At the end of a blood trail we followed… was a sight I had expected. Lora sat there, a dismembered goblin laid next to her
Her eyes were shut, blood trickled down the top of her head down. Multiple cuts were across her clothes, and a small pool of blood laid underneath her.
She's….? When I got closer I could see her chest rise and lower
"Lor- Lora?"
Yukina broke the silence by calling out her name. Just a second later, a cough resounded in our ears.
I just stood there— frozen, but I felt nothing. But… I just stood there… I couldn't move.
"Haha…" Lora laughed as she raised her head towards us; she had a nervous smile as beads of sweat rolled down her head. "I messed up… Mister Shaun…"
Before I could move, James rushed to her side.
"L- Lora why'd you come here?!"
"I needed money… And I messed up badly… I'm cold…"
"Don't fall asleep, you'll be okay."
"I'm sorry, Mister Shaun… I should've listened…"
I can't move. My mind kept having thoughts go around. No matter what I did, I stayed bolted to the ground.
"Miss, stop talking and exerting yourself."
"I really…"
There was a silence as Lora's head began to droop. James… I… We all just froze— she was drooping her head and her voice trailed off…
Seconds later we started to shake her— she wouldn't wake up— Yukina seemed to be the one to freak out the most…
Don't die…Please don't be dead…
Please…
James was frantically pushing his mana into her. Her wounds were healed but she was barely- barely breathing. For- some reason Yukina stopped panicking and just stared at Lora.
Will-
James eventually stopped his healing and turned to me. The words that left his mouth calmed the franticness I felt start to calm down.
"She's alive, barely… She lost a lot of blood."
"Is she going to die?"
"She shouldn't, I didn't sense any internal bleeding and her injuries are healed."
After I finally felt my head ease up, we stayed there by her side. Did she make that herself?
I wondered as I looked at her outfit. It had no real practical use… and from an obvious glance it was poor quality cloth and leather. The amount of patches it had was clearly made of leftovers.
"She made it herself." I said.
"Made what?"
"That outfit, no adventurer would wear that."
James and Yukina looked her up and down; all it was overalls over fake leather. The only real protection was her boots.
"How did she make it this far?"
That's a question we all had— the knife she had next to her didn't support her. The blade was dull enough it couldn't pierce my skin.
James and Yukina did try to stop me when they saw what I did. And when I offered for them to try, they both quickly retreated.
At least… She survived.
We sat here for a while, for a long time; only until Lora started to twitch and she woke up.
We decided to leave after Lora was strong enough to walk.
Lora laid on my back, I could feel her breath on my neck. Her arms stayed glued around my chest.
"I'm sorry Mister Shaun, I should've listened…." Lora apologized quietly. Only I could hear her as she started to shake.
"Why did you do this?"
"... I'm scared."
"Why did you do this?" I asked her again, I made my voice sound firm. "If you have nothing to pay for decent equipment you'll die in the easiest dungeons."
"Mister Shaun I'm scared. I don't want to be alone, I don't want to have nothing…" I could feel her body shudder and her voice weakening. "That shop was all that I had— and I have nothing now-"
… I fell silent as she took a few deep breaths.
"That was all I had, I couldn't pay for the rent this month. I needed money, and a lot of it— only you and Miss Yukina came in for the last two months…"
I'm sorry…
"How did you make it this far into this dungeon?" I had to ask her since it was something that itched all our minds.
"A party… they ran away after I got hurt."
What she said made sense, even in Ard adventurers still do that.
"Ow! Mister Shaun that hurts!"
Her yelps woke me up from my thoughts. My hand was gripping her hamstrings a little tight.
"Shaun, they probably were the ones that submitted that request." James pointed out, when I looked towards him he raised his index finger.
I nodded my head and stared at the caverns ahead. Lora squeezed me tighter and rested her chin on my shoulder.
"I'm just… scared, to be alone and having nothing."
"And why are you telling me this?"
"I feel safe— you're the only person in my life to save me."
Physically I tilted my head at her response.
"What do you mean?"
"My parents abandoned me when I was just a kid." She bluntly stated. "I've been alone for six years, ever since I was twelve."
So her parents abandoned her…
Long story short as we journeyed…
Her parents, brothers and sister gave up on her dream. Dwarves were the masters of craftsmanship, so they saw her dream as futile.
This time, her voice was loud enough for all of us to hear—
"Lora, why don't we make a deal?" James chimed in.
"What is it?"
"We give you the materials we earn from monsters." James said before continuing. "In return you make equipment for us."
I felt Lora's body physically flinch, and I felt her breath get caught. She didn't get the chance when James finished his words.
"And Miss Lora, you can sell them for a profit. Money's not an issue for our party."
"I-Is that it?"
"Mhm, we have our own equipment, see?" James said as he opened his cloak. "We've been in this trade… for twenty years now?"
That makes us sound old…. I clenched my jaw at him… Something ate at my gut when Lora responded to him.
"How old are you guys?! You've been adventurers for twenty years?! That's more than I've been alive!"
In other words… James and I are thirty-nine… Verd is fourty, and Jin is thirty-eight…
Lora seemed rather shocked, even exclaiming, "what the heck?!" And it was just loud enough it echoed through these caves.
Yukina as well chimed in.
"Verd is forty?" Is what she only asked, her mouth was opened when asking.
"Yeah, he's an old man…"
"Um… Mister James I can see grey forming in your hair…"