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Chapter 14 - Casual Campfire Blabbering

The Caretaker's words resonated in Kyrios' head, weighing heavy on his heart. He fell down to his knees and lowered his head, his thoughts filled with doubt. "That can't be true; my father never told me anything about it. It must've been a coincidence, right?" he spoke, his voice a whisper. "Names change over the years, don't they?"

"As I said, it is likely a coincidence; don't think too much about it. If she truly came from there, it does make things easier for you if you ever visit the other side. You'll have a chance of meeting your mother's kin," she assured. "It is still based on a wild guess."

"Ah, I... understand," he mumbled. He remained on the ground with his fingers clutching his legs. "I've never met her before. I don't even know what she looks like. My father never kept any portraits of her anywhere. Every time I ask about her, he answers with short, open sentences."

He let out a deep sigh and stood back up. "By the way, I've been wondering about something for a while. What is that crystal behind me? Why is there a path leading up to it? Is it something important?"

The Caretaker turned her gaze toward it. "It is best you don't know every detail about this crystal. It was made from the cruelty of the past and its creation must never happen again. One thing I can say is that it binds me to this place, and if destroyed, I will die," she replied in a calm but solemn tone. "Though with enough of my spiral organs, I have some leeway."

"Why are you telling me that? What if I destroy it? Are you sure I should know that?"

"It is not easy to break; I doubt it would be possible for your small frame to do so. Even for me, it would take some time to fully obliterate it. Besides, it would be easier to fight me head-on if you truly desired me dead. The crystal weakens my vitality tremendously too."

"Then what about the path? Why does it lead to the..." he trailed off, biting his lips in angst as he sensed a sudden animosity from her. "Sorry."

"This path once carried the lives of countless people. It was criminals at first but eventually came the innocent ones. Women and children were no exception," she hinted. "Figure out for what purpose they walked here if you truly desire; I won't stop you."

"I won't ask you for more of that." With a heavy heart, Kyrios let out a deep sigh and stood up, grabbing the spiral organ that stuck out from the wall. "Anyway, you told me to grow stronger and collect your fragments, right? How should I get started? How should I grow stronger?"

"I cannot answer that. I am a monster; you are a human. I was never a fighter when I was alive, nor do I have vivid memories," the Caretaker murmured. "But somewhere at the edge of my conscious body, my treads sense the presence of other humans. I cannot tell how many, but a small group is my estimate. You should ask them for advice."

Kyrios skin shook with promise. He wasn't sure if they were an accepting group, but he couldn't deny that it was a relief to hear that there were others. Perhaps they'd be kind enough to help him.

"I can sense that your heart is longing to meet them, so I will not keep you here much longer," she declared. "Follow the path behind you; you'll find a way out soon."

Kyrios turned around, facing the crystal once more. An opening had appeared in the liquid wall, and through it, he saw the rays of flaming light piercing through the dark. The iridescent surface stretched like a fluid, undulating under the pressure of his feet. He turned around to face the Caretaker, offering a courteous nod.

"Thank you for all the advice. I'll look for those people and see if they're willing to help me. Would you be able to guide me again with your purple, uhh... moss?"

She shook her head from side to side. "No. My threads have decayed over the years. They are too far away to properly locate. I can only give you an estimate and leave the rest to your instincts."

"No worries," Kyrios smiled, clenching the spiral organ. "I'll make it work somehow."

"Wait, one more thing," the Caretaker spoke. "I must have forgotten. About a century ago, a group of adventures died in that frozen realm neighboring here. I managed to salvage their corpses, but unfortunately, they lost most of their equipment. But take this; I know it will aid you well in your journey."

A pocket, burbling like a wave against the shore, washed along the walls toward Kyrios. He bent down, his hand reaching into its folds, and pulled out something. A shaded purple scarf, a green and orange shirt, pants, and some large bags, all neatly folded together.

"Woah, this is fashionable!" Kyrios exclaimed. "This is a century old? It's barely wilted."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Time has no effect within my cosmos. Even if it has deteriorated, it still carries its purpose," she explained. "There is food in there as well. Whether you will eat it is up to you. I cannot say if it is edible or not."

Kyrios' stomach gurgled in response, causing him to break eye contact. "Uh, okay. Thank you for this. I'll be on my way."

The Caretaker didn't respond, merely shifting her body to a more relaxed position. Kyrios watched her in silence before tugging on his new clothes, turning around, and proceeding down the path.

"I am sorry that I cannot help you more than this. I cannot stay conscious for more than a few minutes a year."

"Ughh, I see. That's interesting…?"

"Good luck, Kyrios."

***

"Princess! Princess!! Wait for me, got damn it. Prin-"

"Ughh! Shut the... Shut up, Kai!" a harsh female voice sounded from ahead. She loosened her long white hair, which had gotten messy after some time. "Don't call me that."

"My apologies, ma'am," a masculine voice apologized, a tinge of disdain in his tone. "Jeez, how come you have so much stamina? We've been walking for days. My body feels like it's gonna crumble any moment. Can't we take another break?"

"Because I'm used to it, dumbass," the voice answered, followed by a few grunts. "Or maybe it's because you smoke so much. Smoking'll kill ya."

Kai clapped on her shoulder. "I'll kill you before it kills me, Princess. Don't worry," he joked. They had been walking for an eternity in darkness, mocking each other nonstop.

"Elora, just ignore him already," Zeke added. "Stop talking back, and we'll get out of here faster. Besides, a break doesn't sound half bad. My old spine is aching too. My legs feel like jelly."

"Ahh, finally! Some rest," Kai panted, falling to his knees. "Thank goodness, I'm so tired. I'm done for today."

"Let's rest here then," Zeke smiled. With a wave of his staff and a runic incantation, foliage emerged forth from the tip of his staff, transforming into snug chairs. "I'm freezing. It's colder here, isn't it?" He took a seat and leaned his staff against the wall. "Could someone wake Eira up? We need a campfire. This way we'll also have warm leftovers."

Eira let out a big yawn before sliding off Ashen's back. "I'm awake. Just barely," she muttered, her eyes struggling to stay open. "Mmmhh, ahh... That's nice." She rubbed her eyelids before letting out another groan as her hand reached for a small bag on her belt.

"What is that?" Kai asked, his attention focused on the pouch.

"This? Just a little piece of flint. I don't wanna waste an arrow to ignite a little fire," she responded, stretching her arms. "Zeke, make some firewood. I'll get started."

Zeke nodded in agreement and reached for his staff, creating a pile of dry wood as the runic tattoo on his forearm shone. Eira kneeled, pulled out her flint, and wrote symbolic runes on the wood block. She conjured mana into a concentrated pile on her fingertip, causing it to glow with an azure hue, and with a light flick, a stream of light erupted from the wood, catching fire instantly.

"Oh, neat trick," Kai chuckled. "You understand runes or what?"

"Magic is just science that you don't understand," Eira muttered. The fatigue was still clear in her voice. "It's not as complex as you think; at least this spell isn't. Stop relying on templates all the time and make your own runes sometime. Not everyone's fighting style is the same."

Kai scoffed and turned his look away. "As if. I don't have time for magic academies if I can just use spells invented by archmages. I'd rather spend my time training rather than wasting it on runes that are already written for me. It's faster and more convenient that way."

"Whatever," she sighed, crossing her legs. "Anyway, Zeke, how about we go on a patrol? Check for monsters and any useful items lying around."

He shook his head and lifted his chin towards the ceiling. "It's pointless. You've been asleep, so you couldn't have known, but we have yet to find anything at all after you fell asleep. For all of today, we've only found this singular dim passage. There is a complete devoid of monsters too, not even the presence of Riftborn," he sighed, catching her spiritless gaze. "We'll explore a bit further, and if there isn't anything, we'll simply return. Our food supply isn't looking good enough to venture for another day. I think we should call it quits after that." He looked around at his fellow adventures, exchanging a nod with most of them.

Eira's shoulders slumped forward. "Fine, whatever. I'll just rest for a bit then," she mumbled, leaning against Elora's flank. "Didn't we pack a little more than a week's worth of food? How are we already running out?"

Kai crossed his arms together, staring into the distance with a sullen look. "You know well what happened."

The others glared at her, their lips pursing in agitation. Eira rolled her eyes. "C'mon, you guys didn't even have to bring that up," she groaned, pinching her brow. "I know, I know. It's my bad."

Elora leaned her face on her hand and pouted, expressing her disbelief. "Ahh, man... And we went through the effort of packing an entire week. Who in the world could've possibly eaten everything in four days—"

"Three days!!" Eira blurted, interrupting her, sounding almost proud of her nutritional sabotage. "I ate it in three days! Heha!"

Kai raised his voice as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Girl, how the hell did you manage that?! I've never seen anyone eat so much."

She shrugged, a smug grin plastered on her face. "Dunno; I was starving, and the food was just so good."

"Just how do you digest all those calories in a day?" Zeke questioned with his hands clasped together. "You look as though you haven't eaten anything. You're in great shape too."

Eira let out a small laugh and crossed her arms. "Well, I can't explain it, but I guess my body is used to eating a lot. It's one of the few things I've inherited from my mom's blood," she replied, her playful mood shifting the previously serious atmosphere. "We're just different, I guess. That's all there is—"

"Shh! Quiet," Zeke hissed, his hand raised to silence the others. "I hear something."

The group remained still and quiet, their breaths held as they waited.

"It's coming from ahead," Elora whispered. A growing rumble in the distance caught their attention, and a peculiar vibration seemed to quake them to their core.

"What is that? It sounds like it's coming closer," Zeke muttered, his eyes fixated on the ceiling. "It's coming from this way."

Kai nodded. "Mhm, definitely." With a swift motion, he unsheathed his massive claymore from its resting spot on his back. "Finally. Our first prey!"