Chapter 4 - A Moment's Rest

It was raining hard, and the air was foggy, making vision limited to just a few feet in front of you. Sargon was walking through the forest at the base of the mountains behind Navigraad, the neighboring human city to Peccatum. Behind the stubborn knight, was his other teammates. All of them, including Elias now, were getting tired. Sargon refused to stop and rest until he got Emily back, and that was leaving a negative effect on the group. The only times Sargon did allow the others to rest was only for two or three hours during the night. What he refused to let the others see, was the state he was in. He hasn't been resting either, and while it was slowly starting to show physically, he hid it all under his helmet. He never took it off, and for a reason. Under it, he had bags under his eyes, and both were only half-open. He needed sleep but refused to.

Alina had stayed quiet since they all left the island. A couple of times during a conversation between the other members, it would look like she may try to share or input something, but never did. She would always shrink back and fall silent, curling in on herself as they traveled. Alina was talking beside Sargon, marching alongside him towards the mountain. It had taken them a while to get this far, and they could already feel the cold breeze blowing down from the snowy peaks above.

Elias walked alongside Karaline and Violet, who continued to help guide Ann by holding her hand. The merfolk was smiling, though she didn't quite know what was going on around her, other than drops of water were falling onto her. Lunette was asleep while sitting on top of Violet.

"Sargon." Elias said, "We need to stop for a while and rest."

The knight didn't respond. Instead, the feeling of tiredness and weakness got to him. He took in a deep breath and collapsed in the rain in front of the others.

"Finally." Elias groaned, reaching for his pocket and pulling out his portal key. The ranger pulled out two tents that he had purchased at Neptunes Bay. These tents weren't like any normal ones. While they bore the appearance of a small two-person tent, the interior was actually a long wooden hallway with four rooms. Three bedrooms and a kitchen. The inside of the tent was definitely way bigger than the size of the actual tent. It was a nifty thing to have instead of an ordinary tent. A good alternative.

Quickly, the ranger and the others set up both tents side by side, under a large oak tree. The leaves above created a small canopy that helped block some of the rain but not all of it. Elias and Alina dragged Sargon into one of these tents and rested him on the beds inside. Violet helped Anne and her tent and into a room. The merfolk sat on the soft bed and giggled. The feeling of the soft fabric tickled her skin and she enjoyed it. Violet laid Lunette down on the bed beside Ann and went to go sit in the kitchen. The necromancers legs were burning up. A month and a half straight of nonstop walking, and she could barely go any further. The others were in a similar state. Their legs ache and they were all tired and exhausted.

Alina sat down on the floor beside Sargon's bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. She let out a long and exhausted exhale of air, and closed her eyes. Sleep was something a vampire didn't need often, but they still needed it. Elias stepped out of the room, leaving Sargon and Alina alone. Time passed, and the sunset a couple of hours later, cloaking the foggy forest in darkness. The rain had lightened up to a small sprinkle, and the air became cooler. The ranger stepped into the kitchen of the first tent and looked to Violet who was sitting at the table, her face buried into another book.

"Hey, Violet."

The necromancer held up a single finger for him to wait, and a moment later she turned to look up at him.

"Do you know where Karaline is? I can't find her." He sighed. The necromancer shrugged.

"She said that she was going out to get firewood."

"Firewood?" Elias tilted his head, Doesn't she have those magic coals that she can use to create fire?"

Violet nodded, and the ranger sighed.

"Well, I'll go find her. I don't want to wait another day if she gets drunk and hungover." The ranger walked out of the tent, passing by Ann who was standing in the hallway and walking back and forth, feeling the walls and getting used to the tents. Over the last month, she had spent a lot of time in these magic portable homes, but could never remember their layout.

Alina woke up slowly, as she heard groaning. The vampire looked up to Sargon's bed and saw him sitting up.

"Damn it." He mumbled, holding a hand to his head.

"Sargon?" Alina whispered.

"What?" The knight responded, visibly angry. He didn't know how he got to the tent, but he had an idea. Sargon hadn't been getting sleep either, so perhaps he passed out. This possibility irritated him.

"What happened?" Alina flinched slightly, looking down. From the way she was sitting, she almost seemed to be anticipating another explosive response. Alina looked somewhat shaken, her hood up, and covering her face.

"You already know. Lucilla kidnapped Emily with the help of someone else from your family." Sargon grunted and climbed out of the bed.

" Lucilla wouldn't have taken Emily." Alina corrected him, "Only our aunt Valerie would do something like that, and that's not what I mean." She frowned, "Why did you just pass out?"

"Are you sure your aunt doesn't own an estate up the mountain?" Sargon asked, completely dodging Alina's question about his mental state.

"A- An estate?" Alina's face changed suddenly. Almost like she was wearing the question for the first time. "I don't... Maybe? No, wait, she does." Alina nodded, "Yes, she does."

"So we are going in the right direction then." Sargon nodded, "How far do you think we are?"

Alina thought long and hard about it. She herself couldn't remember the exact location of Valerie's estate. It was a memory, and a place she chose to ignore and forget about. All Alina could remember was that the estate was by a frozen lake, and it was high in the mountains, far from civilization. How exactly to get there, was a mystery to the vampire though.

"I don't know. Maybe a week or two?" She said, "If the weather up top isn't too bad." The mountain range the group was at the foot of, was the same mountain range where their adventure began. Only they were much further out. The mountains where the temple was located was weeks away, and those mountains were much smaller. The one that Valerie could be at was one of the tallest and most harsh peaks in Ageria. It was known for having winding paths and steep cliffs. Sharp jagged rocks everywhere, and harsh snowstorms.

"Great," Sargon grunted. "How long have I been asleep."

Alina looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know the time either but based on how no light was coming from the flaps outside, she assumed that it was night.

"Couple hours maybe?"

Sargon shook his head.

"We move out as soon as possible." He demanded.

"Sargon, we need this time to rest." Alina explained, "You've been pushing us hard for so long. We aren't going to have the energy to fight Valerie. If it wasn't for Karaline and Elias, Lucilla would have easily killed you. Valerie is much older then her and more powerful, you won't stand a chance against her alone. You stand less of a chance alone and tired."

Sargon looked at Alina for a long moment. He let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"Like I said before. I'll go on alone, and you guys can stay back."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Alina crossed her arms, "You don't have to do this alone, and shouldn't."

"Don't I? I've been dragging all of you with me lately, and have been downright rude to you all. If you guys want to rest, then rest. I'm going to keep going."

Alina shrugged her shoulders.

"I- I should help. It was my fault."

"Alina, this is no one's fault, but Emily's. Don't fool yourself."

"It's my fault because she's my aunt. It's my fault because I've allowed her to twist Lucilla into what she is now. It's my fault because... because I didn't kill her when I was younger. It's..." Alina trailed off, staring at the ground.

Sargon reached out and held Alina by the wrist, slow enough not to scare or hurt her.

"Don't worry about that."

Alina stayed silent, but she doesn't immediately yank her wrist away.

"We'll find her no matter what. And when we do, your aunt... well... I think you know what I'm getting at."

Alina nodded slightly, keeping her eyes down, and after a moment, she adds quietly;

"I don't know how much help I'll be against her."

***

Elias walked out into the foggy woods. The air was moist, and the wind blew a cold breeze. He looked around for any sign of where Karaline could have gone. He focused on the area around him and soon spotted a series of broken twigs leading into the forest. He eyes them and started to track, using any sign that Karaline was in the area. It took him only a minute or two, as he was extremely skilled in the task of tracking, being a ranger and all. Elias soon came across Karaline near a tree. He couldn't see what she was doing, but soon the sound of wood breaking rang our, and the tree she was beside tipped over, the bark breaking from the stump. Elias quickly rolled out of the way, just barely dodging the tree as it crushed everything where he once stood. Karaline stood there, breathing heavily and looking down at the recently made stump. Her hands were bleeding and her great sword was planted in the ground beside her.

"Karaline?" Elias asked, walking over to her slowly, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting firewood. What else?" She snapped at Elias, turning to look at him. She looked pissed off, and her breathing was rapid. She almost sounded like she was drunk, but there were no signs that she was drinking. Elias couldn't smell and alcohol in the air, and don't see any bottles or flasks.

"Don't you have those magic coals to summon fire?" Elias questioned her. He had a few himself to be honest, but the ranger knew Karaline had more.

"So what?" She asked, growling.

"Why not use those rather than-" Elias look at her bleeding fists, then at the tree that had fallen. Blood was dripping down over the round edges of the tree, with several holes through it. Each one created a massive crack that collectively cut the tree down, "- Punching a tree for firewood?" He looked back up at her.

"Why not use fucking firewood?!"

"Karaline, seriously, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong!? Nothing's fucking wrong!? I'm perfectly fine!" She yelled, her voice echoing through the woods.

"You're clearly not fine." Elias frowned and crossed his arms.

"The fuck do you mean!? You have a goddamn problem with me you shit!?" She yells, walking up to Elias. The smell of rotting flesh began to fill the air around her.

"I do, yeah. We need you in a condition to fight."

Karaline did not respond. In a fit of anger, she swung her fist towards the rangers head. He quickly sidestepped and avoided the attack.

"Karaline!" The tattoos on his body started to glow.

"Is that a good enough fucking condition to fight!?"

"What is wrong with you?" Elias asked. He didn't get into a fighting stance, but he made sure to be aware of his surroundings in case the undead lashed out.

"Nothing!" She replied.

"Why are you so angry?"

"Why the fuck are you asking!?"

"Well we are all tired, and I find you out here punching a tree down, and acting aggressively."

"So, I can't be aggressive!? What's your goddamn point!?"

"Calm down, Karaline," Elias said, firmly.

"I am fucking calm!"

"No your not." Elias took a step back.

"Yes, I am!" She yelled and lunged forward towards the ranger. Blinded by anger, she swung her fist at him again. Every time she attempted to hit him, the ranger would sidestep, or jump to the side. It was like the ranger was predicting how Karaline would attack.

"Karaline, Stop!" Elias yelled back at her, "I'm not in the mood to fight you. I'm tired, you're tired, just calm down!"

"Why the fuck do I have to stop!? You're being an asshole calling me out and being aggressive! I'm not that fucking mad!"

Elias frowned, and the tattoos on his body glowed brighter. Slowly, a blue chain formed in his hand, and he swung it towards Karaline. The undead quickly grabbed the chain and pulled Elias in with a quick and strong tug. The ranger didn't react, but rather allowed himself to be pulled closer. A shield formed in one hand and he used to bash Karaline back.

The undead stumbled backward and shook off the pain. She charged at Elias and grabbed the edges of his ghostly shield. She pulled it from him, causing it to disappear. Karaline then grabbed Elias and lifted him, tossing him away. The ranger grunted and got back up quickly. Karaline, being an undead, was rather strong. She had similar abilities to a vampire in terms of regeneration. Karaline could regenerate most wounds and come back from the brink of death, but with a price. Every time she dies, she would forget everything that has happened to her up until that point. That's why the undead wore a small necklace around her neck. She never took it off, because the necklace helped Karaline keep her memories after death. It was something she refused to part with.

"Karaline, Stop!" Elias repeated himself. The undead ran to him and attempted to punch him again, but this time, Elias turned the tables. He quickly ducked under her arm as she swung it, and punched her in the throat as he moved around behind her. Karaline choked, and grabbed her neck, giving Elias the moment to kick out Karslines legs. She fell and hit the ground hard. As the ranger stood over the undead, he placed his boot onto her, to keep her down. Elias reached for his belt and grabbed the small mirror attached to it. He looked into his reflection and tried to contact Alina. These magic mirrors were another useful tool. Allowing someone to communicate across long distances with other people who share the same tool. All they need to do, is look into it, think of who they want to contact, and if the other person wants to talk, their reflection will ripple into existence, in place of your own.

Elias watched as his reflection was slowly changed to that of Alinas. She tilted her head and simply asked what he needed.

"Alina, get to the forest now. I need some help."

"Sure." Alina put her mirror away and stood up, quickly leaving Sargon's room. As soon as Elias put the mirror back on his belt, Karaline let out a brief scream and pushed herself off the ground, knocking Elias over. She quickly crawled on top of him and attempted to choke him, wrapping her fingers around his neck and squeezing. The ranger struggled and tried to pull Karalines hands away, but the undead strength was unbeatable compared to his own. It wasn't until he managed to kick Karaline's behind with his boot, that he successfully got her to loosen her grip for a brief moment. The ranger gasped and punched Karaline in the face, bruising her eye, and causing her to roll off him. Elias then quickly got up, and summoned a bow in his hands, and pulled back a ghostly arrow. He didn't fire it, but rather kept it aimed at the undead.

"Hold on, let's stop for a second, okay." Alina's voice came from the right. The two looked in her direction to see her standing before the two, crossing her arms. Karaline growled and got up. She quickly pulled her fist back and swung at the vampire, hitting her in the face, and causing her to stumbled back a bit. Blood began to drip from Alina's nose, and she whipped it off with her arm.

"Okay, let's try this again. Stop it, both of you!" She repeated sharply.

"Fuck off Vampire!" Karaline yelled.

"I do have a name, Karaline," Alina replied softly.

"Fuck off, Alina."

"Why should I?" She questioned the vampire, "You're attacking someone, as far as I'm aware, unprovoked. You're acting as if your drunk, but you really don't seem to be actually drunk. I can't smell any alcohol anywhere nearby. And acting like this is delaying our searching for Emily."

"What's your point?" Karaline frowned, glancing over to the ranger to see that he had lowered his bow, but kept it summoned in his hands.

"My point is that you need to calm down and get your head straight! We have a teenager to rescue, remember?"

Karaline stood there, breathing heavily, and thinking. She was enraged by something, but it was unclear what exactly. After a moment, she took a long and drawn out deep breath.

"Fine." She closed her eyes, "But the first enemy I see, fucking dies."

"Fine by me," Alina replied, and turned to walk back to the tents. Elias lowered his bow, and it vanished from his hands, and out of existence. The tattoos on his body stopped glowing and the ranger relaxed a bit. He remembered a time when Alina once told him that her group was weird, and he said he had dealt with weird groups before. But in this case, the group he was stuck in, was an absolute mess.

***

Violet finished reading the book she was buried into. She closed it slowly, and leaned back in her chair, stretching for a moment. As she did, the necromancer felt a small pinch on the back of her neck. Violet turned her head and saw nothing there. She tilted her head and felt another pinch, this time on her arm She turned her head again and still saw nothing. It wasn't until she felt a pinch on her other arm that she saw the culprit. Her eyes widened a bit as she stared at Lunette. Only, there was a slight difference to her appearance, and that was that she was much smaller than before. The fairy, that was once the height of Alina, was now about the size of an average-sized hand. Her hair drooped over her naked body, the few bits of clothing she had no longer fit her. She giggled and flew in a small circle, leaving a trail of yellowish, and white dust behind her.

"What happened?" Violet asked, waving at the fairy and staring at her.

"I don't know." The fairy giggled and flew around Violet's head. "I woke up like this!"

Violet nodded and tilted her head. It was a bit weird seeing Lunette so small. She looked like a toy doll for little kids, only alive, and bare. Violet was going to question her further to try and figure out what happened to the fairy, when Karaline stormed into the tent and slammed her door shut behind her, The necromancer jumped and quickly stood to her feet. Elias walked in a moment later and sighed as he leaned against the wall, rubbing his neck with his hand.

"Is she alright?" The necromancer asked.

"Don't think so no." Elias simply replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Do you think it's because of her past. Should we tell her what we saw?"

"Can't think of any other reason." The ranger replied, "She has been acting like this for a while now, but I think she just snapped."

Violet nodded and turned to face her friend's room. Slowly, she pushed the unlocked door open and peeked inside. Karaline looked over to her and frowned.

"What?" She asked sharply.

"Karaline," Violet said, "Elias and I learned something."

"Yeah, what?" There was a hint of disinterest in her voice.

"It's about your past." The ranger spoke up, walking in behind Violet, crossing his arms. Karaline was silent for a moment and simply stared at the two.

"W- What about it... and how do you know."

"We used a life link spell to look into your mind," Violet explained, frowning a bit when she heard Karaline groan in annoyment. "We looked into your mind. We saw past memories that you may not even recall." Violet looked down, and the two began explaining to Karaline in great detail what they saw. The burning castle, Karaline, and her old allies. A girl who always stayed by her side, how she was executed and how she was reincarnated as an undead. Karaline listened to them in silence. She tried to picture these memories in her mind, but couldn't. Bits of it were sounding like how things were written out in the book she was gifted by Lux before she passed. The book was a diary of sorts, form someone Karaline apparently knew very well, only she doesn't know who she is, or how she knew her.

"This is a good story and all, but what proof do you have, huh?"

The ranger looked to Violet, then back at Karaline.

"I'm sure the proof is in that book you always read."

Violet walked up to her friend and lifted her staff. The gem at its top began to glow, and a life link was cast between Karaline and Violet. The ghostly chains pulsed, and Violet attempted to give Karaline everything she saw. Karalines eyes widened as she looked back at violet's memories, looking into her own. Her eyes started to tear up as everything she had forgotten started to flash before her eyes. When the chain broke, Violet stepped back and looked at her friend. There was a long moment of silence from Karaline. She looked at the two then at herself. With a deep sigh, she finally spoke,

"T- Thank you." She went quiet again, "P- please... leave me alone..." She said. Violet led Elias out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"She's going to try and kill herself again, isn't she?" The ranger asked.

"Most likely. We must be cautious of her actions."

"Yes. We don't want to waste another day, waiting for her to recover." Elias nodded.

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