Asra gingerly touched the wound on her leg, feeling some of it scabbing. Most of the charred flesh had disappeared, and the wound no longer seeped fluids.

She glanced up and noticed Dark, the assassin skeleton, standing in the corner of the room. It had made it to them and stood silently, watching them both, though Hegatha ignored the small skeleton and completed the healing session, pulling her hand back with a grunt.

“Geh, that’s enough.” Hegatha said, and got up to go outside.

Asra sat up from the table and followed Sweeper out after her, watching as Hegatha walked back and forward on the island, checking the edges of it for something—presumably searching for more ‘food’ washed up from the storm.

Yet, Asra’s eyes were soon drawn across the water, looking for any signs of Jay, expecting him to appear. It was still overcast with clouds, and the fog was returning but she waited in the doorway, not risking a sunburn.

Hegatha glanced at Asra, and seeing Asra’s sombre eyes looking across the swamp, she let out a few mocking cackles, “Heh! He won’t be back for days, get used to being alone!”

Asra glared back at Hegatha, but didn’t say anything.

Alone like you? She thought.

Hegatha went back to her business, gathering ashes from a dead fire pit and mushrooms, then tying up Jay’s traps with her golden rope.

Asra continued to watch the water, hoping to see the ripple of a skeleton coming back out. It was different after the storm, a little more see-through than before since it had been diluted.

I won’t let myself end up alone. Time will heal my wounds but I don’t need to heal alone. Asra thought, remembering someone whom she had lost, Denmir.

Whether Denmir died to the blood-vine bear or something else, Asra couldn’t be sure. Denmir was from a different vampire clan, and their clans hated one another, so Asra often thought that their love was destined to fail, even if they did run away together.

Movement came from the water. An insignificant ripple. It was so small that she nearly missed it. A figure began to emerge from the fog. A throne, narrowly held above the water. It was like an answer to her thoughts, an answer to Hegatha’s taunting, and Asra couldn’t help but smile.

There he was, carried by skeletal hands, only their wrists showing above the water. His slow speed over the water hardly caused a ripple as they drifted him to their island. So he can float now? Asra thought, her mouth slowly opening in wonder.

Yet in no time, her smile turned to a cunning smirk as she noticed Hegatha’s back was turned—she hadn’t noticed Jay silently gliding over the murky waters, his throne pulling up to the island as if it were a boat coming to dock.

***

The bridge is underwater, but still intact, Jay thought, sensing the mass of bones. He was glad they hadn’t been washed away or eaten up, and could still sense Blue’s five sub-skeletons below the surface, patrolling for any of those pesky bone-eating eels.

Red’s two sub-skeletons moved forward cautiously, leading the way for the throne.

As they plodded across the bridge, Jay couldn’t help but wonder how the island wasn’t submerged, but it wasn’t long until he had has answer.

The island came into sight, and it looked just like it always had. The water level had not risen—at least not for the island.

The island… floats? Jay thought, his mouth slightly opening while seeing the shoreline which hadn’t changed at all. There was no magic barrier blocking the water, and it seemed that it probably wasn’t magical at all. Just an odd floating island.

So she lives on a floating island, in a foggy wilderness swamp, surrounded by fire creatures. Got it. Makes sense. He thought sarcastically, wondering how someone’s life choices would even lead them to this, down a path of wrong choices to end up in a situation such like this.

You would probably have to never make a single good choice? Jay thought, Or perhaps make a single bad one over and over again.

Unless it was a teleportation curse binding her here, or the work of some malevolent mindsmith, then Hegatha would have no one to blame but herself, and Jay offered nothing but pity. Apathetic pity.

The skeletons brought the throne closer to the island and finally walked up its steep shore. Before they could leave the water, Jay stood up and jumped off, glad to be standing on the island once again.

I probably should have just made a shelter here. He thought, looking around, and spotted Asra waving at him—yet she was not saying a word. She was strangely… silent.

Asra? … She came to greet me? He raised a brow, and slowly took a few steps forward. Thought it wasn’t any normal greeting. She began waving her hands and pointing at Hegatha, a devilish grin on her face.

I guess she wants me to talk with Hegatha first?

Jay meandered over, his set of six full-grown skeletons following closely behind, still obediently carrying his throne. Hegatha heard the footsteps, the light patter of feet from the skeletons.

“I told you he’s not coming.” Hegatha said, a fat grin on her face as she turned around. “You’re gunna-”

“Hello-” Jay murmured.

“Geh!” Hegatha jumped back with a yell, completely surprised, her foot knocking one of the traps into the water, one that wasn’t attached to a rope.

Seeing Jay and six sets of undead, ghostly eyes glaring at her. Each of them had a sense of imminent death about them. It was like turning around to see a bear on its hind legs, about to crash onto you with its claws.

Laugher came from the shack, Asra grinned as she looked at Hegatha who was like an animal that had been caught in one of her own traps.

“Yo-y-you-you don’t do that!” Hegatha yelled, her hands shaking in startled fury while pointing at Jay and Asra. But she kept pointing her grimy finger at Asra for a moment longer. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew this was Asra’s fault.

“Don’t do what?” Jay shrugged. “I was just dropping off your little balls.” He said, holding out his hand and dumping fifty of the amber balls, the breaking shards, in front of her.

Her eyes bulged and a big toothy grin formed on her face. She dropped to her knees and began plucking them from the dirt, forgetting all about the trap, the skeletons, Asra, and Jay. Jay never thought he would see her this happy. In fact he wondered how anyone could be this happy in such a situation.

Hegatha pulled a glass jar from her inventory and began dropping them in, not caring that the jar was still filthy from whatever she had stashed away in it earlier. Jay looked at the grimy jar she tossed them in.

I guess she doesn’t eat them… actually, maybe she would eat the filth? He wondered.

Hegatha continued to smile as she filled the jar and stashed it away, then without look at Jay she made a quick trip back to her shack and disappeared into its shadows, while Asra stepped out and greeted Jay.

“Hi. How’d you sleep?” Jay asked.

“I sleep during the day, remember?”

“Ah, right. Well it seems like everything’s in order here. How’s your wound?” Jay asked, glancing down at her leg.

Asra hid her leg behind the other one. “It’s fine.” She blushed, stepping back.

“Good.” Jay nodded, glad that Hegatha was keeping up her end of the deal. “We’ll leave this hole as soon as possible. I think we’re clear of my pursuers but it’s better to be safe.”

Asra quieted her voice. “We’ll be fine once we reach Luna, but I’m more worried about Hegatha. We need to talk.” Asra said, glancing towards the shack.

Jay narrowed his eyes on the shack and immediately stored the throne in his inventory. The skeletons moved into a circle formation around them. They skeletons and Jay acted and moved into position so fast that it seemed like it was rehearsed.

“Are we in danger?” Jay whispered, readying his sword.

“No, just calm down.” Asra whispered back, holding her hands up, and leaned in closer. “I think she’s connected to the fire. She makes those leaves somehow, and to heal my wounds she eats them. And last night I found her whispering to an altar, like she was trying to lure someone.”

Jay glanced back at the shack and sensed Dark’s skeletal body suddenly teleport underground somewhere below the shack.

“Leave it with me.” Jay nodded, “We’ll get you healed before trying anything.” He said, wanting to go and use his [Host] skill in secret. The more secrets he kept from Asra, the better.

“Mm. Come back to the shack and feed me.” Asra said, zipping back to the shadows.