all she could see was that man and the way his rib cage had been ripped open brutally as if he was a present and his heart was the prize.


    There was a touch on her back that startled her but it was only Sulaiman, crouching down to rub her back gently. Priscilla leaned gratefully into the touch, letting it anchor her as she tried to calm down her stomach and gag reflex. She didn¡¯t close her eyes because the vision plagued her each time she blinked, and Priscilla just focused on breathing in and out, staring at the garden before her. It was unnaturally still, but it was far better than what was in the house


    It took a few minutes, but eventually Priscilla didn¡¯t think she was going to throw up anymore. Sulaiman had fetched her water pouch from the horse and she ruthlessly used it to rinse out her mouth until the bitter taste of bile was a distant memory.


    ¡°Did you know¡­¡± Sulaiman trailed off as Priscilla sharply shook her head.


    ¡°Gods, no,¡± Priscilla said, pushing herself back to her feet. ¡°I thought maybe¡­¡± that they would find an imposter here, one they could catch stumbling into a lie so they could deal with them before they had a chance to work their poison into Kavil¡¯s psyche.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter what I thought we¡¯d find,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have made you open that door if I knew what was on the other side.¡±


    Sulaiman watched her, like he expected her to shatter.


    That made her stubbornness flare up and Priscilla straightened her spine and looked him straight in the eye.


    ¡°Do you think you can help me bury him?¡± Priscilla asked.


    Sulaiman¡¯s eyes widened before he looked contemplative.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know him,¡± he said slowly. ¡°We don¡¯t have any obligation to him, especially when you can scarcely look at him.¡±


    Priscilla was already shaking her head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Priscilla said firmly, gathering up her courage and resolving to look back at the man because she knew she needed to if she wanted to stand by her convictions. Her stomach turned over again as she stared into the man¡¯s empty eye sockets but there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up.


    Priscilla knew who he had to be because she knew who had butchered him to steal his identity.


    He had been a person once, a man named Frean who liked to garden and always brought Kavil the best from his garden and told tales from his youthful past of being an adventurer. Frean had been a good man, a simple gardener who enjoyed his slow life after traveling the world. His only flaw was that he lived an isolated life, which made for easy pickings.


    ¡°If I died like that,¡± Priscilla said softly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want my body to just lay there like a monument for the person who did that to me. I would hope that whoever found me might care enough to give me a peaceful rest.¡±


    Sulaiman turned to look at Frean as well, a thoughtful frown on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯d probably be easier to cremate him,¡± Sulaiman said, voice quiet, ¡°and then spread the ashes throughout the earth. I¡¯m not very talented with earth magic, but I can at least do that much.¡±


    Though inwardly Priscilla balked at having to smell burning human flesh and she knew it would work its way into her nightmares because the scariest things were always based on truth, Priscilla pushed that selfish part to the side because what Sulaiman was suggesting was the objectively the better idea. They really didn¡¯t have time to dig up a grave because they had to get to Kavil as fast as possible to try and beat the bandits there.


    It wasn''t about her, it was about respecting human dignity.


    No one deserved to lay on a table like a piece of livestock, the choicest pieces of meat picked clean from their bones.


    ¡°We should get him out of the house,¡± Priscilla said, though her hands shook at the idea of actually touching him.


    ¡°We could just burn it all down,¡± Sulaiman offered, though his heart didn¡¯t seem in it.


    Priscilla just shook her head, steadying her nerves and took careful steps towards Frean. The smell grew worse as she approached him, and Priscilla had to force bile back down her throat, but she was able to hold it together as she got a better look at him.


    His chest cavity had clearly been rummaged through with carelessness. The only organs that were still remaining was the digestive system, which had shriveled and rotted.


    Bone-deep revulsion went through Priscilla as she knew exactly what had happened to them. Frearn¡¯s organs had been eaten one by one by a doppelganger named Kopica''a. With each organ consumed, Kopica''a gained a deeper understanding of Frean and his life until the doppelganger ate the heart, allowing Kopica''a to taste the shape of Frean¡¯s soul to make their transformation perfect.


    The problem with Kopica''a had slipped her mind with the village¡¯s demise on the horizon, but Kopica''a was a threat that should be dealt with because of their connection with the cult. They had originally been tasked with tempting Kavil to join hands with them by using Frean¡¯s face, which failed since the bandits attacked. When Kavil met with Kopica''a again, Kopica''a had used Kavil¡¯s guilt against him and lured the party into a trap that meant to kill everyone save Kavil, hoping to make the healer feel despair from losing everything again so that he would willingly embrace the church¡¯s ideals.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Her fist tightened into something painful as anger ignited deep within Priscilla. The anger Sulaiman had summoned a few days ago was mere child¡¯s play compared to this ¨C this was the type of anger that took down countries and salted the earth for generations to come. The type of anger that burned cold, filling one with rationality and forethought to maximize another¡¯s pain.


    The type of anger that made someone willing to kill and to kill cruelly at that, relishing in each sound of pain their victim made before giving them an ignoble death, leaving their body to sink deep beneath water to be forgotten and picked apart by scavengers.


    When she came across them, Priscilla would make Kopica¡¯a suffer. She would first try to force them to reveal their true nature to ruin their cover, make them feel the pain that Kopica¡¯a feared so much, and kill Kopica¡¯a outright if Priscilla thought she could get away with it. The doppelganger was a dangerous enemy who specialized in infiltration and Priscilla only knew one of their identities. She knew that if they had just eaten the organs, Kopica¡¯a would have enough genetic material to make a perfect replica, but they went farther than that, defacing Frean¡¯s corpse simply because they could.


    Sulaiman coming next to her jolted Priscilla out of her thoughts. In his hands was a blanket from the bed.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°but it¡¯s the closest thing to a funeral shroud.¡±


    Priscilla nodded, breathing in shallowly.


    Justice would be achieved another day. Now, she had to pay her respects. They decided to use the rest of the bedding to wrap their hands so they didn¡¯t have to touch the body directly.


    Together, Priscilla and Sulaiman carefully grabbed one of Frean¡¯s arms and legs. As they lifted him from the table, the body left it was a wet squelch that made Priscilla flinch. But she kept her grip steady as they lowered him onto the blanket.


    Sulaiman knelt down to adjust Freans¡¯ arms into a more natural looking pose, even though it took some effort due to the body¡¯s stiffness. Priscilla then wrapped Frean in the blanket, tying off by his feet and Sulaiman tied off near his head.


    They carried him outside in silence, placing him down for only the time it took Sulaiman to clear a patch of grass near the garden so they wouldn¡¯t start a prairie fire, and then they placed in the center.


    ¡°May my flames help you find peace,¡± Sulaiman said, bowing his head towards Frean. Then he raised his hand and Priscilla barely even registered the pain in her arm as she watched Frean¡¯s body catch fire. The flames burned so hot and so high that Frean¡¯s body was barely visible, and though the nearby grass smoldered, another flicker of pain, and it went out, leaving a burned ring around the body. There were cracks and pops as flesh sizzled and bones snapped, unable to withstand the heat.


    But the worst thing was the smell. She was sure it was going to become a staple of her nightmares.


    Because the scent in the air was very similar to one of beef or pork roasting over an open flame.


    Priscilla latched onto the pain in her body from Sulaiman¡¯s magic, letting it anchor herself as she felt unmoored at the unexpectedness of that. This was worse than if the burning body smelled disgusting or if it would make her instinctively gag.


    It was something that she would almost find appealing if she hadn¡¯t been watching the body burn ahead of her and that thought made her disgusted with herself.


    But Priscilla couldn¡¯t look away not until the very last bones turned to ash, committing the sight to her memory.


    This was the level of violence she was living with in this new world. Priscilla could very much get killed if she made the wrong move. But Priscilla couldn¡¯t just let the fucking cult to continue to get away with doing shit like this. Besides, if they succeeded, it was the end of the fucking world and she would die along with everyone else.


    The cult viewed time on a scale much larger than her own; they had a thousand years to build up a follower base and lay out plans within plans to ensure there were no loose ends. The only thing Priscilla had going for her was that she knew many of those plans, at least the ones that seemed to have the most importance. It was honestly harder to pick out a scheme or catastrophe the cult didn¡¯t have at least some sort of involvement with, even if it was only tangentially.


    Priscilla may not be able to speak to anyone about what she knew, but they couldn¡¯t control what she did, and if she coincidentally continued to fuck up the cult¡¯s plans, well, they¡¯d just have to deal with it. They might try to kill her for interfering, but that wouldn¡¯t be for a few years since the cult wasn¡¯t to the point where they made overt moves. The wouldn¡¯t retaliate before she had collected members of Illnyea¡¯s original party and convince them to help take up the fight.


    Sulaiman had been surprisingly adept at hearing what she wasn¡¯t saying, and he was far from the only savvy member who could read between the lines. Many of the cult¡¯s plans affected the original party members and if she could show them proof that the cult was behind it, then they¡¯d be committed to the cause. There were also antagonists that might be able to be convinced to switch sides as well, and Priscilla had a keen insight into just what made them tick and what she might be able to promise them to gain their loyalty.


    Kopica¡¯a was not one of those lucky few.


    The fire went out and Sulaiman placed his palms against the ground. A spike of pain in her toes and then the ground underneath the body turned soft, the ashen remains filtering through and mixing with the dirt until it reached an even, rich brown color and it stopped moving. The surface was perfectly even, like nothing had even happened here if you didn¡¯t find a dirt circle in a field unnatural.


    ¡°I saw a letter on the ground next to the bed,¡± Sulaiman said, staring at the dirt. ¡°It was addressed to a man named Frean. The sender professed that they wanted to speak with him because they had lost their entire adventuring party and wanted to know how he got over losing his.¡±


    That certainly was an effective way to get Frean to open up his doors by appealing to his empathy and compassion. Kopica¡¯a probably arrived at the house as a guest who would pass as a traumatized adventurer, probably slipping something into Frean¡¯s tea to paralyze him because Kopica¡¯a liked to think themselves above bashing someone¡¯s head in.


    Sulaiman pressed his hands against the ground again, and the ground shifted to have a small plaque in the center. A phrase was gouged into the dirt, ¡°Here lies Frean.¡±


    Priscilla couldn¡¯t tell Sulaiman to add anything else to the grave because her tongue locked in place when she tried. She felt a kinship to Cassandra, though she considered her luckier than Apollo¡¯s priestess. Cassandra could speak of the future only could see, she was doomed to never be believed even as she begged and screamed for someone to listen.


    Priscilla could never speak of what she knew, but she had at least one person who believed her, who had chosen to walk alongside her for at least a short while.


    Sulaiman¡¯s hands lingered on the earth, his eyes dark, flinty, and unsatisfied as he examined his handiwork.


    ¡°What was the sender¡¯s name?¡± Priscilla asked, her throat a little hoarse.


    ¡°Marie Rolland,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°but I find it unlikely that is their real name considering the circumstances.¡±


    The last of the smoke was dissipating in the air, stolen away by the wind.


    ¡°May you find peace in the afterlife you believe in, Frean,¡± Priscilla said. Sulaiman echoed her words and they stared at the pitiful excuse for a grave for a moment longer.


    As they remounted their horses, something dark, ugly, and true settled in her soul.


    Priscilla was going to become a killer sooner than later, and she feared that she would embrace that title with less hesitance than she once had thought. She was surely disappointing Mr. ¨C¨C but that pang of regret was easy enough to ignore, because she knew that Mr. ¨C¨C would want one thing for her above all else.


    Mr. ¨C¨C would want Priscilla to survive.

 An Honest Conversation (For the Most Part)

    They encountered nothing else for the rest of the day though they were both on high alert as they traveled, with Priscilla checking her compass often to assuage her nerves. The grass started to grow shorter, and the hills began to flatten for near endless tides of bright green marred by occasional brush or a tree. There were some hints of farmers previously living around here, but the homesteads were long abandoned, though not in the eerie way that Frean¡¯s was, more in the way that nature naturally reclaims settlements for itself given enough time.


    Priscilla let Sulaiman take the lead on finding a place to set up camp for the night when dusk drew nearer, casting long shadows over the landscape. He chose to stop by one of the remnants of a home, the wood decayed and many walls collapsed, but one wall stood tall and blocked out the cool wind. Priscilla wasn¡¯t going to lean on it, but she did appreciate how it made their position less obvious to anyone passing by.


    ¡°We should probably have one of us be awake at all times so no one gets the drop on us,¡± Priscilla said, laying her pack on the ground and pulling out her bed roll before glancing at Sulaiman. ¡°Unless you happen to know any alarm spells?¡±


    ¡°Too finicky for me,¡± Sulaiman said, sounding regretful. ¡°My magic isn¡¯t suited for delicate arcane work like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the first watch then,¡± Priscilla said, patting her bed roll flat.


    Sulaiman nodded. ¡°We should probably avoid lighting a fire to give away our location.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Priscilla said even though she wasn¡¯t sure how much she was going to enjoy sitting in the dark. She would have to find a way to keep herself up, maybe she¡¯d sit in a way that required her to move every short while so her legs didn¡¯t go numb. At least with how bright the moons and stars shone, it wouldn¡¯t be pitch black.


    For dinner, Priscilla hesitated before taking a bite into her jerky, chewing it quickly so she didn¡¯t have time to linger on the meat flavor and the way it made her want to gag. She covered it up with a thick grain bar she had kept in reserve for when they weren¡¯t near civilization. It was tasteless and dry, which was perfectly fine with her. Sulaiman didn¡¯t seem to have the same problem with meat as she did, but maybe he simply hid it better.


    Sulaiman reluctantly took off his armor before climbing into the bed roll and Priscilla felt for him, she really did because of the whole threat of death and all, but the pout on his face as he realized he needed to make that decision was the first thing that had gotten Priscilla to smile for the first time since they left Grazda that morning.


    He settled into a position on his side, facing away from Priscilla, and Priscilla turned her slowly adapting eyes to their dark surroundings. She settled near the far edge of the wall so she could easily peek her head around it.


    ¡°Priscilla.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s quiet voice made her jump. Priscilla turned her head over her shoulder and saw that he was still turned away from her. She blinked at that and then slowly turned back around.


    ¡°Yes, Sulaiman?¡± Priscilla said just as quietly so her voice didn¡¯t carry over the flat land.


    ¡°Do you know who killed the man we found?¡± he asked, something heavy in his voice as he spoke the words, like he hadn¡¯t actually wanted to say them aloud but something compelled Sulaiman to ask anyway.


    Priscilla stilled.


    What a tricky question to answer and such an important one at that.


    While they were riding here, Priscilla had started to plan out ways to try and get around her restrictions to get as much flexibility in speaking as she could. She had thought pretty hard about Priscilla¡¯s circumstances and what the original may have known at this point, combined the interactions she¡¯s had with the cult thus far, and tried to deduce what she could reasonably say from there. She had a few ideas prepped and knew this was as good a place as any to try it out.


    ¡°I have a guess,¡± Priscilla said slowly, looking at her hands, ¡°but you might not like the answer.¡±


    There was a beat of silence then, ¡°I''d like to hear it anyway.¡±


    Priscilla sighed.


    ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve come across an organization,¡± Priscilla began slowly, ¡°that takes special interest in those who might feel like they¡¯re¡­ overlooked and unappreciated by others. They figure out what you want most in life and offer you enough power to achieve it. They like to use the right words to convince you that they were what you needed, and all you had to do was devote yourself to their ideals.¡±


    Everything Priscilla had just said were things that she heard the cult leader tell her personally, but she was skirting the lines of what she could say, based on the way blood coated her throat but didn¡¯t rise further.


    ¡°The organization doesn¡¯t seem like one to hesitate to use violence if they thought it furthered their goals,¡± Priscilla forced out with just a light cough. She was glad she was facing away from Sulaiman as she wiped the blood from her lips, taking care to not wipe it onto Asha, though she felt the artifact¡¯s displeasure clearly.


    Sulaiman processed her words for a few moments while Priscilla grabbed her waterskin to get rid of the taste of blood from her mouth.


    ¡°Did this organization try to recruit you?¡± Sulaiman asked in the same heavy voice. ¡°Is that how you learned of it?¡±


    Priscilla winced.


    ¡°Yes, they certainly tried,¡± Priscilla said because there was no getting around it, ¡°but I found that we had irreconcilable differences so I told the bastard to go fuck himself with a cactus made of orichacalum.¡±


    A startled snort of laughter came from Sulaiman and some of the tension in the air dissipated.


    There was the sound of him shifting in his bed roll. Priscilla risked a glance over her shoulder and found Sulaiman looking at her, a hand beneath his head. His expression was difficult to parse in the dark, but Priscilla could at least tell he didn¡¯t seem angry.


    ¡°If you asked me a week ago if I¡¯d believe you¡¯d do that,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°I would have told whoever was asking me they were missing a brain. But now¡­ well, it¡¯s not that hard to imagine.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I think?¡± Priscilla said with a wry smile.


    Sulaiman laughed, his whole body shaking from the force of it for longer than she expected, before he took in a deep breath to calm himself, a smile just barely visible in the low light.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    His gaze met Priscilla¡¯s once more.


    ¡°Do you have a watch on you?¡± Sulaiman asked and that was a very good question because Priscilla was realizing she didn¡¯t. As she shook her head, Sulaiman pushed himself up and rifled through his pack.


    ¡°Catch,¡± he called and then Priscilla scrambled to try to do just that. A chain tangled in her fingers, and the watch dangled, spinning in rapid circles from the sudden movement.


    ¡°More warning next time would be nice,¡± Priscilla grumbled as she pulled it free, ¡°unless you want me to drop it and fuck up the mechanisms.¡±


    Sulaiman ignored that, saying, ¡°Wake me in five hours.¡±


    ¡°If I can read the clock face in the dark, then sure,¡± Priscilla snarked and she could practically feel Sulaiman¡¯s eye roll from here.


    It was difficult to see what the watch looked like in the dark, but it seemed to be made of a silver metal, with the numbers carved into its side and the center open to reveal some of the inner clockwork mechanisms. The watch was sleek and graceful, and Priscilla let herself be momentarily distracted by a vision of Sulaiman dressed in a tailored double breasted suit to highlight his broad shoulders at a fancy party, pulling out the watch to check the time in one smooth motion. It was a delightful little fantasy and Priscilla¡¯s fingers itched to draw out the design. But it was dark and she had nothing to sketch on ¨C a fact that Priscilla told herself that she would rectify on the next journey she went on.


    Instead, she focused on the task at hand, which was keeping watch to make sure they weren¡¯t murdered by bandits in the night.


    Though she had dreaded it, keeping watch wasn¡¯t as worse as Priscilla feared it may be. It was dark and her thoughts drifted darker at first before Priscilla decided that she would much rather draw a map of the world in the dirt with a thin piece of wood she found. It was imperfect but it was serviceable as she trailed the edge of the stick on a tentative path for the future.


    After they save Kavil¡¯s village and he may or may not join them, Priscilla and Sulaiman would return to Meadowyar to wait for Illnyea. Priscilla would do her best to keep herself in Sulaiman¡¯s good graces and see if there were any artifacts for sale that might make her slightly less useless in combat. Once Illnyea came back, Priscilla would do her best to sweet talk her sister into making good on those plans to travel together.


    From there, Priscilla would have them travel towards the capital of Kavendash to the north-west, solving pesky problems on the way and not so subtly ruining the cult¡¯s plans for the region. The cult was focused on increasing monster populations across countless countries, and with Illnyea and Sulaiman¡¯s strength and Priscilla¡¯s knowledge of magical beasts (and copious amounts of healing potions if Kavil chose to stay), dealing with the creatures shouldn¡¯t be too hard.


    Once they got to the capital, there were many more plots to deal with and foil (and hopefully flying under the radar of politicians and magical researchers), and then they would be traveling to a small neighboring country of Amelliun and hopefully have the fateful encounter with the martial arts badass Frigge ¨C another one of Priscilla¡¯s favorite characters for both her fighting skills and her upfront nature.


    Priscilla lost herself in trying to imagine what she might say to Frigge when she got to meet her. Frigge and the original hadn¡¯t had many interactions in the story besides Frigge calling her a bitch for using a poisoned needle, so their relationship would start on a clean slate. Priscilla would probably get her ass whooped if she asked for a spar and she¡¯d probably love every second of it.


    By the time Priscilla had to wake Sulaiman and return his watch to him, she felt relatively confident about the path she had decided on, and was even excited about all the possibilities that lay before her. No plans survived contact with the real world, but it would serve as a foundation to build off of.


    As Priscilla settled down in her own bed roll, she reminded herself to curb her enthusiasm.


    Her plans all hinged on her surviving the encounter with the bandits, after all.


    The next morning, Sulaiman woke Priscilla up at dawn, jostling her with his foot roughly.


    ¡°Mother fucker,¡± Priscilla groaned, glaring at him.


    ¡°Good morning to you too.¡±


    Priscilla grunted in response, rubbing away the bleariness from her eyes. She didn¡¯t recall much of her dreams again except for a vague feeling of terror that was quickly fading as Priscilla stretched. She paused for a moment, trying to see if she could recall anything else, but the dream remained nebulous and intangible, slipping away like water between her fingers, so Priscilla stopped trying.


    There were more important things to focus on ¨C today was when they would arrive at Kavil¡¯s village.


    If Priscilla¡¯s calculations were correct, they should arrive at the edge of the forest near Kavil¡¯s village by late afternoon and be able to follow the river, arriving at the village proper near dusk.


    They hadn¡¯t seen any signs of bandits yet, but Priscilla had a suspicion that they may be approaching from the far eastern side, opposite from her angle of approach. While that meant Sulaiman and Priscilla didn¡¯t have to worry about encountering the bandits prematurely, it also meant that the bandits may have already made it to the village.


    Priscilla slapped her cheeks lightly to banish that thought from her head because she couldn¡¯t not afford to consider that possibility.


    Travel was once again silent, and largely uneventful discounting the horses getting spooked by a passing snake. It took longer than Priscilla wanted to to get her horse back under control as it stubbornly stomped the snake to death with its hooves. Sulaiman ended up having to dismount his own horse to calm hers down, which left Priscilla in a slightly dour mood. But she had no one to blame but herself, and Priscilla would get plenty of practice in handling horses with the amount of traveling she wished to do.


    If she could finagle it, Priscilla would love to purchase a Thacheleon steed. Horses from Thacheleon were faster on average and bonded deeply with their riders, refusing to let any they disapproved of onto their backs. Finding a Thacheleon steed was much easier said than done because they were from a different continent, but Priscilla mentally marked that down as a future goal, even if she did not get one for herself, then one for Illnyea, definitely. That girl attracted trouble like a moth to a flame and deserved a steady steed to get her out of that trouble.


    The land slanted downwards as they traveled, easing into a gentle valley with a lush forest hidden within it. They were arriving slightly later than she hoped they would, but the forest was just a little under an hour¡¯s ride away at their current pace, so they should reach the village after dusk but not late enough it would be impossible to travel through the forest, though they might have to walk ahead of their horses.


    Sulaiman eyed the forest that was ahead of them with a thoughtful look.


    ¡°Is this, perhaps, our destination?¡± Sulaiman asked, his voice dry. ¡°We are on the day you said we¡¯d reach it.¡±


    ¡°Why, Sulaiman, what an astute guess,¡± Priscilla said brightly. ¡°You prove again and again that you possess a lofty intelligence ¨C the forest that you see is indeed our final destination.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s flat look spoke volumes about what he thought about her theatrics.


    ¡°Is there a specific place in said forest we¡¯re visiting?¡±


    Priscilla squinted ahead of her, before brightening as she saw a glimmer of light reflected off water. Being able to see things with her own eyes neatly circumvented the restrictions on what she could say.


    ¡°Yes, we will follow that river there,¡± Priscilla said, pointing it out to him, ¡°and then we will arrive!¡±


    Sulaiman squinted, following her arm. The river really was hard to spot from this angle as it came from the southeast and was at a lower elevation so it was partially hidden by trees, but eventually Sulaiman nodded slowly after twenty seconds of searching.


    ¡°I can only assume, with my lofty intelligence,¡± Sulaiman said, dead-pan, ¡°that there may be people who live in this forest.¡±


    ¡°Truly, your intelligence is beyond compare,¡± Priscilla said, dancing around actually answering him and giving him a toothy grin. Sulaiman rolled his eyes.


    But as his eyes settled back on the horizon and the wind blew over them, his face went still as his eyes went wide. Priscilla followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop as the faint scent of smoke hit her nose.


    It was hard to see at first, as the sun had cast it into shadows, but there was a camp stationed on the eastern edge of the forest. A camp that clearly had been just in use by a large party though it was now empty. There was only one place the occupants could have gone, and that was into the forest ¨C and there really was only one option of what they were here for.


    The bandits were already here and they had a head start.

 A Suicidal Girl Takes on a Coward

    ¡°God fucking damnit,¡± Priscilla said, squeezing the horse with her thighs and urging it to move faster. She leaned onto the stirrups to keep her weight balanced over the horse¡¯s center of gravity because the last thing she needed was to fall from the saddle.


    The horse thundered down the slope, with Sulaiman hot on her heels.


    ¡°Do you see any smoke coming from the forest?¡± Priscilla asked even as she searched for signs herself. The bandits were supposed to attack after nightfall, but she didn¡¯t want to blindly trust Kavil¡¯s hesitant recount of the night, not when she could see potential evidence to the contrary in front of her eyes.


    ¡°No,¡± Sulaiman said, his horse racing to keep pace with hers. ¡°Do you know a faster way there than following the river?¡±


    Priscilla wanted to bite her lip as she thought but forcibly kept her teeth clamped together, far too aware she¡¯d likely just bite through her lip. Instead, Priscilla searched over the tops of the trees, searching for any sign of the village.


    The village had been described as a hidden gem, a self-sustaining and peaceful place where followers of the Earth Mother Gaelea lived in harmony with nature. Priscilla wished they were a little less mindful of the earth and left more of a noticeable impact.


    There was a small area where the trees were shorter than their surroundings, making a break in the treetops, and the bandit camp was close to that area. Priscilla traced her eyes over the river¡¯s path ¨C if it kept on its course, then it would travel right by the patch of trees.


    ¡°This way,¡± Priscilla said, pulling on the reins and readjusting the horse''s path. That was the last they spoke, pushing the horses harder than they had dared to before, afraid of exhausting the beasts before they arrived. But now was not the time for caution.


    Priscilla felt every impact of the horse¡¯s hoofs against the ground, the pounding of her heartbeat so loud that it drowned out everything else. Adrenaline ran through her veins, slowing down her sense of time, as Priscilla had to face the possibility that her first struggle against the fate of the world could end in abject failure, that everyone would be dead by the end of the night and this forest would be nothing but ashes.


    And that mere possibility filled Priscilla with a bright hot rage.


    The bond between her and Asha was awash with that rage, Asha¡¯s own emotions responding to Priscilla¡¯s within a second. The artifact¡¯s anger was cooler but no less intense, determination fueling it so it was like the inevitability of an iceberg caught on the currents to crush everything in its path.


    They cut the travel time to just thirty minutes, but every minute that passed was one that Priscilla hated they had to waste. The sun had continued its steady path down the horizon, the shadows that they cast growing longer and longer as dusk began to settle over the land.


    Priscilla was panting hard by the time they reached the edge of the forest. She had kept her gaze on where she suspected the village was, never looking away even as they drew closer. Priscilla gave her horse just a moment to catch its breath before she pushed it forward again.


    The forest was too dense to keep at a full gallop, so Priscilla reluctantly let the horse set the pace as it picked its way through the underbrush.


    ¡°Move to the right,¡± Sulaiman said from behind her, ¡°there¡¯s an animal trail.¡±


    Priscilla followed his instruction and her horse moved a little faster over the pre-flattened ground. Luckily, the trail seemed to be headed in the right direction. She stayed silent as they traveled further into the forest, the canopy blocking out the remaining sunlight and it grew steadily darker.


    Priscilla let her eyes unfocus without looking away, trying to adjust to the low lighting as they steadily moved forward. But she pulled the horse to an abrupt stop when she saw movement ahead of them.


    ¡°Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla hissed.


    ¡°I see it.¡±


    Two hundred feet ahead of them, there was the distinct sight of torchlight. It was difficult to see it perfectly, but Priscilla spotted roughly a dozen people crouching with the distinctive shape of a bow in their hands. The torchlight moved to the first crouched figure and Priscilla realized they were in the process of setting their arrows alight.


    The light didn¡¯t spill out far, but when Priscilla squinted, she could see several dark buildings across from where the archers were kneeling.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to pick them off one by one,¡± Sulaiman said in a low voice, ¡°not if they¡¯re about to fire. I¡¯ll send a flame sphere with you to give you a better view of things. So ride fast, Priscilla, and break right through their formation. I¡¯ll deal with what remains.¡±


    Priscilla nodded tightly, fumbling for the whistle around her neck. She placed it between her teeth and kicked her horse¡¯s side, sending the beast sprinting forward.


    The archer¡¯s heard Priscilla¡¯s horse crashing through the underbrush, but they were too slow to react since the horse had picked up enough speed to easily clear their positions, one hoof hitting a man square in the head.


    A few arrows were released prematurely, veering wildly off target into the forest as Priscilla¡¯s horse landed in front of them.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Who the fuck are¨C¡±


    Priscilla blew as hard as she could on the whistle.


    SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.


    When she finished, there was an echoing silence in the forest as the bandits were momentarily stunned, staring at her.


    ¡°WAKE THE FUCK UP,¡± Priscilla bellowed towards the houses she could now see, ¡°BANDITS ARE ATTACKING.¡±


    A small sphere of flames burst into existence next to her and Priscilla took that as a signal to leave it to Sulaiman and spurred her horse further into the village, passing around a bend and searching for¡­


    There it was ¨C Priscilla spotted the bell tower at the same time that the bandits hidden in the shadows spotted her. They were flanked along the edge of the woods, swords and bows drawn and aimed at the town. With her sudden appearance, Priscilla saw many of the bandits looking towards the bell tower for guidance.


    A large man with shaggy black hair stood beneath the structure, a long, tattered duster coat draped over his frame. A sword was strapped to his side but more pressing was the crossbow in his hand that was aimed right for her.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t have time to dodge, but it turned out the bolt wasn¡¯t aiming for her.


    Instead, it sunk deep into her horse¡¯s chest, the beast¡¯s legs crumpling beneath it as it let out a loud whinny of pain.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Priscilla breathed before as her body was flung forward. But she just barely got her feet untangled from the stirrups so she didn¡¯t get her legs pinned beneath the horse¡¯s body as it collapsed to the ground.


    She hit the ground hard, a riot of pain radiating from her left shoulder, hip, and chest as she slid across the dirt. It was a little difficult to breathe but adrenaline helped Priscilla ignore it as she pushed herself to her knees to take stock of the situation, her ball of flame moving forward to give her a better view.


    ¡°Got some pipsqueaks to deal with,¡± the man in the duster yelled to his men. ¡°Fuck stealth and start pillaging! Whoever finds the treasure will get his pick of the loot!¡±


    ¡°What if I want the treasure, boss?¡± a bandana clad bandit called while he lit a torch.


    The leader gave the man who spoke a nasty smile. ¡°Try it and I¡¯ll skin your hide.¡±


    The other bandits jeered the one who had spoken up before lighting their own torches or pulling out their swords, while the bandit leader settled in next to the tower.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t have a chance at stopping all of the bandits before they got into the houses, but the bandit leader was just one man. Admittedly, a strong-looking one, but Priscilla hoped if she took him out, then the others may be lost without his leadership and struggle. She was only fifteen feet away from the bell tower and ten feet from the bandit leader himself.


    There were the sounds of fighting behind her where the archers were. Priscilla had to trust that Sulaiman had that handled and pushed herself to her feet.


    The movement drew the bandit¡¯s leader¡¯s gaze and he laughed when Priscilla drew herself up to her full height, balling her hands into fists. It hurt a little to do so with her left fist but Priscilla ignored it, keeping her gaze on the man with a crossbow.


    ¡°This is what¡¯s trying to stop us?¡± the bandit leader asked, his gaze mocking as he took her in as he reloaded his crossbow. ¡°A suicidal girl?¡±


    ¡°You got it in one,¡± Priscilla said conversationally, resting her hands near her side, near the weight that steadily pressed against her hip, ¡°and this suicidal girl might even kick your ass.¡±


    The bandit leader paused at that, cocking his head.


    ¡°Delusional as well,¡± he said, shaking his head in mock sympathy. ¡°You can tell your pathetic gods that Captain Azurin was the one to put you out of your misery.¡±


    Azurin pulled the trigger on his crossbow and that was exactly what Priscilla was waiting for. She threw her head to the side, the arrow sending red strands of hair falling through the air as Priscilla grasped the dagger at her side and flung it at Azurin with Asha¡¯s aim adjustments.


    Then Priscilla sprinted as fast as she could right at Azurin.


    Azurin seemed to not expect the dagger throw and only just barely missed taking the dagger in the eye, leaving the man¡¯s ear bloody as the dagger cut through it. But Azurin proved he did have decent reflexes, swinging his crossbow down like a mace at Priscilla before she got close enough for a clean hit.


    Priscilla pivoted at the last second, whispering, ¡°Spike on,¡± as she slammed her right fist right into Azurin¡¯s overextended arm. Spikes sprung forth from Asha on Priscilla¡¯s knuckles and sunk into his bicep right above his elbow, tearing through the coat like butter.


    Priscilla tore her hand away from Azurin immediately, throwing herself backwards out of the range of his attempted backhand. The bloodied spikes slipped back into the glove and a chunk of flesh and leather hit the ground. Asha¡¯s vicious satisfaction mingled with Priscilla¡¯s but she didn¡¯t let her guard down, not yet.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Azurin growled. He no longer looked mocking or arrogant, instead his eyes were hard as he looked her over again, this time assessing her as a threat rather than a nuisance. His right arms hung awkwardly at his side, his grip on the crossbow much looser than before. Priscilla hoped she had taken that arm completely out of commission, but she didn¡¯t know if Azurin had any way to heal himself.


    ¡°A suicidal girl,¡± Priscilla repeated, stepping further out of his reach and readjusting her footing in case he came for her again.


    Azurin let out an angry noise but Priscilla kept going. She had to keep his attention on her rather than let him wise up and do the smart thing to call his minions to surround Priscilla, and what better way to do so than doing what she did best ¨C pissing people off.


    ¡°And being suicidal sure as hell beats being a goddamn cowardly captain launching sneak attacks like you,¡± Priscilla taunted, eyes on Azurin for any sort of tensing of his muscles though it was difficult to tell with his coat, ¡°especially when a coward¡¯s skills only amount to so much. Tell me, are all bandit captain¡¯s skills this shit or are you just special?¡±


    Azurin went completely still, his gaze focused on Priscilla. In the background, his men had reached the first house and were attempting to set it ablaze. It seemed that some of the villagers had woken up and were trying to fight back, but Priscilla couldn¡¯t focus on them now, not when Azurin stood across from her with murderous intent.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy killing a bitch like you,¡± Azurin spat, tossing his crossbow on the ground as he pulled his sword free with his left hand. He held it steadily with no hints of uncomfortableness or awkwardness, which probably meant he was ambidextrous, damn.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been called far worse than a bitch before,¡± Priscilla said, trying to judge Azurin¡¯s new reach with the sword while letting her mouth run on its own. ¡°Can¡¯t you use more original insults, or is your brain as small as your cock?¡±


    Azurin¡¯s face went stormy just as the reassuring ball of flame Sulaiman sent with Priscilla flickered out of existence. Priscilla swallowed the panic building in her throat as she prayed that Sulaiman was still alive.

 A Monster Wreathed in Black Flames

    SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.


    Priscilla blew on that odd whistle she had been wearing around her neck and though Sulaiman had been expecting it to be loud, the noise still caught him off guard by its piercing cry.


    But Sulaiman knew better than to merely stare at the contradictory woman that kept surprising him at every turn, and took advantage of the distraction she was causing, moving forward so he was just behind the archer unit and dismounting quietly. He decided to forgo his shield at the moment because it would just get in the way since he was fighting in a cramped space. Sulaiman unsheathed his sword when he saw Priscilla open up her mouth to speak, using her voice to cover the sound.


    ¡°WAKE THE FUCK UP,¡± Priscilla cried, her booming voice carrying over the previously sleepy settlement, ¡°BANDITS ARE ATTACKING!¡±


    Though it was not the words Sulaiman would have chosen, the phrasing did get the point across to anyone who may be unaware of what was going on.


    Sulaiman manifested a sphere of flame next to Priscilla, molding his magic with intent so that it would travel with her without hindering her line of sight, before he stabbed the archer he was standing behind in the back. The man let out a wet gurgle and Sulaiman kicked the dead man off his sword.


    Sulaiman murmured the incantation to wrap flames around his sword now that he didn¡¯t need to be stealthy and swung for the next archer, the blade slicing clean through the man¡¯s neck and cauterizing the wound at the same time. It kept the blade and himself cleaner this way, less likely to leave slick puddles on the ground to ruin his balance.


    As he killed two men in rapid succession, Sulaiman¡¯s mind drifted momentarily to the conversation he had had with Priscilla about killing. Sulaiman hadn¡¯t expected her to ask if he had ever killed someone before and he had been more surprised with himself that he answered truthfully, saying it aloud for the first time since it had happened over a decade ago.


    Though Sulaiman would trust Illnyea with his life, she did not know much about his life before the orphanage because he didn¡¯t want to burden her with that knowledge. He knew it would only make her cry and wish to comfort him for a childhood he had never got to have and Sulaiman had no need for either of those things. Illnyea would be better suited to focus on her own growth rather than lament Sulaiman¡¯s pitiful circumstances he had long grown at peace with.


    (That was a lie he told himself so often that it almost felt like the truth most days.)


    But Sulaiman could admit that he felt no remorse about killing the slaver who pretended to care about him, and he felt no remorse about cutting down another archer who was too slow to get out of his reach. The bandits were here to kill people in their sleep, and had done it to countless others and would do it again and again if Sulaiman didn¡¯t put them down like the dogs they were.


    There were eight more bandits capable of fighting in front of him, and they were getting over their shock, meaning they¡¯d probably try to surround Sulaiman once they had their wits about them. The men were primarily armed with bows and arrows with cloth tips to more easily catch flame, but Sulaiman saw that each man had at least a dagger strapped to their side. The torch they had been using to light the arrows had fallen to the ground when Priscilla¡¯s horse kicked the man holding it in the head, and it was smoldering on the ground.


    In a battle between a bow and a sword in close combat, the sword was the clear winner. Sulaiman sliced through a bow that was aimed towards him, bringing his sword back in a quick movement to cut through the front of the man¡¯s neck. The man gasped and clutched at the wound, falling to the ground. Sulaiman had cut deep enough to cut through the man¡¯s jugular vein and carotid arteries, so he knew the man would soon die as his brain didn¡¯t get enough oxygen, so Sulaiman turned to his next opponent.


    He rushed forward, dodging the arrow aimed at his head with a small scoff since the arrow was a padded one, before cutting down the man who shot at him.


    Six left, but unfortunately they wised up to his tactics and had closed ranks, pulling out their daggers instead as they put distance between them and him.


    A pack of bandits were throwing their torches at a house in the village and though Sulaiman wanted to use his magic to snuff it out, he reluctantly let it keep burning because it would divide his attention and energy. The light the fire cast did let Sulaiman see things better, but it also helped his enemies arrange themselves in a way that he would have to make his back vulnerable if he went after one. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    It was vexing to go against an enemy that clearly had extensive training based on the way they fell into rank with one another, trusting one another to act, and it made Sulaiman wonder just who these bandits once were. They had power, obviously, and training, so why waste their life on a path that would earn them nothing but scorn and hatred? Bandits were considered to be less than animals to most cities and were periodically slaughtered like such when they made too much of a nuisance of themselves.


    Sulaiman shook his head. It didn¡¯t matter why these men had become bandits or what sort of life they might have lived if they had chosen a different path. All that mattered was that they were dead men walking.


    ¡°Oh holy fire,¡± Sulaiman murmured, drawing upon the magic in his veins, ¡°pierce these sinner¡¯s souls.¡±


    Six motes of light appeared above him in a semi-circle before they lengthened and sharpened into the shape of fiery arrows. They shot forward towards the bandit¡¯s torsos, as Sulaiman didn¡¯t want to aim for a smaller target like the head and miss, starting a forest fire himself.


    As the arrows streaked forward, several of the bandits dropped to the ground, dragging their slower companions with them. The arrows did curve as their targets moved, but only achieved glancing blows. Sulaiman frowned, unhappy with how little damage it did.


    The bandits seemed to take his attack as the signal they needed, and the ones closest to him launched forward, brandishing daggers as the ones farthest pulled out their bows, a true arrow nocked and ready. The other two lingered at the sides like panthers waiting for an opportunity to pounce.


    Sulaiman was sorely tempted to curse as he parried the dagger blow and kicked the man in the stomach, twisting out of the way of the second attacker so the dagger just glanced off his armor. He gave that man a sharp elbow to the temple, making him crumple and clutch his head in pain.


    But as he was focused on the two men in front of him, the other bandits took advantage of his distraction. One rushed forward with a dagger pointed towards Sulaiman¡¯s throat as an arrow sank into Sulaiman¡¯s thigh, making his leg buckle.


    While Sulaiman would like to consider himself a calm and collected fighter, at this moment when he saw the dagger coming for his exposed flesh and realized he couldn¡¯t move out of the way in time, the only thought he could think was, I can¡¯t die like this, Priscilla will die and then Illnyea would cry.


    Sulaiman raised his palm and let forth the magic that screamed at him to survive.


    Black flames burst from his palm, greedily racing forward to melt the dagger and then spreading to consume the man who was attacking him. The man tried to scream but all that came out was a choked cough before the black flames burned hotter, suffocating the man in a matter of seconds as the black flames raced down his throat.


    Sulaiman breathed heavily, staring at the black flames he hadn¡¯t meant to summon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Muloian monster,¡± one of the other bandits said in a shaky voice, ¡°here to burn our souls.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s head snapped up, a snarl on his face as he was once again compared to a people he had never met, a people that had cursed him with their legacy, a people that had left him to die.


    Without him even directing it, the black fire leapt from the ground onto the nearest bandit, and then the next, until every bandit in front of him was burning and choking on ash, metal melting and fusing with their skin. The heat was oppressive as the wind blew it towards him and that was what brought Sulaiman back to his senses as he felt his own wound throb.


    Sulaiman¡¯s hands shook as he abruptly cut off his magic from all other sources, staring at the devastation he had caused without even meaning to.


    The black flames flickered as they stopped being fueled by him and slowly died.


    Sulaiman had never summoned those flames before but he had heard about them, spoken in hushed tones when people thought he wasn¡¯t around to hear. They spoke of how Muloians had used their obsidian flames to ruthlessly turn the Kavendash soldiers¡¯ armors into death chambers as the metal turned molten from the heat and made the soldiers die in agony as they couldn¡¯t escape.


    They said if you saw the Muloian¡¯s obsidian flames, then death would come quickly and painfully, and Sulaiman now knew that to be the truth.


    A pained yell pierced through the air and snapped Sulaiman out of his thoughts, forcing his eyes away from the bodies and towards the sound.


    Some of the villagers were attempting to fight back the bandits with shovels and pitchforks but they were clearly struggling. A man¡¯s arm had been sliced clean off by a bandana wearing bandit, who seemed to be now taunting the other villagers.


    Sulaiman braced himself and snapped the arrow as close to his wound as possible. If he took it out, he¡¯d have to worry about blood loss, so this was the best he could do.


    Sulaiman began to run towards the injured villager, briefly looking for Priscilla and failing to find her distinctive red hair. Someone else yelled in the distance, another person who needed help. His teeth ground together but he pushed his worries over Priscilla to the side, focusing on the villagers who were clearly outmatched and outnumbered.


    Priscilla had been confident in her skills and Sulaiman just had to trust those skills would keep her alive long enough for him to deal with these bandits and get back to her side.

 Violence Can Solve So Many Problems

    Priscilla didn¡¯t have enough time to panic over Sulaiman¡¯s magic going out, as Azurin rushed forward with his sword raised. Now, Priscilla was plenty good at punching and had some fancy footwork, but she was unarmed in a sword fight against an opponent that looked like he knew how to swing that thing, so things were stacked against her.


    Priscilla was able to dodge the first swipe of the sword but saw Azurin¡¯s arm coming back for another blow from the angle she was dodging into as he moved forward to chase her.


    Fuck, Priscilla thought as she tucked her head down and stumbled into Azurin¡¯s guard instead, and felt the sword rake the air above her, sending a few more red strands falling. He was much taller than her, so Priscilla was awkwardly positioned under his arm and chest as his momentum carried him forward.


    Azurin slammed his elbow down on Priscilla¡¯s left shoulder, sending sharp, tingling pin pricks of pain all the way down to her wrist. The pain worked with the power behind Azurin¡¯s blow to send her to the ground as Priscilla¡¯s legs buckled. But Priscilla didn¡¯t let the pain overwhelm her as she used her falling momentum to roll out of the way, Azurin¡¯s sword stabbing into the dirt where her arm had just been.


    Azurin¡¯s leg reared back and kicked her directly in the ribs, her armor doing little to block blunt force damage. Priscilla let out a choked groan as he hit the exact area she hit the ground with earlier and she felt more than heard the dangerous creaking of her bones. She could only breathe in shallow breaths, stars dancing across her vision with each inhale.


    ¡°Little suicidal bitch bit off more than you could chew,¡± Azurin spat, the spittle hitting Priscilla¡¯s hair. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for running your mouth.¡±


    Adrenaline raced through Priscilla and she knew she couldn¡¯t let him keep dictating the flow of battle if she wanted any chance to survive this.


    Despite the pain blossoming in her chest, Priscilla threw herself at Azurin¡¯s left leg, locking her elbow around his knee to pin him in place as she whispered, ¡°Spike on.¡±


    Then she punched Azurin right in the dick, the spikes sinking in deep, tearing through the material of Azurin¡¯s pants and into tender flesh. A spray of hot blood hit her face as Azurin shrieked in pain, his sword clanging onto the ground as he lurched backwards. Priscilla held on just long enough for him to become suddenly off balance when she loosened her grip.


    Azurin¡¯s flailing almost hit her, but Priscilla was already rolling away from him. The quick movement was painful and the ribbon holding her hair up had loosened so much that it was nearly useless as her hair kept escaping its confines, but Priscilla kept her gaze on Azurin.


    The man¡¯s face was ghostly white and he was on one knee, nearly bent in half. His hands protectively cupped his mangled dick and a steady stream of blood ran down his fingers, pooling onto the ground below him. Azurin looked like he could be blown over by a stiff breeze and there was a tremor in his body as he fought the instinct to curl into the fetal position.


    The sight made Priscilla smile and she felt Asha¡¯s satisfaction resonate with hers, and that gave her the energy to push herself to her feet despite how her body protested. She took in a deep, painful breath to speak.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d kick your ass, dickless,¡± Priscilla said, voice full of savage delight and her smile was so wide it hurt her cheeks. Azurin let out a pained wheeze, his eyes red and watery as he glared at her.


    Someone yelling in pain drew Priscilla¡¯s attention, and then she heard someone closer scream, ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt them!¡±


    A woman was standing in front of a door, a bleeding arm hanging limply at her side and a hefty frying pan in the other as she stared defiantly at a pair of bandits in front of her. The bandits laughed loudly at the display and swept the woman¡¯s feet out from under her, the pan clattering loudly to the ground.


    ¡°Forget the fucking villagers,¡± Azurin yelled, his voice high pitched and breathy, ¡°and kill this bitch!¡±


    The bandits paused and looked back to their fearless leader and Priscilla, surprise on their faces. Priscilla¡¯s mouth always ran faster than her brain and for once both her brain and mouth were in agreement to get the enemies to focus on a single point.


    ¡°Aww, poor little dickless is so afraid of little old me that he needs his minions to come and save him,¡± Priscilla said, mimicking Azurin¡¯s head shake of mock sympathy from earlier. The woman was already slowly crawling away from the bandits and that was a success in her book.


    Priscilla heard a tiny gasp of disbelief from behind her and she snapped her head towards it, ready to fling herself to the ground in case it was an enemy.


    Standing there, half in the shadow of the bell tower, was a dark skinned young man with neat, coily hair staring at her with wide copper eyes, his hand clamped over his mouth as if he could take back the sound that escaped him.


    That¡­ that had to be Kavil. He said he escaped the attack because he had been in the bell tower and now Kavil was standing right there beneath the bell tower ¨C and that fact momentarily took Priscilla¡¯s breath away (or maybe that was because her ribs were fucked up).


    And then a crossbow bolt sank into her left shoulder and Priscilla felt a pain unlike she had ever experienced before ¨C a type that was on a deeper level, like the nerves in her shoulder had all suddenly been set alight and that fire was burning down every connected pathway down her her spin, like a thousand furious wasps were burrowed beneath her skin and stung her again and again.


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± Priscilla choked out and then tried to focus her attention on her enemies rather than the pain.


    It turned out that one of Azurin¡¯s minions had gotten hold of his discarded crossbow and shot Priscilla. Azurin laughed like a madman as Priscilla stumbled to her knees, the pain radiating through her body with every beat of her heart, like an electric pulse, spreading further and further, making her fingers shake and vision go blurry. She tried to take joy in the fact Azurin was still cupping his balls and his laughter had a tinny texture to it, but the pain overwhelmed her senses entirely.


    Distantly, Priscilla recognized Asha was distressed and trying to send reassurance through their bond, but it barely cut through the haze of pain.


    Damn, Priscilla thought, one crossbow bolt and I¡¯m on the ground like a little bitch.


    Someone tried to touch her and Priscilla instinctively struggled until she got a glimpse of the hands ¨C dark in color and ungloved unlike the bandits. Priscilla tilted her head upwards and saw Kavil¡¯s face wound up in intense concentration.


    Kavil muttered, ¡°Sorry,¡± and then grabbed Priscilla by the armpits to drag her behind one of the bell tower posts. Being moved like that was painful, but Priscilla ignored it as Kavil carefully laid Priscilla against the wooden post.


    ¡°Sorry for just grabbing you like that,¡± Kavil whispered as he looked at her again, tone apologetic, ¡°but I had to get you out of there.¡±


    Priscilla tried to laugh and settled for a wry smile when the movement caused her pain. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for my savior¡­ to apologize,¡± Priscilla managed to get out through gritted teeth.


    Kavil paused before shaking his head and examining Priscilla¡¯s shoulder more closely. His hands emitted a white, milky glow as he held them above the bolt.


    Kavil winced, meeting Priscilla¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°The bolt is cursed,¡± Kavil whispered, ¡°and I need to take it out before I can cancel out its magical effect.¡±


    ¡°Make it quick,¡± Priscilla gasped, ¡°before dickless comes to finish us off.¡±


    A ghost of a smile went over Kavil¡¯s face before his expression hardened.


    ¡°Three, two ¨C¡±


    Before Kavil said one, he was already ripping the bolt out of her shoulder with a sharp twist that left Priscilla gasping.


    But then she realized she felt better already, like the pain that had been rapidly spreading through her body paused its momentary tide, though it still continued to ache where it already gained a foothold.


    Then, it felt like Priscilla¡¯s nerves had been placed into a refreshing ice bath, soothing out the worst of the agony into a duller ache. She felt invigorated as the energy moved through her body, chasing the last of the curse out of her system like a guard dog does a fox, insistent and focused on running off the intruder.


    Priscilla knew she wasn¡¯t fully healed, her ribs still ached and moving her left arm might be a struggle, but with the magic out of her system, she felt sturdy enough to stand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done,¡± Kavil protested, hands lightly gripping her bicep, ¡°you still need healing, your ribs¨C¡±


    ¡°Save your magic,¡± Priscilla said, gently pulling Kavil¡¯s hand off her, the glow dimming the further it got from the wound, ¡°as there will be others who need it far more than me.¡±


    Kavil looked unhappy and opened his mouth, but Priscilla was already peeking around the pillar, rolling onto her feet but staying crouched.


    Azurin was unfortunately standing, his groin glowing as a bandit pointed a healing stave towards it. Azurin¡¯s arm seemed to be a lesser priority as it hung limply at his side, but the crossbow was in his left hand now. The rest of Azurin¡¯s minions had returned to banditry instead of tracking down and killing Priscilla like he ordered.


    But Azurin wasn¡¯t looking towards where Priscilla had been dragged to, as if once the bolt hit her, she was no longer a viable threat. Instead he was facing the houses the bandits were trying to burn down ¨C right where Sulaiman was fighting off the bandits, his sword a deadly flash of silver and red in the night as he cut off an arm reaching for a child who had fallen. The bandit reared back with an angry scream and Sulaiman kicked him in the chest to knock him to the ground, making the bandit easy pickings for a nearby villager to stab a pitchfork through his throat.


    Sulaiman seemed to have rallied those who were able to fight back, but she could see blood running down his face from a wound on his forehead and the dent in the armor on his shoulder. He likely had been taking the brunt of the damage done by the bandits so the villagers had a chance to fight on more equal footing, and, knowing him, he likely hadn¡¯t even considered doing anything else.


    Azurin¡¯s face turned nasty as he began to raise his arm, and Priscilla knew he wanted to sink the cursed bolt into Sulaiman¡¯s back.


    Fuck that, Priscilla thought as she sprinted towards Azurin¡¯s own unguarded back. The bandits were all focused on the villagers and didn¡¯t even turn to try to stop her, probably having similarly dismissed her from their minds as Azurin did.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t have enough breath to run and speak, so she just slammed Asha without spikes into the side of Azurin¡¯s head, right on his ear. The bolt hit the side of a house harmlessly as Azurin stumbled to the side, disoriented from the punch.


    Azurin turned towards Priscilla, eyes wide as Priscilla threw another punch, hitting Azurin square in the nose with a satisfying snap, the bone visibly curved, and she struck once more since she could, the impact sending jolts of pain up her left arm.


    Azurin stumbled backwards as blood ran down his face and Priscilla followed, kicking the man¡¯s knee as hard as she could. She felt the joint snap under her foot and Azurin fell hard, gasping in agony.


    ¡°You,¡± Azurin rasped as he tried to drag himself away with only one arm while Priscilla stepped forward to look down on him, ¡°you¡¯ll regret this like all the duke¡¯s dogs do.¡±


    Priscilla stilled at the unexpected words and the assumption she was sent by a duke. Azurin seemed to think his threat worked, satisfaction on his face.


    ¡°My king doesn¡¯t let his warriors go unavenged,¡± Azurin said, baring his bloodied teeth and lifting his head. ¡°You will be hunted by the best mercenaries on the continent.¡±


    These words do send a chill down Priscilla¡¯s spine, but not for the reason Azurin might think.


    It was the mention of the Mercenary King being affiliated with these bandits that momentarily frightened and surprised her, since nothing of the sort had been mentioned in TDE. The Mercenary King, also known as Commander Lex Vastum, was a high level operative for the Church of the Violet Moon and was known for his cruel discipline and enjoyment of the hunt. Lex Vastum was one of the physically strongest people in the entire world and he reveled in that fact, holding the belief that it is only natural for the strong to rule and the weak to die.


    Being threatened with the Mercenary King¡¯s wrath would be an effective warning for just about anyone who understood who and what he was.


    Everyone except Priscilla, that is, because she knew that Lex Vastum was currently wrapped up in a project for the cult and wouldn¡¯t be done with it for at least a year ¨C and Priscilla had a sneaking suspicion that Lex Vastum couldn¡¯t care less about a band of mercenaries that had turned to banditry that had been taken out by just two people.


    It was the strong who deserved to live, after all.


    Priscilla laughed, though it hurt, and decided to kneel on Azurin¡¯s chest to make him wheeze, though that movement also hurt. He tried to grab at her leg to move her, but his attempts were weak as she pressed her knee down.


    ¡°Tough luck for you, you dickless lunatic,¡± Priscilla said in a low voice, ¡°because I don¡¯t fear any king, especially one with an inferiority complex to rival the moon¡¯s.¡±


    Priscilla coughed up blood for saying that, but she relished in the wide eyed stare of Azurin as blood splattered against his face. Priscilla then punched the look off his face, the man¡¯s head slamming into the ground with a loud crack. Azurin went limp and Priscilla did it once more for good measure, watching as his head hit the ground and bounced up once from the force of it.


    Based on how blood was rapidly pooling beneath Azurin¡¯s head and the blank gaze he had on his ruined face, Priscilla knew the brain damage would get to him soon as long as she kept his minions from healing him.


    Every part of her body ached fiercely and protested being used but Priscilla slowly pushed herself off Azurin and blinked towards the fighting. Sulaiman and the villagers seemed to have gone on the offensive while she took down Azurin, several bandits now laying still on the ground since she last saw them.


    The remaining bandits, when given the choice to face off with Sulaiman and a horde of angry villagers and Priscilla, who could feel herself swaying on her feet, decided Priscilla was the better option. Three were rushing her right now, their eyes blazing with anger.


    Priscilla readied herself best she could, dodging the swing of a short sword by a hair before sending an uppercut to the bandit¡¯s jaw, catching the man¡¯s tongue between his teeth.


    But another man took this as an opportunity to tackle Priscilla to the ground, sending painful vibrations through her body as her abused shoulder and ribs slammed down with a painful snap. The bandit scrambled to straddle her, his weight pressing harshly against her ribs, stealing the air from her lungs, and raised his fists to pummel her.


    Priscilla caught the first fist that swung down with Asha ¨C the glove texture hardened into stone the instant before the man¡¯s fist hit, so the man¡¯s knuckles hit it with a solid crack. The bandit reared back, staring at his bloodied hand in shock, before raising his other fist.


    And then a sword broke through the man¡¯s chest, splashing Priscilla¡¯s face with more sticky blood.


    Sulaiman pulled his sword out and kicked the man to the side, staring down at Priscilla with a frown. He was covered in sweat and blood, and breathing heavily.


    Priscilla offered him a weak smile and wheezed, ¡°Are all the problems solved?¡±


    Sulaiman glanced around before sharply nodding.


    ¡°The fires still need to be put out, but you ¨C¡±


    ¡°We make a pretty good team, huh,¡± Priscilla said, her brain going a little loopy and relaxed at the confirmation they defeated the bandits. The adrenaline leached from her body as the pain steadily took over. Maybe she was going into shock, Priscilla had read something about that once, hadn¡¯t she? The details were fuzzy.


    Sulaiman looked taken aback by her words before saying, ¡°It seems we do, but ¨C¡±


    ¡°From you, Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla said, breath rattling as she closed her eyes, ¡°that¡¯s worth a million gold.¡±


    ¡°Why did you ¨C Wait ¨C are you ¨C¡±


    But Priscilla didn¡¯t get to hear the rest of Sulaiman¡¯s sentence as she passed out from the pain.

 The Calm After Chaos

    Sulaiman would never admit it later, but he panicked when he realized that Priscilla¡¯s wounds were much worse than her battle with the bandit leader implied with how easily she took him down. Fear gripped his heart that he was going to have to watch Priscilla die and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    Priscilla was a horrible sight, her red hair splayed about her head like an uneven, bloody halo and blood was splattered across her face and stained her lips, dyeing them a more vivid red than usual. Her green eyes had just fluttered closed and the dark circles under her eyes seemed harsher in the moonlight. Each time she breathed, Sulaiman could hear how it rattled in her chest and how she struggled for air. Her left arm lay awkwardly at her side and there was a hole in her shirt at her shoulder, and blood sluggishly oozed out.


    ¡°Healer!¡± Sulaiman yelled, sheathing his sword then dropping to his knees next to her, ignoring how it pulled at his own arrow wound. ¡°We need a healer!¡±


    The only wound he could see was the one on her shoulder, but Priscilla was tackled hard and hit the ground harder, exacerbating the injuries she already had. With the blood on her mouth, Sulaiman feared she had major internal injuries.


    Moments after Sulaiman spoke, someone was skidding to a stop on the other side of Priscilla and dropped to his knees. Sulaiman barely had time to consider how suspicious that timing was before the young man¡¯s hands started to glow with a soft healing light, and the paranoia in the back of Sulaiman¡¯s mind settled back down.


    The healer¡¯s hands hovered over Priscilla¡¯s stomach before parts of the light slowly peeled off the healer¡¯s hands, gently siphoning down into Priscilla. The healer was frowning in concentration and Sulaiman tried his best to not glare at him because that likely wouldn¡¯t help the man at all, but at the moment Sulaiman cared about little else than whether or not Priscilla was going to live.


    It wouldn¡¯t be right for her to die now, not when they had just achieved what she wanted, not when she had just become someone that Sulaiman thought he could respect.


    But Sulaiman could do nothing but watch as the healer continued his work. Sulaiman was unskilled with healing magic, with the few times Sulaiman had attempted it ending with a worse wound than he started with as it burned along the edges. It had something to do with his innate mana being closely aligned with the fire element, but that explanation didn¡¯t make him feel any better when it was another reminder of how his heritage plagued his life.


    So, Sulaiman just sat there uselessly, staring at the healer and hoping he was far more talented than Sulaiman.


    After nearly half a minute, the healer¡¯s face relaxed and Priscilla¡¯s breathing smoothed out in a smooth and steady cadence. The bleeding on her shoulder had stopped though it remained an open wound.


    ¡°Her ribs are healed,¡± he said, wiping away sweat from his face, ¡°and her lungs won¡¯t collapse now. But I can¡¯t do anything about her shoulder at the moment.¡±


    Sulaiman wanted to demand answers and rip the healer a new one, but he could not just give into that aggression, especially when the healer was a victim in all this and helped Priscilla with little prompting.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sulaiman asked instead through slightly gritted teeth.


    ¡°Her body is rejecting my magic,¡± the healer said, his gaze lingering on Priscilla¡¯s face. ¡°I had to pick what to heal and she wouldn¡¯t have lasted the night with her ribs like that.¡±


    Sulaiman opened his mouth to ask more about Priscilla¡¯s body rejecting healing magic because that was absurd, when another villager came to a stop near them.


    ¡°Kavil,¡± the man panted, pulling on the healer¡¯s elbow, ¡°Yarnon¡¯s arm, it was cut clean off.¡±


    Kavil¡¯s eyes went wide and he rushed to his feet, and the two of them were gone before Sulaiman could say anything.


    But Sulaiman put them both out of his mind as he looked back towards Priscilla.


    Priscilla was stabilized if Kavil was to be believed, who Sulaiman saw no reason not to doubt, but her face was eerily still compared to the usual animated expressions he had grown accustomed to during the past week of traveling. He took a moment to readjust her limbs into something slightly more comfortable.


    Though Sulaiman had a selfish impulse to stay next to Priscilla until she woke up, he knew it¡¯d be unlikely she awoke any time soon and there were better uses of his time than staying still.


    Sulaiman got to his feet and tested out his leg. The arrow head was still inside him, but it didn¡¯t hurt that badly, nor was it impossible to put his weight on it. Walking was more like limping, but it was movement nonetheless, so he limped to the closest bandit to check their status. The one that had gone for Priscilla had bled out quickly as Sulaiman had stabbed him through the heart, so Sulaiman began a slow trek to check the remaining fallen bandits.


    He had gone for killing blows when he could, and the villagers had been brutal in their defense once the tide turned in their favor. Most were dead, another large chunk close to death so Sulaiman helped them along, and just two who looked like they¡¯d survive the night. They had the luck to go against a woman with a frying pan and were sporting head injuries, so it was unlikely they¡¯d get up to trouble, but Sulaiman tied both men¡¯s hands to ensure that wasn¡¯t even a possibility.


    After Sulaiman ensured the leader that Priscilla had taken head on was indeed dead, he spotted something in the dirt. The green ribbon that had tied up Priscilla¡¯s hair was lying trodden and dirty, the edges frayed as if something had sliced through it. He picked up the fragile fabric, dusting it off best he could and tucked it into his pocket.


    Now he just had to find his horse. Priscilla¡¯s horse lay dead on the ground, which was unfortunate, but luckily Sulaiman¡¯s stallion hadn¡¯t gone far even with the chaos going on, so Sulaiman found it quickly.


    The horse stamped its hooves in irritation as Sulaiman approached like it hadn¡¯t appreciated being left behind, but allowed itself to be walked over the ashen remains of the archers. Sulaiman didn¡¯t look down even as bones crunched beneath his boots. He couldn¡¯t.


    Sulaiman tied off the horse at the bell tower near a patch of grass it immediately began eating and shouldered his pack.


    But yet another thing on the ground caught his attention, the gleam of metal clear even in the low light. Sulaiman picked up Priscilla¡¯s dagger, taking stock of the blade. There didn¡¯t seem to be any dulled or chipped edges, in fact, there was still coagulating blood along the surface, meaning she had actually gotten some use out of it.


    Sulaiman sighed and shook his head. Priscilla seemed to be leaving everything everywhere during this fight. He¡¯d have to talk to her about that bad habit so next time Sulaiman didn¡¯t have to clean up after her so much. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Sulaiman paused at his own thoughts, at the way he assumed they would fight together again. It was slightly disconcerting, but he found that the thought of willingly spending time with Priscilla didn¡¯t repulse him as much as it once may have. Sulaiman didn¡¯t know what to do with that realization.


    Putting those thoughts out of mind for now, Sulaiman returned to Priscilla to check on her status. She didn¡¯t seem any worse than earlier, but she didn¡¯t seem much better either. Her open shoulder wound worried Sulaiman but the healer said she was stable, so there was no use in fretting when he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Sulaiman had foolishly not packed any bandages or healing supplies when he embarked on this journey, as Illnyea usually handled that, but Sulaiman could now see the value in being prepared for any possible situation.


    Sulaiman settled onto the ground next to Priscilla and cleaned Priscilla¡¯s dagger with a soft rag, watching the village put itself back together. Kavil was rushing about like a busy bee, his hands glowing as he helped heal another injury before being dragged to the next patient; others had formed a bucket brigade and were putting out the remaining fires. Luckily the flames hadn¡¯t spread far, with only one house seeming beyond repair.


    He could offer help in suppressing the fires with his magic, but as much as Sulaiman wouldn¡¯t admit aloud, he was tired. Sulaiman¡¯s body ached from the blows he received in place of the less defended and his thigh smarted each time he shifted his weight, not to mention how his leg and core muscles were sore from a week straight of riding.


    A woman that Sulaiman had fought alongside with earlier approached him, the wound on her arm had been bandaged since he last saw her. She was a shorter than average half-elven woman with sun-warmed skin and sun-bleached hair, with little of the ethereal and otherworldly beauty that elves normally boasted save for her piercing blue eyes that stood out in the darkness. This woman had deep laugh lines, though her face was now pulled into a frown.


    ¡°My name is Jeroinin, and I wished to thank you for saving my people,¡± the woman said in a raspy voice, stopping a few feet from Sulaiman and bowing her head. ¡°May Gaelea¡¯s blessings be upon you for all your days for the help you have shown us this evening.¡±


    Sulaiman examined the woman for a long moment as a strange feeling settled inside him as he registered her sincerity. It felt strange to be thanked so openly with no hint of reluctance in the other¡¯s voice. Sulaiman and Illnyea had helped smaller communities around Meadowyar before but never had Sulaiman been on the receiving end of the gratitude. Sulaiman knew he often made others uncomfortable just by existing and usually left Illnyea to deal with the thankful villagers while he made sure the threats were truly dealt with.


    Sulaiman looked away from Jeroinin, feeling like a fraud. He wouldn¡¯t have even been here if Priscilla hadn¡¯t been saddled with his presence. Hells, Sulaiman had thought Priscilla had been up to something for half the trip and only stuck with her so he could thwart it. But even when he was being actively antagonistic, Priscilla defended his honor without a moment of hesitation when others tried to insult him.


    Sulaiman had followed Priscilla to the dining hall on the evening they had their fight, intent on eating quickly and sleeping early, but ended up overhearing Priscilla¡¯s vehement defense of him. He barely made it back to their room before she did and it took a long time to fall asleep that night, knowing that even when Priscilla seemed like she wanted to strangle him, she thought that he was a good man, an honorable one. It had been the first time he had ever heard someone speak those words, and it had come from a woman who thought he hated her.


    Remembering that day filled Sulaiman with shame.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t thank me,¡± Sulaiman said, looking at Priscilla with a mess of emotions tangling up inside him. ¡°You should thank Priscilla, she was the one who insisted that we travel here.¡±


    ¡°She is?¡± Jeroinin said, raising from her bow with a contemplative look on her face as she looked at Priscilla. The woman¡¯s blue eyes widened as she took her in, saying, ¡°Now this simply won¡¯t do.¡±


    Jeroinin stepped closer and Sulaiman tensed on instinct. The half-elf noticed and put up her hands in a placating manner.


    ¡°I cannot let our savior continue to lie upon the cold ground,¡± Jeroinin said. ¡°My house was thankfully relatively unscathed and I wished to offer my own bed for her to rest.¡±


    Sulaiman considered that offer and couldn¡¯t come up with a reason to say no, even if a part of him instinctively balked at letting Priscilla out of his sight


    ¡°She needs additional medical attention,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°after your people are all looked after, of course, but her shoulder needs to be treated soon.¡±


    ¡°I can attend to her myself,¡± Jeroinin offered. ¡°My skills are basic, but passable, I assure you.¡±


    Sulaiman looked down at Priscilla¡¯s shoulder. She deserved better healing than something just ¡®passable.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fine, but I want the boy from earlier, Kavil, to look over her after,¡± Sulaiman said. ¡°He¡¯s the one who initially healed her and knows her condition best.¡±


    Jeroinin¡¯s eyes widened for a moment before she nodded. Sulaiman shifted to try and pick Priscilla up himself and winced as the movement pulled at the arrowhead, which drew Jeroinin¡¯s attention to it.


    ¡°Silly boy,¡± Jeroinin chided, shaking her head, ¡°if you pick her up in that state, you¡¯re more likely to just injure both of yourselves more. After we get Priscilla settled, you¡¯re going to get that looked at, do you understand me?¡±


    Sulaiman didn¡¯t like being talked to like he was a child but stiffly nodded because Jeroinin unfortunately did have a point.


    The village leader called over an able bodied person and then Priscilla was carefully transferred to Jeroinin¡¯s house. Jeroinin lit several candles before turning to Sulaiman with an expectant expression. Sulaiman reluctantly allowed Jeroinin to remove the arrow head and bandage his wound, as the woman insisted on addressing that before Priscilla¡¯s wounds because, ¡°Silly boys want to keep walking around like nothing¡¯s bothering them.¡±


    The salve Jeroinin put on the wound stung more than getting hit by the arrow did, but Sulaiman dealt with it stoically, keeping an eye out the window on Kavil¡¯s progress as the young man continued to heal everyone he went past. By the time Jeroinin declared Sulaiman sufficiently treated and the stinging salve had morphed into a numbing agent, Kavil had returned to the spot Priscilla had been originally laying, looking around in a confused manner.


    Sulaiman brushed past Jeroinin, ignoring the woman¡¯s disapproving tut, and walked purposefully to Kavil.


    ¡°This way,¡± Sulaiman said, grasping Kavil by the elbow and pulling him towards Jeroinin¡¯s house.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve introduced myself yet,¡± Kavil said, expertly extricating himself from Sulaiman¡¯s grip but kept walking alongside him. ¡°My name is Kavil, and yours is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sulaiman.¡±


    Kavil hummed in acknowledgement but said nothing else as it seemed both of them were too tired to speak more than necessary.


    Jeroinin had taken off Priscilla¡¯s armor and cut away part of her shirt to expose her shoulder by the time they returned. Kavil quickly moved towards the half-elven woman and his hands glowed once more above Priscilla but the light didn¡¯t move down like before and Jeroinin frowned. The two began to speak in hushed tones as they moved around various medical supplies.


    Sulaiman settled into a chair next to the bed, watching them work, his mind slowly spinning as he finally had a moment to relax now that Priscilla was being properly taken care of.


    Priscilla¡¯s strange behaviors on the trips drifted through his mind as he watched the healers work ¨C her insistence they were going to do good; her seemingly arbitrary inability to speak of the details; and the strange connection to an organization that preyed upon the rejected.


    The only conclusion Sulaiman could come to was that Priscilla knew this attack was going to happen, maybe through that organization which caused their ¡®irreconcilable differences.¡¯ When she learned of it, Sulaiman couldn¡¯t be certain, but it had to be before she separated from the Thornewoods so she could act without the Thornewoods interfering or stopping her. Why she didn¡¯t elaborate on certain topics was still a mystery, but Sulaiman guessed it may be a curse of silence the organization forced upon her.


    Still, Sulaiman felt like he was still missing something, a fact that connected all the puzzle pieces together and made everything make sense rather than him relying on conjecture. But the object of his musings was passed out and wouldn¡¯t be awake for some time.


    Jeroinin had been called away by another villager, leaving Kavil to finish bandaging Priscilla¡¯s shoulder. Sulaiman let him work in silence, intent on questioning the boy about this settlement when he was done.


    But Kavil curled into the chair on Priscilla¡¯s other side and promptly fell asleep once he tied off the bandage, his body going limp. Sulaiman let out a small, irritated sigh but let the Kavil sleep. He was likely magically exhausted after healing so many people in rapid succession and needed the rest.


    Sulaiman settled into a more comfortable position and watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Priscilla¡¯s chest until he too fell asleep.

 All Shall Fear the Mighty Asha

    The first thing that Priscilla registered as she came back to her senses that her shoulder really fucking hurt.


    She groaned as she opened her eyes, squinting at her surroundings. Priscilla was on a bed and it was quite soft, nice and cozy under the fluffy covers. The ceiling had a colorful mural of a sunrise, the bright yellow and oranges of sunlight stretching across the space. Carefully, Priscilla pushed herself up with her right arm to get a better view.


    And then Priscilla promptly stopped taking in the sights around her when she saw Sulaiman sitting in a chair next to her bed, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowing at her.


    They proceeded to have an awkward staring contest as Priscilla opened her mouth and closed it a few times, unsure what to say and Sulaiman¡¯s glower growing steadily deeper.


    The silence was broken by someone entering.


    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake!¡± the half-elf woman said, eyes crinkling with delight as she approached Priscilla¡¯s bedside, taking Priscilla¡¯s right hand gingerly in her hand. ¡°I wanted to make sure I was the first to thank you for what you did last night ¨C Gaelea will not forget the hero who protected her flock.¡±


    Priscilla felt her face go hot from the sincere words and looked down, unable to maintain eye contact. Priscilla had never been good with receiving praise from people who weren¡¯t Mr. ¡ª, especially not over things that actually mattered.


    ¡°Anyone could have done what I did,¡± Priscilla murmured.


    Sulaiman snorted derisively and Priscilla glared at him. He raised an arched brow in response, clearly thinking she was spouting bullshit.


    ¡°Even if anyone could have done the same,¡± the woman said firmly, ¡°you were the one who was here and you were the one who chose to protect us.¡±


    Priscilla opened her mouth to protest and then shut it when she saw the resolute look in the woman¡¯s eyes. It was just strange trying to reconcile the concept of a hero with herself. Priscilla didn¡¯t feel very heroic last night ¨C it had all been a frantic fight for survival where a single misstep could have ended with her death.


    ¡°It appears I¡¯ve gotten ahead of myself,¡± the woman said. ¡°My name is Jeroinin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Priscilla,¡± she said, latching onto the new topic to leave this hero business behind her, ¡°Priscilla Sunscarre.¡±


    Jeroinin¡¯s eyebrow twitched upwards and Priscilla wondered if her new last name really was that unusual.


    ¡°Well, it is very nice to meet you Priscilla,¡± Jeroinin said, a smile gracing her face. Jeroinin had the type of face made for smiling, round cheeks with prominent dimples, and Priscilla thought that Jeroinin was beautiful. Maybe not in a classical, striking way elves were, but a more subtle beauty, like a field of golden wheat swaying gently in the breeze.


    ¡°It¡¯s very nice to meet you too, Miss Jeroinin,¡± Priscilla said, the sign of respect slipping out of her without thought.


    Jeroinin laughed. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been called a miss. Oh, Priscilla, you simply are a dear. Tell me, is there anything you want? If it is within my power, I will see it given to you by the day¡¯s end. It¡¯s the least we can do to repay you.¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s mind floundered for a second. Her original plan had been very basic and she hadn¡¯t thought too hard about what would happen after she actually saved the village, and especially didn¡¯t imagine getting any sort of rewards out of this. The villagers being alive was a great reward already, but Jeroinin¡¯s insistent, smiling gaze told Priscilla she better come up with something fast.


    Priscilla glanced at Sulaiman to see if maybe he had something in mind but Sulaiman was supremely unhelpful, looking like he was enjoying seeing Priscilla flounder.


    ¡°Letting me and Sulaiman rest for a few days would be great,¡± Priscilla said tentatively.


    ¡°That was a given, Priscilla,¡± Jeroinin laughed, her insistent gaze not moving an inch.


    Priscilla¡¯s brain cells were clearly taking a vacation because the only thing that came to her mind was to ask for Kavil as her prize.


    But the thought of Kavil stirred up other memories, of a scene of Kavil from TDE.


    Kavil had been quietly sitting at the end of the table the party had commandeered in the tavern. The others were all mostly laughing and enjoying themselves as they had successfully slain the scythe tiger, but Illnyea had noticed Kavil seemed more withdrawn than usual. He picked at the dessert the tavern keeper had given them all free samples of, turning the rice porridge over again and again with his spoon.


    ¡°You alright, Kavil?¡± Illnyea asked, sliding into the seat next to him.


    Kavil smiled, though it didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Kavil said and Illnyea didn¡¯t believe it for a second.


    ¡°You¡¯re turning it into mush,¡± Illnyea said, pointedly looking at the bowl. ¡°You know Sulaiman would eat that if you don¡¯t like it, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to eat it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Kavil¡¯s voice trailed off, something dark and sad entering his gaze as he looked at the bowl.


    ¡°It just reminded me of home,¡± Kavil said, voice just barely audible above the din. ¡°We used to eat something like this together on festival days. Yarnon would cook the rice in his huge pot in the center of the village so there¡¯d be enough for everyone to eat, and then Marian would bring the milk and Holly the sugar to make the base and J¨C...¡±


    Kavil looked pained as he cut himself off, gripping his spoon tighter.


    ¡°My aunt would bring the cinnamon,¡± he continued in a small voice that shrank with every word, ¡°and then we all picked our favorite berries to add and eat it together.¡±


    Illnyea didn¡¯t know what to say in the face of his grief, didn¡¯t know how she could make him feel better. But she knew she had to try because Kavil was her friend and she couldn¡¯t just let him suffer alone.


    ¡°I can ask the kitchen for fruit if you¡¯d like,¡± Illnyea said hesitantly. ¡°It won¡¯t be the same but¡­ maybe it can get a little closer to the taste you¡¯re yearning for.


    Kavil blinked and then refocused his gaze on her. He just looked at Illnyea and then back at the porridge.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the fruit,¡± Kavil said quietly, his face not quite happy but farther from the despair and grief that clung to him like cobwebs, ¡°and you can give this to Sulaiman, I¡¯ve barely touched it.¡±


    Priscilla blinked a few times, shaking her brain free from the scene she recalled with more clarity than she expected, and then realized she had just been blankly staring at Jeroinin without saying a single word.


    ¡°Do you have any sort of tasty dessert?¡± Priscilla asked quickly, hoping to move past her zoning out. ¡°I¡¯ll never turn down something sweet.¡±


    Jeroinin¡¯s eyes flickered over Priscilla¡¯s face before the woman inclined her head.


    ¡°The one I¡¯m thinking of will take a while to cook,¡± Jeroinin said, stepping back, ¡°so I should let everyone know of your request so we can make sure we have everything.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to eating it,¡± Priscilla said. Jeroinin laughed and then she was gone.


    Priscilla stared at the closed door for a moment before turning to Sulaiman, who had been watching them silently the whole time. He didn¡¯t look excited about the prospect of having a dessert later and he was just staring at Priscilla with a heavy gaze.


    ¡°Did you get hurt badly last night?¡± Priscilla asked, looking at his forehead where she recalled blood was pouring out of last night. She didn¡¯t see any sort of wound, which was good.


    Sulaiman leaned forward, his frown thunderous.


    ¡°Am I hurt?¡± Sulaiman hissed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who, when faced with several swordsmen charging at me, decided to take them head on despite being completely unarmed and having broken ribs! I wasn¡¯t the one who passed out immediately after the battle because my wounds were so severe! You ¨C You are insufferably stupid!¡±


    Priscilla¡¯s mouth dropped open as Sulaiman¡¯s voice became more biting and bitter the more he ranted. She was on the receiving end of one of Sulaiman¡¯s mother hen rants, something she had only read about before.


    And that meant¡­ that Sulaiman actually cared about Priscilla, at least a little and that made something soft bloom in Priscilla¡¯s chest even as Sulaiman glared at her with the power of a thousand suns.


    ¡°Yeah, facing the bandits like that was pretty dumb of me,¡± Priscilla admitted easily, ¡°but in my defense, I don¡¯t think I could have outrun them. I could barely stand upright. Plus¨C¡± Priscilla shot Sulaiman a smile. ¡°¨CI knew you were there to watch my back.¡±


    Sulaiman opened his mouth to retort, and then he shut it. He almost seemed angry that Priscilla had agreed with him and didn¡¯t know how to get back to ranting at her. It was honestly kind of adorable, but Priscilla still wanted her question answered.


    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡±


    Sulaiman sighed, crossing his arms. ¡°I had a few minor scrapes and took an arrow to the thigh, but it¡¯s been bandaged up and will be dealt with later when the healer Kavil recovers more of his magic.¡±


    Priscilla perked up at the mention of Kavil. She had barely spoken with him yesterday but it sounded like he had been busy with all the injuries.


    ¡°I remember a healer who helped me get rid of a curse,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°any¨C¡±


    ¡°A curse?¡± Sulaiman said, eye twitching.


    Priscilla winced at his tone, and then winced again as the movement pulled at her shoulder.


    ¡°I got hit by the probably enchanted crossbow that the Azurin guy was using,¡± Priscilla said, trying for a light, uncaring tone. ¡°My best guess is that it was a curse to amplify pain or something like that. It took me down almost instantly, but Kavil dragged me out of harm¡¯s way and healed me right up.¡±


    Sulaiman stared at Priscilla and then looked up at the ceiling and sighed, pressing his thumb and forefinger between his brows as if talking with Priscilla made his head hurt.


    Priscilla studied his posture and body while he was looking away, trying to see if he was hiding any other injuries. He didn¡¯t move like he was hurt, but while Sulaiman made sure everyone else was taken care of, Priscilla knew he wouldn¡¯t prioritize his own health. It was equal parts noble and frustrating.


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Priscilla asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Sulaiman said firmly, glaring at her.


    Priscilla raised one hand in mock surrender. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask again, it¡¯s just¡­ well, when your little flame sphere disappeared during the fight, I got really worried there.¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s eyes narrowed before he looked away.


    ¡°That probably happened when I got hit with the arrow,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°and I lost my connection with it briefly.¡±


    Then Sulaiman abruptly stood.


    ¡°The bandits that survived the night are in a holding cell,¡± Sulaiman said, turning away, ¡°and I need to check on them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll come too,¡± Priscilla said, trying to wiggle out of the bed.


    Sulaiman let out an exasperated noise, looking back at her. ¡°Idiots with no sense of self-preservation need to stay in bed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to listen to you,¡± Priscilla said, her stubbornness raising its head as Sulaiman tried to boss her around, ¡°and besides, my legs work perfectly fine!¡±


    The two of them just glared at each other for a long moment before Sulaiman sighed, murmuring, ¡°Of all the ways you had to resemble her ¨C fine! Get ready and you can tag along but you will take it easy ¨C or else.¡±


    With that Sulaiman limped towards the door and shut the door firmly behind him.


    Priscilla rolled her eyes at his threat. The worst Sulaiman would do was trap her in bed and glare at Priscilla to make sure she didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°MASTER!¡±


    Priscilla jumped and then searched for Asha, just now realizing that the artifact wasn¡¯t on her person.


    ¡°I was so worried about you, you were sleeping for so long,¡± Asha sobbed, flooding their bond with worry and fear. Priscilla finally spotted Asha resting in a glove form on a side table and scooped Asha up, sliding the artifact on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Priscilla murmured, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to worry you so much.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were alive,¡± Asha said, the glove squeezing tightly around Priscilla, ¡°but you wouldn¡¯t wake up and they took me off you and I couldn¡¯t talk to anyone and ¨C¡±


    ¡°Shh,¡± Priscilla whispered, rubbing a finger over Asha. ¡°No need to get yourself so worked up. I¡¯m alive, and you know what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± sniffled Asha after a beat, the artifact¡¯s voice subdued.


    ¡°You saved me last night, when the man had me pinned,¡± Priscilla said, smiling as she recalled the bandit¡¯s shocked face. ¡°You fucked up his hand when you changed your form and that threw him off long enough for Sulaiman to deal with him.¡±


    Asha was quiet for a moment longer, emotions a tangled swirl.


    ¡°The lunatic was no match for a mighty legend killer like myself,¡± Asha said, sounding quite pleased with itself, ¡°nor was his little boss man.¡±


    ¡°Damn right he wasn¡¯t,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°We fucked Azurin up real good. He was a bloody mess when we were done with him.¡±


    There was a burst of sudden pride flushed in their bond, before Asha began to laugh maniacally. ¡°All shall fear my power! I punch every lunatic who stands before me! They shall rue the day they cross paths with the mighty Asha, Destroyer of Dicks!¡±


    Priscilla snorted, and then began laughing too because of the absurdity of her magical artifact gloating about punching a guy¡¯s dick off.

 Banter is Good For the Soul

    Luckily it didn¡¯t take too long for Asha to calm down its maniacal laughter, though the artifact¡¯s pleased mood didn¡¯t dim, the constant, steady presence in their bond making Priscilla¡¯s own mood lighter. Asha switched into Operation In Plain Sight because Priscilla¡¯s other leather glove was coated in blood that Priscilla did not want to deal with.


    Priscilla was dressed in a simple and thin, white cotton knee-length dress that was too big for her, which probably made healing her easier since the short sleeves of the shirts slipped easily off her shoulders. While that was perfectly fine for a patient, the dress was so loose that it threatened to flash the world if Priscilla moved too suddenly. While Priscilla was confident in her new body and wouldn¡¯t mind showing it off, there was a time and place for risqu¨¦ clothing. With her shoulder so fucked up, Priscilla didn¡¯t really want to change completely, so she would have to make do the best she could.


    Priscilla¡¯s pack was next to the bed (probably due to Sulaiman¡¯s diligence) and she dug through it with one arm to find the single, thin scarf she packed in case it got cold while they traveled. It was a dark blue color, so it didn¡¯t clash with the dress, and was made of a material that felt like satin. Priscilla pulled the excess fabric of the dress tight so it clung to her figure, using Asha to momentarily pin it behind her because her left arm did not want to cooperate, and then wrapped the scarf around the fabric right beneath her breasts, tying it off in a slightly sloppy bow in the front and returning Asha to her hand. A few gentle hops proved the scarf did the job well and the fabric stayed secured.


    Combing through her hair was quick and simple, though Priscilla sulked when she realized how uneven it was now. Damn Azurin fucked up her beautiful hair. If Priscilla wasn¡¯t pretty sure the man was dead, she would track him down and punch him until she felt better. She thought it could be salvageable but she was going to need another pair of eyes and a pair of scissors, so fixing her hair was going to be a future Priscilla problem.


    There wasn¡¯t a mirror to check the look, but Asha said she looked good and Priscilla was reasonably sure she wasn¡¯t going to flash anyone, so it was a success all around.


    She had no idea where her boots wandered off, so Priscilla slipped on a pair of brown woven slippers she found and followed Sulaiman out the door.


    Sulaiman had raised his eyebrows when he saw Priscilla¡¯s outfit but didn¡¯t comment as she stepped next to him.


    The village was much more cozier in the daytime as the villagers were working to rebuild, but the light of day let Priscilla see just how much damage had been done. Over half of the houses in the village had been burnt in some way, and at least two that Priscilla could see looked like they had to be torn down and rebuilt since they were past repair. She tried to look on the positive side of things that it was just a few houses that had been burnt instead of everything. But then her gaze caught sight of how many pools of dried blood there were on the ground and that made Priscilla¡¯s heart seize.


    ¡°Do you know how many casualties there were?¡± Priscilla asked in a low voice. She knew that it had been just her and Sulaiman fighting back at first, and that left plenty of time for bandits to slit someone¡¯s throat.


    Sulaiman gave her a sideway glance before looking straight ahead at a cluster of villagers who seemed to be animatedly discussing something with one another. Jeroinin was there and seemed to be trying to steer the conversation but it appeared to be getting away from her.


    ¡°Though many were injured, not a single person died.¡±


    Priscilla felt the anxiety and tension that had been bubbling up inside her dissipate and relief washed over her.


    They stood there silent for a moment, just watching the villagers they had saved, the fates she had changed despite what the fucking god claimed, before Sulaiman cleared his throat.


    ¡°The bandits are being held in the butcher shop¡¯s storage area,¡± Sulaiman said. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The butcher shop turned out to be on the outskirts of town opposite from where Sulaiman and Priscilla had approached from. A large, broad man with an impressive black, bushy beard wearing a stained apron stood in front of the shop with his arms crossed, examining a table that had been partially burned. But as Priscilla approached, she saw he had one arm crossed across his front and the other arm was wrapped in bandages and ended a few inches below the elbow.


    ¡°Ah, welcome, welcome,¡± the man said, giving them a wide smile. ¡°You two are our heroes, I hear. The name¡¯s Yarnon, pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Priscilla forced her eyes off Yarnon¡¯s missing arm and forced away the guilt that rose up in her because she was certain he had gotten injured last night.


    ¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°I hear you have some prisoners kept back there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be right,¡± Yarnon said, glancing over his shoulder in distaste. ¡°They haven¡¯t spoken much since they woke up besides mumbling about stealing a treasure, though I don¡¯t know what on earth they were doing here if they wanted treasure.¡±


    ¡°Did they have anything on them?¡± Sulaiman asked. ¡°Any indication of their affiliation?¡±


    ¡°There was an insignia we found,¡± Yarnon said. ¡°None of us recognized it, but maybe it¡¯ll ring one of your bells. Let me go grab it.¡±


    Yarnon walked into his shop and came out with a palm sized piece of metal.


    ¡°No idea what it means,¡± Yarnon said, handing it over to Priscilla, ¡°but feel free to take it. Maybe you can find their boss and teach them a thing or two about karma.¡±


    It was heavier than it looked, made of gleaming silver in the shape of a three pointed shield. At the center was a crown adorned with blood red rubies and bisecting that crown at an angle was a sword dripping with blood that also had a red gem inlaid in its hilt. Priscilla recognized it as the symbol of the Mercenary King but pretended to examine it closely as Sulaiman did the same.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize it,¡± Sulaiman said unhappily, glancing at Priscilla. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak and he let out a sigh, tucking the insignia into this pocket.


    ¡°The two of you can decide what happens with the prisoners,¡± Yarnon said, ¡°as Gaelea¡¯s teachings say that we should forgive those who are misguided. But you two aren¡¯t bound to her teachings, so¡­¡±


    Yarnon gave them a nasty smirk that told exactly what he¡¯d like done with them if he was in their position.


    ¡°And of course, as the ones who took them down,¡± Yarnon continued, ¡°you can pick through the items we looted off them. It¡¯s all stacked over by our general pavilion over yonder. I can fetch it if you¡¯d like.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Sulaiman glanced at Priscilla before saying, ¡°I¡¯m most interested in the weapons they carried.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Yarnon said, giving them a short salute before jogging off.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯d get much of a bounty if we turned the men over to the duke?¡± Priscilla asked once Yarnon was out of earshot. She didn¡¯t want to ruin his dreams of the bandits getting a more permanent punishment.


    ¡°The duke?¡± Sulaiman said, confused. ¡°Which one are you talking about?¡±


    That was a great question actually, one that Priscilla hadn¡¯t considered before so she shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, that Captain Azurin fellow called me the duke¡¯s dog,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°He thought I was sent by this mysterious duke to stop him.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a long searching look but for once Priscilla was being entirely honest, though she was omitting the Mercenary King¡¯s involvement. While she did have his insignia within reach, just thinking about saying Lex Vastum¡¯s name or moniker to Sulaiman had blood rising up her throat, which was supremely annoying. She was going to have to somehow annoy the god of cowards to show up before her again so she can complain about how restrictive the weird curse was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the political factions in this area,¡± Sulaiman said, tone carefully neutral.


    Priscilla sighed, running her hand through her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find when we get home. I don¡¯t really want to drag prisoners with us all the way back though, so maybe we take Yarnon up on his suggestion and then just send the good duke a letter to let him know we killed Captain Azurin for him. Maybe he¡¯ll send us a reward for our service.¡±


    Sulaiman gave her a strange look.


    ¡°What?¡± Priscilla said, trying to not be defensive. ¡°It¡¯s a perfectly reasonable suggestion!¡±


    ¡°Do you really think a Kavendash noble will give me a reward?¡± Sulaiman said slowly, as if speaking to a child.


    Priscilla opened her mouth to say yes, and then thought about it and scowled as she came to the conclusion that Sulaiman was leading her towards.


    ¡°Stupid fucking racist dipshits,¡± Priscilla said, kicking at the ground, imagining it was some faceless noble¡¯s head. ¡°They¡¯re all morons ¨C they started the stupid war and then they bitch about how the people they slaughtered are oh so scary!¡±


    Priscilla caught herself before she could rant too much because the only person around to listen to her was someone who was far more affected by it than her.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Priscilla said. ¡°I just find it all so fucking stupid.¡±


    The strange look was still on Sulaiman¡¯s face, eyebrows slightly furrowed in thought, before the sides of his lips raised.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize,¡± Sulaiman said in a wry voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone so quick to curse out our kingdom''s esteemed nobility. It¡¯s a nice change of pace.¡±


    Priscilla didn¡¯t have time to respond as Yarnon reappeared, a large sack hoisted over his shoulder.


    ¡°These are the best pickings,¡± Yarnon said as he put the sack down onto the table with a loud oof. ¡°Anything you don¡¯t want will be melted down and repurposed to something more useful like pitchforks.¡±


    Yarnon gave Sulaiman a wide grin and Sulaiman smiled in return. Priscilla sensed there was an inside joke there she didn¡¯t get and didn¡¯t ask questions because she wasn¡¯t entirely sure she wanted answers.


    ¡°I brought over the coat of the man you beat up,¡± Yarnon said to Priscilla, ¡°Jeroinin said it was enchanted armor in case you wanted to take a look at it.¡±


    Sulaiman opened up the sack, revealing all the goodies. The tattered duster was on top and Sulaiman handed it to Priscilla, intent on looking at the actual weapons.


    The duster was blood stained and in bad shape. To be perfectly honest, Priscilla was having difficulty believing that it was actually enchanted because Asha had torn through it like it was nothing. Asha tightened on her hand, agreement clear in the bond, so Priscilla dropped the ratty thing on the table because she was not going to kill a man and then wear his nasty ass clothes he died in.


    Sulaiman laid several shortswords and bows onto the table before he finally pulled out the crossbow Azurin had been using, his eyes widening before he began to glare at it. He carefully turned it over, squinting at it with intense concentration.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely enchanted,¡± Sulaiman said after he finished his inspection, ¡°and I don¡¯t think it has an anti-theft enchantment that will harm someone if they use it. But we should get it professionally appraised because I can¡¯t figure out much more than that.¡±


    Priscilla looked over the crossbow. It was made of deep brown wood with a black leather wrapped around its hilt. The weapon didn¡¯t look like it had been damaged during the fight.


    ¡°You should use it,¡± Priscilla suggested and Sulaiman shot her a dirty look.


    Priscilla rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. It¡¯s an enchanted weapon and we¡¯d be fools to just leave it behind. If we encounter another stupid toad, you can riddle it with arrows. Plus, it¡¯s not like I can use it with just one hand.¡±


    Sulaiman glared for another moment before sighing and putting the crossbow down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it with us,¡± Sulaiman said begrudgingly, ¡°but you have to take this, as only an idiot would continue to go around unarmed.¡±


    A short sword in its scabbard was pushed in front of Priscilla and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. She¡¯d much rather rely on her own fists than weapons that could get broken or stolen from her during fights.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to use a sword,¡± Priscilla protested. ¡°I can barely handle a dagger without cutting myself!¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re incapable of learning?¡± Sulaiman said, arching a brow challengingly. ¡°Here I thought you were smarter than that. My mistake.¡±


    Priscilla fumed because she knew exactly what he was trying to do but she was falling for his provocations all the same. She glared at him and his smug look was insufferable.


    ¡°Ah, fuck off with your smugness,¡± Priscilla grumbled even as she looked at the weapon that was thrust upon her. ¡°I can¡¯t start learning until I¡¯m all healed up anyways, it¡¯ll just be decorative for a while.¡±


    ¡°If you thought I would immediately become your taskmaster and force you to run drills,¡± Sulaiman said, ¡°then you¡¯re truly an idiot.¡±


    Priscilla rolled her eyes and flipped him off, smiling sarcastically. Sulaiman eyed her finger before raising his eyebrows judgmentally.


    ¡°Well, the two of you get along great!¡± Yarnon said, interrupting their sass-off. ¡°Is there anything else that tickles your fancy amongst these?¡±


    Sulaiman and Priscilla shared one last glaring look before taking a glance over everything else. They shook their heads at nearly the same time and Priscilla gave Sulaiman a small grin that had him rolling his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Marian she¡¯s free to melt these down then,¡± Yarnon said. ¡°Do you two want to speak with the prisoners now?¡±


    Priscilla opened her mouth to say yes when her stomach grumbled loudly. Her cheeks reddened as Yarnon laughed and Sulaiman smirked.


    ¡°Let''s get some food into you first,¡± Yarnon said, his white smile stark against his beard. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to everyone while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Priscilla said, trying to force her cheeks back into their regular olive complexion.


    ¡°So we have Marian, our blacksmith, over there,¡± Yarnon said as they started ambling towards the group of people who were still speaking, pointing to a woman with impressive looking muscles speaking to a willowy man, ¡°and she¡¯s speaking to her husband, Kayir, who manages our beehives.¡±


    Priscilla scanned the crowd ahead of her, searching for Kavil. She spotted him near the edge, speaking with an older, athletic looking red-head man. Kavil looked relaxed while talking to him and that made Priscilla want to know more because in the story Kavil had rarely spoken of the people who helped raise him.


    ¡°Who¡¯s speaking to Kavil?¡± Priscilla asked, somewhat rudely cutting Yarnon off. Yarnon glanced and gave her a smile.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s good to see him around,¡± Yarnon said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t live in the village with us but that little whistle of yours must have been heard miles out. That¡¯s Frean¨C¡±


    The rest of Yarnon¡¯s words melted away as Priscilla froze, locking eyes with Sulaiman who was staring back at her with a similar expression of shock and recognition.


    And then Priscilla¡¯s feet moved before her mind, sprinting directly towards the doppelganger with violence on her mind.

 Priscillas New Favorite Hobby: Forcing Liars to Tell the Truth

    Priscilla lost the slippers she had on as she ran, the shoes flying right off at the speed she was going. She saw people turn to her with a smile but she ignored them, keeping her gaze locked on the red-headed man who laughed at something that Kavil said, clapping the young man on the back. Kavil stared back with a wide smile, his delight at making the other man laugh clear even from this distance.


    That sight made her blood boil ¨C the fact that Kopica¡¯a could just stand there and act like a caring mentor when they had left Frean¡¯s body in such a horrible state.


    Kopica¡¯a was turned away from Priscilla, so it gave her the perfect angle to kick the back of the doppelganger¡¯s knees and shove them sprawling onto the ground. Kavil let out a shocked noise but Priscilla put him out of her mind as she was immediately on Kopica¡¯a. Her knee dug into the small of Kopica¡¯a¡¯s back and she pinned their right arm with her other leg. Priscilla ignored the pain in her shoulder as she yanked Kopica¡¯a¡¯s left arm back into a painful angle and wrapped her right hand around their neck.


    It all happened within three seconds before anyone had the time to react. Asha was intensely focused, radiating its willingness for violence if Priscilla gave the word. It was heady to know that Asha would do anything for Priscilla, and that she held Kopica¡¯a¡¯s life in her hands, even if they didn¡¯t know it.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Priscilla asked, her voice low and raspy as she resisted the urge to squeeze the life out of the doppelganger.


    ¡°Who am I? Who the hell are you?¡± Kopica¡¯a said, though it was muffled with their face pressed against the dirt. ¡°You attacked me out of ¨C¡±


    ¡°I am the person that helped save everyone last night when I beat the bandit leader to death,¡± Priscilla said, cold voice cutting them off, ¡°but I guess you missed that fact because you weren¡¯t here.¡±


    Kopica¡¯a stilled beneath her before they struggled to turn their head to look at her. Priscilla was having none of that and kept them firmly against the ground. She didn¡¯t want them to get a good look at her for petty reasons, as she knew a faceless enemy was far scarier than one you knew. Priscilla saw Sulaiman enter the edge of her vision, getting between them and Kavil and she smiled. They were on the same page, so Priscilla could do whatever the fuck she wanted.


    ¡°Let me go, you lunatic,¡± Kopica said before trying to struggle once more. Priscilla raised their arm to a more painful angle and the struggling ceased with a pained hiss.


    ¡°Answer my question and this can all be over,¡± Priscilla said, trying to soften her voice into something coaxing, ¡°though if you lie, there¡¯ll be some¡­ consequences.¡±


    ¡°What question? You assaulted me¨C¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re apparently suffering from short term memory loss,¡± Priscilla said, delighting in the power she had, ¡°then I¡¯ll repeat it. What is your name?¡±


    She punctuated the question by pulling their arm up higher and Kopica¡¯a let out a cry.


    There was a bit of commotion off to the side but Priscilla trusted Sulaiman would handle it.


    ¡°My name is unimportant when you¡¯re¨C¡±


    Priscilla flexed her fingers around their neck and Asha obligingly made the tips of her fingers sharp like a dagger¡¯s tip as she brushed against both of Kopica¡¯a¡¯s carotid artery. Kopica¡¯a went utterly still beneath her. One fact that Priscilla remembered more than anything from the book was how desperately Kopica¡¯a tried to avoid taking on enemies directly, preferring to take them down with cunning and guile because of one simple reason.


    The doppelganger was afraid of pain.


    ¡°I do believe I told you not to lie,¡± Priscilla crooned sweetly. ¡°This is your final warning.¡±


    She could feel Kopica¡¯a swallow, the muscles in their neck flexing against her palm as they took in a shaky breath in a brilliant show of acting.


    ¡°My name is Frean,¡± Kopica¡¯a said, voice wavering, ¡°please¨C¡±


    Priscilla used her firm grip to slam Kopica¡¯a¡¯s head into the ground head on and heard a crack. She kept them pressed down for a moment longer than needed before loosening up so they didn¡¯t choke on their own blood.


    ¡°I thought you knew better than to lie,¡± Priscilla tutted, tone mockingly stern. ¡°I told you there¡¯d be consequences.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ why are you doing this?¡± Kopica¡¯a said, sounding dazed and nasally.


    ¡°Answer my question truthfully and it¡¯ll all be over.¡±


    Kopica¡¯a tried struggling again.


    ¡°My name is Frean Hoffsteader!¡± Kopica¡¯a lied, shifting their head to try and peer to the side. ¡°Kavil, are you just going to let this crazy woman do this to me?¡±


    Kopica¡¯a truly was a brilliant actor. They sounded desperate and betrayed, begging for Kavil to help. They had gathered a crowd around them, though no one had intervened just yet. Priscilla could hear them murmur to themselves but didn¡¯t try to hear if Kopica¡¯a succeeded in planting seeds of doubt, trusting that Sulaiman would stop anyone who tried to stop her.


    Priscilla flexed her fingers again and pressed her sharp index finger against the artery.


    ¡°Keep lying and let¡¯s see what happens.¡±


    Kopica¡¯a was silent and Priscilla pressed a little harder. She could feel their breathing quickening, could feel the way their heart rate jumped. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°D¡¯zzat,¡± Kopica¡¯a said, sounding breathless. ¡°My name is D¡¯zzat.¡±


    The area around them went completely silent with that proclamation.


    Priscilla tutted again like Kopica¡¯a was a naughty school boy.


    ¡°Lying isn¡¯t becoming of you, and I¡¯m getting¡­¡± Priscilla scratched a long line against Kopica¡¯a¡¯s neck, not deep enough to cut through the artery but enough to draw blood and sting. ¡°Impatient.¡±


    Kopica¡¯a stopped struggling and was silent. Priscilla could practically hear the gears turning in their head as they tried to figure out a way out of the situation they had been suddenly thrust into. She bet they were wondering how she knew when they lied, and Priscilla thought it was funny that Kopica¡¯a would never be able to even guess close to the truth.


    ¡°Kopica¡¯a,¡± the doppelganger finally said in a low voice so that only she could hear. Priscilla was surprised they had actually spoken the truth. She had been looking forward to using their lies as an excuse to knock them out and interrogate them. But Priscilla was still happy they spoke their name aloud because now she could. She wanted to see how much more information she could squeeze out of them while they were at her mercy.


    ¡°See, Kopica¡¯a, that wasn¡¯t so hard was it?¡± Priscilla said, repeating the name so that everyone could enjoy hearing the truth. ¡°Now, why were you talking to Kavil here while wearing Frean¡¯s face?¡±


    Kopica¡¯a said nothing and Priscilla wondered if she had pushed too far. Oh well, then she¡¯d just try to deal with them here and now. Priscilla tightened her grip around their throat, intent on giving into the violence that hummed in her veins as she remembered Frean¡¯s mutilated body.


    And then things got a little crazy.


    Kopica¡¯a body rapidly shifted and changed beneath Priscilla, the arm she held ballooning in size, gaining layer upon layer of muscle as their skin turned into a mottled gray green. Kopica¡¯a jerked their arm out of her grasp and shook off her grip on their neck as they pushed themselves to their feet with arms that were two feet longer, even as her finger left claw marks and blood trails against their skin. Priscilla hit the ground hard, catching herself with her arms so her head didn¡¯t hit the ground, which, by the way, was a Bad Idea? as it really fucking hurt and she felt something pop in her shoulder.


    The pleasant, red headed man¡¯s face Kopica¡¯a used as a mask melted into that of a troll''s, their jaw dropping and incisors lengthened into something razor sharp, made for biting through hide and make their prey bleed out. Priscilla scrambled back on one arm to not get crushed beneath Kopica¡¯a¡¯s foot, which was now nearly as large as her torso, as the troll took a step and shifted their weight.


    Kopica¡¯a was now over fifteen feet tall, leaning onto their knuckles and wicked looking claws as tattered clothing hung off their new frame. Kopica¡¯a bellowed at her, spittle flying and a rotting smell hit her nose. Priscilla was surprised to see that it looked like Kopica¡¯a¡¯s nose had transferred between their forms but there was no time to be focused on details. They raised their claws, intent to slam it down into her heart and Priscilla knew her flimsy dress would do nothing to protect her.


    Then a prickle of pain went through Priscilla¡¯s side and a sphere of flame slammed into the side of Kopica¡¯a¡¯s head. Green skin crackled and burned, turning an angry red, as Kopica¡¯a turned to the source of the magic, baring their teeth and letting out a roar.


    Sulaiman had his hand raised, eyes fixed on the new threat, as six motes of flame came to existence around his shoulders as the villagers were all smartly backing away as quickly as possible. Kavil stood just behind him, staring up at Kopica¡¯a with horror.


    The first mote of flame stretched into an arrow and shot forward, aimed at Kopica¡¯a¡¯s eyes. Kopica¡¯a moved their head faster than expected, dodging the fire. As the other arrows shot forward, Kopica¡¯a¡¯s body began to shrink in a stomach turning display, bones cracking and skin folding in over itself. Kopica¡¯a¡¯s eyes bulged as their face rapidly shifted and shrunk, a flame arrow just barely missing. The body continued to shrink and the rest of the arrows flew by harmlessly.


    Sulaiman narrowed his eyes as small, translucent wings popped out of Kopica¡¯a¡¯s back and began to buzz, keeping Kopica¡¯a hovering in the air. Pink hair framed their pixie face and yellow eyes that burned with hatred as they bared small, but very pointy teeth at Sulaiman.


    But instead of changing shape again or attacking, Kopica¡¯a glared at Priscilla and then flew straight upwards, disappearing over the tops of the trees.


    Priscilla stared, breathing hard. Her shoulder radiated pain with each breath and felt oddly wet.


    ¡°Well fuck,¡± Priscilla said in the echoing silence as everyone tried to process what just happened. ¡°That didn¡¯t go quite how I planned.¡±


    Sulaiman let out an aggrieved noise at her flippant attitude and stalked over to her, his black eyes raking over her.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Sulaiman hissed, ¡°I tell you to take it easy and what do you do not even ten minutes later? Confront and interrogate a murderer without so much as a second thought!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Sulaiman, you know how I can¡¯t¨C¡± Priscilla said as she tried to push herself to her feet, forgetting her injury momentarily. Her arm crumpled as soon as she put a smidgen of weight on it and she couldn¡¯t hold back the pained noise that escaped her mouth. Sulaiman just barely caught her before Priscilla face-planted in the dirt.


    ¡°Quiet you,¡± Sulaiman barked, though his grip was gentle and firm on her uninjured shoulder. ¡°Kavil, come heal this idiot before she can ruin herself anymore.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Kavil said, coming to kneel next to them, his hands glowing. Kavil¡¯s eyes were wide and he swallowed shakily, but Priscilla felt immediate relief and she sighed as the pain began to be chased away. But it seemed not everything could be healed with magic, as Kavil frowned and reached out and had to grab her shoulder and popped it back into place. Hurt like a bitch, but it was so much better than what she felt thirty seconds ago and now she could wiggle her fingers again.


    ¡°Thanks again, savior,¡± Priscilla said, giving Kavil a half-smile that seemed to startle him as he blinked back at her, ¡°though we really need to stop meeting like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a patch-job,¡± Kavil said in a small voice, ignoring Priscilla¡¯s silliness, which was fair considering the circumstances and that made Priscilla sober up a bit as well. ¡°I finally closed the skin on the wound so you won¡¯t bleed out, but your body won¡¯t let me heal you fully. I¡¯m going to have to insist you let me put the entire arm in a sling so you can¡¯t¡­ ¡®ruin yourself.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Priscilla asked, crinkling her nose. She had broken her arm exactly once before and hated how restricted she felt as it was healing, making her feel helpless and reliant on others. Mr. ¨C¨C said she was the worst patient he had ever treated because of how often she went against the doctor¡¯s orders.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to argue,¡± Sulaiman said, glaring at her and squeezing her uninjured elbow, ¡°especially since you are so inept at taking care of yourself.¡±


    The expression was much more effective when he was this close to her, his dark eyes glittering in a way that told Priscilla she was in for the lecture of a lifetime if she tried to disagree with him.


    Priscilla decided to just nod, looking at Kavil because he was less scary at the moment.


    ¡°How long will I be trapped, doc?¡± Priscilla asked, resigning herself to her new future.


    ¡°I can keep trying to stimulate your natural healing process to progress faster,¡± Kavil said, though he looked uncertain, ¡°but it¡¯ll be at least a week, if not two.¡±


    Priscilla tried not to deflate at that news.


    Jeroinin finally approached, the earlier joy gone as she stared down at Priscilla. The woman''s face was carefully neutral and Priscilla went still when she realized the woman deliberately looked at Asha before Jeroinin resettled her gaze on Priscilla¡¯s face.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re healed,¡± Jeroinin said, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind answering a few questions.¡±

 Hugs are the Best Medicine

    ¡°Course not,¡± Priscilla said casually, tucking her right hand out of sight by leaning back on it, hiding it behind Sulaiman¡¯s thigh. She didn¡¯t know why Jeroinin looked at Asha, but Priscilla now recalled it was Jeroinin who had identified Azurin¡¯s coat as magical, so maybe locating magical artifacts was one of Jeroinin¡¯s special skills. No matter how the woman knew about Asha, Priscilla didn¡¯t want Asha¡¯s existence to be broadcasted to everyone, least of all Sulaiman who would want an answer to how she got a hold of Asha and that would be a long conversation.


    Jeroinin tracked the movement and when the half-elf met Priscilla¡¯s eyes again, Priscilla kept her smile affixed to her face to hide the sudden nerves that went through her.


    ¡°I can start at the beginning if you¡¯d like,¡± Priscilla said, trying to be helpful and not at all suspicious, ¡°or you can start with questions.¡±


    ¡°How did you know¡­ that was not Frean?¡± Kavil asked before anyone else spoke, breaking the silence with a small voice. Kavil was staring into Priscilla¡¯s eyes, squeezing his lips together in a way that said he knew he wouldn¡¯t like the answer but he needed to hear it anyway.


    Priscilla softened, feeling slightly guilty that she had been so frivolous earlier. Frean was Kavil¡¯s mentor and Kavil had just been laughing with the imposter who slaughtered him. Priscilla let the smile slip off her face and sighed softly.


    ¡°Sulaiman and I passed by a house in the hills on our journey here,¡± Priscilla said, not projecting her words but her voice still floated across the silent plaza. ¡°The energy around the house was¡­ strange, so we took a look around to try and see what was going on.¡±


    Priscilla took a deep breath and glanced over the crowd solemnly, gaze skittering past Jeroinin quickly before looking back at Kavil, whose expression grew graver with each word she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°but we found a body that we believe to be Frean Hoffsteader.¡±


    Kavil¡¯s expression crumpled at that and he leaned back like the words were a physical blow. Priscilla wanted to comfort him, shifting her weight towards him because he looked like he needed a hug.


    ¡°And you do not know who the corpse was for certain?¡± Jeroinin asked, her raspy voice cutting through the air before Priscilla could actually touch Kavil. Priscilla held back a sigh and looked back to the half-elf, settling for just patting Kavil¡¯s knee.


    ¡°There weren''t any other options for who it could be, Miss Jeroinin,¡± Priscilla said as gently as she could. ¡°The fields hadn¡¯t been harvested for quite a while, and the way he had been killed was¡­ cruel. There was a letter nearby addressed to Frean and we think the person who sent it killed him.¡±


    ¡°I have the letter we found in my pack,¡± Sulaiman said, sliding in with a clinical tone, ¡°if you think that might help you decide yourself. But based on what we¡¯ve just seen, this Kopica¡¯a sent it and killed Frean to assume his identity to get access to your village.¡±


    An emotion too quick to recognize flickered over Jeroinin¡¯s face and the woman¡¯s shoulders sagged, and she rubbed between her eyebrows.


    ¡°No, I believe you,¡± Jeroinin said, sounding tired. ¡°I just hoped it wasn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°We buried him next to his garden,¡± Priscilla said, hoping that fact might assuage some of her grief, ¡°though Sulaiman did most of the hard work. I just¨C¡±


    Kavil lurched forward, leaning over her to drag her and Sulaiman into a sudden hug.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kavil murmured, voice shaking even as his grip tightened. ¡°That¡¯s what¨Cwhat he would have wanted.¡±


    Priscilla could just barely see Sulaiman¡¯s startled profile over Kavil¡¯s hair, his eyes wide and his body going stiff. At this point in his life, Sulaiman wasn¡¯t used to physical affection and that thought saddened Priscilla. Though her left arm was still sore, Priscilla wrapped it around Kavil and put the other around Sulaiman, drawing the man in closer.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry for your loss,¡± Priscilla said as Sulaiman sent her a panicked look. She tilted her head towards the crying Kavil and raised an eyebrow. The panic faded slightly before determination took over. Sulaiman awkwardly hugged Kavil back and hesitated for just a moment before hugging Priscilla as well.


    Jeroinin began to walk closer, the half-elf woman was staring at them with a conflicted expression. When Priscilla met Jeroinin¡¯s eyes over Kavil¡¯s shoulder, the woman smiled sadly and mouthed, ¡°thank you.¡±


    Priscilla debated mouthing something back but decided to just nod in acknowledgement.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we could not do more,¡± Sulaiman said.


    Kavil let out a wet laugh devoid of levity, laying his head on where Priscilla and Sulaiman¡¯s shoulders touched.


    ¡°What more could you have done?¡± Kavil whispered. ¡°You returned him to the earth and attempted to bring his killer to justice.¡±


    Sulaiman shot another panicked look at Priscilla but he was spared from answering as Kavil pulled back and gave the pair of them a watery smile.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kavil said, giving them both a gentle squeeze and leaning back, giving Priscilla back her lap. The tears had slowed, gathering on his long lashes like dew.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Kavil,¡± Jeroinin said, and Kavil jumped, spinning around to look up at her.


    ¡°Auntie?¡± Kavil said, sounding confused and Priscilla¡¯s perception of everything that happened in the last few minutes was recontextualized with this new tidbit of information. She had never known the name of Kavil¡¯s aunt, as it pained him too much to say it aloud in the story.


    ¡°We had planned on a feast tonight to celebrate last night¡¯s victory,¡± Jeroinin said gently, ¡°but that can be postponed¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kavil said firmly. He wiped away the last of his tears and straightened his back. ¡°Frean would hate it if we stopped ourselves from feeling joy just because he¡­ he died.¡±


    Jeroinin looked over Kavil for another moment longer, before she reached out a hand and helped Kavil to his feet. He was taller than Jeroinin by a good foot but shrank down as Jeroinin reached up to cup his cheek.


    Priscilla looked away, unsettled by a scene of familial intimacy and wanting to give them some privacy as they spoke. Sulaiman seemed to have the same thoughts and they ended up looking at each other awkwardly.


    Sulaiman glanced around before leaning close, his lips nearly brushing her ears.


    ¡°Did you somehow gain an ability to detect lies since we last spoke of your capabilities?¡± he whispered.


    Priscilla did her best to not shiver at his voice as she whispered back, ¡°I was bluffing my ass off, but I¡¯m glad it seems like a super power to you.¡±


    Sulaiman tilted his head forward to give her a light glare and Priscilla gave a half-shrug. She had no good way of explaining how she knew Kopica¡¯a was lying so spouting bullshit would be her best way to not cough up blood.


    ¡°Now, I know you two want to speak to our prisoners,¡± Jeroinin said, drawing their attention back to her, ¡°but I also hear you need some lunch.¡±


    Right on cue, Priscilla¡¯s stomach growled.


    Priscilla didn¡¯t mind the embarrassment too much when it made Kavil smile. His eyes were red rimmed but whatever Jeroinin had said to him seemed to help.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to sample some local delicacies,¡± Priscilla said as she ambled to her feet.


    ¡°Which will happen right after you get your arm in a sling,¡± Sulaiman said, ever the spoilsport.


    Priscilla groaned but it was mostly for show as Kavil¡¯s eyes gained the fire of a medic on a warpath, copper eyes bright in the warm sunlight. That expression was so much better than one that had gone muted with grief.


    After tracking down her shoes, Priscilla was shuffled back to Jeroinin¡¯s house.


    The red sling was as restrictive as she feared and clashed with her hair, but she resigned herself to her new normal when both Kavil and Sulaiman stared her down ¨C Sulaiman¡¯s eyes narrowing in displeasure and Kavil¡¯s wide and earnest. Combined, it was too much to even think about resisting.


    Unfortunately, after eating a light lunch of roasted fish, the prisoners didn¡¯t have any new information to add. The only thing they learned was that Azurin had heard about the treasure, apparently overhearing a conversation between some higher ups about something special hiding in this village.


    Priscilla exchanged a glance with Sulaiman at that.


    They exited the storage building, lingering near the door rather joining the villagers that were busy preparing for the night¡¯s festivities.


    ¡°That Kopica¡¯a fellow, you thought they were involved with that organization that tried to recruit you, right?¡± Sulaiman asked in a low tone.


    Priscilla nodded, though her neck stiffened annoyingly. Sulaiman hummed, face deep in thought as he crossed his arms.


    ¡°They were speaking with Kavil before I, uh, stepped in,¡± Priscilla pointed out, her mind racing as she connected the dots herself and she realized that the cult had unwittingly ruined their own plans by not keeping their pawns on a tight leash. ¡°Kopica¡¯a didn¡¯t answer my question about that even when I was threatening their life.¡±


    Sulaiman looked at her sharply.


    ¡°Do you think Kavil¡¯s the¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m what?¡±


    Priscilla jumped at Kavil¡¯s sudden interjection, letting out a surprised squeak that was incredibly embarrassing. Sulaiman and Kavil stared at her, Sulaiman looking amused and Kavil blinking in surprise.


    But Kavil got over that and turned to Sulaiman, saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop on you two, but when I heard my name, I admit I got kinda curious.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sulaiman glanced at Priscilla and she shook her head.


    Kavil had a lot thrown at him in the past twenty-four hours. He didn¡¯t need to hear their theories that he was probably the reason Frean was killed and his village was attacked. Priscilla didn¡¯t want to send Kavil to lose his smile now that he had regained it.


    ¡°You¡¯re a formidable healer,¡± Sulaiman said, pivoting smoothly. ¡°You healed every injury from last night without rest.¡±


    Kavil scratched the back of his neck, looking at the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special,¡± Kavil said, though his voice betrayed how pleased the compliment made him.


    ¡°It certainly is, savior,¡± Priscilla teased, smiling and bumping him with her good shoulder. ¡°You should take pride in your skills, healers as good as you are rare in this world.¡±


    Kavil flushed, saying, ¡°Th-thank you.¡±


    Then Kavil shook his head as if they had distracted him and he needed to refocus.


    ¡°I wanted to give you guys a tour of our village,¡± Kavil said, ¡°since you¡¯ll be here for a few days. It doesn¡¯t hurt to get you familiar with everything¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any other plans,¡± Priscilla said and Kavil brightened. Sulaiman raised his eyebrows at her words but didn¡¯t say anything when Kavil smiled at him.


    ¡°Great!¡± Kavil said, grabbing one of each of their hands and pulling along with him.


    ¡°So you know about the butcher shop of course,¡± Kavil babbled as they began to walk, letting go of their hands as Priscilla settled in on his left and Sulaiman on his right, ¡°and over here is where our seamstress lives, and if you follow that smell, you¡¯ll find the bakery¡­¡±


    .


    .


    .


    (elsewhere, the ripples of change continues to travel, leaving none it passes the same as they were yesterday)


    (on the road, a silver haired girl has what she thinks is a stroke of luck. she smiles, pleased with how well she follows her sister¡¯s advice, unknowing she heads down a path of pain)


    (traveling swiftly through the air, a doppelganger commits the face of a meddlesome girl to their memory. they dislike reporting of their failures, but they smile as they imagine the punishment the girl will receive)


    (a tall woman looks up sharply towards the sun, squinting in confusion. she pushes away her sweaty hair and smiles viciously, changing her course westward as she figures out just what caught her attention)


    (a man fresh from battle drops into a throne-like chair heavily, checking over the map splayed before him. he frowns when one of the figures on the map doesn¡¯t light up and he angrily calls out for a white haired servant)


    (in a land forgotten by time and space, a being that gave up their right to existence feels the ripple pass over them. the being smiles, content, and doesn¡¯t mind the noose tightening around their neck)

 Giving Life Advice in a Bell Tower

    The village wasn¡¯t all that large, but they spent the afternoon slowly walking around and briefly meeting people as they busied themselves with preparations for the feast. As Priscilla shook hands and got glimpses into the villagers¡¯ lives as they introduced themselves and joked with Kavil, Priscilla felt a sudden surge of greed to know more about the people she had saved.


    They weren¡¯t just words on paper, they were living, breathing people and though Priscilla had only been in this world for a week now, she felt oddly responsible for them since she saved their lives. She met Theodore, who had a playful rivalry with Kavil about who was better at foraging; Allasan, the baker with a frying pan, had a whole gaggle of geese and cats; Holly, who was Yarnon¡¯s cousin, kept pigs and loved spices and herbs. With each new person she met, Priscilla hoarded each piece of information she learned like a dragon does gold, keeping close to her heart because it made her feel grounded, like what she was trying to do mattered.


    Sulaiman was more stoic and reserved than she was, but Priscilla caught him smiling when Kavil went off on a tangent about the time he healed a deer and it followed him home, and then got its horns hopelessly tangled in the laundry lines. Even Sulaiman was weak to Kavil¡¯s affable personality.


    The tour came to an end by the bell tower, which had a ladder leaned up against the back. It wasn¡¯t overly large, smaller than the trees surrounding it, but it would be difficult to reach the small opening Priscilla spotted without the ladder or precariously balancing on each other''s shoulders.


    ¡°This is the last stop,¡± Kavil said, looking up at it. ¡°There¡¯s a space to sit up there but¡­¡±


    Kavil trailed off, looking at Priscilla¡¯s stupid little sling.


    She huffed, ¡°I can climb a ladder that high with one arm.¡±


    Sulaiman rolled his eyes in a move that was almost sublime with how well practiced it seemed. Priscilla flipped him off, easily ignoring her biggest hater.


    ¡°Kavil, I can climb up if I¡¯m really careful, right?¡± Priscilla asked, giving him her best pleading expression.


    Kavil looked torn, glancing between her and Sulaiman, who continued to look unamused.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a bad idea¡­¡± Kavil said. ¡°If you fall from that height, it¡¯d set back your recovery by at least two weeks.¡±


    ¡°What if Sulaiman stays down here to catch me?¡± Priscilla asked, fluttering her eyelashes at Sulaiman. She didn¡¯t think they¡¯d actually let her do it, but the saying was nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. Plus it was fun to see how far Priscilla could push before they got fed up with her bullshit.


    Sulaiman closed his eyes, muttering, ¡°Gods grant me patience.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a no,¡± Priscilla sing-songed, grinning at him.


    ¡°You have a death wish,¡± Sulaiman deadpanned, glaring at her.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Priscilla asked, dancing out of the range of Sulaiman¡¯s swat. ¡°Yes or no, Mr. Halsteed? Will you help fulfil this poor girl¡¯s dream or shall you crush it mercilessly?¡±


    Sulaiman gave her an exasperated look and Priscilla fluttered her eyes again, cupping her face with her right hand.


    The stand-off was broken by Kavil¡¯s giggles.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kavil said in between fits of laughter, ¡°you two are just so¨Chaha!¡±


    His laughter was infectious as he doubled over and Priscilla giggled with him, dropping the pleading act.


    ¡°His seriousness is one of Sulaiman¡¯s many charms,¡± Priscilla said, patting Sulaiman¡¯s shoulder, ¡°and it makes him the perfect straight man to my antics.¡±


    ¡°That he does,¡± Kavil said, his laughter softly dying even as his smile remained wide. Priscilla opened her mouth to quip again before she noticed something. Well, it was more like the absence of something she finally clued in on.


    Priscilla hadn¡¯t realized it before, since she had only seen Kavil in chaotic situations, but there had been underlying tension in the way he carried himself. A stiffness that was hidden well if you didn¡¯t know to look for it, but it was obvious when Kavil finally relaxed.


    Sulaiman¡¯s gaze flickered between the two of them and Priscilla gave him a challenging smile. If needling Sulaiman made Kavil smile, then Priscilla didn¡¯t mind providing a spectacle.


    ¡°If you¡¯re insisting on being stupid,¡± Sulaiman said after a beat of silence, his face reluctant but resigned, ¡°then it¡¯s better if I supervise the stupidity.¡±


    Priscilla cheered, surprised but delighted.


    ¡°Doc, you heard that right? I have a safety net, so lead the way up!¡±


    Sulaiman and Kavil shared a look but Priscilla ignored the manly bonding, wandering over to the ladder. It looked sturdy, made of thick wood that made picking it up with one arm impossible. But it didn¡¯t look that hard to climb with the steps evenly spaced and tilted slightly forward so gravity wouldn¡¯t be as big of an enemy. If Priscilla focused and kept her balance, it should be possible.


    ¡°Move,¡± Sulaiman said, suddenly behind her. Priscilla jumped and then pretended she did nothing of the sort, sliding out of his way with grace and dignity. Kavil laughed and Sulaiman rolled his eyes, moving the ladder to where Kavil directed.


    Kavil climbed up quickly and skillfully, pulling open a small door and entering the bell tower. He popped his head back out and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you up when I can reach you.¡±


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Priscilla said and stepped onto the ladder. It was odd to feel the wood shift beneath her weight and honestly it was awkward only having one arm to rely on. But Priscilla was nothing if not stubborn, and kept climbing steadily up.


    Priscilla was about four feet off the ground when her slipper slipped right off. Priscilla yelped and clutched the ladder the same time she felt a pair of hands stabilize her hips.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Sulaiman hissed, ¡°or I¡¯ll just haul you down right now.¡±


    ¡°It was the slipper,¡± Priscilla whined, toeing off the other shoe to go barefoot and ignoring how large Sulaiman¡¯s hands felt to focus on not getting splinters. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again, so lemme go, you tyrant.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Sulaiman sighed but let go, returning his grip to the ladder.


    Priscilla made it up to Kavil¡¯s outstretched hand with no more incidents. Kavil¡¯s grip steady as he grasped her forearm and hauled her up the last foot. The space inside the bell tower was small and once Priscilla got situated, her knees and Kavil''s were pressed against each other even though they were sitting on opposite ends.


    ¡°It¡¯s tight up here, Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla called down, sticking her head out, ¡°but we can fit if you¡¯re comfortable sitting on our laps.¡±


    Kavil stifled a laugh as Sulaiman stared up incredulously.


    ¡°I will not be sitting on your lap,¡± Sulaiman said firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab my sword to sharpen and wait for you.¡±


    He took a few steps and then gave Priscilla a piercing glare over his shoulder.


    ¡°Do not try to climb down without me,¡± Sulaiman said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that much of a death wish,¡± Priscilla called and Sulaiman just shook his head and stalked off.


    Priscilla finally looked at her surroundings more closely. There were five bells of various sizes that took up most of the space, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable with a soft blanket to sit on. A small pillow was tucked into Kavil¡¯s lap, and a soft sided bag was pinned to the wall. There was a wide but narrow window across from them that gave an interesting view of the village if they titled their head around the bells and unfortunately highlighted the houses that had been most damaged last night.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cozy up here,¡± Priscilla said, tucking her legs beneath her and reminding herself they had won and houses could be rebuilt.


    ¡°I spend a lot of time up here,¡± Kavil said, relaxing against the wall, ¡°though my auntie complains I have my head in the clouds too much. She says I have a proper bed and should sleep there.¡±


    Kavil let out a mirthless chuckle. ¡°She probably has a point. I fell asleep here last night and that put me in the thick of things.¡±


    Kavil was looking at the bells in a way that told her he wasn¡¯t seeing them at all, his eyes clouded over with emotion. His hands were shaking, clutching the pillow, the tension returned to his shoulders.


    Priscilla hesitated only a moment before reaching out to still his hands.


    ¡°I, for one, am grateful you have this habit,¡± Priscilla said as Kavil looked at her, ¡°because if you hadn¡¯t intervened, the night would have gone very differently.¡±


    ¡°You would have still won,¡± Kavil protested but Priscilla shushed him with a gentle squeeze.


    ¡°I was easy pickings due to that curse,¡± Priscilla said, ¡°and I¡¯m not a long-ranged fighter. If you hadn¡¯t healed me, then Sulaiman would have taken a cursed bolt straight to the spine, and if he fell¡­¡±


    Priscilla let her words trail off as her mind ran away with that idea and imagined what would have happened. If Sulaiman fell, then the villagers would have been overwhelmed without his magic supplementing their fighting power. And then fate would realign itself in the cruelest way, taking not only Kavil¡¯s village but Sulaiman as well, all because Priscilla had tried to meddle and failed.


    Priscilla banished such thoughts from her brain, and found that Kavil was staring at her. She couldn¡¯t decipher the look on his face but Kavil averted his gaze as he nodded.


    They sat in silence that teetered on the edge of uncomfortable and companionable.  Priscilla wasn¡¯t sure where to lead the conversation from there, so she remained quiet, watching the villagers walking around as the sky began to shift into evening hues. She spotted the blacksmith Marian carrying one end of a table with her husband Kayir, walking alongside Yarnon who was carrying a large pail of something as the only children in the village, a pair of twins named Tuyi and Dani, trailed after them with baskets full of fruit.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you ask Kopica¡¯a about me?¡± Kavil asked quietly, looking at the bells.


    Priscilla pondered the question, taken off guard by the topic change. She fidgeted with the edge of her sling as she said, ¡°Yarnon had just been telling me about Frean and you having a strong bond. With what I knew about what Kopica''a had done combined with them talking to you, well, it got me worried about what they planned to do with you.¡±


    Kavil was quiet, looking contemplative.


    ¡°I had just been telling him about how I helped you last night,¡± Kavil confessed softly, his voice growing quieter and quieter with every word he spoke, ¡°and he¡­ they asked if I wanted to go on an adventure to¡­ to help heal others that could help protect villages like mine.¡±


    Well, that confirmed what Priscilla already knew: the cult was trying to lure Kavil to their side. It seemed Kopica¡¯a had been trying to appeal to Kavil¡¯s innate goodness, which might have worked if Priscilla hadn¡¯t violently inserted herself into their conversation.


    ¡°Well, is that something you even want to do?¡± Priscilla finally asked, and it seemed to startle Kavil enough to look at her. He looked unsure as he considered her words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kavil said. ¡°I, I¡¯ve always wanted to leave this village one day and travel the land to heal others like my parents did but the fact that F¨CKopica¡¯a wanted me to do that makes me feel like maybe¡­¡±


    Kavil shrank in on himself, squeezing the pillow tightly. ¡°Like maybe I shouldn¡¯t want that anymore.¡±


    Priscilla bit her lip to keep herself silent.


    As much as she would love to have Kavil travel with them as a healer was always a useful addition to the party and she loved him as a character, the entire reason that Priscilla had traveled here in the first place was to give Kavil the chance to stay with his family. She didn¡¯t want to pigeonhole him into following fate and traveling with Illnyea, not when she was the champion of the ¡®fuck fate.¡¯


    But Kavil looked up at her, his eyes begging for her to say something, anything, to give him an answer to his unspoken question, give him something to hold on when everything was changing.


    It struck Priscilla then, that Kavil was barely old enough to be a college student in her original world. The only person that she had trusted enough to turn to at Kavil¡¯s age to rely on was Mr. ¨C¨C. Even though Kavil hadn¡¯t known her long, he was placing his trust in her, trusting that she might help him, and Priscilla felt overwhelmed by that and knew that she had to reciprocate sincerity with sincerity.


    Priscilla tried to think of what Mr. ¨C¨C would have said if he was here, what type of advice he would give with his signature half-moon grin.


    ¡°Your life is your own,¡± Priscilla said slowly, meeting Kavil¡¯s gaze because she would be a coward to look away, ¡°and I won¡¯t judge whatever choice you end up making since it¡¯s your life. But I don¡¯t think your dreams are suddenly invalid because some fucked up guy wanted to twist them into what he wanted you to do. It was your dream first, and nothing Kopica¡¯a said can change that. And the only person who can decide if that dream will become reality is you, Kavil. Only you get to decide what path you take.¡±


    Priscilla gave Kavil a small, nostalgic smile as she looked at one of the reasons that she had been able to find her own path, and meant the next words with all her heart.


    ¡°I can only hope you pick one where you can be happy.¡±


    Kavil¡¯s eyes were wide as he stared at Priscilla but he didn''t say anything as he absorbed her words. Priscilla lets the silence remain undisturbed because she felt like she may have already said too much. Priscilla wouldn¡¯t be like Kopica¡¯a, trying to twist Kavil¡¯s dreams to get him to do what she wanted.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sulaiman¡¯s voice cut through the air and made them both jump.


    Priscilla poked her head out to glare at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Priscilla hollered down.


    ¡°Food¡¯s getting set up,¡± Sulaiman said, gesturing with his sword towards where tables had been set up, ¡°and if you dawdle, there won¡¯t be any left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s poor form for the guest of honor to go hungry,¡± Priscilla sneered.


    ¡°Not if the guest of honor is an idiot who doesn¡¯t bother showing up on time.¡±


    Priscilla rolled her eyes and looked back at Kavil.


    ¡°Looks like our time is up,¡± Priscilla said ruefully, but didn¡¯t move, not yet. They hadn¡¯t fully finished their conversation and she was reluctant to leave.


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Kavil agreed softly.


    ¡°You ready to face the masses?¡± Priscilla asked when he said nothing more, trying to gauge if Kavil was still in a fragile emotional state.


    Kavil took a deep breath in, setting aside the pillow and met her gaze with a lopsided smile. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Priscilla, if you don¡¯t come down now, I¡¯m letting you starve!¡±


    Priscilla sighed and stuck her head out.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Priscilla said. Sulaiman just crossed his arms and stared up judgmentally.


    Kavil chuckled. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll help you. We wouldn¡¯t want you to starve.¡±

 Being Honored in a Religious Ceremony is only Slightly Panic-Inducing

    Priscilla was able to easily make it down the ladder, despite how little trust Sulaiman had in her ability.


    A massive fire pit had been erected where Priscilla beat Kopica¡¯a just a few hours ago, with a smaller fire nearby with a large, covered pot over it. A whole pig was roasting above the pit on a spit being slowly turned by the Yarnon¡¯s cousin Holly, who seemed to be concentrating deeply on her task. Seating had been arranged around the fire, a mixture of proper chairs, a few benches, and several thick logs.


    The smell of roasting meat made Priscilla nauseous for a moment as she remembered Frean, and then she shook that comparison out of her mind, looking at the pig to remind herself that she wasn¡¯t smelling burning human flesh. But she¡¯d still probably pass on having some later, just in case.


    Three long wooden tables had been arranged around the space, heavy with dishes already. Priscilla glanced over the tables and spotted crispy artichoke hearts covered in red flakes, a tray of rolls topped with some sort of jam, and what looked like a large bowl of mashed potatoes. She wanted to try every single one, but Priscilla was distracted while walking towards the table by Jeroinin stepping forward, a slim, opaque bottle full of a dark liquid in her hands.


    ¡°You can take a seat anywhere,¡± Jeroinin said, ¡°though it¡¯ll be a while until the pig is fully cooked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright with me,¡± Priscilla said, glancing curiously at the bottle. Jeroinin noticed the gaze and her smile gained a mischievous quality.


    ¡°Are you perhaps a fan of alcohol?¡± Jeroinin asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say so,¡± Priscilla said, eyeing the bottle with interest. She enjoyed a good tasty beverage when she got the opportunity, though Priscilla didn¡¯t know if her alcohol tolerance would be the same in her new body. Hopefully Priscilla wasn¡¯t a light weight, but even if she was, hopefully she won¡¯t be judged too hard if she got shit-faced. She could blame it on wanting to unwind after the battle yesterday and everything that happened with Kopica¡¯a earlier.


    Jeroinin twisted off the bottle cap and said, ¡°This is one I¡¯ve been working on for a few years, made from a patch of boysenberries I have in my garden.¡±


    Priscilla leaned forward to smell the alcohol and sighed happily at the sweet scent.


    ¡°I cannot wait to taste some,¡± Priscilla said as she reached for two cups on a nearby table and held them in front of her. Priscilla knew she was coming off as too eager, but she decided, fuck it, this was a feast thrown in Priscilla¡¯s honor, so she was going to have some delightful, stress relieving fun.


    Jeroinin poured out a healthy amount for each of them and Priscilla gave her a grin. Kavil and Sulaiman finally caught up to her at this point, both staring at what was happening. Sulaiman¡¯s eyebrows had lowered in disapproval and Kavil stared, open-mouthed.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Kavil said in incredulous disbelief, ¡°are you trying to get Priscilla drunk? We haven¡¯t even said any of the blessings yet and you¡¯re breaking out the boysenberries!¡±


    Jeroinin gave him an enigmatic smile.


    ¡°I am simply enjoying the fruits of my labor,¡± Jeroinin said, ¡°and what type of host would I be if I did not offer my guests some?¡±


    Priscilla took a much smaller sip than she originally planned based on Kavil¡¯s words, just letting it wet her tongue. It was tart, sweet, and smooth, reminding her of soju, which meant that it was a dangerous drink.


    ¡°This is some good shit,¡± Priscilla said, giving Jeroinin an appreciative look before smiling cheekily at Sulaiman. ¡°Want any? It goes down real fucking smooth.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Kavil said fervently, shaking his head as Sulaiman glowered, ¡°especially on an empty stomach.¡±


    Kavil gave his aunt a scathing look and she gave him an amused one back. He huffed and tugged gently on Priscilla¡¯s elbow.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kavil said, turning and dragging Sulaiman as well, ¡°you need to get good seats. You can get drunk later.¡±


    Priscilla allowed herself to be pulled along, grinning as Sulaiman gave the back of Kavil¡¯s head a confused glance. He wasn¡¯t used to casual touches, but between her and potentially Kavil, if he ended up traveling with them, Priscilla thought they¡¯d be able to change that. Mr. ¨C¨C likened her to an octopus due to the way she liked to drape herself over her friends. Priscilla had held herself back best she could so far, but it would only be a matter of time before she gave into the sweet temptation of physical affection.


    Kavil led them to sit on a bench together, directing Priscilla and Sulaiman to sit on the left and right end respectively. They were facing towards the bell tower, and above the trees, the sky was streaked with pink and purple as the sun steadily sank behind the trees.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with drinks for us, Sulaiman,¡± Kavil said. ¡°How do you feel about juice?¡±


    ¡°Juice is fine,¡± Sulaiman said, looking vaguely amused as Kavil¡¯s sharp nod and turn.


    Priscilla was tempted to take another sip of her drink but stayed strong because she was extremely interested in these ¡®blessings¡¯ Kavil mentioned and wanted to experience those with a clear head. She placed the cup down on the empty space on the bench furthest from Sulaiman.


    Priscilla and Sulaiman watched Kavil go to the table his aunt was standing next to and they began squabbling, Kavil using his hands to make sharp pointed gestures. Jeroinin set the bottle down on the table next to her, crossing her arms and retorting.


    ¡°Well, do you think it was worth it?¡± Priscilla asked as Kavil rolled his eyes so hard his head rolled too.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific,¡± Sulaiman replied, not looking away as Jeroinin laughed at something and Kavil turned away and grabbed a pitcher with a scowl.


    ¡°Traveling with me,¡± Priscilla said, laughing a little when the twins Dani and Tuyi ran up to Kavil, nearly bowling him over and spilling whatever was in the pitcher. ¡°I know you thought I had some nefarious plan cooked up when we began, but I hope I¡¯ve proven that wrong.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Sulaiman finally looked at her, his face unreadable as the flame¡¯s shadows danced over his features. Priscilla met his gaze head on, for once not teasing or flippant. She thought that Sulaiman¡¯s opinion of her had changed at least a little bit, but this would be the first time Priscilla addressed it directly.


    His black eyes flickered over her, lingering on her sling, her shoulder, her hair, then sliding up to meet her eyes.


    ¡°You have,¡± Sulaiman said softly, an unfamiliar expression on his face. ¡°You¡¯re strange, contradictory, and more stubborn than a mule, but I¡­ don¡¯t regret traveling with you. Together we¡¯ve¡­ we¡¯ve made a good team.¡±


    A light, fluttery feeling turned Priscilla¡¯s stomach over as she took in a shaky breath. She couldn¡¯t help the fragile smile that stretched across her face. That response was everything that Priscilla had hoped for and more, especially when she knew that Sulaiman wasn¡¯t the type of person to lie just to make someone feel better.


    ¡°That means a lot,¡± Priscilla said, and it wasn¡¯t until her voice cracked saying the words that she realized she was on the verge of tears. Priscilla looked away, feeling the flush burning her skin and was ashamed of herself for being so emotional.


    ¡°Are you¨C¡±


    Priscilla didn¡¯t know what Sulaiman was about to say as Kavil was walking towards them with a determined expression, precariously balancing three cups in his hands. She took advantage of Sulaiman¡¯s distraction to rub away the tears as Asha sent a pulse of affection through their bond that Priscilla took comfort in.


    ¡°Take this,¡± Kavil said, extending the awkwardly held cup toward Priscilla.


    ¡°I thought you were just getting drinks for you and Sulaiman,¡± Priscilla said, though she took the offered cup and sniffed it. It smelled a little like grape juice so she took a sip. It was tarter than she expected it would be but refreshing on her palate and helped get her mind off emotional shit she did not want to think about.


    Kavil¡¯s gaze quickly turned to Sulaiman as he handed the dark haired man his drink. Priscilla took that opportunity to drink more to avoid Sulaiman¡¯s gaze, as now that her body had been reminded that liquid existed, it furiously demanded more.


    ¡°You need more to drink than what auntie gave you,¡± Kavil said as he sat between them, cradling his cup in his hands. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe she gave you that before she conducted the blessings.¡±


    ¡°I had a question about these ¡®blessings,¡¯¡± Priscilla said, leaning forward and ignoring the way that Sulaiman looked at her. ¡°What exactly are they and what do we need to do?¡±


    Kavil gave her a boyish grin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything but watch!¡±


    Priscilla raised her eyebrows and put her now empty cup down, intending on pushing but there was a loud clap that drew her attention.


    Jeroinin was standing in front of the fire pit, watching over everyone as they all found their seats, save for Holly. But even Holly was standing up straighter and looked to Jeroinin as well.


    In Jeroinin¡¯s hand was a long staff that looked like it had been made from a living tree branch. Along the dark wood there were sprouts of new growth, the green leaves glimmering slightly in the fire light as it twisted around the bark. The top of the staff had sharp, jagged edges of wood curved around a shining blue jewel that was the same color as Jeroinin¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Tonight, we gather to honor those who are deserving,¡± Jeroinin said, her voice deep and reverberating over the clearing. Everyone was silent, staring at her with rapt attention. Priscilla stared at the Jeroinin too, but she was too aware of an energy beginning to gather in the air, one that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.


    ¡°Tonight, we honor Gaelea¡¯s grace,¡± Jeroinin said, settling into ritualistic cadence, ¡°for granting us the breath of life and shielding us beneath the shade of her great canopy.¡±


    ¡°We honor Her,¡± the rest of the villagers suddenly said in unison. If Priscilla didn¡¯t feel frozen as the energy continued to build, she would have jumped. But as it was, Priscilla couldn¡¯t look away from Jeroinin¡¯s blue eyes, not when she swore they were beginning to shine.


    ¡°Tonight, we honor our ancestor¡¯s strength,¡± Jeroinin said, spreading her free arm wide, ¡°for persevering despite the hardships that plagued them so that they could pass down their wisdom to their children so that we may thrive.¡±


    ¡°We honor them.¡±


    ¡°Tonight, we honor Kavil McCue¡¯s kindness,¡± Jeroinin said, turning her gaze to her nephew who straightened with pride, ¡°for it is his burning light that stole back those who had been trapped within the jaws of death.¡±


    ¡°We honor him.¡±


    ¡°Tonight, we honor Sulaiman Halsteed¡¯s bravery,¡± Jeroinin said, looking at the man in question, ¡°for putting himself in harm¡¯s way again and again, inspiring us all to never submit to those who wish us harm.¡±


    ¡°We honor him,¡± Kavil echoed, smiling at Sulaiman, who had stilled like a deer did when a wolf turned its attention towards it.


    ¡°And finally,¡± Jeroinin said, turning those definitely glowing blue eyes to Priscilla, who felt pinned in place, ¡°tonight, we honor Priscilla Sunscarre¡¯s dedication, for without her, none of us would have survived the night as we were unprepared for the dangers that lurked within our forest.¡±


    Jeroinin began to walk towards her, and the villagers stayed quiet. The air grew heavier with every step she took and it seemed like the light was leaching from the surroundings to make the blue jewel shine brighter like a neutron star.


    Priscilla¡¯s heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out everything except the raspy voice of Jeroinin, who grew ever steadily closer like the inevitability of nature.


    ¡°We honor her sacrifice,¡± Jeroinin said softly once she stood just a foot away, the woman¡¯s expression full of indescribable sadness, ¡°for hers is a path that is not lightly taken and it is one that I will be forever grateful she chose.¡±


    A chill ran down Priscilla¡¯s spine.


    ¡°We honor her!¡± the villagers cheered. Kavil bumped Priscilla¡¯s shoulder with his own, laughing, but Priscilla couldn''t look away from Jeroinin, couldn¡¯t register anything else.


    For a reason she couldn¡¯t explain, Priscilla knew that Jeroinin knew she didn¡¯t actually belong in this world, that she wasn¡¯t the original, that she had stolen this body and she didn¡¯t know how to give it back. Priscilla felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe as she stared at the half-elf woman, frozen in fear.


    ¡°May Gaelea bless those we¡¯ve honored,¡± Jeroinin said, lifting the staff to the sky and blue streaks of light burst forth like fireworks, covering the entire plaza with shimmering bits of energy that fell down like snowflakes. Panic built within Priscilla as she wondered if the light was a punishment. But then the light drifted down to touch her and no burst of pain followed, leaving with her just a slightly warm feeling, so the panic subsided just a little.


    ¡°Let us begin our celebrations!¡± Jeroinin said and the villagers cheered.


    Kavil was saying something to Sulaiman but the only thing that Priscilla could focus on was Jeroinin, who was staring right back. Sweat rolled down Priscilla¡¯s back and her hand was shaking, fist clenching and unclenching. Asha¡¯s attention was focused, signaling her lovely little legend killer was ready for a fight should Priscilla say the word.


    Jeroinin¡¯s face softened as she leaned in.


    ¡°You have nothing to fear from me,¡± Jeroinin murmured, tucking a lock of Priscilla¡¯s hair behind her ear, ¡°for your secrets are ones I would not share without permission.¡±


    The knot of fear in her stomach loosened as Priscilla took a sharp breath in but it didn¡¯t dissipate.


    ¡°I know you have questions,¡± Jeroinin continued, ¡°but save them for tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate life.¡±


    Jeroinin held out a hand towards her and, despite the trepidation that still ran through her, Priscilla took it.