Arvönnr Interlude 1

Arvönnr, The Auroch Inn

As reunions went, the one Isaac had with his sister had been awkward in the extreme and only got worse from there.

First, he got tackled in a flying hug by a stranger from behind. Next, they got dogpiled by burly men and women wearing heavy metal armor that almost suffocated the lot of them. Riselda reacted about as well as you expected to the sudden attack and nearly electrocuted the ‘attackers’.

Even after Kat convinced the Legionnaires that no, she was not in fact trying to capture Isaac, Riselda was still giving her narrow-eyed looks of suspicion.

Even now, after the Legionnaires teleported back home and they rented themselves rooms in the same inn, the confused atmosphere refused to disperse. Nobody quite knew what to feel about one another, though Kat had only shown cheerfulness and joy at being reunited with Isaac. He himself could only feel a messy tangle of emotions in his chest. The shame at not sharing his sister’s joy only added to it.

Trying to unravel it was taking him an entire day. There was…shame in there. The most recent addition. Confusion, which was to be expected. Anger, directed at himself. Joy, which was quite a bit of relief. Oh, the relief replaced much of the shame. A lot of sorrow, too, but that was a long term resident, sharing a room with homesickness…

“Haaaaah…”

Isaac let out a long sigh, sitting on the bed in the inn’s room. The difference of 6 years never hit so hard as when he stared into his own sister’s face and failed to recognize her immediately. He did not even return her warmth, when she offered it. For a split second, he saw a deep disappointment flash across her face. He felt like an awful brother.

…Isaac realized that he was just making himself miserable. This was not the time to be wallowing in self-pity. The right action was to find Kat and apologize.

Standing up from his bed, Isaac shook off his hesitation. It seemed a little easier to do so, when it would have felt like an insurmountable obstacle 2 months ago. It was such a short time ago, but it felt like so much more time had passed.

He was wearing a simple set of linen clothes, a green tunic, black trousers and a pair of worn, comfortable boots. Poor Riselda, had suffered having her belongings ripped to shreds when the Griffon passed over them while singing the [Blood Mist Dirge]. He had kept his stuff in his [Inventory Screen], but his companion had no such luxury. Next time, he would offer to store her belongings too, but he knew she may be reluctant to take him up on the offer - due to obvious reasons.

When Isaac stepped out into the hallway from his room, the first person he saw was Riselda herself. “Ah!” she exclaimed. She was, of course, still garbed in her travel clothes, still damaged and stained from the battle. The greatest damage on her clothing was the great tear she had ripped with her own hands after it had treacherously tangled her feet when she needed speed the most. It also exposed a great deal of skin on her leg. Isaac snapped his lingering gaze upwards, but the way Riselda’s ginger tail curled shyly over the gap and the blush on her face told Isaac that she definitely noticed that he had been staring.

“Um…” Isaac’s said, lowering his head in shame. “I’m sorry for being rude. Excuse me, I need go and have a talk with Kat.” He turned away from Riselda.

“You’re going the wrong way. She’s down in the dining hall, not her room.” Her voice floated after him.

He stopped. “Oh. Thank you.” He turned around and squeezed past her, but tug on his sleeve stopped him. “Y-Yes? What is it?” He asked.

“Isaac, tell me honestly – is this Katherine person truly your sister?” Riselda asked seriously.

Isaac blinked before looking her unwaveringly in the eyes. “Yes, she is.” Isaac said with conviction.

Riselda’s gaze locked him there for a few heartbeats before she finally nodded. “I see. Then I shall believe in your words. Let’s head down for dinner, then.” She took a few steps before realizing that Isaac was not with her. “Isaac?”

“…Riselda, are you afraid that Kat is trying to deceive me?” He asked seriously.

“I…” she began, then shook her head. “It’s hard to say. If she really were trying to pass herself off as your sister, she would have chosen a more believable story.” Riselda explained. “When blood of other races mix, it is the roll of a dice that determines what heritage the infant shall inherit. However both you and her have confirmed that both your parents are human. Even with all the strange rumors about Star-people, that story is too obviously outlandish to be an attempt at a scam.” The expression on her face was troubled. “I have resolved myself to believe in your judgement, but I cannot help but worry…”

Isaac let the low burn of his anger cool. “Thank you for worrying about me, Riselda.” He told her, “I never did consider how this must all look from the outside. Really, I’m happy.” Isaac paused, surprised that yes, his tangle of emotions had finally resolved itself into happiness. “I’m happy that they didn’t forget me. Even if Mom isn’t here…at least they have looked as hard as they could. .” He finished, closing his eyes and smiling warmly. “And now, they found me.”

Riselda felt the wall of caution lower just a little at the sight. She gave him a small smile. “Let’s go then. It’s time to have a good talk with your sister.”

With that said, they went down to dinner.

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Kat was feeling pretty lousy about herself.

After botching her reunion with her own brother in such a disastrous way, it was no surprise that Isaac would react in such a cold manner. She did not blame her soldiers. This was all on her. If she had not reacted so rashly…

To all outward appearances, she still appeared to be that valorous, graceful leader on the battlefield. Whether or not if it was her [Charisma] attribute at work, she exuded an irresistible presence even within the modest walls of the inn. She smiled easily, laughed along with jokes and moved with elegance. She was a Lady of War at rest, mingling with the people and her fellow soldiers, sharing their ills and joys.

On the inside - a tired young girl who wanted to just slump onto the table and not do anything for the next few in-game hours or so.

On the outside – The mask of the Lady she had put on so often she was having difficulty taking it off.

...If she stopped acting like everything was fine, she really might just break down and cry. She did not want anybody to see that. She was not that silly little girl who could not control herself anymore. That was what caused this entire situation in the first place!

Kat held onto her self-control with an iron grip. It hurt, but she reminded herself that she had prepared herself for this outcome.

“Kat?”

Katherine Walker did not jump at this very moment. She would later deny everything and insisted that even though she was surprised, she absolutely did not try to jump out of her skin.

“I-Isaac?! Oh, and um…Ms. Riselda, right? Did you come down for dinner?” She asked, her voice wavering just a bit at the beginning.

The two of them were standing at her table, across from her. It was strange, hearing her brother’s voice coming from a stranger’s mouth. He was not even the same race anymore. Even so, some of his mannerisms were still familiar. She remembered that look of concern with bittersweet fondness.

And then, there was Isaac’s companion. Katherine still had no idea what to make of the catgirl with the dark red hair and refined manners. She was exotically pretty, had that particular ‘neko’ appeal that otaku types would rave on about and had an intelligent look in her green eyes. Their first meeting did not go well at all and her attitude had been rather cold ever since. Kat did note that she was rather familiar with her brother…maybe even a little warmer than just friends.

“Before that, I need to apologize, Kat.” Isaac admitted, chagrin written all over his face. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you before. It may not feel like 6 years to me, but that would be exactly the case for you. Is…Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Kat was struck dumb for a second. “Huh? What, no! It wasn’t your fault at all!” She stood up from her seat. “You don’t need to apologize at all! Look, I…”

She wrung her hands, then realized whatever she wanted to say was not important. She had been so busy thinking about how she screwed up that she failed to consider a simple solution. She opened her arms wide. “Why are we making such a big deal out of this?” She asked to both her brother and herself. “It’s been 6 long years. There’s only one thing we should do, right?”

Isaac stared, wide-eyed. Then his face softened. Brother and sister embraced at last.

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Riselda could have chosen to be a disruptive presence during the dinner, but she chose not to. Instead, she quietly kept an eye on both Isaac and this Katherine Walker woman.

Woman, or girl? That was part of what made her so cautious before. She had difficulty reading this Walker’s motives. It was as if she was acting out a role she had picked for herself. At least, that was the impression she got of her. It made her hackles rise and gave her this nagging fear that Isaac would be taken advantage of. It was an entirely plausible outcome, so she remained on guard.

That this girl was the cause of Isaac getting buried underneath a pile of soldiers in heavy, heavy armor was another matter entirely.

She watched them embrace and had to quash a sudden burst of inexplicable irritation out of nowhere. It was so sudden and distracting that she lost focus for a good few moments. When she came back to herself, she noticed Katherine quickly wipe a tear from her eye. Also, her hands, once white-knuckled, had relaxed greatly.

It occurred to her that Ms. Katherine’s mask was not so perfect, after all.

Riselda felt some tension in herself relax in response. At the same time, she could not help but feel…something at how familiar Kat was acting with Isaac. It was irksome in some undefinable way.

That was the moment that she thought back on the conversation and noticed something that caught her full attention.

“Pardon me…” She spoke up. Isaac and Katherine turned their attention from their food to her. “…I admit to some confusion about what you said before, Ms. Katherine. You said that you haven’t seen each other for 6 years, correct? What happened before you fell into this world from the Stars?” Riselda asked.

Katherine and Isaac exchanged looks. The young man rubbed his head sheepishly. “Oh, um…The 6 years? Well, I might have been…in a coma. Did…I ever tell you that, Riselda?”

“You what.” Riselda’s voice was flat.

He sank down in his seat. “Um…It must have slipped my mind. Oops?”

Riselda put a hand to her temples and sighed. “Isaac…No, nevermind. You’ve recovered from that now, right? But still, we’ll have to sit down and discuss this later. I’m no Royal Surgeon, but we have to account for any lingering side-effects.”

Riselda suddenly froze. “Ah. I-It just occurred to me, but I may have to ask something quite personal, Ms. Katherine.” She asked, her voice quavering. “Just how old are you now?”

The blank expression on Katherine’s face hid her sole thought at this moment; ‘Oh shit, she’s figured it out!’ She was very seriously considering lying about it. However, she knew that the consequences would be even worse when the truth came out, so she silently apologized to her brother.

“Uh…I’m 15 this year.”

Riselda nodded shakily. “Are you the younger or older sister?”

“I’m the youngest in the family.”

That answer allayed her fears, but only just a little. “Isaac, h-how o-o-o-old are you t-this year?” She stuttered.

“I’m nineteen, why?” He replied guilelessly. The nuances of the situation appear to have flown right over his head.

Katherine sank her face into her palms.

Riselda put the math together. 19 – 6 = 13. If he had been in a coma for those six years, then he was, mentally, 13 years old.

Thirteen. Thirteen. THIRTEEN?! THIRTEEN! ThirteenThirteenThirteenThirtee-

If this scene was in an anime, the poor catgirl would have turned to stone and slowly crumbled to dust in a sudden wind…

“Shiiiiiit, we lost her…” Katherine muttered despondently as Riselda’s consciousness went off to La-La land.

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After the dinner, Riselda regained enough of her wits to confront Katherine in her room.

“Miss Walker, this is a grave matter!” Riselda blurted out “How am I supposed to treat this? How am I supposed to face Isaac now? What am I supposed to do?”

“Riselda, calm down.” Katherine told her in a level voice.

“I’m trying, but I cannot! Thirteen! Gods’ Blood!” Riselda blabbered on. “He doesn’t act thirteen at all! He’s a little naïve, but you wouldn’t tell if you’ve spent more than two weeks with him! He’s even more mature than most men eighteen years in Thistle! He’s killed before! How am I supposed to…Waaa-!”

Katherine clapped both palms on Riselda’s cheeks. “Hey! Focus! Calm. Down. Breathe.”

Riselda, after her uncharacteristic fit of hysteria, had tears in the corners of her eyes. With her hair coming out of her short braid and her disheveled clothing, her previous elegance was nowhere to be seen. She nodded weakly and took several deep breaths.

Katherine felt a lick of dark humor unfold in her chest. ‘I’m the youngest in the room and yet I’m the one who’s most calm. Heh, something really is wrong with me, huh?’

“Okay, let’s start at the beginning. You’ve been with Isaac pretty much from the start, if what you’re saying is right. So tell me about him.” Katherine said firmly.

Riselda hesitated. “H-Have you talked with Isaac about this yet?” She asked, a hint of steel appearing in her tone.

Katherine found herself approving that little show. Defending her brother despite the earlier earth-shattering revelation? It spoke well of her. “No, not yet. But since you asked that question, I’m, sure you won’t talk about it unless I’ve discussed it with him first. So, instead…what’s your opinion of him?”

Riselda stared at Katherine for a long moment, before nodding. “As I’ve said before – He’s naïve.”

Isaac stood up, declaring that he won’t lie down and be stepped on. “He may have been a bit passive, but that’s changed. He’s determined not to be.”

Every day, he would train. Getting up at dawn, going to bed long past dusk…Yet he never complained. “He’s hardworking and driven.”

Sometimes, Riselda would see Isaac observing the other Healers in the Hospice. They were a close-knit bunch. Sometimes, she though he could see faint longing in his gaze. “He’s withdrawn and a little lonely. I think he has difficulty making friends.”

A bunch of trainees hauled Isaac back to the Hospice. All of them were giving him an earful about being a self-sacrifical idiot. Isaac could only nod weakly in the face of such a spirited rant. Riselda planned a scolding of her own. “He’s reckless, sometimes. Especially when someone he’s close to is endangered.”

Farah tried having him help out with the Hospice once. Halfway through the day, he somehow got himself buried in boxes of herbs because he got distracted. He got a lengthy lecture for that one. “He’s a bit of a birdbrain when he hasn’t a reason to focus.” Riselda giggled.

Katherine had propped up her chin in her hands, her bare legs swinging idly at the head of the bed. Her smile was smug. “Hmmm~ That’s quite a lot of information for a few months. You’re quite attentive, aren’t you?” Under the surface, she was pleased. ‘Success. I got her to focus on what she likes about Isaac. At the very least, they can remain friends.’

Riselda’s mouth snapped shut and red creeped up from her collar to her hairline. “Y-You asked for my opinion, didn’t you?!” She retorted.

Katherine nodded. “Yeah, I did.” The smile faded from her face. “Wow. I guess a lot has happened, huh.” She murmured, rolling over until she was lying on her back. “I’m happy that he’s changed. You’re right that he used to be really passive. Quiet, withdrawn…Mom suspected he was bullied at school, on top of…” She clenched her jaw, her upside-down face going dark for just a second. Then, the scowl was gone, like a cloud on the wind. “It seems like he’s grown up a lot, and in a good way.” Katherine smiled sadly. “Isaac’s always been more mature than his age suggests. He’ll catch up to his real age quickly, I think.”

Riselda, her feelings no longer churning, felt a great deal of sympathy for this girl. “Six years is a long time. I can barely imagine how painful it must be.” She said.

Katherine winced as she thought of Isaac’s real body. That gaunt skeleton with skin stretched tight over sharp angles. Watching him slowly waste away, or simply not seeing him at all – it was hard to say which was the more agonizing.

“…It was, but that’s no longer important. He’s here. He’s relatively safe and he can take care of himself now. If he gets over his head, well, at least there’s people looking after him.” Katherine concluded solemnly. “Once tomorrow rolls around, Mom will be here. We can finally have a proper reunion.” Her smile froze for a second. “Uh…don’t mention the stuff about Isaac killing in front of Mom, okay? She may not take it so well if she isn’t eased into it.”

Riselda nodded. “I shall keep it in mind. In any case, I think I should go to bed. It’s been an exhausting day. We need to go collect our spoils from the Thane’s court early in the morning and then I shall have to go visit the shops to replace what I’ve lost…”

“Waitaminute.” Katherine blurted out, she scrambled off the bed and clamped her hands on Riselda’s shoulders. “I didn’t hear that wrong, right? Did you say…that you’re going shopping?”

Riselda felt her fur begin standing on end. There was a dangerous feeling in the air!

Katherine began to chuckle, deep in her throat, there was a strange glint in her eye and a mysterious pressure was exuding off her! “Ohoho~ Let’s go shopping tomorrow, Ri-ri~”

Something dark has been unleashed…!

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After escaping from Katherine’s clutches, Riselda beat a swift retreat back to her room.

Closing the door, Riselda let herself sag against it and let out a long, weary breath. She had been truthful when she said that today had been a tiring day for her.

She made her way over to the bed and looked it over carefully. Sure enough, there were insects living in it. A quick look at the pest-repellant enchantments engraved into the bedposts revealed that they had been worn into uselessness. Shaking her head, Riselda picked up her staff from where it had been leaning against the sidestand and mentally constructed the cantrip she had picked up from Sage Ulrym, back in Thistle.

Static built up in the general area of the bed. With a series of sharp snapping crackles, the bed was rendered free of all bedbugs, fleas and assorted pests. A mage is never inconvenienced for long.

Once that was done, she set her staff away, and took off her damaged dress, leaving herself in her underclothes. The only surviving set, to be exact. Yet another thing to buy tomorrow. She could not help but wistfully wish for her destroyed nightclothes.

She had taken her bath earlier. There really was no reason to put off her sleep anymore. She slipped beneath the sheets, quietly thankful that the textiles of the bed were of cotton, if not very high quality examples of such. She would have scratched herself raw if it was straw she was sleeping on.

Blowing out the candle on the sideboard, the room was fully plunged into darkness. She lay down, fully intending to sleep. However, her unruly thoughts began to drift back to the previous events of the day. Especially her reaction down in the inn’s dining hall.

Riselda burrowed her head under the covers in shame. ‘Just why did I lose myself like that?’ She thought. Honestly speaking, it was shocking news indeed. Isaac was becoming a good friend, yet hearing that he might have been mentally a child shook her to the core. She did not think that he was doing it on purpose to deceive anybody. His behavior so far had been genuine. As part of her education, she had been taught to see through manufactured behavior – a necessary skill for the Royal Court.

She was not as rusty as her way of living might suggest; commoners were just as likely to lie, cheat and steal as nobles were. To Riselda, there was no distinction because she had waded through the same filth from both sides. Working as a Healer’s apprentice even gave her ample practice in detecting mummery. Although, most of the acts she had been forced to decipher were usually patients doing their level best to avoid even one more dose of medicine and its customary horrific taste. The rest of the cases involved slothful scoundrels trying to shirk work instead.

That was why she was sure Isaac was not putting on an act. Even more so, in fact, than when she first came to this conclusion…

Riselda’s hand gripped her sheets tightly. This was wrong. These feelings were wrong. She could not afford them to be genuine. If she did, then…

…!

‘No, I can’t feel this way.’ Riselda thought firmly to herself. ‘If I get too close, I won’t be able to do what needs to be done.’

That was right. She had to be subjective. This was more important than what she wanted. She was no love-stricken, empty-headed heroine from a bard’s fanciful tale. She had sworn an oath to herself.

(“Happy Birthday, RISELDA----!”)

Isaac was not HIM. They were very different people. But that ambition? That drive to better himself?

It was dangerous.

She had to follow him and make sure he did not fall into that same trap. She would try to steer him away from that path of monstrosity. As a survivor of a similar event, it was her responsibility to prevent it from happening again. If she could not save him…

Then she would have to excise the tumor.

She was already too close. She had let herself fall in too far already. It would hurt terribly if it came to the worst option. She had to stop herself from getting any deeper.

She could not afford to hold back if she had to kill Isaac.

She took this oath seriously. Nothing else superseded it. She knew she could do it. She was not pure and unstained. She knew what it was like to freeze another living creature alive. She had fried a troll to death with lightning before, unheeding of its screams for mercy. She had to survive back then and it attacked her unprovoked.

Her path was clear and logical. She needed the distance to protect herself…but the thought of doing this was painful. The thought of ending him… of doing it again and again until he gave up or she died...

It hurt.

Riselda closed her eyes. She slept fitfully.

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