Trace mused over how the ambush had gone as he helped the Nami’Riah woman to her feet. All in all, he was surprised at the combat effectiveness of the group, especially Aj. When Aj alerted the group to an intelligent creature stalking them, Trace assumed the boy was just afraid and inexperienced. Kairi and Mig however took his concern more seriously, making an impromptu ambush plan. Kairi would close the portal around the creature, hopefully cutting it in half as it entered, while Trace would protect her. Mig and Aj would be on the side, prepared to strike at the distracted creature.
Things had gone surprisingly well, even after the plan to cut the creature in half failed. Trace moved Kairi to safety with a platform of earth rising under her feet and pulling her backward. Trace then only had to block a few blows from the creature before it became incredibly sluggish, allowing him to land several chitin-cracking hammer blows on its tail-head. As the creature fell, Trace realized the reason it had gone sluggish was that Mig and Aj had managed to decapitate its other head. Trace was impressed.
“Anyone wounded?” Trace asked down the hallway, as Aj helped Mig to his feet.
“We’re good” Aj answered “How’s Kairi?”
“I am well. Thank you for asking Aj” Kairi answered, walking closer to the creature's corpse.
“Seeing as my plan to sever the creature in half failed, but Aj and Mig were integral in slaying the creature, I think they should have the right to its heartshard.” Kairi finished, looking at Trace for approval.
“Seems fair to me,” Trace said, pulling out a mid-sized hunting knife he reserved specifically for harvesting underworld creatures. “I’ll harvest it for yah.”
“Do you mind if I try actually? Mig showed me the ropes of it earlier and I’d like to give it another shot.” Aj asked, eager to learn more about harvesting heartshards. Trace gave a lighthearted laugh and handed the knife over to Aj.
“It’s good to see my teachings being passed down. Show me what you’ve got.” Trace said.
Aj began harvesting the creature with Trace looking over his shoulder. Aj ran into some trouble in the beginning as he assumed the creature’s heart would be in its most central segment. However, after floundering in its mucky innards for a good while, Trace informed him that a unique creature like this one was likely to have its heartshard in a unique place. Trace led him to the severed head that Mig had sliced in half and Kit had torn off. With expert guidance from Trace, Aj located the heartshard and began separating it from the corpse.
“Watch that artery, you’re gonna wait to taper it off,” Trace interjected as Aj was just about to make a cut that would have splayed blood all over them, potentially ruining the heartshard. Aj nodded and followed Trace’s directions to the best of his ability.
“Not bad Son………. Not great, but not awful. I guess Mig did a good job of teaching you.” Trace said looking over at Mig who was slumped against the wall, his eyes staring at the ground. Trace let the boy rest, he knew that combat like that could take a lot out of a man. Even if it had been over in less than a minute. Trace’s eyes moved onto the heartshard that they’d just removed. Upon looking at it he was confused. It was bigger than a 1st level creature's typical heartshard, but not as big as Trace had been expecting for something this elite.
Trace grabbed the knife back from Aj and moved to the other end of the corpse to confirm his theory. With minimal strokes of his knife, he opened the tail-head segment of the creature like a can of sardines. To Aj’s surprise, Trace removed yet another heartshard from this segment.
“Is it normal for underworld creatures to have multiple hearts?” Aj asked. Trace took a long pause and looked at Kairi before turning back to Aj and answering.
“No, it’s not normal at all. Especially in the 1st ring, somethings wrong here” Trace said, his face full of concern. He took a heavy pause and looked up and down the hallway before continuing.
“We should move on”
-----------------------------
The group didn’t let their fierce fight stop them from continuing to explore the stronghold. Kairi was eager to get closer to the command crystal and Trace was eager to find his lost comrades. Aj was beginning to become very tired as their exploring went on for hours.
Thankfully for Aj, as they began to hit what he could only guess was the five or six-hour mark, Kairi found a room which she believed would be adequate to make camp in. After a quick debate with Kairi, Trace relented and agreed that rest was in all their best interest. The room reminded Aj greatly of a cozy Victorian study if the majority of furniture was made out of shining metal. Kairi offered to take the first watch, so Aj went to the corner of the room and nuzzled into the wall for a quick nap.
“Hey, I get it that it's rest time and all, but I’m worried about Mig over there. He hasn’t so much as looked at you since the fight.” Kit said mentally to Aj. Aj looked and saw Mig backed up into his own corner of the room. Quietly looking at the ground.
“I think he’s stewing on something,” Kit said to Aj.
“You think? Maybe he just needs space. We were just in a life-and-death fight and he almost died”
“It could be that,” Kit said. “Or it could be the fact that he saw a giant, tiger, plant monster come out of your torso, rip apart a monster, and then give him a thumbs up.”
“Ehhh you’re probably right. That does seem more shocking than a bunch of frost mantises and centipede monsters almost killing you ....” Aj replied, pausing before continuing. “It’s crazy that’s an actual comparison I just made, that is actually applicable to our situation.”
“Yeahhhhh, I know a few days ago we were safe at home. Playing video games and watching anime.” Kit said like he was wistfully looking back on the good old days. “I feel like I pushed us into this Aj. I’m sorry.”
“You definitely pushed man… but I get it. I could tell you were feeling cramped at the house and I couldn’t find anything to fix it. Then that shadow guy pushed us here and you were excited to see and explore where you’re probably from.” Aj said, pausing trying to find the words to continue his line of thought. “Bottom line is, I’m not mad at you about it. You don’t need to keep apologizing.” Aj could feel Kit giving a sincere smile.
“Me tearing that head off was pretty sick right?” Kit said his sincere smile turning into a ravenous grin.
“Yeah, it was,” Aj said, he was forced to admit that it was pretty awesome. “But, I’m not sure about the thumbs up though. I think that might have been overkill.”
“It probably was,” Kit said his ears preening backward like a disciplined cat. “You think he suspects us?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know what's normal here for sovereigns, but I have a feeling the way I’ve been acting is far from it.” Aj replied, taking another look over at Mig.
“Should I go talk to him?” Aj asked
“I don’t think it’d hurt. Maybe ask to talk to him outside the room just in case though.”
Aj mentally nodded in response and walked over to where Mig was sitting against the wall.
“Hey. You wanna talk for a second outside” Aj asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
“Sure” Mig replied flatly, looking directly at Aj for the first time in several hours. The two of them walked out of the room back out into the stronghold’s hallway. Aj gave Kairi a small wave as she watched them leave. Kairi returned the wave with a single hand, petting Shinju in her lap with the other. If she thought them leaving together was odd, she made no mention of it.
As they both walked out into the hall and shut the door behind them, the hallway became eerily quiet. There was a delayed pause as both of them waited for the other to speak first.
“We outstretched the invite, we gotta talk first,” Kit advised mentally to Aj.
“What’s up?” Aj asked Mig. Kit held back the mental image of him putting his head in his hands in frustration.
“What’s up?” Mig asked, repeating Aj’s question with a raised eyebrow. “You called me out here?”
“Yeah uhhhh” Aj replied, not sure how to proceed finding out what was wrong with Mig without seeming like he was prying too much. “Help me out here Kit”
“Ask him how he’s handling the last fight. If that doesn’t work Just be straight up and ask him if you’ve done anything to make him upset” Kit replied in a mental blur to Aj, trying to get the information across as fast as possible so that he wasn’t stammering for too long.
“How are you holding up after that fight? I do anything to make you mad?” Aj asked, scrambling to make the best response he could think of based on Kit’s advice. Mig raised his eyebrow even higher in response, while Kit shed a tear from the embarrassment. Mig seemed to really contemplate as he gave a heavy pause before responding.
“What the fuck happened out there?” Mig asked
“You mean the fight?”
“Yeah, I mean the fight! I should be thankful for you saving me, but I can’t help but wonder where the fuck that burst of power came from. You had a whole ass monster crawl out of your chest and tear apart a crazy strong underworld creature’s head. A head which I managed to cut, by putting my entire soul into a single attack. An attack in which I achieved what I’ve been training for years for!” Mig paused to catch his breath.
“Connected with my sword fully. Hitting that strike. I felt like I had really achieved something and when I looked up I saw you struggling against what I thought I’d already taken care of. I realized I was about to die and came to terms with it. Again! Then you jumped in and saved me. Also again.” Mig paused again, his face showing now a mix of awe and fear.
“You cut through that thing like butter” He continued, his voice becoming intense and quiet. “The culmination of years of training couldn’t take it out, but you did in under a second. I don’t care that you’re a sovereign and I’m not even bonded. No level-one progression sovereign could do that. Especially without training. Talk.”
“Eh” Aj muttered trying to think of a response. He was bombarded by Mig’s emotions and logic combined all at once.
“Maybe we do tell him,” Kit said, his voice heavy and serious.
“This early? Are we sure that’s a good idea?” Aj replied mentally.
“He’s on the edge here Aj. He doesn't know how to explain what he’s experienced, but he trusted or liked you just enough to earn him being honest with you and giving you a chance to explain yourself.” Kit paused. “It's a risk, but if you don’t here, I don’t think we’re getting that trust back.”
“Plus, I like him,” Kit added, surprisingly serious.
Aj felt like a bottle of hornets that had been shaken up. His doubts, fears, and hopes were all bouncing around in him waiting to see which one would break open the jar and be released. He liked Mig. Funny enough over the few days they’ve been traveling together he’d come to really trust him. He’d shown him so much already about exploring the underworlds. Without him, he’d probably be dead multiple times over, before he could’ve figured out how cor works at all. But what if it all went wrong? What if he told Mig the truth and Mig ratted him out or was forced to rat him out? Was he putting Mig in a more dangerous position by telling him the truth?
Aj took a last look at Mig. Mig was staring straight into Aj’s eyes, straight into his soul. Aj saw a lot there, but the most important thing he saw….. The most important thing he saw was a friend.
Aj spoke and the truth came out of him like water from a broken dam.