And I also had to thank Jack and Lisa too. Lisa stayed out of the fight, but the amount of help she had given me to lay this trap was worth all the gratitude I had. And Jack— perhaps I misjudged him. I still wasn’t sure why he hated Dwarves, but he wanted to resolve some unfinished business in Taw, and perhaps I could help him with that once we were there.
But for now, I said nothing to anyone. I just stood there in silence as the sombre mood washed over the ship, and everyone realized it was finally over. All that was left now was to move forward.
Lilith might or might not be dead— I highly doubted she was dead. But rather than being paranoid— rather than doubting everyone I knew— I was going to learn to trust. I would watch my back, of course; I was not going to believe everything a random stranger told me, however that did not mean I shouldn’t trust no one.
Now, I had people I trusted. I had… friends? Perhaps it was still too early to call Ginah, Lisa, and the others that— our relationship still predicated on the deal we had made. A Witch’s deal. My deal. But… my thoughts trailed off along with my gaze.
I glanced at Gennady; the Dwarf was standing to the side, also paying his respects to the fallen. He hadn’t once expressed any sort of apprehension towards helping me, even when it was revealed a Saintess was coming after my life.
If there was anyone I could consider a friend, he was one. Lisa and the others were allies for now, but over time things might change. And I thought I would rather like that. Being alone was an experience— an important one for me— but I could not act alone in this world. So I had allies now, and things were going to be different from before.
It would not be like with the Beastkin, nor would it be like with the Dark Crusaders. That was what I swore to myself.
I will do things right this time.
When we returned to land, we did not go to the hideout we had been using for the last month. Instead, it was a small encampment closer to the city of Luke, but just as well hidden. This was where most of the noncombatants had fled to a week ago when I was passed out, and the rest followed shortly after.
The reaction to our return was a mixed one; on one hand, they were glad that the plan worked out just fine, but on the other, they could not celebrate for all the dead that had been incurred. It wasn’t a complete slaughter— yet it was still a lot of dead considering the number that had come with us. So it was more of a subdued relief.
We buried the dead later that day. I thought they would have cremated the bodies since that was the common funeral method in this world. It was seen as a way of returning the spirits of the dead to the Goddess of Light by lighting them on fire. But Ginah didn’t believe in that.
If it was as simple as performing such a ritual to cleanse a soul of their sins, then she believed her father would easily be forgiven. And from what I was told, her father was a horrid man who could never be redeemed. So they performed a simple burial for the dead. The Goddess would judge them Herself by the merit of their actions.
I still wasn’t fully bought on the idea of the Goddess. I respected their beliefs, of course. But most of it came from the Church. And they certainly weren’t a reliable source. Whether or not She existed though— She probably did.
I was never really religious in my previous life. I also didn’t fully consider myself an atheist. I simply didn’t think about it too much. However after having met a god— a fake god?— a jerk god, I decided I wanted to think about it less.
So when everyone said their final prayers, I simply bowed my head and remained silent. After the funerals ended, Ginah finally approached me.
"Melas," she greeted me, her face expressionless.
"Ginah, I…" I hesitated, looking the pirate Captain over. In a sense, I was responsible for the death of all her men who died today; I knew she didn’t blame me, but I still felt uncertain whether I should address it with an apology or defend myself. In the end, I settled with expressing my gratitude.. "Thank you."
She shook her head. "They wanted to help you. Braz more than the others."
I nodded. "They were good men."
"Indeed they were."
The two of us stood there, under the night sky, in silence for a minute. Finally, as Ginah raised her head, she broke it and spoke out. "When do you have to be at Jahar’taw by?"
I turned to face her. She was staring up at the twinkling stars on the dome overhead. Her gaze was wishful, longing, and hopeful. She still seemed tired, as she was before. But now something was renewed inside of her. Like she was looking forward to what was to come, rather than dreading it.
"I’m in no particular rush," I said. "If you still have things to settle here in Luke, I’d be willing to wait."
"No." Ginah looked back down and looked over at me. She sighed, rubbing at her left shoulder. "I’ve spoken with Kai. He reassured me that he’d be able to handle things back here. That he’s prepared for it— he even told me his plan on what to do for the next few days.
"Luke is my city— it is pretty much all I
