Imri awoke with a start, sitting upright. Pain lanced through his abdomen, and he groaned in pain.
“Take it easy. You're lucky to be alive,” Sylvi said, coming to his side.
Imri dazedly looked around. They were in a smaller bedroom, with a somewhat musty scent as the bedding had been sitting out for who knows how long. There was a dresser and a nightstand, but little in the way of personal belongings of the previous occupant. They now held Imri’s weapons and potion satchel.
“We’re on the third floor of an apartment building,” Sylvi explained.
“How did I get here?” Imri said, his mind still foggy.
“What do you think? I carried your sorry ass,” she said, though her smile indicated she was messing with him.
He tried to recall what had happened, remembering he had been stabbed. He looked over and saw the black dagger and recalled using it to kill. A sudden, sickening realization hit him. He had used it to kill, but he hadn’t just killed the parasite; he had killed a person with the soul-capture dagger. Shame and anxiety hit him, threatening to overwhelm him and inducing a panic attack.
“Hey, it's alright. We’re safe here,” Sylvi said, trying to reassure Imri. It didn’t help, and for several agonizing minutes, Imri felt like he was having a heart attack. He constantly had to remind himself that it was only a panic attack. He eventually calmed enough to focus on his breathing exercises and meditation. Eventually, it subsided, though Imri’s breathing still felt off and his shoulder and chest ached.
“It’s not about the injury. It’s about that,” Imri said, pointing to the dagger. Sylvi looked from him to the dagger, confusion plain on her face. “I killed someone with it, a person controlled by that parasite. It killed the person and the parasite, and now both of their souls are trapped,” he explained. Sylvi mouthed an 'oh' as she understood.
“Can you free them from that gem?” she asked.
“Maybe if I destroy it, but I don’t even know how to do that,” Imri said.
“You’ll figure out a way,” Sylvi reassured him. Imri nodded but didn’t feel so certain.
“If I hadn’t used that dagger, I would be dead right now, so I don’t know if I would do anything different if the same situation came up again. Does that make me a horrible person?” Imri asked.
There was a long pause before Sylvi answered. “I don’t know. I’ve seen the worst in humanity, and none of them were as conflicted as you are. However, I’ve never seen such a vile weapon. I pray you never use it again and set those souls free as soon as possible.”
“I will. I just need to get stronger first,” Imri replied.
“Well, you're not going to get stronger if you die from that stab wound,” Sylvi pointed out.
“How long was I out?” Imri asked as he checked his status.
HP 14/110 FP 83/83 MP 54/188
“Around twelve hours, it’s getting dark out now,” Sylvi answered.
“Any signs of more Azala?”
“I’ve been keeping watch, and every few hours there is an Azala patrol along the streets. Fortunately, they don’t seem to have the resources to search every building. I’ve also seen groups of survivors that I believe were still in control of their faculties, but I didn’t want to risk it.”
“So, what now?” Imri asked.
“Now, you rest. We’re not going anywhere until you're capable. I will keep going through the apartments and take anything that might be useful. Before we leave, we’ll sort through it and take two backpacks worth of supplies,” she said, handing him another HP potion. Imri was going to protest, but his 14 HP was still alarmingly low. Hopefully, he would continue recovering now that the bleeding was under control.
Despite having just woken up, he immediately fell back asleep. This time, he didn’t sleep all the way through, plagued by nightmares and blinding agony whenever his wound rubbed the wrong way. He eventually gave up as he heard Sylvi organizing the items she had brought back.
Imri took a hesitant step, relieved that he didn’t immediately collapse to the floor. He probably should have waited for Sylvi to come to help him, but he had been dependent on others for too long. He made his way out of the bedroom, one shaky step at a time.
Fortunately, the entire apartment was tiny. Apart from the small bedroom he had been in, there were only two other rooms, a bathroom and a main room which combined kitchen and living area. The main room was covered in looted items, far more than the two of them could carry. Most of it looked like camping supplies, from crank-powered lanterns, a small gas stove, a hand pump for filtered water, rain ponchos, sealed freeze-dried food, matches, a hatchet, and a tarp. There was also a small pharmacy, both over-the-counter and prescribed medications. Finally, there were several weapons, most of which were designed for cooking, but she managed to find someone’s machete and the fireman’s axe. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any firearms.
Sylvi gave him a questioning look as he hobbled in but didn’t say anything. Instead, she set up the portable gas stove and began heating some water from jugs of purified water. She took it off when it was near boiling and made several packets worth of oatmeal. However, it was the second item she made that excited Imri. Coffee, how he had missed it. He didn't even care that these beans had been sitting for years; it still tasted like the best coffee he had ever had.
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After breakfast, they continued going through the apartments, Sylvi having only cleared the nearby rooms. The entire apartment complex, and presumably the entire city, was without utilities, either from disrepair or ripped apart by the integration. Fortunately, Sylvi had managed to secure several flashlights, one of which she handed to Imri. Most of the rooms smelled awful, everything perishable having long since started to mold, though he quickly grew accustomed to the smells.
Imri eventually went on his own once Sylvi was convinced that he wouldn’t keel over. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much luck, as almost everything seemed impractical for the new world they found themselves in. His system awarded robes had seen better days, having been bitten, stabbed, and stabbed again. He was in dire need of something less ripped and blood-stained. Eventually, he found some musty clothing that fit him well enough, though they would need to be hand-washed. He grabbed a few pairs of everything and made his way back.
When he returned, he found Sylvi going through their gathered items. She hadn’t added much, though she was stuffing something into one of the first aid kits. He paused when he noticed the circular ring shape protruding from the square plastic packaging.
“Are those…” he started, unable to finish the sentence.
“Trust me, you’ll be glad I packed these,” she said without any shame.
“I’m sorry, Sylvi, but I already have a girlfriend,” Imri said awkwardly, suddenly wanting to be far away. Sylvi laughed uncontrollably for longer than Imri thought possible.
“That’s a good one,” she said, finally getting her laughter under control. “Sorry, I should have been clearer. It’s not because I want to,” she started to say but then started laughing again. “Imri, you're not my type.”
“Your type?” Imri repeated dumbly.
“Another woman, Imri. I’m a lesbian.”
“Oh,” Imri said dumbly.
“For someone so smart, you can be kind of dense,” Sylvi said as she wiped away a tear.
“You're the second person to say that exact thing to me,” Imri said.
“Yeah, I bet the other was Emelia,” she said.
“How did you know?” Imri asked. She gave him a look that suggested he was being an idiot again. “You really think I’m going to need those?”
“I was going to say yes, but that was before this conversation,” she teased.
“Can we just focus on getting back?” Imri asked, mildly annoyed that he was such an easy target for teasing.
“Sorry, yes,” she said, instantly switching her demeanor. “By all rights, we shouldn’t have won that fight, but we did. I don’t plan on tempting fate a second time. We should avoid the interstate if we can, cutting through as many yards and alleys as possible. It will slow us down but there is more cover, and likely even less patrol coverage than what I saw on the streets outside this apartment building. If we do get into a fight, how long can you maintain that Time Dilation spell, assuming you leave yourself enough mana so you aren’t incapacitated?”
Imri did some quick calculations, his MP had been almost double where it was now, and his slight mana efficiency gains didn’t offset that much. “At the same amplitude, roughly 5 to 6 seconds, about half as long as last time,” Imri admitted.
“What happens if you were to make it half as strong? Would it last twice as long?”
“The cost increases exponentially with the amplitude, so technically, it would last longer than that. It would last about three times as long, given the variable isn't quite squared.”
“Sure, go with half of what you used last time if it comes to that,” Sylvi ordered, seemingly not understanding all the math but getting the gist of it. Imri nodded. “And get some more rest if you can. We leave as soon as it’s completely dark.
Imri did his best but was unable to sleep. Instead, he focused on his meditation, though even that was of limited effectiveness as his mind wandered. Nightfall seemed to take forever to approach, and Imri took note of the slow passage of time as an insight for his next spell.
They spent a lot of time choosing what to bring with them, optimizing for small and essential items. In addition, a few key items were on the heavier side, like the gas stove. Some of the items Imri put to use right away, changing into the musty clothing and taking the machete and hatchet. They would each carry a heavy pack, though they would abandon their looted goods at any sign of trouble.
Despite having already searched the apartment, Sylvi cautiously checked each corner, taking no unnecessary risks as they left. They made their way out of the building through the back exit, which led into an alley. It was dark outside, the only light coming from the stars, which shone brighter than they had before the integration. Imri suspected that this new world no longer had the same pollution as the previous one. They quickly made their way down the alley, moving at a brisk hiking pace.
They had made it several blocks away when they heard a sound off in the distance. It was the high-pitched shriek of an Azala, likely alerting nearby patrols to whatever it had found. Fortunately, it hadn’t been near them, though it was hard to judge the exact distance it seemed to be coming from closer to the city's center.
Sylvi motioned for them to continue when it was apparent that they hadn’t been discovered. They continued at a slightly faster pace, all illusions of a peaceful city shattered as more shrieks went up throughout the night. They continued hiking outward, further away from the disturbance. Imri did his best to keep up, not wanting to be a burden. His wound ached but, fortunately, didn't burst open.
The city slowly shifted from tall buildings to more residential neighborhoods as they left the outskirts of the downtown metro. It wouldn’t be long before they had to cross the interstate, and they would be back in the relative safety of the jungle. He was beginning to think they had gotten lucky when another sound caught his attention as they moved through another residential alley. It wasn’t the shrieks of Azala but of something more mundane. It sounded like a group of people arguing. Sylvi motioned for them to get behind cover, which was little more than overgrown shrubbery. They crouched low and listened.
“Are you fucking serious right now? There are killer zombie things, and who knows what else. We’re lucky to be alive,” a man said, loud enough that Imri was certain any Azala in a ten-block radius would have heard them.
“I’m not leaving the city until I find my family. I don’t care if there is a one percent chance I make it back; to me, that’s worth it,” another man said, equally as loud.
“Russ, I know how you feel. I also want to find my family, but there is no guarantee we’ll find them. You’d be throwing your life away for nothing,” a woman said in a placating tone, though still far louder than Imri would have been.
“Those people are fucking idiots, what should we do?” Imri asked in a hushed whisper.
“If the enemy finds them, they’ll be that much closer to finding us. We just need to get them to shut up,” Sylvi suggested as the group on the other side of the building continued arguing, loud enough to be heard easily.
The shriek of a nearby Azala cut the other group's argument short, proving Sylvi’s dire prediction true. The bickering group started to panic, and many of them now argued about whether they should run or fight. Imri and Sylvi were going to be caught up in their mess.