Chapter 33: The Warrior and his cohort.
Amidst his inner reflection, something approached Raian's bonfire. He hoped it wasn't a nightmare creature, severely lacking in motivation to decimate another poor creature.
The slow and consistent movement suggested the intruder was human or at least held intelligence.
Taking a deep breath slowly his body began to faintly glow. No matter who or what it was, being prepared was essential.
Soon, a humanoid figure entered the light, revealing itself.
"Hello, stranger. Mind sharing this fire?"
It was Liala. Both confused by each other's presence, they called out their names in unison.
With a silent agreement, Raian gestured for Liala to sit opposite him. The flickering flame in the center of the dried logs cast shadows around them. Some leftover bones or remains of defeated abominations burned alongside, feeding the flame.
The smell of burnt flesh was intense, but Liala quickly ignored it, while Raian was used to it.
Sitting down, Liala summoned a leather pouch and drank from it. Raising it, clear water flowed out. Intoxicated and disgusted by the sweet sensation of it, Liala gulped the water coolly.
It was one of her strategies to look approachable and to start conversations. She glanced at Raian, who silently raised his hand with an open palm.
Understandably, Liala passed the pouch to Raian.
Not caring about appearances, Raian guzzled the water, enjoying the sensation of the water flowing into his stomach. If the pouch hadn't contained vast amounts of water, Liala almost expected him to finish it.
After drinking his fill, Raian poured the water on his hands and chest, cleaning himself. Feeling refreshed, he let out a large sigh. "Thanks, I felt sticky after dismantling that bastard."
Liala took the pouch back and dismissed it, the pouch disappearing into streams of light.
As silence settled, Liala spoke up. "I didn't expect to meet you here. Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it this far."
Narrowing his eyes, Raian looked straight at her. "Insult much?"
She raised her hands defensively. "It was more of a compliment. You had the slimmest chance of survival... Spending just days at the Academy, I hoped you'd find a safer place. Given the limited time you had to gain memories, your odds were even worse. But here you are, alive and well."
Pausing to observe him a bit longer, she continued. "Marked with deep scars from many battles, you're alive... Wait, SCARS?"
Shocked by the large bite mark on Raian, she asked, "How do you have scars? We all arrived together... Did you come here before us? That scar must have taken weeks to heal, or you have a healing aspect."
Coughing to stop herself, she asked, "By the way, are you okay?"
"Hahaha" Raian laughed heartily, feeling alive. Her interesting personality and attitude lifted his spirits. Talking to others or just listening made him feel better. The silence had taken an unknown toll on him. Merely talking brought such joy, how crazed he was in one day.
"I didn't arrive before you. One of my memories has a potent healing effect."
Hearing his explanation, Liala raised an eyebrow, visibly confused.
"What?" Raian asked.
"I didn't expect you to have any memories, especially considering your current attire."
Realizing what she meant and a little embarrassed, Raian summoned his leather pants. "I chose not to wear it. You might not know, but there's an ocean dyed black some distance away, thrashing and destroying everything in its path, just thought my poor pants wouldn't survive or it might shrink." He pointed outside his cave.
"And you survived it?" Liala asked, her tone was mildly shocked.
"Barely survived but more like escaped. The dark sea came out of nowhere, after experiencing all that the dream realm is truly fascinating."
Sighing again, Raian added, "Since I can't use weapons or armor, it was quite hard."
Gesturing for him to pause, Liala asked "Hold up, can't?"
"Yeah, not because I don't want to, but because I'm not allowed to. It's something to do with my flaw."
Since people would know about it later, Raian didn't think it was big news.
A subtle revelation of him was a bombshell to Liala. An Awakened, much less a sleeper, unable to use weapons or armor felt like a literal nightmare. Weapons bridged the offensive gap between humans and the terrible creatures they faced, while armor closed the defensive difference.
Dropping onto her back, Liala chimed in. "And I thought my flaw was brutal."
Seeing Liala relaxed, Raian wanted to continue communicating. It felt refreshing to talk like this. "Do tell, I'm quite interested in what others got?"
Before Liala could speak, he clarified, "Since forming a cohort is inevitable, why not talk about our aspects and shortcomings? I may not be able to use weapons, but I can make up for it with my aspect. You should know."
Back at the academy, Raian explained his aspect to Liala in hopes of gaining insight and different ways to use it. But Liala had little knowledge or an idea of battling these creatures with bare hands, so the conversation didn't go far.
Now, things were different. The atmosphere and situation were worlds apart. While it wasn't his style to blabber about everything, having a companion in this devastated place was infinitely better than threading it alone. Raian was sincere, his aspect was simple, and his flaw was even simpler. Sooner or later, people would know about it anyways.
In conclusion, two were much better than one. If they could work together properly, they wouldn't just add to each other's strengths—they would multiply their combat power.
"I can't taste." Instead of sitting up, Liala spoke while lying near the fireplace. "My flaw forbids me from tasting flavors. Everything I eat or drink tastes sweet. The sharper the flavor, the sweeter it tastes. Even clean water tastes sweet."
"While it might not seem bad, for a sweet-loving girl like me, it's devastating. You might not understand, but it's terrifying knowing u will only taste sweet and nothing else."
"No, no, I understand. It isn't easy when someone takes away your reason for being, the purpose you live for. When that happens, you become empty. Anger, sadness, and pain become your existence, and you don't wish to live anymore. Something like that happened to me once. But seeing us here alive, I assume you have overcome it."
Slicking back the wet hair he continued.
"Met by the same fate, bonded through a similar experience. I might say we were meant to meet in this wasteland. So, why not form a cohort? Will you join me, Sleeper Liala?"
With his speech, Raian extended his hand for a handshake.
Chuckling to herself, Liala grabbed his hand. "You are quite interesting Sleeper Raian and a man with a silver tongue."
Shaking hands, Raian replied, "And sure, why not? It's a pleasure to team up."
/// Felt like this chapters were important so no teasing for a while. A little hint, next member is missing something. ///
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