Hiraeth [The Hardcore Quest]

IV: The Number of the Beast

Maybe if I hadn't been so selfish, it would've ended differently.

The walk wasn't long up the hill to the D Gang manor, but every step that echoed up to my ears created a cavernous pit that continued to cave until there was nothing left at the front doors. Cinnamon huffed beside me, tugging at me, a gentle pull at wishing us both away. When I closed my eyes, I could imagine it, too: endless fields of dancing flowers, knee-high grass that tickled when I walked through, flurries of snow that swayed in the crisp, Arctic breeze. But then I opened my eyes to the crumbling facade of togetherness and unity of the Manor, and I was a raven under a cloaked birdcage, forever asleep until the blanket fell away.

    My hands shook as I tied Cinnamon to the outpost, stroking her muzzle as she jerked her head away restlessly. My mouth formed into a tight frown as I buried a rush of deep, dark water tumbling inside my chest, and I turned away. The steps groaned at my presence, as if the very indication that I had survived displeased them.

    It was quiet when I entered, and maybe that would have been a relief but what made my stomach curl and dip was the pair of eyes that locked onto mine almost instantaneously. I would have taken anyone - anyone — but once more, it has been written in stone that the world glimpses past me, as if I were not even one they had considered.

    Duni's smiled furled at the edges as I approached. "Don," he whispered, barely audible. He huffed a laugh, as though someone I couldn't see had just murmured a witty one-liner about me into his ear. He sniffed indignantly. "Take a seat." When I lingered at the doorway, his face curled in on itself, and I jumped when he abruptly slammed his fists on the table, making the silverware in front of him clink. Heart pounding, I did as he said when he repeated his order in a sickly sweet voice, as if it excused the sudden outburst and masked the ill intent cloaked behind his shining, blue eyes.

The mutt folded his paws over one another, and he leaned forward, quirking an eyebrow at me. "So, a little birdie told me you failed your mission," he said. I glanced absentmindedly at the plate in front of me. The food was cold and the glass of water was warm. Whenever this had been set up, Duni had clearly been waiting for a while.

I hummed dismissively. "I wouldn't say I failed..." I muttered.

"But you did," Duni remarked, picking up a fork and prodding at his shriveled steak. He considered it for a moment before plopping it in his mouth, humming contently. I cringed inwardly and averted my gaze. "You know what your mission was. Capture Uni. Kill the spares." When I didn't say anything, he paused and turned to

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I'm sorry, I doubt I'll ever be able to finish this, but I was nice while it lasted

I guess uhhh

I'll post the finale oneshot I wrote on Friday maybe

See you in another lifetime, I guess