Lazarus Peirsaly

7. I Will Not Die

Two hours have passed since I've woken up. I can hear Synlie moving about, preparing as much as possible. Once I hear the front door open and shut, I finally get up. First, I move into her room to take the coins. They won't be of any use to me, but in case she comes back for whatever reason, the coins still being there would be suspicious.

Next, I bathe. I've gotten used to the cold water, so it doesn't bother me as much to dive right in. I let myself soak in the water for a little longer than usual. It would be great if I could find a way to avoid going out so I can continue doing nothing while Synlie provides for me, but the thought of Lurinyo violently killing me isn't too appealing. After half an hour I get out, wrapping a towel around my body as I go back into my room.

Kneeling down, I grab the bag from underneath my bed. I dump the contents on top of the bed and sort them out. No underwear of course, so I'll just have to borrow some from Synlie. Disgusting. A leather bodysuit with chain mail in the parts that wouldn't be covered by the armor looks to be what I would put on first. Of course, various insignias of the Xias Knights are embedded into it. The armor is a lightweight set thankfully. I did see some knights using heavier armor in the cave, but Hiev was considerate enough to take my strength into account. The thin metal chest piece is similar in design to a tank top. It came with a leather belt to attach whatever a knight would need onto it. For the arms, it consists of gauntlets and some pauldrons. The legs consist only of shin guards and boots, leaving the thighs exposed. The helmet would cover the entire face, though it has a visor that can be flipped if necessary. Not exactly the most attractive set of armor, but I suppose this is what grunts would wear. Only the strong like Synlie can afford to skimp out on defense in exchange for looking good, though I doubt she considered that herself. Knowing her, it's probably just custom made armor one of her allies gave her.

I walk back into Synlie's room to grab some undergarments, then start getting dressed. It takes a little longer than expected to put everything on. All the straps to hold everything in place were annoying to line up and comfortably attach. After finally getting the armor on, I walk around and stretch to test it out. It feels heavy on my body even when being this light... I should've done some exercise to strength this dainty body... But that's too much work. My movement is good enough so I put on the helmet. I head into the backyard first to grab a dagger and a holster, fixing it to my belt. It would be bad if someone started questioning my lack of weaponry. Checking everything over, I leave the house.

I forgot to think things through. It'll be a very long walk to get to the forest where the cave lies, and the burden of the armor will make it much more difficult. Damnit...

"Hey, what are you doing standing around!" A familiar deep voice comes from behind me. My savior Synlie is here! Now to worm my way into a free ride.

Putting on a fake voice, I respond. "Oh, Vice Captain! I'm terribly sorry, I was assigned on the team to partake in the expedition to the depths of the cave today, but I had to assist a lost child in finding her parents. Because of that little setback, I missed the carriage that would transport me with my fellow comrades."

"I see. A valiant thing of you to do. Come with me, I was finishing things up in town myself and just preparing to leave. You may ride atop my horse."

"Thank you very much, Vice Captain!" I salute her and follow behind her. Thanks to the helmet, my voice was muffled enough for her not to recognize.

After reaching the gates, she whistles and the familiar white steed Quicksilver comes bolting from the forest. He really is a good boy, coming at her beck and call. She gets atop it and I follow suit, holding onto her sides. Without warning, she grabs the reins and the horse starts speeding back towards the forest. Her kindness to civilians is completely different to how she treats her subordinates... Tough love, I guess. Clinging onto her tighter as the horse continues to speed up, we quickly reach the cave from where I awoke. We both dismount as Quicksilver runs off again.