Chapter 155
An Act Too Vile
The next morning, Erin woke up to see Julianna moving around the dining room area. After letting out a yawn and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the redhead got up and went to greet their host.
“Good morning,” Erin said.
“Good morning,” Julianna replied. “Sorry for not waking you up earlier, but you looked like you could use the sleep. I’m guessing the long journey you guys had put behind you really took a toll on you.”
The former maid’s voice was even and calm, but those with better senses could tell that there was something wrong, like she was trying to hold back something. While most would be left wondering what this was, Erin was more than aware of what was bothering Julianna. After all, it bothered her quite a bit, so it was only natural that someone directly affected by it would be in far worse shape. Still, Julianna seemed to be determined to keep on going and not let her feelings hold her down, which was more than a testament to her inner strength.
“That’s okay. It’s good to get to sleep longer once in a while,” Erin replied with a smile, before looking around and not seeing anybody else around. “Where are the others?”
“They all woke up before you and went their own ways, after eating breakfast,” Julianna explained. “Ryle took Arkay with her and went to explore the town. Durge said he needed some time alone and headed to a more secluded place away from here. Lexton wanted to go inspect the nearby plants and other things in case he could use them for potions. Zeldana didn’t say what she was going to do, just that she doesn’t want anyone else around her right now. And I believe Stacey is still in your van.”
The redhead was a bit disappointed that she had apparently been left behind by the others, but understood that they most likely needed time for themselves, too. Besides, it wasn’t her place to demand others to stay around whenever she wanted them to and they could all take care of themselves, so it was alright in the end.
“I guess that leaves me only me here with you then. Hope you’re not too disappointed,” Erin joked, hoping to lift the mood a bit. “You mentioned breakfast earlier. There wouldn’t happen to be any left?”
“Of course. I made sure that each one would get their fair share, so there should be enough for you,” Julianna said with a small smile. “It’s on the table. Just pick whichever bowl there is, but do leave the other two be, okay? Those are for Stacey and Silvia.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to not even touch them,” the redhead said. “Also… Thanks for preparing food for Stacey as well. I know she isn’t exactly the nicest person around, so I do appreciate the fact that you’re willing to help her out.”
“No problem. After all, I was the one who invited you guys. It would be rude of me to not treat you all well and make exceptions,” the former maid said. “Although… Mind if I ask one thing? I did see for myself that she can be unpleasant, but is it really that bad? The way I heard your friends talk about her made her seem like an absolute nightmare.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Erin said with a sigh. “I’m honestly happy that you’ve only seen as much as you have of her behavior. It can get A LOT worse.”
“Then… why is she traveling with you guys?” Julianna asked. “I don’t see how having someone like that as part of your group being an asset.”
“It’s… It’s a complicated matter,” the redhead said, struggling to find a proper explanation. “I do understand what you’re saying, but I just can’t simply abandon her. That’s it.”
“Well, if you say so. It’s not like it has anything to do with me,” the former maid said with a shrug. “Anyways, I’ll be outside if you need me. I’m going to clean up the rest of the graffiti that Silvia tried to get rid of.”
Erin simply nodded in response and the two went their separate ways. The redhead made her way to the dinner table, where she found three bowls filled with what appeared to be cooked crab and vegetables. The bowls had their tops covered with a clear wrapping that prevented the food from spoiling. After picking a bowl for herself, Erin took off the wrap, sat down and began to eat.
As she was eating, the redhead couldn’t help but think about the little talk she had with Julianna just a moment ago. It was true that there was no benefit to her or anyone in her group from having Stacey around, so why was she still keeping her former friend around? She began to think about what the actual reason for this was.
Was it because they had a shared history together, where they were old friends? That might have been the case at the start, but it was far from the actual reason. After all, Erin didn’t exactly have the fondest of memories when it came to her old friend group. She was willing to admit that this was somewhat hypocritical of her, but whenever she thought back to those days she was in high school it didn’t fill her with a warm sense of nostalgia, but shame and guilt. The redhead knew that what she had done back then had been wrong in more ways than one, so the “good old days” weren’t really a thing for her. Had Stacey shown at least some level of regret over their actions back then or even just a hint of having become better, Erin could say that she wanted to save an old friend. Since this wasn’t the case, the redhead could easily say that the friendship between the two of them was dead and gone.
Was it some form of a moral obligation then? Erin had made it very clear that there was no way for Stacey to survive on her own. Even if she managed to become sensible enough to take her life seriously and find a way to actually survive, there were numerous people that wouldn’t hesitate to either use her for their own benefit or downright kill her. The redhead doubted that Rayleen’s people were the only ones aware of “Golorath’s lady,” so there would be more people looking to use her in a similar manner they had hoped to. Not only that, but those with a grudge towards the Overlord would probably try to kill her, if not worse. There were even Golorath’s own subordinates that she would have to worry about. However, this world wasn’t one where you could afford to simply let others take care of you. This world was cruel and unforgiving, so you needed to become strong or get trampled by those who were more powerful. Erin wasn’t naive enough to think that they could afford to drag a liability like Stacey around.
Of course, there was the risk of Stacey telling the others about who they were and what they had done back in their own world. Having already been betrayed twice by people that she had trusted and had learned the truth about her, Erin was not willing to risk it again. Still, there could be a way to prevent Stacey from telling others anything about her, even if it would take some work to do cleanly.
When the thought of killing Stacey came up, Erin had to stop herself for a moment. It honestly scared her how easily she had considered such an option. Had life become such a simple thing that taking it from another didn’t require any thought? How could anyone think like that? The redhead was disturbed by how much this world had changed her.
In the end, Erin was left with no answer to her dilemma. It was clear to her that she needed to do something about Stacey, but what? Her personality was completely rotten, so it was very unlikely that she would do anything to help out. She also had a downright hostile attitude towards anyone from this world, so she was bound to cause issues with anyone except the redhead. Yet she couldn’t just be left on her own either. What could be done about her?
Hoping that there might be a way to fix the whole mess they were in, Erin decided to have a long and serious talk with her former friend. She needed to make it very clear to Stacey that antagonizing her friends was not going to be tolerated anymore and that she needed to start pulling her weight around. Otherwise, she might not have a place among them anymore.
After finishing her breakfast and taking the dirty dishes to where the others had left theirs, Erin walked outside, looking for Stacey. She didn’t have to look for long, as she quickly found her standing by the van.
“Hey,” the redhead called out to her former friend. “I need to talk to you. Do you have time?”
“I have plenty of time,” Stacey replied. “But what I don’t have is food and I’m hungry. Is there anything here that I could eat?”
Erin shook her head as she let out a frustrated sigh. She should have known that Stacey wasn’t going to join the others for breakfast, due to her issues. It still greatly aggravated her, as it made everything a struggle, no matter how simple.
“There’s some crab that Julianna prepared for breakfast on the dinner table inside. She even made enough for someone like you,” the redhead explained as she glared at her former friend, her tone not even trying to hide her malice. “Go there, eat your fill and come back here. Got it?”
“...There’s no one else there, right?” Stacey asked. “I am not going to have to deal with one of the… people you’re so fond of?”
Erin knew exactly what her former friend had wanted to call the others and it did anger her somewhat. However, seeing how Stacey had avoided using the word “freak” it seemed like she was at least aware of how her words pushed people the wrong way, at least when it came to the redhead. This showed a sign that there might be a way to get through to her.
“The only one in there is Silvia, Julianna’s little sister, but she’s sick and bedridden. I doubt you’ll see her,” Erin said. “Even then, I’d think it’s quite pathetic that you would be afraid of her.”
Stacey glared at the redhead, not amused by the remark. Despite that, she walked into the house in search of her breakfast meal.
Once her former friend was gone, Erin let out a sigh. She really hoped that there was still a chance to get through to Stacey, as she feared what would happen if she couldn’t do it.
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Back inside the house, Stacey had found the meal prepared for her and went to eat. Even if she hated this world and practically everything in it, she still appreciated the food. While not something that was exactly to her tastes, she knew not to turn down a free meal, especially when she was hungry.
Just as she was about to finish her bowl of crab, Stacey heard the sound of a door opening behind her. Turning around, she saw Silvia come out of her room. The little elf girl had a hazy look in her eyes, like she had trouble seeing properly. This was most likely due to her illness, as it had most likely drained a lot of energy out of her.
However, this didn’t matter to Stacey. The way she saw it, one of the freaks that she didn’t want to have anything to do with was close to her, when they shouldn’t have been. Not only that, this one was also sick. What if she caught whatever the thing before her had?
Finishing the rest of her food, Stacey stood up from the table and began to walk towards the door. This, however, forced her to walk by Silvia, who in her dazed state mistook the woman before her as her sister. The elf girl, thinking that her sister was walking towards her in order to give her a hug, reached out her hands towards the person before her.
Unfortunately for Silvia, not only was the person before her not her sister, but was someone who held deep loathing and disgust towards anybody from this her world. The reaction from Stacey was predictable, quick and violent.
“Don’t touch me, you freak!” Stacey shouted as she violently pushed Silvia away from her, causing the girl to fall over.
However, while Stacey had only wanted to get the girl away from her, what she did had far more severe consequences. There was a chair in the direction that Silvia fell over to and the back of her head came into contact with a corner of the wooden piece of furniture. Even if the blow didn’t seem all that bad, the actual damage it caused was.
Stacey stared at the now motionless girl with wide eyes, as a small pool of blood was starting to form next to her head. Silvia herself simply stared up into the ceiling with eyes wide from shock, her expression from her last moments now frozen on her face.
Just as Stacey was beginning to break out of her shock and walk outside, the front door opened once again.
“Hey, I heard some loud noises. Is everything-?” Julianna began to ask, only for her question to die in her throat upon seeing her sister’s dead body. Her eyes went wide with disbelief, as she began to slowly make her way to Silvia.
Once she had reached her sister, Julianna fell to her knees and picked up Silvia’s body, bringing it closer so that she could look at it properly. Her movements were slow and careful, almost as if she was afraid of breaking Silvia further. Julianna gently shook her sister in a vain attempt at waking her up, hoping that her fears weren’t true. Hoping that Silvia would once again move and speak.
This didn’t happen, as the younger elf sister remained lifeless.
“...Why?” Julianna asked in a hollow tone, devoid of all life. “Why did you do this?”
“...D-Don’t start blaming me! How do you even know this was my fault at all!?” Stacey tried to bluff, but it was obvious to anyone that she was lying. “Besides, she’s the one who-”
“WHY!? WHY DID YOU TAKE HER FROM ME!?” Julianna screamed hysterically as she stood up and went to grab Stacey by the front of her cloak. “SHE WAS ALL I HAD! DID YOU HAVE TO-!?”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Julianna’s erratic ramblings were cut short, as she felt a sharp pain hit her stomach. She looked down to see a knife embedded into her body. Just as she had walked up to her sister’s killer, Stacey had grabbed it in a panic off the table and used it to defend herself.
image [https://i.ibb.co/58YRS8G/Ch-155-Pic-1.jpg]
After confirming what had happened, Julianna looked back up to see Stacey sneering at her in utter hatred. Before the elf could ask any further questions, she fell to the floor while bleeding heavily. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was Silvia laying on the floor next to her.
“...T-That shows you, you bastard!” Stacey said as she got over the shock of killing the two elves. “You should have never tried to mess with-!”
The rest of her boasting died, as she realized that someone new had entered the house. This time, it was none other than Erin, who was staring at her former friend in complete shock and horror.
The two former friends stood in silence, simply staring at each other for a moment. Neither dared to make the first move, almost like they were in fear of something. Finally, Erin began to walk towards Stacey, who could tell that there was a new emotion brewing behind the redhead’s lone eye. Even though Erin’s expression remained unchanged, Stacey could tell that the flames of fury and rage were now burning behind her widened gaze.
“H-Hey, this wasn’t my fault!” Stacey tried to defend herself desperately as she backed up against the table, her hand trying to grasp something that she could use to defend herself. “They were the ones who came to me! I didn’t want to even get close to them, okay!?”
Erin’s gaze remained unchanged, as she stopped mere inches away from Stacey, who was now being terrified by the redhead’s behavior. Stacey knew that Erin was angry, but she had never seen her this angry. She had no idea what her former friend might do and that scared her to no end.
“S-Stay back!” Stacey said with her voice cracking from fear, as she pulled the knife out of Julianna’s body and held it before her in a threatening manner. “I can use this thing! If you try to do anything to me, I’ll-!”
The threats were useless, as Erin wasn’t affected by them at all. Instead, the redhead grasped the blade of the knife with her artificial hand and used the hidden flame mechanism to heat up the blade. The kitchen utensil began to glow from the heat of the flames, causing Stacey to let go of it with a pained scream.
As Stacey fell to her knees while holding her burnt hand, Erin simply kept staring down at her. She showed no hesitation or remorse when it came to hurting the person she used to consider one of her friends. Stacey would soon learn this the hard way.
“W-W-WAIT!” Stacey screamed in a pained voice as she stared up at Erin with pleading eyes. “I get that you’re angry, but we’re friends, remember!? Don’t you remember the times we used to spend together, having fun!? Don’t you remember how we-!?”
The pleas were cut short by a swift punch that hit Stacey right in the face. The pleading woman fell to the floor with a broken nose that she was now holding in an attempt at stopping the bleeding. Erin had even made sure to use her artificial hand that was made from metal in order to hurt Stacey as much as possible.
“Shut up,” Erin commanded in a low and cold tone. “You have gone too far now. There is nothing you can do to save yourself anymore. Don’t make it worse by reminding me of those shameful times.”
“W-What do you mean shameful!? You were having just as much fun as the rest of us were!” Stacey screamed in an accusing tone as tears were now flowing down from her eyes. “You were part of our group and enjoyed putting others in their place as much as we did! How the hell are you supposed to be any better than me!?”
“...You’re right. I’m no better than you,” the redhead said. “In fact, I might even be worse than you, since I am trying to wash away my crimes. I want to erase my guilt, so I can live without the weight of my sins pressing down on me. Even if I know that nothing can ever erase all the horrible things I’ve done and caused.”
“...T-Then there’s no need for us to be angry at each other, right!?” Stacey asked in a slightly hopeful tone as she sat up. “We can just put this all behind us and move on! After all, why should we care about any of these-!?”
Stacey’s rambling was once again cut short by a swift punch in the face, this time hitting her in the cheek. As soon as her body hit the floor, Erin unleashed a barrage of kicks aimed straight at her former friend’s stomach, who coughed up blood from the relentless attacks.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Erin stared down at Stacey, who looked pitiful. She was curled up on the floor, holding her stomach, while coughing up blood between the hiccups from her crying. Her face was now a mess not just from the broken nose, but from the mixture of blood and tears covering it.
“Please… Stop… Just stop!” Stacey begged as she looked up at Erin with terrified eyes. “I never wanted any of this… I never wanted to come to this world and I didn’t want to hurt anyone here… I just want to go home…”
“Do you think I care?” Erin asked coldly. “It doesn’t matter what you wanted. It doesn’t even matter what you were trying to do. All that matters is what you’ve done and what it has caused. And for those things I can never forgive you.”
“But… But you’ll be just as bad as Gabe, if you do this!” Stacey said, trying to desperately find some way out of her predicament. “Do you really want that!? To be just as bad as he and his friends are!?”
“Why should it matter now? My hands are already covered in blood as it is,” the redhead stated. “I might have done all of it so far in order to survive or for the sake of a higher cause, but that doesn’t wash it away. Adding yours isn’t going to make me any better or worse either way.”
Seeing as there was no way to convince the redhead from going through with what she was going to do, Stacey began to desperately crawl away from her, hoping to escape. Her attempt was futile, as a strong hand grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up, not caring about her agonized screams.
With tears in her fearful eyes, Stacey stared into the lone eye of Erin, who was glaring at her with utter hatred. Any hope that she might have had before was now completely gone.
image [https://i.ibb.co/9G0pDJy/Ch-155-Pic-2.jpg]
“Now I’m going to do something I should have done days ago,” the redhead said in a low voice filled with malice. “If you want any mercy, then you better hope that you die as soon as possible.”
Stacey screamed in agony, as Erin made sure that she paid for every sin she had committed.
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About an hour or two later, Erin’s companions were starting to return back to Julianna’s house. All of them had decided to take their time with whatever they were doing, as they weren’t in any kind of a hurry.
“Man, these octopus-filled cream donuts are great!” Ryle said with her mouth full of the pastry. “It’s kind of a shame that none of you guys were with me and Arnie, because I’m not sharing any of these!”
“Well, some of us have actual work that needs to be done!” Lexton said as he glared at the blonde in disgust due to her bad manners. “And would you mind and chew your food properly!? You have the manners and class of a wild animal!”
“Like you’re one to criticize others on such things, mister con artist!” Ryle shot back at the kobold, as she took another donut from her paper bag. “You’re just jealous because I got to enjoy my day, while you were fiddling with weeds all day!”
“They’re not weeds, they’re medicinal herbs!” Lexton shouted angrily while holding up some of the plants he had collected. “These are the things that will make us money and help us on our journey!”
“Meh. They all look the same to me,” the blonde said with a shrug, taking a bite out of her donut. “If I can’t eat them, they might as well be weeds for all I care.”
The lack of respect towards his work caused the kobold to seethe from anger. Realizing that a new argument might break out, Arkay decided to step in.
“What kind of plants did you find, Lex?” the cat boy asked. “Was there anything rare or special?”
“Glad to see that there is at least someone who recognizes the importance of quality work!” Lexton said happily as he went on to show all of the plants he had collected. “While the environment around here isn’t the most suitable for plant life, I did manage to find some very useful herbs here and there. For example, this is called Dwarf Grass and is often used to help with stomach pains and indigestion.”
“I see,” Arkay said, listening carefully. “Was there anything else you found?”
“Well, there was this Troll Moss that I plan to-”
“Oh, who cares about his weeds!? That’s his worry and work!” Ryle suddenly said loudly as she shoved another donut into Arkay’s mouth, not liking that his attention was directed at somebody else. “Come on! We’ve got plenty of treats from our trip to town! The least we can do is enjoy them while they are still fresh and warm!”
Arkay tried to speak up, but the pastry that was choking him due to being forced down his throat.
As a new argument ended breaking out despite the cat boy’s efforts, Durge and Zeldana were left to watch the events unfold before their eyes with mixed reactions.
“...Do you think we are ever going to have a day where those two don’t end up fighting with each other?” Durge asked with a sigh. “It feels like no matter what the day is or what anybody does to keep the peace, those two end up butting heads with one another. It’s almost like a law of nature at this point!”
“Who knows?” Zeldana said in a low voice devoid of life.
The response from the elf took the orc by surprise. Normally, Zeldana would be giddy as Ryle and Lexton got into an argument, as she found them entertaining. However, not only was there a lack of any excitement, but it seemed like there was no energy behind her in the first place. If she wasn’t standing right next to him, Durge would think that this was someone completely different.
“What’s up with you?” the orc asked. “Normally you would be either enjoying their antics or egging them on. Now you look like someone who’s at a funeral.”
“I practically am at a funeral,” Zeldana replied. “Have you forgotten about that Silvia girl and how she can’t be helped? That’s not exactly something that brings a smile to your face.”
“Oh… I see,” Durge said as he realized what the elf was talking about. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that it would affect you this much.”
“Well, it did. It really shook me to my damn core,” the elf said. “I became a legend in the resistance due to my unmatched healing skills. People believed that I could heal anyone, no matter what was wrong with them. And even when I knew that wasn’t true, I… I even began to think that…”
“Zel, listen. None of us are gods, okay? There are clear limits to the things all of us can do,” the orc said. “Even then, you can go far beyond those limits and have kept us all alive. There is nothing to be ashamed of with what you can do.”
“Except when I have to deal with a dying child!” Zeldana said somewhat angrily, before realizing her mistake. “Sorry… It’s not your fault. I just… feel so helpless! I’m supposed to be able to help people, yet when it really mattered, all I could do was tell her only family that she would die. What kind of a healer is that?”
“Like you said, there are limits to what you can do. Even you know that,” Durge said in a sympathetic tone. “Hell, I’ve been through the same thing you’re going through now. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve regretted that I wasn’t strong enough to keep people around me alive? Not just when I was still in my tribe, but when I was part of the Laughing Ogre. I watched as countless people were put through their sick games without even trying to do a damn thing about it. It wasn’t until I joined up with Erin and the others that I’ve been able to live in a manner that doesn’t leave me with regrets.”
“...I didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t understand or hadn’t gone through something as bad as I had,” the elf said while looking away in shame. “But still, like I said earlier, all I could do was tell that little girl’s sister that she was going to die. That’s not really anything to be proud of.”
“Very few things actually are worth pride, but I don’t think what you did was completely useless,” the orc said. “Even if the news came with a lot of sorrow and heartbreak, you did help those two to some degree. Now that Julianna knows the truth, she won’t be fooled by other fake healers peddling useless medicine nor will she force herself to take on risky work that will threaten her life. Now she can focus on something far more important, which is spending time with her sister and just being there for her. I’m sure that little girl must have felt terribly lonely from time to time. That won’t be an issue any longer.”
“I… guess that’s something,” Zeldana said with a small sad smile. “Thanks, Durge.”
“No problem,” Durge replied with a smile of his own. “By the way, what were you doing with your time off? You kind of just left without giving any details.”
“I was looking for a local healer,” the elf replied. “Specifically one who has been going around selling expensive medicine that can supposedly cure any illness.”
“...This wouldn’t have anything to do with recent events, would it?” the orc asked.
Just as Zeldana was about to answer, she and Durge noticed that up ahead Ryle had suddenly stopped walking. It didn’t look like the blonde was taking a break from walking or anything like that. Something had just come over her, forcing her to stand completely still while staring ahead towards Julianna’s house. Both Arkay and Lexton had also noticed her strange behavior, as they were looking at her with confused looks.
“Ryle, what’s the matter?” Durge asked as he and Zeldana walked up to the blonde. “Did something happen?”
“More like something has happened,” the blonde replied with a wide-eyed look on her face. “I smell blood. A good amount of it, too.”
Upon realizing the situation, everyone got ready for a fight, as they carefully moved towards the house. The front door had been left open, so Ryle was able to peek inside to see if there was anybody else inside. Upon seeing no one, she entered, followed by the others.
“Doesn’t seem like anybody’s here,” Durge said as he looked around, hammer at the ready.
“And that’s worrying me,” Ryle said as she pointed at something on the floor. “I don’t know who all of that belongs to.”
The others turned their gazes and saw a large amount of blood on the floor around the dinner table. There were also marks that indicated something had been dragged across the floor and outside.
“Think you can trace it?” Lexton asked.
“The scent is pretty fresh, so it should be easy,” Ryle replied as she sniffed the air. “Follow me.”
The others followed behind the blonde, as she led them behind the house. Not too far from there, they found Erin sitting on the ground, hugging her knees. The redhead’s back was facing them, so they couldn’t tell if she was hurt or not.
“Erin, are you okay?” Ryle called out, but received no answer. “We saw a lot of blood inside the house and found a trail that led here. Do you know what happened?”
Erin remained silent and didn’t even move an inch. Just as the blonde was getting angry was about to demand and answer, she and the others noticed that the redhead was sitting in front of something. There were two mounds of freshly dug up soil that had a large rock placed on top of each. It didn’t take much to figure out what these were.
image [https://i.ibb.co/cJ86583/Ch-155-Pic-3.jpg]
“Erin?” Arkay called out with fear in his voice as he was afraid of the answer they would receive to the question on everyone’s mind. “Where are Julianna and Silvia?”
“...They’re gone,” Erin answered in a dull and lifeless voice. “They’re both dead. These are their graves.”
The others’ expression went to shock and then grief, as the loss of their hosts sunk into them. Despite the sorrow they felt weigh them down, they needed to know something else.
“What happened? Who did it?” Ryle asked with barely held back rage. “Who were the bastards that killed them?”
“The monster that did it is already dead. I killed it,” Erin answered. “It’s body is to the left over there. I couldn’t be bothered to bury it, after what it did.”
Wanting to see the one who was responsible for the deaths of the two elf sisters, the others moved in the direction the redhead had pointed to them. They soon found a body laying in the tall grass, that drew shocked gasps from them.
Before their eyes lay the dead body of Stacey. They could also tell by the wounds on her that her death had not been an easy one.
While most were stuck staring at the body, Ryle frowned and stomped over to Erin. She grabbed the redhead by the front of her shirt and lifted her up so that they were looking each other in the eyes.
“What the hell is going on here!?” the blonde demanded angrily. “Who the hell was Stacey and why did you bring her along with us!?”
“...Don’t you remember?” Erin asked in the same lifeless monotone voice she had been using. “She was Golorath’s lady. Someone who angered him to the point that-”
“DON’T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT!” Ryle shouted. “It’s obvious that there was something else to her than just that! Why else would you drag someone so useless along!? It made no sense! Besides, we already know that you’re hiding things from the rest of us!”
“W-What do you mean?” the redhead asked, her tone now fearful.
“You’ve obviously been hiding things from us this whole time! We know that there is some special deal between you and Zeldana, which is how she joined us in the first place!” the blonde continued, surprising not only Erin but Zeldana as well. “Not only that, we learned about a private talk the two of you had with each other, where it was mentioned that we’re being chased by your old friends! Mind explaining that!?”
Erin looked over to Zeldana, who was just as shocked as she was. How and when had they learned about this? How long had they been thinking about what was going on with them?
Those questions ultimately didn’t matter. The cat was out of the bag and there was no use trying to hide things anymore.
“So are you going to actually talk? Or are you just going to give us more lies, while expecting us to trust you?” Ryle asked while glaring at the redhead.
“...You’re right. I have been hiding things from you,” Erin said as she was finally released from the blonde’s hold. “I probably should have told you all about it sooner, but I was afraid of how you would react. I just want you to know that I never had any intention of harming any of you. Let alone Julianna or Silvia…”
“I think we’ll be the judges of that,” Lexton said. “Now, would actually mind telling us this big secret of yours?”
“In a moment,” the redhead replied. “I just need to do one thing first.”
To the surprise of everyone, Erin suddenly took off her cloak that held all of her weapons and laid it on the ground, before sitting on her knees.
“Umm… What are you doing?” Arkay asked.
“I’m letting you know that I have no intention of running away from any of you, no matter how you decide to judge me. I can’t defend myself and I won’t be able to escape, if you decide to take revenge on me,” Erin explained with her head bowed down. “I guess what I’m trying to do is show just how sincere I am with what I’m about to say.”
“You really are serious about this,” Durge said. “Let’s hear your story then.”’
“...As you have already guessed, Stacey wasn’t just anybody to me. The two of us were friends years ago,” the redhead began her tale. “Back then, there were some other people that you all know of that I… associated with. Those people would become the Five Overlords.”
The others, with the exception of Zeldana, listened with wide eyes, as Erin told them of her past and the people involved in it.