A Day later…

  It had been a while since we set out to the gorgan clan, led by the two sisters. While on our way, Avy and Deina spent the whole time – with me and Lina remaining silent, with the most coming from us, being the occasional comment. It was clear that Avy was enjoying Deina's presence – probably because she finally had someone else to talk to besides me.

  I’m not saying I’m not interesting, but….

  I’m not exactly the best at creating conversation.

  We were now resting for the second night. According to the two sisters, we were close to the clan and after this night, we’d be able to reach it by tomorrow's noon. I was sitting at the campfire, staring at the crackling flame. Nearby, Avy was chatting away with Deina, both talking about random things I couldn’t care enough to pay attention to.

  While staring at the fire, Lina suddenly came over to me and dropped herself down next to me, sighing. “You don’t mind if I sit here for a bit, do you?”

  “Hm..? Ah… no, I don’t.”

  “Thanks.” She responded, leaning back a bit, using her arms to lean on, before looking at the starry sky above the tree line. For a bit, there was an awkward silence between us, before she clicked her tongue.

  “So, what’s the deal with you two anyway?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Lina exhaled, moving her head towards me. “I mean what are you two? Some adventurers or something? No ordinary people come this deep into the Abyssal Woods for any reason.”

  Ah, so she’s simply curious about us…

  “I guess you could say we’re both adventurers.” I responded, looking back at the crackling fire. Lina raised an eyebrow, before leaning forward, resting her head onto her hands, which she propped up onto her knees. “Y’know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Deina chat this joyfully with someone.”

  I lifted up my gaze looking at the duo.

  They were chilling under a tree, with Deina keeping the gorgan child by her side, while she and Avy chatted away, laughing with one another. “Say, can you tell me more about you and your sister? I’m simply curious.”

  Lina looked around, as if thinking for a moment, before stretching out. “Hmm… Sure I guess. It’s been over a day and you two haven’t really done anything to make us wary of you two.” Then, the gorgan woman looked at me, resting her arms in her lap. “So what in specific do you want to know?”

  “I guess just general information. I remember overhearing from Deina during the day that you two weren’t born in the clan that we’re headed to, so I’m curious about your origins… I suppose.” I responded, before panicking slightly and chuckling. “But you don’t have to share that if it’s too personal! I can also settle for some more basic and less personal information.”

  Lina remained silent.

  Then, she sighed. “Me and my sister came from the forest.” She started, cutting my awkward laughing short. I leaned forward, resting my arms onto my knees, deciding to listen carefully.

  “I have a rather blurry memory of it, but I remember that the two of us journeyed for a few weeks, wandering the forest and trying our best to survive. The forest is filled to the brim with dangerous monsters, a lot of them being quite powerful, especially ones deeper in the forest.” She continued before rubbing the back of her neck. “Like I said, it’s all rather blurry for me, but I remember it being a dreadful time. Eventually, the two of us were found by some guards of the gorgan clan and brought back. In the clan, the elder decided to take us in, giving us shelter, food and clothing. However, there was a price for their generosity. Me and my sister had to help the clan in whatever way we could.”

  “So you chose to become guards for the clan?”

  Lina shrugged.

  “Something like that. Apparently we had promising strength, plus with our unique ability to hide our snake features, the clan decided to train us and turn us sort of into its guardians.” She stated, sighing before falling back, resting her back against the tree behind us, placing her hands behind her head. “Since then we’ve grown a lot stronger. My sister was actually promoted to the captain of our clan's defence force with me serving as her vice captain.”

  “I see…” So they’ve had it rather tough in life.

  I can’t imagine that time they spent wandering the Abyssal Woods was a good time. I personally experienced wandering them and even though I managed to make it out alive and stronger than I was when I hatched out of that egg, it still wasn’t a fun time.

  Sleeping in fallen tree trunks, bushes, damp caves and whatever else, running from monsters far too strong for me to face, fighting for survival… It was definitely a rather stressful time.

  Especially since in my last life, I had it pretty comfortable.

  In fact, now that I think about it, in general humans have it so easy compared to other creatures, especially in my previous world… We don’t have to fight for survival every day with monsters or look for places to hide just to not be eaten by some hungry abomination. We could simply enjoy life, as long as we had cash that is…

  ….Maybe humans have their own issues.

  “Wait…” Something then clicked in my mind. I looked at Lina, who looked at me confused. “If you and your sister are captain and vice captain of the clan's defence force, why did they send you two to look for the child? Isn’t it smarter to keep the most valuable and strongest individuals in the camp?”

  She shrugged.

  “Beats me. Probably because they can manage without us just fine. Just because me and my sister are the strongest in the clan, doesn’t mean it can’t function without us both there.

  …Fair point. I guess I am a bit misled by some stories from my previous life, where most of the time, a place without their strongest units is completely unable to defend itself. But then again, most of the time it was because said place had grown reliant on the strongest units and thus a bit… Lazy? I suppose that is the word.

  For a moment, another awkward silence took place between us both. Then, Lina sighed. “Random question, what’s the relationship between you and her?” She pointed at Avy. I looked at Lina and then at Avy, my expressions a mix of confusion and uncertainty. Then, I looked down, exhaling. “It’s… complicated.” And that it really was.

  I wasn’t even sure myself what the relationship between us was.

  I mean, I cared about Avy I suppose, but I didn’t really consider us close or anything. I mean, it’s only been a few days since we met and since then, she has very much shown interest in staying by my side, even if it is because of a prophecy created by her mother. I fidgeted with my fingers a bit. Lina stared at me for a bit, before rolling her eyes.

  “Y’know, usually when people say that “it’s complicated” they actually mean that the two of them are close and potentially a couple.”

  “It’s not like that here.”

  “Riight…” She sighed, leaning forward.

  “Well, the night is young, so if you don’t mind, I’ll listen.”

  I debated telling her in my mind. Was it a good idea? I mean, I’m not sure how many people in this world are aware of Avy or her mother. Would a gorgan clan located deep in the forest know of these two? Does news like that reach such isolated places?

  I debated in my mind for a bit, before sighing, leaning back. “Sure. I suppose there isn’t any harm in telling you. Just, promise to keep it to yourself.”

  “Right, right – Don’t worry, I have better things to do than spread your stories to other people.” She replied, resting her arms behind her head before closing her eyes and crossing her legs. Then, I took in a deep breath and then let out a heavy exhale, before beginning my explanation.

  It took a bit, however after I was finished with it, Lina burst out laughing.

  “Oh wow…” She wiped away some tears, before hitting my shoulder lightly. “It really is complicated huh? I mean, a prophecy that whoever slays the beast and frees her, may take her hand in marriage? That’s straight from a children's fairytale! I cannot believe that is a real scenario!”

  She laughed loudly.

  I shed a sweat and laughed lightly as well. “Haha… Yeah, me too.”

  After she finished laughing, Lina crossed her arms. “Anyways, you weren’t kidding with that complicated statement. That doesn’t sound like a great situation – I mean, you met what, four, five days ago and she swears her life on you becoming her fiancé? That is seriously cliché.”

  “You can say that again..” I sighed, looking at Avy, who was still chatting with Deina. Lina and I remained silent for a bit, before she leaned in closer to me. “So, what do you plan to tell her? Will you take her as a wife or…?”

  “I don’t know. I told you, I barely know her.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “This sort of thing shouldn’t be rushed, yet I feel like I am being rushed.”

  Lina whistled. “Yeahh, doesn’t sound fun being you in this situation.” She looked at her sister and Avy, her gaze sharpening specifically on Avy. For a bit, an awkward silence took place between us, before she let out a heavy sigh and stretched out. “Welp, I got what I wanted. I’m guessing you must be tired. I’ll head over to those two and stop bothering you.” She then stood up and looked at me.

  “When we get to the clan, I suggest keeping your weapons to yourselves. The clan isn’t trustful towards strangers.” I looked at her, nodding gently. Then, she turned around, waving towards me gently. “Goodnight then.”

  “Goodnight..” I replied, watching her walk over to Deina and Avy, sitting down near the two and joining their chatting session. I stared at the women for a bit, before looking down at the fire. “Despite her initial cold and rather rude appearance, she’s actually a rather sweet woman… Unexpected.”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  For a bit, I stared at the fire, poking it a bit with a stick so that it didn’t die out too fast. It felt strange travelling with other people after such a long time of solo adventuring. Hearing them laugh and chat among themselves was a strangely nice change of pace – but at the same time, felt rather nostalgic.

  Maybe it was because in my work place, I was always surrounded by lively people who always chatted and laughed among themselves, while I sat there silently by myself. Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked up at the starry night beyond the tree line. My eyes narrowed a bit as I fell into thoughts for a moment. “I wonder… How are they doing?”

  For a bit, I was lost in thoughts.

  So much was on my mind, and I didn’t know exactly how to clear it. The conversation with Lina had really made me think – What do I consider Avy? A friend? A companion? A comrade?.... A pest that latched onto me? A pet that’s obsessive? Okay…

  Maybe not the last one.

  I gently chuckled, before resting my back against the tree thunk behind me, crossing my legs a moment later. I suppose I considered Avy a friend at this time, even if said ‘friendship’ started strangely and only a few days ago. “I wonder, what would Arabor think if he saw all this? Bet he didn’t expect my journey to go like this…”

  I chuckled gently.

  Then, for a moment I felt a strong sting in my chest – which quickly formed into a strange warmth. I looked down at my hand, placing it onto my chest. “What was that…?”

  It felt a bit like something tried to communicate with me…

  Was it Arabor? He did say that he would transfer his soul and power into my body, so technically, by his own words, his soul was inside my body right now… Maybe he heard what I had thought?

  I shook my head.

  “Surely not…” I laughed gently, before exhaling and resting back against the tree, closing my eyes. Maybe I should get some rest. It’ll be a long day tomorrow, especially since I guarantee when we get to the clan, me and Avy will be questioned by the Elder and everyone else in the clan about the whole ordeal of us rescuing the Elder's daughter and what not.

  For a moment, I sat there resting with my eyes closed, before eventually managing to drift off into sleep. Arvalor groaned a bit in Faofas shadow, before rising out and throwing a gaze over to Lina, Deina and Avy, the two gorgan sisters immediately jumping to defensive positions.

  “Calm down, he’s not harmful…”

  Avy stated. Arvalor eyed the two sisters for a bit, before moving behind the tree which Faofa was leaning against, curling around it and laying down to rest, seemingly there to guard his master. Lina lowered her dagger.

  “What a strange thing to have accompanying you two… Where on earth was it the whole time?” Lina asked, looking at Avy with a slight sweat on her face. “That’s Arvalor, Faofas ‘familiar’. I’m not sure how he joined Faofas side, however he always sort of sits in Faofas shadow.”

  “His… shadow?” Deina looked at the beast sleeping next to Faofa. “I see… So that’s why I wasn’t able to detect it.”

  “It’s rather strong… I can feel its strength from here.” Lina commented. Avy raised an eyebrow before shrugging. “I guess it’s a bit stronger than the average monster you’d find as someones familiar… But I don’t think Arvalor is all that impressive.”

  “What a unique monster to have as a familiar.” Deina commented, before looking at Avy. “Actually, now that I think about it, he in general is a rather interesting individual. While he’s not as strong as you, Avy, he’s rather powerful himself. Plus, when we first encountered you, he formed a weapon out of thin air, something I didn’t expect.”

  “Yeah, he really is a unique individual.” Avy agreed, looking at Faofa, before looking at her hands. For a moment, awkward silence took place, before Lina broke it with an exhale. “I spoke to him for a bit. If you ask me, to me he seems lost in his head most of the time.”

  Avy looked at Lina, before looking at the ground and nodding. “He really does, doesn’t he?”

  “Do you not know why that is?” Deina asked.

  Avy fell silent, not responding for a bit. She thought about it carefully, before shrugging and rubbing her arm. “I… Don’t. In fact, now that I think about it, I barely know anything about him…”

  Deina and Lina both cracked – absolutely shocked.

  “Huh?! You barely know anything about him, yet want him as your fiancé?!” Lina asked, her tone loud and strong. Avy looked at Lina with a panicked expression. “E-Ehh?! How do you know about that?!”

  “He told me.” Lina pointed at Faofa.

  Avy blushed heavily, before looking at Faofa with a slight pout. Deina remained in disbelief for a bit, before exhaling. “Well no wonder you two don’t seem nearly as close as I thought you were….”

  Lina sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I thought he was joking when he said you two only met a few days ago… Seriously woman, what are you thinking trying to get him as your fiancé before you know anything about him?”

  “I-I…” Avy stumbled with her words, before falling to the ground on her back, letting out a heavy exhale. “I have no idea…” Deina and Lina stared at her from above, before exchanging gazes and sighing. Avy stared at the sky through the treeline. “Maybe I’m a bit too caught up in my mothers prophecy…”

  “You don’t say…”

  “Lina, don’t be mean.” Deina hit her sister, with Lina rolling her eyes. “Listen Avy, maybe you should first try to learn more about him? I won’t say you have to abandon trying to get him as your fiancé if you want that, but doing so while knowing nothing about him isn’t a good idea.”

  “I know… I guess being in that seal for so long simply left me wanting for… companionship. To make sure whoever frees me stays by side, because of the years I spent in complete isolation.” She replied, before throwing herself back up into a sitting position, looking at Faofa. “I just don’t want to feel that loneliness again…”

  Lina and Deina exchanged gazes again.

  “Well, then maybe just spend more time talking with him? Talking is a great way to learn more about someone.” Deina suggested, gently patting Avy on the back. “I’m sure he’ll be open with you if he sees you as a friend at least.” Avy looked a bit unsure. Faofa and her had only been travelling for a few days, sure, but in that time she had noticed how he really doesn’t like talking about himself. Maybe he had some deep scar from the past that he didn’t want to bring up… Well, that was what she had thought before she found out he’s actually a snake monster pretending to be a human.

  Now she more or less wondered if he even had a deep past in the first place. Harcone said that he was weaker than Shadow Snakes of old, which most likely hinted towards the fact that he was still a young one. Surely, he was just a not that long ago born monster with not much to him?

  Maybe the entire reason he’s lost in thoughts all the time, is because he’s trying to adjust to living among humanoid beings?

  She wasn’t able to figure it out.

  And she doubted Faofa would tell her if she asked. After a bit of silence, Avy sighed. “I appreciate the optimism, but I doubt it personally. He doesn’t seem interested in talking about himself.”

  “Then make him interested in doing so. And if that fails, just try and force him to talk about himself. Backing down and accepting defeat won’t get you anywhere, woman.” Lina commented, crossing her arms as she leaned against a tree. Deina nodded in agreement to Lina. “My sister is right. Even if he doesn’t want to talk about himself, you should try and make him do it. People who usually don’t talk about themselves are ones with the most on their mind – you have to make it clear to him that it’s okay to talk about himself to you.”

  Avy looked at her hands.

  “People that don’t want to talk about themselves simply need someone they can feel safe to talk about themselves to.” Deina added, smiling gently before sighing and leaning away, placing her back against the tree as well, looking down at the sleeping gorgan child. “I pray for you two to get closer Avy. You two seem like a great pair.”

  Avy looked at Deina, who closed her eyes and gently drifted off into sleep. Lina stared at her sister for a bit, exhaling before kicking herself off of the tree and walking away. “I’ll take the night watch. Get some rest.”

  Avy watched Lina leave, before turning her head back over to the fire. Afterwards she looked up at Faofa, who was peacefully sleeping with Arvalor behind him. Then, she stood up, before hesitantly walking over to Faofa. As she approached, Arvalor looked at her, groaning slightly, however letting her approach the sleeping Faofa. Avy sat down next to Faofa, looking at him silently.

  Get him to talk about himself….

  That was easier said than done.

  Who knows if he even has any sort of history to talk about. Avy exhaled before leaning gently onto Faofa, resting her head slightly under his chin, staring up at the starry sky through the treeline. “...Maybe I’ll try doing that at some point… But.. Not now.”

  Lina watched the two from nearby, standing slightly in the shadows, before looking away. Something about Faofa felt a bit… familiar. When she sat next to him, it felt like she had felt energy similar to his before — a long time ago. However, why was that? He was a complete stranger she had met just yesterday.

  How come his presence felt so… familiar?

  She shook her head, looking away.

  “I should focus on the night watch.” She thought, before leaping into the treeline, sitting down on one of the higher branches and throwing her gaze down at the camp. The gentle crackle of the fire illuminated the sleeping figures in the camp with a gentle, warm light.

  Lina exhaled, looking away from it and up at the moon in the sky, slightly diving into her thoughts.