The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 24: Chasing Shadows

"... We're always going to be here, Vao... Not with all the precautions you've taken. And even if someone were to survive, the castle is hidden. No one in their right mind would think to look under a lake..."

She could see his lips curling into a soft grin. Just as with most of his smiles, it was nothing but a shadow of who he used to be, before his paranoia started to destroy his mental state.

"... I... I-I really am a t-terrible husband... A-arent I?" He croaked quietly. "I c-can't even s-sleep with you p-properly... I c-can't sleep... A-at all..."

Verde shook her head. It hurt to hear him say that. "No... You're not a terrible husband," she whispered. "You care so much for everyone. But you need to realize that we're safe here. No one will find us..."

She pressed closer, pressing her ear to his chest. She was listening to his heartbeat, trying to prevent another possible panic attack.

Thump...

Thump...

Verde felt worry growing inside her chest. His heart rate was slower than it should've been. Verde pulled away, looking back up at him. As the clouds drifted past the moon, his body was illuminated completely.

The scratch had stretched all the way around his neck. Verde shook, taking a step back. "Y... Your neck..."

The thin scratch grew deeper, the ghostly wisp seeping from the wound. The strange and foreign aura trickled into the atmosphere, sending shovers down Verde's spine.

"V... V-Vao... What have you done?"

...

The sun was rising as their horses trotted down the ancient trail, the forest of magic far behind them. Pip slept on the horse in front of Yin, his boots taken off and his feet exposed. The healer had bags under his eyes, fighting to stay awake. Sasha and her horse were next to them, the tall elf sipping from her water. She was doing a bit better than Yin was, but not by much. Ozpin was still wide awake, his hot chocolate keeping him somewhat alert. The goblins, being used to drinking alcohol to help them fall asleep, were the ones who were most awake. Salem sat on her own horse, letting it follow behind the others as she read her new book.

It was filled with racism and prejudice, as with most literature that came from the Church could be expected. But it was doubtlessly a full encyclopedia of all known nonhumans.

Harpies, lamia, even Charybdis made an appearance. Of course, Salem had actually met these species of nonhumans before and knew how friendly and kind they were. The encyclopedia described them as terrible monsters responsible for the deaths of countless adventurers. The only reason the nonhumans on the western side of the Sea of Sand were violent in the first place was because of the Church.

She only looked up to stare ahead, the Wilds far in the distance. The adventurers were bringing their horses to a stop, Sasha setting a large pack on the ground. Her horse looked like it was about to ascend to the heavens when the heavyweight warrior climbed off its back. Poor horse; the creature was going to have legs the size of boulders after carrying her around. Sasha wasn't light; she weighed almost two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. That wasn't including her armor, weapon, or the pack.

She kicked it open, their rations spilling out along with the other necessities they had brought along. Ozpin struggled with his one hand to start the fire, Yin coming to his aid as the goblins set the bedrolls. Pip took to the skies, scouting out any potential threats. Everyone was working together, something that warmed Salem's heart.

"Hey, Yin?"

"What is it?" Yin replied to the elf. Sasha grinned.

"... Yep. Still ugly."