Journal Entry, Dated 15/02
Jasmine
Metadata
Reference Number: BICI/SSP/CRJ1004/011
Title: Journal Entry, Dated 15/02
Author: Jasmine
Date: Written approximately 15/02, Year 5607 A. o. W.
Extent: One journal entry, three pages long
15/02
Our wall looks like shit. Hardly functions any better than shit. It’s an awful mish-mash of rocks, rotten wood, and fallen branches, held together by stubborn determination and some tar Nico picked up from a village to the northeast.
“Why does this look so much worse than what I first saw in the forest?” I asked Nico, after we had set a new piece of rotten wood on top.
He laughed sheepishly. “It was too hard to keep building it nicely. Function over form, you know?”
I wasn’t going to push. Between lugging around wall materials and killing aberrations, he was stretched thin. He did an excellent job of killing aberrations, though. I’d freeze in place as a screaming monster came careening towards us, but time and time again, Nico calmly loaded a bolt into his crossbow and fired it off. He came well-prepared, too. This morning, Nico’s quiver was stuffed full of bolts. By the time we had finished, only two remained.
I think we’ll measure our workdays not by the sunlight, but by how many bolts he has left.
We still had an hour of sunlight left by the time we finished our work, so Nico used the extra time to bring me to one of the best-kept cottages in the village. The roof was gone, but the walls were still intact. Mostly. Nico pushed open a rickety door and gestured for me to enter.
Dozens of weapons hung along each wall. Nearly each was a different kind of weapon. There were so many whose names I didn’t even know.
“If you’re gonna learn how to fight, you’re gonna need a weapon! And luckily for you, I smuggled all of these out of the Hearth.” He puffed his chest out proudly, a smug look all over his face. I think he wanted me to praise him.
I need to be clear: there were dozens of weapons.
“Uh. How?”
It was impressive, but… strange. And a little unsettling.
He grinned. “There are thousands in the Hearth. They’re everywhere. All that guy has done for the past forever is make weapons. Nobody was going to miss a few dozen.”
“No, I meant literally. How did you do it.”
Nico laughed. “You’ll never guess.”
“What.”
“C’mon, guess!”
“No. Tell me.”
He rolled his eyes, sure, but he didn’t stop laughing. “A really big cart, and a really big tarp.” His grin was razor-sharp. “The lug never even noticed.”
I’ve never heard anyone slander His Eternal Warmth the way Nico does. The sheer disrespect made even me uncomfortable. Sometimes I think about telling him to shut up in case His Eternal Warmth was listening.
Anyone from the rest of the world would have slapped him for his sacrilege by now. Or worse.
I had something else on my mind. “Okay. Why?”
“I wanted to distribute them to the villagers here. That way, we’d never need to rely on His Eternal Warmth or his Embers again. Then I actually returned, and… well.” Nico’s easy grin faded. “You know.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You did nothing. You know, I thought about selling them, but never got around to it. Now… at least one of these can go to a good cause.”
A good cause. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him calling me that. Was that all I was — charity? A way to make amends for what happened to his people before?
The answer didn’t matter to me. Let me be charity. We’d get exactly what we needed from one another. Him, an easy answer to misplaced guilt, and me, a path forward. “So I just… pick one?” I asked, scanning the weapons. I lingered on a pair of daggers for a few moments until a tall staff caught my attention. It was made of a dark iron and topped with a deep blue gemstone. “I thought only Embers could hold these things.”
Nico came to my side. “I’ll let you in on a secret: anyone can wield His weapons. Every weapon He forges contains some of His power. Sure, you won’t be able to shoot a fireball, but you can knock out a few aberrations.”
I took the staff off its wall mount. It was heavy, but it felt good in my grip. I gave it a test swing. Nico took a few steps back, letting me move in a complete circle. He watched me, eyes glowing.
Residual magic from all the weapons lingered in the air. Not enough to disarm me, but just enough for it to stick to my skin like a hot, humid day. Nothing compared to the lighthouse’s lantern room, but it still wasn’t pleasant.
“That one, huh? I’m surprised. I took you as more of a knife girl. Staves are best for channeling magic, you know. Though I guess you can always bash aberrations over the head with it.”
I held the staff upright. My hand fell against a light groove. It was the perfect height to rest on. “This has a lot of uses.”
Nico didn’t stop smiling. “Oh? Like what?”
“Walking stick.”
Nico burst into laughter. “I didn’t even think of that!”
With that done, we headed back to his cottage. Now I’m back in my room writing, and Nico is off… hm. He was next to his hearth last I looked. I only saw his back, but somehow I got the sense that he was watching the flame.
I wonder how he feels about fires, after all that’s happened to him. Does he find comfort in them still, or do they remind him of all he’s lost?
I could ask, but… best not to. All I need from Nico is for him to teach me how to fight. I don’t need to be good at it; I just need to survive without his bolts covering me.