Preparations for Evermere

"The plan is to leave, then?"

Yuna's voice echoed through the mostly-empty ruin that was once the city's library. Over a century ago, this was likely a hub of knowledge for the actual city that was once known as Brightmoor. That all changed, however, when a unspoken Cataclysm tore the world apart just over a century ago. The settlement that existed here was a husk in comparison to what existed. 

"Yes," he confirmed as he scanned the books. "The city of Evermere is apparently a ways north of here. Have you heard of it?"

"Only in passing. I hear it's once of the largest settlements in the Fallen Lands. It's believed to be ruled over by the Goddess of Life herself."

"Indeed," Itsuki confirmed. "A goddess who initially appeared in the formed of God-marked female with hair and eyes that were gold as the sun..."

Another god-marked from another world with divine powers, with that description? It seemed too coincidental to not follow up on. In addition to that, he had caught a glimpse of her from one of Damon's memories. It was fleeting and hard to discern, but it was similar enough for him to act upon. 

"So everything that's here will survive. Including the masters and their slaves..."

Itsuki closed his eyes and sighed. He understood her concern, and felt it important to acknowledge the elephant in the room. 

"I saw the Knight-Commander's memories," he admitted. "I saw what was done to your village and others. Everything has been destroyed, and there's not enough resources left to rebuild. I've already commanded that they abolish slavery and coexist."

"Do you think that will..."

"Of course I don't!" he yelled, angrier than he meant to. "I'm not dumb enough to think that's all it will take. But I'm one man and I barely survived that fight. If I'm going to be of any use to anyone, I have to survive long enough to make a change. I can't do that if I'm dead or have dozens of slaves following me around!"

Yuna's shrunk back a bit at his outburst, which he realized came out harshly. Her gaze turned towards the floor, filling with sorrow at the notion. There was nothing Itsuki could say or do that was going to make the truth any easier. 

He chose to fill the silence by looking at more books, but it didn't last long. He had initially thought that the archive was vast, but it seems like most of it was all combat and military-based. It seemed like Brightmoor had been a military settlement first and foremost, and they likely sold off most other books that had meaningful value. It had just so happened that combat information was what he needed to get himself freed. A coincidence that he took special note of. 

"So, why me?" Yuna finally asked, breaking the silence. "If the others would slow you down, how am I different?"

"Did you not want me to?"

"No! It's not that..." she stammered out. "the whole situation is confusing is all."

Itsuki signed and turned towards Yuna. She had been given a chance to bathe and proper clothing, as he had requested, and her beauty was a lot more apparent now. He only noted this fact because usually, he would have gotten flustered answering that question. Maybe the last few days had impacted him, or maybe the droves of cold combat knowledge were taking their toll. Either way, he spoke without hesitation or anxiety - as he may have done in the old world. 

"You have been the only source of joy and kindness since I got to this place. You may have been ordered to bring me food, but no one told you to treat me like a person. Despite not knowing me, you believed in me enough to risk everything."

"B...but I was just being friendly!" she stammered, her cheeks flustered with the barrage of compliments. "I'm sure there are other slaves who would've done the same..."

"But they didn't, you did. Even where I'm from, that type of kindness is rare. It's apparently my job to help judge whether this world deserves a future. With how many negative things I'm anticipating, I need something that balances it and gives me hope. You are that hope."

At this point, her face was fully red. She had averted her gaze, ill-equipped to respond to something like that. Feeling that he had said all he needed to say, Itsuki stood from where he had been kneeling and brushed himself off. Having concluded his business here, he began to head for the exit. 

Yuna's hand grasped his arm as he passed by. His attention turned towards her once again, and this time tears were streaming down her face. He was taken aback by it initially, taking a reactive step back as if he had said something wrong. Yuna's grip held him firm, however.

"Thank you, Mr. Itsuki..." she managed. 

"It's...nothing to thank me for," he chose his words carefully. "Just Itsuki is fine, by the way. No need for any formalities."

"Right...Itsuki," she repeated, affirming it to herself as she wiped away tears. "I'll do my best not to let you down!"

The two of them then made their way back towards the settlement. After everything that had transpired, everyone kept a very wide perimeter around the two of them. They were permitted to move freely about the settlement to gather supplies and everything they needed to venture out, but that didn't mean anyone was happy about it. 

"Is everywhere going to be like this?" Itsuki asked, seeing the horrified expressions that came from every direction. 

"There will certainly be a lot of it," Yuna admitted. "The people of the Fallen Lands are barely hanging on, and fear tends to be what keeps them safe. It's not all bad, though. There's some light that shines through..."

As she noted this, she gestured off towards a small alleyway nestled between two ruins. Itsuki turned his attention to see two kids, a boy and a girl, watching from their 'hiding spot'. Their expressions weren't anything like the others. Their expressions held awe, inspiration and hope. It was a fleeting glimpse - before the two kids realized they'd been spotted and ran off.

"I suppose there is, isn't there?"

The two made their way to the armory, where they had been given permissions to pick out some weapons to keep them safe on their travels. While Itsuki was weary of entering a place full of guards, he knew that they wouldn't cause any issues. The Knight-Commander had instilled a lot of fear in them, and they had just watched him get incinerated. 

"Evermere is a bit of a hike from here...Itsuki," Yuna paused to catch herself from being formal. "Do you have an idea of what will keep us the safest?"

A question that he had been pondering all morning. His body was not built to fight, but he now possessed a lifetime's worth of knowledge and experience. No matter what weapon he picked, he would have to train - that was a certainty. As for what would maximize his knowledge and minimize his physical strain, however...

"This," he declared aloud, grabbing a more ornate spear off of the wall. "It will take some work, but it's a very tactical weapon. I can control distance and exploit people's openings much better. With any luck, any enemies we face will do the majority of the work for me. Now, something for you..."

He turned back to her to see if she had any input to provide, but the issue had already taken care of itself. She had already thrown a quiver over her back and loaded it with arrows. She was examining the weapon she seemed intent on taking...

"A bow-blade?" Itsuki commented. 

"D...does it seem like too much?" she stammered, hiding it behind her back like a kid caught with their hand in the jar. "I don't know...I saw it there and it seemed like it could be practical."

"No complaints from me. I didn't know you had combat experience..."

"I don't know if I'd call it combat experience, per se..." she admitted. "I was a hunter for my village for years before it was destroyed. It's been awhile, but I don't think it'll be too hard to pick back up."

A pleasant surprise, to say the least. It was curious that Brightmoor had decided to take her as a prisoner rather than kill her given her combat prowess. Perhaps she had managed to hide it, but he chose not to pry. He knew it couldn't have been a pleasant topic. 

"Either way, there's something else I want to discuss while we finish getting ready to go."

"What's that?"

"This Cataclysm that happened. I want to understand it."

Yuna was startled momentarily, then composed herself. "Talking about it is typically considered taboo..."

"None of the books appeared to mention it despite the damage it's caused," Itsuki asserted. "If I'm to help have any impact on this world. I need to understand what happened, why it happened, and how we can prevent it from happening again..."