I flip through a book, looking for a certain page. Was it greyroot, or was it rootgrey? Which one am I supposed to put into this potion? Ah, greyroot. I thought that's what it was, but I'd be a horrible healer to not even make sure. I close the book and get up from my shabby desk.
I walk over to the mirror and begin brushing my dark green hair. I don't bother putting on any makeup, I'm just going out to buy one thing in the middle of the night. I don't really like walking around outside the Emednes with such pale skin, but the effort is just far too much, so after I finish brushing my hair, I leave the embassy.
As I exit the building though, I see Ruse standing out on the street, carrying a black and white haired young boy on his back. He looks particularly distraught.
"Callidora!" He yells my name. "Callidora, heal this boy, now!" Ruse is almost never this urgent. From that alone I can tell this boy is hurt really bad.
"Bring him in." I keep the amount of words down to a minimum. We probably don't have any time to waste.
Ruse brings him into my room and places him on the table. Quickly looking over at him he has a short level of frost all over him. I can see why Ruse did this, his injuries are immense. His left arm is bruised, his right is pulled out of socket, he's pale, I can't hear him breathing and I can barely feel a pulse when touching his wrist. He has a large white cloth wrapped around his stomach, and the area around his intestines are stained red. There are healing talismans all over his gut, probably all Ruse had on him.
"What happened to him?"
"A sword wound to the gut. It got pulled out by the assailant right after."
"That's really bad. Even I can hardly feel his pulse. It might be better to save my mana and just let this kid die." The atmosphere suddenly changes. Ruse didn't like that very much. I can feel the cold metal of his scythe rubbing up against my neck.
"Heal him, Callidora."
"Just why have you taken such a liking to this boy? You never act this way over anyone that isn't Pitiful."
"The stone Pitiful was supposed to be purchasing went missing earlier today." Ruse begins.
"I know that, I was informed as well. We all were."
"And this kid got all these injuries trying to get it back."
That surprises me. Why would this kid risk his life like this just to get something that Pitiful wanted? I thought he was pale from blood loss, but maybe…? "Ruse, this kid isn't one of us, is he? Another from Pitiful's Domain?"
"A kid this weak would have to have the luck of a God to survive the Emednes long enough to grow this old."
"Not necessarily. Before Pitiful's appointment to rule over that Domain, he could have been taken in as a sex slave. It would explain why he's so feminine."
"He isn't from Emednes. He knows far too little about our home and culture." I can tell from the tone that Ruse really doesn't like this conversation, so I should stop for now.
"Alright, alright, I'll heal him. If he was this helpful to Pitiful, I'll go against my code just this once."
"You have my thanks for that, Callidora."
><><><><
I slowly open my eyes. I'm laying on my back, looking up at a ceiling I don't recognize. Paying attention to my body, I can't feel any pain. I can move both my arms around just fine, and I don't feel like I'm bleeding out. I take the blankets off of me, and I realize that I have bandages all over my stomach. Did Ruse manage to get me to a doctor? I've heard Cherilyn resurrected an entire army once, maybe being able to heal wounds like this is normal? I think that Cherilyn is a huge outlier, though.
I stand up, and nothing feels wrong. I feel as if I should be laying down, but I think that's just my old memories of what the healing process should be like in my past life talking. I don't feel any pain or anything else that would cause me to want to lay back down.
Paying attention to my surroundings, I realize that this is the guest room of a mansion. Baron Wisefang's mansion, maybe? I look out the window and yep, definitely Baron Wisefang's mansion. I can recognize the buildings that surround this place.
As I'm looking out the window though, I can hear the door to the room opening. Looking behind me, it's Ruse. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"I feel like nothing's wrong… it's kind of creepy to be honest…"
"You're lucky as hell. If even one thing in that whole situation went differently, you'd definitely be dead."
So my condition isn't normal then? "I'm sorry, but can you explain?"
"Right after you passed out I put a tourniquet around your gut and put every goddamn healing talisman I had on me on the wound. That wasn't enough to heal you though, so I had to get you to an actual healer. That gut wound was so bad I wouldn't have had the time though. So I used that stone to store your soul for a while, and I froze your body solid. If I didn't do that, you would've died while I was getting you to a healer."
"I… see… and if I didn't manage to grab the stone after Memento stabbed me?"
"I wouldn't have anywhere to store your soul, it would've left your body, and you would have died."
I hear what Ruse says, but it doesn't quite register. But I do manage to understand that as soon as it does register I'm probably going to fall down, so I slowly sit down as I realize the weight of what Ruse just told me.
"I would've died… huh? I don't even remember deciding to grab it… I don't think I was even thinking at that point… if I didn't do that I would've left Azariah and Aubrey all alone… and everyone else as well."
"I tell you you nearly died, and everyone else is what you're first worried about?"
"When I first saw Memento, and when I first felt like I was about to die, I felt scared. I think that it was just like instinct though. Like my body acting on its own so that my stupid mind wouldn't kill it with its stupid decisions. When I was laying on that floor bleeding out though, I wasn't afraid.
So I think that if I was given enough time to think about it, if it was just me, I think I could be OK with dying. I don't feel like anything worth all that much would be lost really. But I also know that if I were to die, a lot of people would be really sad, and I don't want that. That's the only thing I was regretting back when I was bleeding out, so I guess thinking about other people was just a me thing…"
Ruse looks at me, silently, like he's trying to figure out just how to respond to that. "You gave us back the stone, and I saved your life. The favor is repaid. Don't think about doing anything that dangerous again. There isn't always going to be someone stronger ready to save you, got that?"
"Yeah, I got that…"
"Good, now if you're feeling better you should go and see Jahil and Noelle, they're worried sick about you. Maybe they'll even help talk some sense into you."
"Seriously, even Baron Wisefang?"
"The man cares about his daughter far too much. If she's panicking, then he can't help but feel the same way."
"Alright then, I'll go and see them then."
"Oh, and one more thing, Kiaran."
"Yeah?"
"Your life is worth more than their grief. There's a whole lot more reasons to live than that. Remember that."
"Sorry, but I'm kind of having trouble thinking of anything else."
"Then think harder. Now get out of here."
"Alright, alright."
><><><><
Noelle grabs onto my clothes, tears in her eyes. "Kiaran! Kiaran! Are you alright!"
"Yeah, yeah, Noelle, I'm fine, don't worry."
"How could I not worry?! Ruse said you lost, like, all of your blood!"
"If it was that extreme, I'd most definitely be dead."
"I'm so relieved that you're alright, Kiaran." says Baron Wisefang, from behind his desk.
"If there's anything I can do to repay you, please don't be afraid to state your mind." Alright, I have to stop this here.
"Um, sir? Actually I came to apologize." Baron Wisefang looks at me, confused. Noelle stops crying for a bit, also looking at me all confused.
"I went and did something completely reckless, with no regard for my own life. The only reason I'm even still alive is because I was lucky enough for Ruse to be there and save my life, twice. Grabbing the stone from Memento was also just luck. I really don't think I should be rewarded at all. I nearly left you guys all behind for no good reason, after all."
Noelle and Baron Wisefang remain silent.
"That isn't true at all, Kiaran. You put your life on the line to get back something extremely valuable to me. For that I must thank you."
"Yeah! Why would you not feel like you deserved a reward for facing down Memento?"
"I didn't face her down, a bunch of other people did."
"Even still! Not running away from that place as soon as Memento took out her blade was something most people couldn't do! I'm proud of you Kiaran!"
"I don't really think a ten year old girl being proud of me is really something to write home about…" I say, before Noelle kicks me in the shin.
"Ow! Hey, what was that for!"
"Accept my kindness!" Noelle shouts.
><><><><
After a while of that, I still didn't ask for anything from Baron Wisefang. As soon as I leave his office. I find Virginia and Heather out there waiting for me. "Kiaran… I've been waiting for you to regain consciousness…" says Virginia. Heather remains silent.
"Right, guys, I wanted to talk to you two as well. I just wanted to apologize for pulling something so downright dangerous. I hope you two can forgive me."
Heather's sad expression doesn't change. Virginia just looks confused. "No, no, slow down, Kiaran. Retrieving the magic stone that Pitiful Girl was willing to trade so much for, is quite the achievement. You should not look down on it."
"But I nearly died, and I could have put Heather in the same situation! What would have she done, if she was the one to run into Memento?"
"I was aware of the risks that night… had I been the one to find Memento, I would've turned around and ran the moment I saw her… The fact that you not only stayed even after she killed a man, but also grabbed the stone right out of her hands… is not something I could have done. We're lucky it was you who found her."
"Yeah, that's my point, we were lucky! If I wasn't the one to find her, you or Noelle could've died."
"Kiaran…" Virginia says sternly. "Lady Noelle and Heather were planning on running away and getting help should they have encountered Memento. You were the only one legitimately considering facing her. I appreciate that you were worried about their safety but I believe that they would have been able to handle the situation in their own ways."
I pause. "You need to appreciate your own efforts more. Sure, be careful for now on, but I still must thank you. Truly, I felt completely and utterly useless when I had found that stone stolen. I am truly grateful to you and your efforts in bringing it back." Virginia smiles at me. It's the most genuinely happy I've ever seen her.
"A- alright, I'll stop apologizing… but I don't think that means what I did is right. I'll do my best to live up to your guy's expectations."
"Thank you, Kiaran." Virginia says to me.
"Same here… do your best…" Heather follows.
><><><><
I walk out to the courtyard of Baron Wisefang's mansion. A day has passed, and I've had a lot of time alone with my thoughts, so I've decided what I need to do. I can see Ruse out there doing practice swings. He's swinging his body and that scythe around much faster than I can pay attention to. Even focusing on just the scythe isn't helping. He's really a whole lot stronger than me. I walk up to him.
"Hey, Ruse!" He slowly comes out of his practice movements, sweating like crazy.
"Kiaran, what is it that you want?"
"I would like you to train me, please."
"What?" Ruse looks legitimately confused.
"I nearly died twice in that situation with Memento. I would like to continue helping people in such a way, but it won't matter at all if I just die as soon as I get into any real fight. You're the strongest person I know, so I'd like for you to train me."
Ruse stays silent for a moment. "There's a lot of things wrong with that little idea of yours. First of all, you shouldn't be weighing other people's belongings over your life. Second of all, I'm not going to be in Heafdes forever, I'll get sent back home eventually or sent on some other mission of Pitiful's. Third of all, the regimen I'd put you under would be Pitiful's training regimen, and you wouldn't be able to handle even a toned down version of that."
Ruse gives me three completely valid points, all of which I was already ready to refute. "I'm not valuing my life lower than some objects, Ruse. I merely want to help. That experience has taught me the value of my own life, if it means surviving, I'll be strong enough to run away next time. Also, that's fine. Just train me while I'm available. I've already gotten the go ahead from Baron Wisefang for you to take me wherever you need to each day. And finally, whatever training you have in mind, I swear I'll put up with it. It can't be much worse than nearly bleeding out to death, right?"
Ruse just looks at me, all sternly. "Facing death a few times isn't enough to handle Pitiful's training. But fine, we'll see if you have such a stupid hero complex after I show you just what kind of stuff we get up to in her domain for a few minutes."
"Thank you, Ruse." I say, out of legitimate appreciation.
"Shut up, already."
Ruse leaves to go and grab practice swords. After a while, he comes back and throws one to me. I fail to catch it, and have to grab it off the ground. Ruse stands next to me, grabs his sword with both hands and holds it in front of him.
"Hold it out like this, we'll start with practice swings." Alright, this doesn't seem too bad. Just what was Ruse worried about?
"96! 97! 98!" I scream. After a few minutes of swinging this sword up and down with all of my strength my arms feel like they're about to give out.
"Ruse… Ruse, I can't-"
"Shut up, stop complaining! If this was a real fight you'd be dead! Keep swinging! We're going to 200, if you can't even do that, I'll beat you as soon as you stop!"
This goes on for a few more minutes. I gave out at around the 110 mark, but Ruse started hitting me with his sword and I didn't stop after that. After finally reaching 200 I fall to my knees and hold my arms out. They feel like they're about to fall off, I'm gasping for breath, and my heart feels like it's on fire. Do I finally get to take a break?
"Stand up! Stand up now, or I'll beat you!"
He isn't lying so I gather all of my willpower and stand back up. He points his wooden sword at me and- "We'll be practicing dodges now! Focus on the blade, don't turn your back, and dodge!"
Excuse me?! I'm dying here! "W-wait!" Ruse doesn't wait as he swings his sword at me, which I move out of the way of. At least he's going so slow.
I slowly try to back up as Ruse keeps striking at me. Compared to how he moved against Memento, he's going at a snail's speed, and he's making every one of his attacks super obvious. After a few dozen seconds of this, he speeds up and strikes me in the side. Then he hits me again, and again, and again, and again. It doesn't take long before I'm laying on the grass with my hands over my head as Ruse mercilessly beats me with his sword.
"Stop it! Stop it!" I yell, but this only causes the beating to hurt even more.
"Stop complaining! I'm giving you a second to recover in between strikes! You wouldn't get that mercy if you were training in Pitiful's Domain! We use real swords for this stuff, too!"
"What kind of psychopath is Pitiful?!"
This goes on for a while, before he finally stops. "Alright, I think that's enough for today."
I desperately try to catch my breath as soon as he stops. I lay down on my back, spread my arms out and start breathing heavily.
"You're lucky I'm going so easy on you. If I was training you for real, I'd beat you again for taking such an easy to attack position just because I told you we were done." What kind of backwards logic is that?!
Ruse sits down next to me. We sit there for a while as I catch my breath and wait for the pain from that beating and the sword swinging to die down. "So, what did you think? Was it what you expected?"
"What? No! Of course not! That isn't training, it's just torture!"
"I do admit it's a bit tough to tell the difference when Pitiful's involved, but if you're acting like this just from that you truly wouldn't last training under Pitiful's regimen."
"Huh?! You mean you were actually going easy on me, and weren't just acting like a drill sergeant?!"
"I meant everything I said during our training."
"Even the part of using real swords to practice dodging?!"
"Of course."
"Is Pitiful insane?! How do all of her men keep from killing each other just from training?!"
Ruse just looks at me, annoyed. "Listen, Kiaran. After Pitiful took me in, she made me part of her army. I was surprised at the time. I had thought it was just a disorganized slave revolt, but no, it was an army. Any army with Pitiful on the top, her superior officers, organizational structure, supply lines, ration plans, standardized training regiments, and actual structure. In all my time in the Emednes, I had only seen such a thing from Uclait's actual standing army, and it's knights. Not a single mercenary band I'd ever been a part of had been quite like Pitiful's army.
She wanted to keep everything in order, so she ordered me to engage in her training as well, and I was shocked by just what she wanted me to do. Her training consisted of duels done with legitimate intent to kill, all while being healed so you didn't die, fighting to the death against monsters the army captured, attacking yourself to up your durability, drinking poison to up your resistance, hurting yourself again and again up to the point of death just so that the point of death can be extended and we could fight harder and for longer.
Even I, who grew up in the Emednes Mountains and spent my entire life as a mercenary, was shocked. I had thought that they were all insane, until I had Pitiful explain it to me. This is how she got so strong. Cutting herself again and again so she got used to the feeling in battle, fighting animals to gain combat experience, sucking all of her mana all the way up to her life force just so her limits could increase. And she had been doing such things since she was a toddler.
I had doubted the truthfulness of her story, but my fight with her wound up causing me to believe it. It was tough at first, even for me, but after I got used to grinding my mind, body, and soul down to their very limits I became so much stronger. Had the me from before I met Pitiful had fought Memento, I wouldn't have even been able to get her to draw that special spear or use any of her racial abilities.
Pitiful's a cruel mistress, but she does everything she does for a reason. It's much better to figure out just where your limits are while training with a net of safety than it is on the battlefield. Expanding you limits is much easier to do when you can actually sit down, rest, and think about what you're doing. That's the entire point of Pitiful's training."
Ruse's speech causes me to be quiet. "Well, that's enough for today. I'll be heading back to the embassy now. Think about what I told you. I won't blame you if you change your mind."
Ruse begins walking away, leaving his practice sword on the ground. He grabs his scythe and leaves. Even if he hadn't told me to think of what he told me, I wouldn't be able to stop myself.
><><><><
A day has passed since that. "Ruse, please train me again!"
"What?" Ruse looks at me, even more confused this time. I met him in the exact same place, at the exact same time, doing the exact same thing. He even reacted the same way.
"Ruse, please train me again!"
"I didn't ask you to repeat yourself like that, moron!"
"Listen Ruse, I've made up my mind. I would like to continue with Pitiful's training regimen!"
"A- aren't your arms sore?"
"Yes, they are! But still, I would like to continue. It's better for my arms to feel like this while training than when I'm actually fighting, right?"
"Ugh… you annoying little… fine, I give up. Get the training swords out, you know where they are, right?"
"Yes sir!" I say, before sprinting for them. Actually, maybe sprinting isn't such a good idea, I should really be saving all my energy for training.
That day goes around about the same as the first. I broke in the middle of the sword swings, Ruse hit me, I finished it, I dodged well for a while, after the first hit I quickly wound up on the ground, getting beaten. We stopped there and I gave up.
Then came the next day. It went the same as the previous two, and Ruse left again. On the fourth day, he had brought a green haired healer named Callidora with him, and all of a sudden all the injuries I got from the training were gone. After that I didn't stop during the 200 sword swings, and I managed to keep dodging even after he struck me the first time.
The day after that we did a practice duel instead, and I wound up getting completely destroyed. After that I stopped showing up for a few days, but I did keep doing practice swings as practice. I also got up earlier and jogged around Heafdes before going to work. I wound up finding a bunch of cool places and meeting a bunch of new people that way.
Today I was going to ask Ruse to start training me again, as I feel like I've really improved a lot but I didn't find him in the courtyard. I went up to Baron Wisefang's office to look for him, but according to Noelle who I met along the way, I had just missed them meeting with each other there.
Finishing the trip to his office, I asked him what happened. Apparently, They reached a deal regarding the magic stone, and Ruse was about to head off on a new mission to the Ulfur Forest, in the southwestern region of the country. Well this can't do at all!
"So you want me to convince my father to let you go?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I want you to do." I say to Noelle as she looks up at me. Sitting on her bed together, she looks super cute.
"But what if Ruse doesn't let you come?" We're discussing trying to get me on this little expedition to the Ulfur Forest with Pitiful's men.
"Just tell your father I haven't met with Ruse yet, and it might not work out. I doubt that it won't, but just in case, yeah?"
"Alright, I'll talk to him, but on one condition!" Oh great, a condition. Well, it is Noelle, hopefully it shouldn't be too hard.
"I want you to train me like Ruse has been training you!" Eh?! Eeeeh?! How am I meant to do that without Baron Wisefang killing me?!
"Noelle… that really hurts, and I don't think your father will allow me…"
"Don't worry, I'll convince him of that as well!" "Well… he does listen to his daughter… are you sure you'll be able to pull it off?"
"I'm sure, you won't have to worry about anything, trust me!"
"Well… well alright then, I trust you."
"Alright, let's go then. We don't have any time to spare, right?"
><><><><
I walk up to Pitiful's embassy. It's only two stories, and is honestly just a normal building. I wouldn't have been able to tell at all this was the embassy of a Royal Selection Candidate if I didn't already have the address. I quickly walk into the building and find a cute brown haired woman with bunny ears.
"Hoh? I wasn't expecting anybody to come in right about now. Do you have an appointment?"
So is this lady like the receptionist? "Um, no, my name is Kiaran. I'm here to see Ruse? Is he here right now?"
"Ruse? Yeah, he is. Walk up the stairs and he should be in the first room on the right. Just don't touch anything or go where you're not supposed to be."
"Of course. Thank you!"
"It's no issue." Man, she's really just letting me see who I want and not supervising me at all? Why is the security so lacking? I follow her instructions and sure enough, Ruse is in the room directed me to, sitting down at a desk and scribbling on a large sheet of paper.
"Kiaran… just why are you here?" Ruse asks, not even looking up to make sure it was me.
"I want you to bring me with you on your trip to the Ulfur Forest!"
Ruse sighs. "Why am I surprised? That's honestly so like you." Ruse stands up. "Listen Kiaran, this isn't just some holiday. We're marching all the way to Dianasvale and then we're coming straight back. We'll be traveling over the Antisor Mountains and through the Ulfur Forest. Do you know what that entails?"
"I don't know anything about the Antisor Mountains, but I know the Ulfur Forest is a super dangerous place full of monsters and that earthquakes happen all the time there!"
Ruse looks at me really disappointedly. "The Antisor Mountains are what separates the Ulfur Forest from the rest of the country. It's full of ravines, volcanoes, sinkholes, mudslides, and the like. The only place more dangerous in the country is the Ulfur Forest and the Emednes Mountain Range."
"I see… so it's super dangerous, right?"
"Of course."
"But still, I do want to come. I promise not to slow you guys down too much and to not get in your way. I'll even do anything you ask me to. It'll be my way of making up for you saving my life."
"I thought I told you that the debt was repaid?"
"Then it'll be my debt for being so stupid in the first place! Come on, I'll do anything, I swear!"
Ruse looks at me, thinking about something. "You'll do anything?"
"Within reason! I'm not going to jump off a cliff just because you told me to!"
"That's fine. I definitely have something I can have you do. You'll only get to take breaks while marching with all the rest of us. If you can't keep up, we'll be leaving you behind, got that?"
"How cruel! But yes, I understand. I still want to come with you."
"Then this discussion is over. Have you already gotten Jahil's permission? You're his servant, after all."
"I'm having Noelle talk to him as we speak. I haven't confirmed it yet, but I don't have a single doubt that Noelle would fail to convince him."
"Yeah, you got that right. We leave in two days, be ready."
"Yes sir!"
><><><><
I walk into the adventurer's guild. Man, it's really busy! It feels so much like a real life fantasy world in here as well! I quickly run around all the tables looking for Aubrey. I find a couple of blonde people here and there, but I can't find Aubrey. I start around the center and work out from there.
It takes a while, but I eventually get to right up against one of the walls and I find Aubrey sitting down taking a drink of something with a woman.
"Huh? I didn't know you were getting up to this kind of thing, Aubrey." He flinches and looks up at me.
"Kiaran… just what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Aren't you also supposed to be at work? You're just drinking with some random woman though."
"Oh, that isn't what this is. Aubrey and I were just discussing the quest we had gone on yesterday. Judging from your hair, you're Kiaran, right? Aubrey's told me a lot about you." The woman who speaks up has long, dark blue hair and piercing orange eyes. Honestly, she's super pretty.
"Yeah, I am Kiaran. Nice to meet you. I don't think Aubrey's ever mentioned you?"
"Huh? That's quite rude, Aubrey."
"You… you just never come up in conversation. That and Kiaran and I don't see each other all that often anymore."
"Well that's going to be changing for now!" I say. Aubrey just looks up at me annoyed.
"Why? What are you doing?"
"I need to talk to you and Azariah right now."
Aubrey raises an eyebrow. "Right now?"
"Right now. Go and get Azariah from her job, I'll be waiting in the inn. It's something super important."
"W-woah, hey, isn't this really sudden?"
"It is, but I really need to talk to you two. Preferably together."
"Just what is happening?"
"I'm going to the Ulfur Forest in two days."