Silence was not the kind of company Livia wanted at a time like this. She and the knight - who’s name she learned was Krey Zoubor - introduced themselves at last, having fought alongside each other and now sat in the dark together as strangers.

“Livia Sol Sasna, eh?” Krey rolled the name around in his mouth, enjoying the feel of it. “You wouldn’t happen to be a pyromancer, would you?” Krey asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Livia shrugged.

“Damn, a shame. I’m only pyrokinetic, so I can’t conjure my own fire… and there is none here for me to control.”

“What do you need a fire for?”

“One of your fellow outlanders gave me a… oh, what did he call it…?”

“I don’t have any fellow outlanders,” Livia grunted. “I came alone.”

“Ah! Here it is!” Krey produced a small, thin, cylindrical object that looked to be made of a paper-like material and stuffed with something. “The outlander who gave it to me said it would calm my nerves.”

Livia’s eyes widened at the sight of it. “Krey, that’s a smokeroll. You don’t want anything to do with it.”

“Really? I could use some nerve-calming right about now.”

“Sure, me too, but whoever gave that to you probably died because of the oh-so-calm state they were in thanks to that stuff. Presuming they were here when the attack happened, that is.”

“Hmm… he was… and he did seem pretty sloppy— was one of the first to go down, actually. You’ve got a point.” Krey put the smokeroll back in the belt pouch he’d retrieved it from. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and retrieved his arms, his armour clattering all the while. “And I suppose I’ll need a clear head if I’m going to escort you to Berodyl’s edge.” He moved around, loosening and warming up.

“I’m sorry, what?” Livia got up as well now, feeling new strength in her legs. “What’s got you so spry all of a sudden?”

“I just remembered; there might be hope for you yet, and as a Knight Berodyl, it is my duty to do all that I can to help those within this world’s firmament, even if they’re from beyond it.” He practically marched now - his sword and shield stowed on his person - and kicked the front doors of the temple open. “I overheard someone talking with Hierophant Emilie before this place was abandoned, and I heard her mention that she was heading west. At first, I was confused, as there isn’t really much west left after this point, but… I think I know why, and I think it might be something that will interest you. Specifically, it might concern the rifts between worlds.”

“Well then…” she stepped passed him and into the sun. The light hurt her eyes, but the warmth was more than worth it after being in that pallid, dead temple. “What’re we waiting for?”

Krey and Livia began their journey west, to what Krey called ‘Berodyl’s edge’. Livia wasn’t sure if he was talking figuratively or literally, but what concerned her more than that was the lingering revelation that her way home had been cut off… and that there may be only a single hope of leaving Berodyl. However, to drown out both the thoughts in her head, and the silence in the air, Livia decided to strum up some conversation with Krey as they walked. “So, where’s your helmet? I assume you had one at some point.”

“I did,” Krey cringed, “but I… lost it.”

“Lost it? How?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me the story behind that bizarre sword of yours. Or, maybe, about the marks on your face.”

Livia’s face bent into a grimace, and Krey couldn’t decide if he should recoil or put a hand on her shoulder. She decided the sword was easier to talk about than the marks. The marks on her face were a pair of black, pointed stripes that started under her eyes and reached down her face, narrowing to tips.

“Well… I… it’s simple, really. Where I come from, Phyrn is the only god worshipped. Hell, she’s the only god even known in my homeland. I guess she’s always been guiding my steps, just like they say she does, and… she guided me to Veridis when I needed it most.”

“Sounds like it was rough if you needed a thing like that to get through.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you that story another time,” she said, unsure of her own honesty.

“May I see it?”

“Sure.” She drew Veridis and held it horizontally in both hands. Now that Krey could look at it closely, and not in the heat of battle, he could really take it in. The first thing that caught his eye was that the blade was not made of metal, but instead of glistening, translucent material, the colour of which was a green even richer than the emeralds that bejewelled the hilt. Other than that, however, the hilt, at least, looked ordinary and metallic. That’s when he noticed, in the base of the blade, something had been encased within… some kind of plant.

“What’s that in the blade?” Krey pointed.

After a momentary silence, and with a warm smile, Livia croaked: “a sprig of sweetcrest.” She sounded almost as if she was about to cry when she said it. “It’s the component that allows for the magic shield projection. The blade itself is made of midoroot sap, crystallised with some kind of powerful magic.”

“Midoroot, you say? That’s Phyrn’s symbolic plant.” He raised his gaze to meet Livia’s eyes, and scrutinised her. “You seem to know an awful lot about this sword, considering how you came to possess it.”

“Well… it’s… been with me for a little bit now. I’ve had time to figure it out.” She sheathed Veridis, and they continued walking.

“Alright, your turn. I told you about Veridis, so now you tell me about Krey Zoubor’s Crown.” When she said the nickname she’d just thought of, her mouth twisted upward into a grin, and a faint giggle escaped her before she could stifle it.

“Ha ha, very funny. Well, if you really must know, my most sacred of treasures was stolen from me by a shadowy band of legendary thieves! They caught me unawares, and before I could reach for my sword, my head could feel the breeze. It was pleasant at first, enough to distract me… but I snapped out of it once I realised why I was suddenly feeling so refreshed. I saw them scrambling for some nearby crags, and then they were gone. It is my greatest shame.”

When Livia managed to stop laughing, she asked: “what band of legendary thieves attacked you?”

Krey sighed, and had to cover his face with his hand for a moment. “It was the Paknars, a tribe of kobolds that live near my hometown in Pivuseon.”

“Are you serious?” Livia couldn’t help but chortle. “‘Legendary thieves’, huh?”

“They’re legendary to us! Those little bastards have been nicking things from us for years, and nobody’s ever been able to stop them!”

“Well, in that case, was it really your greatest shame?”

“Absolutely,” he lied.