Premonition

Sun: "Are you sure you're okay, Nebula?"

Nebula: "Yes, my brother. When you mentioned this book, I thought it would be more difficult to master. I have read some books on the shadow arts."

Sun: "Really? Sorry for depending too much on you."

Nebula: "On the contrary, I love to be of help."

Slinger walks up to me and lifts me up by the collar, an angry expression on her face.

Slinger: "How do you, of all people, know so much that we don't?!"

Miguel: "H-Hey, I don't see anything wrong with that. He saved us a lot of trouble."

Slinger: "Answer me, kid! And you better not say 'intuition', because mine is way better than yours!"

Nebula points her palm at her.

Nebula: "If you hurt my brother, I will reciprocate."

She unwillingly lets me go.

Sun: "What's gotten into you?"

Slinger: "Seriously? None of you suspect him? He knows things we haven't seen yet!"

D: "A premonition? Sometimes dreams work like that."

Slinger: "Bullshit! A dream wouldn't have saved him so many times! He escaped death in a way that not even magic can explain."

Nebula: "Magic is capable of anything. I may be influencing his mind unconsciously."

Slinger: "And you, who are you? A magical prodigy? What are the chances of a genius being among us, doing low-rank quests?"

Miguel: "Everybody starts somewhere, right?"

Sun: "You're right, Slinger. Nebula and I aren't normal."

Nebula: "What...?"

Sun: "You know how curses and blessings affect people randomly, right? Since we're siblings, bloodline connections can interfere."

Slinger: "And why was I, of all assassins, assigned to hunt you? Luck? Coincidence? I don't like those words."

Sun: "We're not forcing you to stay with us. But if you stick around a little longer, maybe we'll find the answer to everything."

She narrows her eyes.

Slinger: "You know something we don't, again. Or better yet, something I don't know. Why am I the only one with any sense here?"

Miguel: "Listen, I'm new to this too. But just as you chose to help me, I chose to trust you. If any of you wanted me dead, I would be dead. Distrusting friends isn't healthy."

Slinger: "Friends...? Oh, right... you forced me to be your friend."

Sun: "I gave you a choice."

Slinger: "Between death and being your friend! Every living thing grasps life as it's slipping away!"

Sun: "As I said, I'm not forcing you to be our friend or stay with us. But if you hunt us down again, I won't show you the same mercy."

She chuckles.

Slinger: "Mercy, eh? You consider yourself a god, who has the right to choose our fate."

Sun: "I never said that."

Slinger: "Your body language gives it away. Believe me when I say this: you are not special. You're just like us. A human. A mortal being. When death stops playing with you, your luck will run out."

I already know that... why do you think I've been trying not to die so much? Wait, anyone else would only have one chance...

Nebula: "Stop belittling our efforts! We're alive for a reason."

Slinger: "And what's that? Because you deserve it? Millions of people deserve so much more, but they don't live to see the improvement."

Silence fills the room.

It's not my fault... it has never been my fault... why should I feel bad?

Miguel: "We came here to steal the goodies, right?"

Nebula: "Oh, I completely forgot!"

Slinger: "What other secret goodies do you know about, leader?"

I look at the sarcophagus where the golden armor lies.

We shouldn't let it go to waste...

Sun: "Let's search the room. It's not that big."

...but I can't show what I know directly.

After a bit of searching, Slinger opens the sarcophagus.

Slinger: "A golden armor...?"

Sun: "Is it broken?"

Slinger: "No... it's in perfect condition, after all these years."

Miguel: "How do you know it's ancient? The goblins could have placed it there."

Slinger: "I know a relic when I see one."

D: "Does it come with a curse?"

Slinger: "It seems to be asleep..."

Nebula: "Let me take a look."

She examines the armor for a while, using her new book and her previous knowledge.

Nebula: "It can be awakened with this book. It'd be a twisted version of itself, but with mostly the same powers."

Sun: "Can it be worn?"

Nebula: "Yes. The armor's host will also be able to use its powers."

Miguel: "Are there any side effects or anything to be afraid of...?"

Nebula: "Not likely, unless it gains a consciousness of its own, like the shadow arts. Otherwise, it will obediently link with the host's mind and body."

D: "Who needs it the most?"

Slinger: "Wait a minute, how about we trade the relics with the mobster?"

Sun: "He doesn't deserve it. If he complains, we can silence him."

Slinger: "Is that how you work? Putting everyone's lives in danger because of a flawed sense of justice?"

Nebula: "I'm with my brother. We'll think of a way to avoid unnecessary consequences."

D: "Me too."

Miguel: "Well, we're all in this together, right?"

Slinger: "Sometimes, it's better to leave things be."

Sun: "And let the powerful rule over the defenseless? If that's your idea of ​​justice, you wouldn't exactly be the kind of commander we'd respect."

Slinger: "I'm not saying I'd like to command obedient slaves. I'm saying every action has many unpredictable consequences."

Sun: "We can work together to avoid those consequences. Or turn them into something useful."

Slinger: "With your power?"

Huh...?

She stares into my eyes, trying to find a satisfactory answer. I decide to change the subject.

Sun: "Anyway, I think I don't need an armor yet, as my resilience is quite impressive."

D: "Me neither. I can't even wear one."

Nebula: "Wouldn't be a good fit for a wizard..."

Slinger keeps staring at me. Without breaking eye contact, she responds:

Slinger: "I wouldn't want my movements restricted."

Miguel: "Then..."

Sun: "You should keep it, Miguel. You're the most vulnerable one here."

Miguel: "Are you sure? This one looks quite valuable."

Sun: "Yeah. None of us would be comfortable with it anyway. What about you?"

Miguel: "I can get used to it. Heat wouldn't be a problem, since Nebula's keeping us cool."

Sun: "Perfect. Let's head back to Biggus Diggus! Wait..."

Nebula: "Hm? Did you forget something?"

The phoenix... it would be a great summon.

Slinger: "What did you see this time?"

She wouldn't let that slide... we didn't alert the creature this time. There's no sensible way I could have known that.

Sun: "I was just thinking... shouldn't we check the village before parting?"