Chương 81: Moving on

Vera watched Elaria step out of the tent clad in full armor, dark helm obscuring the upper half of her face. Metal caught the firelight in bleak, fractured glints. Elaria's gaze settled on Vera—and on the still-dozing Serel in her arms.

"You're still heading out?" Vera asked. Elaria inclined her head once.

"Yes."

"Even if you won't catch him?"

"Yes." A pause stretched between them. Vera exhaled.

"Alright. I'll stay here with Serel." Elaria stepped past her, then slowed beside Vorthalor. She placed a gauntleted palm against the dragon's scaled neck and murmured a few quiet words. One molten-gold eye slid open. After a moment, the dragon rose, wings unfurling in a slow, deliberate stretch. With a single downward beat that sent a sharp gust tearing through the area, he launched into the air.

The wind whipped Vera's hair back from her face as Vorthalor climbed higher, his silhouette swallowed by the darkened sky. Elaria glanced at Vera one last time before setting off on foot, armor fading into the gloom. Vera's eyes followed her until she vanished from sight. She released a slow, weighted breath. She felt bad. She felt like she should have told Elaria the truth. The woman probably deserved it. But what would it change? There wasn't much Elaria could do about it even if she knew.

It would only have added another layer of danger. Increased the likelihood that this would happen again. And Vera wanted to avoid that. She just hadn't expected this to surface so early. Honestly, she hadn't expected it to surface at all. Or maybe she had just hoped it wouldn't. But her presence in this world wasn't as simple as she would've liked. She had already inherited the burdens of Veralyth Mournvale, whether she wanted to or not. She just needed to figure out how she was supposed to handle it.

Because, unlike in the game and with the tribulations—where you had other players, NPCs, and the framework of raids and quests to rely on—this was something that would always remain her responsibility and hers alone. A tiny voice drifted up from her arms.

"Mommy…" Vera looked down.

"Serel. You're awake?" A pair of silvery-crimson irises blinked up at her from beneath a bob of silver-gray hair.

"What was that thing earlier, Mommy?" Vera tensed.

"Do you mean the… man your Mama was talking to?" Serel shook her head slowly.

"That wasn't a man." Vera stared at her.

"Were you awake through all of that?" Her daughter stayed silent for several seconds before giving a small, guilty nod.

"Mmm… I'm sorry."

"No, it's not—" Vera stopped, then sighed, smoothing a hand gently over the girl's hair.

"You didn't do anything wrong. But why did you pretend to be asleep?"

"That thing was scary," Serel whispered. Vera's chest clenched. She studied the lingering unease on Serel's face, then her gaze drifted back toward the path Elaria had taken. Serel had seen something Elaria hadn't.

"You don't have to be scared of it," Vera eventually said.

"As long as you never tell it your name, it won't hurt you." She turned back to Serel, holding her gaze to make sure she understood.

"But be careful of other things like it," she added. There shouldn't be others. The rest should still have been contained. But Vera had thought the same until moments ago—until she recognized that presence. It had gone immediately for her. For those close to her. Was it a message? A warning? Or just curiosity? Whatever the cause, she couldn't afford to lower her guard from now on. Vera loosened the restraint she'd been keeping on her Resonance and let it spill outward.

She'd been scared that thing might react to it. That it would turn aggressive. She couldn't say for sure that it would. It had been a risk not using Mark of Hollow Reach immediately, but she'd trusted Elaria to keep Serel safe long enough for her to return. Mark of the Stillbound Veil. Her Resonance spread in a subtle sweep, brushing through the surrounding terrain. She searched for disturbances and lingering traces, but found nothing special beyond Elaria's presence.

"Mommy?" Serel asked softly. Vera looked down again.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Are you okay?" Vera didn't answer immediately, but eventually, she managed a small smile.

"I am. Thank you." Part of her felt like a failure that Serel would even need to ask that question. Another part was quietly glad she had. She cast a brief glance toward the tent, then carried Serel back toward the fire. It burned steadily without wood, which she presumed was Elaria's doing. The whole 'firewood' excuse earlier was looking somewhat embarrassing now, but at this point, it barely ranked among the top five embarrassing moments she'd had around that woman. Her skin was growing pretty thick.

"Come on," she murmured, settling Serel onto a blanket beside her.

"Let's sit for a bit and wait for her." Elaria eventually returned empty-handed, just as Vera had expected. The tense, closed-off air around her made Vera pause as she approached the fire without a word and lowered herself beside them.

"Mama, are you okay?" Serel asked, looking at her. Elaria turned her head. Her lips pressed into a thin line before easing slightly.

"Yes." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Her gaze shifted briefly to Vera, then drifted to the fire as she fell into thoughtful silence. But she didn't press or ask anything of her. They remained by the fire for a while, with Serel nestled next to Vera. Eventually, to break the lingering quiet, Vera started asking Serel questions, steering the conversation toward lighter topics like the names of the stars above and their constellations.

When Serel's words began to slur at the edges, when the girl's eyelids started drooping, Vera hummed a simple tune. Before long, Serel's eyes slid fully closed, her head tipping gently against Vera's lap. Elaria watched them both, her eyes unreadable behind the visor of her helm. Then she rose.

"The two of you should sleep," she said.

"Huh?" Vera blinked.

"What about you?"

"I'll keep watch."

"What? You don't mean the whole night, do you?"

"I do."

"Shouldn't we split it?" She understood the need for someone to stand guard now. But that felt like the kind of responsibility you divided evenly.

"No," Elaria replied evenly.

"You will sleep."

"That sounded awfully much like an order."

"Then consider it one." The woman fixed her with a sharp look.

"You have not slept for several days. Am I wrong?" Vera went quiet. An awkward smile formed on her lips.

"I wouldn't say several days…"

"Sleep, Vera." Elaria turned and walked a short distance away, positioning herself at the edge of the firelight. Vera watched her go, then sighed as she carefully hefted Serel's tiny frame up.

"Yes, Mom," she muttered under her breath as she carried the girl toward the tent. There was the faintest twitch in Elaria's posture. Vera would like to claim that the remainder of their trip went smoothly and without any major incidents or mishaps, but she was fairly certain Elaria would dispute that. There might have been a few minor delays, and some of those were partially Vera's fault. The time they passed through the Verdant Oss zone—a high plateau overrun by colossal petrified trees—sprang to mind.

Vera had thought it'd be interesting for Serel to explore, so she'd jumped off Vorthalor with the girl in her arms mid-flight, which then led to her, maybe, possibly, accidentally stumbling into the territory of the resident Rootlord Ambric mini-boss. Elaria hadn't been particularly amused. Vera maintained that this was simply par for the course on this kind of trip.

She could barely remember a single trip she'd taken with her own parents that hadn't involved at least a couple of detours—her mom wanting to check out some 'hidden gem' café in the middle of nowhere, or her dad dragging them to some obscure local music venue he thought she would appreciate. Really, all things considered, she thought she was being impressively reasonable. They were traveling through a fantasy world on the back of a legendary mythic beast of which there were maybe only a dozen or so.

Limiting herself to only a handful of distractions was practically heroic. And besides, she was fairly sure Elaria wasn't actually angry about any of it. The woman had accounted for the journey taking longer with them than it would have alone. And Vera had caught the faint curve at the corner of her mouth more than once when Serel gasped at some new biome or stared wide-eyed at strange plants. They were on the sixth day of their trip when they finally started approaching their destination.

Caer Virell was roughly half a day's flight away. If everything stayed on schedule, they'd arrive around sundown. The city sat about as close to the heart of the continent as you could get, and beyond simply serving as the de facto capital of the Covenant of Flame, it was the largest settlement in the central dominions, with a history stretching back to before the Ember Throne's fall. Vera had been there more times than she could count in Ashen Legac y.

It was one of the primary hubs for higher-level players, packed with auction houses, crafting halls, coliseums for organized duels, and the usual cluster of endgame services. Her guild had even maintained a guild house there. She was extremely curious whether that also existed in this world. It wasn't anything overly fancy. They'd never been the type of guild to obsessively decorate their base like some of the larger ones did.

With only ten members, most of them preferred investing in their own player housing instead. Still, the place had been respectable enough and staffed by a few guild NPCs. It would be interesting to see whether any of those NPCs resembled Caldrin. It would also be interesting to see Elaria's home. Vera had no idea where the woman actually lived. That had never exactly come up in the game. In her mind, she pictured a massive, austere fortress of dark basalt and iron—all spartan and aggressively practical.

In other words, probably boring. For all that Vera admired Elaria as a character—and as a person—she had to admit the woman's personality could be a bit… bland at times. Or maybe understated was a kinder term. It was late morning, the sunlight filtering warmly across a narrow stream, as Vera and Elaria sat on opposite rocks near the bank, bowls of simple breakfast in hand, while Serel practiced near the water with her wooden sword. Other than Karthvale, they hadn't stopped in any major settlements along the way.

Most nights had been spent returning to Sablewatch Hollow via the Hearthbind Token, with some brief visits to Marrowfen in between so Serel could say hello to everyone there. When Serel realized this would be the final day of their journey, though, she'd insisted they spend one last night 'camping' again. Vera hadn't minded. The first attempt hadn't gone particularly well and had left a lingering aftertaste, but this time had been much smoother.

They'd roasted nuts and dried fruit Caldrin had procured, and Vera had even improvised a campfire song that seemed to delight Serel far more than it deserved to. Even Elaria had appeared more relaxed. The woman had been on edge for days after that first night outside. Vera suspected she was holding back more than just questions, but it was hard to tell with her. She didn't exactly have the same range of expressions as someone like Vanded or Serel.

"So," Vera said casually, finishing the last of her meal and slipping the bowl into her Vaultring before taking a sip from her flask, "where are we heading first once we get to Caer Virell?"

"The Ember Courts," Elaria replied. Vera paused.

"Ehm. You sure?"

"I have been gone for nearly two weeks. The first matter I must attend to is speaking with Andrin and assessing the current situation. After that, we can proceed to my estate." Vera searched her memory for the name Andrin, soon matching it with a minor NPC who'd been present in Ashen Legacy and served as Elaria's adjutant. She didn't remember much about the man beyond a handful of quest flags and background dialogue, but if Elaria trusted him, that was probably enough.

"Alright," she said.

"As long as you're sure. Are you still planning to announce Serel's identity openly?"

"If necessary."

"I mean, I doubt it'll ever get to the point where it's necessary necessary, so shouldn't it be more about whether it's convenient?" Elaria turned to her, studying her in silence for several long seconds.

"Would you prefer that I do not?" Vera raised her hands.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just, we both know it might get messy, right? It's not exactly unreasonable to imagine it might be easier to tell a few select people instead of turning it into a spectacle." The woman's gaze lingered on her a moment longer.

"… We will decide what is best when the time comes." She turned her attention back to Serel. A faint crease formed between her brows as the girl executed an overly dramatic spinning slash, swinging the wooden sword like it was a ribbon dancer's prop rather than a weapon. Vera followed her gaze. Serel was still completely enamored with that wooden sword. She and Elaria had discussed taking it away—considering its dubious origins—but neither of them had wanted to do that unless absolutely necessary.

Vera had subjected the thing to every test she could reasonably run back at Sablewatch Hollow, and as far as she could tell, it was just wood. And she had a decent read on the seller's modus operandi. Nothing about the exchange suggested the sword itself was meant to be dangerous. So Serel got to keep it for now. With supervision. Which Serel didn't mind in the slightest. One of them was almost always nearby anyway.

She just loved having it in her hands, though she seemed to be treating it more like a toy than anything else. Most of what she did with it amounted to elaborate pretend battles, dramatic spins, and the occasional heroic monologues. To Vera, this wasn't that strange. It was about what she'd expect from a six-year-old who'd just been given a sword. But she suspected that Elaria's expectations ran… slightly higher.

The woman had tried giving Serel actual instructions on things like stances, grip adjustments, and how to properly strike. Serel listened. She followed along. For a bit. But she didn't display the same absurd learning curve with the sword that she did with Marks, and she seemed to grow bored more quickly, drifting back into playful theatrics that usually dragged Vera into the role of villain or helpless bystander. Elaria didn't seem entirely sure how to handle that. So she watched instead. Quietly.

Occasionally frowning when Serel's form devolved into another burst of enthusiastic chaos. Vera cleared her throat. Elaria's gaze shifted to her.

"Is there something you wish to say, Mournvale?"

"Hmm? No, not really. I just felt like clearing my throat." The woman arched a single brow. Vera smiled.

"Alright, fine. Maybe I had a question. Have you thought about it?"

"About what?"

"Our ground rules." Elaria's expression changed as recognition flickered across it.

"Ah. Those." Vera made a small circling gesture with her hand.

"We said we'd take some time to figure out our own terms. Then compare notes. Maybe formalize things a bit. You've had time to think about it now, haven't you?" Elaria regarded her for a moment, brows knitting faintly before she nodded.

"I have."

"Great! So, what are the terms you were thinking?"

"I am not telling you." Vera's eyes narrowed.

"…You know, it's hard for us to discuss and agree on terms if I'm not allowed to know what yours are." Elaria turned away again, her attention settling back on Serel.

"We can discuss it once we are in Caer Virell."

"Why wait?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer. What are you, nine?" The woman glanced back at her. Vera winced slightly.

"Sorry." She mimed zipping her mouth shut.

"Talk about it later it is." Elaria's faint frown returned, but she soon returned her focus to Serel. They remained by the stream a while longer, letting Serel exhaust herself properly. They'd learned that it made the start of the flight easier if she was already half asleep. Eventually, they packed everything up, called Vorthalor, and climbed onto his back. Then they rose into the sky— And set their final course for Caer Virell.