Chapter 17 -- Rynestone
AIO: Lately I've been looking at things and thinking 'I like the imperfectness of it'.
Reach, Tomo, and Thorn progressed into the underground as this long day finally came to an end.
As Ishi pointed out, the underground did feel slightly safer.
It was quieter. More isolated.
People scavenging within corners.
The underground had a mix of dirt tunnels and metal chambers.
Around one corner, the three found a line of approximately 20 beds with partial shelter on either side.
Fortunately, they managed to rescue the bed owner from an aggressor with a knife who could not afford to pay for a bed.
The aggressor fled before Thorn or Reach could be bothered to do any permanent damage.
Ironically, the bed owner then offered refuge for the three - free of charge.
..
.
..
The three settled in, in this comparably peaceful spot.
Thorn removed her armour for a change.
She wore thick indigo blue stockings and a loose navy shirt.
Tomo removed his shoes and seemed displeased by the smell of his own feet.
He prepared a wet rag and begun cleaning himself.
They sat on the beds as they filled their stomachs with late-night food.
The bed owner kindly provided a stew of some kind. Reach - once again acting as the guinea pig, tested the food before the other two dug in.
They talked as they ate.
Thorn: "So why are we seeing Ishi again tomorrow?"
Reach: ...
Reach: "I like him."
Thorn: ...
Thorn couldn't find an obvious reason to dislike Ishi, either.
...
Tomo: "Thorn, can I try on your armour?"
Thorn: ...
Tomo stood up.
Thorn: "Sure."
Tomo waved Reach over.
Tomo: "Reach, give me a hand."
Reach: ...
Reach went and grabbed the silver chest piece.
He placed it on Tomo.
Tomo: ...
Tomo braced for a moment.
Clonk.
Tomo fell to the floor. Unable to stand the weight.
Tomo: "J-Jeez!!"
Thorn smirked, enjoying the show.
Tomo: "G-Ghh..."
Tomo exerted all his strength to sit up.
He breathed heavily.
Tomo: "Bah."
Reach went back to his bed.
He removed his maroon long sleeve shirt.
The air was filled with fidgeting noises from Tomo, and a slight hum from Reach's shoulder...
Thorn: ...
Thorn was sat on the bed next to Reach.
Thorn: "Can I get a closer look?"
Reach: ?
...
Thorn: "At the device."
Reach instinctively felt his outer left shoulder.
Reach: "Oh."
He nodded.
Reach: "Mm."
Reach: "Yeah."
He bent over and reached into his bag.
Thorn: ...
He pulled out an inactive device.
Reach: "This is one of the spares I have."
He passed it to Thorn, who inspected it closely.
She softly touched the tiny spikes. Almost drawing blood.
Thorn: ...
Thorn: "How much does it hurt?"
Reach smiled with tired eyes.
Reach: "Try it."
Thorn contemplated the idea.
Reach: "But only for a moment. You don't want it to permanently scar."
Thorn: ...
Thorn slowly rolled up the short sleeve on her shirt, exposing her upper arm.
Thorn: ...
..
.
Smack.
She stabbed the device into her arm.
Instantly, it pulsed.
Thorn: ...?-?!
She removed it quickly.
Blood ran down her arm.
Thorn: "Mm."
Thorn: "That hurts."
The device vibrated a while longer.
She returned it to Reach, who cleaned and stored it - this time within a little box.
Reach: "You get used to it."
...
...
Reach: "Sort of."
Thorn: ...
Tomo finally removed Thorn's armour, but felt it was not the time to make jokes.
He patted Reach on the back, and the three got ready for bed.
- - - -
The three were not ambushed overnight.
Thorn and Reach slept lightly - a skill they'd either intentionally or unintentionally developed over the years. The ability to get some meaningful rest while also maintaining awareness of potential danger.
The three took the opportunity to sleep in during this state.
Thorn or Reach would occasionally open their eyes to monitor passerby.
Tomo relished in a pleasant slumber.
They eventually got up and prepared like any other day.
Thorn refreshed the clothes under her armour - now wearing thick red stockings, more akin to medium temperature leggings. She tied two braids in her hair - one on either side, complementing her middle part.
Her vibrant green hair was especially beautiful in the subterranean darkness.
Reach and Tomo wore the same outfits, but ensured they were clean underneath.
The three explored the underground. Each corner presenting a new scene.
Families.
Merchants.
Shady businesses.
At an intersection of tunnels they saw two 'couriers' pass by - carrying a dismembered corpse.
The couriers spoke to themselves as they trotted along.
????: "Next in line to be burned, huh."
One of them sighed.
Thorn: ...
Soon they were out of sight.
...
The three ventured up a ladder and back to the surface.
They found three men sitting by a large piece of burning trash.
????: "...Huh?"
One spoke in a disgruntled voice.
He pulled out a knife.
Reach: "Oh."
Reach: "This guy again."
It was the same aggressor who had tried to attack the bed owner.
????: "This time will be different."
The man's two comrades pulled out medium-length daggers.
Reach yawned.
Thorn stepped forward.
Reach: ...
The three men ran at Thorn and began violently slashing.
Unlike her normal showcase of speed, she did not outright dodge.
She simply manoeuvred in such a way, to connect their attacks to her armour.
Cling.
Clang.
Chink.
They stabbed and swiped but to no effect.
????: "Wh-Why the fuck..."
????: "Why won't your armour break?!!"
Tomo put his fists up, ready to help.
Reach placed his palm on Tomo's fists - lowering them gently.
????: "What's this stuff made out of?!"
...
Thorn: "It's just silver."
????: ?!
Thorn looked at them coldly.
Thorn: "Don't try to blame your weapons or my armour."
Thorn darted back.
????: She-
They could not follow with their eyes.
Thorn: "The blame..."
...
Thorn: "...Is solely on you."
The men grew even angrier.
Thorn looked them up and down - thigh armour on one, a shoulder piece on another.
Shink.
An arm and a leg went flying into the air - cut cleanly through their armour.
Thorn was now behind them.
????: "Wh-What the f-"
Thorn: "You don't need these hands either."
Slice.
????: "A-Ah!!!!!"
The main aggressor’s hands fell to the floor - knife still gripped in one of them.
Thorn shook her blade and returned it to her back.
Thorn: "That looks painful."
????: "G... G-Gogh..."
The men choked in agony.
Thorn: "You probably won't die."
...
Thorn: "...Probably."
Reach: ...
Tomo, Reach, and Thorn continued on their way.
Reach: "Good job not killing them."
Thorn: ...
Thorn: "Don't speak too soon."
Reach: "T-True..."
...
Within minutes, they'd possibly forgotten all about the encounter.
A town filled with good and bad - it was merely another example of the bad.
Reach: "Let's try find Ishi again."
Tomo: "Okay!"
Tomo: Kashi?
The fire red sky was striking in the middle of the day.
This enormous chunk of dirt embraced by its intense backdrop.
They walked between buildings.
Many cracked. Few undamaged.
They stumbled upon an old woman, sitting on the ground within a circle of 10 flaming rocks.
Reach: ...
She did not appear to be praying, but rather, thinking.
...
Tomo: "The flames are captivating... Up close..."
Reach: "Mmm."
Reach stepped forward, being mindful not to disrupt the woman too much.
She glanced at Reach but did not object to him approaching.
????: ...
Reach sat next to one of the flaming rocks.
He ran his hand through the flickering maroon flames.
Tomo and Thorn stood behind him.
????: "They're called Rynestone."
Reach: ?
????: "The type of rock."
Reach: "I... See."
Reach visually examined the base of the rock.
It was sturdy. Shiny.
Thorn: "How can a rock be set on fire?"
Tomo: "Is it a rock or stone?"
Reach: "She said 'Rynestone'."
Thorn: "She also said 'rock'."
Tomo: "I'm confused."
...
????: "Call it what you will. The formalities do not matter."
????: "Rynestone is unique."
Reach: ...
????: "When lit, they burn forever."
Reach remembered the flames throughout town.
????: "In other words, they do not extinguish on their own."
Thorn: Hmm.
The woman drew a circle in the dirt with her finger.
????: "They have become useful in this town."
...
????: "They can light a dark place in the depths - such as the underground, for eternity."
Reach appreciated the explanation.
The concept of Rynestone was completely new to him.
He stood up.
Reach: "That's fascinating. Thank you."
????: ...
He looked around.
Reach: "Are you okay just sitting here?"
Reach: "You'd know better than me, but this isn't the safest town."
????: ...
...
????: "The violent people do not take an interest in me."
Thorn: ...
????: "I am old. I have nothing to give."
...
????: "I live quietly, and survive on the minimum."
Reach: ...
The woman's skin was pale.
She was slender, yet warm.
????: "Perhaps what you can do before I die..."
Reach: ?
...
????: "...Is kill Gatriox."
Reach: ...
...
Reach's eyes were not moved.
Reach: "Who I kill is up to me."
????: ?
Reach: "Not you."
Reach's response surprised Thorn.
Thorn: He's swapping between sympathetic and unsympathetic.
...
Tomo remained undisturbed.
Tomo: Why do I care about some rocks?
[Chapter 17 -- End]
