"See anything interesting?" Molc asked, sitting on the ground as he watched the horizon intently, as the one holding the talent his crossbowmanship, it was only natural that he was amongst the most present in the group that launched stuff at the undeads from safety, his accuracy was perfect and he could strike from great distances, in fact, he had managed to damage and defeat the most undeads out of everyone, his precision making up for the fact that they were told not to reveal their full strength so early on.
Though, actually putting down the undead this way was a hassle, even the regular soldiers with a veil of mail on their heads were egregiously resilient to damage, they just refused to fall apart, and honestly, he felt that he had only managed to get some because the realm was actively working against them, were they standing on neutral ground, they probably could have shrugged off even more punishment than this.
"Mmh… Not really no, it's weird, it has been a few hours and no undead are to be sensed anywhere, they are probably just staying in their bases and such, but why cease all movements all of a sudden?" Merno responded.
Molc just now realised that he had asked what a blind man was seeing, but Merno didn't really care, it was dubious if he even registered the poor choice of word, the mage was just leaning against the railing that separated him from a fall that would probably turn anything into red dust.
"Just yesterday, they were everywhere, and now, they just went and disappeared on us , I swear, I am starting to think they are just messing with us and laughing their asses off while observing our reaction" Molc greatly disliked the undead, not just because Loimos had covered his face and chest with deep scars, but also because he simply could not understand what in damnation went on inside of their rotten, putrid skulls.
Undeads could look, sound and seem so different from one another, yet, in the end, they all ended up being the same foul monsters that only wanted one thing, and it was to kill, kill and kill.
It simply did not seem natural, being so different yet exactly the same simultaneously, it was no wonder that conversing with an undead was off putting, this impression was ingrained into their very bones.
"I believe that they do things for a reason, the problem is that this reason can be anything, maybe they stopped because they have accomplished their mission and are waiting for more orders, maybe they are temporarily all in need of rest after operating under the rules of the realm for too long, or maybe there is no particular reason at all, I honestly don't have any clue" Merno sighed and stood upright, or at least tried to before leaning on the railing again.
"Yeah, I just didn't sleep much, if you know what I mean"
"Oof, you and Toby sure have it hard, heh?"
"I mean, I don't mind at all, I think it's great actually, but sometimes, the aftermath is quite severe, and- Wait, no I shouldn't speak of that, she'll actually punch me if I say it"
Molc raised an eyebrow.
"You can't just say that and expect me not to be curious, what's up with Hoffnu? Is it something embarrassing? It is, isn't it?"
"Don't try, Molc, even torture wouldn't get me to say it out loud, do you have a significant other? If you have one like Hoffnu, you know that there are things that you should stay quiet about, it's like being part of a secret organisation that everyone that is not a part of it wants to destroy, you need to be really careful not to reveal anything, lest you discover a fate worse than death" Merno shook his head.
"Fate worse than death, huh? Those guys would certainly argue that all fates are worse than death"
"And I would agree with them on that one- But like, do you actually have someone, Molc? I haven't seen you with any girl since- Well since we got in this realm actually, you used to hit on everything that moved"
"I suppose I decided to put more focus into my training since then, back then, I only survived because there was an entire ballista in between me and the projectile he threw at me, the impact send shards raining over me, but if not for that, I would have had a hole right through my chest and I would have died, I almost kicked the bucket because I, the goddamn talent holder in a ranged weapon, could not see a projectiles flying through the air, it was a fucking disgrace" he sighed.
"Do… Do you think I should do something? Do I look miserable or something?"
"No, but I mean, the beast ladies find your scars very appealing and you didn't even do anything in years, a little bit of affection helps a lot, you know? Since me and Hoffnu actually got together, I have completely forgotten about my lost sight, even if I had found out how to do without it and even become a better mage as a result, it still felt awful to not being able to see as I used to, well, I no longer feel that way now, it's the magic of love, and I don't mean the idealised version of love, I mean true love, the one that you earn over time"
"That thing is incredible, and let me tell you, that sort of love isn't that rare, just look around, it's sprouted up everywhere and for many people since we got some peace in this realm" said Merno.
"I never took you for the kind of guy to just spout that sort of things, but you are making a pretty good case- Though, I can't just walk around looking for someone that I can love, and besides, I might be too far gone, I mean, my crossbow has 'Cassandra' inscribed on the side of it"
"Huh? Wait, it actually does- You gave your crossbow a woman's name? Do- You don't speak to it, right?"
"I absolutely do, she's my reliable partner, one of a kind- And I heard from Arzt that names had power, and so did emotional attachment, if I take care of her enough, she might just grow a mind and personality, perhaps even learn to change form?"
"..." Merno's expression turned to one of horror.
"Are you feeling alright, Molc? Should I call Minli to examine you- Yeah, Minli! Why don't you talk to Minli for a bit?"
"You gave your crossbow a name, you clearly are not, and when did you give it that name anyways?"
"Just recently, I ran into the old carver and he told me that I had special connection to my crossbow and that I should nurture it, sound like a good idea to me"
Merno stayed silent, feeling like it was no use to speak any further on this subject, but thankfully, he was saved by none other than the enemy.
"Hey look! The undeads are here again!"