We leave the dungeon.
I kept silent the whole way up. I could not think about combat or gaining levels for Bloodless.
Karina asked me questions, told me stuff. I did not answer. I just know she said some stuff.
Aurelia focused on fighting the stray monsters left in the dungeon.
And, there was no way we could leave her body there.
Aurelia is carrying it as we leave the dungeon.
"The dungeon is going to disappear when the next Shift occurs."
My mouth twitches.
Shift... I know what it is.
It's something that happens from time to time. It is random, but it is every couple of weeks. It makes some dungeons disappear and new ones appear. The ones that have no Boss alive are always removed.
Why do so many things work like the game, except the one that would help me now?
What kind of sick joke is that?
Outside of the dungeon it is dark. I can see the big red moon on top of us.
There is wind. We are in the middle of a snowy field.
"Seems you summoned me from far away, huh?" Aurelia says with her usual tone of voice
I do not answer.
I don't feel like it.
I look at my hands.
They are clean, but I remember them drenched in her blood.
"That dagger has a numbing effect. She did not feel pain." Aurelia attempted to relax me when it was done.
I suddenly find myself in front of a fire. I raise my gaze.
I zoned out for a good moment.
I don't see Karina.
I hear the sound of dirt being moved and thrown.
Behind me, in the middle of the field, I have a tree. The sound comes from behind it.
I stand up and walk around it.
I see Aurelia digging.
"What're you doing?" I ask.
Aurelia stops and turns to look at me.
"Ah, you final-" she stops herself. "I am making a grave for Kathrina. We cannot have her like that.
I look at her for a few seconds.
I join her.
We don't have any tools, so I do it with my hands, like her.
"Tch!" I feel a sharp pain in one of my fingers. I see a small injury in one of my fingers. I continue only with the other one.
Arelia has scales on her hands. She is more resistant and stronger. She makes progress faster than me.
I start to feel pain in my hand, I stop worrying I might hurt myself again.
Is true.
Everything is real.
I open my stats screen.
Every stat is a one.
And the screen stares at me.
What kind of world is this?
Why is it my save file?
Why did it have the same System if the world worked differently?
Aurelia grabs Kathrina's body. I look at her face with closed eyes. We cleaned her face of the stains of the black liquid.
I hate this.
I thought I was going to go on adventures like I did in the game.
I said I was going to enjoy it while I was looking for a way to return.
Aurelia puts her slowly and ceremoniously in the grave we made for her.
...
"Amber. Want to say a prayer for her? I don't... Know her goddess words."
Karina was looking at me in silence.
I nod.
I know the words.
I stood up and got in front of the grave.
It takes me a few moments.
Before this, she was lively. Like she could not stand quiet, like she needed to be doing something to help others the whole time.
"Lady Ellen." I start, mustering all my strength. Aurelia starts to bury her. "We return your daughter to your caring hands. She, like you, wanted to protect others and stop their suffering. May she find the finest comfort, may she encounter new friends along her new path, may she find warmth in your embrace... May she... *Hic*... May she find us again when we... When we follow the same... Same fate... Please... Let her soul... Rest..."
I am crying again. Her face was now under the dirt, and her whole body was hidden from view.
Slowly, she was completely buried, until all that was left there was a small mound of dirt that had been moved recently.
The dragonkin stands up. I watch her through tears, and she pulls out the same silver sword she gave her while we were in the dungeon.
In a precise motion, she stabs it into the earth as a mark for the grave.
She kneels before it while holding the sword.
"May no one remove this sword, as it marks the resting place of a warrior. Those who care for her wish her to rest in her eternal sleep. Ohrun, curse those who attempt to move it, and protect her final bed."
Those were the words of the Ohrun creed. Ohrun, the ancient dragon, the blood of warriors.
Ellen and Ohrun don't look at each other's faces. Ohrun is war, Ellen is protection.
But they both agree on one thing.
Let warriors who fight for their beliefs rest in their final bed.
"Here... I think now you can have this."
I did not notice when Aurelia approached me.
She is holding a necklace and a book that looks like a diary, and is handing them to me.
"What is this?"
"She dropped it from her inventory while you were holding it. I thought I would keep it until we left the dungeon. I am sure she wanted you to keep it."
I take them both.
The necklace has the image of a woman with large wings and holding her hands to the side, welcoming, depicted on a silver piece. That is Ellen.
The book... It is Kathrina's diary.
I decide to put it in my inventory. I am not sure if I should read it.
"So, boss. What's the plan now?" Aurelia asks when we return to the fire.
We all sit.
"We need to find a city or town. Somewhere to rest and find supplies." Kari, who has been quiet since Kathri died, speaks. "We won't last any travel without them."
I am looking at the necklace.
If anything, I am pissed off. At me for being so stupidly naive and not paying enough attention.
But most importantly, I was angry at someone else.
"We are going to get to the bottom of this," I say, lifting my gaze to the fire. "We will get to any town, prepare... And I will give a new visit to the princess."