From Real to Realm

Val still refused to let Amarisse carry Mina even as her own body started to succumb to her injuries and exhaustion.

“Val… you look like you’re about to collapse…” Lucia said, placing a hand on her back. “Please, let Amarisse carry Mina.”

Val shook her head, panting as she continued to limp. She hadn’t said a word since Mina lost consciousness again.

They were no longer running. Thanks to Val’s injured ankle, they were walking rather slowly.

Amarisse was still on guard, willing to let Lucia try to talk some sense into Val.

Lucia grabbed Val’s shoulder, trying to get her to look her in the eyes. “Come on Val… you’re hurt badly as well…”

Val didn’t say anything. It wasn’t because she couldn’t or didn’t want to speak. Her vision was tunneling, the black pressing in.

Amarisse glanced over her shoulder.

Lucia shrugged in response to the questioning look.

Then Val’s legs finally gave out.

Val fell to one knee, almost completely collapsing. The only thing that kept her from completely collapsing was Mina.

“Damnit, Val. Quit being so fucking stubborn!” Amarisse said, kneeling down.

She reached forward and Val finally gave Mina to her.

Lucia knelt down and slid underneath Val’s shoulder supporting her weight. “Let’s keep going, we aren’t far from the stairs.”

Val was on the verge of blacking out at this point. She was only aware of what was happening in small spurts.

Soon she was blinded by the bright sun in the sky. The rattle of metal armor filled her ears as multiple people rushed their group. She could barely understand what was going on as she was soon lying on something akin to a stretcher.

“What happened?” an unknown masculine voice asked.

Val caught bits and pieces of what was said afterwards. She wanted to speak, to tell them what happened but couldn’t.

The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was this: “Contact the high-tier chapters, we have Soul Mimics to exterminate.”

Val’s eyes shot open.

She was in a room she didn’t recognize. With a start, she sat up, looking around. Neatly made white beds lined the wall to either side of her. Most were empty with a few unmade at the moment. Large paned windows allowed plenty of light to bleed into the room. It looked late in the day, judging by the orange hue of the horizon.

Crash.

The sound of kitchenware shattering across the floor echoed through the room.

Val looked toward the sound only to see Lynesia standing there. Tears were already gathering at the corner of her eyes. Without a word she ran down the long center aisle between the beds before launching herself at Val.

“Y—you’re awake!” she said between sobs.

It was déjà vu for Val. It reminded her of the day she first woke up on this world.

“How long was I out?” she asked, rubbing Lynesia’s back.

The poor girl didn’t reply right away.

Lynesia finally pulled away, wiping her face. “T—three days… you were asleep for three days…”

Val looked down at her body. Gone was the blood, the cuts, the grime. Her body felt fine, aside from some fatigue. No aches, pain, or soreness anywhere. She felt like she did before she went into the dungeon.

The dungeon…

Val started sliding out of the bed. “Are my friends okay? What happened after we got to the surface? Did they recover Elza’s body?”

The sound of footfalls echoing through the room caught her attention.

“Two of your party members are healthy. Whether they are okay mentally is still to be seen. As for Miss Blount, she was recovered the same day. Her funeral is tomorrow morning. Miss Krenos is still in a… delicate state.”

Val met the gaze of Theoden at the foot of her bed. “Guildmaster… what happened to Mina?”

Theoden gently lowered his head. “I’ll answer any questions you have in a moment. First, how are you feeling? You’ve been through much, Valnarei.”

Lynesia was glancing between them as they spoke. She kept a palm on Val’s shoulder, keeping her in bed.

“Everything is healed… but it’s easier to heal the injuries on the outside…” she said, inhaling deeply. “Losing my friend… hurts…”

Theoden didn’t reply immediately. He looked down at Val, taking in her posture, the way she looked into his eyes.

He then nodded. “I am sorry for your loss. I wish there was more I could offer you for what you’ve been through.”

The guildmaster walked around the bed before sitting on the one next to them. He interlaced his fingers, bringing them to his mouth. His eyes hardened as he adopted a thoughtful look.

“We had multiple elite adventurers go down into the dungeon. Crimson Hollow, Sunthread, Stormveil, and Blackreach Fold all sent some of their best,” he said, keeping eye contact. “Crimson Hollow, Sunthread, and Stormveil were able to eliminate both Soul Mimics with minor injuries at most. Blackreach Fold was able to recover the delver your party found early on before making their way to find and recover Miss Blount.”

Val sagged in relief. The threat was eliminated and those lost were recovered. It was as good an outcome as she could’ve hoped for.

“We need to have a talk in private, Miss Strouss,” Theoden said, looking to Lynesia. “Miss Khano, can you give us a minute, please?”

It had been a while since Val last heard Lynesia’s last name. It was odd hearing someone refer to people by their last names.

Lynesia stood, nodding. “Of course. I need to fetch something to eat for Val anyways. I kind of dropped the first batch…”

As soon as Lynesia was gone, Theoden turned to Val once more. “We already debriefed Miss Lionel and Miss Trunelle. Is there anything in particular you want to ask me?”

The first question was obvious. “How is Mina?”

Theoden sighed. “We believe Miss Krenos is out of danger for the moment.”

Val exhaled, a weight lifting from her shoulders. “So she’s healed up? Can I see her?”

Theoden sighed again, shaking his head. “Unfortunately she’s not ready for visitors at the moment.”

Val tilted her head, confused. “I know she was hurt when we escaped, but she couldn’t have been much worse off than I was, right?”

After Val being out for three days, it only made sense that Mina should at the very least be able to receive visitors right now.

“What do you remember about Miss Blount’s magic?” he asked.

Val sat up straighter, even more confused. “It was ice magic, but she was working on trying to learn a water spell too, for fire enemies, why?”

Once more the guildmaster’s expression hardened in thought. “Our own records showed the same, aside from trying to learn water spells.” He paused, as if trying to decide how to word what came next. “We believe Miss Blount’s mimic was empowered by the dungeon, abnormally.”

Val recalled Elza’s mimic being scarily more accurate and devastating with her attacks. “What do you mean abnormally? I thought Soul Mimics were always more powerful than their original?”

Theoden nodded. “That is true. However, the magic her mimic used wasn’t just ice, not anymore. It was infused with pure dungeon corruption.”

Val shot up climbing out of bed. “What does that mean for Mina?! Is she going to be okay?!”

Theoden gently placed a hand on Val’s shoulder, urging her to get back into bed. “Miss Krenos is safe, Valnarei. Albeit healing her is going at a much slower pace than anything we’ve ever seen.” Once Val was sitting, he continued. “The corruption within the ice was a multiple pronged attack. As the ice melted, the corrupted liquid drained into her blood stream. The spikes themselves absorbed healing magic as well. Our best estimates were that roughly a tenth of the healing actually made it to her body.”

Val was gripping the sheets so tightly her knuckles were white. “What’s her condition right now?”

“As of this moment, all three spikes have been removed from her body. However, the lingering corruption has made healing her difficult. She still has her wounds, albeit they are leagues better than when she came in. She also hasn’t roused once. We are currently discussing how to purge the corruption from her body.” He looked Val in her eyes. “It is not dissimilar to the illness that plagued you for part of your life.”

Val’s heart lurched at that thought. This time she could be on the other side, watching someone she cares about deteriorate as the illness eats away.

“Do not worry. When we compared your illness to this corruption, we realized it was nothing more than a minor issue. I am confident she will be back to herself within the next few weeks.” He smiled. “Trust us to take care of Miss Krenos while you focus on recovering.”

He stood, straightening out his felt tuxedo-like suit. “Are there any other questions you have right now?”

Val thought for a moment, trying to tear her mind from Mina. “Why didn’t the Soul Mimics chase us down? We were weak and down two members.”

Theoden nodded. “When a Soul Echo evolves, they must stay near their prey. If they leave too soon then they will lose their new form. The first Soul Mimic likely had already stabilized before your party arrived. The one mimicking Miss Blount still needed time to finalize its form and evolution.”

Val leaned back against the head of the bed. “So the first one didn’t chase us because the other couldn’t?”

Theoden shrugged lightly. “It is impossible to know. Perhaps it didn’t want to abandon another mimic while it was at risk of losing its form or being attacked. The creatures within the dungeon are still an unknown to many of us. There are many theories, with only some bearing fruit.”

Val sighed. “Like the ‘appraisal’ theory…”

Theoden stiffened at the mention of such a theory. “Where did you hear about that?”

Val furrowed her brow. “I have a group of higher level adventurers who mentored me. One of them had a book outlining theories about the dungeon. It was in there.”

Theoden rubbed his temples. “I hadn’t expected many people to read much about that theory.”

Val gripped the edge of the blanket. “Is it still just a theory, sir?”

Theoden sighed, stepping closer. “Listen. As of this moment, we still consider it nothing more than a theory.” He glanced around, then continued, whispering this time. “But you must be on guard each time you enter the dungeon. You’ve been at the center of two unique instances.”

Val gulped.

What if the dungeon had been targeting her and those close to her? Was she to blame for Elza dying? Could it be the divine resonance from being reincarnated by a Goddess? Should she quit and go back to living a normal life?

Theoden could see the spiral already. “Valnarei, look at me.”

Val looked into the guildmaster’s eyes. “Y—yes sir?”

He placed a hand on hers. “You aren’t alone in battling the depths. The entire guild was created with supporting brave souls like yourself. I won’t tell you to not give up, that decision rests in here.” He reached forward, poking her chest, over her heart. “Take some time to fully recover.”

With that, Theoden straightened and gave her a polite nod before walking away.

Val was alone with her thoughts now. Even Theoden’s kind words weren’t enough to assuage her worries. The fact still remained—it wasn’t completely far-fetched to think Elza died and Mina almost died because the dungeon didn’t like her. Was it right for her to continue to potentially put others at risk? What if she delved with Cyrus and his group and she got someone killed?

“Val? Hun, are you okay?” Lynesia asked.

Val turned her head. Lynesia was standing there holding a tray of fresh steaming food.

It was instant—tears streamed down Val’s face as the dam burst. “N—no…”

Lynesia set the tray down and immediately climbed into the bed, embracing her. Val did nothing but weep as everything came crashing down. Without the high of combat and adrenaline pumping through her veins, she had nothing stopping her from caving to her emotions. Lynesia held Val like that for a while, trying to do what she could.

Just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, Val and Lynesia finally walked out of the guildhall. Val’s breakdown lasted longer than either of them expected—long enough for the food to go cold. By the time Val had a chance to begin eating a doctor had arrived to check in on her. It was a very similar scan to what Wilhelm did when she was sick. Only this time it was checking for physical irregularities, not a magic illness. As soon as she was given a clean bill of health, she started gathering her things.

“I didn’t realize the halberd you carried was that tall…” Lynesia said, eying the weapon strapped to Val’s back. “Is it heavy?”

Val only nodded.

Lynesia grabbed Val’s hand, forcing Val to face her. “Val… please don’t shut down on me…”

It was hard to do anything right now. Talking, loving, moving forward—nothing felt right anymore.

“I—I’m sorry… I just… I don’t know what to do anymore,” she finally said.

Lynesia pulled her into a hug. “I know, but you don’t have to decide right now. Let’s get you back to your place. One step at a time, right?”

Her place… that was going to be rough. She’d only known Elza a couple of days but they got along so well that it was hard to imagine going back to the empty rooms. At least she had Lynesia.

“I’ll have to let Marxus know Elza won’t be returning.”

Lynesia wrapped herself around Val’s arm as they kept walking. It was obvious she knew that Val needed her there.

“I’m right here,” Lynesia said, kissing Val’s upper arm. “You won’t be alone anymore, not if I have anything to say about it.”

The walk to The Weeping Wagon wasn’t far, but every step felt like ten. When Val finally pushed through the front door, Marxus was already sitting there.

“Ah, there ya are, lass. We were wonderin’ where you and yer friend were,” he said, setting down a book of some kind. “That ain’t yer normal roommate. Where’s the purple-haired lass?”

Val gulped. She knew what she needed to say, but the words wouldn’t come out. It felt like if she said it, there was no taking it back.

Who am I kidding? She’s not coming back…

“Lass? Ya alright?” he finally asked, expression softening.

Val shook her head, chuckling. “Not in the least… Elza is… dead, Marxus. Our team lost her in the dungeon. I was just cleared today and finally able to come back.”

Marxus immediately paled, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry for your loss, lass. Seemed like an alright girl. D—do you need anything from us?”

Val smiled weakly. “Honestly, right now I’m so out of it I couldn’t tell you. I just need some time to figure things out.”

The sound of metal sliding across wood made Val look up. On the counter were eight Marks.

“You take as much time as you need, lass,” Marxus said, smiling softly. “Free room and food for the week. No arguments.”

Lynesia rubbed Val’s arm, looking up and smiling at her. “Thank you, sir. Val needs all the support she can get. Is it alright if I stay with her while she’s here?”

Marxus crossed his arms and nodded. “Aye. That won’t be an issue. We’ll be happy to help.”

Val sniffled, wiping a few tears from her cheeks. “Thank you, Marxus.”

Val led Lynesia up the stairs to her floor. When Val rounded the corner she paused.

“What’s wrong?” Lynesia asked, glancing between Val and the hallway.

To Val, the hallway felt like it stretched unnaturally—it was almost nauseating.

Val gulped. “N—nothing. Our room was the one on the end.”

The boards creaked as they walked down the hall. Each step felt heavier than the last as they neared the door to her room.

“Val, breathe,” Lynesia said.

Val hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. She did as Lynesia said, though. After taking a few calming breaths, she fished the key out of her torn pants.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Val’s hand was shaking, badly. The key continued to bounce off the metal plating of the lock.

Lynesia’s hand gently wrapped around Val’s. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

With Lynesia’s help, Val finally inserted the key and turned it. The locking mechanism within clacked a few times. With a final click, the latch released and the door loosened.

“Come on, we need to get you changed and into bed,” Lynesia said, smiling. “Tonight, we’ll cuddle. I won’t leave your side, I promise.”

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