Vin analyzed the map Maeve had focused on so intently. His eyes widened when he saw that it differed significantly from present-day Auroraan. There were three large geographical areas separated by oceans instead of being one clump of land like the planet he knew. The city they spawned in, Watervein, was circled, and another symbol was placed at the top of the continent with the writing "Demon King's location." He asked her how she knew where the tyrant had been, and she explained all of their journals had been updated, just as the librarian of the archival promised.
There were two tangible ways to escape that place and one hidden conclusion to their mission, which was referred to as a "Story Quest."
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[Title:] A Love Written in Ruin
[Difficulty:] Ascendant
1) Rewrite history, granting the Elven princess and Demon a happy ending.
2) The Story Quest may be skipped, and actors may exit through their designated gate: The Demon King's Tower
3) Hidden Route
[Guided Story Quest:]
1) Meet the Royal Guard, Frefran
2) Seek an Audience with Princess Elaria
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Reading this, Vin mumbled, "If there was an option for a guided story, why did they attack us?"
"We started it," she admitted, breathing out in shame.
"I didn't see it all, but I overheard some of our soldiers attacking a family. The slaughter began shortly after."
Vin, still partly out of it, could not express the anger that floated somewhere within him. He just couldn't bother to be surprised anymore. They were given a head start, but Ravenours burned the starting line because they couldn't control their hate for Elves. He believed things would have unfolded differently if it had been humans instead of those brutes in that situation.
Maeve didn't bother indulging in the first option of escape anymore. She had already charted a course for the demon kingdom where a portal home awaited. There was no need to discuss it. Not when the difficulty was stated to be Ascendant.
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Mortal Realm: Adventuerer
1) Novice: 0 - 100
2) Expert: 101 - 300
3) Master: 301 - 700
4) Legend: 701+
Archival Dimension: Seeker
5) Ascendant: 1000 - 1500
6) Seer: 1501 - 2500
7) Sage: 2501 - 4000
8) Curator: 4001+
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Vin's Survivability Rating had risen to 154, which made him an Expert Adventurer and able to overcome above-average threats in the Mortal Realm. But they were no longer on the same Auroraan as before. Anyone powerful enough to tackle Story Quest was no longer classified as simple Adventurers but as something called a Seeker.
Ascendant was the first level of Seeker, starting with a minimum of 1000 SR. Regrettably, that was a lot more than he currently had. Even Hughton was only Expert, and he doubted Kaelix was much higher, but Kane, who'd revealed to have survived a Story Quest, may have been on the mark. Even if those three powerhouses were still alive, there wasn't enough firepower. There couldn't have been many survivors, but enough to make traveling across the continent nearly impossible. Just getting out of the city would be challenging.
Vin dropped his head on the wooden desk and rested shortly while the fog cleared. He forged words that were hard to hear with his face down, asking Maeve, "What did you come up with?"
The woman was silent.
"Nothing, huh?" he assumed. He lifted his head, glanced over the map, and tried to pinch inward to zoom. When it didn't work, he exhaled and tasked his Journal with copying the outline since he knew it could magnify.
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"Pull up a chair," he said, scrutinizing the image. Maeve's hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed, and then he heard a genuine but lamentable "Thank you..."
As she limped off to grab another seat, Vin thought, 'When I took her chair I forgot her leg was broken. I'm sure I seem like a real jerk.'
'Whatever, she's a tough girl.'
The two sat at the desk for nearly four hours, racking their brains for carefully shrouded answers. Vin was sure they would escape the city alone, but sheepherding over one hundred survivors...
Vin paused, peeked at the long, dark-haired princess, who'd become even more of a mess, and then thought, 'A hundred is probably too generous...'
Regardless of how many survived, they were all scattered, hidden in different areas, and probably just as injured as they were, if not worse. It was a lot to process.
Vin became too cognitively encumbered to be of any help, so he stood and announced he'd be going back to bed. "You should get some rest, too."
"I'll continue to work," she said, red-eyed and exhausted. Vin couldn't begin to wonder what it must have been like for her to be responsible for so many people. Maybe she'd felt like that before the rebellion happened, too. Like her father was just a static piece on the board while she made all the moves.
He had her on his mind as he returned to the bedroom and tucked himself underneath blankets. It wasn't long before he ultimately fell back into the gloomy garden dreamscape.
Weirdly, just as soon as that world manifested, its walls melted like a pained canvas splashed with water. Something had disturbed his rest, and he was waking up prematurely.
Vin's eyes opened roughly an hour after he'd closed them. Night still lingered outside, the Elven room barely touched by pale light. He felt even more tired than before falling asleep, but his waking ears detected what sounded like faint sobs. Slowly, he lifted his head, discovering the pitiful young royal at the foot of the bed with her face dug into a pillow to muffle her crying.
'Seriouslly...' he thought as a miserable wave hit him. It was always so much worse when someone he'd known to be strong cracked. Defeated by the pressure of living. He stressfully ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Maeve," he said tenderly. The young royal didn't respond, so he spoke a little louder. With her senses, she had to have heard it; she just chose to ignore it.
'Fair. She's never struck me as someone who'd want to be seen crying.'
'We'll leave,' he thought, standing from the bed and walking to the door. He was almost out when Maeve's grievous voice hailed him, "Wait."
Vin stopped in his tracks and gradually turned to see her wet, exhausted eyes pleading for him not to go. Her frailty made his heart stutter, made him want to try and cure whatever weakness had infected her.
The silent command of her ruby eyes seemingly summoned him to her side. Vin sat beside Maeve, whose voice cracked, "I didn't mean for any of this..."
"Everyone is going to die and it's all my fault."
The truth of the matter was that most of the people there were condemned to death the moment they arrived in that dimension. Realistically, only a handful of Ravenours would ever return to the mortal realm.
Her woes were far from over. Vin contemplated what to say, either what she'd want to hear or what needed to be said. He leveled his tone and told her, "I won't pretend everything will be okay, because it won't."
Maeve's hands gripped his shirt, shakily tugging it as she listened. "A lot of people will die here... But-"
Vin halted, finding it difficult to speak. A moment later, he let out a low grunt before gently cupping her face in his hands, tilting her head to meet his gaze. His voice softened, though his determination was fierce when he said, "Listen. The race isn't over until you've crossed the finish line."
'What the hell are you saying?' His thoughts questioned. Even her face revolved in confusion.
Forming a sentence had never been so difficult. After some time to calm down, his tone lowered, becoming slow and nearly hopeless as he restarted, "I don't know what, or if there's anything useful I can say right now. So-"
"So, I won't say anything..." His words lingered, gentle and unassuming, as if offering her silent refuge.
He looked deeply into her eyes, his voice a steady whisper as he promised, "Just know, I'm here with you."
Maeve held his watch for seconds in that fleeting, quiet space, which felt like a bitter eternity. After the ends of the universe were reached, she pulled her knees up to her chest and looked dejectedly at nothing. It was far from Vin's expected reaction, but her sobbing had slowed, and her hands were still. They stayed like that for a while. At the time, Vin never found a silver lining to their situation; it was indeed hopeless, and he couldn't lie and convey otherwise. Still, after seeing her work and her passion for her people, he knew if anyone could oppose their low odds, it was her.
She was strong. She hid her own pains in front of others, even her trusted guards, and gave the illusion that she had everything under control, but really, she was just as frightened. Part of Vin wished she'd at least reveal more of her weakness to Tristen and Gideon, but he'd begun to know the two guards well enough to comprehend why she didn't. Their morale was directly influenced by Maeve. If the mighty royal crumbled, then her subjects were sure to follow.
Thinking became too challenging at some point, so Vin shut off his mind. Maeve, exhausted from overthinking, let her head drift unsteadily. She wobbled in and out of consciousness before finally passing out, her head slanting onto his shoulder. He always imagined someone so strong would be heavy, but she felt light against him. Warm.
He peeked at the horned princess planted against him and then looked away. A blink later, he laid his eyes upon the sleeping royal again and found himself starting. She'd never looked so... Human. His hand slowly raised up to her head, and he softly brushed back the strands of hair that set on her face.
He lifted her and placed her on the mattress before tucking her in. Thinking ahead, he decided to sleep on the floor in case one of the guards walked in and caught him in bed with their precious icon.
He settled down and laid out on the wooden floor. Of course, the ground was harsh, but then again, so was life.