"How could you leave it there!"
Aeric wiped the dust from his forehead, and sat back on the rocky ground with a confused expression on his face, but Alzera's fiery glare pinned him like a physical blow.
Her blue eyes flared, locking on him with an intensity that made him flinch. She was waiting for him to say something but Aeric was presently speechless.
"I asked you a question, courier!" she uttered angrily. "You plainly disobeyed me!"
"I— I don't understand?" Aeric stammered, taken aback. "Disobeyed? You were in danger. I just saved your life."
"Saved my life? Pfft!" She shot back, her tone icier than the cavern's draft. "You have no idea who I am or what I could do. My life is never truly in danger. What you did — you abandoned the beast cores. Your job was to carry them, Dagwood. Not to play hero."
Aeric's face twisted in disbelief. "Why are you acting like you could have gotten out of that predicament without me? You were about to die, Miss Alzera. Those rocks would've crushed you if I hadn't jumped in."
"I don't need saving," she bit out, clenching her fist. She was evidently very annoyed by this. "What I need is obedience. I demand it. You're my courier, and you need to get that through your head. Your job is to obey. Obey me. Do nothing else."
Aeric blinked, anger flaring in his chest as he adjusted and sat directly opposite her. "I can't believe this. You're mad because I saved you? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Speak to me like that again and I will end you with a strike of my blade!" Alzera's voice rose, reverberating in the cavern. "I have cleared more Dungeons than you can count. Do you think this is a game, Dagwood? You can't just abandon your duties because you feel like it."
Aeric's eyes narrowed. "Your life was in danger."
Alzera turned her head away and grunted. "Stepping in was a stupid thing to do. You could have died as well."
Aeric shrugged. "It might have been stupid, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth it."
The warrior turned back to look at him, eyes still narrowed but assessing him with a softer gaze. "Besides, your life isn't worth less than beast cores. The rest of the team are on the other side and they can find the damn bag. I saw that you were seconds away from getting buried alive, and my instincts pushed me to help you. I can't apologize for that."
Silence. Heavy breathing, especially from Alzera.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Her jaw tightened, but her expression flickered, ever so slightly. For a brief moment, Aeric thought she might give in and thank him for saving her.
But of course, she didn't. She wouldn't.
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Instead, she sighed heavily and looked away once again. "You're not here to help me, Dagwood," she stated, although more softly. "You're here to follow orders. Next time, stick to them."
"Healing water," Aeric lied smoothly, wiping his hands on his pants. "I traded for it when I was in the Elysium Plains."
Alzera's gaze lingered on him, skeptical but silent. She tested her ankle, moving it side to side, seeing that it was as good as new. "Must be a very powerful healing water."
Aeric looked at her and beamed a smile. "It is."
He stood up, offering her his hand as she sat back and gazed up at him, hesitant at first. Finally, after a long and silent eye contact, she accepted his hand and he helped her get on her feet.
Alzera sheathed her sword and dusted her armor, doing anything to avoid the weird tension. While Aeric fumbled with his clothes.
"Thank you, Dagwood," she finally said, turning to look at him.
Aeric smiled nervily and scratched the back of his neck. "For what exactly? Saving your life or healing your ankle?"
Alzera's brows furrowed. "Healing my ankle. My life was never in danger, courier."
Aeric frowned. 'Back to calling me courier again, I see. Way to go, Aeric.'
Ding!
[Third Lobby cleared. Objective Complete].
[Progress to the next Lobby].
Alzera turned around and walked towards the collapsed pathway ahead of them. Aeric joined her and they both stared at it.
A mountain of big and small rocks stretched upward, seemingly endless. The edges of the cavern glistened faintly with dampness, barely any light present with shadows across the uneven surface.
The blockage was immense, a chaotic sprawl of boulders and debris. Rocks jutted out at dangerous angles, and the weight of the collapse had left the entire structure precarious.
"How the hell are we supposed to get through this?" Aeric muttered, craning his neck to see the top of the obstruction.
"I am as curious as you are, Dagwood."
Far on the other side, after all the rocks and the rocks and more of the rocks, muffled voices carried through the gaps.
"Alzera! Dagwood!"