One hour later…
The Warrior’s still fast asleep. He looks like he’s snoozing peacefully and having some sweet dreams. Good for him!
Anna and I have done all we can for him. Like I said, there ain’t much left to do but watch and wait. That Rinnah willing, he’d wake up soon. I sure hope so, because this waiting is killing me. Knowing that there’s a Demon out there, a Shadow Fiend of all fucking things…
We haven’t spoken while doing all this watching and waiting. Anna’s sitting upright on her chair, stiff like a board, glancing nervously from time to time at the spot where the Shadow Parasite had died by Ascalon’s edge. There’s nothing to look at because demons that die on Nisha fade away, their accursed essence absorbed into Arcadia… but she does so anyway.
It’s all good, though! I don’t hold it against her – she’s understandably unnerved about the whole affair, seeing a Demon in the flesh for the first time. Training and studying about fighting demons isn’t the same as seeing and fighting them for real, even if the former enables the latter.
Good grief. I remember encountering my first Demon, slaying it with Anna in the previous timeline. It was an Imp scavenging Purity Forest, the first of many that rushed over immediately to attack upon noticing us. I thought I wouldn’t be afraid, having fought the Undead before ever laying eyes on a Demon (or a bunch of them!), but demons seem to have some kind of unnerving effect on mortal minds. It’s way more potent than the aura of dread the Undead emanate. I’m unsure how to describe the feeling it inspires in me, but to say it feels like a deathly chill running down my spine, over and over in perpetuity.
Overcoming that fear is part of Healers and Paladins’ training in the Order of Selene. It’s why Anna could wield Ascalon against that lesser Demon just now without losing her nerve. But even the most rigorous training pales in comparison to the real thing. Demons always end up far worse than the worst of nightmares fathomable by the mortal mind, fucked up as that sounds.
I’ve gotten better since that fateful day, one timeline ago. So did Anna. We got really good at killing demons as a team in the previous timeline. But she was the one in the beginning who held my hand figuratively and literally in the face of overwhelming fear. Kept me going. Fear may be the mind-killer, but I’ve learned to stand my ground and keep myself steady, thanks to her.
But things are different now. It’s on me to do what’s necessary to keep her safe while she finishes her training to become a fully-fledged Paladin, clearing the Trial of the First Saint in style. But before that day comes, as her Healer, I have to be stronger for her. I have to!
For that, this Warrior has the answers I need. He was on some kind of Guild Mission when he and his group encountered the Shadow Fiend. Perhaps they were clearing some minor Dungeon on the outskirts of the Isle of Spirits. Rinnah willing, he’ll send me on my way to find that Shadow Fiend so that I can force-feed that Demon bastard a little slice of heaven. And uh…
“Ugh. Where am I…?”
“Mister!” Anna exclaims, rushing over to attend to the Warrior as he opens his eyes, rousing from his slumber. “You’re awake! Thank Rinnah, we were worried that…”
“Wait! This isn’t… I have to get out of here… right now…”
Before Anna or I can stop him, the Warrior tries to get outta bed. He’s barely able to stand, let alone walk. We help him back onto the bed against his wishes. He’s a fairly well-built Human, big and tall and tough even for a Warrior, but he lacks the energy to push us away.
“Celia… Rae… I have to…”
“Please take it easy for now…” Anna says worriedly as the Warrior struggles in vain to get up from the bed, his eyes wide with worry and fear as his body trembles. “You were gravely wounded, and you need to rest before you can do anything else.”
“Yeah, she’s right about that,” I add solemnly. “Stay in bed and talk to us. I’ve got questions.”
“Questions…? Who the hell are you…? And where is…?”
“I’m Arisa Ishii,” I answer curtly, forcing myself to smile as I gesture to Anna while she hands the Warrior a glass of water. “And she’s my Paladin, Anna Silverlight.”
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“Nice to meet you!” Anna exclaims, smiling brightly. “Mister! Mister, umm…”
“Roderic… Roderic Sinclair,” the Warrior answers weakly after taking a sip of water, his eyes on me, still delirious from exhaustion. “That staff on your back… you must be a Healer, right? From the Chantry. And Anna’s your… Paladin…?”
“Yeah. Do you remember what happened to you? Anything at all?” I ask Roderic, prompting him to gaze deliriously at me. “You came to the Adventurer’s Guild, bleeding and injured. We healed your wounds.”
“Yes. My party and I… we were down in the Highgrove Warrens, escorting the workers on maintenance duty. We saw… oh, the horror… Celia! Rae! Healer, you have to stop that thing… whatever it is! What it did to me, to my friends…”
He’s in tears, weeping loudly as he gasps for air. I get up from my chair and head outta the room, now that I know where I have to go to put an end to this nightmare.
“Arisa?”
I can hear Anna talking to me, saying something to me, her voice full of worry as she asks me where I’m going… and I say nothing. Instead, I break into a full sprint, rushing outta the guildhall as fast as I can, outta the town, pushing past the crowds of Healers and Paladins of the Chantry escorting adventurers and townsfolk alike into the relative safety of Light’s Hope.
I can hear Anna shouting, calling for me to turn around. Pleading. Begging. Part of me wants to, so damn much. But I can’t! I...
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On the way out…
The Highgrove Vineyard is about an hour’s walk out of Light’s Hope, if one follows the beaten path out of town. The Warrens are down below the Vineyard itself – it’s an old system of aqueducts where filth and refuse from planting all those grapes goes, flowing out into the nearby streams that feed the Silent Sea that surrounds the Isle of Spirits.
“Arisa!”
Good grief. I’ve never been to the Vineyard in the previous timeline. Heard plenty about it, though. They grow grapes to make wine that’s very popular with the nobles of Sharmarli, the Holy City. From time to time, the Vineyard’s staff hire adventurers to escort workers to clear blockages and cull the monsters that multiply rapidly in the dark. Y’know, typical maintenance work with a dash of danger. But that’s where the adventurers come in! Usually it’s just giant rats or giant spiders, maybe a Slime… nothing too difficult. Not this time, though.
“Arisa! Please wait for me!”
I keep running. Her footsteps are getting louder, her tone growing more desperate. She’s a lot faster than I am at sprinting, and as we get further and further away from the crowds, she eventually cuts me off, placing herself in my way.
“You should’ve stayed with Roderic,” I state curtly as Anna frowns. “I have to handle this alone.”
“Huh? Why? I thought we were going to slay that Shadow Fiend together!”
“The Shadow Fiend that created that Shadow Parasite is far worse than you can possibly imagine. Go back to Light’s Hope and help the others with the townsfolk.”
“I can’t. I won’t!”
“Why not?”
“Why else? I have to be there for you, Arisa.”
“It’s too dangerous. You’re better off going back to Light’s Hope to help secure the town.”
I continue my trek to the Highgrove Vineyard. Much to my dismay, Anna’s following me, matching my pace step for step, faster and faster even as I move as quickly as I can in a futile attempt to get away from her.
“Fucking hell. Goddammit, why aren’t you listening to me?”
“Because you’re my Healer, and I’m your Paladin!” Anna exclaims, tears in her eyes. “I’m sworn to protect you, Arisa! No matter what! I know you think I’m not ready, and maybe it’s true… but I have to do my best regardless!”
“Anna…” I say, looking away from her. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“And I don’t want you to get hurt either!”
Good grief. I’m not so much of a hard-ass that I like to think I am, after all. I’m losing my touch. Hearing her voice pained like that… it hurts. It really does.
“I know it’s very dangerous, Arisa. And I know that I might not be fully ready to take on a Shadow Fiend,” Anna adds solemnly, bowing her head. “But it’s still my sworn duty to be at your side as your sword and your shield. And I want to be strong for you.”
“You sure about this?”
“I am.”
I stare her dead in the eye. She doesn’t flinch in the slightest, standing her ground. I glare into those eyes of hers, and dare I say it… there’s a fire in them. The righteous fire of a Paladin from the Order of Selene, determined to hell and back to do what needs to be done.
Shit. Anna’s a stubborn one, huh? Sure, she’s gentle, soft, and a bit too easy to push around, but in a situation like this, when a Paladin’s honour and pride to serve and protect are on the table… she never backs down. Never, even on the pain of death. And uh… I should’ve known better, knowing what she’s capable of… knowing what she’s done for me at the end of days.
Maybe, just maybe… I should reconsider going alone. Healers aren’t too hot by themselves, to be honest, even if it’s me with Elizabeth! I wasn’t thinking straight earlier, worrying about demons on the Isle. Even with all my strength, I need my Paladin and the Order of Selene.
I mean, who am I kidding? It was Anna who slew entire armies of demons alongside me in Arcadia, back in the previous timeline. And it was the brave Healers and Paladins of the Order, my brothers and sisters in arms, who led the adventurers of Nisha to hold the fort against the tides of shadow and frost while the world itself trembled at the Demon Lord’s full power.
How could I be so foolish? I need her. I need them. I have to trust her, and I gotta trust them. And I have to remember, always… that I’m not alone in this.
“Shall we head for the Vineyard, Arisa?” Anna asks me, her eyes burning with determination. “I'm ready to do what needs to be done."
“Yeah. Let’s do this!” I answer with a smile and a swagger, playing it cool as best I can. “Let’s fuck that Shadow Fiend up.”