Built To Last, Not To Live

By the time Citrine's favorite daily phenomenon highlighted the blue above them in orange-golds and purple-pinks, the party had traveled a long ways. They'd finally exited the forest, and the trees had since yielded into hills and valleys, the dirt and grass beneath their feet now speckled with small patches of flowers and weeds.

It was a lot of progress for a single day, yet at the same time, there was still paradoxically so much and so little left to go. The mountains they needed to pass through loomed on the horizon, and two days separated them from their first civilized stop.

"Hey, Citrine?"

The shopkeeper's ears perked up, their tips reddening at the sound of her name. "What is it, Ferris?"

"Can we stop now, please? I swear I've learned my lesson," the warrior huffed out, wiping her brow with a handkerchief.

Citrine glanced back at the ogrelyn, gaze softening. Her armor was covered in dirt from exertion, sweat dripping down the sides of her face like a leaky faucet.

"…Just a little longer. Our first planned stop is a spring not too far up ahead.

Ferris's shoulders drooped in an admittedly cute, and very relieved, fashion as she let out a breath. "Thank you. I… really need to wash up."

The half-elf allowed herself a smirk before focusing back on the road, looking for where they'd need to split off from. Judging by the elevation and the rough level of the water table, it should be—

"Say, did you learn any magic that can clean us in the past five years?"

Citrine paused for a moment, trying to both answer the inquiry and figure out where they were on the map. "Do you mean something like Cleanse? No, I'm not skilled enough for that legendary spell. I have my limits."

"Wait. Really? Not skilled enough? You're the Diadem, aren't you. There are only like two other mages that could measure up to you, and one of them is dead."

Gold deepened as the three of them crested over an incline, amd Citrine shook her head at the title she'd somehow picked up on their travels. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm self-aware enough of my power. What I meant was that geomancy is my forte, not the general schools."

"?" Ferris gave one of those half-understanding, half-pretending looks like back in the day.

"Erm, think of It like this. A chef that mostly fries things isn't necessarily good at baking, and vice versa. Mages are similar, different disciplines and all."

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense I guess. It's the 'legendary' aspect that has me confused. Would've thought that a cleaning spell would be rather trivial."

"Trivial? Really now? I'll have you know such a spell—wait, hold that thought."

Citrine spotted a familiar landmark jutting out toward a hillside.

"Think that should be it. Follow me."

The warrior and golem obliged, heading off the path and toward hopeful reprieve—

"!" And saw their destination for the night.

The spring was in full view before them now, water sparkling like amber diamonds. The place looked the same the last time Citrine'd ventured past this area for a mineral expedition. A few bushes and trees dotted the area, but overall, it was a quiet, secluded spot.

"Mmm, yep, this is it. Can you both stand back please?" A large circle formed around her as veins of geomancy dug into the earth, readying to create both shelter and ward.

"Huh? Oh, uh, okay." Ferris picked up Clunk and moved him over, despite the golem having a pair of working legs.

"…" The shopkeeper's attention flicked to the ground after beholding the queer action, seeking out and condensing the right materials beneath the earth.

Her lungs took in air, holding as it all fit into place.

Then, the earth rose up, shaping itself to Citrine's will.

*RUMBLE*

Walls of stone. Crystalline windows. A floor of marble. All these things and more were formed, and soon, a small, single-room cottage stood before them: a table, a couple of chairs, and a bed void of comfort already inside.

Fatigue and cursed pain throbbed in her chest and veins as the spell resolved, but it faded soon enough. "Alright. Done."

Ferris didn't seem to notice, too busy gaping at the structure backlit by the sun. "Citrine, did you just build a house with a flick of your wrist?"

"Yes." The half-elf stated after rubbing her chest, and stepped inside, her companions following her lead. "I was originally meaning to showcase this to all of you when the decade meetup rolled around."

The warrior looked around like a child in a candy store. "Amazing. Any specific reason why?"

Citrine's ears twitched at the compliment. "Just felt it would be useful. Larkspur always wanted the comfort of 'indoors', but Durma never did like sleeping in inns. Plus, once made, they can be used for other travelers, even after the creator leaves."

"…"

Ferris's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Anyways, you can go ahead and get ready to rest. The ward should keep most things out, and the furniture should be comfortable enough. Just lay out the furs on the bed to make a blanket. I'll be taking a short walk around the perimeter to see if I spot anything."

*clunk*

Citrine's head turned. The golem was looking at her for some reason, its gem eyes almost pleading. What did it want now?

"…" The shopkeeper looked away, something else on her mind. "I don't need your help for this. You can keep Ferris company."

That seemed response enough, and before either of the two could bug her for anything else, she left out the door, shutting it behind her.

Her feet didn't take her that far, just up an adjacent hill to scout the area. The sun was lower in the sky now, its rays now casting a reddish hue.

It was beautiful.

She conjured a stool for herself atop the crest and sat, eyes dancing over the scenery as the world slowed down and the day's last breaths colored the sky.

In truth, there was nothing out here that truly concerned her outside of the view. Perhaps there would be some diatomite, maybe the odd deposit or two. But that was it. No real dangers, nothing but her thoughts, her curse, and the distant horizon of the mountains that separated them from Nexuspoint.

"…" Pain suddenly bloomed throughout her being once again, although it was a two-fold sensation this time.

Her hands clenched as she closed her eyes, trying to focus. There'd been many sensations running amuck within her insides the past few days that she'd been trying to ignore. She knew she really shouldn't, but…

Citrine sighed into the cooling air, hugging herself partially as the breeze began to pick up.

She knew the moment she identified and processed those emotions, there was no turning back.

The shopkeeper's mind drifted to the image of her friend, the warrior that'd been with her ever since the Ashen King had risen to power. The one who'd fought beside her. The one who'd saved her from multiple foes. And the one who'd apparently never stopped thinking about her, even after five years.

"…" Her eyes began to leak in the dark, her heart not quite stinging, but close to it.

It wasn't possible to ignore anymore.

She was too old and too young for this. Too early and too late. She'd had years to realize the truth of her feelings, but no. She had to go and wait until her death had been set in stone, and until the one person she'd cared for the most had returned, changed.

"Ferris… you fool… you idiot…" she choked out, her voice shaky. "Why couldn't you come earlier?"

The half-elf just let the first words that came to mind slip into dimming sunlight. She knew they weren't true, nor did she have the strength to be angry at her, but they felt good, in a strange, twisted way.

"Why… why did you have to do this to me?"

She'd been relatively fine with her life, perhaps not happy, but settled, content. She'd laid out a plan as she'd always had, one for the world, then her shop, her gems, and her friends. She was the Diadem, after all, and that meant she had to be ready for everything. For every possible scenario. For every possibility.

Except for this one.

Her body trembled. It wasn't fair. She'd been fine with her end. She'd been ready. Ready until the truth of her curse was revealed and her heart had started to ache, her mind wandering and dreaming of the impossible.

"…"

A moment passed in silence.

Then another, and another, and another.

Soon, only the wind accompanied her, no other sounds gracing the valley.

Her eyes opened again, gold returning back to the dying sky to observe the canvas that'd been painted this time.

And then, she realized that she was being watched.