NTRPG - Fallen Heroines

Unfortunately, his momentary distraction from their current circumstances lasted but a moment before his earlier frustration kicked back in.

'Damnable goblins.'

Their journey seemed to be getting more difficult by the mile. Today alone they had suffered three goblin attacks in as many hours. While not particularly dangerous to a group like theirs, it wore on the nerves, and when combined with increasingly dense and difficult to navigate woodland terrain, it wore on the group's reserves of stamina.

Stamina that would be needed for the task ahead.

'It certainly didn't help that we had to abandon the horses,' He thought bitterly as he remembered the rickety rope bridge that they had crossed on the way here. He wasn't ashamed to admit that memory of it still sent shivers down his spine. Any man alive would have felt the same when looking over that drop.

'And we'll have to do it all again on the way back...'

Removing his helmet to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he turned to Tia who, even as he spoke, was unfolding her map.

"It shouldn't be much further right?" He panted.

Rather than give an immediate affirmative, the Elementalist stared at her map for a full minute before answering, and when she did it was with an uncharacteristic uncertainty.

"It shouldn't be... Probably?"

At the lacklustre response Agnes looked up from her ineffectual dagger wiping with a scowl, "Probably? What in the Void does 'probably' mean Cow Tits?"

Tia's eyes whipped up to glare at her accuser, face already turning crimson, "Probably means probably you brain dead thug!" She huffed, before turning her glare back on Erich, "According to the map we should be reaching the dungeon any minute now."

Erich looked round at the endless expanse of trees that surrounded them. It all looked the same to him. The clearing they were in now was utterly indistinguishable from the hundred other clearings they had passed through on the way here.

'Actually, how is Tia even navigating without any landmarks?' He wondered, 'Is she actually more familiar with the wilderness than I thought?'

A quick glance at the irate young woman who was now furiously attempting to unsnag her robe from a low hanging branch, much to the vocal amusement of his younger sister, made him dismiss that theory out of hand.

"I'm sorry if this is obvious Tia," Came the gentle voice of Mary from the back of the group, "but how are you able to navigate us through these woods? I must confess that it all looks rather the same to me."

'Thankyou sis.' Erich sent a mental prayer to his older sibling.

He hadn't been eager to draw Tia's ire by asking a 'dumb question' like that. And fortunately for all of them, his older sister seemed to be the only member of their party that Tia was unfailingly polite to.

To his surprise though, rather than Tia, it was Lina who answered from her spot, sitting casually on a fallen tree trunk.

"She's using a magic map." The brown-haired woman answered, "Of course, I've never used one before so I can't claim to know exactly how it works, but apparently they allow a mage to 'sense' the location of their quarry."

Tia looked like she wanted to in some way correct the Lina's answer, but ultimately deflated.

"That's more than I would have expected a lowly hedge-mage to know," She acknowledged with a disdainful sniff, drawing an almost imperceptible scowl from the stoic young woman, "But you are right. I am not 'navigating' so much as following the whims of the map. Which are not always easy to discern or consistent."

"Ok, but how does it actually find stuff?" Agnes grunted, her usual disinterest in all things magical showing through as she determinedly attempted to remove the last specks of goblin blood from her daggers.

Tia frowned at the casual dismissal of her vocation by her hated rival, but after a moment answered anyway, "I don't claim to know how other magical maps work, but for me, this one feels like a sort of... pressure." She mumbled, as if trying to put the sensation into words, "It's like I can feel something pushing against me from a certain direction, and the closer we get to it the stronger it gets."

'Well that seems simple enough' Thought Erich.

"So what's the problem?" He asked, "Can't we just keep going in whatever direction you feel this pressure from?"

Tia scowled, and Erich flinched as he realized that he'd just provided the volatile mage an outlet for the frustration she was no doubt feeling at being questioned.

"Are your ears as filled with cotton as the rest of your head!? Didn't you hear the bit where I said it was hard to discern and inconsistent? Since we entered this forest the direction I'm feeling pressure from keeps changing. Sometimes its North, sometimes it's South, and sometimes it feels like it's coming from directly beneath me!"

"Oh," Erich uttered sheepishly, "Yes, I could see why that might be a problem."

Of course, he couldn't have known any of that until she told him, but he wasn't about to irritate the high stung young woman even more by pointing that out. He knew from bitter experience that nothing good came of going down that route.

Lina sat up from her seat, "Maybe I should-"

"No!" Tia shouted franticly, cutting the other mage off, "I need to be the who does this!"

The rest of the group fell into stunned silence at the sudden vehement refusal.

Yeah, Tia had always been curt and kind of arrogant in her demeanour, but she had never leapt to cut someone off like that. Even stranger, Tia seemed just as shocked by her shout as the rest of them. But she still kept a firm grip on her map, clutching it to her chest like some kind of safety blanket.

Lina looked like she was about to speak up again, but Erich quickly moved to cut her off, sending her an apologetic glance as he did so.

"That's fine Tia." He assured the tense looking elementalist calmly, "You can keep on reading the map. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon."

Tia looked at him suspiciously, as if gauging him for his honesty, before eventually nodding.

"Yes. Thanks Erich." She whispered with surprising sincerity, "I promise I'll figure it out soon."

"Take all the time you need." He answered with a more heartfelt smile at the small glimpse of the person that usually hid beneath Tia's haughty exterior.

'I guess this trip has been harder on her than we thought,' He reasoned/

It would probably be more efficient to let Lina have a look at the map, but there was no real harm in letting Tia keep trying. After all, he would rather have the group be comfortable than fast.

With that thought in mind he sent Lina another apologetic glance for cutting her off. The stoic young woman caught his look and shrugged to let him know she didn't mind before returning to her wooden perch.

'She probably guessed my reasoning already.' He thought, 'She might keep her thoughts to herself most of the time, but I'm pretty sure she can read the rest of us like a book.'

It was another trait he admired about her, and one he wished he shared.

Unfortunately, he was well aware that he could be as dumb as bag of bricks when it came to the feelings of others, and it usually took something blindingly obvious before he noticed anything amiss.

'Something like just now,' he thought in resignation before resolving to try and be more aware of his party's feelings in the future.

The party all sat around, each caught up in their own ways of passing the time. Agnes fiddled with her daggers. Erich went back to his hundredth re-reading of his mother's letter. Mary sat quietly, apparently deep in thought. And Lina seemed to be taking a nap. All the while, Tia stared at the map and occasionally muttered to herself as she tried to puzzle out the next step the party needed to take.

"What if we've already 'entered' the dungeon?" Mary suddenly asked, shattering the quiet.

Seeing everyone's look of incomprehension, the older girl elaborated. "I mean dungeons are underground right? So, what if we're standing on top of it already?"

"You mean Tia's stupid map lead us to 'centre' of the dungeon rather than it's 'entrance'?" Agnes chimed in.

Mary nodded eagerly.

"That..." Tia started before hesitating, "That's not impossible."

Erich saw the opportunity for what it was and took it. He didn't consider himself 'soft' by any measure, but in the last few days he had seen more trees, bugs and mud than he had ever wanted to. More than the gold and glory that would be gained from looting an untouched dungeon, he now wanted to find it just so that he could feel the reassuring sturdiness of stone under his feet once more.

He was a city boy through and through after all.

"Well, we haven't seen any signs of monsters above ground beyond a few goblins, and they aren't really a real threat to any of us, so I suggest we split up so we can cover more ground." He proposed, "With any luck we should be able to find the entrance to this dungeon before it gets dark."

As expected, Agnes and Tia eagerly agreed to his plan, but to his surprise Mary and Lina seemed pensive.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to split up Erich?" The cleric asked as she cradled her stave, "It seems like an unnecessary risk."

As far as Erich was concerned it was a totally required risk. He was fond of all of his party. He really was. But if he had to hear Agnes and Tia bickering for a moment longer he knew he was going to say something... rash.

That would end well for no one. Least of all him.

Still, he couldn't exactly say that reason aloud. No matter how much he believed the party needed a little time alone to unwind, he knew that none of them would appreciate him suggesting it. Least of all Mary, who had the patience of a saint and was probably the only one of them who wasn't at the end of their tether in regards to the others.

'Besides, it's not conceit to say that each of us are more than a match for just about anything we might find out here.'

"It'll be fine," He assured, "We've probably cleared out the forest's entire goblin population, and so long as none of us actually go into the dungeon, we should all be perfectly safe up here."

Seeing that his older sister and Lina still looked unconvinced, he conceded slightly, "Alright sis, how about this? If I run into any trouble at all I'll start projecting my aura."

Pulling on the power of the deities inside him, Erich took a deep breath as he slowly let the potent holy energy flow through him and out into the open air.

It was a bit of a waste of a power that might have otherwise been used to create a powerful Smite or Warding Barrier, but by simply letting the unformed energy flow into the air it acted like a beacon for anyone with even the slightest ability to sense holy power.

He was rather proud of it, as it was a technique of his own invention. One that could allow someone to be found by their allies if they were ever lost or in trouble. Even better it could be used by mages as well. Provided swapped the holy energy component of the technique for mana of course.

Admittedly only the other members of his party knew it at present, but in the future he hoped to spread it throughout the Empire.

Seeing his older sister wavering as his holy power washed over her, Erich went for his ultimate finishing move.

'Begging Eyes Technique Engage!'

"Alright, alright." His older sister conceded as she turned away with a sigh, "We can split up to search for the entrance."

'It's super effective against 'Older Sister' Types.'

"Alright enough of that." Tia interrupted, obviously fully recovered from her earlier bout of anxiety. "If we are at the centre of the dungeon, then we should all go in different directions."

Erich nodded amiably, "Alright, I'll go North."

"I'll head East." Lina chimed in.

"Agnes and I will go Sou-" Mary started only to be cut off by her fellow blonde.

"I'll go South-East." She interrupted, "Alone."

Mary whipped round at the interruption, "Alone? You can't go alone."

"Why not?" Agnes challenged, defiance tinging her every word as her fists clenched.

Erich and Mary both knew why, but neither really wanted to say it aloud. It had always been a sore spot for their younger sister, and neither of them wanted to unduly needle it.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, both of them were saved from having to answer the volatile question by Tia's response.

"You can't go alone because you can't channel Holy Power or Mana, Shrimp." The Elementalist responded without heat.

Unlike the bickering the pair usually engaged in, this time the words were said without any malice. They were just a statement of fact.

"I. Can." Agnes ground out, "Maybe not enough for all the fancy stuff you guys do, but I definitely have enough to project enough holy power to create an aura."

"You do?" Mary responded with sincere happiness, surprising Agnes who seemed to have forgotten her siblings were still there while she glaring murderously at Tia.

"Oh, Agnes I'm so happy. I always knew that it would grow as you got older. Why didn't you tell any of us?"

Agnes didn't respond, frozen in place as her older sister believed her obvious lie.

Then she ran.

"Agnes? Agnes wait!" Mary called after the younger woman who disappeared into the trees. Only, as she moved to chase, Tia stepped in front of her.

"I'll go after her Mary." The young woman sighed, "Me and the shrimp might not always get along, but I think even with that being the case, she would rather see someone who isn't family right now."

Mary looked like she wanted to argue but didn't get the chance as Tia also turned away and determinedly strode off in the direction that Agnes had disappeared.

When the Elementalist finally disappeared from view the saddened cleric turned back to Erich and limply muttered that she would go 'West'.

Erich watched his older sister walk forlornly into the undergrowth and wished he could think of something to say. Anything to make her feel better. But he couldn't. The right words just wouldn't come to him, and before he knew it she was gone.

Instead he stood limply as a soft feminine form embraced him from behind. It was quite a strong embrace too, because Erich could clearly feel Lina's willowy form pressing up against him even through his armour. What really surprised him though was the passing touch of her lips upon his cheek.

"Be safe," she whispered with heartfelt emotion into his ear. "Try not to worry about the others. Agnes is upset now, but Tia will bring her around. Underneath all their bickering, I think they really do care about each other. Your older sister will be fine as well. Eventually she'll realize that these little moments of rebellion are just a part of growing up."

Erich barely heard a word of it.

Even as Lina let go, he found his hand reaching up to numbly touch his cheek, where the phantom sensation of the mage's lips still lingered.

By the time he turned around to say something, anything, the Hedge-Witch had disappeared into the undergrowth as well.

"Stay safe too," He mumbled happily, earlier worries forgotten, before jauntily treading off into the woods himself.

'She's finally opening up,' Eric thought gleefully.

***

"Stupid Mary," Agnes hissed as she jogged through the forest's tangled undergrowth, her lithe form flitting from tree to tree with seamless ease. "Stupid Erich too."

A fallen log momentarily blocked the diminutive rogue's path, but it proved little impediment, as Agnes simply used it as foothold from which to volt up onto a low hanging branch and from there back onto the forest floor. With barely an iota of speed lost, the angry young woman was once again traveling once more toward her destination.

'But where is that?' Came unbidden to the furious girl's mind. Agnes didn't know, and in truth she didn't care. Just so long as it was away from that clearing.

"Idiots!" She cursed as she felt herself flush at the memory.

If she was honest, she didn't even know why she was upset. What did it matter that she couldn't use Holy Power? She was a rogue. A great rogue. She didn't need the blessing of the deities to be strong.

'Then why are you crying?' Came that irritating little voice once more.

Agnes stumbled, almost careening into a bush as she did so. In moments she was moving again, but not before she noticed the tell-tale sensation of liquid running down her cheek.

"I'm not crying!" She insisted pointlessly, "I don't care at all. Really. I don't need that power. I don't. I don't. I don't!"

Agnes urged her burning muscles to greater feats of speed as she travelled further and further into the forest.

She didn't know how long she ran for, only that at the end she could run no further.

Panting as she collapsed to the ground, she looked up to get an idea of the time. Above her, the sky was just beginning to darken as sun dipped lazily toward the horizon.

'I must have run for hours,' she thought, impressed with her endurance if nothing else.

Still, the mad run had served its purpose. Despite the soul searing tiredness in her muscles, she found that the earlier rage and panic had returned once more to the low simmering resentment she was used to.

She would never command the Holy Power. She knew that. She really did. Her Mother had all but told her that, even with age, she would never command enough of the power to use it in any meaningful manner.

The deities were fickle beings, and they bestowed their power without rhyme or reason. The fact that every member of her family, with the exception of herself, were powerfully blessed did not change that.

"Idiot," She chastised herself with sad smile, "Raging against the unfairness of it won't change that."

She chuckled mirthlessly as she collapsed against a nearby log, "And neither will snapping at your family for making decisions based on the reality of that situation."

She couldn't summon an aura. Mana or Holy based. Her talents lay entirely in what she could do with her own two hands. Hands that she had worked to the bone in an attempt to prove her worth.

All while hiding her doubts and fears behind her happy-go-lucky façade.

She wasn't too different from Tia in that respect; in their method of dealing with their insecurities if nothing else. Know that was the case didn't make the uppity mage any less insufferable of course.

'...And of course, Little Miss Top-Heavy was there to see my little freak out,' she thought grimly.

Goddess, Agnes knew exactly how insufferable Tia would be now. She would be all over this like a fly all over shit.

"But of course, that'll be a problem for later," Agnes murmured as she looked around her totally unfamiliar surroundings. "First I've got to try and find a way to get back to everyone."

In retrospect it had not been smart to lie about her ability to summon up her aura.

Because now she was totally lost and would have to rely on one of the others flaring their aura for her to find her way back. Which would be a few times more mortifying than just pairing up with her sister like they initially planned.

"Way to go Agnes." The rogue muttered as she moved to stand, only to collapse back to her knees as her muscles cried out in protest.

"Of course, it might be a little harder now that my legs have turned to jelly," she chuckled darkly as the blonde considered the likelihood that she had torn a muscle in her mad dash.

This was bad. Very bad.

Weak as a kitten. Lost and alone in a possibly goblin infested forest. No way to signal for help.