The last chapter starts now.
Since we would only meet for two more days, I might as well help with the poll…
If I’m feeling generous, I may give more hints to each route—if someone actually asks.
And it’s all settled—they’re resting at Dezlea Town for a night.
As the squad headed towards the town, the Exiled went in another direction. No one else seemed to be bothered by that, so Rael continued moving ahead. The destruction left behind in the sand was there, as they followed along its trail.
After arriving at the city, a townsman had their flintlock out—aiming towards Kat. Kat didn’t answer them with anything as she looked straight at them, while Aurielle said something along the lines of ‘She’ll leave tomorrow, don’t worry. We’re just staying a night here.’
She got some information out from the townsman, and they brought everyone to a small inn.
They’re staying in this place for the night. And Rael didn’t expect there’d be enough beds for them to sleep on—and he was right.
Judging by everyone’s sizes, Jean would be small enough to fit with Aurielle in one bed, Kat could take the only other bed, and Rael could just sleep on the floor.
“Are we sleeping here?” Kat asked, heading inside the room and looking around—a table, a shelf, a closet, some chairs, and two tidy beds. He began to doubt if the bed’s size would actually fit Kat.
At the same time, Jean and Aurielle headed outside, leaving the twins inside the room. They mentioned they were about to get some dinner for the team, and told Rael to watch over Kat.
While Rael was checking the closet to see if there were any other items, Kat asked, “Can I really sleep here?”
“Yeah, is there—” And once Rael answered, he heard a thud.
Kat dropped herself onto the bed, already dozing off. Somewhat bothered by the way she fell asleep, he tucked her whole body onto the bed.
Something about her sleep still bothered him, as he sat down by the side of the bed. She didn’t even undo her ponytail before falling asleep, so he instinctively helped untie it.
Once his hands touched her hair, he had another idea as his fingers weaved the strands together. He might not be the best braider out of his siblings, but he did a pretty decent job with it.
While he was trying a few other braid styles he remembered, Jean and Aurielle returned with food in their hands.
“She’s already sleeping?” Jean asked, as Aurielle bit into something Rael didn’t recognize.
“Yeah,” Rael answered as Jean placed the food down on a table, and approached him, “didn’t expect her to be a fast sleeper.”
“Uh-huh… Wait, wow. Those are pretty braids!” Jean’s eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the braids in Kat’s hair. “You’re good at this.”
Jean’s sudden excitement took Rael aback—only for him to realize he had known very little about her so far. He didn’t expect this to be the second thing she noticed. "You want me to—”
“Get some food first.” Jean looked at the food she brought to the table, and Rael headed there. He picked a lamb skewer and bit into the meat, as he watched the rest of the squad wind down. Jean was braiding Kat’s hair, while Aurielle was reading something from a shelf.
After he’s done with eating, everyone except Kat did their own things like changing clothes and such. And Rael returned to Kat again.
There were a few additional braids on Kat’s hair, noticeably looser than his. “I admit, I’m not really good with this hair stuff…” Jean said as she plopped down next to him, looking at Kat’s braids.
Unsure of what Jean was implying, Rael bluntly asked, “You want me to braid your hair?”
“Oh, uh, not yet.”
Even if they’re still somewhat awkward around each other, Rael felt as if he’d learned something new about her—and he’s glad about it. Once they were done with exchanging a few random questions on the fly, Jean headed to the bed with Aurielle.
Rael got out from the bed, and noticed Aurielle still having her eyes open. He then laid down on the ground—that’s not too bad for sleep.
He’s not the type to fall asleep instantly like Kat, since he still had something left to think about while falling asleep.
- Wake Kat up, since she hadn’t eaten dinner. (“Unsolved finale” route)
- Talk to Aurielle, about where they’d head tomorrow. (“Loyal apprentice” route)
- Ask Aurielle about Dacien’s whereabouts. (“Shadow hunt” route)
- Process and reflect on his whole deal with Kat, and their possible journey in the future. (“New beginnings” route)
- Think about his possible future interactions with Jean. (“New friend” route)
- Head outside for a walk. (“Inconvenient alliance” route)
- Try to fall asleep. (“The puppet” route)
0 voters
Dacien noticed the two hooded wizards arriving at an abandoned building in the wilderness, and the fire wizard removed his hood—revealing Hifumi who had a remorseful look on his face, and he bowed. The other shadow wizard who just removed his hood was Jarl, who still had his mask on.
Being the one who’s less emotionally affected, Jarl reported the signals Kat gave them earlier—she’s heading with Aurielle’s squad, and would return to the Dark Arts Society in two weeks.
Dacien was disappointed, of course. But he appreciated the fact she actually specified the time she would return.
…And he had another idea. Something to ensure Kat wouldn’t cross the line of betrayal. He simply needed to deliver this message to her, and to tie up the loose ends himself.
He scrambled for a small notebook from his pocket, scribbled something on it, and tore the page, handing the note to Jarl.
“Deliver this to her and head to your lady’s place. I’m bringing the kid there,” Dacien said, as he placed his hand on Hifumi’s shoulder. The mention of the lady was enough to make Hifumi straighten his slouching posture.
Once Jarl had left for the message delivery, Hifumi looked at him. “Are you visiting her too?”
“Maybe. But most importantly, I need to bring you back to your home,” Dacien answered, as he patted Hifumi’s head.
“Why?”
“To retreat. Jarl will help them escape, and he’ll join you later,” as Dacien answered, Hifumi pointed at himself while looking back at him.
“Don’t feel obligated to help. I know he could manage those people by himself. I only needed you back home for your safety, alright?”
Hifumi nodded, as he turned towards some crashes and slashes from the outside. And Dacien looked out of the building, noticing some ruckus in the woods.
He didn’t sense any magic from there, so he carefully approached them, not wanting to be caught in the mess.
The Exiled and the Minotaur were fighting, again. This wasn’t the first time Dacien had seen this, and it wouldn’t be the last time either. So he returned to Hifumi before bringing him away from here—back to his home, where the lady lived.