34: Casual Chat

"After lying down on the machine, everything went black, and the last thing I heard was the spell welcoming me."

"Suddenly, I found myself on a rocky formation on a platform jutting out over the black sea. I was lucky not to have appeared in the water; I would probably have been devoured by some creature."

Sara looked at Grey, noticing that he was completely focused on his story. He had fallen silent after showing her that impressive ability to combine his aspect with his memory.

After that, Grey asked her to tell him how she had arrived there, and she agreed. They both sat facing each other, ready to share their stories as the day just began. They had plenty of time to catch up, talk about their journeys, exchange questions and answers, and even compare their powers.

"Thanks to my aspect, I could see in the dark, avoid falling by accident, and best of all, I didn't feel cold or need to make a fire. Am I not incredible?"

Grey looked at her with a playful expression but nodded seriously.

"Yeah, that's impressive. Is that part of your aspect ability, right?"

Sara nodded.

"Exactly, my ability allows me to adapt to my environment. If I'm surrounded by darkness, my eyes adjust to see in it. If it's cold, I can endure it without feeling its effects."

Grey looked at her, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"Your aspect isn't bad either. It's like a semi-transformation, right? One makes you stronger, and the other makes you faster?"

Grey smiled, pleased that she showed interest.

"Yeah, exactly. I have two combat modes. In the first, I gain endurance, defense, and more strength. In the second, everything speeds up: my speed, my reflexes, and my perception. I also have better control over my body, which helps me be more precise."

Sara looked at him oddly, making Grey feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Sara sighed and pointed at him, shaking her head.

"What's wrong? Your ability is way too powerful! Who else would have such a strong combat aspect? That's cheating!"

Grey froze for a moment, having not considered that before. He put a hand on his chin, looking up at the sky.

"Now that you mention it... it does seem like cheating."

Sara watched him thoughtfully, her eyes fixed on him. She seemed to be evaluating something.

Grey noticed that Sara had fallen silent, lost in thought, so he waved his hand in front of her eyes, joking.

"Is something wrong? Grey calling Sara! Hello?"

Sara continued to follow Grey's scaly blue hand with her gaze, still deep in thought. Then she gently pushed his hand away and leaned closer to his face.

Grey was surprised but stayed still, staring at her.

Sara studied him for a few seconds before saying something that took him by surprise.

"Have you named those 'modes' of your aspect? If not, I can do it."

She leaned back a bit, watching as Grey looked at her with confusion.

"What's up with you?" she asked, returning his inquisitive look.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that... I thought you were going to say something super deep since you were frozen in thought for so long."

Sara tilted her head, smiling.

"Nah, but it's important to name them, right? How about 'Defensive Form' for the strong mode and 'Attack Mode' for the fast one? Simple and direct."

Grey shrugged.

"Sure. It's not like I have to shout them out to use them, so I haven't given it much thought."

Before Sara could respond, Grey changed the subject back to what they had been talking about earlier.

"Anyway, you still haven't finished your story, have you?"

Sara looked at him, somewhat confused.

"Oh, that's right." She coughed, trying to get back on track. "Where did I leave off?"

Grey rubbed his face, exasperated.

"At the part where you could see in the dark and your body adapted to the cold."

She shifted nervously, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh, right, right. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Ugh."

Sara turned her head and looked at him intensely for a second before continuing.

"Anyway, shut up and listen. After spending the night doing nothing, just watching that no creature climbed up the rock to eat me, I went down to explore a bit around the red coral and that was it."

"That was all I did on the first day. After exploring the area and killing some ugly spiders and a few awakened beasts, I started walking towards the next elevated platform."

"I repeated that over and over: breaking webs, killing solitary spiders, deformed or humanoid beasts, and reaching the next point."

"Until yesterday, of course."

Sara raised an eyebrow, carefully observing Grey's expression.

'While he was telling me what happened, he avoided mentioning the hill and how its upper half disappeared... What really happened that night?'

"Is something wrong?" Grey asked, noticing her gaze.

"Oh, nothing. Yesterday I saw that bright white light, and the next day I found you."

"Anyway, that's my story up to that point. What do you want to do now? We can't stay here, right?"

Grey shifted a bit uncomfortably, but just enough for Sara to notice.

'What happened to him? The tentacled creature I saw... What really happened there?'

"Oh, right, yes, we have to go somewhere else, right? We could head north. It's not like we have a fixed destination."

Sara tilted her head, unconcerned.

"I guess. I've just walked from one place to another. If the spell brought us here, there must be a portal somewhere, so sooner or later we'll find it."

Grey nodded, stood up, and began to look around. Sara watched him as she leaned back on the coral.

"Grey, don't you have another armor to lend me? The damn coral is poking my back."

He looked at her, and for the first time, he really noticed how she was dressed. Sara was only wearing some seaweed wrapped around her chest, forming an improvised bra that didn't conceal much. For the lower part, she had made a rudimentary skirt with more intertwined seaweed, something that would easily fall apart in a prolonged fight.

Grey looked at her, somewhat apologetic.

"No, I don't have extra armor, but if I get one, I'll give it to you."

Sara sighed and lay back down, looking up at the blue sky above them.

"That's a shame, but thanks."

The day continued with both of them planning their next move and getting familiar with each other's fighting styles. Sometimes they talked about more mundane things or just lay there in silence, looking at the sky.

Eventually, the sun set, and the black water of the sea flooded the crimson maze once more.

*****

Note: Pure dialogue. It was a bit difficult for me to write such a prolonged interaction, but I feel satisfied.

What do you think? Does it read forced, natural enough, or natural?