I'm fine...

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Arthur Ishviel POV...

After a nice and well deserved night of rest, I'm finally back to work.

Everyone's back in one place, sat on the ground and in a circle with a map placed in the center. It's kinda like a business meeting without health or cleanliness standards since we're on the floor in a sewer. Regardless, we work with what we have.

I've delegated everyone here as system bearers due to the fact that they possess a system. They said that they'd properly explain it in full once we're out, but I don't need an explanation.

"So we're looking for a relic that we have no idea about?" The general details of the situation has been explained to me by the system bearers, but I still ask for clarification.

"Exactly," Gram responds, nodding slightly. "The plan is to search places of interest that relics would be present in, such as the Grand Cathedral or Ironholt Castle."

I nod in response, looking at the map in the middle of all of us. Each of us are facing a different cardinal direction of the map with certain points of interest. Gram is facing Ironholt Castle, Pierce is facing The Imperial Crypt, Valory is facing The Cleraster Auction house and I'm facing the Cathedral.

"We sweep locations until one of us locates the relic," Pierce states, looking through all of us. He seems bored... we all are. "Then the dungeon tosses us out and we go back to school as normal, assuming that too much time hasn't passed."

"Fairly simple," I remark, looking down at the map and more specifically at the drawing of the Cathedral.

"Is it? Or do we think it's simple?" Valory asks, looking at the map as well. Her hand is on her chin as she leans forward, her brows arching. "We don't even know how many objectives there are. All we have is question marks and assumptions, which is why we should hold off."

Fair. According to what their systems say, or rather what they don't say, we're missing a lot of helpful information.

"Well then it's stalemate. Who cares?" I question, wondering why we should halt operations. "We can't learn anything or find the relic by sitting still and staying in a sewer, can we?"

"Whatever, whatever... lets just ignore logic then..." She mutters, leaning back and crossing her arms. "We assign places and do run throughs solo. What happens if we encounter something dangerous and lose?"

"We simply run away before we can lose. Surely your ego wouldn't prevent you from running to safety, would it?" Pierce asks, throwing a questioning look towards Valory. "Even though our enemies are human, that does not mean they don't kill. The man I went against readily went to stab my throat."

"Death could likely be very real here."

This is the first time anyone's outright said it since We've arrived here. The possibility of something other than escape. Death, maybe even hell, is possible here. A single slip up in a single battle means the end.

Maybe not for them since they have systems, but I am unprotected by something so graceful as a system. I have myself and the insane man inside my sword. A misstep and I'm gone, no 1-up or revive. I fade away with no fanfare or twilight.

Gone.

"Don't remind me, Pierce," I respond after a minute, looking up to him. I don't much like the thought of death, even though it's ultimately unavoidable. "Point is, just run when confronted. We still have to do this, but fighting is dangerous."

Valory nods, begrudgingly agreeing with me. Pierce stands up and begins to walk towards the exit, probably on his way to The Imperial Crypt.

"All that talk of death and you just wordlessly walk off?" Gram asks, turning to look at him.

"Yeah. See you later... maybe," Pierce says, not even bothering to look back...

And none of us even stop him. I'm feeling tired of him, honestly, so why should we stop him? The answer? We shouldn't. I'm sure he's got this, not that it's my problem. Well, it kinda is, but whatever.

"Welp," I hear Gram start talking as he stands, stretching as he goes. "I oughta also get going, y'know? That way we can be efficient and everything."

"Alright then. Be back soon, man," I respond, waving to him, Unlike Pierce who I did not bother to wish well. "Come back here when you're done, k?"

He nods as he walks away, hands in his pockets. Now it's just me and Valory sat here in silence, as if we didn't just get walked out on.

Silence for a while as we just listen to the lifeless drone of the sewer. Maybe I can finally talk with someone in private.

"Hey, Valory. I've got a question," I start, readjusting how I'm sat to look towards her.

"What?" She asks, her tone biting a little more than likely intended. She coughs to clear her throat before speaking again, her voice a little softer. "About what, Arthur?"

"Well, there's this girl that I've been fighting in this dungeon, her name is Patricia."

"The one with the water magic, right?" Valory remembers, linking the name to the face. "What is it about her?"

"Well, I was on a rooftop last night and I was having a little bit of a breakdown-"

"Stop, stop, stop!" She interrupts me, putting her hands out. Was the opening sentence that much to unpack? Her face morphs into an irritated version of concern now. "You were having a breakdown and your first decision was to go to a rooftop?!?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound pretty bad, but I'm better now."

"Arthur, there isn't just better after this! It's been a day!" She reaches out and grabs my shoulders lightly, not shaking me but rather simply holding me still. "Be honest. If this girl didn't show up, would you have jumped?"

I go to speak, but find my breath hitched. It's a split-second realization that makes me think about myself and I realize that it's entirely possible. I might've jumped twice. 

All this stuff about how I'd make use of this second life and how I'm better... it's a lie. I've been lying to myself this entire time, saying that I'm fine when the problem is way deeper than any of this.

Part of me wants to lie... god, I want to lie so bad. I want to look perfectly fine right now, that way no one is worried. If I look fine, then no one has to divert attention from me.

But the better part of me knows to be truthful on something important like this, albeit it's the smaller part of me. My lip slightly quivers as I look from the floor to her eyes.

"I... I would've..."

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