Even Dead Gods Dream: Part II

By Andy Patmore and Marjorie Bevan

"Hard work betrays no one, not really. But dreaming for something better . . . that's dangerous. Dreams betray everyone eventually."

Trapped in the foreign world of Altzia, the story of the nameless garbage collector continues. With the death of one of his companions, our protagonist must be more careful than ever if he wants to survive the horrors that this new world is waiting to inflict upon him.

With the children of the Dragon Queen as his enemies, the garbage collector will be faced with odds more insurmountable than any mountain. Having defeated Envy, there is still Lust, Wrath and Sloth to face. Yet in seeking the power to face them, some truths can be too painful to bear alone. Will Alyx Bronzewing falter and fail in his quest for vengeance? Or will he simply be consumed by the reality of the world that he never wanted to face?

Explore the second installment of Even Dead Gods Dream. See for yourself if a single man can overpower the world around him with the force of his belief, or if he will fail and fall into despair as he was always destined to do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: May 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9780228856474

Book preview

Even Dead Gods Dream

Part II

Andy Patmore & Marjorie Bevan

Even Dead Gods Dream

Copyright © 2021 by Andy Patmore & Marjorie Bevan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-5646-7 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-5647-4 (eBook)

To spite everyone who ever said writing was a waste of my time.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Prologue

Death was a kindness.

It was a curious thing; to live, yet to know that he was actually dead. In the agonising seconds it took for his life to burn away, he had expected… nothing. An end, perhaps. Something indefinable, yet unquestionable in its absoluteness. There should have been an absence of everything, not even the slightest stirrings of consciousness in this not-quite life he had found himself in. Less even than just darkness; a complete lack of consciousness or awareness in any fashion.

He’d actually expected it to be just an absence of sentience. The same as the time before his birth, but just after death.

Needless to say, that wasn’t how it worked out.

Some people, a great many actually, believe that after death they ascend into the afterlife with the Earth Mother. This belief is relatively recent in the grand scheme of things, since that religion is barely four centuries old. He never believed; how could he? He’d known the ‘God’ in question. Nice girl, but terribly naive. She put the needs of others before the needs of herself. He saw where that led, what end the girl found for herself.

Before the Earth Mother, there were tales of the two elder gods who created the world. One god of destruction, and another of creation. The God of Destruction created calamity, ruin and the end to all things. This wasn’t evil, he felt, since these were simply natural parts of life. In contrast, the God of Creation had six heavenly children, and together they shepherded humanity and all life into existence. Of course neither god could coexist, what with their natures being so diametrically opposed to one another, so the concept of ‘death’ came to be when the God of Destruction killed the children. For the first time since the God of Creation made life, death occurred.

Of course, the legend was far more complicated than that in reality. There was a great deal more involved; and each of the heavenly children had their own stories and feats attributed to them - but in essence, the core of it all led to their deaths. Ironic to consider now, since he actually was dead. For keeps, this time. No last second reincarnations thanks to his mother. Just… death.

These legends were old, and seen as little more than a fairy tale in the modern era. But it was true.

Or at least, parts of it were true. It was twisted by time and poor retellings, but the fundamental idea of there being a god with six children was real. His recollection of that time was… vague. It was in a different life, after all. He remembered a battle that tore across the world, a dragon weeping in despair, and a great emptiness that consumed all light around it. There were other things; little and of little consequence, but he held dear anyway. They were little scraps of the life he used to have - of the life he lost.

All that was so long ago. Aeons easily, and long before any of the current nations of man could recall. To them, the two Gods and their children were just fiction. Stories to tell naughty children to frighten them into obedience. But he knew better.

Of course, it helped that he was one of the children. Reincarnated from that age, he was a being of legend and power - beyond anything a mere human of the modern era could truly understand.

Or well, he was.

Having his soul sucked out had kind of put a damper on that one.

Envy?

Really, he preferred to be called ‘Graven’, but both names were of equal value to him in the end. Both were labels applied by others. Graven on Earth and in Batherath, but Envy with his mother. Ultimately it didn’t bother him much either way.

Envy smiled thinly, the interruption to his musing a nice reprieve from the otherwise silent void that kept him company these days. His death, his third one that is, was an altogether different experience than what he’d been told to expect should the worst befall him again. There was no reincarnation, but neither was there an end to consciousness. Envy, or Graven as he had been known as on Earth, simply continued his existence.

Alone, that is. Graven half wished that the girl he murdered just before Pride killed him was here to keep him company. Never mind how awkward that would probably be, Graven would just have been pleased for the conversation.

Why don’t you sit and join me? Envy forced an alien expression onto his face and smiled. It felt wrong, but he did it since he had nothing else to do.

Needless to say, Graven was not the most personable of individuals. He could spell ‘tact’ but that was about as close as he’d ever come to actually possessing any. But, taxing as it was on his limited social skills, he wanted to be closer to his erstwhile brother.

The dirty and ugly man that Envy spoke to staggered forwards, his expression terribly conflicted as he stared at Graven.

Here in this castle of dreams, so deep in the soul of the sibling that killed him, appearance was abstract. Graven didn’t like the idea of manifesting as a pile of ashes, since that would render him unable to experience the simple pleasures he’d come to appreciate here. With that in mind, Graven chose to appear in his full ANZAC regalia - something he’d always take pride in, even centuries later.

The image was probably a little incongruous, Graven realised. Here he was, fully dressed as a soldier, yet he sipped tea in a pleasant little garden filled with flowers and sunshine. Dissonant perhaps, but Envy was never one for following the exact grain of things.

Envy? The grim and ugly looking newcomer looked away and clutched his head as though in pain. A nightmare. This must be a nightmare.

It was no surprise that was his first reaction. Graven had, after all, killed a dear friend of this man - then immediately went into mortal combat with him mere seconds afterwards.

Which, admittedly, did not work out the way that Envy would have liked or expected. Mistakes were made, and Graven died for it. It was… more than a little embarrassing, actually.

It’s not a nightmare. Graven corrected. I am the real Envy, and we are actually speaking. Must we go through this again, Pride?

Alyx Bronzewing was a pitiful creature indeed… Here in his own soul there was no hiding from himself. No amount of Delusional Illusions would cover over how he saw himself. In life, Graven knew him to be a dragon. But here, this was strictly down to his own mental perception.

Which made things worse for Envy, actually. The first time Graven died was during his original life, and he doesn’t really remember that so it hardly counts. The second time he was at Gallipoli, the whistling of artillery overhead as he charged over the trenches with his fellow soldiers - there was a moment of heat, blistering pain, and then death. A respectable end, if altogether too sudden. Now however…

Graven looked at Alyx. His body was a battered thing; middle-aged and ugly to behold. The poor man had thin, patchy hair that did absolutely nothing to hide several bald spots and a lazy eye. Every inch of him just seemed… worn. Even his back seemed permanently hunched from years of hard labour, the bow in his spine distinct in making the image of a man who had whittled his life away.

Dying to a sibling was bad, but still understandable given the levels of power involved. Dying to a dragon was worse, given the species’ relative weakness compared to Envy and the other children of the Queen of Avarice. Dying to a sibling who was also a dragon, allegedly the weakest family member, but also mentally saw himself as an ugly middle aged labourer? The indignity of it was stifling.

I- A confused look crossed the man’s face. His expression twisting as he looked at Envy searchingly. Graven didn’t bother to interrupt, instead just continuing to sip his tea. Am I… dreaming? I must be. I killed you.

Poor little Pride, unable to truly grasp who he was. This was the image of a man who could see himself as no better than what he was. In this castle of dreams, one could appear as they wanted. Do what they wanted. Envy liked to see his long forgotten home from before he came to Altzia, sip the tea his mother used to make, and watch the world he’d almost forgotten.

It was all an illusion, but it was a pleasant one. Subject to the whims of Graven, this place was whatever he wanted it to be in that moment. Pride, or Alyx as he seemed to prefer, could make use of it too… if he simply had the will to grasp it.

It was a curiosity that he saw himself this way. The Alyx that Graven knew was a dragon, not a ruined husk of a man that had worn his life away doing hard labour. Though Envy now existed as little more than a ghost residing within his soul, he still found his understanding of the man he called ‘brother’ to be… lacking.

Of course you’re dreaming. Graven scoffed, gesturing vaguely towards another chair. Inexplicably, there was a second chair and teacup waiting just for Alyx, rather like they had been there the entire time despite the fact that Envy knew for a fact that they hadn’t. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk, does it?

It was entirely pointless, but Envy didn’t mind much. He was trapped here, and presumably would be until the time came when Pride himself died. So what was the point in antagonising Alyx? Nothing would be gained. And, bitterness over being murdered aside, Envy wanted to understand his youngest sibling better.

I’ve been here before? Alyx questioned, his good eye sliding over to Envy with a shadow of anger hidden under the surface. He had to squint, as the cataracts in his eye were obviously making it hard for him to see. I don’t remember… are all my dreams like this? Do I come here every time I sleep?

Not all of them. Graven readily admitted. It was something of a guilty pleasure, actually. When Pride dreamed, Envy was given a rare insight into the inner workings of Alyx’s mind. He dreamed of things he didn’t understand. A world blanketed in snow, an invisible poison that tore at the body. It was all so… foreign. But most of the time you come here. You never remember it though.

And that was the most frustrating thing. Every shout of anger Pride had for Graven was forgotten. Every moment of reconciliation slipped away like they never happened in the first place. The stagnancy made Graven’s heart ache.

But it wasn’t all bad, some parts of it were even… nice. Sometimes, that is.

You killed Luvia. Pride accused, apparently dismissing the topic of dreams and sleep for the moment. Even if this is just a dream and you’re not real, I can’t forgive you for that.

I did kill her. Envy admitted. But it was a mistake. I didn’t think things would go the way they did. I’m sorry.

Pride was meant to be the weakest of them. And in a way, he was. Graven didn’t exactly consider himself the best fighter in the world, but he was still rather good. The transformations that Pride used had taken him off guard badly, but knowing that now Graven was confident that he could best his younger brother if they were to ever have a rematch.

Not that they would, what with Envy being dead and all. All Graven had left was this… illusion.

I’m going to wake up soon. A strange look crossed Alyx’s face. I… I think I can feel it. Before I go, I want you to know that I’ll never forgive you. Luvia was my friend. She-

You’ve told me this already. Graven interrupted. Every time you’ve come here you’ve said that. Run along now, and beware Gluttony and Sloth.

I… Alyx seemed to waver, his whole form indistinct. Gluttony and Sloth? What do you-

Like smoke in the wind, Alyx faded away. Off he went to the waking world, leaving Envy alone once again. He’d be back though, for that was only a matter of time.

Graven finished off his tea. He’d meant what he said though; Pride really needed to be careful of Sloth and Gluttony. Leonidas and Graven had been good friends, and surely Sloth wouldn’t take kindly to the news of Envy’s death. Gluttony was more worrying, since Graven had, frankly, no idea what that madman would try to do to Alyx. The young dragon best keep his wits about him if he wishes to survive.

But well, what did that really matter to Graven? He was dead, after all.

But then, even the dead can dream.

Chapter One

I was starting to dread sleep.

As I opened my eyes I was struck by a profound sense of loss, like something terribly important to me had just slipped through my fingers. Yet for the life of me, I didn’t know what. But the tighter I tried to hold it, to pin down whatever was making me feel this way, the more it just seemed to get away from me. It was like trying to tightly clench water in my hands. It felt like I was so close, like if I reached out just a centimeter more I would be able to grasp whatever kept slipping away. But everytime I so much as brushed at this truth, I suddenly found myself awake and with tears in my eyes and anger coiling in my heart.

I’ve never been much of a dreamer. Even in my life on Earth I was always something of a restless sleeper, but this was always more due to my own nervous ticks rather than any misfortune with dreams. So for me to wake up daily with tears in my eyes… well, even for a miserable bastard like me it was strange.

Stranger still was the intense feeling of anger that I sometimes felt upon awakening. I found myself furious, but for the life of me I could not tell what I was mad about.

This was becoming an increasingly common trend for me as of late - but in the face of all that has happened recently, my sleep problems were way down on my list of issues.

In all fairness, troubled sleep was actually so overshadowed by my other problems that it might as well be dismissed. I am Alyx Bronzewing; worthless tube baby born in the twenty-second century of Earth. I’ve spent my life working as a ‘garbage collector’, an unflattering way to describe my position as one of the many salvagers sent out into the devastated wastes of the ruined Earth to try and find anything useful for the betterment of society. My life has been miserable, my only solace was the VRMMO game of DRAGONKIN that I poured myself into at every opportunity.

Most recently I’ve found myself in something of a pickle. When DRAGONKIN was finally being shut down, I was content to wait out the end of the fantasy world. However, in the span of time it took me to blink, I found myself somewhere different, a new world entirely. The primitive land of Altzia.

Stuck in the body of my game avatar, I was trapped in this new world. Which was quite the problem, considering my avatar was a dragon the size of a small bus and that history has never been lacking for tales of people trying to murder the ‘evil dragon’.

Perhaps the less said about my ability to keep calm and not do anything rash the better. On Earth I had a reputation for handling pressure about as well as a land mine - a sentiment that has absolutely held true here as well. In my time here, I’ve managed to kidnap one princess, piss off one god, kill one demi-god thing, and get my first/best friend murdered.

Yes, really.

It had been little more than two weeks since the battle with my wretched ‘sibling’, and in that time Cain and Ruby have been very… lost. For Cain, the loss of his sister Luvia cut deeply. The man had barely spoken a word since he found out, and he seemed altogether… less, than he was before. As though he suddenly lost a fundamental part of his being.

Not that I blame him. Luvia’s death was my fault, and the guilt cuts at me daily. If it’s this bad for me though, what must it be like for him? Luvia was his sister, his twin sister whom he had very obviously loved dearly. From his perspective, her loss was something I’d never understand.

The fact that he was able to function at all astounded me; I was left utterly in awe of Cain’s ability to maintain even the slightest modicum of normality. I knew, had the situation been reversed, I would have simply shattered under the strain. Even as a mere friend, Luvia’s death felt like a red hot poker being jammed into my heart.

Alyx, I love y-

…Her last words haunted me. I couldn’t bear to think about it, so I simply had to shy away from that particular reality.

It wasn’t brave, nor was it the right thing to do. But Luvia’s final words made me ache terribly. I couldn’t bear to think about it. I had to hide, even from myself - lest it cripple my ability to function.

Ruby changed as well, though it was in a different way. The lying princess mourned the death of our friend, but she was different now. The killing of her own sister seemed to have a profound impact on Ruby - it was a subtle, yet powerful shift. Where before Ruby seemed to constantly look downwards, now there was a distinct… freedom to her. Like one of the chains weighing her down was gone. Grief and suffering still had their hold on the girl, but I got the distinct impression that she felt better now than the entire time I’d known her previously.

As for myself… I just don’t know.

Hey, are you awake?

My eyes shifted to Ruby as she stretched and got out of bed, her gaze settling onto the silver tag that now hung around her neck.

In the two weeks since Luvia’s death, we had made our way to Magna - the very city in which we first met the twins and took on our first proper mission. The Adventurers Guild was horrified at the notion of goblins and the threat that they posed, but they were also delighted to know that we had solved the problem before it could really balloon out into something more dangerous.

After sending another, much better equipped, team to confirm that we were telling the truth, the Guild had awarded Cain with a gold membership, and Ruby with a silver. Of course, I was once again posing as a Lion of Bast thanks to my shapeshifting abilities, so no reward for me. But I was fine with that, the events of the last few weeks had left too much of a bitter feeling in me to really appreciate any reward I might get.

Hm. I agreed softly, not bothering to rise from my position on the floor.

Within DRAGONKIN I played as a shapeshifter. In practice this meant I could imitate creatures and monsters that I’ve defeated, within certain limits. I was incapable of posing as a specific person, and the most detailed I could get with my transformations was selecting species and gender - so if I tried to pose as the human I used to be, then I’d probably just appear as literally the most generic and forgettable looking person to ever exist.

As ever, my abilities as a shapeshifter of DRAGONKIN left me able to perform human speech despite the fact that technically I don’t think it should be possible as a Lion of Bast. The shape of a lions mouth, as well as the differences in the structure of the throat probably shouldn’t allow for human speech. But here I was; able to speak as though I was every bit as human as Cain and Ruby. Not that it mattered much, since I didn’t actually end up speaking a lot anyway. These days Ruby simply handled all the talking for the group. I was pretending to be an animal, and Cain was too lost in his own thoughts to really do anything without Ruby prompting him. Thus the role of party speaker fell to Ruby by default.

Which was a good thing, since despite being older than Cain and Ruby combined, I was easily the worst socially. Never mind the racial differences I now suffered in Altzia, even back on Earth I could barely hold a conversation with the people around me. There was a reason I played a game designed for mass multiplayer alone.

We should get Cain. Ruby cracked her neck slightly, her blonde hair a sharp contrast to the dim and slightly dirty room that we rented. We agreed to take on that hard request today.

…We did, but odds are that I won’t end up doing anything. With Cain now being gold ranked, and Ruby silver, they were expected to take on more difficult tasks than before. Where Ruby might be able to get away with taking the odd wolf or wild animal slaying quest, Cain couldn’t really. Gold ranks were the people who took on the things that were usually suicidal to anyone else, and thus were normally the richest and most powerful members of the Guild. But Ruby was insistent I only helped when strictly necessary, lest I impede their growth.

Which was fair, but left me with far too much time on my hands. It left me to think about things I really didn’t want to broach, even to myself.

The Guild was being generous and letting Cain have his time to grieve, but they had quotas to fill and gold ranks were in high demand to deal with powerful monsters. Only so much time could be given before negative penalties began to stack up. While there was little they could do to him physically, what with Cain being more than capable of snapping most other adventurers in half, there was nothing stopping the Guild from refusing to pay him and letting Cain simply starve to death as he struggled for money.

Which, of course, is where this latest job came in. Since arriving back in Magna, the hardest mission we took on was to kill a bear that was threatening nearby farmers - this was easy though, since Ruby just cast one of her miracles, electrocuted it, and then the day was done.

Which still bothered me, to be honest. Not so much the act itself, since I didn’t really care if some animal died. But rather the how. Ruby, and apparently the entire northern country of the Jodam Theocracy, used what she called ‘miracles’. A type of magic proficient in electrical attacks and healing sorcery.

I called it madness, since it shouldn’t exist in this world.

While I know for a fact that I am not the only being from Earth to exist in Altzia, I am almost certainly the only one that knows of DRAGONKIN. Ruby’s ‘miracles’ shouldn’t exist here, because they were DRAGONKIN magic - or in other words, fictional.

I took some small solace in the fact that Ruby claimed to be a very advanced practitioner of the art; which was laughable from my point of view, since her abilities were level 35 at best by DRAGONKIN standards. If that was considered highly skilled and powerful, my august level 100 self would be fine unless I fought a thousand people of Ruby’s skill level.

Most people in this world were actually quite weak compared to me. There were some very notable exceptions to that; the Queen of Avarice and her children being the principal offenders there, but all things considered I might as well be a god compared to the average human in this world.

Not that I felt as such. All the power in the world meant nothing without the will to wield it. The crushing loss of Luvia and my utter despair at the thought of facing the Dragon Queen again didn’t do much to inspire thoughts of megalomania.

Now, even despite Cain’s continued gloom and my desire to curl into a ball and wail over my failures, we had been all but forced to take on something harder.

You get him. I shot back to Ruby, He doesn’t listen to me, and I can’t get into his room like this.

‘Like this’ referred to the fact that, as suitably strong as it might be in combat, the body of a Lion of Bast didn’t actually lend itself well to living indoors. While it was certainly possible to smash my way through, doorways still eluded me with their wretched doorknobs and keyholes. One does not consider the profound usefulness of opposable thumbs until one lacks them.

Ugh, fine. Ruby brushed past me, her light armour crinkling lightly as she moved.

I eyed the girl as she stepped out of the room. Ruby had changed since I first met her. Perhaps it was simply the dropping of the mask, or maybe the death of her sister was more fundamental than I first thought, but the way we interacted was different now. The greatest positive in my mind is that she seemed more and more willing to argue with me.

Which was a good thing actually. With the loss of Luvia, I think we need someone willing to be a bit more forceful with their opinions and views. Frankly, I am not, nor was I ever, anything even resembling a leader. While I was plenty powerful thanks to my DRAGONKIN body and abilities, I still lack the basic social skills that Ruby shows in even the most insignificant of interactions. I’m also an idiot that never recieved anything more than an elementary education, so I was more than willing to palm off the role of leader onto someone a little more knowledgeable.

Plus, I think it’s better that Ruby feels comfortable enough to be honest around me. The loss of Luvia hit us all hard, but I know what it’s like to internalise misery. Whoever said simply talking about it would help was an idiot or didn’t have anything to actually be miserable about to begin with.

But by the same token, I knew it was a bad idea to just try and carry suffering alone. I’d done that for decades, and outside of DRAGONKIN I was a ruinous husk of a man. Utterly unable to reconcile the world outside my escapism, and totally bound to a miserable fate that I’d never wish upon anyone.

Upon arriving in Altzia I’d hoped differently, I’d dreamed of something more for myself. I thought perhaps that my arrival in this new world was a chance for me to be more than what I was.

I was wrong.

All I’d done since arriving here was prove that my existence was an utter waste. I couldn’t even save one girl, so what fooled me into thinking I could actually become the character I roleplayed as? Alyx Bronzewing was a lie. Something I made up one day so I could run away from my life on Earth. I used the name now, but it was as fake as my current leonine body. Something to be peeled away when the truth came out. Something-

I shook my head, forcibly putting that stream of thought away.

Despair is a poison. It was such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it. It aches, it tears away at the spirit until you’re worn to the bone and don’t see any other option.

I know what that’s like. I’ve been there. I don’t know how to help Cain, but I’m just glad that Ruby isn’t walking the same path.

With that said, there were some things that I didn’t agree with Ruby over. As the princess in question stepped out of the room, I silently looked at her armour and weaponry. Perhaps it was wrong of me to judge, and I know that this line of thinking makes me an absolute hypocrite, but…

After the dreadful battle with Envy and Ruby’s sister, Ruby had seen fit to take her sister’s sword and armour.

They were stunning pieces of course, far above anything that our pathetic funds could realistically be expected to get us. Although distinctly used, the sword and armour were both brilliant additions to our arsenal - armaments fit for royalty. Only… was it wrong of Ruby to take them?

When Ruby and I first decided on playing the role of adventurers, it was right after I massacred an assault force from a neighboring country. While I didn’t particularly care that the two nations were fighting, I knew that the conflict would serve as an excellent way to hide myself. From the bodies of the fallen, I acquired armour and a dagger for Ruby. That was impersonal though - random nobodies that neither I nor Ruby had ever met, nor particularly cared about. Their deaths were irrelevant, so taking from their corpses was perfectly justifiable.

However, stealing from the body of a family member? I don’t know. I had no basis for reference, since I lacked real familial relations. The closest I’ve ever had to family were other children that grew up in the same circumstances, and the mad ravings of the Queen of Avarice and her ‘children’ - which I don’t think really count considering my first interaction with my mother ended with me trying to roast her alive. Even without having something to compare it to though, I was under the impression that generally people were meant to hold their family in higher esteem than how Ruby treated her sister. Was it wrong of me to judge?

Come on, Sir Alyx. Ruby stepped back into the room, a weary looking Cain following slowly behind her. I want to get an advanced payment on this job before heading out today.

…I suppose it doesn’t really matter. All that mattered is that we’re here now and that, for the time being at least, we’re alive. I’m coming.

I fell into step behind Ruby, once again playing the part of the silent animal.

Sir Alyx was watching again.

Ruby was dully aware of it as she stepped out of their shared room. He’d been doing it a lot lately. Sir Alyx was, by his very nature, an observer and schemer. Ruby could only assume this was mainly due to his advanced age and draconic nature. As always, however, he didn’t say whatever he was thinking. He just watched, molten gold eyes hiding whatever thoughts were grinding through his ancient mind.

Once in the narrow and dim hallway of their current inn, Ruby stepped towards Cain’s room. At first, if mainly due to monetary concerns, Sir Alyx had suggested that the three of them share a room. However, Ruby put her foot down on that due to Cain’s repeated nightmares. While Ruby was happy enough living in this relative squalor compared to her royal upbringing, she was still a princess. Although Cain was a valued friend, and Ruby fully understood the reason for his nightmares, there was a limit to compassion. Ruby needed to sleep, and Cain wasn’t conducive to that.

Sir Alyx at least, was simpler. Although he didn’t actually seem to need the rest, he was a light and quiet sleeper even on his worst nights. The most noise he ever made was the heavy sighs he’d make upon awakening. Nor did Sir Alyx seem to particularly care if Ruby herself made noise. He was content merely resting on his own.

Whatever horrors he’d undoubtedly seen in his life were likely long gone ghosts of the past to him. Before the incident with Lapis and Graven, Sir Alyx had told them that he’d lived to see the end of his world. However many centuries or millennia that meant he’d lived was lost on Ruby thanks to the sheer scale of it, but she understood that even with the death of Luvia that probably amounted to little more than a mere drop in an ocean of all the people he’s known. Loss was evidently an old hat to Sir Alyx by this point.

Cain however…

Cain, are you awake? Ruby knocked on his door. I’m coming in.

The cheap hinges creaked noisily as the door opened, but the sound was overshadowed by the sight of Cain’s form as Ruby entered the room proper. She couldn’t help but sigh at the sight she was greeted with.

…Cain wasn’t a bad man, Ruby reminded herself. Just a man that was hurting.

Sprawled out on his bed, was the picture of a man who had tried to drown himself in cheap ale. The odour hung heavily in the tight space, and the sight of several empty bottles didn’t fill Ruby with much confidence. If judging by the rise and fall of his chest, Cain