"Well... that was certainly... something." Frederich says, looking back at the boxy concrete structure once the three are a safe distance from it and it's clear that there are no signs of pursuit. It wasn't a likely possibility, as even within the nest, the rats kept their distance as the three made their escape, and would be all the less likely to actually leave their territory to follow, but still, it never hurts to be cautious.

"Is the mouse king like that?" Kay asks, closing her eyes and rubbing her head.

"No!" Mia says, followed by a brief pause. "I mean... I don't think so?"

She looks to Fred who similarly has his suspicions, but can't confirm it for sure. Neither of them has ever met King Theos, but they figure that were he a massive amalgamation of mice joined together by their tails, it's the sort of thing that would have most likely come up in conversation with others at some point. Still, they can't really say for sure.

"Y-your leg!" Mia exclaims, eyes wide, looking down at Frederich's thigh. He has no idea what her problem is until her looks down and sees the grey fur above the armored lower leg stained crimson.

"Huh, I guess one of the spears must have nicked me." he says, rubbing his paw along the cut. "I didn't even notice. Don't worry, it's just a small cut."

The black furred sorceress isn't convinced by his insistence, going down onto her knees, pressing her paws to the wound. Fred, a little embarrassed to have the girls hands on his thigh and is about to object when an aura of light green light engulfs the paws. While the adrenaline was pumping through his system earlier, he hadn't noticed the pain but once he stopped and became aware of the small injury, the sensation grew. Nothing unbearable, but it did hurt a little. Now, however, that pain steadily fades, warmth flooding into the wound. After a few moments, the aura fades and vanishes, Mia pulling her paws away, leaving the bit of blood on the fur the only remaining trace that the injury had ever happened.

"How... how did you do that?" Fred asks, eyes wide, mouth agape.

"I figured that healing magic isn't much different from light magic. One removes darkness, the other removes injury, and therefore the principles should be largely interchangeable." Mia replies with a shy grin. "This was my first opportunity to put the theory into practice."

The armored mouse frowns, thinking. "That... doesn't make sense at all. How is healing the same as light?" he asks. Kay has a similar objection, but feels no real need to state it aloud. She just figures that it's a given that most things don't make a whole lot of sense, at this point.

"Well, it isn't literally. Magic doesn't quite work that way. It requires more of an artistic touch." The sorceress nods, "And yeah, it doesn't make perfect sense, but then it doesn't have to. That's what makes it magic. If it were entirely based on natural and logical causality, it wouldn't be magic, it would be science."

Frederich nods his head, even if he's not entirely convinced. He's hardly an expert when it comes to the arcane, however, and knows better than to argue with Mia on the topic.

"It's something I've been working out in my head for a while now." Mia continues, "I was kind of hoping it would maybe help fix Kay's curse mark."

"I don't think this counts as an injury. At least not in a conventional sense." Kay responds, making a point to look away from the pair.

"Are you alright?" The armored mouse asks her. Sure, Kay has never exactly been the most social person, nor one comfortable maintaining eye contact, but there was something unusual with the gesture which clearly went beyond her usual shyness. A deliberateness to the action, rather than a product of general social awkwardness.

"I'm fine." she says in a low, displeased voice. "Come on, let's get this over with."

She continues towards the final beam. Her two comrades look to one another with concerned expressions before following. The three had just won a great victory, and are now one step away from their final goal. It should be a time for celebration. Kay may not exactly be the most celebratory type, but one would think she would be happy, at least relatively so, but instead her voice just felt tired and frustrated.

A lot of quiet walking follows as the three double back, returning in the general direction of the mouse city. Considering the fact that the first two pillars drove the adventurers away from the kingdom, it's clear that the third must be considerably further away. This shouldn't be too big of a problem. Traveling may not be entirely safe, but both of the treasure temples proved significantly more dangerous than the outside world, so by comparison, it should be a time to relax, a time to be at peace. Instead, a cloud of tension follows the group, the source of it being their leader who maintains a pace inconveniently quick for both the heavily armored knight and the less athletic magic user. She won't say a word, and while she never lets the other two fall too far behind, she never lets them catch up, either. Even Mia and Fred speak little during this time, well aware of the tense atmosphere, both hoping to break it but being uncertain of how.

Finally, Frederich quickens his pace. Kay does the same, not actively running but moving at more than the standard brisk hiking speed. Determined to catch up with her, Fred speeds up even further, and she does the same. Finally, he frowns, breaking out into a run, something the naked mouse, who has been doing her best to look like she's been moving at a natural speed, is unable to respond to.

"Hey, wait!" He grasps her by the shoulder, turning her around. His eyes go wide as she turns to him. The red and black markings, once little more than a simple mask around her eyes had encompassed most of her face, dripping down her cheeks like a slowly flowing water, creeping down her snout, running down to the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were not much changed, but now framed by black, the pink appearing closer to red, the slit pupil an empty dark void which even light didn't shine off of. Her expression wasn't angry or annoyed, just weary and pained. The fur stained by the mark had grown thin, revealing the dried and rough skin underneath. "Are... are you okay?" He asks again, even though he's well aware that it's a foolish question.

"I'm fine." Kay huffs, quickly turning away once again, having no desire to put her current state on display.

"You know, it's okay to not be fine." Frederich says, paw still rested on her bare shoulder, even as she's turned from him. "Sure, being strong and brave and stuff is important for a hero, but you don't need to shoulder everything alone. I'll admit it, this sort of thing is way outside my area of expertise, and maybe there's nothing we can do to help, but we want to try!" he smiles softly. "We're friends, after all!"

"Frederich..." Mia says in a soft voice, seeking to interrupt him as she can't imagine it's the sort of approach Kay will respond well to, but at the same time she can't bring herself to mount a proper objection, feeling essentially the same way.

Kay simply chuckles, shaking her lowered head, wearing a slight but entirely joyless smile. "First of all, I told you, I'm fine. Secondly, let's make this clear: We are not friends." she points to Mia, "She was just looking for some adventure to help her run away from her problems." turning that raised finger to Fred, "And you just want to get stronger. As for me, I'm just in this for myself, just like you two. We aren't buddies, we aren't family, we're just three people who are using one another because it's convenient. Had things turned out just a little differently, each one of us could have found ourselves traveling alone or with a completely different group, who wouldn't any more be our friends than we are."

Mia similarly lowers her head, fearing a fight is about to break out but having no idea what could be said to avert it. Instead she looks to Frederich and is surprised to see him not angry but smiling. An entirely genuine smile.

"You're not wrong. I want to get stronger." the armored mouse nods.

"Of course."

"I also want to help your curse mark... and help Mia see the world... and find great treasures... and become a great hero that everyone will respect..." Fred says.

"Oh, come on..."

"Oh, and I also want to discover fantastic new lands... and obtain legendary weapons... and defeat terrifying monsters... and get girls back home to like me... and show my family that I'm not just another child, I'm someone special."

Kay frowns, paws folded across her pale chest.

"And I also want to make everyone happy... especially you and Mia. I want you both to become strong and wealthy and happy, just like me, and I also want to get to know you better because, like it or not, we are friends. Well, at least I'm your friend. I get it that some people form friendships easier than others, and hey, it doesn't need to be a mutual thing. Although I want it to be. See, I'm a really greedy mouse. I don't just want one thing, I want it all, and I don't rank or prioritize my desires. And hey, I know I probably won't get everything I want... hell, maybe I won't get anything I want, but I'm sure not going to stop trying!"

Mia walks up to him, taking him by the hand, giving him a gentle smile as well. If anything, however, Kay's mood seems to have only darkened.

"You really want to know more about me?" the naked mouse asks, glaring at him.

The unnatural form of her eyes certainly doesn't help, but if anything the mood emanating from her only accentuates the darkness within them. Frederich is tempted to back away but forces himself to stand strong, continue to smile, even if it doesn't come quite as naturally as it had just moments before. He nods his head. "Yeah, I really do."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Fine then." Kay smiles once again, but there's no hint of warmth or pleasantness in that simple curl of her mouth. "Let me tell you about my husband."

"Oh, so you're married?" Fred perks up a little, grinning.

"Fred..." Mia says in a soft voice, already having a pretty good idea where this is going.

"A strong mouse." Kay nods. "Brave, talented with a lot of weapons. Always bringing back plenty of food, even when other hunters would fail. Not just strong, but kind, compassionate, both happy to talk and able to sit in quiet contentment. He believed he could do anything, and was charming enough to convince others he could as well. That was a lie, though. One day he went out on a basic scavenging trip and never returned." she lowers her head and chuckles. "You know, it's funny. For the longest time I had fantasies that he just left me, that he found someone new, fell in love with them, and was living a happy and peaceful life with a new family in a new village. You'd think that would be a horrible betrayal, but I just wanted so badly to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was still out there somewhere. Even in my wildest dreams, however, I couldn't come up with a scenario where I imagined he would ever return, however."

"I... I'm sorry." Frederich lowers his head, his earlier smile vanishing.

"Then there's Collin, my oldest son. He looked up to his father more than anyone. Energetic and friendly, but always a little on the foolish side. He was convinced that his father was still out there alive somewhere, and was determined to find him. I forbade it, of course... kind words to make him accept it at first, later grounding him when he insisted on going. He still snuck out in the end, of course, and like his father, no trace of him was ever found. Like his father, I never even had a chance to say goodbye."

Fred looks to her silently.

"Then there's Annette. She had no interest in battles or adventures. She didn't seek out any danger, but the world is a dangerous place, and often it just finds us. The floors of the village weren't very strong, and some areas nearly rotted through. A hundred mice a day may have walked across that one spot, but in the end she was the last one. The fall killed her instantly."

"Please stop..." Frederich says, unable to meet her gaze anymore.

"And then there's Ginny. You never quite know where the food we eat comes from, or whats in it, so we hope for the best. Turns out there were tiny shards of broken glass in some crumbs she ate. As for Sean, he was torn to pieces by a dark lord when all the citizens had to evacuate when the village flooded. I wasn't the only one to lose a child that day, by any stretch..."

"Just stop, I get it!" the armored mouse growls, paws balled into fists, shaking all over.

"And finally there's little Cecilly. After losing so much, I was so determined to keep her from harm. I did everything I could to make sure she was never vulnerable to attack, her food was safe, and no risks were taken. Still, she still took sick, however. I tried to help make her better, took long trips to the outside in dangerous territory all alone to find exotic medicines, and she got better... at first. This happened a few times. She'd get a little stronger and then a lot weaker. I knew she wouldn't make it, but all I prayed for, each day, was one more day. But, of course, those prayers can't be answered forever. Not for any of us. She slowly weakened and wasted away, and then, I was all alone."

Fred looks to her unnatural eyes, face pale, having no idea what to say.

"They say it gets easier. They aren't wrong, either. It does get easier, but in the end, it's just like Cecilly's medicine. Maybe you come back 70%, but there's a piece of you, a non-trivial one, that you never, ever get back." Kay frowns, gritting her teeth.

"And that's what life is. For all your talk of great achievements and love and respect, none of that matters in the end. It's not working towards something, it's just a slow ruin of everything that we are. An endless series of closing doors. A last time you'll have ever held your child, a last time you'll have kissed your lover, a last time you've visited a place, or eaten a food or seen your parents faces. An ever growing list of thing you'll do for the last time until you finally take your last breath and the list is truly complete..." the naked mouse pauses. "Oh, wait, I guess I haven't really told you about me, have I? Well, you already know. When everything gets chipped away, eventually there's nothing left. For any of us. You either die young or scars accumulate until nothing else remains. So you can go on, pretending we're friends, pretending that you're some big hero, pretending that there's some great light at the end of the tunnel, pretending that there's something waiting for us besides pain. You can pretend all you want." she glowers, furrowing her brow. "But I have no interest in playing along with the fantasies of children."

She turns and hurriedly walks away, embarrassed by the tears in her eyes. None of this was new to her, of course, but she couldn't help wondering why it hurt so much more to say it out loud. After the briefest of hesitations, Frederich goes to follow before Mia takes him by the arm.

"Don't. Just... give her a little time." She says in a soft voice.

"I-I just want to..."

"I know." she nods. "I know you want to help, but this isn't the sort of thing that can be fixed with some simple words."

"Then what's the point?" he growls to her, "What's the point of any of this? What's the point of getting stronger, richer, becoming better if I can't accomplish a simple thing like stopping a friend from hurting?" he pauses. "You don't think she's right, do you?"

The young sorceress gives it a little thought. "I don't think it's really the sort of matter where right and wrong really applies." she smiles softly, "But, no, I don't think that's the only way to think about things. No matter what she says, we're still her friends, and all we can do is be there for her."

"That isn't enough." he grumbles, looking down at his feet.

She simply nods in response. "That's life, I'm afraid. Sometimes our best isn't enough, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try."

He gives a little forced smile in response before also walking away. As for Mia, she takes a seat in the grass, knowing he'll need a little time as well. It wouldn't hurt her to have a bit, either.

As for Kay, as is often the case, lashing out and venting her frustrations didn't help in the least and only made her feel worse. That's saying a lot, considering the pounding headache she has, right behind her eyes. It's like a drill boring into her head, and she can easily envision the curse mark, a simple surface discoloration at first, working its way through her skull, ready to devour what lies beneath. It wasn't so much the physical pain that hurt her, however, but shame and guilt. She dug up a lot of painful memories she wanted to bury, and for what? To crush the idealism of a brave young man who was only trying to help? Obviously, everything she said was true, in her mind, but those are the burdens of adulthood, not something to curse the young with. She wanted to apologise, but what would she say? Would she lie and pretend the world was a better place? Would she say that she's his friend, even though she doesn't really even know what the word means anymore? It's so typical, she thinks to herself. I hardly say two words to them, and when I finally do unload, all I can do is spew bile and misery. It's no wonder the other villagers saw me as cursed. How lucky they are to have forgotten me. I can only imagine how much better their lives are for it.

The naked mouse had sat in this place for quite some time, perking up an ear as she hears someone approach. It's Frederich. She anxiously tries to come up with some words in her head to try to settle things a bit, but that urge for diplomacy fades as he draws closer and she seems the goofy smile on his face. Any desire to make him feel better has vanished entirely, and at this moment, she simply wants to see him crushed.

"What?" she growls, gripping the handle of her axe tightly.

"I've figured it out." Frederich says, still grinning like a fool.

"Figured what out?" She scoffs.

"How to fix things. Once we get all three keys, you can wish to bring your family back!"

"That's..." Kay sputters, shocked by the words. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it? That dark lord made everyone forget about you, even people it wasn't in contact with. That's something that Mia thought would be impossible, and that's just a single dark lord! Whose to say what's possible and what's not in this huge world? It's obvious that there are things so much more powerful than ourselves, and the legend says that those who retrieve the artifacts will have all of their wishes granted!"

"We don't know that's true. It's just a story." She replies, eyes closed, head lowered.

"Yeah, we don't, but we don't know it's not, either. In fact, everything we do know points to the fact that it is!" he squats down next to her, and she opens her unnatural eyes just a peek to look back. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I should have known that there was a reason that you didn't want to talk about stuff."

"I..."

"No," he shakes his head. "Let me finish. Now, I know I'm kind of dumb and not good for much aside from swinging a sword around. I'm obviously in no position to tell you how the world works or what you should believe. Even if I wanted to start an argument, I know I'm not clever enough to win it. Still, there's one thing I do know: There's more to life than pain and loneliness, even if it doesn't always feel that way. As big and terrible as those things might feel, there are things even bigger, more important, and I'm not going to convince you of that through words, I'm going to make you see it. I'm, and not just me, Mia too, we're going to make you smile for real, and even if it won't be enough to make you forget the hurt and put it aside, well, at least you'll be unable to deny that there is something else out there. Something great. I know I've got a pretty huge list of dreams, but that one's going right to the top of it."

"Heh..." Kay says, closing eyes once again. "I thought you didn't rank or prioritize your desires?"

"Yeah, normally I don't, but I'll make an exception, just this once. Consider it a favor from a friend. Plus, it's not like I'm giving up on my other dreams, either, just because that one is at the front of the line!" he smiles, rising to his feet. "So, you ready to go? We've still got a treasure to find before we can bring your family back."

The naked mouse nods her head. "Sure. Just-just give me a few more minutes."

"Of course. Take all the time you need." Frederich says, walking away. It's not far, just barely over the hill and out of view of Kay when he runs into Mia who wears a dismayed expression.

"You... you shouldn't have said that." she says, looking down, curling her tail about her paws. "I know what you were trying to do, but you really shouldn't get her hopes up."

"There's far worse things in this world than having too much hope." The armored mouse says, looking back in the direction of his other comrade. "I'll admit it, I don't really know what's waiting for us once we gather all three treasure. We might not even survive! Still, if it can make things a little better for her, even for a little while, it's worth it."

Mia furrows her brow, clearly disagreeing but unable to work up the proper words to express it when Kay appears once more over the hill. She finally speaks as the naked mouse approaches. "Are you all right?" the younger girl asks meekly.

Kay shakes her head. "Not really, but it doesn't matter. The world doesn't stop turning just because I'm not feeling up to it. I'm still going, either way." she pauses. "You two coming along?"

"Heh, of course. Haven't come this far just to give up now!" Frederich grins.

"Yes. And Kay? As for your family..." Mia says, pausing, finding herself completely incapable of coming up with anything even vaguely eloquent. Instead she settles on some simple words, words which she knows aren't anywhere near enough, but in the end, all that she's really capable of giving. "I'm very sorry."

"Yeah." the naked mouse nods. "Me too."

She continues walking ahead, a little slower this time, no longer hiding her face as the tall buildings of the human city loom high in the distance, the pink pillar of light burning up into the sky. The final key is clearly in more familiar territory to the nameless mouse, a place which may, indeed, house a huge store of bad memories but one which she still finds herself eager to return to.