Chapter 67: Lucky Addition

I can't speak to the validity of Maylin's words. I'm not sure why or how she can be so confident in them. 

She doesn't know me; she doesn't know who I am or what I've had to do. Things I will do again and again if given a second chance. 

But I shut my mouth and let her say it anyway, I let her believe this, believe her own misguided words and worse, I want to believe them too.

I have to step out of the room though, she's just called Kaylin and Merlara in to explain that…that she'd be leaving Kaylin with me. That from hence forth we'd be travelling together.

I still don't believe this is a solid plan, not at all.

It meant a lot of sacrifice, on their family, on themselves. I don't know where this journey of mine will take me, I don't have the slightest inkling of how any of this will end up.

All I have is a goal and a destination. I've grown strong since I woke up in that cave, and a lot that was once unreasonable to wish for is now what I'm reaching out to.

This is a journey I'm taking for myself and I'm pretty anxious about how Kaylin's presence will affect it, how she'd affect me and Anselm; it has been just the two of us all this time and now…

Exhaling I step out of the building entirely and find my little mouse waiting patiently for me. He raises and eyebrow and I nod, reach out and deposit the last of the coin I promised.

"Thank you, sir!" He grins as he starts to back away from me, no doubt on his way to spend it all foolishly, "If you ever need my help again you know where to find me, oh and my name is Aren!"

Aren huh, I scoff. The last Aren I heard of died back at Carbina. With this Aren gone no, I've got no one next to me.

Anselm stayed back to read his book, far too engrossed in finding out about himself and his people to come touring around the city. 

I wish I had him here truly; he'd be nagging me right about now with the plethora of reasons he always seems to come up with on the spot for why all of my ideas would end horribly. 

Such a friend. 

Behind the door I can hear some yelling, loud yelling that burns straight through the already excessively loud groaning and moaning of the patients there. Next comes stomping, heavy stomping that matches the beat of every crescendo in the yelling match. 

The stomping loses its beat and silence falls before a terribly frustrated scream tears through my ears and draws the attention of everyone around to hear it.

From that alone I guess Kaylin has taken the news splendidly.

Inhaling I resolve myself and prep to go back in, go back in and firmly decline Maylin's request, I'll leave her no chance to convince me not to, not this time!

Just before my hand can push down on the handle, the door swings open and I'm run over in quick succession. Spilling onto the ground with my accidental assailant I groan and check my head for any injuries.

There aren't any but there is a full-grown person on me, and it's Kaylin. She's sobbing so bad she doesn't even bother looking up to see if she's hurt or if she's hurt someone.

At the door Maylin and Merlara have a bag in each of their hands and aren't looking any better than Kaylin. 

Despite the awkwardness I feel at being caught between this, I lift Kaylin up, she's reluctant, resisting my push strongly opting to bury her face in my chest rather than look up and face the reality she's running from.

With some difficulty, I get her up and on her feet. She stops crying, sealing her mouth shut and hugging her arms while she stares at the dirt floor and nothing else.

"Maylin, if she doesn't want to…"

Maylin nods but Merlara speaks first, "She wants to. No, she doesn't have much choice." 

Her voice is shaky and it's easy to see her clenched fist bleeding at her side. "This is the best way we can keep her safe. It's sudden, it's unplanned but that's just how our mother Vuius works. She looks out for the elves always and this is her will, you know that, don't you Kaylin?"

Kaylin looks like she's going to start sobbing again. She holds back and nods, humming a quiet affirmative.

"Then you know you can't run."

***

It continues to be an emotional and awkward affair. Kaylin resigns to the will of the Goddess of Elves; more likely the will of her mother but who am I to judge? I kill Cultists at the bidding of a giant spirit Wolf.

She leaves her home, her family, friends and takes only her memories with her, as well as two bags containing what I'm hoping is just clothes.

I'm terribly hesitant to talk to her now. We crawl out of the underground and resurface through one of the houses that had a hatch leading to it.

The air on my skin immediately feels refreshing as we walk out into the street. Still the city hasn't slept, as we walk about heading back to Anselm and the carriage, I find that very few stores and merchants have closed up shop in the strata.

In fact, this seems to be just the right time for business as there are significantly more people crowding their stalls and browsing their wares in the shops. There are also a lot more flatfoots running about with weapons clearly visible hanging at their sides.

The streets are lit up by small pyres of fire held above head on what looks like a lamp, the fire is unnaturally bright so I'm confident in assuming there's magic at work. Some fires are of different colours even, I found a purple glow above an artificer shop that's been closed and a green between some homes.

"Mother said you might hire someone else."

Oh, thank Lotar, she speaks! Beautiful as the city is, I am beginning to run out of things to distract me from the awkward atmosphere.

"Yes, I might." I answer, trying to get a good look at her face that still stuck to the ground.

"Can you not?"

"Huh?" I'm genuinely confused, why not? "Why shouldn't I get someone else? We're going to be in a big fight with the Cult before moving on. And even afterwards we will be running into Cultists quite often."

"I'm strong enough. Stronger than you surely." I scoff.

She takes my amusement personally and hisses, "I'm an elf!"

"Not so loud, you don't want us to get found out so, soon do you?" I hush.

"I know you're strong, and as an elf, as a free elf I know it's pretty much a given that you'll be stronger than me…in time." I add smugly, "But really, the Cult is no joke. I fought beside the Mayor of Carbina and she and I could barely get through the first Gamma warrior."

"That's because you were weak."

Well…she's not wrong. "That's because we were unprepared. The two remaining warriors have adapted to me splendidly since I've been fighting them alone."

She looks puzzled, "Why are you fighting them alone? You need groups of Mages to offset whatever adaptation they may have gotten on you."

I grin widely at her. It takes but a second for her to realize she's proving my point and facepalm. 

She pouts and asks, "Well, what happened to the Mayor?"

"Oh…well she got sick after that first fight. Part of the reason I'm here is to get her some medicine, but I need to be registered with the Synagogue to get into most Alchemical shops, or so I've been told."

This time she smiles, "I can get you in!"

"You can?" I feel my insides bubble with excitement. "Wait, but you're an elf."

"Yes but…mother planned ahead for my future in this Kingdom." She says, her mood taking a dip once more, "Well, I might not be able to get you in but I can get the medicine?"

She seems very energetic, or at least, that's what I can see. I wonder if knowing or feeling that you're part of the will of a Goddess makes you less sad in your journey.

It might be selfish to disregard what might be going on beneath the surface for what I get at face value, but for now I'm just glad she and I can talk without being awkward.

"What's the catch?" There has to be a catch and I think I can accurately guess what it is.

"You don't hire anyone else." She spits out, "With the three of us, it shouldn't be too difficult to clear out two warriors. Especially with me on the team." She smirks.

We're coming up on the stables now, they aren't in sight yet but I can feel Anselm hovering around me already.

"You still haven't told me why you don't want me hiring anyone else."

She groans, rolling her eyes to the side like she's just about to be done with me, "I'm an elf, wouldn't it be better to keep the sinners next to the sinners? You're running away from the Synagogue and the Kingdom, the Mayor of Carbina has been excommunicated and I'm an elf, a free elf."

I have a feeling that's not the only reason, but I let it rest. I've already taken her away from her family, won't want to get on her last nerve.

Waving for the stable boy as we enter the rather large space that keeps carriages off the narrow roads of the city, he hops forward and guides me to mine.

"Well, before we get going, I should introduce you to someone."

"Another person? I thought you said-"

"Don't worry, he's a sinner by association." 

She calms down but is still restless.

"Spirit Summon. Say hello to Kaylin, Anselm."