Firil paced around the musty hall outside her room. Not noticing the small toys in her path, she went on with the restless motion. A million thoughts went through her head as sweat beaded on top of it. What if he ended up in a coma? What if he doesn’t survive? Oh goddess, what if… She shot up from her slumped form and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Chosh was sleeping nearby. He woke up to glance at Firil before falling asleep.

Moris was hurt, but he couldn’t possibly have been hurt that bad, right? He managed to drag himself and the safe back with him, so that had to count for something. Jake and Kos would be back soon hopefully. A bit of patching up is all he needs. That’s all he needs.

Firil walked out of the hallway to get some fresh air. Right outside the doorway was the crouching statue known as Okshender. Sincan was slouching next to the Gear, looking dejected. He took a quick look at Firil before returning back to staring at the ground. Firil herself tried to focus on Okshender to take her mind off of Moris.

“Okshender, are you there?” she asked. “That I am, young Firil. Always here, in fact. I don’t think I could turn it off if I wanted, so the company is well appreciated,” he replied. She winced. Can’t imagine doing nothing to be very entertaining.

“How uhh, how are you holding up? Any lasting damage? I could get Jake to check on you again once he’s back,” Firil offered.

“That won’t be needed, I’m glad to say. The armour around me seems to be rebuilding itself as we speak.” As he said that, Firil noticed small metallic bits moving through the grass and towards Okshender. A small shining piece seemed to lock itself in his leg’s plating. It wasn’t surprising to notice that he seemed less broken than he had when he came back.

She carried that momentum onwards and started speaking with Sincan. “Recovered any significant amount of bewl?” she asked.

“Not enough for another Revolution, I don’t think so…” he answered. After spending a moment in silence, she bid both of them farewell and walked back into the house.

Once again, she walked into her room and looked over the figure laying down on the bed. Moris’ clothing was bloodied. The sounds of his breathing calmed her a bit as it gave indication that he was still alive. She pulled up a chair and sat beside him on the bed for a while.

This is my fault, isn’t it? I get angry and the people around me start thinking they need to kill themselves in order to prove they’re good. She shifted in her seat, looking around her room. I’m not some little girl anymore. I’ll take responsibility, Moris. I’ll take it and make sure no one else has to.

After some time, Moris started coughing. Firil was half awake but the sound of it made her fully lucid. She shouted for Sincan to get in the room. He arrived a few seconds later in a worried state.

“water…” Moris whispered. Firil shot Sincan a look and he ran out to get it. She sat Moris up against the bed. He groaned all the way through the process.

“Do you need anything else?” Firil asked.

“Just…water…” he replied.

Sincan came back with a bottle. He handed it to Firil who opened it and put it against Moris’ mouth. He took it with a weak hand and began drinking. As soon as he was done, he splashed some on his face and opened his eyes.

“Ughh, didn’t know it’d end up this bad,” Moris noted. He started moving a bit but Firil stopped him.

“Don’t. It might open up some wounds.”

“I can handle wounds,” Moris said weakly. He unbuttoned his shirt and took off the makeshift bandages.

“Sincan, light?” he asked. Sincan pushed what little bewl he had through his Fire Wheel and created a small ball of flame that illuminated the room. Moris undid his own bandages and grabbed the bottle with his other hand. It started glowing and water gathered on Moris’ palms. He pushed his hand against one of his wounds, colouring the water a shade of red. After a few moments, he relaxed and removed the water. The wound seemed much more clean than before.

After repeating the process with more water, he put his clothes back on and settled back down into bed.

“Where are the others?” Moris asked. His face was filled with more colour as he said those words with a weak smile.

“Uh, off to get more supplies. We didn’t think you’d wake up so fast. Are you sure you’re fine?” Firil asked.

“Much better than when I first woke up. Class 3 Water Wheel,” Moris replied while pointing to one of the tattoos on his arms. It was clear that he was trying to seem healthier than he was, but Firil ignored that for now. Sincan had left the room by this point. Moris didn’t acknowledge that fact. “Did anything else happen after we left?” Moris asked. It helped keep Firil’s attention on him and not the state he was in.

“Well actually…”

****

“I don’t really know which style you prefer, so I told them to get some generic clothes,” Firil said.

“My intrepid style! What will people think when the great Moris is seen wearing drab and unoriginal attire!” Moris exaggerated.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“So bold that he’s circled back around to being normal?” Firil replied with a chuckle. Moris let out a smile. The enthusiasm died down in a bit however. They sat silently until one of them spoke up. “I-…Why did you do it, Moris?” The question slipped from her mind to outside.

“I-You me-What?” he could only answer.

“You know what I mean. I didn’t get angry at you and so you pull a stunt to redeem yourself?” She accused him.

Moris looked down for a few moments. “How else was I supposed to forgive myself? If I did this, then we’d be square, wouldn’t we?” he pleaded.

“No!” she stood up. “That’s not how it works! I appreciate it, honestly I do, but you didn’t need to go on a suicide mission!”

Moris himself grew agitated. “It was either this or you’d hate me forever! I thought you would be happy to have a chance at a normal life again. All we need to do is open the safe an-“

“That’s the problem! You think I would hate you forever? That I’m some unrelenting witch who would remain angry till the end of time? I’m close to forgiving Sincan already! Screw the safe! I’d rather live my life on the run rather than risk a life for a chance at normalcy.”

Another small pause. “But we have it now, right? What’s the issue here?” Firil kneeled down next to his bed. “Please, for the love of Hath, think before acting next time. Me and Kos both could have helped, yet you left us behind. I hope you realize that next time.”

“I’m sorry…” Moris muttered.

“Don’t be. I should have been faster,” Firil replied. They swiftly moved on to other topics after that. Firil still felt guilty for treating Moris like this but she felt it necessary.

****

“Can I see Okshender? He looked banged up last time I saw him,” Moris said.

“If you want to.” She held out a hand for him. Her Wheels granted her more than enough strength for the task. He leaned on her and they shuffled across the house.

The Gear was in the same location they had last seen him. Sincan lets out a small greeting before looking away.

“Young Moris. You were brave to do what you did,” Okshender said in his knightly voice.

“Thank you for the compliment. I hope we didn’t cause you any permanent harm,” Moris replied.

“It is a Knight’s duty to serve his pilot. Think nothing of it.” He held his horn high.

“Didn’t that thing get cut clean off?” Moris asked.

“Obtanite,” Sincan interrupted. “From what I gather at least. Not an expert on metals.” He looked away again. “Sadly, you do not seem to be made of the same material,” Okshender said. “Wait what?” Moris asked. He touched his antlers and felt one of them was cut off at the base.

“Wait what?” Moris asked. He touched his antlers and felt one of them was cut off at the base.

“Oh damnit! I spent so long grooming that!” he cursed. The asymmetry of his face would bring shame to his name, forever marring it in the history of fashion.

“If I’m not mistaken, can you not regrow it?” Okshender asked.

“That’s going to take the better part of a year…” he sorrowfully said. As he continued conversing with Okshender, a few familiar faces arrived. “You!” Kos shouted. Moris didn’t have time to react as he was grabbed by two sets of hands and hauled back into the bedroom he was resting in. He heard the sounds of bags dropping as he was rushed inside. “What’s the problem!?” he yelped.

“The problem is that almost dead people should rest instead of talking with giant machines,” Kos replied. Moris was powerless to stop her from throwing him onto the bed. He was feeling a bit tired again, but that didn’t mean she could doom him to boredom for the next couple of days. Kos and Jake were about to step outside but paused.

Jake looked him over and spoke up. “Dinner’s going to be ready. Eat it and rest.” Moris looked at the man.

“Sure. I’ll try not to worry you.”

****

The rest of the group was outside, cooking their meal over a campfire they had assembled. Sincan was the only one to hang back and watch from a distance. Firil stepped up to him to speak. “Look, Firil, I know I should have thought further but I didn’t know this would happen.”

“I don’t hold you responsible for that, Sincan. You did good, just never do it again with such risks. We could have chased after later.”

“No, we would have lost it and then have to spend our lives stealing and hiding.”

“I can’t argue against that. But you could have waited for the rest of us. I know how fast Okshender is,” she replied.

“Don’t mind the high pressure winds then.”

“I need a hairdryer anyway. None better than the one nature gave us.”

“Nature gave me a giant robot.”

“Nature works in mysterious ways, young lizard boy.” She smirked. “Food’s prepared!” Kos shouted as soon as they were finished. Firil went to join them while Sincan woke up Moris. Some tension was left in the air, but that was better left unsaid. It would just take some time for them to readjust. After a good meal, the group decided to rest. Seeing Moris in good spirits helped them alleviate the collective insomnia they were suffering.

****

Morning arrived with the sounds of chirping birds and sunlight. Sleeping in a jungle had some disadvantages, prime among them being the bugs and insects that infiltrated their campsite. A few screams were all it took to wake up the rest of the group after that.

Sincan scrambled out of his sleeping bag. “Can I get one night of proper sleep?”

“not in the near future, I would wager,” Moris muttered as he exited his own bag. After enough preparation, they gathered up their belongings and laid the safe down somewhere…. secure. The anticipation of the event made them feel cold, despite the weather.

Firil stood in front of the group. Looking back at everyone, she took a deep breath. Firil settled down onto the floor and held her hand out against the keypad on the safe.

“Did you check it, Jake?” she asked.

“Yes. If we try breaking it open ourselves, it might blow up the contents inside. Someone must not have wanted the wrong person getting this.”

“Alright.” Those were the last words she said before punching in the combination. The same combination she had had drilled into her by her grandfather. After it was entered, the safe gave off a beep. Then nothing happened.

Confused, she put the combination in again, slower this time. Again, a singular beep and nothing else. Concern was growing in the hearts of everyone present. She did it again, then again, then again. But nothing changed.

Sincan held one hand over her shoulder. “You weren’t lying, right?” he pleaded. Jake answered for her. “She’s not. I can only sense bafflement from her.”

Did he lie. Was grandfather playing some prank on her from beyond the grave. No, he wasn’t so cruel as to send people on journeys like this. Oxe wanted her for this reason. Maybe she was a decoy so someone else, someone more worthy of it, could get the safe. Someone who might have actually had the correct password?

Those thoughts were just rationales to help her keep going. But it didn’t work. She walked away. No one even tried to stop her.

****

The waterfall was as majestic as it had been before. It had slowed down a bit of course over the past few days. Firil stared at it. What am I supposed to do? That was it, our one lead. What a hypocrite I am. I tell the others I’d rather live on the run but when it comes down to it, I was glad they went, wasn’t I? I hate it.

Firil sat on the shoreline, dipping her feet into the water and letting them hang. She failed not only herself, but her friends as well. A familiar set of footsteps kept ringing closer to her. She dared not look up and meet the look of disappointment on her face.

Kos sat right next to her and dipped her feet in as well. “So, what now?” she asked. Firil didn’t answer for a while. “You tell me.”