Graves

Several minutes later, the woman who I still couldn't remember the name of spoke up. "We should let the dead rest. These, we will bury outside the cave."

"Do we have shovels?" one of the two holding Kalamay asked. I think, now that I'd heard the name, she was Kendalyn. Her green hair was tousled and dirty.

"There are probably some with the supplies that the goblins have." Mayliam noted.

"There are still at least forty goblins remaining." I added.

We looked to the first woman. She seemed to think for a moment. Four seconds, if I cared to track time again.

"Perhaps we bring the others back home before we bury them."

"But we would need a cart to not desecrate the bodies." Mayliam noted.

"I kill goblins."

The others looked to me. "You just killed their leader and most elite group," Kendalyn said, "Aren't you tired?"

I paused to reflect. "No. I have energy. And anger."

"Don't be irrational. Making angry choices is going to get you killed."

"I won't die until Kalamay and Steph have been avenged." I stood up and walked towards the exit.

The darkness became a bother once again as I rounded the corner. I conjured another flame in my palm to illuminate my path. I felt it in my veins. In my heart. A burning sensation, an energy within me coursing through my veins. A burning flame. Hatred for the creatures that took my new family away. Furious frustration that I couldn't protect them.

At the first fork in the path, I spotted a pack of goblins at the edge of my firelight. Just a glimpse before they hid themselves amongst the rocks.

I conjured my sword in my left hand, though slightly smaller, switching the palm-flame to my right.

Knowing where the goblins were hidden made the slaying of said goblins easy. Let alone the fact that they died in single swings. I left the charred, sliced and crumpled bodies and continued down the path they had come from.

I wandered the tunnels for 157 minutes, filled with blind rage and numb from loss. The two feelings fought within me, taking turns being the more prominent emotion. During that time, I killed goblins without keeping count.

I found myself at the entrance of the cave when I snapped out of my emotional daze. The three survivors had brought most of the bodies out. I didn't see Kalamay, which probably meant that she was too stuck for the three to bring out.

"Did you find shovels?" the leader asked.

I thought for a second. "I not look. I kill all goblin."

The women gave each other worried looks.

"Come rest. Kendalyn and Elengail will look now that it's safe."

Kendalyn stood up, and I sat on the ground, back against the stone of the cave wall, where I had rested three hours ago.

I watched the two women walk into the cave before closing my eyes.

It was two minutes and thirty-four seconds before I felt someone ease into the space on my right. I opened my eyes to find Mayliam with her short, royal blue hair resting against me. It looked like she was about to cry, but was stifling it as best she could.

I closed my eyes again. Mayliam may have been one of the women vying for my attention, but right now, all she was needing was comfort. And if my cursed presence was comforting to her, she could use it for now.

Fifty-two minutes later, I woke to the sound of two sets of footsteps coming back from the cave. Mayliam was still resting on my shoulder, and from what I could tell, fast asleep.

Kendalyn and Elengail emerged, immediately identifiable by the messy green hair and dull purple hair. Kendalyn held four shovels, and Elengail was carrying Kalamay's body.

I shifted my weight, which woke Mayliam.

She bolted upright, face turning red as a berry. "Sorry Argolex."

"It okay. I see it comfortable for you, and you tired."

If her face could get any redder, I think it did.

"Now that you two lovebirds are rested up, want to help us with the shovels?" Kendalyn asked.

"I- I think I'm gonnaneed- I'm going to need a moment. I'll come when I'm ready."

I stood up, grabbed a shovel, and went a little into the trees. I wandered in an arc from the clearing to find an out-of-the-way place that wasn't too far, and clear enough to shovel at. There was such a place on the right of the entrance. I started shoveling without a word. Elengail and Kendalyn joined me quickly, and Mayliam joined a bit later.

We carved at the previously unworked ground for the rest of the day, making relatively quick progress. The others took occasional breaks, particularly to find the first food they'd eaten all day, but I refused to stop. I refused to think. I refused to consider joining the corpses that we were preparing to give proper rest.

When night approached, the large grave hole was not deep enough for our liking.

"We should rest for the night. We'll finish it tomorrow." Elengail suggested. The other two agreed. I ignored them as I continued to dig with mindless ferocity.

I stabbed my shovel into the ground again as someone put their hand on my shoulder. I snapped my attention to them. It was Mayliam. "Let's stop for the night. You too. You haven't taken a break for hours. You must be tired."

"I not tired. I keep working."

Elengail came up behind her. "I know it's hard to lose someone you know well, but if you don't come to terms with it, you'll lose yourself."

Kendalyn had pulled herself out of the hole already and helped Elengail out. I looked away, but didn't leave my shovel.

Mayliam tugged my arm. "Let's rest."

I followed, and used my left arm to throw myself out of the hole as Kendalyn helped the younger woman out.

I returned to my spot against the cave wall while the others found bedding from within. It only took them eleven minutes, which led me to think that most of their time getting the shovels was retrieving Kalamay. The old priestess deserved that kind of effort.

We all bedded down for the night, the women on the other side of the neatly-laid-out corpses from me.

After thirty minutes of rest, I got up quietly. It didn't look like any of the others stirred. They deserved a good rest.

I did not.

I returned to the hole we had been working on through most of the day, climbing back down to where I had left my shovel stuck in the ground. I took a deep, preparatory breath, and went back to shoveling.