Chp 84: Odd Circumstance and a Choice

When Hetcha awoke, she found herself feeling oddly comfortable. It hadn't been that long since the party was dragging her through the desert. Not a place where those who were naturally furred and intended for cooler weather ever chose to travel.

Without thinking, Hetcha rolled her neck only to cringe in anticipation of a shock. Nothing happened, and her hand went to her neck, expecting but not finding cold iron.

"Mira, wake up," Hetcha said, calmly shaking her lover.

"What?" Mira asked, voice thick and eyes blurry with sleep.

"I need you to slap me so I know I'm not dreaming," Hetcha said.

"Huh? What's the dream about?" Mira asked as she sat up. She was not an early riser by choice, and the recent trip had been challenging for her. Seers didn't usually travel, and the decay of her eyesight was well underway.

"My collar is gone," Hetcha said, still not willing to believe it. One hand was sliding up and down her neck as if it would simply appear again. She'd been wearing it since the chaining three years prior when everything had gone to absolute chaos in Stromholt.

"Can't be. No one was here but us, and there's no dead body laying about," Mira responded.

"The hands of the dead will remove the collar," she added, reciting her oracle on the point. They'd both witnessed others who'd tried to unlock slave collars struck dead in the attempt, collar still firmly in place at the end. The curse on the thing was one of the significant hurdles to either of them getting free.

In a rare moment of clarity, Mina had suggested they use a corpse's hands to try and unlock it. Unfortunately, while she remained more lucid than the others, Mira couldn't act freely long enough to attempt any such thing.

"Wait, so if I'm free, then I can..." Hetcha reached over and stuffed her hand down the front of Mira's shirt. Mira raised an eyebrow in confusion but didn't try to stop her.

"I think we have more pressing things to worry about, bun," Mira said, nonplussed about suddenly being groped.

"You're not wearing the pendant," Hetcha said, eyes wide. That her collar was missing felt surreal, unbelievable. That Mira was free of the pendant had Hetcha's heart beating an excited rhythm.

"That's not..." Mira patted her chest down and felt around her neck. Searching for the familiar and dreadful lightweight of the pendant. It was gone from around her neck.

"Oh, thank Ula," Mira said. She hugged Hetcha, and they sat silently for a few minutes. Enjoying the strange knowledge that they were free. Unfortunately, Hetcha was the sort to count a gift horse's teeth, so the moment ended rather abruptly.

"I don't understand," Hetcha said flatly, pinching herself and then Mira. Mira squawked in protest but then realized she was, in fact, unquestionably awake. That didn't stop her from pinching Hetcha right back.

"Neither do I. Let's take a look around and see if there are any clues," Mira said simply. She could have attempted an oracle on the point but decided against it. It was always better to investigate a matter first rather than jump straight to divine intervention. Ula was an understanding god in most respects but didn't like being overused.

After spending an hour searching the farmhouse for clues, they didn't manage to turn up anything. Nothing looked like it had been disturbed. They both were bothered by it but didn't have the luxury of dwelling.

They quickly packed their belongings and got ready to leave. Abandoning the party had been their plan in the first place. They both wanted to get as much distance between themselves and the "heroes" as possible.

When they stepped out to leave was when they finally found a clue. Or, more precisely, a partial explanation.

Greetings,

Your companions have descended into a dungeon, and two have died, Reiner and Lillian. Mina and Andrea are still alive but, at present, are trapped. But, like yourselves, they are now free of the enslavement items.

I will see if I can free them, but I make no promises. If you remain on the farm, I will inform you of the outcome. If you choose to leave, I won't blame you.

You may use anything on the property and take what you want with you. The valley is safe to explore, but do not enter the mine. If you wish to ask me questions, write them on the supplied paper and pin it to the door. I will retrieve it during the night.

-42

"What?" Hetcha asked as she read for a second time. The handwriting was just large enough to be legible to Mira in the late morning light, so she hadn't had to read aloud.

"This 42 has to have taken the enslavement items off of us... I say we stay," Mira said after a few minutes of contemplation.

"What if it's a lie and Reiner's alive?" Hetcha asked.

"What would be the point of that? None of the party has the brains for a scheme like this right now. So whoever 42 is, they have no cause to lie, at least not in a way that leads to no benefit," Mira said. Hetcha didn't have a good answer for possible motive but didn't relent. Her ears drooped as she struggled for something more convincing than vague paranoia.

"If he is, you're immune to the sword's curse. So put him out of his misery," Mira said without any particular hesitation.

"Mira!" Hetcha said sharply. Mira just looked at her steadily until she dropped her eyes. She'd trained Reiner with the bow at the Oracle's tower for years. Treated him like a younger brother before he'd been selected as 'the chosen hero' the year before the chaining.

"I don't say it out of malice. I know it's not his choice, but that's what makes it merciful. You've seen him struggle. He's still in there and aware but helpless," Mira explained, putting an arm around Hetcha comfortingly.

"I know, it's just..." Hetcha broke off, pulling away from Mira. She'd been a guard of the tower, a role that required a bit of bloodshed every now and then. Unfortunately, that hadn't prepared her for the anguish of agreeing to Mira's plan. Letting the party go into the dungeon without her was a death sentence.

Hetcha was the group's backbone in combat, able to move freely and fight using her true skill. The single advantage of being chained with the collar instead of a pendant was freedom of thought.

"I know, bun," Mira said gently. Hetcha was accustomed to being a defender. Mira, in turn, had been raised only to see. Unfortunately, that had often included visions of the darker side of people's nature.

No matter how simple a request for an oracle might seem on the surface, there was no telling what Ula would show Mira. Children murdering parents for inheritances, the acts of soldiers against civilians, and suffering in all its various forms were familiar to her. The god would show her the answer, no matter how gruesome, once asked.

"We can go if you want. I won't lie, I'm not keen on traveling the desert so soon, but I understand," Mira added. They'd been invited to take what they wanted from the farm, and she felt that it was a true statement. They'd be able to provision themselves comfortably.

Thinking of comfort, Mira felt a minor pang of regret at the idea of leaving. They wouldn't be able to take the absurdly comfortable bed with them. It would be a shame in her book not to have Hetch on it at least once.

"No, we'll stay," Hetcha said finally.

"Good," Mira said simply, leaning against Hetcha to rest her head on her shoulder. It was the first time they could be together properly in years. Despite everything going on and the strangeness of it, she was thankful for at least one quiet day.

Hetcha rested her head against Mira's, enjoying the moment. She had a habit of being slightly paranoid, but she didn't break the sweet atmosphere this time.

"Your a horny little goblin, and you should be ashamed of yourself," Hetcha said without malice when Mira grabbed her ass. They both started laughing in relief with a slightly frantic edge to it. It still didn't feel real, but they were properly free.

Much later, they pinned a reply to the door.