Velasteros and Nieca quietly made their way back to the settlement. They took a slight detour so Velasteros could get cleaned up. Returning without any disturbance, everyone woke up without anyone knowing about the bloody mess that had happened in the forest.
The scorpion stayed in her human form for a long rest. When she finally half-awakened, her body was in great pain. She could feel a large invisible gash along her back, and all her muscles were in pain.
The pain… is awful… but at least I can think about…
The night had been vague and turbulent. Her stomach felt full, but she could still taste the blood in her mouth.
Whispers in her mind sang songs about how good that was. Not needing to think and just letting nature take its course.
I am me… I am not some mindless puppet on strings… I am a proud scorpion… I am human… I am me… I won’t let even myself take my mind from me…
She gripped the sheets of her bed tight as she fought against the nightmare. Every whisper, she fought for hours. Until finally she truly awoke.
“Hu… hu….” Velasteros took multiple long breaths. “...That was a nightmare? I hope so… otherwise if those voices were real.”
Velasteros would rather not think about that possibility.
Even the concept of her first nightmare was an interesting event that she pushed away to not hear those voices again.
“Well… I am still alive…” Velasteros looked around the room. The same one she slept in. There were no chains. People with weapons. Blockades nowhere to be seen. She was fine. “She kept her word…”
If Nieca didn’t keep her promise… then Velasteros had a feeling she would go berserk and possibly truly lose herself this time. The risk was high. But she still took a risk. She was completely exhausted, and her mind was weak, but she chose to trust Nieca because trust… was important…
There was an oath, but Sarah trusted her.
Her books told many stories and moments of trust. Of it being important and misused.
However, trust was such a human quality and something the old her could never do. It was an act to stand in opposition to what came before, and it was also a stupid risk in retrospect. At the time, Velasteros could barely even think, and if she could, perhaps she would’ve just run away.
“Thank you, Nieca…” The trust paid off, and that was worth so much more than the girl could have truly imagined. It reconfirmed her identity, and Velasteros, despite the pain still in her head, knew she was still herself.
Nothing was going to change that.
Velasteros slowly got up and made her way to the library. It was the only place in the settlement of any true familiarity for her, and she needed that right now.
Opening the door, she found the owner sitting calmly at the front desk, drinking tea. The scorpion was suddenly nervous, but confidence grabbed a hammer and smacked nervous away.
“Hi, Mavis.” Velasteros looked at the human whom she had worked with, but still felt was more of a stranger. Some of her emotions told her, ‘of course she is a stranger,’ as if to justify it. Still, Velasteros wondered if she had tried enough.
After the small talk with Nieca, where nothing was really discussed, but the fact that her trust wasn’t misplaced, the scorpion did a lot of thinking. Annoyingly, thinking still hurt, but she had to do it. From what she did remember about last night’s conversation, she understood she wasn't someone the town trusted, and Velasteros understood.
She wouldn’t trust herself, why should someone else?
Reflection was… painful… but Velasteros realised she never really connected with anyone. The blame was always placed on her own condition, but even the children tried to connect with her. Even if she still found them a little annoying, Velasteros was alone.
Velasteros didn’t even know if she wanted friends, but how would she know if she never had any in the first place?
Mavis… thank you for giving me a place to read and enjoy myself in this settlement…
“Sup, you are finally back from your dreams.” Mavis didn’t question her further, even though, out of everyone, she would be the most curious. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired still… But I am alright. Is there anything I can do to help?” At her comment, Mavis waved her wrist as she heard something ridiculous.
“Of course not, you look exhausted, I am a small library owner, I don’t need to abuse a tired girl.” Mavis pointed to Velasteros’s chair. “Go sit down, I can grab you the book you were reading.”
Velasteros wobbled over and sat down, close enough to the wall so she could lean on it. The wood couldn’t be felt against the numbness of her skull.
Mavis passed the book, The Names of Swords. It was the third book in a series called ‘The Names of,’ it hadn’t been the scorpion’s favourite story. She still loved it. She hadn’t found a book where she didn’t immediately become invested and utilise all her available hours consuming their content. Each story had a different protagonist, while all took place in the same city. It was the first time she had read a book series like that. She experienced point of view shifts, even if she was confused the first time one happened, but it was deeply fascinating to have each character have a different view of the same city.
Velasteros thought she might’ve enjoyed it more if she could have consumed its themes better, but with her mind feeling like it was constantly on the border of breaking, that didn’t feel possible.
Why is my mind like this… I thought since I had no memories before, I would have time before collapse… or maybe this was expected, and I just didn’t fully grasp the risks and pains.
Velasteros hadn’t looked at her status yet. She was almost afraid to… no, in a strange way, she was afraid to. How much longer did she need to reach [Intelligence: 100]? However big that gap was, it terrified her, and for the moment, she needed to breathe and not think about it.
What if I have enough points—No! Just for a moment… just sit back and rest…
If she had enough points, her emotions would yell and call her an idiot later. She was fine with that.
The book rested in her lap, and the scorpion rested her head on the wall with her eyes closed. Peace and quiet. The combo was nice. This peace is something only those with intelligence could fully understand… because only being able to properly feel the difference between the loud moments and the quiet ones, is when you really enjoy this feeling.
Velasteros firmly believed her past form never had this luxury. Merely acting on commands, it likely never knew the lovely peace that was sitting back with a book in its lap.
Finally, she opened her eyes and took in the absolute beauty of this place.
Even in a small place like this… Such a fantastic place exists.
The scorpion only vaguely understood big cities and their massive libraries. They had other buildings as well, but the libraries were clearly the most important ones. Many stories never mentioned such a place existing in these small settlements. At best, a few books existed in someone’s house.
…I should ask… but why is it scary to do so?...
…
I… am Velasteros… I don’t fear asking a simple question!
“Mavis, why do you maintain this place?” The scorpion squeezed out the courage to begin the conversation.
“Because I like it. It’s my home. Even if I didn’t build it.” Mavis placed down the book, and she was ready to focus on the conversation. She had a feeling that it was going to be something important for Valmyst. The girl hadn’t spoken much about what was important to her, so even in this half-delirious state, this might be important for her. “It’s the place I enjoy being in.”
…Enjoy… That sounds nice… it would be amazing to have a place like this place for myself…
“Build it…” Velasteros’s eyes blurred. “Your grandparents built this place, do you know why?”
“Because they wanted to,” Mavis said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And I am quite happy they did, it made my life easier, books are somehow cheaper and more expensive than they were in their generation.”
“I see…”
…I need to do something… I can’t drag myself any longer…
Velasteros took a long blink and thought about her next question. She listened to Mavis’s words, but they were only part of her focus… all the problems she had been facing and had been putting away came back.
What do I enjoy… what do I want… well, I know what I have to do… Don’t lose my sanity and complete Sarah’s revenge.
I guess… owning a place like this would be nice…
And learning who I am….
Velasteros sat up straight. “Mavis, do you have any recommendations for interesting places that would have a lot of books?”
“You feel like leaving?”
“I need to…” The scorpion's eyes looked over the walls of books. “I need to see a little more of the world, and read many more books.”
Mavis nodded, “That is a fine reason.”
“Is it really?”
Mavis's eyes looked over to the book pile that the scorpion hadn’t put away yesterday. “I’m pretty sure you have read characters with simpler motivations."
That caused Velasteros’s dazed expression to crack, and she chuckled. “Yeah… that is true… Thanks for this. I know I kind of came out of nowhere today.”
“You learn this as you grow older. Anyone five years younger than you is a kid.” Mavis shrugged, “And I have no qualms helping a kid out who is still trying to understand the world and themself.”
“Navivade.” Mavis answered the earlier question, “It is a city that is decently big, plenty of opportunities for combat, and there are monster investigations in nearby areas. More importantly for you, when I was last there, they had a massive library, not to mention a few book stores.”
“Bookstores…” Those words sounded divine.
“Even though the library lets people buy books, the owner does their best to keep multiple copies of every book.”
The scorpion giggled, “Keke, that does sound perfect.” She got up and returned the book to the counter.
“You okay?”
Velasteros nodded. “Yes.” She looked up to Mavis and smiled. “I think… tomorrow will do, for my own benefit, I don’t want to delay it any longer.”
“Do you have to leave so soon?” Thomas asked. He sat on the steps of the library. He had been busy yesterday when Valmyst made the decision, and he tried, on his sister's request, not to bother her as he thought she was resting. So he only found it this morning.
Velasteros looked back with a wan smile. Both kids still had too much energy for her.
He tried to step inside, but a voice made a shiver go down his spine. “Don’t come in, kid. I know you sneaked in without my permission the other day.”
“Can I have your permission today?”
“No.” Mavis quickly denied his request. “Nieca, you are allowed to come in.”
“I’m fine.” Nieca had her back to the library, leaning on the front wall. She also didn’t expect to hear the news today. She wondered if she’d failed with their last conversation.
“Thank you, Mavis,” Velasteros finished her talk with the library’s owner. She had been speaking with her for a while, trying to ask about various details about the woman. She wanted to… at least know something about her before she left.
“It’s okay.” Mavis moved forward and suddenly gave Velasteros a hug. It was deeply effective and stunned the scorpion. She couldn’t even return the gesture.
“It was good having you here.” Mavis moved back and tried not to giggle at the scorpion's reaction. “Here you go, my farewell gift.” Mavis handed Velasteros a travel sack with a few items already inside.
The scorpion looked into the gift box. There was a small book and a few writing utensils.
“You can use the book as a journey, diary, or just to take notes.” Mavis went to her desk and pulled out her notebook. “They are certainly helpful in remembering all the little things.”
Velasteros repeated her earlier words. “Thank you…” Her heart was deeply grateful. It didn’t matter if Mavis figured out Velasteros had some memory issues from conversations, a talk with Nieca, or something else… that didn’t matter… The gift was valuable, and it was something the scorpion had thought about.
I’m so silly… I should’ve thought about getting something like this… thank you, thank you so much, Mavis.
Finally, Velasteros left the building.
“Valmyst…” Thomas's eyes were tearing up. “Why are you leaving?”
“Well, I don’t belong here,” Velasteros said with a nervous certainty. “I need to see… more of the world…”
“But you saved us!”
“Honestly, I don’t remember that.” Velasteros painfully smiled. Nieca said something similar. She used everything she had learned by reading and patted the boy’s head. “Thank you for travelling with me.”
She stepped down the steps, and Nieca looked away.
I guess she can be shy.
“Don’t get kidnapped again,” Velasteros warned.
“Good joke.” Nieca smiled and looked back, “We will try our best.”
“If we do, I’m sure we will beat everyone up,” Thomas said assuredly, standing tall.
Velasteros looked at the two small nuisances. “If you don’t, I will see if I can actually rescue you this time.” And decided to be a little honest. “Perhaps I will find you two less annoying by then.”
“Rude…” Nieca pouted.
“Can’t say I have ever dealt with children before.”
“Please, stay safe, you two.” Velasteros looked away and made a hasty step towards the settlement's exit.
“GOODBYE, VALMYST. WE WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, AND WHEN WE DO, LET’S GO ON AN ADVENTURE!”
Velasteros turned back to see Thomas's red face and Nieca standing by his side, slowly waving.
Velasteros returned the gesture and waved goodbye.
She didn’t yell, but her words could be heard. “Perhaps one day.”