Cave, Sweet Cave

Annoying!

Running for your life every five seconds was annoying!

The trauma had lost its novelty!

Hana pulled her staff closer to her with a viselike grip, flanking Mica as he took what she assumed was a judo stand. Her vision adjusted to the darkness and she stared out into the forest. It was quiet. The forest wasn't supposed to be quiet. Even during the witching hour, it was alive with the chorus of bats and crickets, but right now she only heard the sound of her own labored breathing.

"Show yourselves!" Zagiha barked into the oppressive stillness. His night vision was better than hers, as he raised his mallet—and with a mighty thwack—felled a tree in front of him. Something scurried out from behind it into the bushes.

The dogs growled. It was the first time Hana ever heard them sound even the least bit aggressive. Mica took a step in front of her, brandishing his pan.

"I was afraid of this," he said with a scowl. "Common highwaymen hopin' to get the drop on us."

"Come out right now!" Zagiha yelled. An orb of light pulsed in his hand. "Come out, or I'll incinerate the whole forest along with you!"

There was no answer.

Well, not a human voice.

Instead they were met with the piercing crack of a gunshot, flying past them with a whistle.

"Shit! They're armed!" Zagiha made a split-second decision and pushed Hana behind the chuckwagon, throwing her to the ground. He fired a volley of lasers into the darkness, cursing the foliage for blocking what little view he had.

More gunshots, in different directions. There had to be seven, maybe eight people surrounding them.

"Oi, oi!" said Mica, dropping the pan. He put his hands up. "There's nothin' very valuable in the wagon, but take what you want. No need to shoot. We surrender."

Ah. He sounded like a professional in getting mugged. But there was nothing else they could do. They had numbers, and weapons, and not even a God could beat them when he couldn't see his hand right in front of his face.

Mica continued his negotiations. "We have little in the way of money, but there's liquor, and…"

Hana let out a piercing scream as a pair of strong arms grabbed her. They dragged her backwards, causing her to drop her staff. "Help!" she screeched, kicking and fighting as the kidnapper pulled her into the black abyss.

Mica and Zagiha made a beeline toward Hana, but before they got to her, one of the dogs broke through its bonds and descended upon the attacker, barking viciously and clamping its teeth around their arm.

They let out an awful, anguished yell and let go of her, but the dog wasn't satisfied. It kept attacking, inviting a shower of bullets. The dog let out a sharp yip once, but returned to barking and snarling, shaking its head with the bandit's arm still firmly ensconced between its teeth.

Hana belly-crawled toward the others, closing her eyes and praying she wouldn't get shot in the pitch-black mayhem. Zagiha and Mica had the same idea, diving for cover beneath the wagon.

"How the hell are we gonna get out of this?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"I can't get them back!" cried Zagiha. "I can't aim in this darkness!"

Mica didn't contribute anything. He just ate dirt.

Looking around, Zagiha found his answer. With a courageous leap, he dashed out and grabbed Hana's staff. "Lanua lanue, we're running away!" he howled. The caravan glowed, there was a sharp crack, and Hana passed out.

--

Hana awoke in a cold sweat. Her body ached all over. She rolled onto her back. Only a blanket separated her from the hard ground. She moaned, letting the dim light of a small bonfire fill her field of vision.

Did she dream all that?

She sat up, gritting her teeth at the pounding in her head.

No. Something definitely happened. She wasn't at the campsite anymore. Instead she was in a cool, damp cave of some sort. Hana sat up, taking in her surroundings. How did she end up here? Where were the others?

"Oh! You're awake!" She span around to find Zagiha, presiding lordly over her bedside.

"What happened? Where are we?" she groaned, rubbing her head.

"You're not hurt, are you?" He frowned. She shook her head, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Teleporting tends to knock the socks off of amateurs who aren't used to it, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something else. It's not like I was going to do a physical examination while you were having a nice nap."

… What was that supposed to mean? But he protected her, and that was all that mattered. He was so easy to rely on. Ugh. What a horrible experience. She was too shocked and tired to cry about it, but she wanted to be comforted. Hana looked at Zagiha's cloak, remembering the time they shared it and he held her close. That sounded nice right about now. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms again.

… To calm her nerves, of course.

She reached for him.

And suddenly remembered the third wheel.

"Mica!"

He approached them, his shirt and face splattered in blood.

"Oh, my Gods!" she cried. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "I'm unhurt. But Cherry…"

"Cherry?"

"My dog. The one who protected you." He almost sounded upset. Mica only ever sounded "almost" about everything. It unnerved her a bit. "He got shot."

She gasped. "Is he…?"

"No, thank the heavens. The wound isn't deep. Thanks to Zagiha-sa's healing magic and my experience rehabilitatin' animals, we've got him patched up a bit, but…" He frowned. "We can't run an injured dog. He needs to see a vet as soon as possible. But I don't think the other two can tow him and the stuff… well, the stuff that got teleported with us. A moment of silence for the tent and all that delicious food I bought!"

Even a food-motivated creature like Mica knew when to be solemn, so if he was concerned about filling his belly during a time like this, he must be confident the dog would be fine.

Hana got up and approached the dogs. Cherry was sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily with an embarrassing bald spot on its hock where Mica shaved it to remove the bullet and stitch him up. Hana grimaced at the loose dressing over its wound, but the dog lifted its head and whimpered, licking her hand.

She petted it. "Thank you for your help," she said.

"Of course," Mica continued, "stuff can be replaced. What matters is we all have our lives."

"I don't think they intended to rob us," said Hana.

"What do you mean?"

"The only thing they tried to take was me."

"Were they Aypos cultists?" asked Zagiha.

Mica shook his head. "No, from what I saw they were Unforgivables. There are no Unforgivable members of the cult that I know of, considerin' they suffered the worst durin' the war."

"They're real?" Hana sputtered.

Mica nodded. "Of course they are! I warned you about 'em, didn't I? I've had many a close call with them in the wilderness before. I can tell these low-lives apart when I see them."

"If they had guns, they must be the same sort of organized Unforgivables under the so-called 'Leader's' banner," said Zagiha. "But what would they want with you, Hana?"

"What do you think they'd want with a young girl?" Mica crossed his arms.

Hana locked up. Oh. OH. She wished she could go back five seconds when she was still naïve, but the worst possible answer was probably the right one. It disgusted her how weak she was. If Zagiha wasn't there to save her, she was up a creek.

And Mica helped too, she guessed.

She was totally useless, and she hated that.

"How did you know about this place, anyway?"

"During the Continental War, the rebels used to hide out in these caves away from imperial forces," Zagiha answered, "and the many cave systems in Gesmaura served as our base of operations. Home sweet home. Although, you leave the place for just five hundred years and everything goes to hell! Ugh, it's filthy in here. It was way nicer back in the day, I promise."

While Hana would've preferred a five star hotel, it was better than being shot at, so she didn't have much room to complain on Zagiha's choice of accommodations.

Zagiha had his and Hana's staffs out side by side. He scratched his chin and sighed. "As I feared," he said. "Teleporting us here used all the juice in the stones. Listen, I have an idea. I'm going to take one of my portals to the nearest village to buy some new stones. Then I can teleport all of you there and get the dog to the vet. Sound like a plan?"

Hana and Mica nodded. It was the most reasonable solution, although also the most expensive one. And she had a lingering thought in the back of her mind that the Unforgivables back then wanted her for more than a good time, so teleportation was the best way to throw them off her trail.

"All right." Zagiha opened a portal and stepped halfway through. "I'll be back soon. Hold down the fort while I'm gone." And then he blinked out of existence.

Mica joined Hana by the dogs. "You should go back to sleep," he said.

"What about you?"

He shook his head. "I won't be able to get a wink of sleep after this. I know he'll be okay, but I can't help but worry about Cherry. I just don't want him to suffer."

That was understandable. Hana grabbed her staff and enchanted the dog's wound with a painkilling spell. Its breathing eased up a bit, and Mica nodded at her in appreciation.

"I'm sorry for getting you wrapped up in all this," said Hana.

"It wasn't your fault," replied Mica. "It's the fate of every living creature to suffer. There's no helpin' it. I didn't expect these dogs had it in 'em to protect, though. Well, there's no use mopin'. Once we're at the vet, everything will be okay!"

He didn't have to force himself to be cheerful. There was a point where optimism turned to foolishness. They were far from out of the woods yet.

"It's okay to be upset," said Hana.

Mica sighed. "No, I mustn't get upset. I know how I'm actin' might seem strange, but my life has been defined by a lot of misfortune. Stayin' optimistic is the only way I can be of any help to anybody."

"You're lots of help…"

"No." His lip curled back a bit. "In this meager and insignificant life of mine, my only ambition is to end sufferin' wherever I see it. But I'm so weak, I can't help anyone."

Hana shrugged. "I feel the same way. About myself," she clarified when she saw Mica's expression. "I wasn't able to do anything back there."

"… I'm not talking about fightin'," said Mica. "I hate fightin'. What I hate about myself is my inability to take anyone's pain away. When my Papa took me in, he had another son, but he died. I couldn't do anythin' to heal his illness. And now I can't even protect this one poor creature that relies on me."

Even people like Mica had insecurities, it seemed.

"I would've liked to get out of Minumna and make somethin' of myself. I think I would like to be a nurse or a vet, but as a Worker…"

Oh. There were few Workers who attended university, much less in the medical field. It wasn't that they were too poor to afford the fees—although that was part of it—but nurses and doctors almost exclusively used magic to heal. No Worker could ever hope to keep up. It was a shame, maybe. Nursing was a perfect job for Mica, but it was impossible to fulfill his dream. Were there other Workers like that? Other brilliant people, who would never have a chance in this world due to the circumstances of their birth…?

"So I have to keep a stiff upper lip to avoid havin' people worry about me," Mica finished. "That's the only way I know how to be of any use… As long as I smile, things will probably turn out for the best… right?"

Mica actually did have feelings, it seemed, but Hana was at a loss how to help him, because his problem was the same as her problem.

"I think everything will work out," she said at last. "If you've accepted you can't save the world, then you should also accept that some bad things that happen to people are beyond anyone's control."

"I suppose you're right…" But he didn't sound very convinced. "If you had the power to eliminate everyone's sufferin', would you use it?"

Hana didn't have to think on that. "Of course I would," she said. "But none of us have that sort of power, not even the Gods. Maybe only the Outer One would…" Her train of thought left the station. The Outer One… why would it make a world where Mica's brother died? A world with starvation, illness, cruelty? A world where she lost Silvio…? A world where nobody could do a damn thing about it?

It didn't make sense. Suddenly, nothing made sense. It didn't need a False One to punish mankind. Mankind was punished enough already. There was no reason everything had to be as bad as it was. Was the Outer One playing some sort of sick game? Did it want them to all perish not for humanity's sake, but for its own twisted entertainment?

"What's wrong?" asked Mica. "You kinda spaced out…"

"It's nothing," she said. "I was just thinking we have to stop the False One at all costs."

"Yes." A dark shadow crossed his face. "That's the one thing we can do."

Mica turned back to his dog, scratching it behind the ear. He looked so helpless and morose, she wanted to take his mind off of his worries. Besides, there was something she wanted to ask him while Zagiha was away.

"Mica, this is totally off-topic, but…"

"What is it?"

She flushed. "… I-It's nothing," she stammered. "It's kind of embarrassing, so…"

"No, it's okay." He offered her a halfhearted smile. "I say lots of embarrassing things, so I won't judge. You can ask me anything."

"Okay." She huffed and broke eye contact. If she looked him in the face, she'd probably die. No, she'd definitely die! The shame was too great! "I've never had a boyfriend before, so I need to know what guys like."

"What guys like?" He looked confused.

This was definitely a bad idea. Surely there was a different way to make him feel better. Hana's poor heart was going to give out from all the cringe!

Her cheeks puffed up. "You know… what do you look for in a partner. Like, the top three things."

"Oh. Ohh! I see." He nodded. "I suppose you're at that age. What I look for in a partner… let's see… One, they would have to be a great cook."

Hana nodded with them. Yes, yes, that made sense.

"Two… they'd bake sweets."

Uhh.

"And the third thing… I would like a partner who'd surprise me with my favorite snacks! Yep. Those are my top three qualities."

What.

"All those things have to do with food!" she stammered.

"Well, why are you askin' me of all people this?" He crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. "I'm the last person you should be askin' for romantic advice!"

"You've never had a girlfriend?"

"No!" His muscles relaxed a bit. "Of course, I've gone on little dates and stuff, but never anythin' serious. I've just never felt so strongly about anybody I'd like to be with them."

"I see…"

"That bein' said…" He smiled and stuck his tongue out cheekily. "I don't recall ever mentionin' I'm a guy, so I can't tell you what they like. My guess is everyone has different tastes."

"Wait… what?" Hana cocked her head like a confused beagle puppy. "You're a girl?"

Mica chuckled. "Man, woman, who cares? I am Mica."

"Ah…" He got great pleasure out of screwing with people, didn't he? "Makes sense. You're kind of like a big brother and big sister all wrapped up in one."

He laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment!"

Okay, it wasn't, but she didn't mean it as an insult, either. She was just glad it cheered him up a bit.

"But a bit of sagely advice, if you will." He cleared his throat. "There's no need to rush these sorts of things. Don't let anyone take advantage of you. It's okay to wait."

What was he talking about?

She was about to ask him, when Zagiha teleported back into the room, clutching a burlap sack in his left hand.

"Good news!" he said. "There's a village not so far away from here. The vet's not open until tomorrow, but I was able to buy stones and medical supplies."

"Oh… good," said Hana.

Mica took the bag from him and looked inside. "This should be sufficient," he said. "Let's get goin'."

"Uh, and I also have bad news…" Zagiha pressed his hands together, almost in an apology. "Nimhr finally replied to my text, and…"

"And?" Hana raised an eyebrow.

Zagiha's nervous grin twitched a bit.

"… He said no."