"Chapter 2: Discoveries"
----------------------------------------
With her resolve now taken care of, Millicent mulled over her current options. She did not possess many choices, other than waiting around until the day came, or keep traveling in hopes of finding a human village.
Seeing as though she still contained a great deal of energy, along with the fact the moon had only risen just recently, made her go with the latter option.
Taking a moment to glance around to her sides, the swordswoman eventually picked the opposite of where she arrived from and started walking. Twigs cracked and snapped under the full weight of her lower body, while leaves bristled as she slowly exited the clearing.
The time following her exit was peaceful, to say the least. The previously vibrant wildlife had been replaced with the synchronized echoes of countless crickets. The radiant light she was mesmerized with earlier was now replaced with the gentle comfort of the moon's shine.
In the meantime, Millicent turned her focus inwards and considered the many questions she had been withholding. The first thought that instantly came to mind was the nature of her arrival here.
Although a topic rarely touched upon in recent days, the idea of any lands beyond the endless ocean was not new by any means in the Lands Between. Many had documented events spanning various continents outside the borders of the Erdtree, while some of the people she and her companion had encountered traveled from across the great seas. One that came to mind was the samurai that originated from the Land of Reeds.
However, while the concept of foreign lands was recognized, foreign worlds were ideas most only acknowledged as mere fantasies and nothing more. There were a few ancient scriptures and the like, speaking of gods beyond the stars that governed their own realms separate from her homeland. Unfortunately, the few texts she was able to set her eyes upon were vague at best, barely providing information that the redhead deemed useless in the end. The complete lack of evidence led most to think that the idea only belonged to children's storybooks.
In spite of that, the broken moon that hung above her seemed to spit at the notion. Out of the many far-flung lands, the red-haired woman had been aware of, there was no mention as significant as a shattered moon. Its existence only pointed to the theory of being thrown into a separate dimension from the Lands Between. The thought only confused Millicent, and it made her head swirl just thinking about it.
"Even if I were to consider the possibility of my being in a new world, how did I arrive at such a place?"
It was with a growing headache that Millicent decided these questions were not worth entertaining. Contemplating the existence of a different world aside, the cause of her being sent here was completely lost on her.
So as much as Millicent wished to find answers, she was only left with the same uncertainty as before.
Abandoning that train of thought, the redhead moved on to other thoughts to pass the time. The path she had led thus far, the state of the Lands Between and its people, and how the Tarnished was doing after her death. Her musing continued in length as she subconsciously navigated through the dimly lit forest. The travel thus far remained without any disturbances. She saw no other signs of any beasts like the dark bear she had fought earlier.
Although, if there was one thing to note, the copious amounts of shrubbery scattered across the surface proved a slight hindrance to the red-haired lady. It was not much of an issue, with her sword cutting cleanly through the waves of bushes, but it no less disrupted her path in the end.
With a few more swings of her blade, Millicent allowed her legs to lead her through the cleared area. Various more obstructions presented themselves to her in the form of nature, but she had grown used to them during her travels in the Lands Between.
Aside from that, there was nothing left to take notice of as her venture turned rather uneventful for the most part. That was, until one of the times when she had been forced to clear out an overgrowth of green. Due to its much larger size compared to the rest, she took a moment to observe the vegetation ahead of her. When her left hand made contact with the leaves for more than a second, a sudden feeling invaded her body-
-as the collection of plants before her started rapidly withering away.
Millicent watched on in shock as the leaves faded into scraps of scarlet ash. Countless theories suddenly began swimming in her head as her left palm bore the full brunt of her attention. At the same time, a similar memory that occurred earlier played out in her mind.
'How foolish,' Millicent chastised herself, 'How could I have forgotten.'
The thicket remained in silence as she stood rooted on the spot. Unlike last time, she had more time to describe the sensation she had experienced just now. It felt new, yet held a hint of familiarity to her. More importantly, however, the way in which the bush had disappeared and the remnants it left were an occurrence she was all too used to seeing.
Gradually, Millicent returned to the reality around her. Her gaze still stuck to the palm of her left hand, her golden eyes were now filled with terror and trauma, alongside a hint of curiosity.
She could feel the trepidation building up in her chest, but there was something Millicent had to confirm.
Wordlessly, the redhead reached down and grabbed a lone leaf off the ground with her metal arm. As she had expected, the leaf gently swayed with the passing wind. 'Nothing'. Then, with the same leaf, she shakily passed it to her left and watched it fade away in the same manner as the others she had touched.
She gasped, "N-no… this cannot be." Was all the scarlet-haired woman could choke out.
Even now, the pain she had felt during her death still remained fresh in her mind; the suffering, the pure agony of the scarlet rot was an experience she would never forget for as long as she lived. Up until now, it was something she chose to ignore.
Millicent winced at the sudden remembrance, expecting the immeasurable pain to emerge once more. The needle was still gone from her body, leaving nothing to stop the invasion of the rot. Closing her eyes, the red-haired woman awaited her second death…
…
A death that never seemed to come.
Slowly, her eyes opened once more, the same dim forest still surrounding her. She waited a few more minutes, yet no deathly agony invaded her being.
Anxiety slowly gave way to curiosity as she quietly looked herself over. To her surprise, the dark, crimson marks of the rot were nowhere she predicted to see them. In fact, the previous scars she had received from the illness were all gone, with clear, unblemished skin now in its place.
"In the name of Queen Marika, how…"
Her previous shock had returned a great deal, now aimed at her current state. The scarlet rot was still within her body, evident by the remnants of ash she had scattered about. Yet, despite no needle to prevent its spread, there was none of the unbearable pain she had once feared. A frightening revelation struck her.
Something had changed with her body, in ways that should have been impossible even for gods.
Her physical condition was not the only change she had observed. The surprising speed at which the scarlet disease had spread and consumed the vegetation was unique to what she had before.
Prior to coming in possession of the unalloyed golden needle, Millicent had the capability to possibly infect other living organisms that spent enough time and contact with her. Nevertheless, it was never to the extent of completely withering a collection of plants within a matter of moments.
If that was the new ability the scarlet rot held over living nature, then the redhead dreaded to consider the consequences her touch would have on human beings.
Bearing that thought in mind, she abruptly shifted her focus to her personal void. Throughout her travels across the eternal lands of the Erdtree, she had more than once stumbled across her fair share of items. Whether it was clothing, weaponry, consumables, or the like, she had certainly come across at least one of its kind.
To help solve her queries, she focused on the clothing she claimed and started mentally shuffling about in her soul. It only took a few seconds but in the same manner as her sword, a pristine, white glove suddenly propped itself in the grasp of her mechanical arm.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Handing it to her flesh hand, its non-disappearance at the very least showed that the rot still maintained its property of not affecting any non-living material. With the help of her right hand, the glove snugly fit on her left, covering up her pale skin with a color only slightly lighter.
Moving on with her experiment, she snatched another leaf that drifted by, eyes locked on her covered grip that held it. Anticipation of the possible results, the swordswoman let a few seconds pass by.
"..."
Thankfully for her, the leaf no longer withered away in her grasp unlike before.
"Phew…" Letting out a sigh she was not aware she was withholding, Millicent could not help but feel immense relief at the outcome.
Should the rot infection not have been prevented by the barrier of cloth, the redhead would have made the decision of avoiding human contact indefinitely.
As much as she wished to interact with another living being again, she feared the risk of spreading the infection to other people. That sheer pain that she had experienced most of her life, was an experience she wished to keep only to herself.
Letting the leaf flow away with the passing breeze, Millicent began reflecting on her recent discovery, pondering the boons that might have possibly come along with her curse. A change in the position of the moon, however, indicated that she had spent far too much time on the spot than she had initially thought.
Continuing in a direction where she managed to spot the treeline thinning, the red-haired foreigner continued her trek, while the uncertainty of her new ability constantly nibbled at the back of her mind.
----------------------------------------
A long amount of time had passed since the sun had set, and the once bustling streets of a port city had now begun to quiet down. Many store owners had long since closed up shop as most of the city's inhabitants settled in for the night.
Despite that, being one of the major trading centers that contributed to Mistral's economy, a considerable amount of humans were still scattered about the city. Whether it was to work a night shift job, finish a last set of errands, or simply go out and enjoy the fresh air of the night. Many still strolled around Argus in its growing silence.
As one of the few people traversing its well-lit roads, Millicent stayed starstruck at the infrastructure and technology that she passed by. The awe she had felt back in the lively forest was trumped by the human settlement she had just entered.
It had only taken her a couple more hours since her incident in the forest, but after the temperature had noticeably dropped and the landscape had little by little shifted to a snow-white color, it was not long until she set her eyes upon the gates of a city.
Argus, the redhead had learned from one of the border guards, was surrounded by walls of polished stone; walls which stood as tall as the ones that surrounded the capital of Leyndell. She inevitably found herself mesmerized by the view.
While Leyndell's walls were no less grand, the border that surrounded the port city was much smoother and stern, expressing sturdiness and a sense of protection that the former did not show. Its appearance was more modern in form, and the overall presence it gave was truly something to behold.
The great fortifications were not the only things that caught Millicent's eye. When she followed the trail leading to the center gate, she managed to see a carriage that seemed more advanced than the wooden ones she was used to. Further inspection showed that they did not move with the assistance of horses, and she could not sense any miracles or sorceries at work. In the end, the red-haired woman chalked it up to it being a new world, adding to the amazement that had been bombarding her since her arrival.
Having entered the city with no difficulty save for giving her name -which provided a slight shock to the battle-hardened woman- she now wandered the snow-tainted pavements of the slumbering port.
"Truly, this world is really different from the Lands Between."
Sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time, Millicent considered her next course of action having now found a human settlement.
Seeing as dusk had already fallen, it was a reasonable choice to look for a place to stay for the night. Although now that woman thought about it, she held no currency to stay at an inn. Ever since she met her demise, Millicent had lost all her runes since coming here.
"Camping it is, then," Millicent muttered with a resigned tone to her voice.
Not being able to sell any items due to most stores having closed, she had no option other than to sleep through the night outside.
Albeit she had grown used to camping on her previous journey, it did not help the fact that her back had always sored from the rough textures of the ground. With her camping gear last left in the Consecrated Snowfields, the red-haired woman would, unfortunately, have to forgo sleeping comfort for the near future.
While contemplating a place to stay, Millicent meandered around the streets of Argus. Countless contraptions constantly caught her eye, finding no shortage of them in the city. Crossing another two streets and walking a few blocks eventually brought her to a possible spot, Argus Memorium Park.
Passing through an arch and moving further into the public area, Millicent sometime later, managed to come by a lengthy, wooden bench that she chose to be acceptable for her purpose.
Taking a seat on the bench, the woman gleefully noted that it was comfortable. Drawing in a huge breath, she let out all the stress and fatigue that was piling up for some time. For a few moments, it was silence. Relaxing from the cautious state she was in for the entire time, the red-haired woman achieved calmness for the first time in this world.
"Heh, having some trouble sleeping too?"
Brought out of her trance, Millicent jumped at the unexpected voice, turning and finding the woman who addressed her. A large, brown coat with gold accents protected her skin from the cold air, extending from her chest all the way down to her knees. Boots were paired with the clothing, matching the black gloves that covered her hands. Emerald eyes supported by glasses gave Millicent an understanding look.
Perhaps the most notable detail that the swordswoman noticed was the other woman's short-cut hair. More specifically, the fiery, red color that was a shade brighter than Millicent's own hair.
"Fortunately, I'm not experiencing the issue you mentioned," the crimson swordstress replied a few seconds later.
The other redhead nodded, "I see, so what brings you here so late?" the woman turned to look up at the moon, "I always come here every night, so it's usually just me here."
Millicent regarded the unnamed woman with a smile. "Well, I was just looking for a place to rest for the time being."
"So… looks like it's been a long day for you, huh?"
"It certainly has been one," she only now just noticed her roughed-up clothes, "I only recently just arrived here."
"Really?" The spectacled woman inched closer, eyes glimmering with thinly concealed interest, "You're new around these parts?"
Then, the woman stopped, seemingly realizing something before her expression turned apologetic with a slight mix of embarrassment, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself earlier."
The unknown redhead flashed a gentle smile, "Kina, Kina Nikos, it's a pleasure to meet you," she extended her hand out as a greeting.
"It is nice meeting you as well," Millicent curtly nodded, returning the gesture with her metal arm and shaking her hand, "My name is Millicent, and your assumptions are correct. This is my first time setting foot in Argus."
The now-named Kina spoke, "I figured as much. I don't remember seeing you here before, and I've lived here for most of my life," the woman shrugged, "first time for everything, I guess."
"I'm curious, what brings you to the port city of Argus?"
"Ah," Millicent considered her reply, bringing up the story she had weaved decided for herself while on the way to the city. "I have been… traveling recently and found myself lost in the woods. I ventured for a few hours and eventually made my way here."
Her answer was closest to the truth as she could get it. The swordswoman felt it would not be a good idea to tell her true story. Kina would most likely not believe her and think she was being taken for a fool.
"What!?" The other redhead seemed shocked at her answer, "You traveled in the middle of the night, with no one to help you?"
"Yes…? Is there a problem with that?" The crimson-haired foreigner tilted her head.
"It's definitely a bad idea to do that with all the grimm prowling about," the woman scowled for a split second before looking her over with concern, "Are you alright though? At least you seem fine, so that's good…"
'Grimm? Was that the monster I had fought back then?' the swordswoman was brought back to the first enemy she fought in the clearing. The name matched the appearance in her mind. Connecting the dots, that was most likely what her new acquaintance was referring to.
"Erm, I'm quite fine now, Miss Kina," Millicent replied with a nervous smile, "I did encounter one of these… grimm you mentioned, but I'm quite skilled in the ways of combat myself."
The redhead made a small show of her prosthesis, mimicking gestures in relation to swinging a sword. Kina 'oohed' at the sight, clapping at the short display, "I take it you're a huntress then. I didn't need to worry after all."
Millicent's eyebrow raised at the term. Huntress? What came to her mind was the profession of hunting wildlife, but she had a feeling that it meant something else here.
The other redhead didn't seem to notice her expression, "Oh if you're a huntress, then I'm sure my daughter would be excited to see you!" Kina muttered ecstatic, "She just started her own training in Sanctum a year ago, so she'll probably be interested in what you do."
"I see…" Millicent didn't bother to correct the assumption, "Then I'm sure I wouldn't mind meeting her someday."
"Definitely!" The mother confirmed happily, before looking back at the sky.
"It looks like it's getting a bit late, Millicent." The spectacled redhead sighed again, "I suppose I'll have to return back home, I still have some work to do tomorrow… Do you have a place to stay?"
Millicent blinked at the question before replying, "Unfortunately, I don't have any currency to check in at an inn. I was actually hoping to set camp around this area-"
"Nope!" She was cut off before she could continue, "That just wouldn't do. I'd feel bad if I left you here to sleep in the cold. How about you stay over at my place first?"
"..." Millicent quietly mulled over Kina's surprising proposal. Although she did not want to impose on someone she had just met, the idea of sleeping indoors did wonders to entice her.
"I wouldn't mind," The mother waved away at her obvious conflict, "My daughter isn't home at the moment anyway, so I have a spare room you can borrow in the meantime."
'Hmm, if so…'
"If that's the case," the swordswoman stood up from her seat, "I suppose I'll take you up on your offer if you so insist, Miss Kina."
"Great!" The resident redhead clasped her hands in joy, "And call me Kina, calling me miss makes me feel old."
Millicent could not help but grin at the energy of the older woman, "If that is what you request, then sure thing, Kina."
Feeling happy at her agreement, Kina added to her statement, "My apartment is just a few blocks left of the park, it'll only take a 10-minute walk before we reach there."
Millicent simply nodded, before following Kina out through the entrance she came in.
Her first day in this world was coming to a close, yet it was already proving to be an interesting one.