[Major Act II: Realm Rover]
[Start!]
...
It was a hasty impulse. This choice.
Kumi dragged the limbless Dante by his hair.
She hadn't gotten a proper rest, as such, her wounds had yet to regenerate. She was limping as her left ankle still had a chunk missing. Still, she limped onwards.
At first, Kumi had planned to bide her time. Prepare thoroughly, as discreetly as possible until the opportune moment arrived.
She had crafted a handful of tools and even set up a few minor traps in the forest surrounding the mansion.
All so that she could, some day in the future, leave Death's Doorstep behind and walk away on her own two feet.
Regardless of the moments of comfort there. Regardless of the knowledge she gained there. Regardless of... so much. With this impromptu decision... she lost... so much.
Her Cautious nature nagged at her the moment she had incapacitated Dante. She knew that the safest decision was to go back and continue her preparations.
But the distant lands beyond the horizon drowned those thoughts out.
It was like an instinct. She wanted to reach out and grab the distant starlight that painted dawn. She wanted to go to the places that Vaeril had spoken of, not as an assassin on a mission but just... she just wanted to visit.
That feeling. That same emotion and that same instinct. It was sinking and dying as Kumi was being forced to realise her exceedingly poor situation.
'I need to keep reapplying rot onto the damned berserker every 20 minutes or so... the time limit is slowly shortening too.'
"Pretty please?"
"No."
At the same time as her internal struggle, Kumi was also speaking with Dante, who was again pleading for a bit of mercy.
"Awww. Here I thought, 'For sure she would listen if I asked for the fifteenth time!'"
"I can't trust you."
"Why? I basically told you everything I know and I haven't been an asshole even considering my current state."
"I appreciate it. I don't trust you."
"You don't even know me though~?"
Although it helped Kumi keep her mind off of the situation, she was becoming more and more irritated.
Her annoyance didn't show on her face but she definitely felt it.
"Exactly. I don't know a single thing about you as a person. There is the possibility that you might not be an 'asshole' as you said."
"Yeah, yeah. So-"
"But I don't like you. I don't need to know much about you. Even if you were a brilliant person or a person who was widely loved."
Kumi paused for a moment as she reached a suitable rock to sit on, dropping Dante on to the sand next to it before sitting down.
"I get to decide who I like and who I don't. That's one of the freedoms of choice that I have."
Kumi laid down on the rock, looking at the sky above.
"I try not to judge people who I have just met. If I don't know anything about them, then my personal judgement would be inaccurate."
Kumi stretched her arms as she continued talking.
"I tried not to judge you when I first assassinated you either. But your actions were Incomprehensible to me."
Kumi sat up from the rock, looking towards the direction they had just arrived from. She then landed back on her feet and looked down at Dante, who was staring up at her.
"I can't judge you for them since I don't know your reasonings or thought process. But I don't like your choices. I don't need a clear reason. Since I don't like it, I don't need to trust it."
Kumi leaned forward and grabbed Dante by his hair.
"Ow."
Dragging him along again as she continued limping away while continuously activating {Residue Reduction}.
"I don't get... you."
Dante commented from behind her.
"To simplify it for you, using as few words as possible, I can't trust you because I don't like you."
"No, I mean... I understand what you were talking about. More or less... I understand you a little better as a person. But, you're really... weird."
"Is that your judgement of me?"
"I mean. Yeah, kind of."
"... Okay."
"Wait, let me ask something before we continue with the topic."
"I would rather not continue."
"Why are you in such a hurry? And where are we even going?"
"We can't stop since if we stay for too long, they might catch up. I don't know how efficient or quick the search parties are but they probably already know the general direction to search in."
"Okay. Who are you escaping from again?"
"Death's Doorstep... and we're going..."
Kumi paused for a moment.
"... that way..."
She pointed her finger forward. At the endless empty desert.
"One of the Four Great Clans is after us... and you have no idea where you are even dragging me to." Dante whined, sounding genuinely sad and hopeless.
"I think we're going West."
"Please... just leave me behind... I promise I won't even think about following you."
"No."
"Whyyy?"
Kumi's bickering with Dante continued.
She didn't like it but she had to live with her choice. Even though it was a terrible situation all around, Kumi, deep in her heart, felt excited and looked forward to what was to come.
Kumi, who had been either stuck or imprisoned the entirety of her life, before even being born.
If she could have one wish granted? What else could she possibly wish for, besides to Be Free.
And right now, in this moment, (ignoring the unfortunate state of This Moment), her wish was being granted.
...
Meanwhile, at the Great Clan of Death's Doorstep.
The office of Death's Doorstep's leader was on fire.
"So the scouts lost her..."
Hilde asked, her hands covering her face, hiding her expression. Restlessly tapping her foot on the ground as she watched her office burn.
"... Yes."
Ayaka answered, standing next to her as she watched people try to put out the fire.
"How?
"..."
"How?"
Hilde's foot was starting another fire, spreading cinders across the stone path.
"There was clear evidence of a large battle. There were no survivors. If she were dead, her body would be around there. We have some working theories and have tasked some Scrybes to work on it."
"The Locks didn't notice anything?"
"Nothing note worthy, but they have their own theories. They are there right now along with the Scrybes."
Hilde kicked the fire that was spreading from her foot, putting it out and taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"So? Where is she, Ayaka?"
"I heard from Deadlock that he taught her a stealth skill. Something I was holding off on for the time being... there..." Ayaka was about to continue, but felt the need to clarify, "it's just a theory."
"Share it."
"I had a direct visual of the camp thanks to one of the Scrybes, so I could analyse the area myself. There was a particular small area near the centre of the camp that had nearly no residue in it as compared to everything else around. Taking this and the specific skill that Deadlock taught Kumi, the theory I am reluctantly leaning towards is that she left, escaped, rather. Most likely with someone else in tow, though I am unsure who that someone is or if they are just a corpse."
From the beginning of Ayaka's explanation of her theory, Hilde turned more and more stressed with each word she spoke.
"If this theory is coming from you of all people... then it is probably accurate. Hells. Send the scouts. As many as possible. Even if your theory isn't correct, that damn girl left or was taken somewhere away from the encampment. It's unlikely she has already left the South..."
Hilde concluded as she came to the decision. Having full trust in Ayaka's surprisingly accurate theory, Hilde told Ayaka what to do, trying to calm her headache and raging mana.
"Order. The. Scouts. To Hurry."
Hilde held her head, as Ayaka nodded.
"Fast."
Ayaka stood on ceremony for not a millisecond longer as she disappeared from her spot.
Arriving at a detached house, Ayaka walked in while thinking to herself.
'Damn it Kumi. What are you thinking?'