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Arc | Chapter. 6: Absurdities
🕑 Added 2023-05-24 11:39:06 +0000 UTCChapter. 6: Absurdities
Guide her in this world…? Ceylon hardly understood what Arc meant. She couldn’t even agree to something so cryptic, still she hesitated.
“What do you mean?”
Arc smiled. “As I said, I don’t know anything of this world, so you’ll help me with that.”
“You don’t know anything…?” Ceylon paused. “That shouldn’t be possible—”
And she recalled something, otherworlders were… a thing. It was nothing more than an ancient legend that heroes were summoned from another world in order to fight by the System itself. So maybe…
“Are you a hero?”
Arc answered with a small frown, offended by the question. “Why would a hero make an offer like this?”
“Right…” Ceylon shrunk back.
What was she even doing?
Ceylon slowly untensed. She was throwing away her only opportunity to claw out of her family situation just out of curiosity. It wasn’t even whether Arc was trustworthy or not, that was out of the question. She had been saved twice at this point, and for little to no reason.
At this moment Ceylon needed all the help she could receive, and she already owed her life to Arc, so even worrying about whether the young woman in front of her had ulterior motives was pointless. And so, Ceylon made her decision, nodding with a small smile.
“I’ll guide you.”
The white haired young woman smiled, proffering her hand. “Good.”
Ceylon grabbed it, this time not shying away from its ice-like feeling as she slowly stood up.
“Thank you… Arc.”
* * * * *
I stared at the noble girl, she looked almost relieved as she dusted her dress off just a bit.
“So, now you can tell me, what do you need help with?”
And Ceylon tensed, stopping mid action before her shoulders dropped. “It’s a bit complicated, but I do think I owe you an explanation.”
“I mean if you don’t want to share it’s okay, just tell me what to expect,” I tried easing her, but she just shook her head.
“I believe that honesty is important.”
Ceylon hesitated as she began to walk forward, lightly gesturing for me to follow after her. I saw her ignore her injuries as she began to speak.
“I come from a very well off family, with my father having the nobility title of Earl. Which is about middle to high nobility,” she explained. “Normally that would guarantee a prosperous and fulfilling life, but…”
Her fists tightened.
“The King just passed away of old age, and with no successor in line for the throne everyone is vying for the position of king. Unlike other countries, here in Draliz, our positions are determined by assets and wealth. It’s not abnormal for higher ranked nobles to assimilate the wealth of lower rank nobles through underhanded means.”
And a very loud sigh left her.
“As my father is an Earl our family would normally be untouched, even during such a chaotic time with little to no order, the problem is a Grand Duke decided to target our house…”
I nodded. “So, he wants to assimilate your family?”
“Yes.” She gritted her teeth. “However, he plans on doing it by wiping any trace of Arlow in the first place. He just wants our assets. Our lands constantly get attacked, our distant relatives have long been assassinated, and just now there was an attempt on my life.”
“Right.”
“That is why I was sent on a journey to seek help from a mysterious figure. One who calls themselves the Hermit. A person that has multitudes of feats to their name, and hopefully…” She placed her hand on her chest. “I can ask for his help.”
“All to avoid this Grand Duke, which is…?”
“It’s the highest rank below the King.” Ceylon sighed. “If there is a terrifying figure backing us, he wouldn’t dare lay his hands on us.”
And at that moment, I saw a small tear come from her eye. Truth be told, I had heard her cry in the forest, I had heard her mutters and sobbing. The situation was… bad. But thankfully, I was here and could do something about it. Perhaps, I was offering help too readily, but I was fond of Ceylon for simply being the first person I had an actual real interaction with.
She also seemed to have a lot of burdens thrust upon her without choice, and I could relate to that. I never chose to train for five years or become a hero, but here I was.
“I’ll help you get to the Hermit.” I nodded. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Though,” I began. “Aren’t you too young to be traveling alone?”
Ceylon shook her head with a small smile. “No, I’m a fully grown adult, eighteen to be exact.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “I thought you were younger, like sixteen.”
Ceylon let out a small laugh as we continued walking.
“Thanks for the compliment.” And then she turned to me. “I have to ask now. How old are you, Arc?”
I thought for a few moments, deciding to add the years spent in training. “Twenty four.”
Ceylon let out a small surprised breath. “I thought you were younger.”
I smiled for a moment. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should, I’d say you would look younger than me with different clothes,” Ceylon chirped.
I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe one day…”
The atmosphere became a relaxed silence as we walked together before finally Ceylon decided to say something, but it wasn’t something I expected.
“I have a random question Arc, why are you so cold?” I paused for a moment before she clarified. “I mean that in a literal sense.”
I wryly smiled. “Do you want to know?”
She nodded eagerly as I let out a small breath.
“I suppose I owe you a small story.”
◇ ◇ ◇
And I began to explain that after learning a certain amount of frost and ice related magic my body just became different, and that included my temperature. I also mentioned the changes to my hair and eyes, which made Ceylon confused as she noted that magic shouldn’t do that, but I shrugged and simply continued to tell her about things.
How cold was natural to me, that almost no temperature bothered me from the little I had experienced in terms of warmth.
I let out a deep breath. “I suppose things are just like that for me, I can control it to some extent but I don’t think I can have a warm touch or anything.”
Ceylon slowly nodded. “That is quite… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I shook my head. “I can relate to having to deal with circumstances you are not prepared with, and the burden you’re carrying. I’m sure it’s not easy for you either.”
Ceylon paused and slowly nodded. “It’s not. Thank you Arc, I… appreciate that.”
I stared at her for a moment, it was… fulfilling to have conversations and learn more about each other. Ceylon was a kind girl, not really the image of noble that I had in mind— then again, it my perception was definitely skewed since earth wasn’t medieval.
“So, how far away is the closest town?” I asked.
Ceylon pondered for a moment. “Maybe two days away at this pace?”
“I see.” I stared at the stars above us. “Do you want to get there in an instant?”
Contrary to expectations, Ceylon shook her head. “I don’t understand what you mean, but even if we could shorten the trip to a few hours, I’d like to take this time to relax. At the same time, if the Grand Duke doesn’t see me arrive at the next town in the following days, perhaps he’ll determine the assassination to be successful.”
She smiled.
“And well, maybe not the best thing to say but I’d like to get to know you better.”
I nodded. “Sure, let’s take our time then.”
* * * * *
Ceylon expected a lot of things from this two day journey, after all, she was going to spend so long with the person helping her, someone who was quite mysterious to her. More than anything, she hoped for guidance and to find the situation enriching.
Ceylon didn’t know how strong Arc was, however, she was certainly sure that Arc was at least B Tier, and even though they weren’t the strongest. B Tier individuals were strong. They were considered commanders in armies, they would take on important solo missions for the country, they would be the elite of the elite.
The general populace was the lowest rank after all, though those that stepped beyond were still generally E Tier, and it just got rarer from there.
And yet, Ceylon wasn’t entirely sure if Arc was B Tier, it had been too easy for her to defeat the C Tier mercenaries, so perhaps, just maybe, Arc was…
A Tier.
Generals of whole armies. Celebrities. Fabled adventurers with dozens of achievements under their name. Most A Tier individuals were well known through the Kingdom.
Ceylon swallowed.
If Arc was A Tier… What kind of experiences would I get traveling along with her?
She couldn’t wait!
◇ ◇ ◇
Ceylon stared at the sight before aghast.
She expected a lot of things, but this…
Arc was sitting on a log in front of her, and she was eating raw meat. Ceylon just stared as Arc gave her a weird gaze.
“Are you not going to eat?”
Ceylon broke out of her stupor. “Raw meat?! No!” she cried as she looked at the four legged dead monster. “Also don’t Linue’s have poisonous meat and their fluids have a paralysis effect? Even being touched by one could be dangerous, and you are…”
Ceylon watched as Arc munched on the raw meat of the animal.
“Just eating poison and paralysis reagents…”
Arc shrugged in response. “It must not be poisonous if I can eat it just fine.”
Ceylon watched more as her stomach churned at the gross sight. Linue were considered cute monsters, but the one before her had been torn apart as if ravaged by a terrible beast.
“Are you not going to cook it?”
“I don’t have any way to do so,” she replied simply.
Ceylon opened her mouth and promptly closed it again watching what was unfolding in front of her.
This was the experience she was so excited about…?
◇ ◇ ◇
And the oddities didn’t end there. Just a few hours later of traveling they were ready for bed, and…
Ceylon blinked looking at Arc lying down on the grass.
“You don’t have camping equipment…?”
“Nop,” she replied uncaring.
Ceylon paused as she slowly laid on the moist and filthy grass. Then she turned to the stars above as confusion filled her mind.
Was this how strong people lived…?
Still, somehow she managed to fall asleep just from how exhausted she was.
◇ ◇ ◇
Ceylon woke up only to turn and immediately freeze.
[Linue. Tier: D]
[Linue. Tier: D]
[Linue. Tier: D]
Three. Three Linues were attacking Arc with their paralytic licks. Ceylon couldn’t do anything as she watched the three merciless monsters go for the kill, but at that moment, Arc awoke with a yawn and a small chuckle.
“Stop licking me…”
After a moment, all three monsters ran away, and Ceylon just blinked.
She was fine after all of that…?
And Ceylon just fell back on the grass, disbelieving the absurdity of the situation.
“Hey are you okay?” Arc called concerned, but she couldn’t even bring herself to respond as she stared at the sky.
Just… what was going on?
◇ ◇ ◇
Thankfully the day continued as normal without weird occurrences. They walked for a few hours until— Ceylon’s stomach growled.
Arc turned to her in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat something? Look, I found these berries in the forest.”
Ceylon looked at the palm of the young woman’s hand only to see frozen purple beads. She recognized the berries Arc was talking about. They were all over the Black Forest, but at this point Ceylon didn’t have the energy to overreact anymore. Instead, a single sigh left her.
“Those are poisonous…”
“Really?” Arc asked with some surprise. “They taste pretty good, better than raw meat at least.”
Those words made Ceylon just shake her head with exasperation.
“I don’t understand, it’s like…” And she just stopped. “Nevermind.”
“It’s like?” The white haired woman raised her brow. “I can take your criticisms.”
“I don’t know, it’s just savage I guess…” Ceylon said hesitantly. “I don’t understand how you can sleep on grass just fine, ignore monster attacks and eat poisonous food and still be uncaring of it. I can understand resisting it, but you’re even enjoying this…”
“I guess so,” Arc shook her head looking at the sky. “I am just used to not having these things, so all of this is new to me. Hence I enjoy it.” She scratched her head. “Sorry it bothers you.”
Ceylon listened for a moment. “Right, you said you didn’t know anything…”
But after a few seconds Arc’s statement resounded louder and louder in her mind. Why was she even bothered by the absurdity of the events? No one had been harmed. And she wasn’t even the victim…
At the same time even if she was hungry she expected to not eat anything for these two days; it’s not like she was jealous of Arc’s eating habits, so…
What was she getting bothered about? It was childish, and more than anything immature and truly ungrateful.
Ceylon reprimanded herself before calling out.
“Arc.”
“Yeah?” The white haired woman replied with her usual carefree tone.
“I’m sorry for judging you over all of this, it’s just new to me and I guess I just…” Ceylon trailed off before shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”
There was a brief silence as Ceylon felt a pit of her stomach, but then she got a reply.
“It’s fine.” Arc smiled. “I have enough common sense to understand that it’s a bit absurd that I eat raw meat, and the fact that I’m eating poisonous things doesn’t make it any better.” She threw a berry in her mouth. “So it’s okay to be a bit bothered. Don’t worry about it, Ceylon.”
Ceylon paused, feeling a sudden sense of warmth. Perhaps it was because whenever she made a mistake in the past she would be harshly punished, but instead she had just been forgiven. It was something new to her, but feeling the warmth on her chest truly made her happy.
“Thank you.” She turned back to the road. “Let’s continue our journey then?”
Arc smiled. “Sure. How about you tell me a bit more of the town we are about to arrive in?”
“Ah I don’t know anything about this town in particular…” Ceylon sheepishly smiled, and after a moment she quickly picked herself up. “But I’ll tell you about towns in general!”
“Sure, let’s hear about that.”
“Okay, so first is the town walls…”
And Ceylon quickly began to explain everything she knew regarding towns.
◇ ◇ ◇
The day came to an end rather quickly, and this time Ceylon slept on the grass without being bothered. And when she woke up, she saw a familiar bizarre sight.
[Linue. Tier: D]
[Emenue. Tier: C]
[Linue. Tier: D]
…
Five. This time five Linues were attacking Arc, and this time, there were two evolved variants. It was a sight that would’ve scared Ceylon to death just a day ago, but now instead of being mortified, or even panicking at the sight of the monsters. She laughed at the amount of monsters surrounding her companion as she herself groggily awoke.
There were just too many of them!
There was confusion, a lot of confusion from Arc and Ceylon got to enjoy all of it. But, soon they all left after realizing their attacks were pointless.
“They keep multiplying…” Arc murmured and Ceylon chuckled in response.
“You must be quite delicious for them.”
“Ha…” Arc sighed. “I guess so…”
Ceylon smiled and stood up, offering Arc a hand. “Let’s go then? We should arrive today.”
There was a pause and some hesitation from Arc’s side before finally, she grabbed it with a small smile.
“Yeah.”
* * * * *
And that day, at night, we arrived at the town. We stood before the guard as he looked at us for a moment before speaking.
“You’re forbidden from entering Ranedale.”
I blinked, and Ceylon…
“What?!”
Comments
Jonathan Willis
Aww, the guard think's he could stop them.
