"Rontress, was that a good idea?" My mother's question was perfectly normal after everything she's just witnessed. I mean, she did just see me throw away a bunch of potential helpers, and ones that would have helped our cause at that.
"Yes." I answer simply, telling her that I wanted those exact people to be their usual parasitic selves and eat away at the resources of both Flotol and the church wouldn't be good for our relationship.
My mother knowing that her daughter is willingly letting an entire village starve is probably worse than seeing her kill a horde of adventurers who were about to kill everyone she knew.
"Will the church help them?"
"Of course." I lied, the church wouldn't help them, they also would make the lives of all those people a living hell. Resources are scarce and the doctrine commonly taught to priests are things like ignoring those with criminally inclined classes.
But that's the path they've chosen and now they must walk on it, it's not my fault that they picked their allies now is it? They were scared of the church? Bullshit. They should have been scared of me instead!
Or so I say, but that's my ego talking more than anything.
"Really? I'm glad then." My mother let out a relieved sigh, I don't see why she's feeling bad for the people who, moments ago, almost killed them. Isn't this too much empathy? Why would anyone willingly do this?
"Me too." Another lie comes out, I didn't even think about it. "They need all the help they can get, and the church is a much larger organization than our store, they also have priests who have better magic than me."
Somehow, their reaction was similar to someone eating a bitter fruit. They didn't believe me, no one in this igloo believed me when I said that the church has stronger mages than me...
How weird is that? Did they really think I can fight someone from the upper echelons of the church? Or are we thinking it in the context of the church in Flotol and only that? If it's the second one, then yeah, I guess I can see why they'd think that way.
Also, it's the truth, if I had to fight the church in Flotol, I would come out on top. Dealing with them isn't going to be as easy as "fighting them head on and winning" though, because if the local church falls, the rest of the religion would be notified and they have paladins over level 100.
Running away from them and then hiding in some remote location where I can never be found and can prepare for as long as I want will be easy for me, but that's assuming I go alone. Everyone else is dead weight, but leaving them is also kind of stupid.
"Well, if the church is taking care of all those people then I don't see why I need to worry about them." My mother didn't react to the— or maybe she didn't see. — glare I shot her in response. It's not her responsibility to worry about those people, they're adults who can figure stuff out on their own.
"Exactly." I turn away from her, glad that she's finally seeing reason. "You don't have to worry about them, just put them in the back of your mind for now, those people have the support of the church."
"Okay, I'm forgetting about them." My mother nodded. "What now?"
"What do you mean?" I poured a small bag of charcoal inside the hearth and ignited them. "Are you asking what's our next step forward?"
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"Yes." My mother confirmed. "We can't stay in this igloo forever can't we?"
"No, we can't." I reluctantly admit. "But that doesn't mean we should just rush into the heart of the problem and attempt to fix it. That's not how this works."
"Then how does it work?"
"And why are you out here?" I glared at my brother. "Shouldn't you be recovering?" Where did they even hide him earlier? A ditch in the woods? "You've been hurt so badly that you shouldn't be moving at all!"
Back when I first saw him— which is to say, an hour ago. — he was just wrapped around a blanket, all fevered up and his face all red. He had a stench to him too, not the "I haven't showered for days" kind, but the one that comes from pus that hasn't been cleaned for too long.
Like any good sister, I immediately told my parents to clean him up when I first saw him in this state. Laself wanted to help too but Howaph didn't want her to see him in such a weakened and vulnerable way so she sat back while me, mom, and dad helped him out.
When the clothes on his body got peeled away, the extent of his wounds became clear to me: he had a giant gash on his stomach, stab wounds on his chest, and some parts of his torso and back were purple from bruising, his arms also got broken. Shattered.
His legs didn't have the kind of damage the rest of his body did but why would that matter in the end? My brother was hurt beyond compare and the only silver lining was his legs are intact?!
Even his face got hurt, he had a split lip and his cheek was all swollen. I can't imagine how bad it was when he first got it.
His ribs— and maybe even most of his bones. — definitely have been snapped, his organs are probably experiencing all sorts of pain, and his body is most likely suffering a lot of internal bleeding.
And apparently, he's been in this state for weeks.
How he managed to walk around and keep himself alive all this time is a mystery that only the system and magic can answer.
And magic is the only way to heal him as well: with my help, we managed to stitch his wounds, repair his broken bones, and give him some semblance of life. My brother still needs to be fed mashed up rice, vegetables, and bananas through a tube but at least he's stable now.
And that's the only thing I can really ask for.
"I'm fine."
No one believed him, I didn't believe him, hell, I know that he didn't believe himself. "You're fine?!" My voice rises by a pitch. "Fine?! You're in a crutch! If I told you that I can help you move freely again you'd take it without hesitation and then go back out there to fight!"
"You could have helped me even more?" Says the guy who I wrapped around with sterile, enchanted bandages, healed with magic, and gifted a crutch. "I could have helped!"
"Yes!" I yell, pissed that my expectations have not just been confirmed, but also exceeded. "You could have, but we didn't need you!" He looked taken aback, hurt even. "We don't need to fight anymore so we can recover naturally."
I really don't know why he's trying to go out of his way to get a corrupting force of energy to help him heal back to full health. Or rather, the illusion of it. Magic can't fully heal someone, not in a way that keeps them healthy.
"Why? Why would you say that when you know that you can just help me?" Howaph pointed at himself, the hurt in his eyes as clear as day. "Am I not good enough for you?"
"Who says that?" I let out a scoff and raised my wand. The new set of clothes that I got from my parents were shabby, on account that most of our stuff were back at home— if it's even standing anymore. — so I had to make some myself using plants.
"Rontress, you..."
"Me nothing." I glare at him before looking at Upinte and Jasiin. "You two, go take him back. He needs to heal alongside everyone else, even dad is more obedient than him."
"Why can they—"
My brother was cut off when Upinte placed a hand on his shoulder, he looked at his peer with slight annoyance. "You know she's my sister right? I should be able to tell you off as well!"
Upinte hesitated, he looked at Jasiin and the two of them looked lost. "... We don't really want to join your family drama."
"You don't have to, do as I say and ignore him, I don't care if he's my family, my word is worth more than his." I wave them off. "Now go, I'm going on a hunt and I don't want my thoughts to be filled with him while I'm actively putting myself in danger."
This is, of course, a lie, not my thoughts being filled by my brother part, but the danger one. Nothing in the local area can threaten me in my current state, and I mean nothing.
The Warped could, but that thing is already dead. Killed by me even. I decided that the hypothetical is pointless in the end and wordlessly left the igloo.
