Tales of Berseria The X: Beyond Calamity

Chapter V: A Simpler Life Part III

The dreaded feeling started to get worse. Avernus felt out of place, his spirit deteriorated, and a headache started to kick in. Avernus tried to take his mind away from all the negative energy. It was already chipping away at his essence. He turned back and decided to go inside the house, in hopes that maybe talking with Velvet and Laphicet can help with the agony. He opened the door and saw a very familiar scene; Velvet scolding Laphicet.

"Look, your fever hasn't gone down a bit! Go lie down, and I'll cook dinner."

Laphicet apologetically dropped his head, "...I'm sorry."

Avernus smirked at the scene. Laphicet was beaming when he saw him, "Welcome home, Avernus!"

Avernus tried to look casual by returning his greeting with a smile.

"Come here! I want to show you something!", Laphicet said in excitement and at the same time, Velvet was looking inquisitive at something on the table. After a few seconds of collecting his mind, Avernus joined them.

"What's this?", Velvet pointed to a sheet of paper on the table.

"A compass! It uses a magnet to tell you which way you're facing. Have you seen this before, Avernus? I bet your ship had one.", Laphicet explained the drawing with a passion. Avernus acknowledged Laphicet's statement, "That's correct, Laphicet. Our ship's captain used a compass all the time. Even many people use them on land as well."

Velvet jumped in the conversation, shrugging. "Woohoo. You can use the sun and stars for that."

Laphicet frowned, "And what'll you do if it's cloudy, huh? Thanks to this invention, people will be able to voyage across the ocean!", Laphicet points to the drawing of the compass, "See? It's designed to stay level, so your heading will be true even when the ship is rolling with the waves."

Avernus nodded, "He's right, Velvet. Without a compass, there's no way that my ship would have made it near the Midgand shores."

Laphicet looked at Velvet, waiting to see her reaction. "Pretty neat, right?"

"If you say so, Laphi.", a confused Velvet responded, shrugging the question.

Laphicet was irritated at her ignoring his thoughtful explanations, "C'mon, it's a must-have for any adventure! Can't you see how useful it is? Avernus! You tell her, she'll listen to you!"

Avernus was in the process of sitting on a chair. He glanced at Laphicet with confusion. His eyes widened as soon as he understood Laphicet's plea to take his side, then immediately nodded. "Yeah, of course... It's a crucial piece of equipment. I had plans to get one for myself, but..."

Velvet closed her eyes, groaning as Avernus agreed with her brother. She shook her head and grabbed Laphicet by his shoulders, forcefully leading him back to his room. "You can tell me more about it later, Laphi."

Laphicet dropped his head in defeat. Suddenly, a fresh notion flashed in Avernus' mind. He yanked Velvet's arm. "Wait, I have a plan."

Both siblings whirled their heads at him in wonder.

"Well, when my work here is done, and I'm back from the capital, how about we all go to the far continent together? All four of us can take a vacation. How does that sound?"

Laphicet eyes sparkled with joy and nearly pounced from Velvet's arms, freeing himself from his sister. "Can we see the great harbors of Hyland?!"

Avernus crossed his arms and cocked his head proudly. "That's the first thing you'll see. Afterwards, I'll bring you to the capital's great library. There are so many books and scrolls in there, you could get lost in it for days."