Alvin and Raymond returned at that point. Alvin kept shaking his body and begging Grumpit to wake up until he had to be dragged away. Raymond stood silently beside Raven, one arm around his shoulder, tears streaming down the old man's cheeks. Kamira and Raven were soon alone in the corner of a tavern near the east gate. He was still covered in blood, so no one dared look at them.
"Raven I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but let me start with the amulet. "As she placed her finger on his chest, he shivered.
"The wearer of such an item can choose to tap into the power of the constellation, or more specifically, the red star that forged it, at any time." She leaned in, her face only a few inches away.
"But, when we ambushed the knights, their shields automatically activated, right?" His eyes began to water as the stench of rotten meat pierced his nostrils.
"Yes, this is why I'm warning you about it; even if you don't intend to use it, it will still activate if you're hit by even a large tree branch. If you want to use it again, only do so if absolutely necessary, obviously to save your life. Just keep in mind that the King who forged it will keep track of every use." Raven raised an eyebrow, having never heard of such a thing before. Kamira continued before he could ask a question.
"The amazing thing about these amulets is that no King knows who created which one. With it, you gain access to almost every part of the empire. However, if you happen to come across someone wearing the same king's artifact as you, you should eliminate them." Her bony white teeth were visible through a wicked grin.
"Why did you help me? You should have just ransomed or robbed me not only today, but all those years ago when I showed up at your doorstep. You put up with a clumsy thief who caused far more trouble than he was worth all those years." Raven clenched his fists and stared into her eyes. The necromancer inhaled deeply.
"Would you believe me if I said I fell in love with you at first sight?" He just remained silent. "All right, fine. Let's just say that many things happened many years before you were born. I was a young aspiring necromancer still full of life, and I was a member of the free company, performing many missions for them. My team and I were on a mission outside the Ruby Kingdom one day, investigating a strange phenomenon inside a long abandoned mine. We came across a group of rogue adventurers, which we would normally have had to kill or challenge before dragging them back to the arena. Despite this, we had already lost half of the party to the damned kobold's traps and cave-ins. For the time being, we decided to work together to get out of there alive. We came across a crystal dragon at the deepest point; if it hadn't been a young one, we would have all perished. Despite this, only two made it out: a charming and handsome young man carried me, the dragon's heart, and a chest full of Ruby's back outside." Her lips twitched a little. Raven wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Stolen story; please report.
"That man wasn't named Chase by chance, right?" He inquired quietly. She nodded, her teeth clenched. "Did that man express his undying and eternal love and devotion for the young maiden he had just rescued?" As the temperature dropped, some of the other customers in the tavern began to shiver.
"And that despicable man did not abandon the woman after a few weeks with only a few coins, a nice bouquet, and a hastily written letter for the honeyed words, that he would set off to slay another dragon or even save the world?" She slammed her fists against the desk, sending splinters flying everywhere.
"This fucking bastard even forced me to betray the free company! If I hadn't faked my own death with necromancy, they would have hunted me down to this day." Raven stood up and dragged her out of the tavern, away from the onlookers. He asked her again, this time in a deserted alley. "Then why help me?"
"I always pay back my debts, and that jerk saved my life." So I decided to repay him by taking you in." As she looked at him, her eyes softened. "I also think we made a good thief out of you." He looked closely at his shoes. "Since we don't have much more time, please respond honestly."
"Have you decided to follow in the footsteps of your grandfather?"
"Yes, I will go," he said vehemently.
"Very good, that coward never returned to venture inside that valley again." His eyes widened as she spoke.
"Don't think I hadn't been watching him all these years. Get stronger and return if you want to find him. I'll tell you what he did for all those years." His face broke into a wide grin.
"I will do everything in my power to return stronger so that I can protect my family." She averted her gaze and scratched her chin.
"I will do my best to hide your digital trail and protect your family," she said, trying to hide her joy, "but I have no doubt followers of the assassin King will come after you, and the owner of your item will certainly want it back." Raven embraced her, lifting her surprisingly light body.
"Thank you so much, Kamira." She realized as she embraced him that she had never missed the ability to cry as much as she did at that moment.
Raven strode confidently towards the open eastern gate. When a bored-looking guard noticed his approach, he pointed at him and summoned several guards. They approached him with their weapons raised. Raven kept his cool despite his racing heart, pulling his hood closer and quickening his pace. A half-dozen guards had encircled him, terrified by his blood-soaked clothes and the gory path his footprints had left.
"Get out of my way." He curled his lips, as if displeased, and flashed his amulet at them. They scrambled away, bowing and not daring to look up until he was out of the city.