[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/VBQqKG0.png[/img]

[b]Dreams of Light[/b][/center]

[hider=Big post so summary goes in the top]
The final dreams of light and medleys. It starts after Maydly return from her encounter with I'Iro. She has decided she wants to travel the world but is afraid of talking about that with her brother. Things take a turn when she finds an unconscious captain Rennard, of the cold feet / sabre. A rival of her brother. After much struggling, her brother agrees to help her save the woman.
Rennard wakes up and starts talking with Maydly and mostly arguing with Habode. Slowly, she starts to draw a picture of this family, of how Habode changed for the better and worse, and say some words of encouragement for Maydly.
Next day, the hunting party is gone, nobody can find a trace of them. Rennard deduces it is likely a gang from The Fallen, after all, with the sun back the leading currency of the place, light, has little value. And also the place flooded a bit. Only her and Habode are willing to fight for the village, but they push all their advantages and manage to slaughter the enemies. A bond of battle is somehow romantic and the two kinda spend a night together after the fight.
Maydly tells her brother everything, and that she wants to be a traveler. Habode actually doesn't fight it, he trusts her and knows she will do what is best for her.
Since the village lost so many, Cloudy Hillocks disbands and most of them go to The Fallen (Now called Etienne as the Sabre pretty much on) with Rennard and Habode. There is a timeskip showing Habode's home village turning into a market and meting point with the surface world, also more flirting with Rennard. The end.
[/hider]

It was another day of simple tasks for Habode. Cut wood, sharp weapons, train a young boy on how to use said weapons. The routine of it all was eating away at him, even as the world changed, with the light and waters returning, his life continued to be inert. Side glancing he noticed the only thing that truly kept him going arriving at the village, Maydly, and while it put him at ease at first, he soon noticed the girl was playing with her hair. She only did that when she was nervous when she had some crazy story to tell, like the one yesterday about how she met a goddess. 

[color=fcdecc]"Uhm... bro? Do you have a minute to talk?"[/color] the girl said exactly as the man had predicted. He didn't even bother answering, he just sighed loudly and nodded his head. [color=fcdecc]"You do. Great. So... I found someone on the sides of the village. Since most of the men are out in the hunt and the other scouting, you are the only guy who can help me bring this person here. She isn't... She isn't okay. If we don't help her soon she ain't gonna make it."[/color]

He looked puzzled at that. "A person in danger? Well then. Let's go." he said in a hurry, placing the weapon he was sharpening on the ground and already going towards the gate of the small village... Yet, even after she told him the story, Maydly seemed nervous still, as if she was not telling him the full story. But what could she be hiding?

[hr]

"No fucking way. What in the abyss is this person doing here?" Habode complained as soon as he saw the distressed traveller in question. Rennard. Bloody captain of the cold feet scouts. He clashed swords with the woman a few times even. "Sorry, Maydly... I..."

[color=fcdecc]"Brother... You cannot possibly be planning to leave her here! I know we had our fights, don't take me for a sympathizer of the cold feet, however... still... a fallen lady found malnourished in the middle of the field, we can't leave her here. It's not right."[/color]

"Right. Wrong. Who cares? We aren't knights Maydly. We can't be out there being saints. Fuck. You are always like this. You bring the trouble and then expect me to be the better person."

[color=fcdecc]"Well then. Leave her. I can't carry her myself. Not without finishing the job. So if you leave she dies. And you have that to deal with."[/color] she placed both hands on her hip, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh. Fine. I will carry sleeping beauty here to the village. But if she causes any trouble, it's all your fault okay?" He knelt and took in the malnourished rival into his arms, the woman barely responding with how weak she was. As he rose again with her held up Habode was quick to notice Maydly giggling. Probably because of how he was princess carrying a woman he hated. Easily irritated, the ex-bandit decided to pick up a more brutish position by placing the woman on his shoulder. He was quick to notice this didn't improve his situation, only making it worse as the girl even snickered loudly at his awkwardness. "Fuck you. And go and pick her shit up. And do not expect me to fetch water or cook for your little patient here. It's all on you after I am done carrying her."

[hr]

Rennard woke up with a disgustingly bitter-spicy taste in her mouth... soup? It was soup. And it was hot. Too hot. The proud captain, with her trained reflexes, quickly became spooked as her senses returned, reacting by slapping away at the hand that was feeding her and rising suddenly in her bed, causing the bowl of monster-insect soup that Maydly was holding to fall all over the caretaker. 

Slowly the scout started to return to her mind, her vision no longer blurred, time being given for her to see the unknown but simple room she was in and the soup-covered familiar face of... Maydly? From Hanging Bird Halls?

[color=fcdecc]"Aww come on. You had to wake up just as I was feeding you? Oh well. I will take a bath and change. Since you are up, you can eat for yourself. Water is on that bottle. Take it easy, I should be back soon."[/color]

As she left, the scout had more questions than answers in her mind, she was left all alone to slowly piece it all together. Feed herself? Why... oh. Right. She had been lost ever since the flood, first in the darkness of the tunnels and then in the light of the surface. Food had ended long ago and she had been scavenging to survive, though in the last day the exhaustion finally caught up and the last thing she remembers was a slow crawl through the grass before she blacked out. That meant Maydly or someone from the village found her and had been taking care of her. But if she was here then it was likely that...

A familiar laugh followed by bickering between siblings, it was the laugh of Habode. Just as she thought. He had agreed to help her? Unlikely. She knew the man. Likely his sister was the one to push for it. "At least he did not wish to murder me," she whispered to herself before meekly starting to drink the soup. 

Moments passed, she was still very tired and could focus on little but the soup and her basic survival. Though she also started to think about Habode. She had clashed with his bandits a few time, he was not the leader but he was a notable part of the group, in particular, his speed and dexterity had cost her a few comrades, in turn, her wit had cost his group a few of his friends. Of course... that was not the first time they had met... It was truly ludicrous that she had been saved by him and his family, though perhaps he didn't have a reason to hate her after he left the bandits? But did she have a reason to hate him for the friends she lost? This was a mess. 

Knock Knock. A hand hit the side of the doorframe i(f it could even be called that), and immediately Rennnard assumed it was Maydly, her wit not in perfect form yet to notice it was too soon for the bathing girl to be returning. "Oh. You are back. Say I thank you for your kindness but I fear your brother might want to hur..." she stopped herself. It was Habode.

"Pff. If I wanted you dead, bitch, you'd still be on the fields. But that is just how you work, no? Always thinking everyone around is as much of a backstabbing snake as you are." he scoffed at her. "But if you wish to leave, sure, go for it, you will be meeting your death by your own choice, not mine."

"You... As rude and foulmouthed as always. Letting that grudge of yours poison your mind. If I..." the scout tried to move but just trying to do that made all of her vision lose its focus, the world wobbling for a few seconds. "Still. I am not a rat to bite the hand that feeds me. I thank you and your sister for having sheltered me. Do you need some sort of repayment?"

"Ask Maydly, she is the one who found and insisted on helping you. For me, unless you can raise the dead to bring my friends back, there is nothing you can do." he shrugged and was about to turn to leave. "Crap, I lost my focus. Maydly said your clothes are in that bag over there, the neighbour lent us that dress you are using but she expects to have it back soon."

She nodded. "Right. Could you please leave the room so I may have some privacy while I change? Ah... and bring me the bag please, moving is making me feel sick, if I try to get up I will likely collapse." How could she be so casual in this situation, she wondered. This was...

"Fine princess. Gods, years later and you can only speak by barking orders. Far more prude, however." he commented as he picked up the bag.

"Ugh, of course, I did not care about those things back in the days our groups met at the tunnels. We were kids and there was a pool of water perfectly fine for swimming in, plus it was so peculiar to meet kids who were not fellow sabres we just wanted to have fun."

"Yeah. Fun. Two different types of fun though. For us we thought we had met some new friends, for you, it was about meeting curious animals shaped like people, you always treated us like a curiosity, which is why you had no problem. Always looking down upon us, so it's no wonder you slashed Enrik without second thoughts despite you two being close back when we..."

The scout was holding her tongue until now but he was pushing it. "Oh for goodness sake. Do not try to guilt-trip me. You talk as if you and Enrik had stayed as guards in the Hanging Bird, but that is not the truth is it? You were on a gang by then, you were robbing people, ambushing them, killing some people too. If one of the kids on my side had grown into a brute who joined a gang and started threatening your family, your home, what would you have done?" each other made Habode lose her calm a bit, his grip on the bed started to turn into clawing at it, he stepped sternly towards the scout, clearly attempting intimidation. "Oh, there we go again. When the truth hurts you too much you get violent, can't have mean people saying words that break your sense of self-pity huh? The world is cruel and you are innocent, blameless, only a victim of your circumstances..." and at that, her speech was cut by him just throwing the bag on her lap and leaving.

Soon enough Maydly was back, just as Rennard was finishing to change back into her outfit. [color=fcdecc]"Yesh, you and my bro. You are like water and oil you are. Barely woke up and you two are already discussing... Oh well."[/color]

"Sorry... I did not mean to do it but my blood boils... Forget it, I will not cause a scene like this again. I want to leave as soon as I can."

[color=fcdecc]"Which won't be soon at all. You are trying to go back to the Fallen yeah? That is a looong journey miss, probably longer now that the whole area is flooded."[/color] Maydly informed as she looked towards the horizon from the window. [color=fcdecc]"What did even bring you here anyway? You are far from home... relatively speaking. I doubt any of the tunnels of The Fallen reach this place."[/color]

"It is called Etienne not The Fallen. And... well, it was when the waters returned, they flooded the area I was in and I ended up lost. I only found my way back when the sun returned, and even then, I was stuck on the surface, away from home and any source of food I know... if it was not for the weird blessing where I felt satiated and refreshed out of nowhere, I would have perished." she sighed as that memory of her journey through the surface resurfaced. "I wonder what that was, it was surely no illusion but I do not know why a god would..."

[color=fcdecc]"Oh it happened here too. Apparently, it happened to everyone. A lot of strange things are happening all over the world. The gods are returning they say... But when Maydly mentions meeting a goddess, people do not believe a word she says"[/color]

Rennard looked at her with a half-smile. "Oh? A goddess is it? And what was she like? Was she pretty? Did she give you an amulet of power?"

At first, Maydly nodded. [color=fcdecc]"Oh yes she was kinda pretty but also very very weird."[/color] then it dawned on her that Rennard was smiling mischievously. [color=fcdecc]"Ahhh, you are mocking me are you not. Cruel."[/color]

"Sorry, it's just a bit far fetched... even with the sun and the waters returning. You can tell me about it later when my head is in a better state. So. We have only met three times, correct? When I was trading in your village. Though you seem to have grown a lot."

[color=fcdecc]"Most humans do grow a lot when they hit my age."[/color]

"Oh, I do not mean adolescence. I mean... you have an air of maturity to you. I cannot explain you. Your, well, an aura is just different to me, I am very sensible to these things, comes handy when fighting sword-to-sword, face-to-face. Has anything changed in your life since we last met?"

[color=fcdecc]"Not really, no. It's the same old life for me, scavenging and working, doing all the jobs my mom told me were feminine, like sewing, preparing animals, you know? And then all the jobs mom used to say were boy jobs too because none of these weak boned klutzes in this village is capable of fixing a roof leak or curring wood properly... Wait... I think I told you the same thing in the Hanging Bird Halls too."[/color] Rennard nodded at that, she had, indeed, said this before [color=fcdecc]"Well not my fault, I just like things well done. Especially carpentry, you'd think when your fingers are in the line people would focus on what they are doing and not have their minds in the sky. But well... back to the topic. Maybe there is this one little thing I want to talk with my brother about, a recent development you see? But I am afraid he will just get angry, and be all like, oh Maydly, you never think about others, how reckless of you, of course, I can't allow you do this or that! Always making trouble which I have to fix!"[/color]

The scout smiled, a sight that was just surreal to Maydly, who had seen her just in her serious military mode, never in such a casual occasion. Then, however, Rennard seemed a bit scared as she realized something. "Wait, you are not pregnant are you?"

[color=fcdecc]"What the... No! I am not pregnant! Why would you think that!? It's something different. Just. Ahh. Do not busy your mind with my problems, you already have your whole thing to deal with. I don't want to bother you."[/color]

"Ah. It's no bother. I should be repaying you somehow. Anyway, how has your brother been doing?" the scout turned more serious and her question was almost a whisper, not that it would help much in the shanties the siblings lived in.

[color=fcdecc]"Well, he is far more stable now than when he was a teen, but he is also so aimless, he is sort of a fighting teacher and a scavenger but he does not like doing either. You know you are not wrong when you said those things, he... told something similar one day, when he was having a bad time. He regrets having joined the gangs instead of staying home, but it was a promise of adventure, wealth and many women, meanwhile home was labour after labour to avoid starvation."[/color]

"Well, it's pretty easy to see that his objective right now is to protect you. It's pretty noble of him, there is nothing more valuable than family. It's somewhat impressive too, I remember your mother once complaining that he bullied you too much back when he was still in the village."

[color=fcdecc]"Yeah... But look. I appreciate that he is doing this, that he helped me to go to the surface... But, he isn't living his life, he is living mother's wishes. Trying to make up for the lost time and how sad he had made her... Not that I am doubting his honesty, I think he always loved me even when he said mean things to me. I was the little girl that mom protected a lot, and to add salt to the wound he was seen as a problem kid in the village, always sneaking out and fiddling with the machines instead of doing his chores, while I was a little hard work that everyone praised."[/color]

Rennard laughed. "Oh goodness. This reminds me of when I was a kid. I was in a bit of a brat phrase and my father started to always talk about how the Lord Steward's kid was so polite and how everyone in the court praised him but questioned me. Ah, I became so jealous back then, that I started making an effort to be the most polite of all Sabres to make up for it." Maydly was smiling as she heard the story but that last bit truly made it vanish, her eyes turning distant, which was an extremely rare sight for the girl. "You... You okay?"

[color=fcdecc]"Ah no sorry I just remembered something a friend said. Hmm."[/color] her frown turned into a small smile. [color=fcdecc]"Anyway, I will prepare another meal soon, anything you want? We don't have those rat jerkies you soldiers enjoy so much, not many rats up here, not since the big winged snake invasion."[/color]

[hr]

Habode still could not believe that he had Rennard right here, in his home, sharing meals with he and Maydly like it was nothing, the two girls already hitting it off, talking, laughing, without stop. After his sister prepared a nice grilled winged snaked dinner for them, he thought they would go to sleep, but nope, the two sat and talked, talked, talked.

He wanted to be annoyed, but hey, Maydly probably missed The Fallen, plus, girls. The girls of the village seemed to shun his sister a bit, so she rarely ever had a friend to talk to. It was impressive how she could keep so positive despite that. It almost made him feel bad that Rennard would likely leave very soon, as her situation was improving greatly, albeit still not as good as one needs to be to make the journey to The Fallen.

"Hey Habode. Back from the scavenging?" a voice said, and it was only because the person talking touched his shoulder that he was able to listen to it.

"Ah. Yeah. i guess." he pointed towards the bag he was carrying. "Got some good stuff today, I think. Lots of nails."

"Oh Maydly will love that. Always such a workaholic that girl. So... hmm... Have you seen Prado's hunting band on your way back? They are a bit late from what we had set."

"Nope. Sorry. I went back from the hills and didn't see a single soul in the lower paths, but maybe I just missed them, I was distracted."

"Probably that. Perhaps they got a good hunt and will need to extra time. I will be on the lookout then. Also, who is that pretty girl that moved in with you and your sister? Another one from The Fallen? Or... did you finally find a sweetie? The girls in the village will be disappointed, hehe."

Habode rolled his eyes. "Just a visitor, a friend of Maydly not mine." he rushed ahead and entered the little abode hut that had been his home for a while. He had saved the life of a trader from here back in the tunnels, this was how he managed to join the village.

[color=fcdecc]"The best thing about the waters coming back is that we can bathe every day. Did you know some people believed the gods went away because we humans became too stinky?"[/color]

"Ah but then it would be quite mean to also take the water away? But yes... flowing river water is so much better than that oily stuff from Blacktar Lake."

[color=fcdecc]"Yeah, and it's free, you guys really drove a hard price over that, and we needed it for so much stuff... Oh, brother arrived. I would invite him but he doesn't really like bathing, bet he keeps the gods away."[/color]

"Also I am here?? Do not invite a man into this room while I am undressed, please?" Rennard sighed. "Anyway... Have you noticed your skin is a bit... different? I can swear there is an orange-red hint to it, you were far paler last I met you. Also... are you sure you do not have a fever? You are so hot to touch"

Habode had been listening to the whole conversation and while at first, he was both annoyed and entertained by the casual closeness the two women had built, that last part had suddenly made his stomach sink, this could not be good, could it? Was she sick? Was it something he had failed to see and that she was hiding? He should have noticed it before, if he lost Maydly after he lost his mother he would go mad, there would be nothing left for him in this world and...

[color=fcdecc]"Brother?"[/color] Maydly questioned, out of the improvised "wash area" and fully dressed, she and Rennard looked at him with a hint of worry as he seemed distressed and lost. He was spoked by it, but suddenly rushed to his sister.

"I do see it now! Your skin did change colour a bit, it's really easy to see against the sun!" he gulped. "Rennard, do you know what the hell this is? A cure perhaps?"

The scout gasped, before raising her hands towards him in a calming manner. "Oh, you eavesdropped us? Clearly missed the last bit though. We remembered a concept the elders talked about, called tanning, which is when your skin changes colour if you stay in the sun. I think this must be the most likely explanation, as she is clearly healthy."

"But why only Maydly and not anyone else in the village?"

[color=fcdecc]"Well you know, maybe its because I am not from this village, maybe it's something people from The Fallen have in their blood that these do not, but we never saw it because it was underground?"[/color] she laughed nervously, but soon... felt bad. She was lying, lying because she was scared of telling her brother about all she had learned when she met the goddess. It was weird because at first she tried to be honest, but he didn't buy the goddess and dragon story, now, however, after a while, it seemed so hard to talk about it, maybe because she had run the scenario a million times in her head. 

It wasn't right. She had to be honest. [color=fcdecc]"Brother. Actually, I wanted to have a serious talk with you. You know. I think... you have been harsh on yourself far too much. Fate has weird ways of bringing good and bad to others... If you had stayed in the village, you would be dead, most likely, trying to defend it. It was your life as a gang member that made you a good fighter, it was you helping that merchant which gave us this home on the surface, and it was your exploration that gave us the routes to do the trip and escape the fighting... Not that it justifies the gang, but... you know, I am not alone right now because you managed to turn all those experiences you got from something bad into something good. That is what you do when you take control of your future. However... You can do more, you cannot live only focused on protecting me and nothing more."[/color]

Habode was surprised by his sister's speech. Outside of their bickerings, they didn't really have any sort of deep conversation. He didn't even know she held thoughts this deeply about their situation. Still. "Maydly, but you are the only person I have left. I don't know what I can even do... outside of protecting you. It's the bare minimum I can do to avenge mother..."

"Uhm" Rennard interrupted "I will feel terrible for this, but I had left you two alone to have this conversation, and I could not help but notice that the villagers are gathering in the centre," she told, looking into the home from the small window. Having truly left to go explore the village.

[hr]

"It cannot be good. I went up and down the path. No sign of the party at all. Not even a smoke or anything. They didn't even go that deep into the wilds, we scouted the area earlier and there were not any large or dangerous monsters, just the typical prey."

"Calm down Lita. We have to think about this rationally. Prado is a good hunter, he and the others would not get ambushed by animals. It is more likely they decided to camp out."

"Without a firepit? Lest they went past the horizon we would see the smoke from the camp. Plus, he had never been this late."

Habode, Maydly and Rennard had approached the villagers as tensions had started rising. The hunting party was late, the village's best warriors were in it, so it was a bit shocking.

"A terrible creature must have ambushed them... We must avoid the eastern hunting ground."

"No! Are you mad? What if it was an accident? We need to set up a rescue party."

Rennard squinted and started rubbing her chin. "Say, Habode, were these good hunters? How good? I do not know much about the topic, so I need your guidance."

"Ah they were very experienced, it's what really kept the village afloat. They were so good that I was not even invited into it despite my combat skills, something about it being about stealth and navigation instead of just raw combat power."

The scout commander nodded, soon becoming very serious, her pose, expression changing into steel. Combat mode as Maydly would call it. "So it is unlikely they were all killed by the same creature, correct?"

"Even if it was a pack, it's hard to think they would not escape. At least one ought to have made it back."

"Well then." Rennard stepped ahead, into the village of foreigners who did not know who the hell she was. "Friends. Comrades. I would like to have your attention. The hunting party is gone, that we know. They should be within the range of our vision, but we look and we see nothing. They were said to be undefeated by the beasts, so how can this be?" 

The crowd was extremely confused at the stranger talking to them in a bold imperative voice, but she was the loudest and nobody felt like talking over her.

"I say, we are dealing here not with a monster that would chase and tear apart. No. We are dealing with something far more sinister. A creature that has the notion that they need to be stealthy, and who else is capable of that, but a brother of ours? A fellow human. A gang. Robbers."

Whispers started, controlled by Rennard clearly as she stopped for a small moment to let the words sink in the crowd's mind.

"The thing about robbers, however, unlike the average beast, is that it moves with purpose and greed, right now, they could be getting ready to ambush the great prise, this very village. If they see well-equipped hunters, they will know they store their food somewhere as well, and under the terrors of torture, they may have got this location from them. So we must get ready, set traps and..."

"Oh gods, we are all going to die!" 
"A gang is coming, they killed Prado and now they will kill us. We need to go, run, hide somewhere.

"N-no. wait. That is not..." Rennard was impressed with the cowardice of these groups, she expects them to doubt her theory that it was a gang attack, not to take it to heart and then go into full despair over it.

"Well, now you have gone and done it, the people are panicking. Did you forget these are common folk and not soldiers? And from where did you even take this idea of a gang attack? This area is extremely safe on that aspect because so much attention goes to the fallen instead." Habode scoffed at his rival.

"Yes. I am aware, and I believe this gang comes exactly from there, Etienne, or as you call it, The Fallen."

"Eh? Why? Especially now that things are getting nice again with the blessing of the gods."

Rennard sighed. "What was the currency of Etienne? The thing that made life underground so desirable compared to the surface?"

Habode pondered for a moment. "Light?"

Rennard nodded and then pointed upwards, towards the sun. "And light is now free, therefore worthless. Add to that a freaking flooding from the waters returning and you have the recipe for disaster. This is exactly why I was so desperate to return as soon as possible. Things must be pure chaos down there."

"Oh yeah. I see that now that you mention it. Hmm! You truly have the ability to think in ways that will help your people out. It's enviable."

"Help my people? My people? Do you think my thoughts are about that? Listen, if there are one people who are doing well down there right now, it's us, The Sabre. We have the discipline and loyalty to not leave a brother behind, to prepare, to organize, to evacuate in order and then focus on helping anyone who could be behind. What I worry is about the other folk, the poor people whose lead explorer ran away without a second thought about the others in the village. the parents who were out there trying to scavenge to feed their kids but now cannot return home without a raft, of those who are being scammed by a greedy man who sees this flooding as an opportunity. You should know the type when your village was attacked all you did was sneak in, take your family out, and leave without a single care about another soul down there fighting the raid."

"Fine. Whatever. Have your pretty speech. Do you think however now its time to be yelling about how great of a person you are when the entirety of Cloudy Hillocks is panicking? When bandits are nearby?"

[color=fcdecc]"Yeah uh. You both raise very valid points. So let's stop fighting and focus?"[/color] Maydly said quite literally walking in between the scout and the ex-bandit.

"I will go seek out these bandits by myself." Rennard declared. "I can at least stop them for enough time that the villagers will be able to gather their belongings and hide."

"Nah fuck you. You don't get to play the lone hero. I will be going with you." he shrugged. "Maybe the both of us can even take down a whole gang, who knows. I will go get the weaponry from the home." and with that Habode ran away.

"Your brother... is truly peculiar." Rennard sighed.

[color=fcdecc]"I don't think he dislikes you as much as he says. I mean, you killed his best friend, so that is a scar. But deep down... I think he sees you as all that he could not be. He sorts of idolizes you, or rather, is envious of you."[/color]

"Oh? Really? That is the opposite of what I had ever thought about him."  she sighed. "What I liked in him was how he did not idolize me as my comrades did. I actually memorized all of his criticisms towards me. Though, these ones from the surface are so hollow..."

[color=fcdecc]"Well... I guess you are quite peculiar as well Rennard. But it was fun getting to know the woman behind the soldier. You should relax more.[/color]

Habode returned with bows and arrows, as well a sword of his own, Rennard had her own finely crafted sword. "Maydly, can you guide the villagers to those nearby ruins? Seems like the safest place and it's hard to know about if you aren't a local. Me and Rennard will be back soon." he said at first sternly, but then, he approached his sister and hugged her. "Stay safe."

"You stay safe as well bro. Don't bicker with Rennard mid-battle." she hugged back and although she joked she could not smile. Perhaps she had misunderstood her fears when thinking about why she didn't tell her brother about the fire sapling yet...

[hr]

"Gun." Rennard said to Habode, however, as the enemies walked ever so close, this was not said in words. In the tunnels of The Fallen, where voices echoed way too far for subtlety, sign language took hold for the more delicate pre-combat orders. In this case, it helped as the two of them were in opposing hills, with the five enemies starting to track the path between them. 

The village was not called Cloudy Hillocks for no reason, the whole area was composed of small hills, it was incredibly foolish to just charge in, but, as Rennard expected, the enemies were new to the surface, while the tactics of ambush and surprise were things people naturally trained when fighting in the tunnels, manoeuvrability in the surface was utterly unknown to them. This was the main bet of the duo over the upcoming combat.

It was lucky that they actually had not taken volunteers from the village for this fight. Sure being twice outnumbered by the enemy was not ideal, but for this type of battle discipline and veterancy mattered far more, in particular, because the enemy had one scavenged weapon, something that could be particularly shocking on a first encounter.

The quintet walked deeper into the trail. Whispers confirming Rennard's theory about the state of The Fallen, the boss, previously rich in light stones, was not happy with the loss of status, as such, it was time to push the advantage while they had it and seize the riches of the surface. Habode and Rennard met eye to eye across the hill, it was time to roll the dice, it was now or never.

The sound of twang echoed in the quiet of the rocky hills, the arrow falling just short of one of the bandit's feet. Rennard cursed mentally as each shot was essential, her arms were still not at their prime strength.

"What in the abyss?" "Archer." "Where?" "To your left." the voices rambled among each of them. "Just one, I saw they hiding after they shot." "Right..." only one man readied their weapons, and it was the leader with his gun. Soon, he saw the clothed shape moving on the hill and shot, a flash of green followed the high-speed projectile, it hit but it was soon revealed that the target was a mere decoy, a branch with a coat, as a flame formed where the bullet had hit.

This was a moment of distraction, enough for the agile Rennard to get her second shot. The aim was not perfect, but this time she aimed at the mass instead of trying to target vitals as she typically did. The arrow flew, straight into a man's arm. A yell of pain, cursing. Now their pride was hurt enough that they did not rely just on the gun, two bows were readied, the third bowmen of the group was the one she had hit in the arm, effectively making him useless.

As they waited for her to show up on the hill again, another sound of rope snapping, a woosh, this time from behind, right into a bandit's back, a painful hit, but not a fatal one. The leader cursed and readied his gun, attention was naturally drawn to behind them. Of course, Rennard would not let this chance be wasted, she peaked to shoot again, just to find herself rolling just in time to avoid an arrow, while four of the men had looked to the other side initially, the one she had hit on the arm, still with a grudge, forced one of the bowmen to turn back towards that hill.

It was now time to play into the bandit's fear, they could not lower their aim in face of the unseen enemies, but they could not hold the bow forever, no matter how they looked at it, the attackers had the advantage by being uphill. "Shh. Lower it. Kore, Leor, you watch for the hills with me. Sibat, Axil, go up, that there, rush one of them. Once one is done with we can retreat and properly hide from the other.

It was as good as they could do right now. They were the most agile after all, they could gain an advantage while Rennard was still hiding. Of course... it was an uphill run, draining both their stamina and focus as they tried to do the task. Swords in hand, they reached the top of the hill, just to find the area with large rocks and the burning coat and branches. Their eyes darted from boulder to boulder, this was not good, they needed an...

There was barely a moment to ready up as Rennard descended upon them with a running stab of her sword, the leading, unhurt bandit managing to deflect it with his own. The one hurt in the arm was paranoid, thinking he would have been the first to be targeted due to his debilitation, when he wasn't, he took way too long to react, and his reaction was almost desperate, absurdly clumsy. Rennard threw herself at the ground causing the incoming bandit to trip over her, finding himself rolling down the other side of the hill, while her unorthodox movement paid well in that one engagement, the other, unhurt bandit was still on his feet and near her, being in the ground was not a good position at all. A quick roll, and an attempt at throwing a knife, were just enough to avoid getting her hit by his sword, but he was gaining on her. She would have one chance to get up, her eyes moving to both sides in a second, his own eyes following that movement. Then she crawled backwards, towards the fire that had been set on the decoy coat, the bandit stuck in false towards the right, and was forced to watch as the women rolled into and past the small fire, smoke rising as she did so, her form becoming unclear, but standing up again for certain. 

He rose his sword, the smoke coming straight into his eyes, the women did the same, and rushed, a kick, embers and wood bits flying up, sword met again, she hit him once, twice, not managing to outdo their weight difference, he hit once, she held her sword with both hands, his crude iron weapon did little to it, she started to move again, sword raised little movement outside of small faints. Then the slash, he once again deflected, but using the same technique three times had its price, the fox had learned how to predict it, it always went down to the right, so, she made sure to hit his legs during that. A brief moment of pain, enough for her to slash again, this time finding little opposition as she struck against his neck, a small cut, but enough to do the job as the blood started to flow. The man tumbled and she kicked him towards his comrades down the hill.

The expression in the surviving trio's eyes was one she knew well, it was their world coming to stop. Time became slower, feelings became dulled, it was defeat, acceptance you will likely not win the fight or flee this situation, all the plans, all the dreams of victory and glory, shattered. The pieces on the table moved as if on their own, the enemy's with purpose, his own with startled aimless movements.

A rock came rolling down the other hill, Habode slid downward after it. Although the gunman tried to aim for him, it was impossible to do that and not be hit by the rock. He tried to aim again, shot, missed. The two other gang members covered for him, but it was too late to ready bows, they picked up their swords and waited for the man to attack. But why would he do that? Why did they expect him to attack them? Instead, he started to prepare his bow for a shot. The two men with swords panicked, thinking they had fallen into another clever trap. Ironically, the trap was exactly this, to have them rushing him in panic. If Rennard was deadly grace Habode was a swift storm,  the mercenary to her noble. He picked his first target aiming for the weakest, most hurt one, deflected his running swing and grabbed him, outright raising him from the ground and throwing him to the mud. The other attacker sidestepped his comrade, startled, and was punished immediately, as Habode thrust his sword straight through his chest, falling with him to the ground. 

Typically he would stay up, but the gunman was still active, just now having reloaded his scavenged artefact. His only choice was to try to hide behind the still living bandit, the one he had thrown in the ground. He expected this would stop the bandit leader, it would have stopped him after all, but nope, the man still shot, both the human shield and Habode gasping as they struggled for their lives. The projectile ripped through them. Just a second before Rennard pounced the gang leader, her knife sinking where his neck met the shoulder multiple times before he could even react.

"Habode! Habode! Goddamnit. If you got shot I will fucking kill you." Rennard yelled in a moment of uncharacteristic rudeness, her heart sinking as she rushed towards him.

"Fuck... My side. Ouch. Damnit. This shit burns goddamit." he rolled away from the last living bandit. Both hurt, none fatal, a scrap made at the side of their torso. 

"Oh, thank goodness you are fine. That is a nasty bruise though, we will need to cover that in some medicinal paste or you will rot from inside for sure. First though... dealing with our friend here."

"P-please. Please don't. Kill me. Spare me. I am unable to fight any longer. Make a slave, but do not kill me... I was just... trying to survive..."

"Yeah. I do not doubt that. I wish we lived in times. Where I could actually afford to spare you of the death penalty. But... We don't? Do we not? Those hunters you ambushed, those from this village, are any of them alive?" the man looked at her, eyes full of fear and guilt. "Nope. They aren't. Well. Damnit. That is too bad. But I understand why you didn't keep them prisoner, and you must understand why  I will also act like you did. It's hard, you know? I am good at reading people but its impossible even for me to be able to tell if you had a sudden change in heart for real or if you are just like this because you are facing the pointy end of a sword..." 

"Holy shit Rennard just fucking kill the dude already. To make these long speech of yours in this situation is just too cruel." Habode complained. Rennard rolled her eyes, and finished off the wounded bandit as quickly as she could. It was not a pretty sight at all, and although she had been locked in a battle for her life, killing him did make her feel bad.

"Well... I guess this is it huh? I hate when fights end, the rush of the moment is gone, and that is left is my body aching and a bunch of bodies spilling blood all over the place."

"Huh. I always took you for the sadistic type. The more you know I guess." Habode tried to get up but his wounded sides made it almost impossible, at least until Rennard helped him. "It's fucking crazy, me and you, fighting together. We did some nice damage today, did we not?"

"That we did. I had really forgotten how absurd is the combination of your speed and strength. I had to dance for a long time to take down my wounded opponents meanwhile you just downed two almost instantly, outright grappling your opponent mid sword combat was just amazing... Lame area awareness though, that shot you got was avoidable. Your sister almost became truly alone today."

"And wouldn't that be for the better? I heard you both talking, about how she has some sort of project in mind but doesn't talk to me because I wouldn't understand. It's... Frustrating. Even when I try to help someone, I just end up making them feel oppressed."

"Oh stop that. You know very well your sister loves you. And while you are a stubborn rock head, I think her fears are not just of you trying to stop her, but of being separated from you. She said she didn't have many friends, so you are in a sense the one person she can rely upon, the one person who makes her feel like she has a home."

"Hmm... This is all..." he sighed. "The type of thing that feels really weird discussing while covered in blood?" 

"Ah... good point. Let's rush back to the village, and also get them to come back now that the bandit threat is gone... for now. I doubt this will be the last degenerate tunnel gang crawling out."

[hr]

Maydly looked up at the sky, the shining stars, the weird moons, it was crazy that the world had changed so much in so little time. Crazier still, was that her own life would have to change radically from here onward as well. There was no more avoiding it, seeing her brother return all bruised from battle, it had awoken in her the fear of something bad happening without proper communication between the two. This fear triumphed over any other concern.

Earlier today, after the celebrations over the victory and the mourning over the dead hunters, she had decided to avoid her brother by saying she would go visit a friend. But, she could not delay anything anymore. 

She stepped into her home again, taking a deep breath as she tried to avoid overthinking what she had to say. She went where she knew she would find him, entering his room, seeing him once again looking up at the roof, a brooding expression. One key difference though. Rennard of all people hugging him while sharing a bed, the scout sleeping.

Habode looked at Maydly with surprise, and she answered in an equally gasping expression, a sense of shyness as she connected the dots and just sheer shock from the improbable scene. It was easier to just close the door and pretend this was a dream.

But soon Habode appeared, his face already showing a sign of annoyance. "You had to, of all days, decide to come back earlier than expected today, huh?"

[color=fcdecc]"H-how the hell did this happen? I... Was one battle enough for... were you two... Yikes."[/color] she took a deep breath and then slowly let the air out. [color=fcdecc]"Eh, whatever. You are a grown man and you decide who you sleep with. If anything Rennard is a massive improvement over the type of women I saw you going out with back in the gang days."[/color]

"I won't even bother explaining, adrenaline was high as we talked about the battle and sword techniques and then... Forget it. But. Why are you back."

[color=fcdecc]"Well brother. I... I am facing a situation. I really wasn't pranking you when I said I met a goddess. I received... some sort of mission. It is hard to explain. My skin isn't turning a different colour because of tanning, it's some sort of fire within me."[/color]

Habode's eyes widened at that. "And you were acting as if me sleeping with my rival was very weird. Maydly. What is this? You entered a pact with some self-declared god and now your body is changing? Maydly...! This isn't..."

[color=fcdecc]"I do not think its bad! It wasn't even the goddess fault, it's because I took care of that plant, it kinda... gifted something to me, a reward. But... Well. To do this properly I need to understand the world and other people better, and that is a bit hard... when all of my life is contained within two small villages. As such, since the people are already talking about abandoning the village anyway, I was thinking..."[/color]

"They are abandoning the village? I mean... sure we have hit critical depopulation, but still... Ugh, I guess I should have paid more attention to what they were talking about..."

[color=fcdecc]"But I guess flirting with Rennard took priority? Anyway... I want to travel the world. I want to meet new people. I want to learn what this fire within me means by the context of others. And I know what you are going to say, that you will come with me... But I kinda... don't want to. On one side, this is my mission, not yours, on the other... I don't like you just dedicating your whole life to me."[/color]

The older brother looked at this sister for a long moment, before sighing. "Well. That is an inevitability anyway. I have never seen you this serious about anything in your life, and although wandering the world isn't the best description of a long term plan... if that is what your heart calls sister. I trust in you. I trust you are not making a rushed decision. You have always been a bright girl..."

[color=fcdecc]"B...For real?"[/color] she stepped back, the acceptance and compliments were a sudden and unexpected result. [color=fcdecc]"I mean..."[/color]

"Plus, maybe I will get serious with Rennard so it will be easier to have a spare room." he laughed.

[color=fcdecc]"Do you want to die? Cause that is how you get killed."[/color] she playfully punched him softly in the chest, causing him to wince in pain as she had hit his hurt side. [color=fcdecc]"Oh sorry... so... I guess this will uhm... one of our last times talking together...?"[/color]

His hand gently patted her on the head. "Why, aren't you going to visit me? I was about to say how you had matured into such a responsible woman, and you do that?" he pulled her into a hug. "Do visit us again, I will go back to The Fallen after this. Rennard invited me personally to come help, plus if the villagers are leaving, I am sure some will want to also resettle there. Avoid travelling alone, keep a knife or machete in your pocket. Don't trust any random god you meet laying around."

[color=fcdecc]"Hehe. You can bet I will be back. You better teach your future half-fox kids how to respect their cool god-touched aunt."[/color] a soft wink. [color=fcdecc]"But... It makes me happy. It has been a long while since you were this playful. I missed this old Habode, and I will miss him in my journeys..."[/color] she raised a finger to her eyes, to hide a tear. [color=fcdecc]"I need to go get my things ready, ask for provisions from the others. Prepare my own. Uhm... you can go back to cuddling Rennard or whatever."[/color]

[hr]

Habode sighed as he noticed where he was. Once more, his old home, Hanging Bird Hall. The faintly lit corridors are surrounded by little square rooms on both sides. Originally these were full of makeshift houses, but now, each of these small squares now hosted a little shop in each of them, the lower part where the farm once was had turned into a pristine lake where kids loved to swim among the ruins. The location, peaceful and close to the surface, was a key trading point between Etienne and The Surface.

People had repurposed this place once and had now done it again. A true statement of how fiercely they could survive and improvise. And although it was loud, smelly and very dirty still, there was a sense of beauty in it all, as the people moved back and forth among the fallen rocks, market stalls and the rays of light seeping from the shiny surface above. 

All these good vibes were suddenly crushed when a faceless mannequin attacked him. Habode letting out a yelp as his childhood fears were explored.

"Surprise ambush!" yelled the woman behind the doll, Commander Scout Rennard Fenequil. "How distracted you are, Lieutenant Habode." she said with a gentle giggle.

"I dress this weird-ass Sabre uniform for you and this is how you repay?" he answered grumpily. 

"I think the uniform is quite nice, if not outright cute."

"Just on you." he shrugged.

"Excellent counter-attack lieutenant. Now, no more smiles. Put on your serious face, I have serious reports a merchant has been using a secret lift for actions such as smuggling and tax evasion. Already a worrisome deviant surely, but hear this, they say this merchant is a short man with the leg of a goat on a long tail."

And so continued another day in the lands once called the Fallen. Now slowly that name faded, the Sabre's preferred Etienne overtaking it, a reborn phoenix city half-submerged in the swamps, home of the Sabre Republic and innumerable treasures lost in its countless underground tunnels.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mDhOboH.jpg[/img][/center]