Alphonse finished reading his latest book and slapped it closed with a bit of satisfaction. If the information had pertained to politics on Earth, he might've found the material tiresome and borderline painful to read.
But he was on Hovestile, and the book that Rinka suggested focused on the growth of a developing eastern kingdom of demihumans that formed after a terrible war some fifteen years earlier. The text supported some of his own assumptions concerning the brief interactions he experienced between the different races of Hovestile.
Alphonse set the book aside and clasped his hands. I've been here about two weeks, he thought. It's probably close to that time.
The white floor of the Submerged Oasis shifted hue as light from the partially obscured sun began to wane. The refracted, faded yellow rippled along the floor and seemed to pour into the small ponds, displaying an illusion as if sides of the pathway had liquefied. He was so entranced by the display that he failed to hear the soft padding of feet nearby.
"Care for a drink?"
Alphonse looked up and saw Rinka appear from around the dais with a wooden cup in each hand. She wore her typical silk dress of sky blue with the transparent fabric that revealed up to her ankles. Her emerald hair was tied in a ponytail that hung in front of one shoulder.
The eloquent display of the oasis didn't seem so captivating anymore.
"Ah, thank you." Alphonse mentally applauded himself for not fumbling his words.
He accepted the drink and took a careful sip. The hot tea soothed his throat and invigorated him. It reminded him just how much he was going to miss the catgirl mother's company.
Rinka's presence had been intimidating during the first few days, and the way she carried herself in speech and appearance would dominate any gathering. The respect Kirie and Asa held for her was infectious. Admiration wasn't a strong enough word for Alphonse to describe his feelings towards her. What she sacrificed for her daughters, and the time spent to prepare them for the outside world made him view her with reverence and adoration. She wasn't just the angel he viewed her as when he first set foot in the oasis. She was a goddess.
Alphonse set his tea aside and recited the words to conjure his Construct Contract. He flipped to the back pages as a suitable distraction.
He figured it was about time for another one of Rinka's lessons. Time wasn't only spent with Kirie and Asa out in the field hunting monsters. Rinka contributed her knowledge during times of reprieve, and Alphonse found all of her teachings to be invaluable, extending far off into his future plans.
He'd jotted down notes in his Construct Contract that would be useful for quick access and to form a sort of compendium. He copied maps of locations in Hovestile, alchemy ingredients, monster weaknesses and so forth. The latter was certainly a distinct focus after the mixed success with the battle against the Migunne.
During her lessons, Rinka also informed Alphonse about some small uses of the contract that she'd tested. Most of her attempts had yielded little to no results, but even failure provided some insight. Alphonse wrote these rules on the last pages of the contract and left some space for any possible breakthroughs on his part. He reread and absorbed the information to a point where he was positively nonplussed by the contract's strange consistency (and inconsistencies). It was as if the contract was actually a sentient being itself. He knew that spending a few weeks, even months, at the oasis would never be enough time to get even a remote grasp of it.
Rinka also claimed to be a top-tier spellcaster, a scholar by trade, during her time on the surface. Alphonse suspected there was more to her than such simple details, and he'd ventured to ask more about her past, but his attempts were mostly diverted. Her words held no enmity as she maneuvered around the subject, and Alphonse quickly caught on and respectfully kept personal questions to himself.
She'd confided in him during a desperate time of need to free her daughters, but he hoped to gain her full confidence when they returned one day. Yes, he was sure that there would come a time when he visited the oasis again. Nothing barred their way.
Alphonse tore his eyes away from the book as Rinka sat next to him. She cradled the cup of tea in her hand and swirled it with the slight motion of her wrist as she fell deep in thought.
“My daughters have been trapped here too long,” Rinka said after a brief silence. “Fifteen long years. They have an understanding of the outside world, but have yet to truly experience it. I'm sorry if it causes difficulties for you.”
Alphonse blanched at the number. Fifteen years?
The catgirls were definitely somewhere around his age, perhaps their early twenties. If Rinka's time was accurate, then they'd been trapped since they were children. He'd suspected as much, but to be so young...
Alphonse crossed his arms and straightened. “Well, if it's anything like these past two weeks, I'm sure we'll be fine.” He then added jokingly, "I also plan to establish a guild. That way, I'll be able to officially make them my subordinates."
Rinka chuckled at the idea. “I see. A sensible idea, but you know that Kirie can be quite the handful.”
Alphonse raised an eyebrow at this. "A 'handful?'"
She turned away from him and pretended to cough. "I know, understatement of the century."
He let out a wholehearted laugh as she placed her hands together in an apologetic gesture.
“Well, I do need some sort of information network, and we'll need to take on jobs for money," Alphonse said. "I don't know much about the politics in this world, but I did notice that the relationships between the different races are pretty strained." He noticed Rinka glance at the text resting next to him. "How would people take it if I had demihumans in my guild?”
Rinka rested her arms on the stairs as the tone of conversation shifted and leaned back to stare at the rippling ceiling. “I'd say you would draw some unwanted attention, enough to make people curious. I'm not entirely sure about now, but 'strained' would be our second understatement. You already read about some of the hostility that led to the birth of a new country. I only hope that some of it has deescalated over the years." She paused as she considered the last bit. "Our village was threatened by humans. A greedy lord was searching for someone and attacked when we refused to cooperate. It was the start of what brought us here.”
Alphonse averted his gaze. “I'm sorry.”
Rinka waved him off. “Don't be. I'm not telling you this because I want sympathy. My daughters were young back then, but they were far from ignorant."
She gave him an intense stare that demanded his full attention. Alphonse found himself leaning closer with bated breath. He'd never seen such a hard expression from her, not even during the times when her daughters spoke out of turn.
"It's only fair that you should know," Rinka whispered. "My daughters haven't forgotten who committed that atrocity. They harbor plenty of hatred. One day, something might trigger it, and they will desire revenge.”
Alphonse clasped his hands and tried to consider any complications. It didn't take long for him to realize that none of them mattered when he recalled his own anger after being betrayed. He didn't know how he would react if he found the damned archer or anyone else from his old party. What would he do if he saw them amidst a crowd in a city? What if he stumbled upon them in the middle of a quest? If he didn't fully understand himself, then there was no concrete solution.
“I'm not sure I can promise anything," he said. "I might not be able to stop them forever, but I could probably convince them to hold off until they are ready for it.”
Rinka let out a relieved sigh. “That is fair. Just remember, everywhere is fraught with danger. You haven't been in this world long, but you may know that better than any other outworlder. I only ask that you try to choose your battles carefully.”
Alphonse nodded. “I can do that." He bit his lip as he considered a question that nagged at him the past two weeks. "What about you?"
Rinka didn't take her eyes away from him as she answered, "I must remain here, of course."
Something in her sad eyes told him not to pry any further.
Alphonse stared at his contract and tightened his grip on the binding after he closed it. He'd expected as much.
Another question nagged at the back of his mind that he'd hoped to suppress until he understood the catgirls more on a personal level, but he understood it was something he could no longer put off. Kirie and Asa were a different story, but Rinka remained mostly a mystery to him. Rinka had broached the subject concerning goals and morals upon his arrival at the oasis, but he'd noticed one inconsistency.
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"I wouldn't say it's been bothering me," Alphonse said. "But if you've been trapped down here for fifteen years, then how do you know about us? Outworlders have only been here around two months."
Rinka's hand stopped as she raised her tea to her lips. She seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact with him as she stared in the cup for a short while. She nodded slowly and, after some internal debate, decided to set the tea down.
A broad smile formed on her face as she observed him with a sideways glance. "You are very perceptive."
Alphonse didn't know how to respond to the statement. He stared at her and waited for an explanation. He was relieved when she decided to be straightforward with him, rather than dance around the subject like in past conversations.
She held her hands out, palms facing up. "I invoke the Construct Contract."
The book materialized and settled in her hands. She turned it, and all the pages dumped aside to reveal the back cover. Alphonse jerked involuntarily when he saw the strange symbols written with ink that differed from the contract's normal black color. It was more of a greenish hue, and every few seconds the symbols shifted and vanished. They were soon replaced by words, some familiar and some seemingly outlandish. There seemed to be attempts at forming sentences, but none of them were complete.
What the hell... Alphonse clawed at the side of his head as the symbols nagged at him.
"I believe it is a language," Rinka explained. "It took many years to decipher, but this is a sort of representation for what is happening in Hovestile. You can imagine how difficult it was since it changes constantly."
"So, you can see what's happening?" Alphonse asked. "Like monsters in dungeons, people in the capital city, all of it?"
"In a sense. This is the unique ability of my contract. I have no control over what it shows me, but at some point I learned about you outworlders with this method." She read his confounded look. "I assume you don't have anything to share about this language."
"I know some of the words," Alphonse said. "It's English, but I don't have a clue about the context and format. I recognize some symbols too, but I can't even guess why they are used that way."
He opened his contract and started copying some of the language and structure down on the pages preceding the rules he'd written. The paragraphs and indents made no sense to him. Letters stood out by themselves with symbols and numbers that seemed to show a vague relation. He wrote feverish and sloppy in a desperate attempt to get as much down as possible before the language disappeared and was replaced.
"I don't know who to trust in this world," Alphonse said when he finished. He flexed his fingers as a cramp flared up in his hand. "But maybe one day I can ask someone about this. It might shed some light on what exactly these contracts are. Do you know the unique ability of my contract?"
Rinka shook her head. "That is something you must discover. I have never used your contract."
Alphonse willed his contract away with a disappointed wave of his hand. "I guessed as much. In any case, I only plan on using it as a last resort."
There was more he wanted to ask, and he was absolutely certain that Rinka knew that his questions would continue to stack on the answers he received. His nature demanded that he question everything around him. All possible outcomes were considered -- like the possibility that if he and Rinka held a contract, then there were others who might own one as well.
A part of him was relieved when Rinka decided to change the subject, since refraining from further discussion on the matter implied it wasn't relevant at the moment. The other part of him that demanded closure was understandably disappointed.
I guess it's enough to be wary of other contract holders, Alphonse reasoned. She probably doesn't know enough either. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
Rinka rose from her seat as a sign of finality and willed away her contract as well. "Excellent. When you return, I expect a full report on your findings. Now, let's move on to one last important matter." She motioned for him to wait and walked around to the other side of the dais.
Alphonse frowned at her peculiar change in tone. His shock was complete when she reappeared with her arms full of some strange black garments and armor.
Rinka laid the outfit at the base of the stairs so Alphonse could view its entirety. It looked like a type of garb worn by some sort of rogue assassin. The cowl hood and chest area were stitched from a soft, fine wool. The other portion was a short shawl that went over sections of leather armor for his upper body near the collar. Straps circled the leather bracers and boots for carrying tools or small concealed weapons. Thin, but durable-looking leather tassets were fitted to hug tight on the thighs without impeding mobility. He also noticed a pair of gloves with double ties hanging out one of the many pockets. The main defining feature was that almost every bit of the outfit was black.
Alphonse couldn't deny that the rogue armor was the perfect fit for a scout. There were plenty of areas for carrying necessities without compromising his silent movements.
“I made this with your contract in mind,” Rinka said. "Kirie and Asa found this during their early adventures around the oasis. There is gear in Hovestile imbued with defenses against certain spells -- appraisals included. I enhanced the runes to block some of the highest forms of appraisal spells so that others won't see your name and missing stats. If you wear this, it will also protect those in your party."
"It looks amazing for quests," Alphonse said. "Honestly, this is incredible. I don't even know what to say." He knelt in front of the outfit and lifted one of the bracers. He examined the inside and found the inscribed runes she mentioned that would hide his status from the appraisals of spellcasters.
"Don't thank me just yet," Rinka said. "It's also a precaution to protect my daughters. You are supposed to be dead, after all. We don't know if that archer was hired by someone else. I imagine word may have spread among the other outworlders that one of their own is dead. I'm afraid that means hiding your face is crucial as well."
Alphonse understood it was a necessary precaution. If anyone saw his incomplete status, then he would be scrutinized and possibly apprehended for questioning. The stats of outworlders were no mystery to the natives. Even worse was the possibility of others discovering that Kirie and Asa, natives of Hovestile, had stats as well. Barring those possibilities, another complication involved the wrong person appraising him and seeing that Alphonse Kneller was still alive. He didn't know many people that he once considered as a friend or comrade, but there were those from the facility on Earth that might still recognize him.
He needed to forge a new identity for himself.
Rinka approached him and handed the last part of the outfit to him. A scarf. When Alphonse unfolded it, he noticed a design stitched in white thread that depicted a double-edged axe and a staff crossed over each other.
Kirie and Asa's weapons, Alphonse immediately thought.
Rinka nodded appreciatively when the recognition crossed his features. “It is the symbol of your unity."
Alphonse found himself at a loss for words. He stood up and stared at the outfit for a few disbelieving seconds. Rinka never ceased to amaze him. She had given him and her daughters something invaluable for their new start. Everything was now in his hands to finally build a new home.
'Unity.' I guess the time really has come. He blinked a few times to hold back the tears he felt building up.
Rinka laughed. "You should probably try it on."
"Ah, right. Good idea." Alphonse nodded eagerly as he gathered the various portions of his new scout outfit. He was about to make his way to the other side of the dais to change when a thought froze him in his tracks.
"Wait, how did you know my size?" Alphonse asked. He figured that his old gear was too damaged to use as a reference. A scout's armor needed to be almost a perfect fit for stealth and quick movements.
Rinka played with her ponytail and whistled innocently. "Oh, I may have asked Asa to measure you while you were still recovering."
Oh god, Alphonse thought. That's not fair!
He made no further comment as he forced himself to walk with an air of calm and approached the opposite side of the dais to try on the new gear. He heard a few giggles from Rinka and tried to shut them from his mind. Kirie and Asa poking fun at him was one thing, but he didn't know how to respond to Rinka with such topics.
His brain conjured a few brief fantasies of the beautiful catgirl mother that he didn't bother to suppress. He reasoned that such thoughts were only natural for the moment, and he certainly didn't mind them. He pictured another in his head of Asa wearing nothing but her undergarments as she leaned over him while he supposedly lay unconscious in bed. She raised a hand and parted some of her crimson hair as she maintained her usual stoic expression.
Unfortunately, his pleasantly indecent thoughts were ruined as an unruly Kirie entered the fantasy by busting down a door and shouting, "It's adventure time!"
Alphonse shook his head violently and managed to retain his focus again. It had been a long time since he had such thoughts. At least the scarf would serve a few other purposes he could think of in the future.
He started donning the outfit and pulled the scarf over the lower half of his face. It felt comfortable. Warm. The hood didn't obstruct his peripheral vision and the scarf was actually rather easy to breathe through. It didn't feel like anything would impede him in the least.
It took some time to figure out how everything fit, and there was a certain order to the clasps and different pieces. This wasn't a surprise. Adventuring gear wasn't as simple as throwing on a shirt and some pants. It took a considerable amount of preparation, and he wanted to make sure everything worked in acceptable order before he tested it in the field.
He gave himself a once-over when he finished and checked that everything appeared satisfactory. He stepped up to one of the calm streams fed by water that trickled down the wall. The intense eyes of an assassin stared back at him. The dark outfit concealed nearly every trace of skin, save for the area around his eyes.
Alphonse removed the hood from his head and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. There was a word he'd heard back on Earth for people that wore similar outfits. He couldn't deny that the gear was functional and looked pretty darn cool, but he needed to wear it constantly to hide his identity and stats.
He groaned as the word popped into his head. I look like a friggin edgelord. Well, shit.
He glanced over his shoulder to tighten a strap that felt a little loose and froze when he thought he saw something disappear from the side of the dais.
No, don't tell me.
He wasted no time rushing over. He skirted the wall at a wide angle and found exactly what he suspected.
"Damn catgirls," Alphonse breathed.
Kirie and Asa sat crouched on their toes facing away from him as they attempted to make a hasty retreat. They slowly turned around to look at him when they heard his hushed voice. Kirie had a silly, impish grin on her face, while Asa simply stared at him with her typical neutral expression.
Kirie twisted in her crouch with perfect balance and gave him a swift salute. "Hey there, friend. Looking good."
Asa scooted next to her sister and nodded vigorously. The motion didn't match her expression in the least. "Nice scars. I'm impressed. I didn't see the one on your back while you were sleeping."
"Compliments don't work on me," Alphonse said. His face flushed, but the scarf did its job well. He punched a fist into his hand for emphasis. "Like my contract, I believe in equivalent exchange."
Kirie pointed an accusing finger and backed away as he took a few steps forward. "Like hell! It's your fault for letting your guard down!"
"Yes, it's your fault for being so vulnerable," Asa added.
Alphonse was about to make a retort when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around slowly and saw beautiful Rinka with a hand held over her mouth. He detected a tinge of red on her cheeks as she let out an innocent chuckle.
"I may have peaked from the other side," she admitted with a sly wink.
Alphonse turned away from her and lifted the scarf up even further to conceal the rest of his face.
Not fair. Not fair at all.