(Community Post) - June 16, 2010. Wednesday, 10:32 AM…
> Ivory11 : To all of those who supported my brother dearly, thank you.
This is Owen's sister speaking. I want to inform all of you that he went into a coma not too long ago. We do not know when he'll recover, and we do not know what impact this will have in our lives.
Right now, it's been hard. My mother and father have been constantly stressed about the whole situation. All we can do right now is pray for him to eventually wake up.
Once again, I thank all of you for being his supporters.
(Comments)
> Alpha_Specter : wait what? even Ivory11 is affected by the coma?
> Orangefrogboi : Noooo!!! Why does it have to be my favorite metuber
> Violentfeetgrabber : I hope he recovers swiftly, bless his soul
> Amanwhosnortsmoondust : This is a sad day for all of us
> Fatal_corporation : He's one of the best gamers as well. Hopefully he recovers quickly
> Limbuscompfan : This year cannot get any worse ffs
"…"
Annie clicked off the window on Owen's computer.
She leaned back on Owen's gaming chair and exhaled heavily. These past few days felt empty and depressing. Her chest always felt as if something was pressing down on it.
Annie was at least relieved that Owen was still alive. If not, she doesn't know how they will get through that if it were to have happened instead.
— Glowgear Firing Range…
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
Isabella emptied another magazine after shooting down the target.
She looked at the board with the outline of a man with red circles on the head and chest. The board had holes that were closely packed around the head.
It was 27.3 meters away from her. Those who were watching from the side couldn't believe that a kind looking woman was this skilled when it comes to firing a gun.
The sound of low and steady footsteps approached her.
Isabella put down the gun and her earmuffs. Without even looking back, she said,
"How did you know I was here?"
Gordon smiled while reminiscing about the past. "Whenever you were frustrated, you always went here to vent it. And now that you're a mother of three kids, you didn't go here at all anymore.. But I always remember those days. That's why I went here knowing how you'd act."
While looking down, Isabella clenched her fists, turning her knuckles white.
"I just don't get it…. He was fine back then…. Why did it… why did he.."
As Isabella struggled to speak out her words, Gordon embraced her tightly as she cried out in his arms.
Gordon stroked her hair and tried his best to comfort her. "It's not anyone's fault… How could anyone predict that happening? We just need to help him until he wakes up. We need to be strong for Owen because he is our son."
Isabella's tone was shaky. "I only wished that.. I could've done something at least. Whenever I see him in that hospital bed, it hurts so much.. it's painful and I can't stand it."
"I don't know how to deal with it…"
Gordon felt sorry for Isabella. Even he, as Owen's father, had to endure seeing his own blood in such a sorry state.
"I'll be with you like always…" Gordon muttered slowly. "We'll get through this together, you and me."
Flashbacks of the past reappeared in his mind.
It was a year ago on a rainy night.
He received a text from Isabella to pick her up from a bus stop.
Gordon wore a black raincoat with boots, he also brought a dark yellow umbrella above his head. He arrived at the bus stop that Isabella told him through text.
There, Isabella sat with her leg up. She rested her chin on her knee while her short hair dangled freely like a curtain. When she noticed someone walking towards the bus stop, she turned over to look and saw Gordon.
With a wide smile, she waved her hand towards him with a wide smile. "Ah, there's my Gordy… you finally came! I was waiting for you for a while… Can I crash in your place for now?"
Gordon stood in front of her.
He noticed the bruise on Isabella's cheek, causing him to frown.
Reaching his hand out as he asked, "Who did this to you?"
Isabella slapped his hand away and scratched her hair. "It's not like it matters.. I got it from being clumsy, don't mind it."
"I'm not an idiot Isabella. What happened to you?" Gordon remained firm.
"Look, can we not talk about this right now? I'm beat and I just want to take a break." Isabella said snappily. It was apparently obvious that she didn't want to speak about it.
"Do you not trust me at all?" Gordon went inside the bus stop for cover. "We've been together for a long time now. You can at least open up to me, you know that.. right?"
Isabella was silent.
She opened her lips before saying, "You won't get anything from it. I might as well not tell."
Gordon shook his head and raised his voice. "Why not? If you're hurt, if you're sad, or even if you're happy, I want you to tell me about it. Didn't I tell you repeatedly? Over and over again."
"And I truly mean that… If I didn't, why am I pestering you with questions even though I know you hate me when I do this."
At this moment, Gordon felt frustrated. Not at Isabella, but at her mindset of bottling her feelings up just because of him. And he doesn't want her always keeping her pain all to herself.
"I want to share your burden because I love you Isabella… you can tell me everything."
Isabella remained quiet.
She didn't expect Gordon to be this serious over a matter that she viewed so little.
She turned her head away. "I'm not willing to tell because of that exact reason… I don't want you to be involved in my matters and get in needless trouble. It's best if you can just use your energy for yourself."
Gordon heard it and said, "Then what's the point of us being together?"
Isabella immediately looked at him with apprehension and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
She feared that Gordon grew tired of her. A deep feeling of dread started to surface from her heart.
Gordon's eyes looked down while he spoke slowly, "If I'm not willing to help you in your times of need, then will you help me if I'm in pain? During times where I really need someone, would you be there for me?"
Isabella answered with clear confusion on her face.
"Gordon… What are you talking about? Of course I'll be with you. I… love you too… I am sorry if I didn't show it well, but I care about you."
Gordon looked straight at her eyes. "Then it's unfair for me not to do anything, right? Please, just speak up."
Meeting his gaze, Isabella felt a sense of warmth.
Despite the cold pouring rain, she felt comfortable within Gordon's presence.
"You…. Really are meddlesome.." She chuckled softly in a… somewhat self deprecating manner.
Isabella rubbed her bruised cheek and said, "My father… He, uhm.. slapped me."
"What??!" Gordon was shocked.
Isabella scratched her head with a tinge of irritation. "See? That's why I didn't want to tell you."
Gordon was still in disbelief. He asked, "Didn't you say that you have a wonderful relationship with your father? Why did this happen?"
Isabella sighed and shook her head. "I lied. My mom and dad hate me."
Gordon's face grew solemn.
"Tell me everything."
Taking a deep breath, Isabella began recounting her past.
"Alright.. Back when I was still at college, I got along with the wrong crowd if you know what I'm talking about.. I skipped class, got drunk and enjoyed every single day without any regard for the consequences. My parents didn't hear anything about this and assumed that I was doing just fine."
"Until one day, my so-called friends and I got into a car accident and were caught using drugs. I was implicated in the matter even though I stayed away from that stuff and my old man found out about it."
She sighed and took out a cigarette.
"Obviously, he was furious and now I have a criminal record. Even though I didn't do anything of that sort, who would believe me? My parents don't even trust their only daughter, then who else will?"
"I guess that's the reason why I couldn't trust anyone that easily anymore… And Gordon, I don't need you to believe me, I just –" Isabella was suddenly interrupted.
Gordon moved close to her and embraced her tightly. "I believe you.. you're not a bad person…"
Still surprised at Gordon's abrupt actions, she squeezed out her words. "You… you do?"
Gordon nodded. "Of course.. You told me so."
"That's a stupid reason. A really, really stupid reason, you know?" She heaved a soft sigh.
It was truly strange to hear, illogical to the point that she would usually hate it, and yet … it was able to reach her heart.
Tears started to flow out of her eyes after knowing that all of her regrets and secrets had been told to Gordon. Right now, Gordon's embrace felt like the world for her.
It felt… liberating.
She chuckled in a faltering voice.
"Why..? Why am I crying…?" Isabella's tears rolled down her cheeks and into Gordon's sleeves.
"It's alright. I'm here, you'll never be alone again… I won't let you experience that once more." Gordon stroked her hair gently.
Isabella cried out as much as she could.
Gordon stuck by her side and never left until she stopped crying.
"I'll be with you…"
"... we'll get through this together, you and me."
Gordon kept that memory very dearly. Right now, the family that they built out of love was in turmoil. This wasn't the time for him to be weak.
He had to be strong for all of them.
Why? Because he's a father.
— Owen's room…
A DeCode notification popped from Owen's computer.
It was from Rocky.
"Hm?" Annie clicked on the application and scanned through Rocky's message.
> HardShellCoconut : hey Annie, thats you who posted that on owen's channel?
> 11_14_Ivory : Yes, I had to let them know
> HardShellCoconut : yeah good job for doing that. Btw, i would like to donate some money to help with the hospital bills.
*MoneyCat.gif
> 11_14_Ivory : Oh, no need. The company that you guys talk about already paid for it. That was something I didn't expect.. turns out companies like that actually cares about their community.
> HardShellCoconut : woah….. very nice. When did they pay?
> 11_14_Ivory : Mom said when Owen got into a coma.
> HardShellCoconut : wait, wat?
*ConfusedManMeme.gif
> 11_14_Ivory : ?
Annie's expression was strange. She didn't know why Rocky was so confused.
> HardShellCoconut : how did they know Owen went into a coma the day it happened? did you guys reveal the news in some way?
> 11_14_Ivory : That's a good point.. No, we didn't.
> HardShellCoconut : then, how did they know?
> 11_14_Ivory : I wouldn't know, those people usually have wide ranges of information.
Annie didn't feel as if it was worth mentioning. For her, maybe one of the hospital employees knew someone at Abyssal Confinement and told them.
She waited for Rocky to respond. The three dots on the side indicated that he was still typing.
> HardShellCoconut : there's a thing called the GOTG coma incident that happened not too long ago. Make sure to read this..
*httsp://thisisamadeuparticle_GOTG_mass_coma
Annie clicked the link, changing the screen into an article talking about the developers of the game all going into a coma. The incident occurred about 10 weeks ago.
> 11_14_Ivory : Why is this important?
> HardShellCoconut : i honestly didn't think too much about it at first, but the lead developer, Dominic Paulsen died in a weird ritual-esque kind of death 2 days prior to the mass coma
> 11_14_Ivory : Rocky, this is ridiculous…
> HardShellCoconut : No, this feels a bit too strange… i don believe in the occult and allat, but it is weitd.
> 11_14_Ivory : Rocky, what are you on about?
> HardShellCoconut : im sorry, i just probably need a break… im looks at things to justfiy what happened to owen, thats all
> 11_14_Ivory : Alright then, I understand how you feel.
> HardShellCoconut : thanks annie
Annie sighed and closed everything in Owen's PC before turning it off.
…
Meanwhile, Rocky sat across his own PC and pondered deeply. He checked the image and zoomed in on the pentagrams in Dominic Paulsen's room.
"This is ridiculous…" Rocky felt that he was being way too stupid.
His friend just went into a coma and he's coping by linking it to the supernatural. Not only was that bad taste, it was hilariously pathetic.
He leaned back on his chair and rubbed his face. At this point, Rocky only wanted to sleep and get his mind cleared up.
— Saeffaria, Caophre's carriage…
Four people were moving through the trail from Wiunlen to Mysteriea. A wagon was behind a large wooden carriage with several layers of clay shingles for the roof. The carriage was being pulled by especially large horses with a very prominent musculature.
Unlike Earth's version of horses, these horses had thicker manes and higher endurance.
The grassless trail was the only thing separating two sides of large numbers of trees. It provided a sparse cover for those under the trail, not enough to block rain and not enough to fully cover the sunlight from seeping through the gaps.
"So friends, what are your plans for going to Mysteriea City? Do you all wish to find opportunities to gain something in the arts of soul energy?" Caophre spoke in her usual friendly tone.
"You could say that. Wiunlen isn't the best place to stay if you want to become stronger. Plus, you can get a job easily in Mysteriea. As a merchant, I'm sure you know what I mean." Owen said while twiddling with the damaged part of the wagon.
"Mhm… I know the ways of money." Caophre smiled as he chewed on a piece of straw.
"I can tell." Owen replied.
"Also, who's the god that you follow? My faith lies in the God of Equality and Trade, Schegial Nwieg." Caophre's face had a hint of reverence as she spoke about her God.
"Oh uhm…" Owen racked his brains for any God that he knew about. "My faith lies in Heva'Oern Mlyeht."
Caophre nodded in understanding. "The heavenly mother? She's the most benevolent god there is.. Always looking out for her children and consuming their sin and enduring the corruption of it alone. I can see why a lot of people prefer to follow such faith."
In this world, the term God is a unisex term as such divine beings wouldn't be held in the preferences and norms of mortals.
Following Caophre's example, Owen came to a conclusion, "So you follow the God of Equality and Trade because he treats his followers equally?"
"Heh, no.. it's because in his gospel, it's stated that for him, everything in the world is exchanged with equal value. Trading is the way of life. That's why us money makers prefer to be under his religion." Caophre laughed shamelessly.
"Is it alright to speak of your god that way? Isn't that a bit sacrilegious?" Owen didn't expect Caophre to treat his own faith that casually.
Owen didn't know how the culture of this world worked that well, so he was truly confused.
"He wouldn't care. And if he's listening to our conversation, he'd agree with me… I'm sure of it. That's why followers of his faith are always regarded by others as profiteers. But if our god tells us to make money by trading, who are we as mortals to disagree?" Caophre chuckled.
"You guys aren't that pious as it seems then.." Riang added her thoughts.
"There's always basic respect for our God. But unlike the other religions, they worship their gods, we only admire ours." Caophre's way of talking about her god shaped Owen and the rest's impression of her faith.
Owen believed that the gods of this world were real. After all, if it was mentioned in the game, it might as well be correct.
"Hold on, do gods interact with this world?" Owen wanted to confirm something.
Oslan and Riang met eyes with each other, unsure if Owen was joking, or if Owen truly didn't know.
It was basic information too! How could Owen be serious?
Caophre didn't point this out to Owen. He answered straightforwardly.
"In some ways, yes. For example, if people wish to build a Divine Contract between themselves and their God, then they will be able to do certain things by paying a price. Another way for them to interact with this world is by influencing fate itself."
"If a god's interests are in the line, they may influence fate to protect it. For example, gods choose a person to hold their power so that they could protect other believers or to fulfill a certain agenda, a series of events may be arranged to prevent that someone from getting hurt."
Idaiel's face resurfaced in Owen's mind. Not only that, he could also sense that Caophre was implying something to him. He narrowed his eyes cautiously out of reflex.
"The last way I can think of is if they command their apostles. Apostles carry out the commands of their god, and to become one, a god must offer it directly to their chosen apostle through a dream, hallucination or a vision. Obviously, that person must agree to become their apostle, or else it wouldn't really work. It cannot be forced."
"Huh." Owen digested the information quickly.
"Are there other things you want to know about?" Caophre asked.
Shaking his head, Owen said, "As of now, I have nothing to ask."
"Okay~" Caophre threw away the piece of straw from his mouth and used a cup to scoop water from the barrel next to him.
He drank the water and wiped his mouth with satisfaction. "Do you guys want some water? I can get some for you."
Oslan agreed. "Miss Caophre, that's too kind of you.."
Owen didn't stop Oslan from getting his drink. He didn't want to reveal his 'storage magic' to anyone too easily.
Oslan and Riang didn't talk about Owen's spatial mastery with Caophre because such magic is a big deal. If Owen wasn't talking about it, they would do the same.
They chatted for a while during their trip on the road. Once it was noon, they stopped.
"Hm? Why did we stop?" Riang was caught off guard.
"Food... I'm hungry." Caophre replied as he rubbed his stomach with a comically pained expression.
"Food?" Oslan's eyes sparkled.
Caophre nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, food…. You want some?"
Oslan was about to answer when Riang held him back.
"Oslan, we have food already… Don't be rude now, shall we?" Riang silently reprimanded Oslan between her teeth as she smiled.
Oslan frowned. "Alright then, keep eating rye bread and beef jerky. That seems more delicious than the soup."
Riang caught a whiff of the meat soup, making her stomach grumble uncontrollably.
Shameless as it was, Riang didn't reject her instincts to eat something delicious.
That would be a sin of itself!
Riang turned to look at Caophre and said, "Yes, we'd like some as well."
"Glad I have a lot." Caophre went inside her carriage and went out with a pot of soup.
The pot was as tall as Caophre's knees and could hold around 10 liters of water inside of it. The pot was made of sleek steel, or at least something resembling stainless steel.
Contained within the pot was a hot, thick pinkish broth with several cubed vegetables. Owen couldn't recognize all of them because there were purple cubes alongside the yellow and orange ones.
The meat used was fresh beef cooked until it was soft enough to break apart with one's tongue. The soup's scent was aromatic and mouth watering.
Caophre then placed the pot on the ground and went back to the carriage to take some bowls and spoons to feed the trio. Caophre scooped out generous portions for himself and the two hungry fiends.
"Woahhh….." Oslan and Riang stared at their portions with watery mouths.
After eating the rye bread and beef jerky, they steeled their resolve not to cry and endure it. Nothing good comes out from too much ease is a common saying within Eslahai.
Oslan and Riang grabbed their spoons and scooped out their first taste of the soup.
Owen was given a bowl as well.
He looked elsewhere, his eyes were caught on the roof of the carriage where the boy resembling himself sat on top of.
'Should I eat it?' Owen spoke through his mind.
The boy locked his eyes on Owen and said, 'Even if the meal is poisoned, you would not necessarily die.. A risk lasting for three seconds should not be entertained no matter how small the window of possibility was.'
Owen looked at the soup and smelled it. He was having second thoughts.
'It does smell good though.'
The boy swung his feet carelessly. 'Suit yourself.'
'One bite should be enough, right?' Owen grabbed his spoon and began mixing his soup.
'Owen, you are the owner of the body, it is within your capabilities to make the decision.' The boy didn't mean anything with what he said, but it still came off as sarcastic for some reason.
Owen narrowed his eyes doubtfully, 'Why aren't you too concerned if I die? You'll die too. Isn't survival your first instinct?'
The boy nodded mechanically, 'Normally, it is. However, your autonomy should be held in higher regard.'
Owen scoffed inwardly. 'Cut the crap.'
The boy remained as unblinking as ever and said, 'I physically cannot unless you allow me to take control over the body.'
'That is not what I meant, you know that, right?' Owen couldn't be helped anymore.
The boy seemed to have realized his mistake and tried to analyze the situation.
Seriously speaking, the boy spoke with utmost earnestness… or as earnest as he could sound as and said, 'Was that an attempt at humor? Apologies, I believe the appropriate response is for me to laugh.'
Knowing that the boy truly meant what he said, Owen gave up. 'Just… don't.'
Owen's silent conversation with the boy could be seen by Caophre and the hungry duo .
"Hm? Owehn…? You're noht eating?" Riang asked as she ate the meat soup.
"No, I'll eat." Owen took the spoon and scooped a small portion for himself then ate it.
Surprisingly, the soup was good, very good.
He suppressed his desire to eat another to maintain his debuffs up and running. It was honestly disheartening that he had to prevent himself from eating such delicious meals, but he was not easily swayed by such trivialities.
"Here, you can have mine to share. I'm already full anyway." Owen placed his bowl closer to the two.
"How nice…" Oslan shared Owen's bowl with Riang and ate it with delight.
However, this gave a false message to Caophre that Owen still didn't trust her enough to eat her food. Although understandable, she felt that Owen was a bit too cautious.
Caophre thought to himself. 'This guy is indeed special.'
He maintained a friendly exterior, but he was secretly watching Owen closely.
Riang and Oslan devoured their meal so quickly that they had to go for seconds. The bowl that Owen gave them was obliterated as well.
The month-long journey to Mysteriea didn't feel as exhausting when they first set off.
Although unexpected, Caophre's presence acted like a large pyre of warmth.
Soon enough, the sun fell and it was now nighttime.
Caophre looked around the area. All that surrounded them were trees. The only light source that they had was the moon. It wasn't enough for them to see the entire path ahead, making it dangerous for the horses to continue.
"Hey friends, I think we should stop here for now… what do you say?"
"I think so too. We should sleep for the night so that we can get our energy up for tomorrow." Said Owen as if he was someone who even goes to sleep.
Being a Debuff Knight fundamentally changed his entire life as a human being.
He welcomed these changes… mostly.
Not needing to sleep is quite neat after experiencing it. And the boosted mental state is just the icing on the cake.
Oslan turned to Owen and said, "Hey, if you need an extra pillow, I can share mine with you." He patted his pillow and even created some extra space for Owen to lay down on.
To Oslan, Owen was like the big brother of the group. He gave up his own meal for the two of them, kept pulling the wagon so that they wouldn't have to be tired and even kept them entertained throughout the entire trip.
He could at least give something to Owen to show his appreciation.
Of course, Owen rejected it.
"Just make yourself comfortable. Don't worry about me." Owen was going to use as many excuses as possible to stay awake.
"You can say something if you're tired though. I'll try to help." Oslan then shuffled in the wagon to lay down comfortably.
Riang watched Caophre tie the horses to the trees and blanket them so that they wouldn't get cold. She then decided that it was time to sleep and laid down.
Owen stood next to the wagon leaned on it. Caophre just finished taking care of the horses and dusted his hands off.
"You're not going to sleep?"
"Are you?" Owen eyed him closely.
Caophre smiled. "Of course I will… Just not now."
The two of them were just there, standing on the roadside without even looking at each other.
Needless to say, it was a bit awkward. None of them were even bothering to sneak in a side eye just in case the other party was looking at them.
It took an hour until the two of them began interacting once more.
"You really aren't sleeping?" Caophre broke the silence.
"Nope." Owen shook his head.
"In that case, I might as well stay up then."
"Why? It's not like I'm a threat." Said Owen.
Caophre narrowed her eyes at him with a smile. "I wasn't implying that you were."
Owen knew that Caophre can wipe the floor using his face anytime. So, he didn't know whether to interpret what he said as a message telling him that he's to be trusted, or someone who's so weak he wouldn't be able to do anything.
In the end, he settled with, "Thanks?"
Caophre chuckled, her deep voice breaking into a higher pitch. "You are…. a curious one, hehe.. I'll say." She then looked at Owen with more interest, "Where are you from?"
Owen answered with his usual backstory, "Silmoun Kingdom, Lerdrom City…"
Caophre's eyes sparkled as he reminisced of old memories. "Ah, the land of the silver moon. Yes, a truly beautiful country, honestly speaking." With close scrutiny, his eyes looked at Owen from head to toe. "Then why are you here in Eslahai? Silmoun is quite far… far and dangerous since the two kingdoms are separated by a lot of terrible barricades."
Owen slid his hand into his hair nonchalantly, "I got into a squabble with bandits… guess what that got me?" Owen raised his left forearm to show the gnarly injury. "Then after many unexplainable events, I woke up in Eslahai and ran away from the bandits."
Caophre's lips dipped lower hearing what Owen had to say.
She sighed and attempted to ease his troubles, "Isn't that an unfortunate one.. Don't worry, I believe it is within your faith that the mother tends to her children's wounds? I bet that the future will be kind to you."
Seeing his optimism, Owen smiled even though his somber eyes betrayed it.
"... Hope so."
Noting the silence, Caophre shifted the focus and said, "Well… uhm…. I certainly am not here to push you lower so, maybe the mother sent me here to keep you afloat."
Owen shook away his negative thoughts and leaned back on the wagon more comfortably.
"You are…. very optimistic when it comes to life, aren't you?"
Caophre shrugged, "Well, if I keep myself low, who's going to keep me rich?"
Hearing this, Owen had an idea of where Caophre was born given his appearance and attitude. "Okay, where are you from?"
A prideful glint flashed in Caophre's eyes as she proclaimed, "Oh, I hail from the treasured kingdom of Dierta Mullus. And before you ask, no we don't usually die from falling off the enormously tall plateaus."
Owen nodded in understanding. "Dierta Mullus.. I've been there."
Caophre whistled. "Whew–? Really now?"
Owen waved his hand dismissively at him, gesturing for him to see that his dubiousness is irrelevant. "Don't doubt me, I've seen the giant floating chain bridges that people built there to traverse from one large plateau to another. It's a real technological marvel for them to exist."
He added, "And I know Titanspine Bridges is what you call them."
Caophre brushed it off as surface level information.
To see if Owen truly went to her homeland, she has to hear more substantial information from him. "Okay? What do we eat there?"
Owen grinned, "A lot of giant food."
Caophre shook his head lightly, he didn't accept the answer too readily as that would be too easy.
"No, no, as in a local meal."
"Ah, then that would be Fruitcheese Porridge, Fried Leaf Fans, Jellied Antstem and a lot of Water Pads." Owen listed them off one by one, with such confidence that it sounded truly legitimate.
"Oooo–kay… I believe ya." Caophre patted his left shoulder twice.
From where she came from, this was a gesture of agreement and acceptance.
Owen remarked, "But still, those bridges are one of the best things that I've ever seen."
The Titianspine Bridges are part of the cultural identity of Dierta Mullus. However, the compliment that Owen gave did not get him the response that he expected.
Caophre's eyes looked up, seemingly glowing from the moon's reflection. "Indeed, we have to attribute that to Ichor Selenkyr."
Owen froze.
It was the same name again for some inexplicable reason.
"... What?" He turned his head in confusion.
Caophre noticed Owen's reaction and turned her head as well. "Hm? Anything wrong with what I said?"
Owen shook his head and acted accordingly. "No, no, I just thought I misheard… but is there a person named Gortan Avelev in Dierta Mullus who helped make the bridges?"
According to the game's lore Gortan Avelev was a highly regarded craftsman in both Effarian technology or soul related machinery and Mundane technology, ones that use physics to function.
Caophre didn't understand what Owen was getting at, but her patience was as thick as several feet of mountains.
"When talking about the Titanspine Bridges, Gortan did help make them. But it's mostly because of Ichor's help that they were built in the first place."
Hearing this, Owen was stumped even harder.
'That's not what happened in the story…. what gives?'
He went on with the conversation without letting his turbulent thoughts get in the way and asked, "Anyway, how was life back there in that kingdom?"
Caophre slowly extended his hand forward like a spear while blowing out a sound of sharp wind.
"Windy. Very windy… Trees are big ol' giants with big ol' fruits as well. Same goes with plants, so the harvest season is wildly different from here." Remembering her childhood is always a happy moment for Caophre, making her smile uncontrollably. "Usually, a group of ten farmers would be working together to get several grains from just one stalk."
"And fruitcheese? Ahh, those were the best.." Caophre salivated at the thought.
Owen faced Caophre with his entire body and leaned on his left side, "Why did you leave then?"
"I may be a merchant, but my real heart follows the path of adventure. I like going from one place to another, trading different goods from here to there, making me feel responsible for a small amount of cultural circulation to happen." Said Caophre, her last sentence a little more personal than usual
"I didn't know that your goal was that noble."
Caophre puffed her cheeks and chuckled. "Hehehe… nope, my goal is self centered. It just happened to have a good effect."
Owen agreed but had other thoughts. "Not inherently a bad thing, right?"
"Yes, and despite that, I don't see myself as someone… noble, just like what you said." Caophre glanced at his carriage that came from a long way back into the past.
As the two talked amongst themselves, Caophre heard a tree branch breaking nearby.
Caophre's eyes pointed towards the direction of the sound without even turning his head. "I heard something… it's expected since the news said that there's a bunch of escaping bandits from the City of Ylkann. The predicted route of these bandits passes through the road from Wiunlen to Mysteriea."
"So that's why we weren't able to come across any other people?" Owen came into a realization.
"You're not aware of the news??" Caophre was visibly surprised.
Owen was ready to take out the Bloodwhetcher. "Forget about it, where are these bandits that you speak of? Are you sure that they're there?"
"Ehhhh I just heard noises… it could be an animal, it could be bandits. I'll go ahead and check." Caophre wanted to leave to take a look.
"Oh and, don't touch my stuff." She patted her carriage door as she walked away.
"No problem, I'm more than happy not to." Owen held his hands up innocently.
"Why are you this compliant?" Caophre looked at him with one hand on his hip.
"Basic human decency?" Owen subtly glanced at the young boy on top of Caophre's carriage.
"Alright, I trust ya… Just wait here if you're not going to snooze." Caophre waved as she walked into the forest.
Pushing away bushes and tall grass, Caophre was eventually nowhere to be seen.
Owen was now alone with the two gruffly duo that night.
.... not for long though.