The figure stumbled back, then covered their mouth with a hand. It did little to muffle the scream and the words that followed.
"Dragon… dragon, I'm dead aren't I?"
Zero had remembered to speak Caelum's language, but completely forgot to dismiss his dragon head.
'Ah, shoot. Wait, she just spoke the other language. Wait no, that's a different one, but similar.'
The figure, which Zero now recognized as a girl, let out a sob. Then, Zero's instincts flared up, and he sidestepped a rock the girl threw at him.
There was no time for a coherent thought after that, but vaguely, something registered that Caelum was still behind him. Zero threw out his hand and managed to catch the flying rock. It was not thrown all that fast after all. More like a clumsy throw.
The girl cursed with a word Zero vaguely recognized, but not innately. It was confusing.
Caelum decided to talk now… exactly like a human would.
"Do not worry, that is just a trophy of the dragon he killed. We are human like you."
The girl was holding another rock, but held off on throwing it, surprisingly.
"Well, you are not speaking a human language, and what kind of person wears a dragon head around? A trophy my ass!"
She cursed again.
Zero dismissed Nascent Drake Head and responded in a slightly offended tone, and in the language he used to talk to Caelum at first. He had a feeling he could respond in the girl's language, but he felt the most comfortable speaking his own.
"I was speaking the language this guy speaks. Out of us three humans, you're the only one not speaking the same language!"
"Wait, that's English. How do you know English?"
The girl was now using the same language as Zero.
"Uh, I dunno… Cause it's the language I speak."
'Where did I learn this language anyway?'
Caelum spoke out once more, in his language now.
"Excuse me, could I interject?"
"No..."
"No! Tell me something only a human would know, you mind-reading horror."
'Not this again.'
Zero considered summoning his sword since both he and Caelum could do that, so maybe she could too, but Valiant Blade might come off as menacing.
'Wait, what's something only a human would know?'
Zero, comparatively, did not have many memories of being human. But that was why these memories were so much more important. But none of those helped him in this moment.
"I don't know, ask me something only a human would know."
"Tell me the Pythagorean theorem then."
'What the heck is that?'
"..."
"Ah, you're either an idiot, or I'm dead. Just kill me painlessly, please. And what is with that awful fashion sense? Did I imagine that?"
Zero's eye twitched.
'Did she just have to throw another insult at me. Why is everyone questioning my clothing anyway?'
The girl weakly threw the rock she had in their direction, but it did not even reach Zero's feet.
Caelum interjected again in awkward speech. After all, it was his first time speaking the language Zero spoke.
"Sorry, I do not care. I am interjecting now. I have heard enough of this nonsense. We are all human here. Your leg is injured, it seems, and I have a skill that can heal it. Somewhat at least. Then we must prepare for the night. Is there a shelter nearby or something?"
Despite having better vision in this darkness, he just noticed the girl's leg had been bent at a funny angle near her shin. Zero was no doctor, but he would guess it was broken. It was a bit difficult to tell since her pants covered her legs down to the ankle. He felt a bit disappointed in himself for failing to notice the injury.
The girl wiped her eyes, which presumably were wet. She continued to speak in the language she called English and spoke with a hopeful tone.
"Yes, please. If you could, that would be great. I don't care enough to suspect that having a healing ability is too convenient in this situation."
Caelum approached her, then knelt and placed his hands over her shin.
"Sorry, this might hurt a bit."
Caelum moved her leg straight, causing her to grimace. Then he began to heal her. He eventually stopped after it appeared his healing was not helping anymore.
"Zero, if you could please, try cutting the Harvest Gnat's limb into a rope-like material."
Zero obliged without question and summoned Valiant Blade.
"You guys… You are humans. That's a relief."
He did his best, but the cut limb came out a bit disheveled. Still, it could work as a rope.
Caelum got up from where he was kneeling and walked towards a stick on the ground. He pushed it into the ground, then stepped on it, causing it to break. Walking back to the girl, He took the rope from Zero then tied the stick on her shin.
"I think that should work as a splint. Sorry, I have only seen others make one, but it is likely better than nothing at the least."
"Thank you. Honestly, my leg feels so much better. I might even be able to walk. Also… uh, what is your name?"
"I am called Caelum after the high sky, and this is Zero, a brave swordsman."
Zero felt strangely flattered to be called a brave swordsman.
"Hello."
"Hi, you can call me Alice… I haven't done… uh, anything worthwhile to be put after my name."
Zero nodded towards her, not that she could see him now in this dying light.
"Would you like some water?"
"Yeah, I would appreciate that, but how are we going to get water in this dark?"
Zero pointed to the Harvest Gnat, but realized she probably could not see him pointing
"This creature we killed has some sort of water instead of blood. We have been using it for water. We should avoid ponds."
Zero cut off a piece of the Gnat's limb and tried to hand it to Alice.
'Ah, she can't see in this dark."
Eventually, he placed the piece of tree flesh into her hand, and she started drinking from it.
"More if possible, please."
Alice finished drinking, and they sat in an awkward silence. It was rather awkward talking to people who you did not know what they looked like. Zero had a rough idea of what Alice looked like, but there were limits to his night vision.
'What source of light am I using to see anyway?'
Zero looked up at the night sky for the first time. In the coliseum, it was always blocked by the concrete above, and at the islands, it was blocked by the presence of his shelter. Now he saw the night sky as it was.
Brilliantly shining, with specks dotted all over. Some were in pattern-esque swirls, many were not. A large white moon brilliantly illuminated it all.