Time seems to blur and noise becomes static for Lina after Nari removes her cloak.
Ashen acts normal and checks her for hidden weapons and Nari complies as Lina just sits there.
Lina knew slaves existed in a grey area between legal by the government and forbidden by the Honor Faction but seeing one mass her feel weird.
Later Ashen lets Nari stay at their camp having checked them for weapons, as he’s sharpening his chipped dagger, Lina approaches him saying,
”Why are you acting so normal?! She’s a slave yet you’re still treating her like some criminal danger!”
Ashen pauses in his knife sharpening before stating,
”I’ve had to deal with slaves before, underground dealings, and suspicious characters. Just because they are a slave doesn’t mean they can’t kill us.”
Lina is about to smack him but holds herself back thinking how that’s just like Ashen, he may have gotten around to having her around but he still only thinks of surviving. She says,
”Fine, but I’m unfamiliar with Slave collars besides what Evan told me when I was younger, can we take it off?”
Ashen shakes his head,
”Impossible, try taking it off without the key it’s linked to and her head goes with it.”
That image makes Lina sick and she sighs, she looks up again to Ashen casually sharpening his dagger.
Ashen only cares whether people live or die as he believes death gives meaning to living but not anything more than that.
Lina can’t argue with his logic cause hers isn’t any better, she’s living despite it being bad just cause she doesn’t want to die.
Begrudgingly Lina sits on the ground and puts her head in her hands, she’s had to kill to escape the paladins, but seeing a kid in a slave collar still makes her feel awful.
The next day, it is incredibly awkward as the walk. Lina tries walking with Nari hoping to ease the tension but neither of them speak. Meanwhile Ashen walks at the back with a guarded glare towards Nari.
Lina tries to think of a conversation that might ease the tension a bit and recounts Nari is a name meaning purity or flower, not one typical for a slave so that might be a good thing to start a conversation with.
Lina slows her gait slightly to match Nari’s shorter legs as she says,
”Nari is a nice name, it means pure flower right?”
Nari actually stops walking for a second as her body freezes, she seems about to speak before her ears droop, she looks back down at the floor, and keeps walking.
Lina watches as Nari walks ahead, as Ashen passes her continuing to watch Nari, she asks him,
”I just wanted to know her name to be friendlier to her.”
Ashen stops beside her and looks at her with a slight glare before saying,
”Names are personal, you might have gotten yours from a good place but for many of us, it reminds us of our pains.”
Lina considers his harsh words for a moment, she was named by the caring bishops of the church with her name meaning Golden Light, but Ashen means what remains after. It’s a strange name for a parent to give their child.
Lina continues walking after Nari who is far ahead as Ashen walks with her, Lina asks,
”Will you tell me your full name?”
Ashen is quiet for a long moment, their steps seem to stretch and echo in their heads as he considers before finally saying,
”Ashen Yakumaga, roughly means what remains after a curse, or in other words survivor of Misfortune.”
Lina is about to speak but closes her mouth and turns away. His name is like his curse, and there is no way he would have been named that by his parents.
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While they were in the dungeon, Ashen said he had to travel around trying to get a job for food, if he had parents that wouldn’t have been needed, meaning he was abandoned at birth and cursed his own name in grief showing his curse.
Lina wants to know more but also doesn’t want to bring up such a painful topic, instead she speeds up her walking, distancing herself from the man who chose to embody his own curse in name, as a man of death.
The walk is even more awkward than before till eventually they reach a village to restock supplies but as they pass through the streets, something is wrong.
Lina looks around to people glaring at them, looks of disgust, pity, anger, fear, and more. She follows their gazes mainly towards 2 targets.
Ashen a man cloaked in all black with a hood covering his face, yet his odd eyes are unmistakable as the Sole Returner, someone who always kills his comrades according to rumors.
Along with Nari, a Demi Human wearing an unmistakable slave collar around her neck.
Lina gets angry seeing such a sight, they would ostracize them without even knowing the whole story? It makes her so mad!
But earlier did she not distance herself from Ashen upon hearing his full name? As well as Nari distanced herself from Lina upon kindness.
Lina watches as Ashen and Nari walk ahead like it is ordinary, used to the glares marking them as monsters.
Lina feels her heart pounding in her chest, she feels her hand twitch to her dagger at her side but restrains herself.
She was ignorantly judging The sole Returner before she knew more, and though she doesn’t know Nari that well yet, she’s confident she isn’t a bad girl.
Lina steels her resolve as she walks to join her chosen friends, people declared monsters, who would be backstabbed out of fear, who would be cheered upon their deaths.
Meanwhile a veteran adventurer sits at a table with his party. The man has long brown hair and a slender build as he cheers to their success.
The guild hall they sit in is filled with laughter and joy as the adventurers cheer to surviving another horrid day in this viscous world.
As the man throws back another jar of ale, a group of 3 walk in drawing everyone’s eyes one by one.
The man curious to the ruckus looks over and his heart goes cold, the Sole Returner a killer of many, with a Demi Human slave girl, and a girl with golden hair similar to the Runaway Saintess of Legend.
The man watches in both awe and terror as the group make their way to the front of the hall. The man tries to drink in peace but a glare from the Sole Returner and Runaway Saintess make him nervous.
The adventurer draws his dagger unable to make a move yet, sure he despises the Sole Returner and would like to bring him to justice for all the crimes he’s committed, but he’s killed so many so he’s bound to be strong.
Little does the Adventurer know that every other person is having the same thoughts, cursing the group with all they have yet unable to move an inch.
Such a volatile situation which Lina catches glimpses of, yet Ashen and Nari treat it like usual. Ashen is calm and on edge as always while Nari is shaking slightly keeping her head down.
Lina is sick on this situation but what can she do about it?
Lina looks around before setting her sights on a few postings on the board, and smiling.
While Ashen trades in the supplies of monsters they have hunted along the way, Lina storms up to the guild receptionist with an agenda in mind.
”Excuse me, we would like to register as an official Group.”
The room is quiet for a long moment, Ashen tries raising objections but Lina doesn’t listen to what she already knows.
She knows there are tons of reasons not to do this, but she refuses to let them suffer in the shadows. She will make these people see her friends whether either side wants to or not.
The guild receptionist is equally terrified of Ashen just like most people here yet she grips the table and says trying to sound professional,
“Sorry But groups have to be in groups of 3 or more.”
Lina gets more angry, they don’t even consider Nari a person whether because she is a Demi Human or because of the slave collar, she doesn’t care.
Lina slams her hands on the table and says again,
”Just sign the 3 of us up already.”
The receptionist quickly grabs papers and after Lina fills out some information, she stops at the spot for the name.
Lina turns to Nari but she is done with the brave act and has now fully started shaking as she looks down clutching her tunic.
Lina then looks to Ashen and asks,
”Any ideas? I’m thinking Divine Rejects.”
Ashen frowns a little as he looks around then says quietly so only she can hear,
”No, While we may be monsters in the eyes of the world, I’d like to think we haven’t been rejected by the gods yet, if we were then we would have nothing left, which is… I don’t want to give that thought the time of day.”
Lina softens her gaze as she realizes she was caught up in her anger too much. Having a name like that would only make them feel worse.
Lina looks once more to the onlookers, glares now aimed at her as well as she has sided with the monsters.
Lina can’t imagine bearing these stares of contempt as long as these 2 have, she clenches her fist not in anger but determination.
Ashen had made a name to remind him of his curse, Nari has a name meaning flower though it feels unfinished. Meanwhile her name is a golden light which she feels no longer shines.
In the eyes of the world they are outcasts, monsters… she thinks of another name and smiles.
They are not against the world but the current way it works. She is going against eternal life while Ashen resists the thrill of death. There is only one word that fits people like them.
Lina faces the receptionist once more and says with a smile, she is terrified to say it aloud but also excited to announce their promise. She then says,
”We will be called, The Heretics. People who commit heresy against the world.”
Lina remarks it often goes over those who have opinions at odds with the world. With them alone against the world, it certainly seems fitting to say they are Heretics through and through. But she refuses to be who they believe they are, she makes a promise to herself.
We will be Heretics against the world, for the world.
