Rumie had her bicep against my nape as the rest of her arm coiled around me. Our bodies were close, but it was neither in companionship nor romance. She was just so battered that it was impossible for her to walk on her own.
So I practically had to carry her towards our destination.
The town was in shambles, but the majority of its citizens seemed to be alive. Injured, yes. But alive.
"What are you- ah... Going to do after this? As eager as you are to take revenge, right now I'm in no shape to help you out." Rumie was gasping for breath between every word. "Not to mention, I doubt that Anino girl would want to be anywhere near me."
"You don't have a say in this. So just shut up and focus on healing yourself. I'm giving you three days. If you don't get well by that time, I'll let the monsters have you as their next meal."
"Even though you were the one who beat me up." She mumbled. This woman seemingly lost all semblance of fear as soon as she heard that I decided to let her live. It was offputting to see her quip back.
Again, I didn't particularly want Rumie's company, she tried to kill me after all. But all of this was for the slight chance that she might be useful to me in the future. I mean, she was a powerful unit to have- having the ability to bypass both Vivi and my senses. But her personality was deplorable.
For a minute Rumie did not reply then-
"Leaving me to the monsters? That's surprising. I didn't think you were the type to abandon a helpless girl."
I let go of her as she plopped to the ground.
"Follow me on your own." My glaring eyes met her.
"Yessir."
We continued with her slowly stumbling behind me with her hand on her abdomen.
As the smoke cleared the corner of the town became clear. And within that corner shone bright red hair hanging from the tree. The remaining two members of the party were chilling on a branch while a mound of corpses was lying below.
"Vivi." I called as Rumie pushed everything away and sat on the ground next to the tree.
"El?"
"Yeah, it's me. You can come down. And Anino, you too."
As I said that, they slowly climbed down the bald tree. Some of the leaves seemed to have been burnt down. The fire must've been huge to reach all the way down there.
"Alright." Vivi got down and patted herself clean.
"Did you kill all of these people alone?"
"I mean, yeah, but those little disgusting things helped out too, I remember a rabbit killing like four or five on its own." Vivi started spouting in her usual undisturbed tone. "But they were crazy, literally mowing them down. Like the hell even was that?!" She was more agitated than curious.
I did have her answers too but explaining them would be a pain.
"Well, seemingly both are dead now. So it's fine." I copped out.
And Vivi seemed to have taken my word for it. Anino on the other hand was still half dazed as if she had witnessed death and come right back.
"What were you doing for this long?" Vivi finally asked.
In response, pointed at the bottom of the tree.
"WHOA- WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE?!" Vivi took the defensive stance as Anino cowered behind her.
"Don't worry, she won't do anything, more like she's not in the state to do anything."
Rumie shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile. But even that left a bitter painful expression on her face.
"What did you hold her captive for? Torture?"
"I'm not that kind of guy."
It was Vivi's turn to exercise some silence.
"Then the fact that you have her here is because she has some use to you now." Vivi's intonation rose up as if she was asking. "If she is of some use to you, that must mean that you have a goal beyond this town now." I don't know why, but Vivi was always sharper than she let on.
"Yeah, I've decided to destroy the 32 churches."
Vivi's expression got heavy and then suddenly reverted to a smile. As if she was looking forward to it all. I still had no idea why she was following me, so I had to quickly become able enough to defend myself against her if push came to shove.
But that was lower on my agenda.
"We came out all this way for nothing then." She tried to sound against it but I could practically hear her blood pump.
"I wouldn't say that, we came back to deliver Anino."
"W-wait am I not coming with you?" The girl young finally decided to peak from behind Vivi's back. Calling her young was weird. She wasn't that much younger than me.
Anino stole some of my pity. Her being abandoned by her family created a soft spot in my heart for her. She got backed into a corner with no choice but to die just like myself.
And that was precisely why I would have to leave her behind.
My future was slathered with constant danger, and at some point, I would have to confront the people who decided to bring her harm in the first place, Luoris. I couldn't guarantee her living a happy life here, but she would be leagues safer than wherever I was headed from this point on.
So I must leave her behind for her own sake. I wasn't going to base my whole life around her. I had to move forward. The fact that 'forward' would only bring her harm was not on me.
'This town was not the safest place, but it would be safer than barging into the lion's den like what I was about to do.'
"No, you probably know the reason too." I broke it to her. Anino dejectedly looked down on the ground. "Anino, there are two women who live in the town. We met them a while ago, right?"
"Your mother and your sister?" Wait I never clarified that-
"How did you kno-"