Fantasy Cursed Island

[Darkling0096]

"Aye," Adran turned towards Jerry, who currently possessed the magic bag. Except Jerry had vanished again, leaving a coin still spinning on the ground. "I swear, that woman can teleport."

"I thought she could not run with that tail?", Beri frowned, "Where is the bag?"

"She may have placed it in Asta's saddlebags," Joanne offered.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta settled onto the ground to let them reach the saddlebags.

Emil shook his head before glancing around. “Shuffle, help us set-“ He stopped as he spotted Shuffle, already mostly undressed by the side of the water. “No, Shuffle. Set up camp first, then you can swim.”

“Awww....” Shuffle left whatever she’d already removed and went to help.

 

[Darkling0096]

Emfa walked over to rummage through the saddlebags, finding the magic bag she nodded at the chimera, "Do you need help getting out your harness?"

Joanne went over to Corona after depositing the pants of her common clothes with Erina. "Do you need anything in particular to be able to sleep?"

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta nodded. “I can not remove it myself.”

Corona looked over and shook her head. “No. Sometimes I lean on a tree or something, but I should be fine.”

 

[Darkling0096]

Emfa smiled and went to go hand the magic bag to Emil and Veo so they could start putting the camp together, before returning to help Asta out of his harness. She was more blunt about it than Jerry usually was. "Gentle" wasn't a word in the minotaur's vocabulary.

"Are you certain?", Joanne raised an eyebrow, "We have cushions and couches, if you would like something more comfortable to lay your humanoid torso on." Even Erina slept in a proper bed, at least. But then, horses couldn't really sleep laying down for extended periods, so she understood that might not be an option for the centaur.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta remained quiet as Emfa helped with the harness. He wasn't expecting much from her, so he at least wasn't disappointed.

Corona nodded. "I have slept in worse places. I'll be fine."

 

[Darkling0096]

"As long as you are certain," Joanne shrugged and went to help with the setting up of camp. Tents were put up again, carts parked, Amdis was put back in her page.

Once the saddle was off of the chimera, Emfa hung it on a treelimb so it was elevated and left Asta to his own devices. At least there was space to move in the grove. The phoenix was large enough to pick up Adran if it wanted, there was space between the trees for Asta to move about.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta stretched once his saddle was off before going to walk around the grove.

Shuffle, after making sure her help was no longer needed, quickly ran back to the water to finish undressing and jump in. Fia just watched her. She still seemed to be bothered by something. Shuffle faltered again after jumping in before coming back to the surface. “Haaahhhh, why is the water so warm?”

Raine spoke up as she came to the water’s edge. “There’s probably a pocket of magma nearby underground. They’re good heat sources, but you have to be careful not to dig into them.”

 

[Darkling0096]

"It is a hot spring," Joanne agreed, "That explains why the phoenix was so comfortable here. Below the surface lava heats whatever produces this enchanted water."

Veo made her rounds, going around and making sure everyone had what they needed. She got around to Fia and looked worried. She knelt down next to her, "Is something wrong?" Normally Shuffle and Fia were always playing together.

 

[Fangs9090]

“Mm. Well, it feels good anyway.” Shuffle smiled and kept swimming.

Fia looked over at Veo for a moment. “Mm... I’m just a bit bothered. What happened to that Phoenix after the fight, it... it was a little too close to my nightmare...”

 

[Darkling0096]

"You had a nightmare?", now Veo was concerned. "What happened, when was this?"

 

[Fangs9090]

"It was in that hallway that put everyone to sleep. It wasn't real, but it felt like it... I was in the afterlife, and they just kept cutting me open again, over and over..." Fia was shaking by the time she finished, remembering it all too well.

 

[Darkling0096]

Veo tensed at the mention of that hall. She'd tried desperately to forget that place, and what it had showed her. Ras's death was still recent in her memory, and being shown it again, twisted by that hallway... She wrapped Fia in her arms, holding her close. "It was just a dream, it's okay."

 

[Fangs9090]

Fia nodded as she leaned in close. "I know... But seeing what happened to the other one...it brought back the memory."

 

[Darkling0096]

"The phoenix chose to make an enemy of us, and so we have defeated and gained useful things from it," Joanne commented, passing by to fill a bottle with water for one of Niudisa's alchemy projects. "If someone did attempt to torture you, we would defeat them and end their miserable existence."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Mm... I guess it's just because we're both phoenixes, but I kind of feel sorry for him..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Whatever for?", Joanne raised an eyebrow, "You should know as well as any that the instant he receives a fatal injury he will be restored in a fiery rebirth." Veo had gone silent, lost in her own thoughts.

 

[Fangs9090]

Fia nodded. "Death doesn't mean anything for a phoenix, but we can still feel pain. And when dying only puts you back together, all there is is just more pain..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Precisely," Joanne nodded, "Pain is no alien concept to you. Pain tells you that your heart still beats and you are still alive."

 

[Fangs9090]

"But he's trapped now. All he has to look forward to now is getting his feathers plucked and his blood drawn. Pain is all he'll know now. That's why I feel sorry for him."

 

[Darkling0096]

"We will hardly torture him forever," Joanne shook her head. "Once we leave, he will be freed. We cannot make an ally of him and we cannot truly kill him either. I will not allow him to remain in agony under our charge."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Mm... Well, alright then." Fia went quiet for a moment before glancing up at Veo.

 

[Darkling0096]

Veo was still silent, staring off into space. "Veo." She blinked and focused back on the two talking to her.

"What? I'm sorry, I missed that."

 

[Fangs9090]

"I didn't really say anything. Thank you for sitting down with me though. That really helped."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Hmm," Veo nodded and got up, "Go have fun with Shuffle." She went back to the camp and vanished into her and Emil's tent.

"I suppose you've given her something to think about," Joanne shrugged and went to go deliver the water, "Has Jerry returned yet?", she asked once she was back in the main camp.

"She has not," Beri shook his head, glancing over from where he was seated and watching the phoenix.