Nightshade's Legaia 3 Fan-Fic (a sequel to LoL 1)

[Nightshade]

“Well, we have a bit of it leftover from last night, but I don’t think that it’s enough to make a meal out of it. Do you want anything else?”
“I’ll be fine. I packed some other food anyway for the journey. I figured I’d need to bring enough to get all the way to Tarza at least, but since I’m going to be spending the night here apparently, I don’t need to wait. I’ll just have a little bit now, and wait until dinner.” Kresh was hungry, but as it was getting close to three in the afternoon, he figured that waiting a few more hours to have an honest meal wouldn’t be the end of the world. Kresh followed Relia into the kitchen, sat down, and started pulling some crackers and a jug of water out of his pack. He started eating a few crackers, and drank quite a bit of water. He was quite thirsty, after all. Relia went to the fireplace, set a pan on it, and put the fish down on top of it.
“Hey, Relia. Can you tell me a little about your parents? It’s just, I’ve never seen anyone who had access to this level of technology, and I’m curious as to how they managed to make so much of this stuff.”
“Well, I don’t really know all that much about it. All I really know is that they’ve made most of their breakthroughs within the past six months or so. They’ve been working on stuff for at least 10 years, but nothing’s really worked until just recently. It’s really odd, you know? You’d think that they’d have had more success earlier on, but no. It just didn’t work that way for them.”
Kresh thought to himself. “Well, if this technology is based on the Seru, it certainly would make sense that everything would only start working just recently. Rana did say that the Seru world only just came back to life recently. Given that these strange events are happening now, six months isn’t an unreasonable amount of time for the Seru world to have been reborn. This makes my job a lot easier, since I think they might have an idea of what’s causing all of this, or at the very least, have some leads on what do to next.”
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a giant crashing sound startled the pair. They looked toward the front door and saw a hideous beast. It seemed to be the same type of creature that attacked Relia earlier, but Kresh couldn’t be completely sure how different this one is. He drew his sword and prepared for battle. Relia also picked up some gadget or another. It looked like a long pole, at least as long as Kresh was tall.
“Relia, I know you want to fight, but I don’t want you getting hurt. Go find somewhere to take shelter. I’ll take care of this ugly brute.”
“Not a chance, Kresh! This is my home, and I’m not about to let some disgusting vermin take that away from me. I’m with you, whether you like it or not!”
Kresh sighed. He didn’t like hearing that, but he knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument, and the monster wasn’t going to let them finish in any case. “Alright. Just don’t go do anything too dangerous, and if you get hurt, run as fast as you can and don’t stop.”
“You got it! I’ll show him, you just watch!” “This is so cool, going face to face with a monster. I’m so excited!” she thought to himself. She picked up her pole with a ferocity consistent with her attitude but at odds with her small frame. “Alright, time to kick your big ugly butt! So, um, what do you suppose we do, Kresh?”
“Let the beast make the first move. We don’t know what it’s capable of, and I don’t plan on charging right into its mouth. Stay on your guard, and don’t take your eyes off it for a second.”
The two of them looked into the eyes of the monster, each as big as Kresh’s head. The monster let out a monstrous groan, and a fell stench unlike any other pervaded the room. Relia looked anxious, eager to fight, but Kresh kept his façade of stoicism intact, determined not to let the creature perceive either fear or weakness. He kept his sword held in a defensive position, more concerned about protecting Relia than actually going on the offense. However, he knew he’d have to do something eventually. He didn’t know how much injury the monster could take, and he knew that if it took too long, it would be dark, and the monster would almost certainly be at an advantage. He looked at Relia and nodded. She nodded back and readied herself. At the same moment, the beast let out another wretched howl and began to charge at Relia.

[Nightshade]

Kresh charged forward to intercept the beast as Relia showed remarkable resolve and stood her ground. Kresh jumped up several feet in the air flipped onto the ceiling. Then, he launched himself down with blistering speed, skewering the monster with his sword. Relia saw her opening, and jumped forward and stabbed her pole right into the beast’s left eye. She pulled it out with great adeptness and smacked the side of the beast’s nose. It let out a cry of pain, but was undeterred even by their combined attacks. Kresh pulled his blade out of the beast’s back and jumped next to Relia.
“Um, it’s getting back up. I’m getting a little scared. I don’t want to die like this, not in my own home by this ugly beast, and not after the best day of my life.” Relia started to cry, but her hysteria was tempered by resolve to kill the demon before her. Kresh, on the other hand, was completely unfazed, knowing that monsters like that never seem to go down as easily as one would like. He re-readied himself, and Relia got behind him.
“Relia, do you happen to have any of those exploding balls you used to deal with the first one of these brutes? It would certainly make it a lot easier if you could lend me one right about now.”
“I… I’m sorry. I only had two, and I was playing around and lost one of them. Please don’t get mad at me, I was only having fun.” Relia was visibly distraught, though Kresh was too focused on the enemy before them to notice the sadness in her eyes and the single tear she shed. The beast simply didn’t care, and moved in to attack the pair once again. It charged straight at them. Relia lacked the focus to evade, and Kresh wasn’t about to let her get killed without at least trying to defend her. He turned at the ugly brute and faced the broadside of his sword at it, attempting to hold it at bay. It came straight at him, and pushed him back a foot or two, but Kresh was able to stop the attack. The attacks were relentless, and Kresh knew that he couldn’t hold fast indefinitely – either his strength or his sword’s durability would give before too long.
“I’ve got to find an opening, and one that I can exploit without endangering Relia. Blast my unfathomably poor luck – I guess being the great and almighty chosen one means that something’s just got to try and kill me every single day.” Kresh realized that the monster had one weakness, and dropped his sword as he realized it. Assuming a defensive stance, he prepared himself as the monster charged at him with all his fury. Kresh buckled down, and at the last second, charged forward and caught the monster’s two monstrous tusks, one in each hand, pushing with all his might to deflect their combined momentum to the side, away from Relia. Conjuring all his strength, Kresh pushed the monster, which fell on its side, letting out a moan of intense pain. Kresh grimaced as well, for one of the monster’s razor teeth had cut his right arm. The pain was too intense, and Kresh screamed, both at the pain and at his frustration.
The sound of Kresh’s scream snapped Relia out of her catatonia, and she saw her chance when the monster fell down for a brief second. On pure instinct and adrenaline, Relia ran forward, picked up the sword Kresh dropped, and charged at the beast with all her might. Kresh tried to stop her, but his injured body did not heed his commands. The beast tried to defend itself, but Relia’s earlier attacks made it impossible for it to make out her small frame. Relia launched the sword right between the beast’s two monstrous eyes and thrust it through its skull. In an instant, it was over. The beast let out one final howl and dropped dead.
“We did it! We beat that big stupid ugly creature! Woo-Hoo!” Relia started jumping up and down for joy as she taunted the beast’s carcass. Kresh couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at her childish reaction as his feet gave out and he fell on the floor, unable to move his legs in the slightest. Relia was ecstatic, dancing around and celebrating the duo’s victory.
“Let me go get my parents. They better be done now, given all the excitement and commotion we just went through.”
“Go on ahead. I’ll stay here, for I cannot move.” Kresh tried to say more, but lacked the strength. He passed out as Relia headed off to go find her parents.

[Nightshade]

Chapter 3: The Seven Sentinels

It was late in the afternoon when Kresh finally came to. He found himself lying down on a bed, in a small room. Looking around, he could see out the window that it was nearly dark. The room was very plain – no art or artifacts on the walls, and other than the bed and some devices that Kresh couldn’t make out, it was completely empty. “How long have I been out? A few hours? Days? Where am I?” He tried to move his legs – they responded, but not without pain. His arms moved more easily; they were sore, but he could move them freely without struggling. He tried to remember what happened; he recalled the beast’s attack and how he had fought against it for several hours but had been nearly exhausted. Straining his mind further, he remembered how Relia had killed the creature just as he passed out. He looked around, but couldn’t find her or any trace of where she might have gone. He tried to get up, and with some difficulty and a lot of pain, was able to force himself to sit down on the bed. The door opened just as he started trying to stand up.
“You really shouldn’t be trying to get up all of the sudden. You’re pretty bruised up, and you’ve lost quite a bit of blood from your injuries. You’ll be fine, but you do need to lie down if you want to fully recover.” It was an older gentleman who spoke these words. He had light brown hair, and his face was fairly pale, yet lined with more than a few wrinkles. He brought a chair into the room and sat down facing toward Kresh. “Here, have this water,” he said, handing Kresh a glass already mostly full.
“I must thank you for saving my daughter’s life. Not once, but twice, as it turns out.” Kresh tried to correct him, noting that in reality, she had been the one to save his life, but the gentleman wouldn’t hear it. “Before I continue on, I must introduce myself. I am Dr. Usha IV, the ever brilliant scientist! My daughter has told me a great deal about you, and a little bit about your journey. I must say, I am simply fascinated by what I’ve heard from her, but I would ask you to recount your tale so far personally.” He looked at Kresh, only to see that he was rather pale and very tired. “No matter, your health comes first. My curiosity can wait. I’ll have my daughter bring you some food in a couple hours; until then, I’d advise that you get some rest.” He got up, put the chair next to the bed, and walked out of the room.

[Nightshade]

Kresh lay down and rested for a few minutes. He started to drift into a slumber, but was suddenly awakened when he heard the door slam open. Still sore and more than a little groggy, he turned toward the door slowly but cautiously. Relia was standing there, full of even more than her usual excitement and enthusiasm. She ran over to Kresh and gave him a big hug. Kresh screamed in pain, and the sound caused Relia to jump up and move back.
“Ow, that really hurt!” He was breathing heavily as he lay on the bed, trying to lay in a way that was as painless as possible. Relia frowned and apologized. “It’s alright, but I need to get some rest. I’ll try to eat something in a couple of hours.” He picked up the cup of water and drank some of it. “But until then, I need to sleep. That battle… I’m still in pain.” Relia nodded her head, turned around, and left without saying a word.
It was completely dark when Kresh woke up, save for a couple of lights in the hallway. He tried to move his arms – they were sore, but the pain was drastically lessened compared with when he last woke up. His legs were much the same – injured, but not unusable. Figuring that it would be a good idea to try to move around, and feeling hungry as well, Kresh slowly lifted himself up and got out of bed. He could definitely feel pain as he started walking out into the hall, but it was a dull pain, and relatively easy to bear. He didn’t know what to expect in this strange building, so he grabbed a short sword to be safe – he figured it wouldn’t be possible to use his broadsword in his current condition. He slowly walked out of the room and into the hallway. Even though it was only a short distance into the main hall, Kresh needed the better part of 10 minutes to walk that far, trying to be both quiet and to move in a way that wouldn’t cause him more pain.
He got into the hall and looked at the time on the wall clock – 9:28. He didn’t figure that Relia and her parents would be asleep yet, but decided not to try to look for them either. He walked toward the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. Discouraged at what he saw, he took a handful of crackers and ate them.
“You know, we made dinner for you. But I didn’t want to wake you up – I know you’ve been sore ever since the monster attacked.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. But I would prefer if you didn’t startle me like that.”
Relia nodded silently. She opened one of the cabinets and pulled out some food. There was some grilled fish – it looked like devourer, but Kresh couldn’t tell from that distance. There was also some corn, some rice, and something that Kresh wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen before. Despite being a little nervous about whatever that was, he walked over to the table and took a seat. Relia was busy reheating everything on the stove and getting everything ready for him.
It was scarcely five minutes when Relia had everything ready. She placed two huge plates of food at the table next to Kresh, then sat down herself. He looked at the food, and then at her, and then back at the food. “How am I supposed to eat all of this? There must be five pounds of food sitting here, and I’m still not at all sure how fit I am to be eating!”
“I don’t mind if you don’t eat it all, but I get the feeling you’ll eat most of it!”
Kresh leaned in and took a bite of the fish. His eyes opened up as he took the first bite. “This is actually really good. Your parents must be great at cooking to make something like this. Tell them I said thanks!”
“Oh, actually, my parents are horrible cooks! They’re scientists, so they are always trying to experiment with whatever they eat. You should see some of the stuff they’ve thrown together. It’d fascinate you and excite you, and also scare the appetite right out of you!”
Kresh was slightly queasy at the thought of it, but came to in short order. “I suppose that means you made all this then? Well, it’s really good.” Relia smiled gently at him. “Do you cook a lot for yourself?”
“Well, it’s either cook for myself, or take my chances with whatever my parents want to try that day.” The pair looked at each other, and laughed. Kresh continued to eat as the two made conversation. They talked about the journey, and about their childhoods, and growing up, and many other things.
It was about 10 PM when Kresh finished eating. Despite his earlier concerns, he finished the first plate, and ate nearly half of the second one. Relia picked it up and started wrapping the food up for the morning while Kresh sat down, both tired and stuffed. “If you don’t need any help or anything, I think I’m going to head off to bed now.” Relia nodded to him, and he slowly walked back into the main hall and toward his bed.

[Nightshade]

Chapter 3, Part 3

It was late in the morning when Kresh woke up. Between the sleep and the food, he was fully energized, and he was able to move around with only hints of soreness. It seemed that all of his clothes had been washed earlier in the morning, as he saw them clean and laid out for him when he got up. He quickly got dressed, grabbed his stuff, and headed into the kitchen to get some breakfast before heading out toward Tarza has he planned.
“I hope you’re not in too big of a hurry. There’s much that I would ask of you, and I feel that I may be able to help you on your journey.” It was Dr. Usha IV sitting at the table; his wife and Relia were also sitting down, finishing up their breakfasts. Kresh took the empty seat, and started eating a few bites from his plate. The Doctor turned to him and asked, “How much do you know about the War of the Mist?”
“I know some things from our local legends. About the Seru, the Ra-Seru, and a war that lead to the destruction of the Seru world and that brought our world to the brink of the apocalypse. I also know a little bit about the Genesis Trees, and about how they will bloom to prevent another disaster. I witnessed as much when Sol Tower was attacked four days ago.”
“Indeed, what you say is true. And at the same time, I see that you are currently wearing a Seru, in spite of the fact that the Seru world was destroyed at the end of the war. Would yoy happen to know anything about this?”
“Unfortunately, I am at a loss for an explanation. All I know is that Rana mentioned that she has existed in the human world for six months by our calendar. Prior to that, she doesn’t remember much. I was hoping that you would have a theory, or at least some lead to go on. Please, Doctor. If there’s something that I should investigate, it would be quite the boon.” “That, and it would let me get through with this as soon as possible,” he whispered under his breath.
Dr. Usha folded his arms and sighed. “I have an idea, but unfortunately, I’m not aware of as much information as I wish I were. It was part of a project that started some five years back. Something about an experiment to bridge the gap between the worlds. I’m not sure if my memory is fading, but I believe this project came to be after one of the head researchers came across a stone of purest ebon. He claimed it was possessed of an otherworldly power.”
“A stone from another world? One with ‘otherworldly power’, you said? What do you make of all this?”
“I’m at least as skeptical as you are. I’m inclined to believe that everything about this stone, or whatever it really is, is complete balderdash. However, the fact is that they do believe in the power of this stone, and as you can see from the Seru on your arm and the strange creatures roaming our land, something very ominous has occurred, and I suspect that they had something to do with it. At least, they’re the only humans I know that had access to the technology and expertise needed to undertake a project of these proportions.
“Is there any information you can give me on these people, this group? Some sort of lead, where I might want to look for clues?” Kresh was visibly shaken at the prospect of a group that had access to this level of technology and expertise, and wanted as much information as he could find.
“Sadly, I don’t think I can help as much as you might hope. However, I will share what information I do know. Sometime after the discovery of the Ebon Stone, these researchers organized themselves into a coalition of sorts. They called themselves the Seven Sentinels. Each of them was renowned in the scientific community for some facet of science, technology, or alchemy. They seem to have spent the last five years restoring, or somehow recreating the Seru-kai. I have no idea if this is even possible, given the death of the Great Genesis Tree that sustained that world, but it’s my best speculation.”
“I see… Assuming that the Seven Sentinels are behind this, what would you advise as my next course of action?”
“I would suggest that you head to the Ancient City of Octam. It’s on the other side of the Great Bridge, in Sebucus, so you will have quite the journey ahead of you. I would suggest gathering more information in Tarza – although I doubt people are going to be familiar with this group, there are certainly happenings all throughout the world that will demand your attention.”

[Nightshade]

“I’ll follow your suggestions. Is there anything else I should be aware of before I head out?”
“Hmm… I don’t have any more information to give you, but as it turns out, I have some skill with weapon making. I reforged your blade earlier this morning while you were still sleeping – it’s both lighter and sharper than it was before. If you should come across another weapon that needs to be remade, you’re welcome to bring it in. However…”
“You’re going to want to be paid for these services?” Kresh silently cursed under his breath. “They give you this grandiose mission to save the world, and the shopkeepers and such won’t even give you a discount,” he muttered to himself.
“I’m afraid that’s the case. I wish I could do it for free, but there are guild restrictions and other regulations. I could get reprimanded for offering discounts, even if you are a hero and the chosen one.”
“Ugh. I don’t much like being The Chosen One. Seems like more trouble than it’s worth,” Kresh muttered. “That, and everything trying to kill you. Still, I suppose someone has to do it.” “Very well,” he said to the Doctor, “I’ll take you up on your offer. How much to I owe for these repairs?”
Dr. Usha laughed. “You saved my daughter’s life, and heaven only knows how much damage to my house and lab facilities! Consider that your payment.”
Kresh smiled gently. “Well, I best be off – I have a long day ahead of me, and it’ll be nightfall by the time I make it to Tarza, even if I leave now. I thank you for your help. Kresh nodded at the doctor and at his wife, then turned toward the front door, grabbed his belongings, and headed on his way.
“Wait, what about me? I want to come too!” Relia grabbed a backpack that she hid behind the counter and ran up toward Kresh. “It’s so boring here, and there’s nothing to do and no one to talk to! And besides, I’m going to miss hanging out with you too much”
Kresh thought about it for a minute. “This can’t be a good idea. She’s too young, too inexperienced, and I don’t think I can protect her. Plus, I know her parents aren’t going to allow it. Still, she’s… enjoyable to travel with, and it will be boring traveling alone. And besides…” He looked at her standing right in front of him. “Alright, Relia, you can come along. But we do need to leave soon. Say good-bye to your parents, and let’s be on our way.”
“I don’t approve of this. I don’t want my only child going off on this journey with you. I know it’s going to be dangerous, and I can’t bear the thought of her getting hurt.” It was her mother, who had been quiet all morning up to this point.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but I don’t think you telling Relia she can’t go is going to stop her. The second you turn away, she’ll be out the door and following me. I saw it in her eyes just now. I know that it’s difficult for you to let go, but it’ll be safer for her if she comes with me from the beginning.” Relia nodded her head at those words.
Relia’s mother sighed and resigned herself to a truth that she knew in her heart but didn’t want to admit to herself. “Alright. I know I can’t stop you, but I want you to stay safe out there. And come back home anytime. We’ll always welcome you.”
“I know, Mom.” Relia ran up to her mother and gave her a big hug.
“I’ll always love you, no matter what.” Her mother was crying as she held her daughter.
“I know. I love you too, Mom.” Relia let go of her mother’s embrace, and her mother followed suit. “I’ll be home soon.”
Her mother smiled and nodded her head. “I know. But it won’t stop me from worrying. Now go on, already, it’s almost noon and you still have a full day’s journey ahead of you. I can’t bear to see you leave, so I need to go ahead and go now.” She turned to Kresh. “Take care of my daughter. She’s everything to us.” Kresh nodded in approval. As he did so, Relia’s mother turned around and headed out into the back door.
“Oh my goodness, this is going to be so exciting! I can’t wait to go see the world and visit all these places I’ve only heard about in stories! This is the best day of my life!” Relia latched on tightly to Kresh’s arm.
“Ow! You’ve got quite the grip! But still, this isn’t a vacation. There’s going to be danger, and I don’t know how much I can do to keep you safe. I promised your parents that I’d do what I could, but I’m just one person. Even if I am the hero of the Seru world, I don’t know how much I can do on my own”
Relia slapped Kresh. “Sometimes, you can be so thick, you know! Why did you think I wanted to come along with you? I’m not going so I can get kidnapped and have to get rescued by you every time there’s the slightest danger! I’m coming along because I want to help you! If you can’t understand even that much, I get the feeling I’m going to have to save the world!” Kresh nodded, still a bit stupefied from her reaction.
“Alright, Relia. It’s time to go.” The two left the Usha laboratories and headed to the southwest. Despite clouds in the distance, the sun was shining overhead and the sky was clear on the late spring afternoon. Relia ran slightly ahead, and Kresh followed. “It’s going to be interesting traveling with her,” he thought to himself. “But I really couldn’t see it another way.

-End of Chapter 3-

[Nightshade]

Chapter 4: The Great Bridge (Part 1)

The duo arrived in Tarza shortly after nightfall. Though the sun had set, the rising moon and the last glints of the sun’s light lit the final stretch of their journey. Relia ran off ahead, eager to head into town. Kresh sighed, as he was getting tired after a long day of travel, but decided it was hopeless to try to curb her enthusiasm. He ran along toward the city lights, following his traveling companion.
Kresh and Relia arrived at the city gates just as the last hint of daylight vanished from the night sky. A cool ocean breeze began to blow, and Relia shivered slightly. She turned toward the breeze and saw a huge structure illuminated by the pale moonlight. It was the Great Bridge – a marvel of Legaian technology, past and present – stretched out beyond the horizon.
A small latch opened as Relia knocked on the town gates. “I can’t let you in. Not at this time of the night,” a curmudgeonly voice screeched from just inside the walls. “Too many strange things been happening after dark, and the locals’ve been troubled by these recent occurrences.”
“Monster attacks, wild animals becoming aggressive and dangerous, that sort of thing?” Kresh answered.
“Aye. It be getting late, and the nastiness shows up after midnight. I suggest you best be finding shelter for the night. There’s a small cottage about a half a kilometer ‘rom ‘ere over in that there direction,” he said as he pointed along the shoreline. “You’d best be making haste.” The gatekeeper closed the small latch and went back to his post.
“It’s not fair!” Relia jumped in anger and determination. “We’ve been walking all day and night, I’m tired, and we’re right here!”
“I know, but it wouldn’t be right to trespass on the locals. Besides, we don’t want to be angering anyone who might be a potential ally on our journey. Last thing we want to be doing is giving them a reason to turn against us.”
“Oh alright…” Relia sighed as she lowered her head. “Let’s go. Might as well try to get there sooner rather than later. My feet are tired and I need something to eat.”
“ Hopefully, it won’t take more than five or so minutes. At least, if the old man was telling us the truth about how far this cottage is. Which I certainly hope that he was.” Kresh too was tired, and despite outer politeness, was more than a little perturbed at the situation.
It was an eight minute walk to the cabin. Relia’s eyes were aglow as she laid eyes on the lone cabin just off the shore. It was a very old building from an era before even the Mist, yet despite being at least a hundred years old, seemed to be remarkably well kept. However, the building was unlit, and given the lack of alternatives for evening shelter, the pair decided to head inside despite the oddity. Kresh looked at Relia. “Stay on your guard. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Relia nodded in agreement, and clutched something in her left pocket.
The two walked in slowly. “Hello?” Kresh said as he walked in. “Anyone in here? I don’t mean to intrude, but we need somewhere to stay for the night, and we saw this cabin nearby. Would the master of the house please acknowledge his or her presence?”
Kresh waited a minute, but heard no reply. He slowly walked in, still on high alert. Relia followed closely behind as they made their way in the small cabin. While the cabin was far from immaculate, it seemed to the pair that someone had been here recently and was taking care of the place.

[Nightshade]

Chapter 4, Part 2:
Despite his uneasiness, Kresh turned to the fireplace and lit a fire. Relia opened their supplies and looked around for something to eat. Relia turned to Kresh for a moment. “Did you hear that? I get the feeling that we’re being watched.”
“I didn’t hear anything. Still, caution seems like a good idea. Why don’t you go down to the ocean and pick up some water; we’ll need to get some more to make it through the next couple of days.”
“But it’s salty! And dirty! I don’t want to drink that nasty stuff!”
“Trust me, Relia. I’ll make sure that the water is perfectly clean and good to drink.” He took a large bowl and put a smaller bowl right in the middle of it, then covered the large bowl with aluminum foil while Relia ran off to the beach in her usual spunky and hyper manner. “I suppose that just leaves the question of food now. We have enough dried meat and bread to last for the night, and hopefully we’ll be able to restock tomorrow after dawn when the city gates open. Still, I’m worried that things aren’t quite as they seem. It’s just not right that a building this old would be in this sort of condition. Something’s not quite right.”
Relia arrived with three canteens full of ocean water. Kresh instructed her to pour the water in the large bowl, but to make sure it didn’t get in the smaller bowl. After she did so, Kresh tightly sealed the container and put a small coin in the center of the foil.
“So, what happens now?”
“It’s something I read about in a book on survival. Basically, you let the water boil and then it collects on the foil and drops into the small container. The water in there is pure, and doesn’t have any salt or other dirty stuff in it. It takes a while, but it’s a great way to get clean water when you don’t have any other options. Thankfully, we do have enough water to get through the evening, so we should be fine by morning.”
“Wow, Kresh. You’re really good at this sort of thing.” Kresh smiled gently at the remark as he turned back to tend to the fire. “I think I’m going to try to get some sleep now though, if you don’t mind. I know that it’s still pretty early, but it’s been a really long day!”
“That’s probably a good idea, Relia. I’ll go ahead and keep the fire going and keep watch. But don’t worry about me too much; I’m sure that Rana will stay alert as well.” Kresh’s mind heard a voice of approval on the matter. Relia nodded softly and lay down on the floor, covering herself with a blanket to keep warm. Despite being late spring, the cool ocean breeze blowing from the west made the evening rather chilly, and Relia tucked the blanket in as she quickly slipped out of consciousness.

Kresh surveyed the house and the surrounding area. As suspicious as things in the area were, he sensed no sign of danger or of intelligent life. Still, the words of the gatekeeper troubled him. Something about trouble starting after midnight. Kresh thought about the time and figured that midnight was less than fifteen minutes away, if it hadn’t already passed. Troubled by this, he headed inside and readied his blade should the time come to use it.

[Nightshade]

Relia was fast asleep by this time, as Kresh saw based on her deep breathing. He quickly but silently turned around, but there was nothing there.
“Must be the wind playing tricks on me. Or maybe I’m just going senile because I’ve been up too long for my own good. I’m not sure.” He walked outside and looked at the sky and saw the crescent moon high overhead. “Judging by the angle of the moon relative to the horizon and the current phase, it’s probably just after two in the morning. Whatever was going to happen at midnight doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. That, or the old man was just deciding to have some fun at our expense. I guess there’s not much else to do. I should try to get some sleep now. Kresh headed back into the small cabin and lay down on the floor.
As if by instinct, Relia woke up, somewhat groggy, and turned around. She didn’t see a thing, nor did she hear even an insect scuttling by. She was slightly disturbed. It was supposed to be quiet at night, but not this quiet. She turned to the entrance of the cabin and saw a strange looking silhouette. It was a humanoid of some sort, but Relia couldn’t make out much else in the pale moonlight. She guessed that the person was bigger than she was, but smaller than Kresh. She pulled something out of her pocket and held it in her hand, tightly clenched. She readied herself for battle; too scared to even think of waking Kresh up to assist.
The strange figured looked at her, but didn’t attack. It moved closer, and Relia could make out the features of a young woman of some sort. She was a bit shorter than Kresh, with long hair. Relia looked at her while putting away her weapon.
“Is there any reason you’re here in my house?” the woman asked, somewhat impatiently.
“Well, we needed a place to stay for the evening, and we didn’t make it to town before nightfall. The mean ol’ gatekeeper wouldn’t let us in town, so we ended up staying here because of all the monsters.”
“I suppose that reason will do for the time being. However, since you are in my house uninvited, I would at least ask your name and your business.”

[Nightshade]

Chapter 4, Part 4:
“Well, okay. My name is Relia. And the guy sleeping over there is Kresh.” Kresh tossed a bit in his sleep, almost as though he heard his traveling companion mention him. “We’re on a journey and it’s going to be really exciting!” Relia yawned as she said this, her enthusiasm tempered by exhaustion.
The mysterious woman looked irritated as she listened to Relia talk. “Alright, well, why are you on a journey, and more importantly, why are you sleeping in my house in the middle of the night? What reason do you have for trespassing on my property?”
“Well, we heard that there were monsters that have been going around attacking people, and we couldn’t camp out on the outskirts of town. Something about monster attacks after midnight. It seemed safer to stay here, so we did!”
“Miss, we mean no intrusion. We figured this place was abandoned (or haunted), and that it wasn’t a good idea to stay here, but it was worse to deal with deranged monsters that we knew were threatening human lives. If you want us to leave, that’s fine, but please, leave us in peace. We mean no harm to you or your livelihood.”
“I see that you’re tired. You’re free to stay for the night, but I expect to hear your story in full in the morning. As long as you agree to this condition, I withdraw my objections.”
The duo nodded in unison. “Well then, I’ll be off to bed,” the woman said. She walked right by the pair, into the back room, and closed the door forcefully.
“She’s awfully mean…” Relia said.
“We are intruding on her property and it is the middle of the night. Given the circumstances, I really can’t blame her for being upset with us. Still, she’s not going to harm us, at least not tonight. We should probably get some rest now.” Kresh yawned and lay back down.
“Well, I suppose that I am tir…” Relia passed out on the floor and fell into a peaceful slumber.
It was well into the morning when the two woke up. The sun was quite high in the sky, and there was no sign of monster attacks the previous night. Relia smelled something and headed outside to see the woman from last night cooking something on a fire just outside her house. Relia saw that she had long, dark brown, almost black hair, silvery eyes and a rather pale complexion. Despite it being warm outside, Maye was wearing a light jacket, a concession to the cool ocean breezes still blowing off the coast. The woman stood up and turned around. She was maybe 5’7” – a solid half-foot taller than Relia, but still a half foot shorter than Kresh.
“I expect you and your companion to hold your end of our deal from last night. I do intend to ask what business you have in this part of Karisto, but I did make breakfast. We can talk at the table.” Relia headed inside, and saw Kresh wide awake and packed up and ready to continue on their journey. The two girls headed inside, and together set the food on the table. There appeared to be some sort of bread, a couple of types of meat, and something that Kresh couldn’t quite discern.
“Hmm, so what’s your name, miss? You know our names, but I never got a chance to ask yours!”
“I go by Maye. I probably should have said as much earlier, but you were trespassing in my house. That, and I was tired. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”