ROUTE 1: CHAPTER 2: ANCIENT ASTER AND THE SOLDIER OF SORROW

Deep into an ocean of darkness Arma sank further and further. The black tide had risen, swallowing him, and as he sank, the raw energy of the universe turned his flesh, as well as his thoughts, into the darkness of the sea.

The abyss was a haunting place, a place of pure emotion and randomness, the wellspring of all creativity.

As such, to any normal mind, the sum of its disparate and desperate parts, clutching at the straws of existence, would seem like an unspeakable nightmare.

Something unimaginable, tearing any semblance of normalcy or consistency apart and reshaping it after the random whims of countless unknown wills...

To Arma, in his dying state, it felt like home.

(???: But you know that you cannot stay here… You have already broken free once, such was your purpose.)

In the deep dark depths of the Sea of Dreams Arma had experienced what it was like to be one with all creation. He had been fulfilled, not as an individual, but as a component of all that was and all that could be imagined there would ever be.

(???: Still... in this small amount of time, you have already made decisions, connections, not just to me but…)

A black womb, the potentiality of everything, and still remaining as nothing. Individuality had no place in such a raw force, a natural law, dictating the foundations of change.

(Manila: And yet… If you truly yearned to return there, would you be able to hear my voice?)

~

Arma woke up in a crude bed, wounded but bandaged, a green, serene apparition standing beside him.

Manila looked concerned, almost sad, if such an emotion could ever be displayed upon her lips. Beside her four vaguely familiar figures drowsily had been keeping guard over the wounded young man, two of them actually sleeping beside him on the bed.

The children that he had briefly met in the forest had apparently taken a liking to him, perhaps that was natural when a complete stranger saves you from certain death. The lavender girl was the first to notice that he had awakened.

The other children quickly followed along, tugging at Armas limp, healing body as they started to shout into his face and ears.

(Lavender: Look, look miss Greeny! He isn't dead! Hiya! My name is Saville!)

(Azure: I bet he wished he was though… those wounds sure look painful.)

(Amber: Shut up Ervine. It's a happy occasion, ya know! I'm happy! You don't you think he's excited?!)

Only one of the children did not immediately start to speak in an absurdly loud voice to try to get Armas attention. It was the ivory girl, a pale child who trembled beside him in his bed, desperately holding on to his bandaged right arm.

The same bandage that had manifested along with the abyssal blade, apparently had decided to stick around.

(Manila: Master... I am glad that you are alive. I would chide you for your reckless behaviour but spending time with these children, I have to presume that you made the right choice.)

The green, sparkling, apparitions voice felt like a breath of fresh air. It appeared as if she was sitting on a stool, next to his bed, gently stroking his forehead, but as he had already realised, all of this was just an extension of her illusion.

Still… Arma could not help but feel happy to receive the attention.

Saville, the most outspoken of the children smiled mischievously, apparently approving of Manilas caretaking.

(Arma: Where… where am I?)

(Saville: Mister, mister! You are in our village, it's called Aster you stupidhead!)

(Ervine: Not much of a village though… you will be disappointed, I just know it… Don't you think so as well, Kodou?)

(Amber: Boring? Nah! Sure, I wish there was more excitement all the time, just like in the forest! But I am happy here, how couldn't I be? Lots of fucked up people right?!)

The girl with the lavender skin: Saville, the depressive boy with the azure skin: Ervine and the uncomfortably happy boy with the amber skin: Kodou… But what was the name of the pale girl, still trembling as if Arma could disappear at any moment?

(Ivory: H...hello… I'm glad you are o...okay. Th….thank you for saving us… My…. my name is d… Darah.)

Arma felt tired, hurt to his very core, but glad. Seeing the faces of these children, knowing that they were alive… It made him happy.

Still… something lingered in the back of his mind. Weakness, his weakness had forced Manila to sacrifice a part of herself, just so that he could survive. If he had been stronger, if he had thought things through more thoroughly, perhaps she wouldn't have had to.

(Arma: Manila… did I do good? I know you felt that I was a disappointment. You said so yourself. I do not know what you expect of me… but I know that I couldn't live up to it.)

(Manila: Master, now is hardly the time to focus on such meaningless details. But if my offhand comment bothered you… Yes, you did good, I truly believe that.)

(Arma: And the kids? It's a little bit hazy but wasn't two of them…)

(Manila: While you have been resting a team of adults from the village ventured out to retrieve the bodies, though only one was found. I have been dealing with them, they are quite thankful you know, they will wish to see you before nightfall. These remaining children… well I guess they are simply happy to have survived.)

(Arma: Right… then… for how long have I been sleeping? Although I still feel weak it seems like most of my wounds have mended themselves… did you…)

(Saville: You've been sleeping for two days! I was worried you would never wake up!)

(Darah: You… were caught… in the n...nightmares. I s...saw it in my weaving...)

The pale girl produced a plain weave, a work still in progress, but radiant with the colors of each thread. At the end of the interwoven symmetry, each thin strand turned black.

(Darah: A...as you were sleeping… I followed you i...in my work. The w...wind was easy to… to read, even n...ow the colors are ch...changing.)

Arma looked confused as the young girl gave him her small loom. He could feel a faint whisper of power inside of it.

(Arma: Manila, what is this?)

(Manila: Master… Now may not be the appropriate time for a lesson, but nonetheless I will tell you.)

The green woman stood up beside the bed Arma was laying on, and it became apparent that she could be seen and not just heard by the children as they all turned their heads toward her. A thick book manifested in her hands as she, in a gesture no doubt intended to amuse the children, pretended to read.

(Manila: Well then… There are different ways a spirit can be applied, mostly decided by fate or random chance I guess you could say. Now, just as you can use wind to manifest objects or more advanced creations, this girl can read the wind and turn its whispers into thread. As these threads align, the weaver creates a tapestry, a weave…)

Arma held the young girls creation in front of him, trying to grasp the intricate patterns of the thread.

(Manila: Such a tapestry can show the present, the future or the past as well as things happening in far away places. It is up to the weaver to interpret that which is being woven onto the loom.)

(Arma: I see… Darah, thank you. You're quite amazing, aren't you? I must have been lucky to have someone as cute as you watching over me.)

Arma smiled in a mischievous way as the pale girl turned away, her face red in embarrassment.

(Arma: Well then, time to get up I suppose.)

He tried to raise himself up from the bed, his arms struggling to find stability as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

The children quickly moved aside as he let his legs dangle from the side of the bed until his feet were firmly planted upon the floor. He was weakened, tired, but he thought he would be able to stand and so he tried.

(Arma: Hah, it hurts quite a lot just to stand up, that's surprising..)

As Arma spoke he started to wobble, almost falling over to the floor, but the children quickly supported him before he tumbled down.

(Saville: Hey, take it easy stupidhead! We have been worried you know!)

(Arma: Hah, thank you… Say, is it possible to get something eat? I think I need to eat something.)

~

In the end Arma had a hard time walking on his own, and thus after being provided with a pair of crutches, he finally ventured outside into the village of Aster, the children and Manila in tow.

The place in which he had been resting was apparently both the house of the local medical practitioner as well as the home of Ervines single parent.

His mother, Marcia, was the only doctor in the village and shared the same colored skin and depressive temperament of her child.

As the group left the small wooden home she wished Arma good luck with his healing... It took some interpretation.

(Marcia: Try not to die. It happens so easily. People die all the time, at least your wounds are healing, but I guess they could always get worse again.)

Once they were outside Arma was awestruck as he fully took in the view of his surroundings, his fingers clutching at the crutches until his knuckles whitened.

The village known as Aster was built on ancient grounds, a place whose memories reached far back in the annals of history.

While the village itself was seemingly ordinary; wooden houses made from the large trees of the nearby forest, a stone wall, a well and a cobbled square, what hung in the air above the cluster of cottages was all the more amazing.

Titanic rectangular buildings, floating in the air and reaching far above up towards the heavens. The structures were old and crumbled, ruins from some ancient civilization, with countless square holes, once upon a time glassed windows, now gaping open like empty eye sockets.

Here and there small platforms had been built in or between the large monoliths and ladders, ropes and bridges could be seen connecting the structures to each other. It did not seem as if the ruins were inhabited though, more as if they acted like a pathway up and into the sky. A long and winding ladder to heaven.

(Arma: This is too amazing, is this really is where you guys live?)

(Saville: What do you mean? This is just regular old Aster, it's a boring place ya know.)

(Kodou: It's all kinds of dangerous and interesting! I wish i could climb the ruins, they said no, but I like it though, I like it!)

(Ervine: It's awful here… terrible, scary, frightening. But it's probably worse everywhere else …)

Arma looked thoughtful and pointed up towards the floating and ravaged towers above them.

(Arma: I recognize these things… I think they are called skyscrapers, but they are not supposed to floating in the air. What do you call them? )

(Saville: Eeeh… it's nothing special, it's just the towers. They've always been there. It's like the moons, or the Lunar flowers. They are just there, stupid.)

Manila looked confounded by Armas statement, sinking into deep thought for a moment, as she fixed her luminescent hair into a ponytail.

(Manila: These are… strange memories you have been given, master.)

(Arma: How so? Even though it seems like I have been given all kinds of knowledge, I don't really have any frame of reference for the things I know.)

(Manila: I am not sure… I am not entirely sure if some of the information you have been born with is the old masters work or if it's due to your nature as a child of the deep sea.)

(Arma: The abyss right? It's supposed to be the deepest part of the Sea of Dreams if I have understood it correctly.)

(Manila: Yes… I wonder what memories lay down there in the deep darkness, and which ones you might have brought with you into your own existence. Fascinating really don't you...)

The green apparition was interrupted by the girl with the lavender skin. She was visibly annoyed by cryptic conversation o the adults and frantically waved her hands in the air.

(Saville: Stop talking about stupid things, we will show you our village as thanks for saving us mister Master!)

(Arma: Ah… no, my name is Arma actually. Only Manila insists on calling me master.)

(Kodou: Aaaarma. Aaaaaaaarma. AAaaarmaaa. Sounds fucking funny!)

~

Though Aster was a small village, its own inhabitants numbering a score or two, the village still had a lot of visitors passing through which usually increased the number of people staying there to about a hundred.

The area around Aster had several connecting pathways to other spheres, most of these pathways in some way connected to the floating skyscrapers above the township. All kinds of people and creatures met in the village as they navigated the Outer Spheres.

As such, the largest and most sprawling building in village was the inn, a place called Anatea and the Crab, Crabbers for short.

When Arma opened the two doors to the seemingly unnoteworthy building, its importance only marked by a sign with a redheaded woman and a crab, he was surprised to find that the inside of the inn was significantly larger than its outward appearance

It was, in a word, sprawling. Nooks and crannies, tables, booths and darkened corners seemingly placed without rhyme or reason. Whoever had designed the place clearly had no inclination for practicality.

In the center of it all there was a winding staircase tunneling down into the earth and connected to it, a circular counter where drinks and food was served.

The establishment was packed with all manner of beings, most of them mostly humanoid but a couple of them all the more outlandish.

Kodou, the amber child, was the first to step inside and Arma quickly followed, Manila gracefully entering on her heels beside him.

The other children seemed to hesitate, waving goodbye and disappearing as Kodou closed the doors behind Arma and Manila.

(Kodou: They don't like it here… they think the strangers are scary and dangerous, and they're right! Cool huh? Come on! I want you to meet the gang!)

The young boy pushed his way through the crowd and Arma and Manila, slightly baffled, quickly followed suit.

(Arma: This child doesn't really seem intimidated by anything, right Manila? It was the same when I first saw him in the forest.)

(Manila: He is a Gaudia, the golden hued. They are incapable of feeling sadness, usually this impacts their ability to feel fear too.)

(Kodou: Come on, come on! You're slow, I'll introduce you to everyone!)

Kodou returned to grasp Arma by the hand and drag him along, the young boy kept greeting all manner of suspicious characters along the way. Soon the both of them were seated on tall stools by the large counter, Manila worriedly looking in all directions behind them.

(Manila: There is a lot of bad characters in here… There's even a couple Demonii, be careful master.)

(Kodou: The Demona? Yeah thats Steve and Eius, they are total wimps, no need to worry.)

As the amber boy started to wave his hand one of the barkeeps soon appeared behind the dark wooden counter. It was a large humanoid figure entirely made out of clay dressed only in an apron. The face of what Arma assumed was a man consisted only of two black holes and a thick gaping maw seemingly functioning as a mouth.

(???: Hello.... Kodou…. What will it be?)

The creature had a deep, faraway voice, as if it was whispering words from the other side of a cavern.

(Kodou: Barren! Give me a large red-eye, small one on the side. Same to my mates.)

(Barren: Hrm… Yes, I will use your credit.)

The amber youth smiled a sharp-toothed grin as the drinks arrived. He quickly downed the small one with a satisfied gulp, his thickly lobed ears turning red as the oily liquid entered his system.

(Kodou: That's the stuff! Now it's your turn.)

Arma lifted the small cylindrical glass and sniffed the red substance inside. It smelled like sulfur, accompanied by a sickly sweetness.

(Arma: What is this?)

(Kodou: Don't think too much, just drink it. We make this from the berries in the forest, its called blood, cuz of the colour ya know.)

(Manila: A local narcotic beverage, I believe.)

Arma quickly followed Kodous example and drank the entire content of the small glass in one go. His eyes widened as his senses dulled and a profound sense of warm satisfaction filled his body from his fingertips to his toes.

(Manila: I do not think substances such as this one is suitable for a child of your age. Will your caretakers not take offense to this behaviour?)

(Kodou: Mom and dad? They disappeared way back, long ago ya know! All the better, people let me do what I want.)

(Arma: Woah… that is… something! Can I get another one?)

(Kodou: Sure thing, let's make it a party, but miss Greeny, you should try it too!)

(Manila: Ah, that is impossible I am afraid, as I am not entirely corporeal.)

(Kodou: Lame excuse! Anyway, try the big one Arma and I will get my buddies to come say hello.)

The young boy disappeared into the crowd, beckoning to the two horned characters, the demonii, to join Arma and Manila on the way.

(Manila: Master… I do not wish to impede upon your will but wasn't our purpose in coming here to get you something to eat? These… beverages… will impact your judgement, and in turn mine.)

Arma had already begun drinking from the pint he had been served, the so called red-eye. Its effect was not as immediately noticeable as the the instant buzz caused by the small shot of blood, but he nonetheless felt the same warmth slowly spreading throughout his body.

(Arma: Lighten up Manila, I want to see where this takes me. So… Kodou is a Gaudia, what's up with the clay bartender?)

(Manila: I see… I will allow you to make your own mistakes, master, as long as they are not fatal. Anyhow, the barkeep is a being that is known as a Golem. He is a construct just like you, but far less advanced.)

(Arma: Wind that becomes flesh, a doll that lives… )

(Manila: Quite so, master...)

It seemed like Manila was about to add something else but then their conversation was interrupted as two of Kodous friends, the demonii, sat down on the stools beside Arma, one of them giving him a hearty slap on the back as a way of greeting.

(Steve: Greetings! Stevanim, demon of lust, pleasure to make your acquaintance!)

(Eius: Eius-Farim, demon of greed, the same...)

Steve and Eius were apparently part of the same race of creatures, but they did not share much in common when it came to their outwards appearance.

Steve had two short horns, pointed, scraggly ears and two black eyes with yellow pupils while Eius had four long, curved horns, no ears at all, just gaping holes in his head and six twisted spirals where ordinarily his eyes would have been.

His eyes looked like something you might end up with if you combined a spiders head with a painting portraying a whirlpool.

Stevanims skin had an almost pale reddish hue while Eius skin was more of an ashen grey.

Otherwise they looked humanoid, like the basic Ordin, more or less, except, perhaps that they were both wearing black suits.

(Arma: Greetings! My name is Arma, I take it you two know Kodou then?)

(Stevanim: Yessiree, many a night has been spent in company with the good lad, downing the life-blood of our time, enjoying the succulent embrace of the night.)

(Eius: Yes. The child has given me the grace of being a sponsor in many a gambit throughout my time here in the village.)

(Stevanim: He is quite the prodigy in the ways of indulging oneself for his age, I agree, but what is up with you green lady? If my eyes do not deceive me, you are an apparition are you not? But not a computa… it seems like you are tied to this strapping young lad right here!)

(Eius: Yes… A sign of great wealth… It is good to make your acquaintance Arma boy.)

Manila looked bothered, both by the company and their comments. It seemed like she was making a point as she quietly sat down on one of the stools by the bar and made a small wine-glass appear in her hand.

(Manila: This is not a topic I would like to discuss with the likes of you, but sufficient to say is that neither I nor the master made any real choice when being tied to one another. If he knew what such a process entails I am in no doubt that he would have refused, yet, I am happy that the person I have been made available to is none other than him.)

(Stevanim: Hah, so you are not some bumbling noble from the City of Glass then? Quite a lot of information to share for one who did not wish to broach the subject.)

(Eius: Ah… not an aristocrat then… I will adjust my expectations.)

It was hard for Arma to guess what Manilas expression meant. She looked like she was in pain, perhaps embarrassed, but her eyes still shone with indignant pride.

(Arma: Manila… what are they talking about?)

(Manila: Master… Arma… I will explain everything, one day, but this is not something i wish to speak about at this moment.)

(Stevanim: Ah, Manila was it? I did not mean to offend you as I once too knew the pain of not having flesh.)

(Eius: Indeed…)

And then, at once, Manilas calm, dignified composure turned to anger. She turned her eyes upon Stevanim and her gaze was as piercing as it was fierce.

(Manila: You think you know my pain? We are nothing alike! Your kind just take what you want at the expense of another! Stealing a life to become living yourself, there is no greater sin!)

(Stevanim: Not by choice mind you, not by choice… but I digress. This conversation is not good for the mood of this evening, I suggest we talk about something else as I buy the next round.)

(Eius: Indeed…)

(Stevanim: Barkeep!)

As the drinks came in, Kodou returned with a large towering man in tow. His skin was pale and blue, the same hue as the azure child; Ervine, and on his back he was wearing a ridiculously large two-handed sword.

(Kodou: Found him! This guy is hilarious! Arma, miss Greeny, this is Einfeldt!)

(Eius: Hrm… yes… “hilarious”.)

(Einfeldt: Hello people. Exchanging greetings for the first time is worse than dying is it not? Not knowing if the person you have met will meet whatever expectations you have of them, not knowing if you in turn will meet theirs. The embarrassment, you are better off dead.)

Arma was surprised as he saw the giant man blush, turning his gaze downward as he presented his massive hand.

(Kodou: Haahaaaha, he is so funny!)

(Stevanim: Oh man, this guy is the worst downer I have ever met, it's really quite impressive.)

The large man was dressed in a similar fashion as Arma; shirtless and dressed in simple pants with a waist covered in cloth showing off an impressive chest.

In contrast to the young man's body, which seemed to be in in a esthetically pristine condition, the older man was covered in scars and old bruises, his large and bulging muscles clearly molded by experience rather than being designed in a tube.

Arma smiled as he accepted the hand, grasping it in a firm grip.

(Arma: No need to be worried, I hold no expectations of you other than sharing one of these excellent drinks and getting to know one another. My name is Arma.)

(Einfeldt: That is a relief. Well met... Arma.)

(Stevanim: If you want to die so badly why don't you just do it? There is plenty of pleasure to be found in self-destruction right?)

(Arma: Hey, come on, dont be like that. I want to have a fun night out. Might be my first... but I know what a night like this is supposed to be like… Funny thing, I think i was born like a week ago.)

(Eius: That timeline… That means…)

(Einfeldt: Is that so? Then your concept of suffering must be newly born. I think about it a lot, the suffering of being alive, the suffering of being a person.)

(Kodou: Fuckin´ A thats right Einee! Thats why youre so great!)

(Einfeldt: I do mean it though…)

As the evening progressed, and more drinks were poured, events seemed to get all the the more muddled.

At some point during the night Arma was served his first meal, a stew made from local ingredients, but it was a memory both made and lost in the haze and confusion that resulted from both his and Manila's very first intoxicated experience.

The alcohol and narcotics made Arma loud and rowdy, as he complimented his newly found friends and smashed down drinks as they were brought in. It seemed like Kodou had a lot of credit with Barren, the golem bartender.

Manila in turn seemed to get more quiet and distant as dusk made way for the night, looking forlorn as she escaped the uncomfortable environment into her own thoughts.

(Stevanim: So…You are some kind of construct then? But not like… how they are usually created.)

(Arma: Yeah! I was made in a tube by an old guy and then I killed him, it's been one strange thing after the other! Is this how being alive is like?)

(Eius: Not usually… no… but strange things move with the wind, always changing. You never know... what the world will look like tomorrow. That's why you have to hedge your bets, make the gambles that may payoff during… hmm… unbelievable circumstances.)

(Einfeldt: Being alive is constant misery, a meaningless journey ending in nothingness. Accepting weakness and strength as two sides of the same coin.)

(Kodou: AHAhaaaaaaHaha!)

The young amber boy had long ago stopped talking and simply laughed at most things the other people around the bar was saying, especially so when it was the blue giant who said them.

(Arma: Why do you do it then? Why do you live?)

Einfeldt was quiet for a moment, thoughtful, and then he slowly began to answer.

(Einfeldt: It is something like this... I wonder how much you can bear of this world before you are broken. I do not know but I aim to find out. If this suffering that I feel, this person that I am, can save a single other being. Maybe the journey will have been worth it. It sounds so miserable when you say it outloud...)

(Arma: No… I don't think so, I think it's…)

At this point, Arma lost consciousness. He had finally reached his limit and simply slipped out of his seat, deceptively slowly, as the giant man reached down and catched him in his muscular arms.

(Einfeldt: I guess that's enough for tonight.)

(Stevanim: Do not worry brothers! Surely we will continue our battle in your place, yessiree!)

(Einfeldt: Great apparition, would you mind if I carried your host to a suitable bed?)

Manila, stirred from her unresponsive contemplation, met Einfeldt´s eyes with genuine bafflement.

(Manila: Yes… Please do, I will soon join him.)

Einfeldt arose, carrying Arma as he was but a babe in his arms, and stumbled towards the staircase leading down to the depths of the establishment. The golem bartender gave him an acknowling nod on the way, confirming that this was yet another thing to be added to the increasingly large tab.

(Manila: Rest well, master, tomorrow we will continue our journey… and travel upon the Rainy Roads…)

(Kodou: Sleeeeeeep well, fuckers!)

~

As Arma was carried to one of the establishments rooms, located at the bottom floor, a new face entered Anatea and the Crab. A freshly made Demona, now fully grown as the spirit had molded his new-found body to better resemble its inner being.

He kicked open the doors, with a wide grin on his ashen face, his eyes spinning in circles as he shouted.

(Desidius: Madness and magic! The two defining traits of this universe! One and the same!)

~~~

When he awoke Arma felt alone inside his thoughts. It seemed like the aftereffects of the previous evening had made Manila retreat to some deep place inside of him, just as the hangover he now felt made him want to do.

While his mind felt strangely empty he quickly found that he was not unaccompanied.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he noticed the slumbering giant in the armchair on the opposite side of the small furnished room.

Arma had vague memories left of the previous night but he remembered him, Einfeldt.

The young man moved slowly to rise out of the bed, reaching for the crutches that stood next to it against the wall when he noticed, to his surprise, that he didn't seem to need them.

Even though his head felt like it would split open at any moment, the agony inside pounding like a hydraulic press, his body was strong, as strong as it had ever been.

Arma stood up, flexing his muscles and stretching his fingers, blood pumping through his limbs, his heart beating with the slow hum of a heat engine.

(Arma: Einfeldt, you awake?)

The blue muscled man opened his eyes and slowly started moving, his great arms pushing him up from the armrests on the cushioned chair.

(Einfeldt: Yes, but I wish it wasn't so. The green woman is sleeping? She faded from view once I had laid you on the bed.)

(Arma: I think so… and… I'm sorry about that. I should have been more careful I guess. Everyone else survived the evening?)

(Einfeldt: No need for apologies. Yes, as far as I know they are of a stronger breed than you or I.)

A green shimmer started to manifest in the air, flickering like static electricity, as Arma felt Manila trying to create her ghostly presence in the physical world.

(Arma: Looks like Manila is waking up… I didn't know she even slept.)

(Einfeldt: That is good… You might not remember that we had this conversation, but she certainly will... Yesterday you asked me to accompany you two on your journey, and I agreed.)

(Arma: I did? This is embarrassing, but youre right, I don't remember it. I'd be glad to have you along though, I am not that strong and having someone like you by our side, especially if we ever encountered a situation like the one in the forest, would feel safe.)

(Einfeldt: Yes… Kodou told me about it. You seem to have a protective nature, at least

in my mind, that is why I agreed to join you. I have stagnated in this place for far to long, perhaps I will encounter people that will need my… our help along the way.)

(Arma: You really are a great guy, aren't you?)

Einfeldt did not have the time to deny Armas compliment as a heavy knock interrupted their conversation.

At the same time particles of light gathered in the air as the glimmering form on the side of the bed seemed to focus and grow as Manila appeared in all the glory of her holographic projection.

Arma smiled, she was as beautiful as ever, although her hair and clothes seemed a bit ruffled. He wondered how much control she actually had concerning her appearance.

(Manila: Override… What the? Where… Oh… This feels terrible.)

(Arma: Good morning Manila, seems like we are both feeling a bit “fucked”.)

The green apparition held both her hands against her forehead and looked pained.

(Manila: Please... don't adopt the language of that awful child… master. Ah! What is that senseless banging, am I the only one hearing this?!)

(Arma: No actually… Einfeldt, would you mind getting the door?)

The three of them was startled as four people barged into the room when Einfeldt opened the door, all of them holding flowers and small packaged gifts in their hands.

Three women and one man, all of them, for some reason, looking vaguely familiar.

(???: Hello… This is awkward… we did not wish to bother you as you were celebrating your recovery… but… I hope you have had a chance to awaken…)

(???: No need to be so modest! This is the hero that saved our children! Im sure he is happy to accommodate us!)

(???: Aye, ye saved our childurn an’ were here to thank ya fookers.)

(???: …)

The reason the four of them looked familiar became evident quickly, at least the three women were the spitting images of how Arma would imagine that the children of the village would look once they grew up.

The last one of the foursome was the odd one out, but something in his speech made Arma automatically assume that he in some way looked after the orphaned boy Kodou.

(Arma: It feels like I already know all of you, I can see them in your faces.)

(Drum: Aye, that be what family be all about, ye can consider yurself part of mine you dirty basterd. D’names Drum, I look after the boy Kodou, when I have the mind for it.)

(Clarinette: I am Clarinette, the mother of Saville… and this is my wife Misha. Savvy is a reckless girl… We were lucky that you were there to save her.)

(Misha: Sure enough! We have gathered some small trinkets and tokens of appreciation.)

(Dinah: … … … I am Dinah, mother of Darah. … … … My tapestries revealed to me your deeds in the forest, deeds done even at your own expense. The wind creates strands of an unsure future for you… We are here to ask you to join yours to ours.)

Manila had been quite while the parents were speaking, just as Arma had been, taking in the sudden rush of information. Once Dinah had spoken though, she tried to desperately tug at his arm, looking pained when her non-corporeal form could not get his attention.

(Clarinette: Yes… What Dinah is trying to say is... Too many children, too many people are lost frequently to the beasts of the wood and the bad men who frequent our village… We have one question to ask of you… will you stay here to be our protector? We would provide you with shelter and a place for you and your companion… and we would be eternally grateful.)

Continue the journey (R1)/Stay in the village of Aster (SR1)